Patent Publication Number: US-11046093-B2

Title: Reflectors for evenly heating a drum dryer of a print system

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This document is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/954,297 (filed on Apr. 16, 2018) titled, “REFLECTORS FOR EVENLY HEATING A DRUM DRYER OF A PRINT SYSTEM,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/279,921 (filed on Sep. 29, 2016) titled, “REFLECTORS FOR EVENLY HEATING A DRUM DRYER OF A PRINT SYSTEM” (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,987,859 on Jun. 5, 2018), both of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to the field of printing systems, and in particular, to print drying systems. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Businesses or other entities having a need for volume printing typically use a production printer capable of printing hundreds of pages per minute. A web of print media, such as paper, is stored in the form of a large roll and unraveled as a continuous sheet. During printing, the web is quickly passed underneath printheads which discharge small drops of ink at particular intervals to form pixel images on the web. The web may then be dried and cut to produce a printed product. 
     Since production printers print high quality images at high speed, it is important that the drying process of the web is quick, effective, and efficient. One such drying mechanism is a hollow metal drum heated with a radiant energy source inside the drum, such as a lamp. The lamp heats the surface of the drum to a desired temperature and the web contacts the heated rotating surface of the drum to dry ink on the web at a controlled temperature. However, various environmental factors of the print system, such as the web location, ink amounts, lamp properties, and printing time may cause the surface of the drum to be heated unevenly, resulting in decreased heat efficiency and poor drying performance. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments described herein provide reflectors for evenly heating a drum dryer of a print system. A reflector may be disposed at either lateral end of the drum and include an angled or curved profile that corresponds with a heat profile across the drum&#39;s rotating surface. The profile of the reflector may be altered in numerous configurations to adapt the reflector to the heat profile of the drum, improve installation/replacement of the reflector, and/or improve accessibility of the drum for maintenance operations. 
     One embodiment is a dryer of a printing system. The dryer includes a thermally conductive drum configured to rotate about an axis oriented in a lateral direction, and to contact a web of print media at an external circumference surface of the drum along the lateral direction for drying ink applied to the web. The drum is also configured to receive a radiant energy source disposed inside the drum that extends between each lateral end of the drum in the lateral direction, and to receive a reflective assembly inside the drum that includes an inner portion and an outer portion. The inner portion surrounds the radiant energy source and removably attaches the reflective assembly to a lateral end of the drum. The outer portion extends from the inner portion in a radial direction of the drum that is perpendicular to the lateral direction. The outer portion includes a reflective surface that reflects radiant energy from the lateral end to the central portion of the drum in contact with the web. 
     Another embodiment is a dryer of a printing system that includes a thermally conductive drum configured to rotate about an axis oriented in a lateral direction, to contact a web of print media at a central portion of the drum along the lateral direction for drying ink applied to the web, and to install a radiant energy source inside the drum that extends between each lateral end of the drum in the lateral direction. The dryer also includes a reflective element at a lateral end of the drum, wherein at least a portion of the reflective element curves inward toward the radiant energy source to direct radiant energy to the central portion of the drum in contact with the web. 
     Yet another embodiment is a drying system for print media. The drying system includes a drum having a hollow cylindrical body that is thermally conductive and operable to install a radiant energy source inside the drum. The drying system also includes a reflective element at a lateral end of the drum that shields an end cap of the drum from the radiant energy source, the reflective element having a curved reflective surface that corresponds with heat flux exiting the cylindrical body of the drum. 
     The above summary provides a basic understanding of some aspects of the specification. This summary is not an extensive overview of the specification. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the specification nor to delineate any scope of particular embodiments of the specification, or any scope of the claims. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the specification in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed can be achieved independently in various embodiments or may be combined in yet other embodiments, further details of which can be seen with reference to the following description and drawings. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Some embodiments of the present invention are now described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference number may represent the same element or the same type of element on all drawings. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary continuous-forms printing system. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a drying system in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a cross-sectional front view of a dryer drum in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a dryer drum enhanced with a reflective element in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a lateral end of drum with a reflective element in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a lateral end of a drum with a reflective element in another exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a perspective view of lateral end of a drum with a reflective element in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a perspective view of a reflective element with multiple panel segments at a lateral end of a drum in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a perspective view of a drum with a reflective element having segmented panels, a reflector mount, and mounting surface in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a perspective view of reflective element  410  with segmented panels  810  in an exemplary embodiment 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a perspective view of a reflective element with segmented panels in another exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 12A  illustrates a side view of a reflective element with segmented panels in another exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 12B  illustrates a perspective view of a reflective element with segmented panels in yet another exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a perspective view of a reflective element with collapsible segmented panels in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 14  illustrates a perspective view of a reflective element with panels having multiple jointed sections in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 15A  illustrates a perspective view of a reflective element with circumferentially segmented panels in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 15B  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a reflective element with circumferentially segmented panels having flat surfaces in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 15C  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a reflective element with circumferentially segmented panels having parabolic surfaces in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 16A  illustrates a perspective view of a reflective element with circumferentially segmented panels and independent sections in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 16B  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a reflective element with independent sections and flat surfaces in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 16C  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a reflective element with independent sections and parabolic surfaces in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 17  illustrates a drum enhanced with a positioning system in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 18  illustrates a side view of a reflective element configured for lateral adjustment  1810  in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 19  illustrates a side view of a reflective element configured for radial adjustment in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 20  illustrates a side view of a reflective element configured for angular adjustment in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 21  illustrates a side view of a reflective element configured for surface adjustment in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 22  describes a method for adjusting a reflective element of a drum in an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 23  illustrates a processing system configured to execute a computer readable medium embodying programmed instructions to perform desired functions in an exemplary embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The figures and the following description illustrate specific exemplary embodiments. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the embodiments and are included within the scope of the embodiments. Furthermore, any examples described herein are intended to aid in understanding the principles of the embodiments, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. As a result, the inventive concept(s) is not limited to the specific embodiments or examples described below, but by the claims and their equivalents. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary continuous-forms printing system  100 . Printing system  100  includes production printer  110  and drying system  140 . Production printer  110  is any system or device capable of applying ink (e.g., any suitable marking fluid such as aqueous inks, oil-based paints, etc.) to a web  120  of continuous-form print media (e.g., paper). One example of production printer  110  is an inkjet printer that applies colored inks, such as Cyan (C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y), Key (K) black, white, or colorless inks. After printing, rollers  130  transport web  120  to drying system  140  which is any system or device capable of drying ink applied to web  120 . Drying system  140  may be integrated with production printer  110  or a stand-alone external drying system. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a drying system  140  in an exemplary embodiment. Drying system  140  includes a thermally conductive drum  210  and a radiant energy source  220  disposed inside drum  210 . Drum  210  is hollow and thus includes an inner surface  212  and an outer surface  214  (e.g. exterior circumference surface). During operation, web  120  is marked with ink by a print engine, enters drying system  140  as it travels in web travel direction  202 , and wraps around outer surface  214  of drum  210 , which rotates in rotational direction  204  and is heated to a desired temperature via heat transfer of radiant energy  222  from radiant energy source  220 . Radiant energy source  220  is any system or device capable of radiating heat to drum  210 . One example of radiant energy source  220  is one or more heat lamps that emit infrared (IR) or near-infrared (NIR) energy and heat. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a cross-sectional front view of drum  210  in an exemplary embodiment. Drum  210  includes bearings  340  that support rotation of drum  210  about axis  302 , and a radiant energy source  220  that extends in a lateral direction  304  between end caps  350  of drum  210 . The lateral direction  304  refers to a direction that is parallel with axis  302  and perpendicular to a radial direction  306  of drum  210 . Although radiant energy source  220  may emit radiant energy  222  in a relatively even distribution in lateral direction  304  of drum  210 , the temperature of drum  210  along the lateral direction  304  may become uneven due to heat transferring away from drum  210  at web contact area  380 . As surfaces  212 / 214  of drum  210  at web contact area  380  becomes relatively cool, high temperature areas  390  at or near lateral ends of drum  210  may occur and cause drying of web  120  to become imprecise and difficult to control in part because of heat transfer between high temperature area(s)  390  and web contact area  380 . Additionally, high temperature areas  390  may cause excessive heat at lateral ends of drum  210 , including end cap  350  and/or bearing  340 , making maintenance operations difficult and resulting in energy efficiency losses during drying operations. 
     To address these issues, drum  210  may be enhanced with a reflective element to redistribute heat in the lateral direction  304  of drum  210 .  FIG. 4  illustrates drum  210  enhanced with a reflective element  410  in an exemplary embodiment. Reflective element  410  is any system, component, or device operable to reflect radiated energy  222  of radiant energy source  220  toward inner surface  212  of drum  210  at web contact area  380 . This enables the heat profile of drum  214  to be maintained in the lateral direction  304 , thus improving heat control and drying performance of web  120  as well as accessibility and operating efficiency of drum  210 . 
     In general, reflective element  410  is located inside drum  210  at one or both lateral ends to reflect heat away from the lateral end and toward web contact area  380 . Web contact area  380  may comprise any exterior circumference surface portion of drum  210  along lateral direction  304  that is between far ends of drum  210  in lateral direction  304 , including a center of drum  210  and/or a lateral portion that is off-center. The term lateral end may therefore refer to any area and/or any components of drum  210  located laterally between a far lateral end of drum  210  and a vertical boundary where web contact area  380  begins. Numerous details and exemplary embodiments of drum  210  and reflective element  410  are discussed below. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a lateral end  500  of drum  210  with reflective element  410  in an exemplary embodiment. Lateral end  500  of drum  210  includes a bearing  340 , end cap  350 , reflective element  410 , and an attachment mechanism  510  which is any device or component(s) configured to removably attach reflective element  410  inside drum  210  at lateral end  500 . Attachment mechanism  510  may include one or more plates, brackets, mounts, etc. to provide support for reflective element  410 , one or more screws, rods, sockets, etc. to connect/disconnect reflective element  410  from the support, and/or one or more hinges, joints, bearings, and/or other components that enable positional and/or angular adjustment of reflective element  410  at lateral end  500  of drum  210 . Accordingly, reflective element  410  may be detached, replaced and/or positioned in lateral end  500  as desired to correspond with web contact area  380  and/or the uneven heat profile of drum  210 . 
     A front side  580  of reflective element  410  includes reflective material that directs heat to web contact area  380  and forms a thermal barrier between radiant energy source  220  and components of lateral end  500  behind a back side  590  of reflective element  410 . Thus, with respect to lateral direction  304 , reflective element  410  is disposed in front of end cap  350  and may comprise any shape, size, and/or alignment within drum  210  to cover or substantially cover end cap  350  and/or end wall of drum  210 . Attachment mechanism  510  may directly or indirectly connect reflective element  410  to the drum  210  and/or one or more components of drum  210  at lateral end  500 , including end cap  350 , bearing  340 , an inner circumferential wall  212  of drum  210 , and/or an end wall of drum  210 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a lateral end  600  of drum  210  with reflective element  410  in another exemplary embodiment. Lateral end  600  includes a thermal insulation structure  610  disposed between reflective element  410  and the drum  210  and/or one or more components of drum  210  at lateral end  600 , including end cap  350  and/or bearing  340 . Thermal insulation structure  610  may include any material having relatively low thermal conductivity (e.g., ceramic, polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) (e.g., Teflon), etc.) to reduce conducted heat transfer between components of lateral end  600  or to thermally isolate such components from radiant energy source  220 . Thermal insulation structure  610  may include one or more attachment mechanism(s)  510  that connect thermal insulation structure  610  to drum  210  and/or one or more components of drum  210  at lateral end  600 , including bearing  340 , end cap  350 , and/or reflective element  410 . Alternatively or additionally, thermal insulation structure  610  may be fixedly attached, integrated with, and/or comprise entire or portions of one or components at lateral end  600 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a perspective view of lateral end  700  of drum  210  with reflective element  410  in an exemplary embodiment. In this example, reflective element  410  includes a hollow portion  710 , an inner portion  720 , and an outer portion  730 . Hollow portion  710  defines an empty and/or indented space in reflective element  410  in the lateral direction  304 . Thus, radiant energy source  220  may extend through reflective element  410  to end cap  350  and/or bearing  340  for support at either side of drum  210 . Inner portion  720  may include a reflective material, a thermal insulation structure  610 , or some combination thereof, that forms a perimeter around hollow portion  710  and which may surround radiant energy source  220  in a circumferential direction. Outer portion  730  may include a reflective material extending in the radial direction  306  of drum  210  toward inner surface  212  (e.g., interior circumference) of drum  210  to cover or substantially cover end cap  350  and/or the end wall of drum  210 . 
     Portions  720 / 730  of reflective element  410  may individually or collectively include a reflective surface having multiple different reflection angles and/or a curved reflective surface. For example, portions  720 / 730  may include a surface that, for some distance in radial direction  306 , curves inward toward radiant energy source  220  in lateral direction  306  to form a concave shape that directs radiant energy  222  within drum  210  to web contact area  380 . Accordingly, portions  720 / 730  at front side  580  of reflective element  410  may form a variable reflective surface that curves or has multiple angles of reflection corresponding to the variations of heat flux exiting drum  210  along lateral direction  304 . 
     Inner portion  720  and/or outer portion  730  of reflective element  410  may comprise a continuous (e.g., a single solid and/or monolithic structure), contiguous, or segmented surface that has a rotational symmetry with respect to axis  302 . When viewed along lateral direction  304 , reflective element  410  may comprise a shape which, if rotated about its center point, includes multiple matching points in a single rotation. In other words, reflective element  410 , including inner portion  720  and/or outer portion  730 , may comprise a solid or segmented shape with a rotational symmetry order of N, where N is greater than or equal to two. Examples of such a shape include, but are not limited to, a circular shape, a hexagonal shape, a fan/pedal shape, etc. Reflective element  410 , end cap  350 , radiant energy source  220 , thermal insulation structure  610 , and/or other components at lateral end  700  may rotate with drum about axis  302  or an axis parallel to axis  302 , or may be rotationally fixed as desired. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a perspective view of a reflective element  410  with multiple panel  810  segments at a lateral end  800  of drum  210  in an exemplary embodiment. Each panel  810  of reflective element  410  may include reflective material and an attachment mechanism  510  for removably attaching panels  810  to end cap  350 , bearing  340 , and/or other panels  810 . Removable panels  810  may be useful for installing, replacing, and/or configuring reflective panel  410  within drum  210 . For example, end cap  350  may be removed or uncovered to allow access inside drum  210  via voids  840  between spokes  830  that structurally support drum  210  at lateral end  800 . During operation of drum  210 , panels  810  may collectively form a contiguous surface that surrounds radiant energy source  220  circumferentially at inner portion  720 , extends in the radial direction  306  to substantially cover end cap  350  at outer portion  730 , and which tilts toward radiant energy source  220  from inner portion  720  to outer portion  730  to form a cup or concave-type shape of any desired shape, including flat and/or curved surfaces. Additionally, each panel  810  may be removed, replaced, and/or adjusted as needed for maintenance operations that access drum  210  via void(s)  840  without removing entire end cap  350  or other structural support of drum  210  at lateral end  800 . 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a perspective view  900  of drum  210  with reflective element  410  having segmented panels  810 , a reflector mount  910 , and mounting surface  920  in an exemplary embodiment. Reflector mount  910  of panel  810  extends in lateral direction  304  to support outer perimeter of reflective element  410 . Each panel  810  may additionally include one or more mounting surfaces  920  that include attachment mechanism(s)  510  for removably attaching panel  810  to end cap  350  and/or other component at the lateral end of drum  210 . Reflector mount  910  and/or mounting surface  920  may include thermal insulation structure  610  material to reduce heat transfer at the lateral end of drum  210 . Additionally, reflector mount  910  may include an indentation for securing panel  810  around spoke  830  in lateral direction  304 , and mounting surface  920  may extend perpendicularly to reflector mount  910  to face and/or align with voids  840  for convenient access to drum  210  and reflective element  410 . 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a perspective view of reflective element  410  with segmented panels  810  in an exemplary embodiment. In this example, panels  810  comprise separate boards having a straight surface  1010  of reflective material. Base ends of panels  810  may attach around the outer perimeter of inner portion  520  in a circumferential direction. Edges of adjacent panels  810  may abut the edge a neighboring panel  810 , be separated by a non-zero distance, or both, as panels  810  extend from base end to distal end. Panels  810  may also attach at non-zero angles with respect to radial direction  306  such that adjacent edges of panels  810  overlap when viewed in the lateral direction  304  as panels  810  extend from base end to distal end. Accordingly, panels  810  may help circulate air and evenly distribute heat in drum  210  during rotation. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a perspective view of reflective element  410  with segmented panels  810  in another exemplary embodiment. To further circulate air and distribute heat in drum  210 , panels  810  may include a twisted surface  1110  of front-facing reflective material. That is, as panels  810  extend from base end to distal end, either edge of panel  810  twists or curves in different direction with respect to the lateral direction  304 . Numerous fan blade type shapes of panels  810  are possible, including forward/backward curves, radial blades, propeller type blades, leaf type blades, etc. Thus, panels  810  may be shaped to direct heat to web contact area  380  and also shaped to circulate hot air to further help even the heat distribution inside drum  210 . 
       FIG. 12A  illustrates a side view of reflective element  410  with segmented panels  810  in another exemplary embodiment. Reflective element  410  may include a brace  1210  attached to a lateral end of drum  210  such as end cap  350  and that supports a clamp/release mechanism  1220  configured to quickly attach/detach panels  810  of reflective element  410 . In that regard, brace  1210  and/or inner portion  720  of reflective element  410  may include grooves or slots shaped to receive base ends of panels  810  which may in turn include notches or hollow space for clamp/release mechanism  1220  to grip. For example, clamp/release mechanism  1220  may include one or more cams, rods, springs, or other components to secure panel  810  to brace  1210  via mechanical force applied to an appropriately aligned panel  810 . Clamp/release mechanism  1220  may alternatively or additionally include one or more buttons, handles, levers, or other components which may be manually toggled to discharge panel  810  from brace  1210  or otherwise free panel  810  for removal via appropriate mechanical force. 
       FIG. 12B  illustrates a perspective view of reflective element  410  with segmented panels  810  in yet another exemplary embodiment. As shown in this example, brace  1210  and/or clamp/release mechanism  1220  may be integrated with inner portion  720  of reflective element  410 . For example, inner portion  720  may comprise thermal insulation structure  610  that is circular with an inner perimeter around hollow portion  710  and an outer perimeter which includes clamp/release mechanisms  1220  around its circumference for removably attaching panels  810 . Alternatively or additionally, clamp/release mechanism  1220  may be configured to swivel in a circular and/or back and forth direction with respect to the lateral direction  304  to alter the angle of attachment of panel  810  in drum  210 . For instance, clamp/release mechanism  1220  may include a rotatable ball joint that receives the base end of panel  810  and which may be locked/unlocked at various positions so that heat distribution of drum  210  may be altered by manipulating angles/positions of individual panel  810  as desired. 
       FIG. 13  illustrates a perspective view of a reflective element  410  with collapsible segmented panels  810  in an exemplary embodiment. Each panel  810  may include a guide  1310  or hollow groove that supports retraction/expansion of reflective element  410  inside drum  210 . Guides  1310  may collectively form a path at inner portion  720  of reflective element  410  that enables panels  810  to overlap and slide over one another in a circumferential direction. Guides  1310  may be implemented in reflective panel  410  in combination with other components described herein, including attachment mechanism(s)  610 , braces  1210 , clamp/release mechanism(s)  1220 , etc. Collapsible segmented panels  810  may aid in removal/installation of reflective element  410  or otherwise improve accessibility of drum  210  for maintenance operations. 
       FIG. 14  illustrates a perspective view of a reflective element  410  with panels  810  having multiple jointed sections  1450  in an exemplary embodiment. Each panel  810  may include multiple sections  1450  connected to one another via joints  1460 . Joints  1460  may include hinges or other types of components that rotate about an axis for angular adjustment of individual sections  1450  in panel  810 . Although axes of joints  1460  are shown as being perpendicular to the radiation direction  306 , it will be appreciated that other types of angular adjustments, rotational directions, and shapes of sections  1450  are possible. For example, reflective element  410  may comprise a continuous surface or segmented surface with a moldable or bendable reflective surface or portion of the reflective surface. Accordingly, the reflection profile of reflective element  410  may be adjusted as desired for appropriate redirection of heat in drum  210 . 
       FIG. 15A  illustrates a perspective view of reflective element  410  with circumferentially segmented panels  810  in an exemplary embodiment. As reflective element  410  extends in the radial direction  306  from hollow portion  510  toward inner walls of drum  210 , each panel  810  circumferentially surrounds an inner adjacent panel  810  in a concentric fashion.  FIG. 15B  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of reflective element  410  with circumferentially segmented panels  810  having flat surfaces  1510  in an exemplary embodiment.  FIG. 15C  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a reflective element  410  with circumferentially segmented panels  810  having parabolic surfaces  1520  in an exemplary embodiment. Each panel  810  may be independently adjusted, have differently angled/positioned reflective surfaces from one another, and/or separate attachment mechanisms  610  for configurability of reflective element  410  and adaptation to heat profile of drum  210 . 
       FIG. 16A  illustrates a perspective view of reflective element  410  with circumferentially segmented panels  810  and independent sections  1610  in an exemplary embodiment. Each circumferential panel  810  may include multiple independent sections  1610  with separate attachment mechanisms  610  and/or separate adjustability. Independent sections  1610  may be implemented with circumferential panels  810  as shown in  FIG. 16A  or in conjunction with alternative panel  810  and/or reflective element  410  configurations as desired. 
       FIG. 16B  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of reflective element  410  with independent sections  1610  and flat surfaces  1620  in an exemplary embodiment.  FIG. 16C  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of reflective element  410  with independent sections  1610  and parabolic surfaces  1630  in an exemplary embodiment. Accordingly, each independent section  1610  may be independently adjusted, have differently angled/positioned reflective surfaces from one another, and/or directly or indirectly connect to separate attachment mechanisms  610  for configurability of reflective element  410  and adaptation to heat profile of drum  210 . For instance, stems  1650  may include attachment mechanism(s)  610  and/or clamp/release mechanism(s)  1220  to attach with independent sections  1610  and/or the lateral end of drum  210 , such as an inner circumferential wall of drum  210  and/or an end wall or end cap  350  of drum  210 . Either or both points of attachment may include one or more joints, ball bearings, or other rotation components to support altering an angle of the reflective surface. Alternatively or additionally, stem  1650  may be configured to attach at various locations inside drum  210  and/or extend/retract, bend, angle, and/or position while attached in drum  210  to increase an amount of heat radiated from radiant energy source  220  directed to a focus point  1660  or web contact area  380  along the surface of drum  210 . 
       FIG. 17  illustrates a drum  210  enhanced with a positioning system  420  in an exemplary embodiment. Positioning system  420  may comprise any system, component, or device operable to apply forces to reflective element  410  for adjusting its position and/or angle of reflection of radiant energy  222  inside drum  210 . Exemplary components of positioning system  420  include, but is not limited to, a pneumatic device, a hydraulic device, a motor, an electric linear actuator, etc. Positioning system  420  may dynamically adjust one or more components described herein that directly or indirectly connects with reflective element  410  and/or a portion of reflective element  410 , such as panel(s)  810 , attachment mechanism(s)  610 , clamp/release mechanisms(s)  1220 , segment(s)  1450 , joint(s)  1460 , independent section(s)  1610 , stem(s)  1650 , etc. 
     Drum  210  (or printing system  100  and/or drying system  140 ) may further include a controller  430  operable to direct positioning system  420  based on an input. For example, printing system  100  and/or drying system  140  may include a graphical user interface (GUI)  434  operable to receive input for adjusting one or more reflective element(s)  410  and/or panel(s)  810  in drum  210 . Alternatively or additionally, one or more sensors  436  disposed in or around drum  210  may be operable to detect temperature(s) at one or more lateral locations of drum  210  and/or web contact area  380  and provide heat/location information to controller  430  for appropriate heat reflection adjustment in drum  210 . Controller  430  may further be communicatively coupled with memory  432  operable to store instructions for adjusting reflective element  410  and/or correlations between positions of reflective element  410  with one or more variables such as a current and/or desired temperature of drum  210 , web  120  properties (e.g. width, thickness, marked images, etc.), ink properties, printing mode, etc. Additional details for operations of controller  430  and positioning system  420  are described below. 
       FIG. 18  illustrates a side view of reflective element  410  configured for lateral adjustment  1810  in an exemplary embodiment.  FIG. 19  illustrates a side view of reflective element  410  configured for radial adjustment  1910  in an exemplary embodiment.  FIG. 20  illustrates a side view of reflective element  410  configured for angular adjustment  2010  in an exemplary embodiment.  FIG. 21  illustrates a side view of reflective element  410  configured for surface adjustment  2110  in an exemplary embodiment. Positioning system  420  may contact reflective element  410  to perform one or more lateral adjustments  1810 , radial adjustments  1910 , angular adjustment  2010 , and/or surface adjustments  2110  for reflective element  410  or a portion thereof based on controller  430  input. 
     The particular arrangement, number, and configuration of components described herein is exemplary and non-limiting. Illustrative details of the operation of drum  210  will be discussed with regard to  FIG. 22 , which describes a method  2200  for adjusting reflective element  410  of drum  210  in an exemplary embodiment. The steps are not inclusive, may include other steps not shown, and may also be performed in an alternative order. 
     In step  2202 , radiant energy source  220  operates inside drum  210  and heats web  120  as web  120  travels across drum  210 . In step  2204 , controller  430  determines an amount of heat to supply to a lateral section of drum  210 . And, in step  2206 , positioning system  420  initiates adjustment of reflective element  410  based on the determined amount of heat to supply to the lateral section of drum  210 . 
     Controller  430  may perform the operations and functions described herein by executing one or more sequences of instructions stored on a machine/computer readable medium. Controller  430  may be implemented, for example, as custom circuitry, as a processor executing programmed instructions, etc. Embodiments disclosed herein can take the form of software, hardware, firmware, or various combinations thereof.  FIG. 23  illustrates a processing system  2300  configured to execute a computer readable medium embodying programmed instructions to perform desired functions in an exemplary embodiment. Processing system  2300  is configured to perform the above operations by executing programmed instructions tangibly embodied on computer readable storage medium  2312 . In this regard, embodiments of the invention can take the form of a computer program accessible via computer-readable medium  2312  providing program code for use by a computer or any other instruction execution system. For the purposes of this description, computer readable storage medium  2312  can be anything that can contain or store the program for use by the computer. 
     Computer readable storage medium  2312  can be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor device. Examples of computer readable storage medium  2312  include a solid state memory, a magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk, and an optical disk. Current examples of optical disks include compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W), and DVD. 
     Processing system  2300 , being suitable for storing and/or executing the program code, includes at least one processor  2302  coupled to program and data memory  2304  through a system bus  2350 . Program and data memory  2304  can include local memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories that provide temporary storage of at least some program code and/or data in order to reduce the number of times the code and/or data are retrieved from bulk storage during execution. 
     Input/output or I/O devices  2306  (including but not limited to keyboards, displays, pointing devices, sensors, etc.) can be coupled either directly or through intervening I/O controllers. Network adapter interfaces  2308  may also be integrated with the system to enable processing system  2300  to become coupled to other data processing systems or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modems, IBM Channel attachments, SCSI, Fibre Channel, and Ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of network or host interface adapters. Presentation device interface  2310  may be integrated with the system to interface to one or more presentation devices, such as printing systems and displays for presentation of presentation data generated by processor  2302 . 
     Although specific embodiments were described herein, the scope of the inventive concepts is not limited to those specific embodiments. The scope of the inventive concepts is defined by the following claims and any equivalents thereof.