Inkjet Printing Method for Heat Sensitive Substrates

Content Provider	The Lens
Abstract	An inkjet printing method using an inkjet printing device including a vacuum support for a substrate held down against a support surface of the vacuum support by air suction includes a step of jetting a set of layers with a set of liquids on the support surface to form a pattern with a surface roughness between 2.0 μm and 200.0 μm and rougher than the surface roughness of the support surface, and a step of supporting the substrate at least partially on the pattern.
Related Links	https://www.lens.org/lens/patent/009-208-898-605-639/frontpage
Language	English
Publisher Date	2019-12-10
Access Restriction	Open
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Patent
Jurisdiction	United States of America
Date Applied	2016-10-25
Agent	Keating and Bennett, Llp
Applicant	Agfa Nv
Application No.	201615770766
Claim	An inkjet printing method using an inkjet printing device including a vacuum support to hold a substrate on a support surface by air suction, the method comprising the steps of: jetting a plurality of layers with a set of liquids on the support surface to define a pattern having a surface roughness between 2.0 μm and 200.0 μm and rougher than a surface roughness of the support surface; and supporting the substrate at least partially on the pattern; wherein the substrate is a heat-sensitive substrate which loses structural integrity above a temperature of 35° C. The inkjet printing method according to claim 1 , wherein the vacuum support includes a vacuum belt. An inkjet printing method using an inkjet printing device including a vacuum support to hold a substrate on a support surface by air suction, the method comprising the steps of: jetting a plurality of layers with a set of liquids on the support surface to define a pattern having a surface roughness between 2.0 μm and 200.0 μm and rougher than a surface roughness of the support surface; and supporting the substrate at least partially on the pattern; wherein the step of jetting the plurality of layers is performed while applying a vacuum suction with the vacuum support via a plurality of vacuum apertures. The inkjet printing method according to claim 3 , further comprising the steps of: inkjet printing on the substrate; and after the step of inkjet printing on the substrate, removing the pattern from the vacuum support. The inkjet printing method according to claim 4 , wherein the step of removing the pattern includes: wiping the pattern mechanically off the vacuum support; and/or wiping the pattern chemically off the vacuum support; and/or scratching the pattern off the vacuum support; and/or peeling the pattern off the vacuum support; and/or gumming the pattern off the vacuum support; and/or burning the pattern off the vacuum support. The inkjet printing method according to claim 4 , wherein the inkjet printing device includes a dryer and a set of inks, and the method further comprises the steps of: drying the plurality of layers jetted on the support surface with the dryer; after the step of supporting the substrate, jetting an image with the set of inks on the substrate; and drying the image with the dryer. The inkjet printing method according to claim 6 , wherein the set of liquids defines a portion of the set of inks. The inkjet printing method according to claim 7 , wherein a jetting viscosity of the set of liquids and/or the set of inks is between 25 mPa·s and 300 mPa·s. The inkjet printing method according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of layers is at least 2. The inkjet printing method according to claim 3 , wherein the pattern includes a plurality of dried-and-jetted clusters and each of the plurality of dried-and-jetted clusters is formed by jetting and drying a plurality of droplets of the set of liquids; and each of the plurality of dried-and-jetted clusters has a surface area between 400 μm 2 and 100,000,000 μm 2 . The inkjet printing method according to claim 3 , wherein the pattern includes a lattice pattern having a thickness between 5 μm and 300 μm, or a pseudo-random pattern having a thickness between 5 μm and 300 μm. The inkjet printing method according to claim 3 , wherein the pattern includes a dimple pattern. The inkjet printing method according to claim 12 , wherein the dimple pattern has a dimple perimeter that defines a circle, ellipse, oval, triangle, square, rectangle, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, rhombus, rectangle, regular polygon, or any polygon including at least three sides. The inkjet printing method according to claim 3 , wherein the inkjet printing device includes a gantry coupled to a print head, and the method further comprises the step of: moving the vacuum support, parallel to a plane of the support surface, linearly and relatively to the gantry underneath the print head in a first direction to position the print head above the substrate and the support surface. The inkjet printing method according to claim 14 , further comprising the step of: moving the print head, parallel to the plane of the support surface, from the vacuum support and perpendicular to the first direction, linearly along the gantry and jetting on the substrate or on the support surface. The inkjet printing method according to claim 3 , wherein the substrate includes a woven or non-woven textile, leather, plastic foil, or paper which is impregnated with a thermosetting resin.
CPC Classification	Typewriters;Selective Printing Mechanisms; I.E. Mechanisms Printing Otherwise Than From A Forme;Correction Of Typographical Errors Printing; Duplicating; Marking; Or Copying Processes;Colour Printing; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; e.g. SHEETS; WEBS; CABLES
Examiner	Huan H Tran
Extended Family	009-208-898-605-639 064-071-061-833-859 167-544-244-210-904 174-466-241-209-652 089-684-937-543-506 061-282-936-837-723
Patent ID	10500875
Inventor/Author	Bouwens Luc Barrett Mark Van Garsse Joris
IPC	B41J11/02 B41J2/21 B41J3/407 B41J11/00 B41J11/06 B65H5/22
Status	Inactive
Owner	Agfa Nv
Simple Family	061-282-936-837-723 174-466-241-209-652 167-544-244-210-904 064-071-061-833-859 009-208-898-605-639 089-684-937-543-506
CPC (with Group)	B41J11/0085 B41J3/407 B41J3/4078 B41J11/00214 B41J11/00216 B41J11/007 B41J11/06 B41M5/0011 B41J2/2117 B65H5/224
Issuing Authority	United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
Kind	Patent/New European patent specification (amended specification after opposition procedure)