18338840. PRINTING APPARATUS AND PRINTING METHOD simplified abstract (SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION)
PRINTING APPARATUS AND PRINTING METHOD
Organization Name
Inventor(s)
Yoshitsugu Tokai of MATSUMOTO-SHI (JP)
PRINTING APPARATUS AND PRINTING METHOD - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18338840 titled 'PRINTING APPARATUS AND PRINTING METHOD
Simplified Explanation
The patent application describes a printing apparatus that includes a carriage and a control unit. The carriage has a head that can move in one direction and a light emission unit that can move in another direction. The light emission unit consists of two groups of light emitters arranged in the second direction.
- The first emission group is positioned to overlap with the nozzles in the first direction.
- The second emission group is positioned to not overlap with the nozzles in the first direction.
- The control unit can operate the apparatus in two modes:
* In the first mode, both the first and second emission groups emit ultraviolet light. * In the second mode, the first emission group does not emit ultraviolet light, but the second emission group does.
Potential applications of this technology:
- Printing and curing of UV-sensitive inks or coatings.
- Fabrication of UV-curable 3D objects.
- UV-based printing for high-resolution and fast printing processes.
Problems solved by this technology:
- Efficient and controlled curing of UV-sensitive materials.
- Precise positioning of UV light emission relative to the printing nozzles.
- Flexibility to switch between UV emission modes based on printing requirements.
Benefits of this technology:
- Improved printing quality and durability by ensuring proper curing of UV-sensitive materials.
- Enhanced printing speed and efficiency due to simultaneous UV curing and printing.
- Versatility in printing applications by offering different UV emission modes.
Original Abstract Submitted
A printing apparatus includes a carriage and a control unit. The carriage includes a head configured to move in a first direction, and a light emission unit configured to relatively move in a second direction. The light emission unit includes a first emission group and a second emission group arranged in the second direction. The first emission group is disposed at a position that overlaps with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction. The second emission group is disposed at a position that does not overlap with the plurality of nozzles in the first direction. The control unit is configured to perform a first mode in which ultraviolet light is emitted from the first emission group and the second emission group, and a second mode in which ultraviolet light is not emitted from the first emission group and ultraviolet light is emitted from the second emission group.
