Inkjet printer with temperature controlled substrate support

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11932030-B2
Application number	US-202318302693-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2023
Priority date	Dec 20, 2018
Publication date	Mar 19, 2024
Grant date	Mar 19, 2024

Abstract

An inkjet printer is described. The inkjet printer has a gas cushion substrate support having a metal support surface; a print assembly with a dispenser having ejection nozzles facing the support surface; a gas source fluidly coupled to the gas cushion substrate support by a gas conduit; and a thermal control system coupled to the gas conduit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
using a gas cushion substrate support to support a substrate, the gas cushion substrate support comprising a metal support surface and a plurality of holes formed through the metal support surface;
flowing a gas through a gas conduit and through the plurality of holes to form a gas cushion between the substrate and the metal support surface to support the substrate;
depositing a print material on the substrate while the substrate is supported by the gas cushion; and
thermally controlling the substrate by adjusting a flowrate of the gas, adjusting a temperature of the gas using a thermal control system coupled to the gas conduit, or both.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein thermally controlling the substrate further comprises:
measuring a temperature of the gas flowing through the gas conduit; and
adjusting a flowrate of the gas flowing through the gas conduit based on the measured gas temperature.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein thermally controlling the substrate further comprises:
measuring a temperature of the gas flowing through the gas conduit; and
adjusting a temperature of the gas flowing through the gas conduit based on the measured gas temperature.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein thermally controlling the substrate further comprises:
measuring a temperature of the substrate while the substrate is supported by the gas cushion; and
adjusting a flowrate of the gas flowing through the gas conduit based on the measured substrate temperature.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein thermally controlling the substrate further comprises:
measuring a temperature of the substrate while the substrate is supported by the gas cushion; and
adjusting a temperature of the gas flowing through the gas conduit based on the measured substrate temperature.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of holes is a first plurality, the gas is a first gas, the gas conduit is a first gas conduit, and the gas cushion is a first gas cushion, and further comprising flowing a second gas through a second gas conduit and through a second plurality of holes formed through the metal support surface to form a second gas cushion between the substrate and the metal support surface to support the substrate, wherein the first plurality of holes is at a central region of the substrate support and the second plurality of holes is at an edge region of the substrate support.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising adjusting a flowrate of the first gas independent of a flowrate of the second gas.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising independently adjusting a temperature of the first gas and the second gas.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising controlling a temperature of the gas using a heat exchanger coupled to the gas conduit.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate support comprises a plurality of sections, each having a metal support surface and a plurality of holed formed through the metal support surface, flowing a gas through a gas conduit and through the plurality of holes comprises flowing the gas through the plurality of holes of each of the sections to form a gas cushion, and thermally controlling the substrate comprises adjusting a temperature of flowrate of gas to each of the sections using the thermal control system.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein thermally controlling the substrate further comprises thermally coupling the substrate with the metal support surface.

12. A method, comprising:
using a gas cushion substrate support to support a substrate, the gas cushion substrate support comprising a metal support surface and a plurality of holes formed through the metal support surface;
flowing a gas through a gas conduit and through the plurality of holes to form a gas cushion between the substrate and the metal support surface to support the substrate;
exhausting gas from the gas cushion through a plurality of gas escape passages formed through the gas cushion substrate support;
depositing a print material on the substrate while the substrate is supported by the gas cushion; and
thermally controlling the substrate by adjusting a flowrate of the gas, adjusting a temperature of the gas using a thermal control system coupled to the gas conduit, or both.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the flowing a gas through a gas conduit and through the plurality of holes to form a gas cushion comprises flowing the gas through a gas flow passage formed in a support plate of the gas cushion substrate support to a gap between the support plate and a top member of the gas cushion substrate support that provides the support surface.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the gas escape passages are formed through the top member and the support plate.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein thermally controlling the substrate further comprises:
measuring a temperature of the gas flowing through the gas conduit, a temperature of the substrate, or both; and
adjusting the flowrate or temperature of the gas flowing through the gas conduit based on the measured gas temperature, substrate temperature, or both.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein thermally controlling the substrate further comprises thermally coupling the substrate and the metal support surface.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein thermally controlling the substrate comprises adjusting a temperature of the gas using a thermal control system that comprises a thermal unit that circulates and controls a thermal medium and a heat exchanger that thermally couples the thermal medium with the gas.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the thermal control system controls thermal flux of the heat exchanger by controlling flowrate of the thermal medium.

19. A method, comprising:
using a gas cushion substrate support to support a substrate, the gas cushion substrate support comprising a metal top member, a support plate, and a plurality of holes formed through the metal support member and the support plate;
flowing a gas through a gas conduit and through the plurality of holes to form a gas cushion between the substrate and the metal support surface to support the substrate;
exhausting gas from the gas cushion through a plurality of gas escape passages formed through the top member and the support plate;
depositing a print material on the substrate while the substrate is supported by the gas cushion;
controlling the gas cushion by controlling a flowrate of the gas; and
thermally controlling the substrate by adjusting a temperature of the gas using a thermal control system coupled to the gas conduit, the thermal control system comprising a thermal unit that circulates and controls a thermal medium and a heat exchanger that thermally couples the thermal medium with the gas.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the top member is a porous body.

Assignees

• Kateeva Inc

Inventors

• Pun Digby
• Wicklow Cormac Mckinley
• Buchner Christopher
• Ko Alexander Sou-Kang

Classifications

• B41J29/377 Primary

  Cooling or ventilating arrangements · CPC title

• B41J3/407

  for marking on special material · CPC title

• B41J11/001

  Handling wide copy materials · 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

• B41J3/28 Primary

  for printing downwardly on flat surfaces, e.g. of books, drawings, boxes {, envelopes, e.g. flat-bed ink-jet printers} · CPC title