Systems and methods for continuous waste ink filtration in image forming devices

摘要

A filtration system, mechanism and method is proved that continuously filters waste fluid from variable data ink-based printing system cleaning subsystems. Waste fluid from a cleaning subsystem is forced through a bank of progressively finer filter media. Initial coarse filters remove large components of the ink and/or skin that would rapidly clog the later finer filters required to remove small components of the ink and/or skin. The filtered fluid is recycled for printing surface cleaning and filtration. To avoid clogging, the filter media are cleaned by reversing the flow of fluid through the filters. This back-flushing operation is accomplished with a relatively small volume of fluid that is routed as concentrated waste fluid to a waste container for disposal. To avoid disruption to the printing process, two or more filter banks are preferably used. While one filter bank is filtering the waste fluid any other bank(s) may be back-flushed.

主权项

1. A variable data ink-based printing system waste ink continuous filtration mechanism, comprising:
a waste collection container configured in fluid communication with a cleaning subsystem of a variable data ink-based printing system to collect waste fluid from the cleaning subsystem, the waste fluid including transfer residual components diluted in a cleaning solution, the transfer residual components including ink and skin; a pump coupled to the waste collection container, the pump configured to force the waste fluid from the waste container as a pressurized waste cleaning solution flow; a plurality of filter banks configured to receive the pressurized waste cleaning solution flow in a first direction and produce a filtered cleaning solution output as a filtering operation, each filter bank including a plurality of filters connected in series, with each filter configured to collect at least a portion of the transfer residual components from the pressurized waste cleaning solution flow; a return line coupled to each of the filter banks, the return line configured for fluid communication with the cleaning subsystem of the variable data ink-based printing system to recycle the filtered cleaning solution output to the cleaning subsystem; and a back-flush line in liquid communication with a back-flush liquid supply and with each filter bank to remove the collected transfer residual components from the filters by flowing back-flush liquid from the back-flush liquid supply through the filters in a second direction opposite the first direction as a back-flush operation to produce a concentrated waste liquid, the back-flush line including an outlet configured to communicate with a concentrated waste container and dispose the concentrated waste liquid back-flush to the concentrated waste container; wherein the back-flush liquid supply providing cleaning solution to the cleaning subsystem via the waste collection container.