Fujifilm Dimatix, Inc.

Spectra, Inc.

Dimatix, Inc.

Robert A Hasenbein

Paul A Hoisington

Deane Gardner

William R Letendre

Andreas Bibl

Marlene McDonald

John A Higginson

Edward Russell Moynihan

John G Kelly

Melvin L Biggs

Robert L Wells, Jr

Matthew Aubrey

Bailey Smith

Darrell Herrick

Steven H Barss

Jaan Thomas Laaspere

Samuel Darby

Xi Wang

Deane A Gardner

Marlene Mcdonald

An apparatus includes an inkjet assembly having inkjet nozzles through each of which ink flows at a nominal flow rate as it is ejected from the nozzle onto a substrate. Ink is held under a nominal negative pressure associated with a characteristic of a meniscus of the ink in the nozzle when ejection of ink from the nozzle is not occurring. The apparatus includes recirculation flow paths, each flow path having a nozzle end at which it opens into one of the nozzles and another location spaced from the nozzle end that is to be subjected to a recirculation pressure lower than the nominal negative pressure so that ink is recirculated from the nozzle through the flow path at a recirculation flow rate. Each recirculation flow path has a fluidic resistance between the nozzle end and the other location such that a recirculation pressure at the nozzle end of the flow path that results from the recirculation pressure applied at the other location of the flow path is small enough so that any reduction in flow rate below the nominal flow rate when ink is being ejected is less than a threshold, or a change in the nominal negative pressure when ink is not being ejected is less than a threshold, or both.

Recirculation of ink

A method for driving a droplet ejection device having an actuator, including applying a primary drive pulse to the actuator to cause the droplet ejection device to eject a droplet of fluid in a jetting direction, and applying one or more secondary drive pulses to the actuator which reduce a length of the droplet in the jetting direction without substantially changing a volume of the droplet.

Fluid droplet ejection devices and methods

Described herein is a method and apparatus for driving a drop ejection device to produce drops having straight trajectories. In one embodiment, a method for driving a drop ejection device having an actuator includes building a drop of a fluid with at least one drive pulse by applying a multi-pulse waveform having the at least one drive pulse and a straightening pulse to the actuator. Next, the method includes causing the drop ejection device to eject the drop with a straight trajectory in response to the pulses of the multi-pulse waveform. The straightening pulse is designed to ensure that the drop is ejected without a drop trajectory error.

Method and apparatus to eject drops having straight trajectories

In general, in one aspect, the invention features a method for driving a droplet ejection device having an actuator, including applying a multipulse waveform that includes two or more drive pulses to the actuator to cause the droplet ejection device to eject a single droplet of a fluid, wherein a frequency of the drive pulses is greater than a natural frequency, fj, of the droplet ejection device.

High frequency droplet ejection device and method

Described herein is a method and apparatus for driving a drop ejection device to produce variable sized drops with multi-pulse waveforms. In one embodiment, a method for driving a drop ejection device having an actuator includes applying a multi-pulse waveform having at least one drive pulse and at least one break off pulse to the actuator. The method further includes building a drop of a fluid with the at least one drive pulse. The method further includes accelerating the break off of the drop with the at least one break off pulse. The method further includes causing the drop ejection device to eject the drop of a fluid in response to the pulses of the multi-pulse waveform. The break off pulse causes the break off of the drop formed by the at least one drive pulse in order to reduce the tail mass of the drop.

Method and apparatus to provide variable drop size ejection with low tail mass drops

Described herein is a method and apparatus for driving a droplet ejection device with multi-pulse waveforms. In one embodiment, a method for driving a droplet ejection device having an actuator includes applying a multi-pulse waveform having two or more drive pulses and a cancellation pulse to the actuator. The method further includes generating a pressure response wave in a pumping chamber in response to each pulse. The method further includes causing the droplet ejection device to eject a droplet of a fluid in response to the drive pulses of the multi-pulse waveform. The method further includes canceling the pressure response waves associated with the drive pulses with the pressure response wave associated with the cancellation pulse.

Method and apparatus to provide variable drop size ejection by dampening pressure inside a pumping chamber

Ink jet printheads and printhead components having a body that include a flow path, a piezoelectric actuator having a piezoelectric layer fixed to the body and an impedance feature in the flow path are described. The impedance feature includes a plurality of posts arranged in a first row, at least one post in the first row of posts having a downstream surface that is concave.

Printhead having impedance features

In one embodiment, a method for driving a droplet ejection device having an actuator includes applying a low power multi-pulse waveform having at least two drive pulses and at least one intermediate portion to the actuator. The method further includes alternately expanding and contracting a pumping chamber coupled to the actuator in response to the at least two drive pulses and the at least one intermediate portion. The method further includes causing the droplet ejection device to eject one or more droplets of a fluid in response to the pulses of the low power multi-pulse waveform. In some embodiments, at least one intermediate portion has a voltage level greater than zero and less than or equal to a threshold voltage level in order to reduce the power needed to operate the droplet ejection device.

Method and apparatus to provide variable drop size ejection with a low power waveform

Described herein is a process and apparatus for driving a droplet ejection device with embedded multi-pulse waveforms. In one embodiment, the process includes generating a multi-pulse waveform that includes drive pulses in predetermined positions. Next, the process includes applying the drive pulses to the actuator and causing the droplet ejection device to eject a first droplet of a fluid. The process also includes applying a second multi-pulse waveform having at least one embedded pulse to the actuator and causing the droplet ejection device to eject a second droplet of the fluid. Each embedded pulse is embedded between predetermined positions of two drive pulses. In some embodiments, the first and second droplets have different droplet sizes and these droplets are ejected at substantially the same effective drop velocity.

Process and apparatus to provide variable drop size ejection with an embedded waveform

A method for causing ink to be ejected from an ink chamber of an ink jet printer includes causing a first bolus of ink to be extruded from the ink chamber; and following lapse of a selected interval, causing a second bolus of ink to be extruded from the ink chamber. The interval is selected to be greater than the reciprocal of the fundamental resonant frequency of the chamber, and such that the first bolus remains in contact with ink in the ink chamber at the time that the second bolus is extruded.

Ejection of drops having variable drop size from an ink jet printer

A printhead having a monolithic semiconductor body with an upper face and a lower face. The body defines a fluid path including a pumping chamber, a nozzle flow path, and a nozzle opening. The nozzle opening is defined in the lower face of the body and the nozzle flow path includes an accelerator region. A piezoelectric actuator is associated with the pumping chamber. The actuator includes a piezoelectric layer having a thickness of about 50 micron or less.

Printhead having a thin pre-fired piezoelectric layer

Ink jet printheads and printhead components are described. One printhead includes a flow path and a piezoelectric actuator. The flow path includes a pumping region and the piezoelectric actuator is associated with the pumping region. The actuator has a pre-fired piezoelectric layer with a thickness of about 50 microns or less. A bonding layer fixes the pre-fired piezoelectric layer relative to the flow path.

Growing community of inventors

Enfield, NH, United States of America

Robert A Hasenbein