Inkjet Technology and Inkjet Printing Rafi Bronstein

Inkjet Printing Inkjet Technology Fundamentals Rafi Bronstein [e-mail] Mobile: [phone]

Inkjet Technology and Inkjet Printing

• Rafi Bronstein

• [e-mail]

• 2008

Course Syllabus

• Inkjet technology history and fundamentals

• Types on inkjet technologies
• History of inkjet printing
• Industrial applications

• Most successful inkjet printing technologies

• Continuous inkjet technologies
• Drop-on-Demand inkjet technologies
• Thermal inkjet
• Piezo inkjet
• Novel ink ejection technologies

Course Syllabus

• Print head fabrication materials and processes

• Print head designs and key vendors

• Thermal inkjet
• Piezo inkjet
• Direct ink ejection

• Piezo print head design parameters

• Frequency, crosstalk, drop placement accuracy …

Course Syllabus

• Printing inks and their composition

• Ink types and properties

• Inkjet printing substrates

• Paper and coatings
• Non-paper media

• Basics of radiometry and basic color theory

• Radiometry
• Color systems and color management

Course Syllabus

• Ink drying and curing technologies

• Drying
• Curing

• Drop-on-demand ink droplet deflection techniques

• Sony
• Kodak
• Others

Course Syllabus

• Inkjet printing systems design

• The printing industry

• Digital printing and inkjet printing

Ink Jet Printing Methods Classification

Ink Jet Printing History (I)

• 1878 – Lord Rayleigh

• 1929 – Hansell, USP #1,941,001 Electrostatic Deflection Recorder

• 1938 – Genschmer, USP #2,151,683 Spark Type Ink Ejector

• 1946 – Hansell, USP #2,512,743 Jet Sprayer Actuated by Piezoelectric

• 1958 – Winston, USP #3,060,429 Drop Jetting by Electrostatic Attraction

• 1962 – Naiman, USP #3,179,042 Sudden Steam Printer

• 1964 – Sweet, USP #3,596,275 Continuous Inkjet Printing

• 1966 – Hertz et al. USP #3,416,153 Modulation by Electrostatic Dispersion

• 1967 – Sweet et al. USP #3,373,437 Array of Continuous Ink Jets

Ink Jet Printing History (II)

• 1970 – Kyser et al. USP #3,946,398 Drop-on-Demand Bend Mode Inkjet Apparatus

• 1970 – Zoltan, USP #3,683,212 Squeeze Tube Piezoelectric Inkjet

• 1972 - Stemme – USP #3,747,120 Bend Mode with Metal Diaphragm

• 1979 – Endo et al. GBP #2,007,162 Electrothermal Transducer (Bubble jet)

• 1982 – Howkins, USP #4,459,601 Piezoelectric Push Mode

• 1982 – Vaught et al. USP #4,490,728 Electrothermal Transducer (Thermal Inkjet)

• 1979 - 1985 – Fishbeck, USP #4,032,929 - USP #4,584,590 Shear Mode Transducer

• 1989 – Bartky et al. USP #4,879,568 Droplet Deposition Apparatus

Ink Jet Printing

• Continuous

• Drop-On-Demand (DOD)

• Piezoelectric
• Thermal (Bubble) inkjet

• Others

Lord Rayleigh – Drop Formation Law (I)

Lord Rayleigh – Drop Formation Law (II)

Drop Formation – Ink Jet Basics

• Can the drop size be controlled?

• Can the spatial spacing of the drops be controlled?

• Can the break-up length be controlled?

• What would be the drop selection method?

Sweet-type Continuous Ink Jet

Binary Continuous Ink Jet

Is It So Simple?

Drop Charging Methods

Drop Charge Requirements and Limits

Drop Deflection

Density modulation (W. Lloyd & H. Taub)

Density modulation (H. Hertz)

Key Inkjet Patents (I)

Key Inkjet Patents (II)

Piezoelectric Materials

Piezo effect and Piezoelectric Deformation

Piezoelectric Materials (I)

Piezo effect and Piezoelectric Deformation

Elements of Piezoelectric Inkjet technology

Key Inkjet Patents (III)

Drop-on-Demand Piezoelectric Inkjet

Drop Ejection Process

Forces Acting on Ink Drop

Elements of Thermal Inkjet (print head structure)

Elements of Thermal Inkjet (how it works)

Elements of Thermal Inkjet (drop ejection process)

Thermal Inkjet Configurations

Key Inkjet Patents (IV)

Key Inkjet Patents (V)

Key Inkjet Patents (VI)

Key Inkjet Patents (VI)

Key Inkjet Patents (VII)

Key Inkjet Patents (VIII)

Key Print Head Characteristics

• Resolution

• Drop ejection frequency

• Drop volume

• Drop speed

• Array pitch
• Drop speed uniformity across the array
• Operating temperature range
• Physical size and weight

Print Head Resolution – Print Resolution

• Pitch between two neighboring nozzles

• Actual resolution
• Linear array
• Two dimensional array

• Electronic resolution

• Minimal printable distance between two successive dots

Drop Ejection Frequency

• Minimal time between two successive drop ejection cycles

• System resonance
• Fixed frequency
• Plurality of ink ejection frequencies

• Defines throughput

Drop Speed

• The speed at which the drop leaves the orifice

• Aerodynamic resistance
• Multi drop grey scale printing
• Ejection force
• Ink parameters

• Defines printing speed

• Drop speed variations

Effect of Drop Speed Variations

Drop Volume

• The volume of the ejected drop (picoliter; nanogram)

• Drop volume variation
• Drop volume variation as function of ejection frequency

• Defines amount of ink on the substrate and accordingly image color gamut

Tektronix Print head US Pat. No. 5,155,498

Drive Signal Form US Pat. No. 5,155,498

Various Drop Formation Wait Periods. Signal of Fig. 2. US Pat. No. 5,155,498

Drop Flight Speed with Signal of Fig. 2. US Pat. No. 5,155,498

Another Form of Drive Signal US Pat. No. 5,155,498

Print Head Pressure Changes with Drive Signals of Figs. 6-7. US Pat. No. 5,155,498

Crosstalk Between the Channels

Drop Volume as Function of Ejection frequency US 5,274,400 (HP)

XAAR XJ500/360. VEEjet.

Q&A

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Thank you