Couplings Integral To Thermal Inkjet Printers

Hewlett-Packard's (HP) Specialty Printing Systems division (SPS) focuses on helping companies integrate HP's thermal inkjet (TIJ) technology and products in to their printing systems.

Hewlett-Packard's (HP) Specialty Printing Systems division (SPS) focuses on helping companies integrate HP's thermal inkjet (TIJ) technology and products in to their printing systems.

When SPS was developing its Versatile Black Bulk Ink System, a bulk ink delivery system for high-volume print runs used in industrial packaging applications, the company turned to Colder Products Company (CPC) for its quick disconnect connection.

CPC of St.

Paul, Minnesota (USA) designs and manufactures plastic quick disconnect couplings for flexible tubing.

After investigating a number of off-the-shelf fluid connectors from different sources, the HP engineering team selected CPC's NS4 Series Non-Spill Coupling.

The component provided the reliable, easy-to-use, low-cost connection the team needed, said CPC.

Andy Hass, industrial business unit manager at CPC, said: "We suggested using a coupler with a non-spill shut-off valve.

This augmented the product design by helping to avoid messy ink spillage when the coupler is disconnected." The Versatile Black Bulk Ink System is designed for companies that execute large print runs and have a need for a high-volume ink delivery system, said CPC.

"Our recently developed Versatile Black Bulk Ink System extends the capabilities of Hewlett- Packard's TIJ 2.5 printing platform," said Daniel L Briley, engineering manager within HP's Specialty Printing Systems.

HP's Versatile Black Bulk Ink System is claimed to offer design engineers the opportunity to configure almost any combination of HP Q2320A printheads and HP Q2321A bulk ink supplies to achieve the desired print capability.

The HP Q2320A printhead also produces water-fast, and crisp output with a 600dots per inch (dpi) resolution from 300 nozzles, said HP.

The system uses black pigmented aqueous ink in large volume ink supplies (350cc) that can print on a range of substrates, including kraft, corrugated, and clay coated stocks.

The industrial bulk ink delivery system is widely used for mail addressing, mail postage, carton coding, barcode printers, and many industrial applications that require long production runs, low cost per imprint, and reliable, user friendly printing systems.

The mechanical connections between the regulator assembly and the printheads are essential parts of the ink delivery system.

Connections that are not secure or spill-proof can lead to messy ink spills when disconnected and require increased operator involvement.

The result can be costly job downtime.

The SPS design team approached CPC to develop customized couplings for the new system that would minimize connection concerns and improve the serviceability of the printheads and ink supply system.

Briley said: "The CPC experts worked very closely with our engineers to create a custom product that met our needs and strengthened our entire system.

This strong partnership has enabled us to meet our cost, performance, and schedule targets, and offer a superior solution by virtually eliminating the potential for spills." The Bulk Ink Delivery System allows for a bulk ink supply to be connected to one or several print cartridges.

A fluid regulator system enables the ink supply to be located in virtually any location convenient for the printing system and still maintain reliable and controlled ink delivery to the print cartridges.

The modular ink supply station is linked through flexible tubing to the enclosed regulator assembly, which maintains pressure and ink flow.

Flexible tubes again connect the enclosed regulator assembly to the individual printhead stalls holding the printheads.

The tubing between the enclosed regulator assembly and the printheads can be easily connected and disconnected thanks to the innovative NS4 Series Non-Spill Coupling, said CPC.

The NS4 features a non-spill shut-off valve that is ideal for use in ink handling applications.

In addition to minimizing spills, the valve also automatically reduces air inclusion or trapped air that may lead to print quality problems and expensive system delays and maintenance.

CPC's Andy Hass added: "One feature that makes our couplings unique is an easy-to-use thumb latch to allow for secure, single-handed operation.

An audible 'click' confirms that a secure connection is made and assures a secure seal." The design of the NS4 is claimed to require no tools to connect or disconnect the tubing and special training is not necessary for regular operation of the thermal inkjet system.

Briley commented: "The CPC connectors are an integral part of the Bulk Ink Delivery System.

They enable our OEM customers to design a very modular, flexible, clean and reliable printing system that is tailored to the end user needs.

They can be placed in-line to make the ink supply and the print heads easily accessible and interchangeable.

Because printheads are separate from ink supplies, part changes have less impact on the running system.".

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