摘要:
A liquid emission device includes a chamber having a nozzle orifice. Separately addressable dual electrodes are positioned on opposite sides of a central electrode. The three electrodes are aligned with the nozzle orifice. A rigid electrically insulating coupler connects the two addressable electrodes. To eject a drop, an electrostatic charge is applied to the addressable electrode nearest to the nozzle orifice, which pulls that electrode away from the orifice, drawing liquid into the expanding chamber. The other addressable electrode moves in conjunction, storing potential energy in the system. Subsequently the addressable electrode nearest to the nozzle is de-energized and the other addressable electrode is energized, causing the other electrode to be pulled toward the central electrode in conjunction with the release of the stored elastic potential energy. This action pressurizes the liquid in the chamber behind the nozzle orifice, causing a drop to be ejected from the nozzle orifice.
摘要:
A liquid emission device includes a chamber having a nozzle orifice. Separately addressable dual electrodes are positioned on opposite sides of a central electrode. The three electrodes are aligned with the nozzle orifice. A rigid electrically insulating coupler connects the two addressable electrodes. To eject a drop, an electrostatic charge is applied to the addressable electrode nearest to the nozzle orifice, which pulls that electrode away from the orifice, drawing liquid into the expanding chamber. The other addressable electrode moves in conjunction, storing potential energy in the system. Subsequently the addressable electrode nearest to the nozzle is de-energized and the other addressable electrode is energized, causing the other electrode to be pulled toward the central electrode in conjunction with the release of the stored elastic potential energy. This action pressurizes the liquid in the chamber behind the nozzle orifice, causing a drop to be ejected from the nozzle orifice.
摘要:
A liquid emission device includes a chamber having a nozzle orifice. Separately addressable dual electrodes are positioned on opposite sides of a central electrode. The three electrodes are aligned with the nozzle orifice. A rigid electrically insulating coupler connects the two addressable electrodes. To eject a drop, an electrostatic charge is applied to the addressable electrode nearest to the nozzle orifice, which pulls that electrode away from the orifice, drawing liquid into the expanding chamber. The other addressable electrode moves in conjunction, storing potential energy in the system. Subsequently the addressable electrode nearest to the nozzle is de-energized and the other addressable electrode is energized, causing the other electrode to be pulled toward the central electrode in conjunction with the release of the stored elastic potential energy. This action pressurizes the liquid in the chamber behind the nozzle orifice, causing a drop to be ejected from the nozzle orifice.
摘要:
An electrostrictive micro-valve is provided for modulating a fluid flow through a cannula or other narrow liquid conduit. The micro-valve includes a valve body having a passageway for conducting a flow of fluid, a valve element formed from a piece of viscoelastic material and disposed in the passageway, and a control assembly coupled to the viscoelastic material for electrostatically controlling the shape of the material to open or close the passageway. The valve element has a flat lower side connected to an inner wall of the passage of the valve body, and an upper side which faces an opposing wall within the passageway. The control assembly includes a pair of electrodes disposed over the upper and lower sides of the valve element. The electrode facing the lower side of the element is patterned so that localized electrostatic forces are generated across the viscoelastic material when a voltage is applied across both electrodes. Localized electrostatic forces generate a sinusoidal ripple throughout the viscoelastic material forming the valve element whose peak portions act as obstructions throughout the valve body that partially or completely obstruct a fluid flow.
摘要:
The present invention comprises a self-cleaning print head having an orifice plate defining an ink jet orifice, cleaning orifice and drain orifice. The orifice plate further defines an outer surface between the orifices. The print head has a source of pressurized cleaning fluid connected to the cleaning orifice and a fluid return connected to the drain orifice for storing used cleaning fluid. During cleaning operations, the source of pressurized cleaning fluid causes cleaning fluid to flow from the cleaning orifice, and the cleaning orifice directs the flow of cleaning fluid across the outer surface and the ink jet orifice and into the drain orifice.
摘要:
A self-cleaning printer includes a print head having a surface that is susceptible to a contaminate build up. A cleaning liquid containing a concentration of macroscopic cleaning particles is flowed in frictive contact with the contaminate such that a combined effect of frictive force and hydrodynamic shearing force acting on the contaminate effectively removes the contaminate from the surface. Preferably, the cleaning particles are adapted to attach to the contaminate. They may include polymeric beads such as polystyrene spheres. The cleaning particles preferably have surfaces to which polymeric chains are attached, the polymeric chains having end groups which adhere to the contaminate.
摘要:
A continuous ink jet print head is formed of a silicon substrate that includes integrated circuits formed therein for controlling operation of the print head. An insulating layer or layers overlies the silicon substrate and has a series or an array of nozzle openings or bores formed therein along the length of the substrate and each nozzle opening is formed in a recess in the insulating layer or layers by a material depletion process such as etching. The process of etching defines the nozzle openings at locations where heater elements are formed in the insulating layer or layers during a conventional CMOS processing of the integrated circuits. The print head structure thereby provides for minimal post processing of the print head after the completion of the CMOS processing.
摘要:
Apparatus for separating a receiver from a micro-fluidic contact print head after ink image pixels have been printed by the print head on the receiver, including a print head having a plurality of ink channels for delivering ink to the receiver when the receiver is in ink transfer contact with the print head; including an air supply device and air plenum which are associated with each ink channel and defining an air channel for conducting air to the air plenum; and the apparatus is effective after the ink has been transferred from the plurality of ink channels to the receiver for causing air to be delivered from the air supply device to the air channel and into the air plenum to exert a pressure which causes the separation of the receiver from the print head.
摘要:
A method for forming an ink jet nozzle plate includes providing a structure having a top substrate layer, a bottom substrate layer, and a buried layer disposed between the top substrate layer and the bottom substrate layer; selectively etching the top substrate layer to form a plurality of spaced ink cavities in the top substrate layer exposing portions of the buried layer; removing by etching the bottom substrate layer and bonding a base having ink delivery channels over the top substrate layer, with at least one channel corresponding to each ink cavity to thereby form the ink jet nozzle plate; and providing a mask having a plurality of openings over the buried layer and etching through such mask openings through the buried layer to the ink cavities to provide at least one bore region corresponding to each ink cavity to provide ink ejection access to such ink cavities so that the buried layer has portions which overhang the ink cavity.
摘要:
A microfluidic printing apparatus including at least one ink reservoir; a structure defining a plurality of chambers arranged so that the chambers form an array with each chamber being arranged to form an ink pixel; a plurality of microchannels connecting the reservoir to a chamber; a plurality of microfluidic pumps each being associated with a single microchannel for supplying ink from an ink reservoir through a microchannel for delivery to a particular chamber; and a structure for controlling the starting times of the microfluidic pumps and the time of separation of the receiver from the ink chambers so that the correct amount of ink is delivered from each chamber to each pixel on the receiver.