System and method for attenuating oxygen inhibition of ultraviolet ink curing on an image on a three-dimensional (3D) object during printing of the object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10093108-B1
Application number	US-201715636012-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 28, 2017
Priority date	Jun 28, 2017
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

A direct-to-object printer includes a vaporizer to attenuate the effect of oxygen inhibition on the curing of non-aqueous ultraviolet (UV) marking material ejected onto the surface of an object printed by the printer. The vaporizer includes a heating element to form a vapor from a solution of solvent and particulate and a pressurized air source to direct the vapor toward the object to enable a portion of the vapor to condense on the object. The condensed vapor forms a barrier that attenuates the effect of oxygen inhibition on the curing of non-aqueous UV marking material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A printing system comprising:
at least one printhead configured to eject drops of a non-aqueous ultraviolet (UV) curable marking material;
a first member having a first end and a second end, the at least one printhead being positioned between the first end and the second end of the first member;
a holder configured to hold an object and to move along the first member between the first end and the second end of the first member;
a first actuator operatively connected to the holder, the actuator being configured to move the holder along the first member to enable the object to move past the printheads and receive marking material from the printheads in the plurality of printheads and form an ink image on the object;
an ultraviolet (UV) curing device configured to emit UV light, the UV curing device being positioned between the plurality of printheads and the second end of the member to enable the UV curing device to cure the non-aqueous UV curable marking material ejected onto the object in the holder by the at least one printhead in the plurality of printheads;
a vaporizer configured to form a vapor of a solution with a solvent and a particulate and direct the vapor toward the object in the holder to enable a portion of the vapor to condense on a surface of the object, the vaporizer being positioned between the UV curing device and the at least one printhead;
a vapor removal device positioned between the vaporizer and the UV curing device, the vapor removal device being configured to remove uncondensed vapor from a vicinity of the object after the portion of the vapor has condensed on the surface of the object and before the object is exposed to the UV light emitted by the UV curing device; and
a controller operatively connected to the at least one printhead, the first actuator, the UV curing device, the vapor removal device, and the vaporizer, the controller being configured to operate the first actuator to move the holder and object along the first member in a process direction, to operate the plurality of printheads to eject marking material onto the object and form the ink image on the object, to operate the vaporizer to form and direct the vapor toward the object in the holder to enable the vapor to condense on the ink image on the object, to operate the vapor removal device to remove uncondensed vapor from the vicinity of the object before the object is exposed to UV light emitted by the UV curing device; and to operate the UV curing device to direct UV light onto the ink image and the condensed vapor on the object.

2. The printing system of claim 1 , the vaporizer further comprising:
a heating element configured to heat the solution and form the vapor; and
a source of pressurized air configured to direct the vapor toward the object.

3. The printing system of claim 2 , the vaporizer further comprising:
a source of solvent;
a source of particulate; and
a conduit fluidically connecting the source of solvent and the source of particulate to the vaporizer to enable particulate to mix with the solvent and form the solution prior to reaching the heating element.

4. The printing system of claim 1 wherein the vapor removal device is a positive pressure device.

5. The printing system of claim 1 wherein the vapor removal device is a negative pressure device.

6. A system for attenuating oxygen inhibition of ultraviolet marking material curing comprising:
a vaporizer configured to form a vapor of a solution with a solvent and a particulate and direct the vapor toward an object in a holder after an ink image has been formed on the object with at least one non-aqueous UV marking material to enable a portion of the vapor to condense on a surface of the object;
a vapor removal device configured to remove uncondensed vapor from a vicinity of the object after the portion of the vapor has condensed on the surface of the object and before the surface of the object is exposed to UV light; and
a controller operatively connected to the vaporizer and the vapor removal device, the controller being configured to operate the vaporizer to form and direct the vapor toward the object in the holder to enable the vapor to condense on the ink image on the object and to operate the vapor removal device to remove uncondensed vapor from the vicinity of the object before the surface of the object is exposed to UV light.

7. The system of claim 6 , the vaporizer further comprising:
a heating element configured to heat the solution and form the vapor; and
a source of pressurized air configured to direct the vapor toward the object.

8. The system of claim 7 , the vaporizer further comprising:
a source of solvent;
a source of particulate; and
a conduit fluidically connecting the source of solvent and the source of particulate to the vaporizer to enable particulate to mix with the solvent and form the solution prior to reaching the heating element.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the vapor removal device is a positive pressure device.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the vapor removal device is a negative pressure device.

11. A method for operating a printer that forms ink images containing at least one non-aqueous ultraviolet (UV) curable ink on an object, the method comprising:
operating at least one printhead to eject drops of a non-aqueous UV curable ink onto a surface of an object;
forming a vapor from a solvent;
directing the vapor onto the drops of the non-aqueous UV curable ink on the surface of the object to enable a portion of the vapor to condense onto the drops of the non-aqueous UV curable ink;
operating a vapor removal device to remove uncondensed vapor from a vicinity of the object before the object is exposed to UV light; and
operating a UV light emitter to direct UV light onto the vapor and the drops of the non-aqueous UV curable ink on the surface of the object.

12. The method of claim 11 , the formation of the vapor further comprising:
dissolving particulate in the solvent to form a solution and forming the vapor from the solution.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the operation of the vapor removal device includes operating a positive pressure device.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the operation of the vapor removal device includes operating a negative pressure device.

15. The method of claim 12 , the formation of the vapor further comprising:
heating the solution with a heating element to form the vapor; and
directing the vapor toward the object with a pressurized air source.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
delivering solvent from a source of solvent into a conduit;
delivering particulate from a source of particulate into the solvent within the conduit to form the solution; and
delivering the solution to the vaporizer to enable the solution to be heated by the heating element.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
operating a vapor removal device to remove condensed vapor from the surface of the object after the UV light emitter has directed UV light onto the drops of non-aqueous UV curable ink on the surface of the object.

Assignees

• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Giacobbi James L
• Mclaughlin Matthew R
• Warner Victoria L
• Campbell Richard A

Classifications

• B41J2/20 Primary

  for preventing or detecting contamination of compounds · CPC title

• B41J11/002

  Curing or drying the ink on the copy materials, e.g. by heating or irradiating · CPC title

• B41J3/4073

  Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects (B41J3/283, B41J3/286 take precedence; building up a 3D object using individual droplets from jetting heads B29C64/112) · CPC title

• B41J11/00214 Primary

  using UV radiation · CPC title

• B41J11/0015

  for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing (selective coating B41J2/2114) · CPC title