Printing with Precise Positioning Control of the Print Head

Precision requirements in the manufacturing industry are completely revolutionizing the process of obtaining high-definition prints. However, printing intricate geometries over the surfaces like glass or ceramics poses the challenge of positioning the print head at the right place and distance for unmatched accuracy in prints.

Particularly, the process of generating finely detailed structures on the surfaces is highly sensitive to the misalignment of the print head as even the subtle variations in prints cannot be tolerated. Here, manual position control of the print head might have shortcomings in acquiring quality prints due to erroneous distance measurements. This degrades the integrity of the final printed product. Therefore, a precise control system for positioning the print head in place is as significant as selecting the right printing technique to improve accuracy in prints.

To cater to this printing requirement, Bestech offers an extensive range of smart laser triangulation sensors from Micro-Epsilon. These sensors serve the purpose of precise distance measurement of objects from the surface. Using optoNCDT 1420 sensor from this category simplifies the task of position monitoring of print head to obtain the utmost quality prints. The combination of the sensor and an integrated controller allows measurement in dynamic printing processes. The sensor significantly detects even the smallest objects by focusing a small light spot on the object.

Regardless of changing surface brightness or colors, the sensor provides stable output due to Active Surface Compensation (ASC). The sensor offers a measuring rate of up to 4kHz and a measuring range of 10mm to determine the distance of the print head from the surface at various points. With a repeatability of 0.5μm, the measured data can be transferred to the control system via the RS422 interface. The acquired data can be analyzed to determine the edges and the surface tilt for precise positioning of the print head.

The non-contact distance measurement performed by the sensor is independent of surfaces, thus making it suitable for a variety of manufacturing applications. The parameter setup is quite easy with presets and a quality slider in high-volume applications that require impeccable precision.