Printer having modular vacuum belt assembly
View Patent ↗A printing system includes: a fixed printhead assembly having an array of printheads and vacuum platen assembly. The vacuum platen assembly includes a fixed vacuum platen and a plurality of rotatable service modules embedded in the fixed vacuum platen. Each service module is positioned opposite a respective printhead, and each service module comprises a respective vacuum platen module.
1. A printer comprising a vacuum belt assembly for moving print media in a media feed direction along a media path, the vacuum belt assembly comprising:
a plurality of moving belt modules and vacuum plenum modules interconnected in an alternating arrangement along a length of the vacuum belt assembly, the length of the vacuum belt assembly being coextensive with a width of the media path, wherein each moving belt module comprises:
a body having an internal chamber defining at least part of a vacuum chamber;
a first pulley positioned at a first end of the body;
a second pulley positioned at a second end of the body; and
at least one endless belt tensioned between the first and second pulleys.
2. The printer of claim 1 , wherein one of the vacuum plenum modules is positioned between each pair of moving belt modules.
3. The printer of claim 1 , wherein each second pulley is a drive pulley and each first pulley is an idler pulley, the drive pulley being positioned downstream of the idler pulley.
4. The printer of claim 3 , wherein each drive pulley is mounted on a common drive shaft extending across the length of the vacuum belt assembly.
5. The printer of claim 4 , wherein each vacuum plenum module comprises a bearing for receiving the drive shaft.
6. The printer of claim 1 , wherein a common vacuum plenum extends along a length of vacuum belt assembly through each moving belt module and each vacuum plenum module.