Printing system and method of printing a multilayer structure using radiation curable ink

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9469135-B2
Application number	US-201514718356-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2015
Priority date	May 22, 2014
Publication date	Oct 18, 2016
Grant date	Oct 18, 2016

Abstract

A printing system and a method for printing a multilayer structure using radiation curable ink, the multilayer structure comprising multiple ink layers which are consecutively printed, and wherein a first printed ink layer of any two consecutively printed ink layers is cured before a subsequently printed ink layer is printed thereon, wherein at least one ink of multiple inks is selected for being used for printing the multilayer structure, said multiple inks comprising at least one first and at least one second radiation curable ink, wherein said at least one ink is selected in dependence on information about at least one property of the said at least one ink apart from color, wherein, of the multiple inks, at least the selected at least one ink and at least one of the at least one first ink are used for printing the multilayer structure; the physical property being e.g. an expansion/shrinkage property and/or an adhesion property.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of printing a multilayer structure using radiation curable ink, the multilayer structure comprising multiple ink layers, which are consecutively printed, and wherein a first printed ink layer of any two consecutively printed ink layers is cured before a subsequently printed ink layer is printed thereon, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) selecting at least one ink of multiple inks for being used for printing the multilayer structure, said multiple inks comprising at least one first radiation curable ink and at least one second radiation curable ink, wherein said at least one ink is selected in dependence on information about an expansion/shrinkage property of the said at least one ink, and
(b) printing the multilayer structure onto a receiving material, comprising printing and curing a plurality of ink layers, wherein, of the multiple inks, at least the selected at least one ink and at least one of the at least one first ink and at least one second ink are used for printing the multilayer structure,
wherein an effect of the at least one first ink to cause expansion/shrinkage mechanical stress between the multilayer structure and the receiving material is at least partly compensated by an opposing effect of the at least one selected ink.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of printing the multilayer structure comprises printing an elevation layer and printing a top layer of the multilayer structure, wherein the top layer comprises an image layer, and wherein, of the multiple inks, at least the selected at least one ink is used for printing the elevation layer, and at least one of the at least one first ink is used for printing the image layer, wherein the image layer is printed according to image data.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a proportion of the amount of the at least one selected ink to the amount of the at least one first ink to be used for printing at least one layer of the multilayer structure is determined in dependence on an expansion/shrinkage property of the said at least one ink.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the step of printing the multilayer structure comprises setting ink density levels of the respective inks for printing said at least one layer, wherein the ink density levels are set in accordance with the determined proportion.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of selecting at least one ink comprises selecting at least one ink in dependence on information about a thermal expansion/shrinkage property of the receiving material.

6. The method according to claim 1 for printing a multilayer structure according to image data and height data using radiation curable ink, wherein the step of printing the multilayer structure comprises printing at least one sub-layer that forms an elevation layer, and printing a top layer of the multilayer structure, wherein the top layer comprises an image layer, and wherein, of the multiple inks, at least the selected at least one ink is used for printing the elevation layer, and at least one of the at least one first ink is used for printing the image layer,
wherein the number of sub-layers forming the elevation layer is determined in dependence on the height data,
wherein a proportion of the amount of the at least one selected ink to the amount of the at least one first ink to be used for printing the elevation layer is determined in dependence on the expansion/shrinkage property of the selected at least one ink, and
wherein the image layer is printed according to the image data.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said information about an expansion/shrinkage property comprises information about a curing expansion/shrinkage property of the selected at least one ink and information about a thermal expansion/shrinkage property of the selected at least one ink.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said information about an expansion/shrinkage property of the selected at least one ink comprises information about a curing expansion/shrinkage property, and
wherein said selected at least one first ink has the property to expand or shrink during radiation curing, and wherein said at least one second ink has an opposing property to shrink or, respectively, to expand during curing.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of printing the multilayer structure comprises printing an elevation layer and printing a top layer of the multilayer structure, wherein the top layer comprises an image layer and a uniformly colored cover layer that covers the elevation layer, and wherein the image layer is printed on to the cover layer, the cover layer separating the image layer from the elevation layer.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
selecting at least one ink of said multiple inks for printing an adhesion ink layer, wherein said at least one ink is selected in dependence on information about an adhesion property of the at least one ink and information about an adhesion property of the receiving material,
wherein the step of printing the multilayer structure comprises printing an adhesion layer on the receiving material, the adhesion layer forming a bottom layer of the multilayer structure connecting the multilayer structure to the receiving material.

11. A printing system for printing a multilayer structure using radiation curable ink, comprising:
a print engine;
multiple ink supply systems for supplying respective inks to the print engine, said inks comprising at least one first radiation curable ink and at least one second radiation curable ink;
a radiation curing device; and
a print data processing system adapted to control the print engine in accordance with print data,
wherein the print data processing system comprises an ink property memory unit adapted for storing information characterizing at least one property of the respective inks apart from color, said at least one property comprising an expansion/shrinkage property of the respective inks,
wherein the print data processing system is adapted to control the print engine to print a multilayer structure, wherein the multilayer structure comprises multiple ink layers which are consecutively printed, wherein a first printed ink layer of any two consecutively printed ink layers is cured before a subsequently printed ink layer is printed thereon, and
wherein the print data processing system comprises an ink selector unit adapted for selecting at least one ink of the multiple inks in dependence on information about the expansion/shrinkage property of the ink, for printing the multilayer structure,

such that an effect of a first ink of the multiple inks to cause expansion/shrinkage mechanical stress between the multilayer structure and the receiving material is at least partly compensated by an opposing effect of the at least one selected ink.

12. The printing system according to claim 11 ,
wherein the print data processing system comprises a proportion determining unit adapted for determining a proportion of an amount of the at least one selected ink to an amount of the at least one first ink to be used for printing at least one layer of the multilayer structure, wherein said proportion is determined in dependence on the expansion/shrinkage property of the ink.

13. The printing system according to claim 12 , further comprising a raster image processing unit for converting print data into a format suitable for driving the print engine, wherein the proportion determining unit is adapted for controlling the raster image processing unit to apply ink density levels of the respective inks for pri

Assignees

• Oce Tech Bv

Inventors

• Weijkamp Clemens T

Classifications

• 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

• B29C67/0059

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B33Y30/00

  Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor · CPC title

• B41J29/38 Primary

  Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism · CPC title

• B41M7/0081

  using electromagnetic radiation or waves, e.g. ultraviolet radiation, electron beams · CPC title