Method and apparatus for producing a discrete droplet of high temperature liquid

A method of ejecting on demand a discrete droplet of a liquid metal at a high temperature from an orifice along a predetermined trajectory, comprising the steps of:

• providing a vessel having an interior including an inlet end and a discharge region having an orifice;
• feeding a meltable metal material through the inlet end and into the vessel so that the metal material is contained within the interior of the vessel;
• applying heat to the metal material contained within the interior to heat and melt the metal material so that it becomes a liquid metal at a high temperature;
• positioning a thermally insulative impulse transmitting device in the interior of the vessel, the impulse transmitting device having a base end extending through the inlet end and outwardly from the interior of the vessel and a head end having a face positioned within the interior and adjacent the orifice;
• and
• providing a physical impulse to the base end of the impulse transmitting device so that the face of the impulse transmitting device is momentarily moved toward the orifice to create an ejection pressure at the orifice that ejects a discrete droplet of the liquid metal at a high-temperature from the orifice along a predetermined trajectory.

A high-temperature liquid droplet ejection apparatus for ejecting on demand a discrete droplet of liquid at a high temperature from an orifice along a predetermined trajectory comprising:

• a vessel having an interior for containing a liquid at a high temperature, the interior including an inlet end, a discharge region having an orifice, and a sidewall connecting the inlet end and the discharge region;
• a thermally insulative impulse transmitting device having a base end exterior of the vessel and extending through the inlet end of the vessel and a head end having a face positioned within the interior and adjacent the orifice;
• and
• an impulse generator including a pulse generator electrically connected to a loudspeaker positioned adjacent the base end of the impulse transmitting device, the pulse generator generating an electrical pulse and transferring the electrical pulse to the loudspeaker, the loudspeaker converting the electrical pulse into a physical impulse and transferring the physical impulse to the base end of the impulse transmitting device so that the face of the transmitting device is momentarily moved toward the orifice to produce an ejection pressure at the orifice that causes ejection of a discrete droplet of the high-temperature liquid contained in the vessel from the orifice along the predetermined trajectory.

A high-temperature liquid droplet ejection apparatus for ejecting on demand a discrete droplet of liquid at a high temperature from an orifice along a predetermined trajectory comprising:

• a vessel having an interior for containing a liquid at a high temperature, the interior including an inlet end, a discharge region having an orifice, and a sidewall connecting the inlet end and the discharge region;
• a thermally insulative impulse transmitting device having a base end exterior of the vessel and extending through the inlet end of the vessel and a head end having a face positioned within the interior and adjacent the orifice;
• and
• an impulse generator including a pulse generator electrically connected to an pulse amplifier that is electrically connected to an acoustic device which is operatively associated with the base end of the impulse transmitting device, the pulse generator generating an electrical pulse that is amplified by a pulse amplifier and transferred to the acoustic device, the acoustic device converting the electrical pulse into the physical impulse and transferring the physical impulse to the base end of the impulse transmitting device so that the face of the transmitting device is momentarily moved toward the orifice to produce an ejection pressure at the orifice that causes ejection of a discrete droplet of the high-temperature liquid contained in the vessel from the orifice along the predetermined trajectory.

A method of ejecting on demand a discrete droplet of a liquid at a high temperature and a predetermined size from an orifice along a predetermined trajectory, comprising the steps of:

• providing a vessel having an interior including an inlet end and a discharge region having an orifice;
• feeding a meltable material through the inlet end and into the vessel so that the material is contained within the interior of the vessel;
• applying heat to the material contained within the interior to heat and melt the material so that it becomes a liquid at a high temperature;
• positioning a thermally insulative impulse transmitting device in the interior of the vessel, the impulse transmitting device having a base end extending through the inlet end and outwardly from the interior of the vessel and a head end having a face positioned within the interior and adjacent the orifice;
• providing a physical impulse to the base end of the impulse transmitting device so that the face of the impulse transmitting device is momentarily moved toward the orifice to create an ejection pressure at the orifice that ejects a discrete droplet of the liquid at the high temperature and the predetermined size from the orifice along the predetermined trajectory;
• and
• feeding an inert gas through the inlet end and into the vessel to create an overpressure over the liquid at the high temperature so that as the overpressure is increased the predetermined size of the discrete droplet ejected from the orifice is increased.