Abstract: One embodiment provides a robotic system comprising: a robot, the robot further comprising a moveable robotic arm that moves within the robot's reference space; a depth-sensing camera, the camera having a reference frame that is in substantial view of the robot's reference space; a controller, the controller further comprising a processor and a computer readable memory that comprises instructions such that, when read by the controller, the controller inputs image data from the camera and sends signals to the moveable robotic arm, the instructions further comprising the steps of: calibrating the camera to the robot by instructing the robot to engage in a number of robot poses; extracting the location of the robot poses to obtain the robot poses in the camera reference frame; and creating a transformation that transforms robot points afterwards to camera points.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a substrate cooling unit for use with a duplex aqueous ink jet image forming device. The substrate cooling unit includes a first transport belt that is in contact with a portion of an outer surface of the first cooling roll to substantially sandwich individual sheets of image receiving media between a first cooling roll and the first transport belt. The substrate cooling unit includes a second cooling roll positioned downstream of the first cooling roll in a process direction and a second transport belt that is in contact with a portion of an outer surface of the second cooling roll to substantially sandwich the individual sheets of image receiving media between the second cooling roll and the second transport belt. The second transport belt includes a bottom layer of woven or non-woven fibers and a top rubber layer.

Abstract: A 3D printer includes a nozzle and a camera configured to capture an image, a video, or both of a plurality of drops of liquid metal being jetted through the nozzle. The 3D printer also includes a computing system configured to measure a signal proximate to the nozzle based at least partially upon the image, the video, or both. The computing system is also configured to determine one or more metrics that characterize a behavior of the drops based at least partially upon the signal.

Abstract: A printing system comprises an ink deposition assembly, a media transport device, and an airflow control system. The ink deposition assembly comprises printheads to deposit a print fluid, such as ink, on print media, such as paper, transported through a deposition region. The media transport device holds the print media against a moving support surface, such as a belt, by vacuum suction through holes in the media transport device and transports the print media though the deposition region. The airflow control system comprises a damper and an actuator configured to move the damper along a cross-process direction. The damper blocks airflow through a subset of the holes along a side of the media transport device, the subset varying based on a position of the damper. The damper is moved to change the subset of the holes blocked by the damper based on a size of the print medium.

Abstract: A three-dimensional (3D) printer includes an ejector and a coil wrapped partially around the ejector. The 3D printer also includes a power source configured to transmit voltage pulses to the coil. The 3D printer causes one or more drops of the liquid to be jetted out of the nozzle, and a substrate configured to support the one or more drops and advance along a path defined by one or more arcuate contours, where the one or more arcuate contours define a first layer of a strut. One or more struts are printed from the first layer of the strut to a node of each strut. The one or more struts are printed from a first layer to a node and combine to fabricate a lattice structure including one or more vertical struts and/or one or more angled struts wherein each strut intersects with another strut at a node.

Abstract: A printing system comprises a printhead to eject a print fluid to a deposition region. A movable support surface, such as a belt, is used to transport print media through the deposition region, with the print media being held against the movable support surface by vacuum suction through holes in the movable support surface. A media registration device loads print media onto the movable support surface and registers the print media to a location of the movable support surface. The movable support surface comprises no-suction-regions in which the vacuum suction through the movable support surface is prevented. The no-suction regions extend across the width of the movable support surface in a cross-process direction and are arranged at predetermined intervals along the process direction. The control system causes the media registration device to register each of the print media relative to a respective one of the no-suction-regions.

Abstract: A method of controlling sensing level in a liquid ejector is disclosed. The method includes filling a reservoir in communication with a liquid ejector with a printing material to a first level set point, receiving a drop out signal from a laser-based level sensor that reads from a surface of a melt pool in the reservoir, pausing an operation of the liquid ejector, adjusting the printing material level set point to a second level set point of printing material in reservoir that is higher than the first level set point, increasing a quantity of printing material in the reservoir to fill the reservoir to the second level set point, and resuming the operation of the liquid ejector.

Abstract: An inkjet printer includes solvent vapor generators that direct two flows of solvent vapor on each side of each printhead in the process direction toward media passing the printheads in the printer. The solvent vapor attenuates the evaporation of ink solvent from ink drops on the nozzle plates or from the ink in the nozzles of the printheads. Thus, the ink on the nozzle plates and in the nozzles does not dry out and the operational status of the inkjets is preserved.

Abstract: A three-dimensional (3D) printer includes a base plate and a nozzle connectable to a source of molten material and operable to eject the molten material onto the base plate that are movable in orthogonal directions to form a 3D object on the base plate. An error detection system detects a dislocation of the 3D object on the base plate during the 3D printing operation, which can lead to stopping the 3D printing process. The error detection system includes a beam emitter and a detector that work in conjunction with a tag formed on the 3D object to determine whether the object has dislocated.

Abstract: Toners are provided which may comprise toner particles, a colorant, and optionally, a wax, wherein the toner particles comprise a resin comprising a polymerization product of reactants comprising a dioxane/dioxolane monomer and a vinyl co-monomer, wherein the dioxane/dioxolane monomer is an ester of (meth)acrylic acid with an alcohol comprising a dioxane moiety, an ester of (meth)acrylic acid with an alcohol comprising a dioxolane moiety, or both.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system for processing a document page is based on text and non-text detections in an image path. An object block is generated for each image content identified within an input page. the blocks are extracted from the input document for downstream processing. Then, the object blocks are classified based on whether the content is text or non-text. The extracted non-text objects—which are specified by their bounding boxes—are processed separately from the rest of the content. The processing is performed on the text content blocks in parallel. However, when error diffusion is employed, the error diffusion is performed sequentially on the non-text content blocks to avoid stitching artifacts between individually error diffused patches in non-text areas.

Abstract: Aqueous inkjet ink compositions are provided. In an embodiment, such a composition comprises water; resin particles; and a colorant; wherein the resin particles comprise a polymerization product of reactants comprising a monomer, an acidic monomer, a multifunctional monomer, and a reactive surfactant, the resin particles having a D(z, ave) of no greater than about 150 nm, a D(v,90) of less than about 200 nm, and a polydispersity index (PDI) of no greater than about 0.050. Methods of forming and using the aqueous inkjet ink compositions are also provided.

Abstract: Additive manufacturing processes featuring consolidation of thermoplastic particulates may form printed objects in a range of shapes. Inorganic nanoparticles disposed upon the outer surface of the thermoplastic particulates may improve flow performance of the thermoplastic particulates during additive manufacturing, but may be undesirable to incorporate in some printed objects. Polymer nanoparticles may be substituted for inorganic nanoparticles in some instances to address this difficulty and provide other advantages. Particulate compositions suitable for additive manufacturing may comprise: a plurality of thermoplastic particulates comprising a thermoplastic polymer and a plurality of polymer nanoparticles disposed upon an outer surface of the thermoplastic particulates, the polymer nanoparticles comprising a crosslinked fluorinated polymer.

Abstract: The present disclosure discloses methods and systems for managing multiple scan requests received at a multi-function device. The method includes receiving a scan request from a remote computing device of a remote user. Before executing the scan request, two conditions are checked. It is checked if document is present on a scanning platform of the multi-function device and further it is checked if one or more activities on a user interface of the multi-function device, are being performed. Based on the presence of the document on the scanning platform and the one or more activities on the user interface, the scan request received from the remote user is disallowed. This way, multiple scanned requests are managed at the multi-function device.

Abstract: Additive manufacturing processes, such as powder bed fusion of thermoplastic particulates, may be employed to form printed objects in a range of shapes. It is sometimes desirable to form conductive traces upon the surface of printed objects. Conductive traces and similar features may be introduced during additive manufacturing processes by incorporating a metal precursor in a thermoplastic printing composition, converting a portion of the metal precursor to discontinuous metal islands using laser irradiation, and performing electroless plating. Suitable printing compositions may comprise a plurality of thermoplastic particulates comprising a thermoplastic polymer, a metal precursor admixed with the thermoplastic polymer, and optionally a plurality of nanoparticles disposed upon an outer surface of each of the thermoplastic particulates, wherein the metal precursor is activatable to form metal islands upon exposure to laser irradiation. Melt emulsification may be used to form the thermoplastic particulates.

Abstract: An adjustable leveling assembly for engaging a stack of a plurality of sheets in a feeder tray of a printing device, including a first wedging element slidably arranged on the feeder tray and operatively arranged to engage the stack, wherein when the first wedging element is disengaged with the stack, a top sheet of the plurality of sheets is non-parallel to the feeder tray, and when the first wedging element is engaged with the stack, the top sheet is substantially parallel to the feeder tray.

Abstract: A slicer in a material drop ejecting three-dimensional (3D) object printer generates machine ready instructions that operate components of a printer, such as actuators and an ejector having at least one nozzle, to form features of an object more precisely than previously known. The instructions generated by the slicer control the actuators to move the ejector and a platform on which the object is formed relative to one another at a constant velocity to form edges of the feature.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to an authentication approach to grant access to a secure service on an electronic device. The authentication approach includes receiving, via an electronic device, a request to access the secure service. The authentication approach includes determining whether the electronic device is positioned at a location that corresponds to a virtual authentication lock. The authentication approach includes displaying, in response to determining the device is positioned at the location that corresponds to the virtual authentication lock, the virtual authentication lock on a display of the electronic device. The authentication approach includes receiving one or more interactions with the virtual authentication lock.

Abstract: A method of operating a direct-to-object printer adjusts a pixel density of a portion of contone image data for an image to be printed on a surface of a tapered object. The contone image data is also filtered with a stochastic halftone filer to produce binary image data for the image to be printed on the tapered object. The adjustment in the pixel density for the portion of the image to be printed on the portion of the object having a circumference that is different than another portion of the surface at the uppermost portion of the image produces a more uniform appearance in the resulting printed image.

Abstract: A processor of a printing apparatus obtains and maintains the media type of print media located in a media storage component of the printing apparatus. The processor also accesses a reference file containing different printing speed limits for different media types. The reference file can be maintained in an electronic storage component of the printing apparatus. The processor uses the reference file to determine an appropriate printing speed limit for a printing engine of the printing apparatus that corresponds to the media type of the print media in the media storage component. Further, a user interface of the printing apparatus can display an overspeed indicator, and/or the processor can stop the printing from occurring, based on a job-set printing speed of the printing engine being above the printing speed limit.