US 10,369,786 B2 · Printing of ink droplets combined in a reaction chamber

Abstract

A drop-on-demand printing method comprising performing the following steps in a printing head: discharging a first primary drop (x21A) of a first liquid to move along a first path; discharging a second primary drop (x21B) of a second liquid to move along a second path; controlling the flight of the first primary drop (x21A) and the second primary drop (x21B) to combine the first primary drop with the second primary drop into a combined drop (x22) at a connection point (x32) within a reaction chamber within the printing head so that a chemical reaction is initiated within a controlled environment of the reaction chamber between the first liquid of the first primary drop and the second liquid of the second primary drop; and controlling the flight of the combined drop (x22) through the reaction chamber along a combined drop path such that the combined drop (x22), during movement along the combined drop path starting from the connection point is distanced from the elements of the printing head.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A printing method, including combining a first primary drop and a second primary drop to form a combined drop, by performing a method, comprising:

discharging the first primary drop of a first liquid collected from a first liquid reservoir to move along a first path;
discharging the second primary drop of a second liquid collected from a second liquid reservoir to move along a second path;
controlling flight of the first primary drop and the second primary drop to combine the first primary drop with the second primary drop into the combined drop at a connection point within a reaction chamber within a printing head so that a chemical reaction is initiated within a controlled environment of the reaction chamber between the first liquid of the first primary drop and the second liquid of the second primary drop;
and
controlling flight of the combined drop through the reaction chamber along a combined drop path directed towards a surface to be printed upon such that the combined drop, during movement along the combined drop path starting from the connection point, is distanced from one or more elements of the printing head.

2 more elements

A printing head comprising:

a nozzle assembly comprising:
a first nozzle connected through a first channel with a first liquid reservoir with a first liquid and having a first drop generating and propelling device for forming on demand a first primary drop of the first liquid and discharging the first primary drop to move along a first path;
and
a second nozzle connected through a second channel with a second liquid reservoir with a second liquid and having a second drop generating and propelling device for forming on demand a second primary drop of the second liquid and discharging the second primary drop to move along a second path;
a reaction chamber,
the first path crosses with the second path within the reaction chamber at a connection point;
and
means for controlling flight of the first primary drop and the second primary drop and configured to allow the first primary drop to combine with the second primary drop at the connection point to form a combined drop so that a chemical reaction is initiated within a controlled environment of the reaction chamber between the first liquid of the first primary drop and the second liquid of the second primary drop during flow of the combined drop through the reaction chamber along a combined drop path,
wherein the combined drop, during movement along the combined drop path starting from the connection point, is distanced from elements of the printing head.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Printing of ink droplets combined in a reaction chamber

Life of this patent

Printing of ink droplets combined in a reaction chamber

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15