Ink jet printing method and device
AssigneeIng. C. Olivetti & C., S.p.A.
InventorsRiccardo Brescia, Enrico Manini, Edoardo Balbo, Alessandro Scardovi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A droplet of ink 11 is expelled from a nozzle in a wall, so as to strike a printing medium, by suddenly moving the wall towards the ink 11 with which it is in contact. This movement is effected by energizing a piezoelectric sleeve. The ink droplet is expelled by virtue of the inertia of the ink resisting the movement of the wall and creating pressure. Practical embodiments are described in which the wall containing the nozzle is formed by the tapered end of a capillary tube.
Claims12
An ink jet printing method comprising the steps of providing a wall with a capillary circular nozzle having a section substantially smaller than the area of the wall, locating a printing support at a predetermined distance from the wall, keeping the wall in contact with a volume of ink, connecting an electric transducer at one end to said wall and at the other end with a frame, and selectively energizing the transducer by an electric pulse to suddenly move the wall toward the ink whereby the reaction of the inertia of the ink in following the movement of the wall causes an ink droplet to be ejected through the nozzle at such a speed as to reach said support.
An ink jet printing device comprising a fixed structure, a paper support, a container for the ink, a wall normally contacting the ink and provided with a capillary circular nozzle for the ejection of droplets of ink, said wall being located at a predetemined distance from said support, said nozzle having a section substantially smaller than the area of ink on which the wall acts, an electric transducer connected at one end to said fixed structure and at the other end to said wall, and means for electrically energizing said transducer by an electric pulse to suddenly move said wall toward the ink, whereby the reaction of the inertia of the ink in following the movement of the wall causes an ink droplet to be ejected through the nozzle at such a speed as to reach said support.
An ink jet printing device comprising a rigid capillary tube having at one end a coaxial circular nozzle for the ejection of the droplets of ink, a piezoelectric transducer in form of a sleeve coaxial with said tube, said transducer being connected at one end along its axis with said tube and at the other end along said axis with a fixed structure, and pulse generating means for selectively energizing said transducer to suddenly move said tube axially so as to retract its end provided with the nozzle, whereby the reaction of the inertia of the ink in following the movement of the tube causes an ink droplet to be ejected through the nozzle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.