Ulvac, Inc.

Tooltek Engineering Corporation

Litrex Corporation

Oleg N Gratchev

David Albertalli

Hooshang Jahani

Scott R Bruner

Charles O Edwards

Robert F Taff

James N Middleton

Robert G Boehm, Jr

Perry West

Howard Walter Bielich

James A Middleton

The present teachings relate to a printhead maintenance station for an industrial printing apparatus which is used to prevent clogging of the printhead, particularly during periods in which the printheads are idle. The maintenance station includes a capping station which has sockets for keeping the printheads moist and a blotting station for cleaning any residual printing fluids prior to carrying out a print function.

Printhead maintenance station

A drop analysis/drop check system allows a plurality of printheads to remain stationary during analysis to emulate operation of an actual piezoelectric microdeposition system. The system provides accurate tuning of individual nozzle ejectors and allows for substrate loading and alignment in parallel with drop analysis/drop check. The drop analysis/drop check system includes a motion controller directing movement of a stage, a printhead controller controlling a printhead to selectively eject drops of fluid material to be deposited on a substrate, and a camera supported by the stage for movement relative to the printheads. The camera receives a signal from the motion controller to initiate exposure of the camera and captures an image of the drops of fluid material ejected by the printheads. A light-emitting device includes a strobe controller that receives a signal from the camera to supply light to an area including the liquid drops during camera exposure.

Drop analysis system

A temperature controllable vacuum chuck includes a mounting bracket, a porous plate, a heating element, and a temperature sensor. The porous plate is mounted to the mounting bracket and is configured for securing a substrate to the vacuum chuck when air is suctioned out of the vacuum chuck. The heating element is attached to the bottom of the porous plate and uniformly heats the porous plate, thereby heating any substrate mounted on the vacuum chuck and enabling control over the cure rate of fluid materials deposited on the substrate. The temperature sensor measures the temperature of the porous plate so that it can be adjusted when desired with a user controllable temperature control component.

Temperature controlled vacuum chuck

An apparatus for mounting a sleeve on a spindle includes a frame, and a finger arrangement movably mounted on the frame, the finger arrangement including a plurality of fingers arranged at a common first radius around an imaginary centerline of the finger arrangement, the fingers being movable radially outwardly from the first radius to a second radius upon application of an outwardly directed force. A sleeve having an internal opening in which the fingers are disposed is adapted to be mounted on a stationary spindle by movement of the finger arrangement on the frame toward the spindle. A method for mounting a sleeve on a spindle is also disclosed.

Method for mounting a sleeve on a spindle

Apparatus for mounting a sleeve on a spindle

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Oleg N Gratchev