Clean Printheads for Industrial Digital Printing

KNF showcases innovations for industrial inkjet printers

Printhead cleaning and purging are tried-and-tested ways of removing dried ink from valves or ink channels. This is paramount in order to ensure top printing quality.

KNF’s latest pump developments offer the durability and utmost control flexibility needed for this task. The key is a completely redesigned drive unit. The new NMP series micro gas pumps come with the brushless DC motor KNF DC-BI, which has been exclusively developed for KNF, as a standard feature. What makes this series so special is the full technical integration of pump and drive: All components are contained in one and the same housing. This innovation does not only boost the performance of the micro gas pumps, it also fundamentally changes the size-performance-ratio.

Printhead cleaning and purging for powerful, durable printheads

Residues of fast-drying or microparticle-containing inks can block the fluid channels of digital printing systems and contribute to valve wear. This immediately compromises printing quality and can also negatively affect the lifespan of the printhead. The frequency of printhead exchange in turn impairs operating costs.

Ideally, effective cleaning using pressure or vacuum pumps should be controlled to suit the requirements, which can be identified by sensor data. All KNF motors of the “Digital Customization” series strive for optimal controllability, and the new DC-BI direct current drive now provides the next level of pump control. 

With the brushless DCB-I motor, the performance curve of the micro gas pump series NMP 830 and NMP 850, as well as NMP 830 HP and NMP 850 HP can be individually and accurately adapted to the requirements of perfect printhead cleaning or purging. Electronics and software offer functionalities that enable the holistic control of the drive, so that the motor’s characteristics and controls can be programmed to fit.

Durable diaphragm pumps for inkjet printing

The integration of pump and drive in a single housing has also contributed to making the NMP diaphragm pump’s ball bearing more robust. The ball bearing’s dimensioning and arrangement support a long service life even under high steady load.

Intensive stress on the micro gas pump during printhead cleaning and purging affects the thermal management, the performance and thus the lifespan of these components. The housing containing the pump and the drive has been designed for excellent heat dissipation.

Expert visitors to InPrint Munich 2023 will be able to see first-hand how compact and light the new NMP micro gas pumps feel, while offering top performance with a maximum flow rate of 7 l/min, a vacuum of 220 mbar abs and 3 bar g pressure.