Printhead nozzle arrangement having ink ejecting actuators annularly arranged around ink ejection port

• US 7,971,969 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2010
• Issued: 07/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, McAvoy, Gregory John
• Primary Examiner(s): Do; An H
• Application Number:
  US12/710,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20100149255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 347/47, 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

A printhead for an inkjet printer includes a wafer defining a plurality of nozzle chambers and a plurality of ink supply channel in fluid communication with the plurality of nozzle chambers for supplying the plurality of nozzle chambers with ink; an ink ejection port associated with each nozzle chamber; and a plurality of actuators associated with each nozzle chamber, the plurality of actuators each including a petal formation. A plurality of petal formations are arranged around an ink ejection port of each nozzle chamber to annularly surround the ink ejection port. Each actuator is operable to displace a respective petal formation into the nozzle chamber.

Claims

1. A printhead for an inkjet printer, the printhead comprising:

a wafer defining a plurality of nozzle chambers and a plurality of ink supply channel in fluid communication with the plurality of nozzle chambers for supplying the plurality of nozzle chambers with ink;

an ink ejection port associated with each nozzle chamber; and

a plurality of actuators associated with each nozzle chamber, the plurality of actuators each including a petal formation, wherein

a plurality of petal formations are arranged around an ink ejection port of each nozzle chamber to annularly surround the ink ejection port, and

each actuator is operable to displace a respective petal formation into the nozzle chamber.

2. A printhead as claimed in claim 1, wherein each actuator comprises an electrically conductive heater element formed in a layer of a plastics material, the heater element being positioned in the plastics material to cause uneven heating, and thereby uneven expansion, of the plastics material, whereby the actuator is displaced into the nozzle chamber.

3. A printhead as claimed in claim 2, wherein each heater element is formed in a serpentine arrangement in the plastics material.

4. A printhead as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plastics material is a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer, and the heater element is an internal serpentine copper core formed in the PTFE layer.

5. A printhead as claimed in claim 1, wherein bridges extend radially from a rim defining the ink ejection ports and between adjacent actuators.