Printing by deflecting an ink jet through a variable field
AssigneeMarkem-Imaje Corporation
InventorBruno Barbet
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
For printing, the principle of the continuous deflected jet is used: a device discharges a continuous stream of a liquid, which is deflected by an electric field created by a plurality of deflecting electrodes and directed toward a gutter. The printing of drops is performed by fragmenting the continuous jet into a segment formed opposite a shield electrode upstream of the deflecting electrode, so that the segment is not deflected and can be directed toward a substrate. The deflection electrodes are separated by an insulator and a variable potential is applied to each electrode; the potential for the entire set of electrodes cancels out such that the jet is not charged.
Claims21
Method for deflecting a jet of liquid comprising:
- formation of a jet of conducting liquid output from a nozzle at a predetermined speed from a pressurized chamber along a hydraulic trajectory,
- generation of an electric field variable along the hydraulic trajectory by applying a potential to a sequence of several deflecting electrodes along the direction of the hydraulic trajectory, the electrodes being isolated from each other and forming a set extending along an electrodes plane parallel to the hydraulic trajectory over a length of the network,
- in which the potential applied to each electrode (in the set is variable and the potential applied to all electrodes in the set is of an average in time and in space equal to zero,
- deflection of the jet by the electric field by mobilization of charges within the jet.
Device for selective deviation of drops of conducting liquid comprising:
- a reservoir of pressurized liquid comprising at least one liquid ejection nozzle in the form of a continuous jet along a hydraulic trajectory given by the axis of the nozzle,
- means of disturbing the jet and breaking it at a jet break up point,
- a set extending along an electrodes plane, comprising several deflecting electrodes positioned on the downstream side of the break up point, the electrodes being positioned in sequence one after the other and isolated from each other in the direction of the hydraulic trajectory,
- means to apply a variable potential to each electrode, the means being adapted so that the potential applied to the network of electrodes is of an average in time and in space equal to zero, such that the jet is deviated from its hydraulic trajectory by the field created when applying the potential to electrodes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.