Ink jet print head

An ink jet print head for applying ink to a material comprising:

• a body with a cavity therein and a plurality of orifices spaced along one dimension of said body and extending between the cavity and a surface of said body;
• a conduit through which ink is supplied to the cavity;
• a plurality of electrodes arranged so that two different electrodes communicate with each orifice to produce an arc in each orifice;
• and
• a diaphragm attached to said body forming a wall of the cavity and formed of a resilient material that dampens pressure waves produced in the ink when an arc occurs between electrodes within an orifice.

An print head for printing on a material comprising:

• a substrate with a length substantially as great as one dimension of the material, and having a trough and a plurality of grooves in one surface of said substrate, the plurality of grooves being spaced along the length of said substrate with each groove extending between the trough and another surface of said substrate;
• a sheet of non-conductive material against the one surface of the substrate, said sheet having plurality of electrodes arranged so that ends of two different electrodes communicate with each groove to produce an arc in each groove, and having a plurality of electrical buses to which the plurality of electrodes connect;
• and
• a diaphragm against said sheet and covering the trough and the plurality of grooves, said diaphragm being formed of a resilient material that dampens a pressure wave produced within a groove when an arc occurs between electrodes within that groove.

An ink jet print head for applying ink to a material comprising:

• a body having an ink rail cavity and a plurality of orifices located along one surface of said body and extending to the ink rail cavity;
• a plurality of electrodes with each electrode extending into two adjacent orifices, said plurality of electrodes divided into a two sets of electrodes wherein each orifice has an electrode from both sets extending to it;
• a first group of X electrical signal buses to which one set of said plurality of electrodes connect, where X is plural integer;
• and
• a second group of Y electrical signal buses to which another set of said plurality of electrodes connect, where Y is plural integer.

An ink jet print head for applying ink to a material comprising:

• a body with a cavity containing ink and a plurality of orifices spaced along one dimension of said body and extending between the cavity and a surface of said body;
• a conduit through which ink is supplied to the cavity;
• a plurality of electrodes arranged so that ends of two different electrodes are within each orifice;
• and
• a constricted section between that cavity and electrodes within each one of the plurality of orifices, a cross sectional area of each orifice narrows within the constricted section to provide an impedance which dampens a pressure wave produced when an arc occurs between electrodes within that orifice.