摘要:
A method and apparatus for accurately determining and setting the optimal nozzle drive voltage for an ink jet printer. The current carried by charged test drops is monitored by a sensing electrode and ammeter while the nozzle drive voltage is slowly varied between minimum and maximum points. A plot of drop current versus nozzle drive voltage provides an accurate determination of the good printing window for the particular nozzle under the operating conditions presented. This arrangement can be used for calibrating a new nozzle in an existing printer or for calibrating a new ink or font to ensure that operation will occur within the desired print window.
摘要:
An ink supply for an inkjet printer is provided with a main reservoir, which is typically maintained at ambient pressure. The main reservoir, which has flexible side walls supported by a rigid frame, is coupled to a variable volume chamber via a check valve which allows the flow of ink from the reservoir to the chamber and limits the flow of ink from the chamber to the reservoir. The chamber is coupled to a fluid outlet which is normally closed to prevent the flow of ink. However, when the ink supply is installed in a printer, the fluid outlet establishes a fluid connection between the chamber and the printer. The chamber is part of a pump provided with the ink supply that can be actuated to supply ink from the reservoir to the printer.
摘要:
A fluid interconnect between an ink supply and an ink-jet printer has an outlet assembly and an inlet assembly. The outlet assembly has a hollow tube with a lateral hole, a guide member and a sealing member with a catch. The inlet assembly has a poppet valve and at least one compliant finger. When the outlet assembly is inserted into the inlet assembly, the sealing member is moved from a closed position, in which the sealing member covers the lateral hole to occlude ink flow, into an open position, in which the lateral hole is exposed so that ink may flow through the outlet assembly. At the same time, the compliant finger engages the catch on the sealing member. As the outlet assembly is extracted from the inlet assembly, the compliant finger moves the sealing member back to a closed position to cover the lateral hole to occlude ink flow through the outlet assembly.
摘要:
An apparatus and method for producing a stream of ink drops in a continuous ink jet printer having a maximum allowable number of fast satellite drops. An ink, which may be a hot-melt ink in its liquid phase, is pressurized for continuous flow to a nozzle and a rectangular or triangular waveform is generated at a fixed frequency. The waveform is applied to a transducer coupled to the nozzle such that nozzle vibrates and the ink flow is perturbed and discharged from the nozzle as primary drops with satellite drops formed therewith. The harmonic content of the rectangular or triangular waveform is adjusted until the desired number of fast satellite drops suitable for desired image formation are formed in the stream of primary drops. In a preferred embodiment, the desired number of fast satellites is a maximum of three.
摘要:
A drive control system is disclosed which automatically maintains nozzle drive voltage within a proper range. The control system monitors the state of the "intermediate satellites" positioned between ink drops used for printing. When these satellites are neither forward nor backward merging, a first cardinal point designated C(L) is identified. A second cardinal point, C(H), is determined when the drop breakoff point stops decreasing, relative to said nozzle, with increasing nozzle drive voltage. From the two cardinal values, a desired operating range for a particular ink can be computed and the control system automatically set. The computed value is essentially independent of temperature.