RE: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] TDK CD printer for printing on "solids"

For what it's worth..I went though the Nashville Mall on my way to Alabama a
couple of years ago and watched a guy on a wagon in the middle of one of the
walkways "paint" licenses plates. He used a flat bed "printer" that
reminded me of a HP plotter (it may have been one, for all I know). The
pre-painted (solid color) plate was fed in the back side, the fellow worked
on the picture in Corel, I think, and "printed" the picture to the
printer/plotter. As best I remember, he was using a form of "ink" in the
printer that was the same as is used in a Video Jet industrial printer which
is solvent based as opposed to water based use in the ink jet printers. I'd
suggest that you contact one of the industrial printer companies or perhaps
an commercial printer about some of the "liquid" inks they use. I don't
know if the fellow made/used metal ink containers but the ink I'm thinking
about will melt most plastics.

You also might look a finding a used Video Jet printer and moving the part
under the nozzle. They're used in the US for printing the information on
the side of cardboard boxes. Video Jet is a brand name and several other
companies provide the same or similar units. The Video Jet requires a space
between the nozzle and the item being printed so the inch or so you asked
about would be in the range of "normal." The part or the nozzle must be
passing each other at about 40-60 inches per minute so it might be easiest
to fixture the part, leave it stationary and move the nozzle past the part.
The nozzle, as I remember, is about 1-1/2 inches in diameter and about 8-10
inches long with a rather stiff tube that can be supported using an overhead
counterbalance.

I'm in the US or I'd offer to take you to some applications I've designed
that are just about what you're trying to do. A Video Jet can be had, in
the US, for about $25K new but some of the older units can be had at a big
discount to that. If you want to correspond in more detail, ping my email.
R. Wink

-----Original Message-----
From: Graham Stabler [mailto:eexgs@...]
Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2005 3:52 PM
To: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] TDK CD printer for printing on "solids"

Sorry for the terrible thread title.

I was asked if I thought it was possible to convert a typical injet
printer to be used for printing on "samples" upto an inch thick.

I said probably cautiously. Replace the paper drive mechanism with
some form of moving table, drive that with the same motor as moved
the table and make sure the printer did not no any difference,
perhaps modify aspect ratios or printed things to account for
differing step/mm etc.

Obviously samples would have to be very flat or we would get head
strikes all the time.

But what about the ink I said? Some of the samples are metal and I
can't see inkjet ink settling on that too well. It doesn't as I
already know from previous inkjet abuse :)

Thinking cap on and I remembered the TDK direct print CD printers.
These use a ribbon and thermal transfer ink and can print on an area
big enough for their purposes. So I am thinking what about doing a
similar conversion. From what I can see you slide the CD in, it
prints and then it pops out. Perhaps this is a micro x,y gantry or
just a wide ribbon, either way it sounds perfect.

Does anyone have such a printer they might like to have a closer
look at?

Oh one last thing, some have two positions for printing and spin the
disk between them, these will be avoided I think.

Regards

Graham





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