This description relates to ink jetting.
Ink jetting can be done using an ink jet printhead that includes jetting assemblies. Ink is introduced into the ink jet printhead and when activated, the jetting assemblies jet ink to form images on a substrate.
In an aspect, for jetting ink, a first set of orifices of an apparatus are arranged to print at a first maximum resolution, the first maximum resolution being along a direction different from a process direction. A second set of orifices is coupled to the first set of orifices. The second set of orifices is arranged to print at a second maximum resolution lower than the first maximum resolution, the second maximum resolution being along a direction different from the process direction.
Implementations may include one or more of the following features. The first set of orifices belongs to a first printhead and the second set of orifices belongs to a second printhead. The position of the first printhead relative to the second printhead is adjustable. The orientation of the first printhead relative to the process direction is adjustable. The first printhead is in front of the second printhead in the process direction. The first printhead is behind the second printhead in the process direction. The first printhead is in front of the second printhead in a direction perpendicular to the process direction. The first printhead is behind the second printhead in a direction perpendicular to the process direction. The first and second printheads each comprises a jetting assembly having more than 100 jets. The angle between the process direction and a length of the jetting assembly in the first printhead is between about 30° to about 85°. The second printhead is arranged to print at between about 100 dpi and 400 dpi. The first printhead is arranged to print at greater than 800 dpi. The first printhead is arranged to print at greater than 1000 dpi. The first printhead is arranged to print at about 1200 dpi. The different direction is perpendicular to the process direction. More than one printhead is arranged to print at a higher maximum resolution than the second printhead. The first and second printheads are incorporated in a single-pass ink jet printer and the substrate transports along the process direction. The first and second printheads are incorporated in a step-and-repeat ink jet printer and the substrate transports along a direction perpendicular to the process direction. The first printhead is arranged to print a portion of an image along a direction perpendicular to the process direction. During the relative motion, the substrate is moving along the process direction and the apparatus is stationary. During the relative motion, the substrate is stationary and the apparatus is moving along the process direction. The first set of orifices is in a first set of parallel arrays and the second set of orifices is in a second set of parallel arrays having an angle ranging from about 30° to about 85° with respect to the first set of parallel arrays.
In an aspect, during a relative motion in a process direction between an ink jetting apparatus and a substrate, a first portion of the ink jetting apparatus is caused to print on the substrate at a first maximum resolution. A second portion of the ink jetting apparatus is caused to print on the substrate at a second maximum resolution lower than the first resolution in a direction different from the process direction.
Implementations may include one or more of the following features. The location of the first portion of the ink jetting apparatus is adjusted relative to the second portion of the ink jetting apparatus prior to the relative motion. The causing comprises causing the first portion of the ink jetting apparatus to print in an area of the substrate before the second portion of the ink jetting apparatus prints in the area. The causing comprises causing the first portion of the ink jetting apparatus to print in an area of the substrate after the second portion of the ink jetting apparatus prints in the area. The causing comprises moving the ink jetting apparatus in the process direction perpendicular to a direction the substrate transports and printing on the substrate. The causing comprises transporting the substrate in a direction parallel to the process direction and printing on the substrate.
These and other aspects and features can be expressed as methods, apparatus, systems, means for performing a function, and in other ways.
Other features and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description, and from the claims.
Referring to
Referring to
Generally, each pumping chamber, together with its corresponding ink jetting passage, the opening and the orifice can be referred to as a jet of the jetting assembly. Information about the jetting assembly 4 is also provided in U.S. Ser. No. 12/125,648, filed May 22, 2008, which is incorporated here by reference.
The jetting assembly 4 also includes electronic components 29 to trigger the pumping chambers formed from the wells 22 to jet ink. For example, the electronic components 29 include two sets of electrodes 33 and 33′ on the polymer films 32 and 32′, which are connected by leads (not shown) to respective flexible printed circuits 31, 31′ and integrated circuits 34 and 34′. Piezoelectric elements 36 and 36′ are attached to the outer side of each of the polymer films 32 and 32′, respectively, and each includes a set of electrodes 35 and 35′ that contacts the polymer films 32 and 32′. Each electrode in the electrode sets 35 and 35′ covers a pumping chamber. In use, electrode sets 35 and 35′ receives pulse voltages sent from the integrated circuits 34 and 34′ and activates the corresponding portion of the piezoelectric elements 36 and 36′ to change their shapes to apply pressures to corresponding pumping chambers. Information about the ink jetting assembly is also provided in U.S. Pat. No. 6,755,511, and incorporated here by reference.
Production of a high resolution image (expressed as a number of dots or pixels per inch (dpi) of substrate), for example, along a direction different from, e.g., perpendicular to the process direction, requires a relatively smaller pitch between adjacent pumping chambers or wells 22 (
Referring to
The combined width W1C of the jetting assemblies 40 and 42 in the process direction y is increased relative to a width of a single jetting assembly. Printing at a high resolution along the process direction y requires a high precision relative motion between the substrate and the printhead along the process direction y. Printing at a high precision along a direction different from, for example, perpendicular to, the process direction y, requires careful control of the side to side motion of the substrate along the x direction when the substrate is moving along the process direction y. Even higher resolution printheads can be made using more than two jetting assemblies each offset relative to the others in a similar way described above, the use of which calls for increasingly high precision control of the substrate motion. Information about ink jet printhead 52 having more than one jetting assembly is also provided in U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,204, U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,558, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,052, all of which being incorporated here by reference.
Referring to
The printhead module 56 in this example includes one or more printheads 68 each having the features of the printhead 2 of
Each printhead 68 has a length L of about 2 to 4 inches and a width D of about 1 inch, and the total width W2 the printhead 56 can print can range from about 2 cm to more than 2 meters. The printhead module 56 can print at a maximum resolution, along the process direction y, for example, of at least about 100, 200, 300, or 360 dpi, and/or up to about 400, 600, 720, 1000, or 1200 dpi, depending on the resolution at which each printhead 68 included in the module 56 can print. In some embodiments, when the low resolution features 66 require a resolution higher than 400 dpi, each printhead 68 can include the features of printhead 52 described in
The printhead module 58 includes one or more printhead 72 each having the features of printhead 2 of
In some embodiments, the printhead module 58 is arranged so that the length 1 of each printhead 72 forms an angle θ with the process direction y. When the printhead module 58 includes more than one jetting assembly, the corresponding pumping chambers and orifices of the jetting assemblies in the overlapping regions are aligned along the process direction y. The maximum resolution in the direction perpendicular to process direction, at which the printhead 58 is capable of printing, is 1/sin θ times the maximum resolution at which each printhead 72 is capable to print when its length 1 is perpendicular to the process direction y. The angle θ, and thus the orientation of the printhead module relative to the process direction, can be adjustable for different resolution requirements. For example, the angle θ is about 30 degrees to about 85 degrees, e.g., about 60 degrees to about 80 degrees, about 70.53 degrees, or about 75.5 degrees and the printhead module 58 is capable of printing at a maximum resolution, for example, of at least about 400 dpi, 600 dpi, or 800 dpi, and/or up to, for example, 1000 dpi, 1200 dpi, 1600 dpi, 2000 dpi, 4000 dpi, or 6000 dpi.
Generally, the span S of the printhead module 58, and therefore the total number of printheads 72, is selected so that the projected width Ip along the direction perpendicular to the process direction y covers the width of the high resolution feature 64 and can be smaller than the total width W2 of the substrate 50.
In the process direction y, the printhead module 58 can be either ahead of (
In some embodiments, the image 62 includes more than one high resolution feature 64 in the direction perpendicular to the process direction y. In such embodiments, additional one or more printhead modules 58 can be installed at other locations across the substrate in the ink jet printer 54, each arranged to print one or more high resolution features 64. In some embodiments, one printhead module 58 is capable of printing at a different high resolution from other printhead modules 58.
Referring to
In some embodiments, the printhead modules 78 and 80 print only during one of each two sequential passes and the substrate 74 moves Δx once every two passes. In some embodiments, the printhead modules 78 and 80 print bi-directionally in multiple 25 passes, i.e., the printhead modules print during each pass and the substrate 74 moves along the transporting direction x after each pass. Δx can be about one pixel to about a length Ls of the printhead module 78 when the image can be printed, for example, in one pass.
The printhead modules 78 and 80 have similar features, for example, resolutions, to the printhead modules 56 and 58, respectively. In particular, the printhead module 80 forms an angle α that is similar to the angle θ described above with respect to the y direction. However, unlike the single-pass ink jet printer 54, a total width Ls that the printhead module 78 prints during one pass can be smaller than the width W3 of the substrate, and therefore, fewer printheads are needed for the printhead module 78. Generally, the total width Ls is at least one, for example, two, three, four, or more times Δx. In some embodiments, printhead module 78 includes at least one, for example, many printheads as described in
Referring to
In the examples shown in
The inclusion of two or more printhead modules arranged to print at different resolutions in the single-pass ink jet printer 54 or the step-and-repeat ink jet printer 76 separates the process of printing of high resolution features, for example, 800 dpi to 1200 dpi, from the process of printing of relatively low resolution features, for example, 100 dpi to 400 dpi, of an image. This separation allows the printhead module that prints at a relatively low resolution to include fewer printheads. Fewer printheads are required to be arranged as described in
Other embodiments are also within the scope of the following claims.
For example, printheads other than that described in
For example, the jetting assembly 4 can include the body 20 having wells machined on surfaces of the body 20. Pumping chambers can be formed without the use of the cavity plate and by sealing the machined wells in the body 20 using polymer films. The pumping chambers can be activated by piezoelectric elements attached to an outer surface of the polymer films that is opposite to an inner surface that contacts the body 20. In some implementations, the piezoelectric elements can directly seal the wells to form pumping chambers without the polymer films between the wells and the piezoelectric elements. Activation of the pumping chambers can be done using elements, e.g., electrodes and integrate circuits, similar to those discussed with regard to
Information about jetting assemblies and ink jetting devices is also provided, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,755,511 and U.S. Ser. No. 09/749,893, filed Dec. 29, 2000, and incorporated here by reference.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/076,788, filed Jun. 30, 2008, and incorporated herein by reference.
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