Apparatus and process for ballistic aerosol marking

Abstract

Disclosed is a process for depositing marking material onto a substrate which comprises (a) providing a propellant to a printhead, said printhead having defined therein at least one channel, each channel having an inner surface and an exit orifice with a width no larger than about 250 microns through which the propellant can flow, said propellant flowing through each channel, thereby forming a propellant stream having kinetic energy, each channel directing the propellant stream toward the substrate, the inner surface of each channel having thereon a conductive polymer coating; and (b) controllably introducing a particulate marking material into the propellant stream in each channel, wherein the kinetic energy of the propellant stream causes the particulate marking material to impact the substrate.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.