Buckle plate ink jet printing mechanism

• US 6,390,603 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zamtec Limited (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Do, An H.
• Application Number:
  US09/112,793
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 347/44, 347/54, 347/55, 347/20, 347/47
• US Class Current: 347/54
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14 Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16 Production of nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1623 bonding and adhesion
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1626 etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1632 machining
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1637 molding
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1639 sacrificial molding
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1642 thin film formation by CVD [chemical vapor deposition]
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14346 Ejection by pressure produced by thermal deformation of ink chamber, e.g. buckling

Abstract

An ink jet printing device having at least one nozzle connected to an ink supply and having a buckle plate able to be deformed so as to eject ink on demand from the nozzle is disclosed. The buckle plate is constructed from a first material such as polytetrafluoroethylene having a high coefficient of thermal expansion. The plate is heated by an integral heater means constructed from a second electrically resistive material such as copper. The heater is constructed in a serpentine manner so as to allow the expansion of the length of the heater means substantially in accordance with the expansion of the first material. The energy of activation of the buckle plate for the ejection of a drop of ink is less than about 20 microjoules.

Claims

1. An inkjet printhead comprising:

an ink chamber including a nozzle; and

an electrically activated buckle plate located in said ink chamber, wherein energy required to activate said buckle plate to eject a drop of ink from said ink chamber via said nozzle is less than one microjoule.

2. An inkjet printhead as claimed in claim 1 wherein said buckle plate is constructed from a first material having a high coefficient of thermal expansion and said buckle plate further comprises an integral heater means constructed from a second electrically resistive material for heating said, first material and thereby deforming said buckle plate so as to eject ink on demand from said nozzle, said first material and second material being different.

3. The inkjet printhead as claimed in claim 2 wherein said second material has a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than said first material and is constructed in a serpentine manner so as to allow the expansion of said heater means substantially in accordance with the expansion of said first material.

4. The inkjet printhead of claim 2 wherein said first material comprises mostly polytetrafluoroethylene.

5. The inkjet printhead of claim 2 wherein said heater means is constructed substantially from copper.