AUTOMATICALLY RECONFIGURING A WEB PRINTER
In one example, a method for an inkjet web printer includes a print engine printing a first print job on a moving first web, a printer controller receiving a second print job, the printer controller determining that the second print job may be printed after the first print job on a second web automatically spliced to the moving first web, a web supply automatically splicing the second web to the moving first web, the printer controller reconfiguring the print engine from a first configuration for the first print job to a second configuration for the second print job without stopping the moving first web or the moving second web, and the print engine printing the second print job on the moving second web.
This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/605,525 filed Oct. 16, 2019 which is a national stage of international application no. PCT/US2018/022208 filed Mar. 13, 2018, each incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUNDHigh speed digital inkjet web printers, sometimes called digital web “presses”, utilize an array of stationary inkjet printheads to dispense ink across the full width of a paper or other printable web as the web moves past the printheads. Automatic splicing winders allow web printers to receive an uninterrupted supply of printable web from one web supply roll to the next web supply roll.
The same part numbers designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures.
DESCRIPTIONAutomatic splicing winders enable web printers to change web supply rolls without stopping the web. Currently, the web in a high speed inkjet web printer is stopped between print jobs as an operator reconfigures components of the print engine for changes associated with the next print job. A new technique has been developed to reconfigure inkjet print engine components between successive print jobs automatically, without stopping the web and without operator intervention, to reduce the time to begin printing the next print job. In one example, the printer controller includes programming to receive a second print job while a first print job is printing and determine that the print engine can be reconfigured automatically for the second print job. Thus, for example, if the printer controller determines that the web for a second print job that follows immediately after a first print job is the same as or may be automatically spliced to the web for the first print job, then the printer controller reconfigures the print engine for the second print job automatically, without operator intervention and without stopping the web. Automatic reconfiguration may include, for example:
if the controller determines that the second web is wider than the first web, then servicing edge printheads that will be used to print on the wider web;
if the controller determines that the second web is narrower than the first web, then servicing edge printheads that will not be used to print on the narrower web;
if the controller determines that a time between ending the first print job and beginning the second print job will exceed a threshold time, then servicing printheads used to print the first print job;
if the controller determines that the second print job uses a new color, then activating and servicing printheads to dispense the new color;
if the controller determines that the second print job uses a new web speed, then implementing the new web speed; and
if the controller determines that the second print job uses a new dryer setting, then implementing the new dryer setting.
These and other examples described below and shown in the figures illustrate but do not limit the scope of the patent, which is defined in the Claims following this Description.
As used in this document, “and/or” means one or more of the connected things; “new” means not used in the immediately preceding print job; and a “processor readable medium” means any non-transitory tangible medium that can embody, contain, store, and/or maintain information and instructions for use by a processor and may include, for example, circuits, integrated circuits, ASICs (application specific integrated circuits), hard drives, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and flash memory. Printhead servicing operations may include, for example, capping and uncapping a printhead, wiping a printhead, and dispensing ink from a printhead (commonly referred to as “spitting”).
Print engine 12 includes a print bar 20 holding multiple printheads 22 to dispense ink 24 simultaneously across the full width of web 14 as the web is moved past the printheads at the urging of a web transport system 25. In the example shown in
In the example shown in
Referring to
Referring first to
determining that the second web 14/38 is wider or narrower than the first web 14/36 and then servicing edge printheads for the wider or narrower web (block 106);
determining that a time between ending the first print job and beginning the second print job will exceed a threshold time and then servicing uncapped printheads used to print the first print job (block 108);
determining that the second print job uses a new color and then activating and servicing printheads to dispense the new color (block 110);
determining that the second print job uses a new web speed and then implementing the new web speed (block 112); and
determining that the second print job uses a new dryer setting and then implementing the new dryer setting (block 114).
Once print engine 12 is reconfigured at blocks 106-114 then printing the second print job (block 116).
Servicing edge pens at block 106 may include uncapping edge printheads that will be used to print the second print job on a wider second web but that were not used for the first print job, or capping printheads used for the first print job but that will not be used to print the second print job on a narrower second web. A threshold time at block 108 is sometimes referred to as a “decap” time, a setting corresponding to the amount of idle time that an inkjet printhead may be left uncapped and still reliably dispense ink drops when activated.
Referring now to
In one example for method 200, reconfiguring the print engine at block 206 includes at least one of servicing uncapped printheads, uncapping and servicing a printhead to dispense a new color, uncapping and servicing a printhead to dispense a bonding agent, implementing a new alignment, changing the web speed for printing, and implementing a new dryer setting.
In one example for method 200, printing the first print job on a moving web at block 202 includes printing the first print job on a moving first web 14/36, printing the second print job on a moving web in block 204 includes printing the second print job on a moving second web 14/38 that is wider or narrower than the first web 14/36, and reconfiguring the print engine includes, if the second web is wider than the first web, uncapping and servicing one or multiple edge printheads that will be used to print on the wider web or, if the second web is narrower than the first web, capping one or multiple edge printheads that will not be used to print on the narrower web.
The examples shown in the figures and described above illustrate but do not limit the patent, which is defined in the following Claims.
“A”, “an” and “the” used in the claims means one or more.
Claims
1. A method for a web printer, comprising:
- a print engine printing a first print job on a moving first web;
- a printer controller receiving a second print job;
- the printer controller determining that the second print job may be printed after the first print job on a second web automatically spliced to the moving first web;
- a web supply automatically splicing the second web to the moving first web;
- the printer controller reconfiguring the print engine from a first configuration for the first print job to a second configuration for the second print job without stopping the moving first web or the moving second web; and
- the print engine printing the second print job on the moving second web.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the printer controller reconfiguring the print engine from a first configuration to a second configuration comprises the printer controller causing the print engine to service uncapped printheads, service a printhead to dispense a new color, service a printhead to dispense a bonding agent, implement a new web speed, and/or implement a new dryer setting.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second web is wider than the first web and the printer controller reconfiguring the print engine from a first configuration to a second configuration comprises the printer controller causing the print engine to uncap and service one or multiple edge printheads that will be used to print on the second, wider web.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second web is narrower than the first web and the printer controller reconfiguring the print engine from a first configuration to a second configuration comprises the printer controller causing the print engine to cap one or multiple edge printheads that will not be used to print on the second, narrower web.
5. A web printer, comprising:
- a web supply;
- a print engine; and
- a controller operatively connected to the print engine and programmed to:
- cause the print engine to print a first print job on a moving first web;
- receive a second print job;
- determine that the second print job may be printed after the first print job on a second web automatically spliced to the moving first web;
- cause the web supply to automatically splice the second web to the moving first web;
- reconfigure the print engine from a first configuration for the first print job to a second configuration for the second print job without stopping the moving first web or the moving second web; and
- cause the print engine to print the second print job on the moving second web.
6. The printer of claim 5, wherein the printer controller programmed to reconfigure the print engine from a first configuration to a second configuration comprises the printer controller programmed to cause the print engine to service uncapped printheads, service a printhead to dispense a new color, service a printhead to dispense a bonding agent, implement a new web speed, and/or implement a new dryer setting.
7. The printer of claim 5, wherein the second web is wider than the first web and the printer controller programmed to reconfigure the print engine from a first configuration to a second configuration comprises the printer controller programmed to cause the print engine to uncap and service one or multiple edge printheads that will be used to print on the second, wider web.
8. The printer of claim 5, wherein the second web is narrower than the first web and the printer controller programmed to reconfigure the print engine from a first configuration to a second configuration comprises the printer controller programmed to cause the print engine to cap one or multiple edge printheads that will not be used to print on the second, narrower web.
9. A tangible non-transitory processor readable medium having instructions thereon that when executed cause a web printer to:
- print a first print job on a moving first web;
- receive a second print job;
- determine that the second print job may be printed after the first print job on a second web automatically spliced to the moving first web;
- automatically splice the second web to the moving first web;
- reconfigure from a first configuration for the first print job to a second configuration for the second print job without stopping the moving first web or the moving second web; and
- print the second print job on the moving second web.
10. The medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions to reconfigure from a first configuration to a second configuration comprise instructions to service uncapped printheads, service a printhead to dispense a new color, service a printhead to dispense a bonding agent, implement a new web speed, and/or implement a new dryer setting.
11. The medium of claim 9, wherein the second web is wider than the first web and the instructions to reconfigure from a first configuration to a second configuration comprise instructions to uncap and service one or multiple edge printheads that will be used to print on the second, wider web.
12. The medium of claim 9, wherein the second web is narrower than the first web and the instructions to reconfigure from a first configuration to a second configuration comprise instructions to cap one or multiple edge printheads that will not be used to print on the second, narrower web.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 17, 2021
Publication Date: Apr 7, 2022
Inventors: Stephen L. Albright (Corvallis, OR), Timothy Jay Bouma (Corvallis, OR), Shane Shivji (Corvallis, OR)
Application Number: 17/555,105