Coating For An Ink Jet Printhead Front Face

• US 20110122195A1
• Filed: 11/24/2009
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Sambhy, Varun, Kovacs, Gregory J., Zhao, Hong, Law, Kock-Yee
• Granted Patent: US 8,226,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/45
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14008 Structure of acoustic ink jet print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1433 Structure of nozzle plates
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1606 Coating the nozzle area or the ink chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/162 Manufacturing of the nozzle plates
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1645 thin film formation by spincoating
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/5015 having fluorine atoms
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/6216 Polymers of alpha-beta ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids or of derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 18/73 acyclic

Abstract

A coating for an ink jet printhead front face, wherein the coating comprises a low adhesion coating, wherein when the low adhesion coating is disposed on an ink jet printhead front face surface, jetted drops of ultra-violet gel ink or jetted drops of solid ink exhibit a low sliding angle with the printhead front face surface, wherein the low sliding angle is less than about 1° to less than about 30°. In embodiments, the low adhesion coating is an oleophobic coating that exhibits a contact angle of greater than about 35° with ultra-violet gel ink or solid ink.

Claims

1. A coating for an ink jet printhead front face, wherein the coating comprises:

a low adhesion coating, wherein when the low adhesion coating is disposed on an ink jet printhead front face surface, jetted drops of ultra-violet gel ink or jetted drops of solid ink exhibit a low sliding angle with the printhead front face surface, wherein the low sliding angle is less than about 1°

to less than about 30°

.

2. The coating of claim 1, wherein the low sliding angle is from about 1°

to less than about 20°

.

3. The coating of claim 1, wherein the low sliding angle is from about 1°

to less than about 15°

.

4. The coating of claim 1, wherein the low adhesion coating comprises:

a suitable polymer or oligomer containing an isocyanate functional group;

a suitable polymer or oligomer containing a hydroxyl functional group;

a suitable hydroxyl functionalized polymer or oligomer containing at least one polysiloxane unit; and

optionally, a hydroxyl functionalized fluoro-crosslinking material.

5. The coating of claim 4, wherein the suitable polymer or oligomer containing an isocyanate functional group is selected from the group consisting of diphenylmethane diisocyanate, toluene diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate, or suitable polymer or oligomer containing isocyanate (—

NCO) functional groups, and mixtures thereof.

6. The coating of claim 1, wherein the low adhesion coating comprises:

an isocyanate;

a polylol;

a hydroxyl functionalized polysiloxane; and

optionally, a hydroxyl functionalized fluoro-crosslinking material.

7. The coating of claim 1, wherein the coating surface maintains a low sliding angle even after 200 cleaning cycles with a Crock cloth, wherein the low sliding angle is from about 1°

to less than about 30°

.

8. An ink jet printhead comprising:

a front face having disposed on a surface thereof a low adhesion coating wherein jetted drops of ultra-violet gel ink or jetted drops of solid ink exhibit a low sliding angle with the printhead front face surface having the coating, wherein the low sliding angle is less than from about 1°

to less than about 30°

.

9. The ink jet printhead of claim 8, wherein the low sliding angle is from about 1°

to less than about 20°

.

10. The ink jet printhead of claim 8, wherein the low sliding angle is from about 1°

to less than about 15°

.

11. The ink jet printhead of claim 8, wherein the low adhesion coating comprises:

a suitable polymer or oligomer containing an isocyanate functional group;

a suitable polymer or oligomer containing a hydroxyl functional group;

a suitable hydroxyl functionalized polymer or oligomer containing at least one polysiloxane unit; and

optionally, a hydroxyl functionalized fluoro-crosslinking material.

12. The ink jet printhead of claim 11, wherein the suitable polymer or oligomer containing an isocyanate functional group is selected from the group consisting of diphenylmethane diisocyanate, toluene diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate, or suitable polymer or oligomer containing isocyanate (—

NCO) functional groups, and mixtures thereof.

13. The ink jet printhead of claim 11, wherein the printhead coating maintains a low sliding angle even after 200 cleaning cycles with a Crock cloth, wherein the low sliding angle is from about 1°

to less than about 30°

.

14. The ink jet printhead of claim 11, wherein the front face comprises an aperture plate comprising steel, polyimide, silicon, nickel, copper, or aluminum.

15. The ink jet printhead of claim 11, wherein the low adhesion coating has a thickness of from about 0.02 micrometer to about 5 micrometers.

16. A printing apparatus comprising an ink jet printhead comprising:

a front face having disposed on a surface thereof a low adhesion coating wherein jetted drops of ultra-violet gel ink or jetted drops of solid ink exhibit a sliding angle less than from about 1°

to less than about 30°

, with the printhead front face surface having the low adhesion coating.

17. The printing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the low sliding angle is from about 1°

to less than about 15°

.

18. The printing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the coating comprises:

a suitable polymer or oligomer containing an isocyanate functional group;

a suitable polymer or oligomer containing a hydroxyl functional group;

a suitable hydroxyl functionalized polymer or oligomer containing at least one polysiloxane unit; and

optionally, a hydroxyl functionalized fluoro-crosslinking material.

19. The printing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the printhead coating maintains a low sliding angle even after 200 cleaning cycles with a Crock cloth, wherein the low sliding angle is from about 1°

to less than about 30°

.

20. The printing apparatus of claim 16, wherein jetted drops of ultra-violet gel ink or jetted drops of solid ink exhibit a contact angle of about 35°

to about 120°

.

21. The printing apparatus of claim 16, wherein jetted drops of ultra-violet gel ink or jetted drops of solid ink exhibit a contact angle of from greater than about 35°

to greater than about 45°

.