Printhead fluid paths formed with sacrificial material patterned using additive manufacturing processes
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsAndrew Wayne Hays, Peter J Nystrom
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for forming an ink jet printhead subassembly can include the use of a sacrificial form coated with a coating material to fabricate a printhead subassembly having a plurality of ink channels configured for flowing ink therethrough. The sacrificial form can be manufactured using one or more described techniques. Subsequently, the sacrificial form may be removed from the coating material to provide a printhead subassembly including the coating material and an ink channel through the coating material. The completed printhead subassembly can include a single solid structure manufactured from a single material, or can include more than one solid structures assembled together.
Claims13
A method for forming a printhead, comprising:
- forming a sacrificial form over a base;
- coating the sacrificial form with a liquid coating material, using a method comprising:
- coating a first portion of the sacrificial form with the liquid coating material to define a plurality of ink channels through the liquid coating material, where the plurality of ink channels configured for flowing ink through the printhead;
- coating a second portion of the sacrificial form with the liquid coating material to define a plurality of nozzles through the liquid coating material configured for ejection of ink from the printhead through the plurality of nozzles during printing wherein, subsequent to the coating of the second portion of the sacrificial form, at least part of the second portion of the sacrificial form remains exposed and extends through the liquid coating material;
- and
- curing the liquid coating material to form a cured coating material subsequent to coating the first portion and the second portion of the sacrificial form;
- separating an entirety of the base from the cured coating material and from the sacrificial form;
- after separating the entirety of the base from the cured coating material and from the sacrificial form, removing the first portion of the sacrificial form from the cured coating material to form the plurality of ink channels through the cured coating material;
- and
- removing the second portion of the sacrificial form from the cured coating material to form the plurality of nozzles, wherein the removal of the first and second portions of the sacrificial form provides a printhead subassembly comprising the cured coating material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.