Inkjet printing device that includes nozzles with volumetric ink ejection mechanisms

• US 7,147,303 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Issued: 12/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zamtec Limited (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, McAvoy, Gregory John
• Primary Examiner(s): Do, An H.
• Application Number:
  US11/202,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20060017783A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 347/54, 347/56, 347/65
• US Class Current: 347/54
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1433 Structure of nozzle plates
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1623 bonding and adhesion
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1628 dry etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1629 wet etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1631 photolithography
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1632 machining
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1635 dividing the wafer into individual chips
• 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 2/1648 Production of print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/041 Electromagnetic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14346 Ejection by pressure produced by thermal deformation of ink chamber, e.g. buckling
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14435 Moving nozzle made of thermal bend detached actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14475 characterised by nozzle shapes or number of orifices per chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/15 Moving nozzle or nozzle plate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49401 Fluid pattern dispersing device making, e.g., ink jet

Abstract

An ink jet printing device includes a substrate that defines a plurality of ink supply passages. Drive circuitry is positioned on the substrate. A plurality of nozzle chamber structures is arranged on the substrate. Each nozzle chamber structure defines a nozzle chamber and an ink ejection port in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber. Each nozzle chamber structure has a wall that incorporates a number of actuators. Each of the actuators is displaceable, on receipt of an electrical signal from the drive circuitry, into and out of the nozzle chamber to eject ink from the ink ejection port.

Claims

1. An ink jet printing device that comprises a substrate that defines a plurality of ink supply passages;

drive circuitry positioned on the substrate; and

a plurality of nozzle chamber structures arranged on the substrate and defining a plurality of nozzle chambers in fluid communication with respective ink supply passages and a plurality of ink ejection ports in fluid communication with respective nozzle chambers, each nozzle chamber structure having a wall that incorporates a plurality of actuators being displaceable on receipt of an electrical signal from the drive circuitry into and out of a respective nozzle chamber to eject ink from the ink ejection port, each ink ejection port being defined by a nozzle rim structure positioned in each wall, each wall including a number of arms that extend radially from the substrate to the nozzle rim structure to support the nozzle rim structure, said actuators being interposed between consecutive arms.

2. An ink jet printing device as claimed in claim 1, in which each nozzle chamber structure is defined by the substrate as a result of an etching process carried out on the substrate.

3. An ink jet printing device as claimed in claim 1, in which each actuator has a body of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion which is such that when heated said body is capable of expansion to perform work, and a heater element positioned within the body and connected to the drive circuitry such that, in operation, the heater element generates differential thermal expansion of the body thereby bending the body into the nozzle chamber.

4. An ink jet printing device as claimed in claim 3, in which each body is of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and each heater element is of a conductive metal.

5. An ink jet printing device as claimed in claim 4, in which each heater element is of a metal selected from a group of metals including copper and aluminum.