The Tubes Assembly is the part of the Ink Delivery System which
physically drives the ink from the Ink Cartridges in the ISS to
the Printheads in the Carriage Assembly. The ink flows through a
flexible tube from the ISS to the Carriage by means of the pressure
applied by the pumping device in the ISS.
In both ends of the tubes there are fluidic interconnections which
are designed to prevent any kind of ink leakage, and minimize the
ink on customers as they interact with the system (i.e. when they
must replace Ink Cartridges or Printheads).
While the Ink Cartridges remain static in the ISS, the Carriage
goes back and forth along the scan-axis of the Printer. That is
why the tubes have to be flexible in order to follow
this movement.
Since the condition of the ink determines its performance on the
printing media (and therefore the print quality output), the Tubes
Assembly must guarantee the properties of the ink coming from the
Ink Cartridges until it is delivered to the Printheads. This 'healthy'
condition is defined by means of maximum water vapor losses and
air ingestion that the ink can get along time.