Service station for use with inkjet printing apparatus, including compliantly supported sled carrier, multi-purpose positioning cam and/or reduced footprint
A service station for use in servicing one or more inkjet print cartridges includes a service station sled assembly movably attached to a service station chassis. In one embodiment, the service station includes a sled assembly that includes a cap for enclosing a printhead of a print cartridge, a sled carrier on which the sled assembly is positioned, a cam follower structure including a cam follower, a cam positioned to interact with the cam follower, a mechanism for compliantly attaching the cam follower structure to the sled carrier, and a motor adapted to move the cam. The mechanism for compliantly attaching provides a compliant support for the sled assembly that enables the sled assembly to be positioned in a capping position that ensures adequate contact between the cap and printhead, but that alleviates excessive forces that may otherwise build up between the sled assembly and the print carriage during capping as a result of moving the sled assembly too far in a direction toward the printhead. The cam is shaped so that movement of the cam to a first position causes each cap to contact a printhead of a corresponding inkjet print cartridge. Movement of the cam to a second position causes the cap to move away from the printhead and moves the wiper into a wiping position. In yet another embodiment, a service station includes a motor that is positioned so as to minimize the footprint of the service station.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/289,607, entitled "Positioning of Service Station Sled Using Motor-Driven Cam," filed by Chan K. Nguyen et al. on Aug. 12, 1994, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
An improved ink jetting nozzle maintenance apparatus not only for preventing a blockage in a nozzle with a minimum number of parts for a service station device for service function for reducing ink vaporization at the nozzle during a standby mode, but also for performing an ink suctioning without causing a delay in the printing operation. In the ink jetting nozzle maintenance apparatus including a cap for preventing any blockage in an ink nozzle during the standby mode, a wiper for wiping an ink nozzle surface, a capping device and a wiping device for raising and lowering the capping cap and the wiper, and a service station device having a carriage which carries an ink cartridge for a printing operation, for driving the capping and wiping devices by the reciprocal movement of the carriage, the cap including a suction diaphragm for expanding the volume of a cap space formed during the sealing of the nozzle, the suction diaphragm is extended by the suction diaphragm lowering unit which lowers the suction diaphragm in the opposite direction from the nozzle for expanding the volume of the cap space when the capping cap seals the nozzle and additionally moves a certain distance, the cap space being subjected to a negative pressure by the extending of the suction diaphragm to permit a certain amount of ink to be sucked out of the nozzle for preventing the drying of an inlet of the nozzle, and the ink sucked out by the negative pressure into droplets to prevent the nozzle drying is wiped out by the wiper during the wiping operation for the printing operation.
A maintenance apparatus simplifies the cam mechanism for moving a capping mechanism and wiper mechanism, thereby making the printer smaller. A maintenance apparatus 30 has a capping mechanism 40 for covering or sealing the nozzle surface 15 of a print head 12 having nozzles for discharging ink droplets, a wiper mechanism 50 for wiping the nozzle surface 15 of the print head 12, and a cam 60. The cam 60 is rotatably disposed solid of revolution having on the side thereof a first cam channel 61 for moving the capping mechanism 40 and a cam channel 62 for moving the wiper mechanism 50.
Scanning interferometer and method of using same providing for rapid, reliable detection of chemical compounds that are readily implemented in low-cost, portable configurations for application in a variety of monitoring and detection applications. A scanning double-beam interferometer, particularly a Michelson interferometer, in which the length of at least one of the optical paths (or arms) of the interferometer is selectively adjustable by use of an actuator in which rotational displacement of a rotatable element is converted into linear displacement of at least one reflective surface which forms an end of an optical path of the interferometer is employed to obtain interferograms of electromagnetic radiation attenuated, emitted, scattered or reflected from a sample. The length of the optical path that is adjusted is determined using an optical detection scheme, particularly where marking on the rotatable element are detected to determine linear displacement of the reflective surface.
An imaging apparatus includes a frame and a maintenance sled movably coupled to the frame. The maintenance sled includes a carrier engagement member. A printhead carrier is coupled to the frame. A carrier motor is drivably coupled to the printhead carrier. A controller is coupled to the carrier motor. The controller controls the carrier motor to drive the printhead carrier at a first velocity and at a second velocity. The second velocity is lower than the first velocity. The printhead carrier is controlled to move at the first velocity toward the maintenance sled, wherein prior to the printhead carrier contacting the carrier engagement member of the maintenance sled, the printhead carrier is decelerated from the first velocity to the second velocity.
The invention relates to apparatus and methods for producing three-dimensional objects and auxiliary systems used in conjunction with the aforementioned apparatus and methods. The apparatus and methods involve 3D printing and servicing of the equipment used in the associated 3D printer.
