Dual wiper scrapers for incompatible inkjet ink wipers

摘要

A replaceable inkjet printhead cleaner service station system (70) has separate replaceable cleaning units (80, 82, 84, 86) for maintaining each printhead (60, 62, 64, 66) in an inkjet printing mechanism (20). Each cleaning unit (80, 82, 84, 86) has a printhead wiper (125), a printhead snout wiper (90), a capping system (170), a spittoon (108), and an ink solvent application system (135). A set of non-replaceable wiper scrapers (311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317) are supported by the service station frame (212). When printing with interchangeable printheads that dispense mutually incompatible inks the cleaning units (80, 82, 84, 86) are exchanged when installing a printhead with an ink which is incompatible with the ink dispensed by a previous printhead to avoid cross-contamination if the inks at the wipers (125) and caps (170). To prevent cross-contamination at the permanent scrapers, the scraper for each pen is divided (321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326) into two separate regions each dedicated to cleaning only one wiper associated with one type of ink. A method is provided for cleaning an inkjet printhead (60, 62, 64, 66), along with a printing mechanism (20) employing such a system (70). <IMAGE>