Patent ID: 7874826

Claim:
A system for manufacturing ink sticks for use in a phase change ink jet imaging device, the system comprising: an extruder having a molten ink inlet through which melted ink is received and an extrusion orifice; a thermal controller operatively connected to a heater and a cooler, the cooler being positioned proximate the extrusion orifice, the thermal controller being configured to control the heater to heat the melted ink in the extruder and to control the cooler to cool the melted ink as the melted ink nears the extrusion orifice to establish a temperature gradient in the extruder and produce an extrusion of malleable ink extending through the extrusion orifice; a roll forming member configured to roll form a rail of ink from the malleable ink extending from the extrusion orifice and form a portion of a shape transverse to an extrusion direction as the rail of ink moves in the extrusion direction; a forming die having a pair of forming elements, the forming elements being driven toward each other to engage the rail of ink after the rail of ink has been roll formed to impart a portion of a final shape for an ink stick to a portion of the rail of ink; a plurality of swaging members, each swaging member having a swaging die positioned at an end of each swaging member, each swaging die being configured to establish a final form for an ink stick and to divide the rail of ink into a plurality of ink sticks; and an actuator operatively connected to the plurality of swaging members, the actuator being configured to drive the swaging members in a reciprocating direction to urge the swaging dies into the extruded rail of ink to divide the extruded rail of ink into ink sticks.