The Mead Corporation

Charles L Cha

David N Pipkorn

George W Denlinger

Shou L Hou

Elias Spyrou

Ted F Williams

A jet drop printer for depositing drops of print fluid on a moving print medium includes an elongated fluid reservoir with an orifice plate extending the length of the fluid reservoir and communicating therewith. The orifice plate defines a plurality of orifices from which filaments of print fluid emerge. The orifices are positioned along an orifice line on the orifice plate which is non-parallel with respect to the center line of the orifice plate, which center line extends in the direction of elongation of the reservoir. A stimulator induces bending waves in the orifice plate which travel along the orifice plate in a direction parallel to the center line. Substantially uniform break up of the filaments into drop streams occurs as the bending waves impart substantially the same amplitude of mechanical stimulation to each of the fluid filaments. The drops in the drop streams are selectively charged and deflected such that selected ones of the drops are directed to strike the print medium and others of the drops are directed to a catcher.

Jet drop printer

a jet drop printer includes a reservoir means defining an ink receiving manifold and an orifice means defining a plurality of orifices communicating with the manifold. A plurality of continuously flowing ink streams emerge from the orifices as ink is applied to the manifold under pressure. A drop control means control the trajectories of drops which break off from the streams such that drops are selectively deposited upon a print medium. A support plate supports the reservoir means and the orifice means and is held by a support structure. Piezoelectric transducers are also supported by the support plate and vibrate at a frequency near the natural frequency of the streams, thus causing drops of uniform size and spacing to break off from the streams. A reaction mass is supported by the support plate and is positioned relative to the transducers, the reservoir means and the orifice means such that a vibrational nodal plane passes through the support plate. The support structure is thereby mechanically decoupled from vibrations impressed upon the other elements of the printer.

Jet drop printer with elements balanced about support plate in nodal

Method and apparatus for use in an ink jet printing device to synchronously produce a plurality of uniform fluid filaments and droplets. A fluid reservoir is provided with an orifice plate having a plurality of orifices through which the fluid issues to produce the desired droplets. Above the liquid contained in the reservoir is a rigid piston suspended above the reservoir in contact with the liquid and having means sealingly engaging between the piston and the sides of the reservoir. The piston is moved translationally up and down by a plurality of electro-acoustical transducers which are secured to the piston in contact with its upper surface so as to produce pressure fluctuations in the fluid uniformly and synchronously over the plurality of orifices.

Apparatus for producing multiple uniform fluid filaments and drops

Method and apparatus for use in an ink jet printing device to synchronously produce a plurality of uniform fluid filaments and droplets. A fluid reservoir is provided with an orifice plate having a plurality of orifices through which the fluid issues to produce the desired filaments and droplets. The top of the reservoir consists of a flexible pressure plate which can be flexed in a transverse bending motion by a plurality of electro-acoustic transducers suspended above the pressure plate so as to produce substantially uniform pressure waves in the fluid over the plurality of orifices.

Growing community of inventors

Xenia, OH, United States of America

Charles L Cha