# US 2018/0324959 A1 · Method and system for nozzle compensation in non-contact material deposition

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- Number: US 2018/0324959 A1
- Document ID: US20180324959A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/023,931
- Filed: 2018-06-29
- Published: 2018-11-08
- Earliest claimed: 2006-11-28
- Assignees: Xjet Ltd.
- Applicants: Xjet Ltd.
- Inventors: Hanan GOTHAIT; Ran Asher PELEG; Ofir BAHARAV
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180324959A1

## CPC

- H05K 3/46: Manufacturing multilayer circuits
- B41J 2/16579: {Detection means therefor, e.g. for nozzle clogging}
- B41J 2/16588: {Print heads movable towards the cleaning unit}
- B41J 2/2139: {Compensation for malfunctioning nozzles creating dot place or dot size errors (generating single droplets or particles on demand by pressure, e.g. electromechanical transducers B41J2/045)}
- B41J 2/2142: {Detection of malfunctioning nozzles (generating single droplets or particles on demand by pressure, e.g. electromechanical transducers B41J2/045, B41J2/05; jet deflection sensors B41J2/125; for cleaning purposes B41J2/16579)}
- B41J 2/2146: {for line print heads}
- B41J 2/515: line printer type
- B41J 25/001: {Mechanisms for bodily moving print heads or carriages parallel to the paper surface}
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

## Abstract

A method of printing is provided where printing is using a first printing unit having redundant nozzles. Then, the method may include stopping the printing with the first printing unit while continuing the printing with active nozzles of a second printing unit. The method may include inspecting the first printing unit and identifying faulty nozzles, then designating the faulty nozzles as inactive and designating inactive nozzles of the first printing unit as a new active nozzle. According to some embodiments the method may include moving the first printing unit to an inspection zone prior to inspecting while continuing the printing with active nozzles of a second printing unit and moving the first printing unit back to the printing zone after inspection and continuing the printing with the first printing unit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of printing, the method comprising:
printing in a printing zone using a first printing unit having nozzles, a first portion of the nozzles is designated as active nozzles and a second portion of the nozzles is designated as inactive nozzles, wherein the printing is done by selectively depositing material from the active nozzles of the first printing unit;
stopping the printing with the first printing unit while continuing the printing with active nozzles of a second printing unit;
inspecting the nozzles of the first printing unit;
choosing a new set of active nozzles based on inspection results; and
continuing the printing using the first printing unit with the new set of active nozzles.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 comprising:
moving the first printing unit to an inspection zone prior to inspecting; and
moving the first printing unit back to the printing zone for continuing the printing.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the nozzles are arranged in a row having a direction parallel to a scanning direction.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein printing comprises printing a line in the scanning direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 comprising:
identifying one of the active nozzles of the first printing unit as a faulty nozzle;
designating the faulty nozzle as inactive and designating one of the inactive nozzles of the first printing unit as a new active nozzle, so as the new active nozzle replaces the faulty nozzle.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein inspecting comprises:
acquiring images of ejections of droplets performed by the nozzles of the first printing unit; and
identifying the faulty nozzle based on an analysis of the images.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the analysis comprises determining the size of droplets and the size of deviation of a jetting direction from a predetermined direction.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein depositing is depositing an electrically conductive material on one of a printed card board or a semiconductor wafer to produce metallization conduction lines.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the new set of active nozzles is chosen based on a required droplet size.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the new set of active nozzles is chosen based on the degree of stability of jetting from the nozzles.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the new set of active nozzles is chosen based the jetting direction of the nozzles.