Abstract: There is provided a micro-ejection device including: an ejector ejecting a fluid; and a body having an installation space in which the ejector is installed, wherein the installation space is provided with a guide unit inducing a line-contact or a point-contact between the ejector and the body.

Abstract: A maintenance station for servicing a printhead mounted on a carrier includes mechanisms that separate a wiping function from a capping function. The maintenance station includes a housing mounting a maintenance sled that is movable between a wiping position and a capping position. The capping position follows the wiping position along a direction of travel by the carrier when it enters the maintenance station. As the carrier enters the maintenance station, a latch pivotably mounted to the maintenance sled selectively locks the maintenance sled in the wiping position without engaging the capping position based on a stop position of the carrier upon initial entrance into the maintenance area.

Abstract: A printing method includes providing a print head. The print head includes a valve and at least one orifice. Fluid is ejected from the orifice in a generally continuous stream. The fluid includes a conductive material. The fluid is deposited in a pattern on a substrate to form an electrically conductive deposit. At least a portion of the pattern includes a generally straight line.

Abstract: A radiation curable gel ink printing system is provided that includes a radiation source configured to emit UV light having short wavelength components. The disclosed systems and methods transport a substrate having radiation curable gel ink deposited thereon to the radiation source to expose the ink to the radiation source. The exposure at the radiation source may be continuous or pulsed. The radiation source may be configured a distance away from the radiation curable gel ink deposited on the substrate. The radiation source pre-treats the radiation curable gel ink before spreading the radiation curable gel ink at a contact-leveling nip at which a contact member applies pressure to the partially cured radiation curable gel ink against the substrate. The radiation curable gel ink is preferentially cured to allow spreading of the radiation curable ink by the contact member while limiting offset of the ink onto the contact member.

Abstract: A tube support member that puts a tube connected to an ink jet head and an ink tank in a bent state is provided. Accordingly, when a pulling force acts between the bent support member and the tube, a component force acting as contact force occurs at the surface that makes contact with the tube, and a high degree of friction is generated in response to this component force. The tube is thus strongly supported in a state in which the tube does not shift with the dimensions of the tube changing. Meanwhile, when the pulling force is released, the component force is also eliminated, and the tube is freed; the dimensions of the tube return to normal, and the tension is eliminated.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a print head to form an image on a recording medium; a carriage, including the print head, which scans in a main scanning direction; a linear encoder scale with scale marks and elongated in the carriage moving direction to detect a position of the carriage; an encoder sensor disposed on a side wall of the carriage including a groove with an upper open concave-shaped cross-section if seen from the carriage moving direction and reads scale marks on the linear encoder scale by passing the linear encoder scale through the groove; and a through-hole forming member, disposed on the side wall of the carriage, configured to cover the encoder sensor, and forming a through-hole extending in the carriage moving direction which the linear encoder scale is passed through. The through-hole forming member is disposed openable with respect to the carriage.

Abstract: An inkjet recording material which comprises an extruded mixture of thermoplastic polymers and non-chlorinated polyolefin materials. The mixture contains from 0.5 wt % to 30 wt % of non-chlorinated polyolefin materials based on the total weight of the polymers constituting the material.

Abstract: There is provided a printing device configured to eject a dispersed body containing a solid particle and a liquid. The printing device includes a film and an acoustic head. The film has a first major surface and a second major surface on an opposite side of the first major surface. The first major surface is provided with a first recess accommodating the liquid and a second recess provided on a bottom face of the first recess and accommodating the solid particle. The acoustic head focuses an acoustic wave from a side of the second major surface toward the first recess and the second recess. Thus, even in the case of discharging a dispersed body containing solid particles, it is possible to uniformize the amount of solid particles contained in ejected droplets and it is possible to uniformly make a print.

Abstract: An inkjet head with a harmonica-type head tip is configured in a way that wirings electrically connected to drive electrodes within channels are led rearward from a rear surface of the head tip. A groove is provided along an array direction of the channels in areas on the rear surface of the head tip in which the channels are not formed. A lead-out electrode, which is electrically connected to drive electrodes, is formed from the rear surface of the head tip to the interior of the groove. One end of a wiring member, which has connecting wirings upon an insulating material corresponding to the lead-out electrodes, is inserted into the groove. The drive electrode is electrically connected to the connecting wiring via the lead-out electrode as a result of the electrical connection of the connecting wiring within the groove to the lead-out electrode.

Abstract: A liquid ejection head including an ejection device substrate having a substrate provided with an energy-generating element that generates energy for ejecting a liquid, a liquid supply member that supplies the liquid to the ejection device substrate, and a support member that is provided between and joined to the ejection device substrate and the liquid supply member. The support member has at least two liquid supply flow paths that are through-holes extending through the support member and has a projected or depressed portion at its joint surface with respect to the liquid supply member. A spacing between two adjoining liquid supply flow paths at the joint surface with respect to the liquid supply member is larger than a spacing between the adjoining two liquid supply flow paths at a joint surface of the support member with respect to the ejection device substrate.

Abstract: Provided is a printing apparatus in which bubbles in a print head are easily removed. The printing apparatus includes a first one-way valve disposed between the pump and the ink tank in the collection channel, the first one-way valve allowing movement of ink from the pump to the ink tank and blocking movement of ink from the ink tank to the pump; a circulation channel that connects the ink tank to the collection channel at a position between the pump and the first one-way valve, the circulation channel enabling circulation of ink from the ink tank, through the print head, and to the ink tank; and a second one-way valve disposed in the circulation channel, the second one-way valve allowing movement of ink from the ink tank to the pump and blocking movement of ink from the pump to the ink tank.

Abstract: An ink circulation system includes: an ink-jet head in which a shared ink flowing route is formed, an ink tank, a supply flowing route for supplying ink from the ink tank to the shared ink flowing route, a reflux flowing route for refluxing the ink from the shared ink flowing route to the ink tank, and a differential pressure generating unit for generating a differential pressure in the ink tank. The differential pressure generating unit is equipped with an impeller placed inside the ink tank, and a drive unit placed outside the ink tank. Then, the drive unit operates to turn the impeller, by means of remote driving, for generating a differential pressure between a supply port of the supply flowing route and a reflux port of the reflux flowing route so as to circulate the ink through the ink flowing route.

Abstract: A pressure damper includes a main body portion and a flexible film mounted on the main body portion. The main body portion has upper end portion, a recessed portion having an opening portion opened in the upper end portion, and a communication port opened in an inner surface of the recessed portion to communicate with an outer region of the pressure damper. The upper end portion forms at least one bank that surrounds the opening portion. The at least one bank has a height larger than a height of an upper surface of the main body portion and a width smaller than a width of a side wall of the main body portion. The flexible film is bonded to an upper surface of the bank to close the opening portion.

Abstract: In a clutch mechanism 310, in a state where a suction cap 350 reaches a contact position being in contact with a liquid ejecting head, only the rotation of a third gear 300 in one direction is transmitted to a third rotation shaft J3. During at least one of a period in which the suction cap 350 moves from the contact position to a separating position being separated from the liquid ejecting head and a period in which the suction cap 350 moves from the separating position to the contact position, the rotations of the third gear 300 in both directions of one direction and the other direction are transmitted to the third rotation shaft J3.

Abstract: An ink-jet head includes a nozzle plate having nozzles, a vibrating plate on the nozzle plate, liquid chambers formed of spaces partitioned by division walls, a piezoelectric element having a common electrode, a piezoelectric body and an individual electrode layered in this order on a surface of the vibrating plate, a first insulator film having a first opening and a second insulator film having a second opening layered in this order on the first surface, a first wire drawn from the individual electrode via the first opening and the second opening, a third insulator film having a third opening on the first wire; and a second wire drawn via the third opening, where the third insulator film is formed in a first region of the second insulator film and is not formed in a second region excluding a region including the first wire formed above the liquid chamber.

Abstract: A liquid jet head includes an actuator substrate having grooves, and a flexible substrate for supplying a drive signal to the actuator substrate. On a surface of the actuator substrate, in the vicinity of a rear end thereof, are formed a common extension electrode and an individual extension electrode connected to drive electrodes of a discharge channel and dummy channels, respectively. The common extension electrode and the individual extension electrode are connected to a common wiring electrode and an individual wiring electrode of the flexible substrate, respectively. In a common wiring intersection region in which the common wiring electrode of the flexible substrate intersects the drive electrodes of the actuator substrate, upper end portions of the drive electrodes on side surfaces of the dummy channels are formed deeper than the substrate surface.

Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus including: a liquid ejection head that ejects ink through liquid ejection openings in a liquid ejection surface of the head, a cap device that establishes a sealing state, such that an ejection space opposed to the liquid ejection surface is sealed from an exterior space by the cap device, an air introduction opening and an air discharge opening that are located in the cap device, and a humidifier that supplies an humidified air into the ejection space through the air introduction opening and that discharges an air from the ejection space through the air discharge opening. The air discharge opening opens in an area other than a liquid discharge area onto which the ejected liquid is to be discharged. The apparatus further includes a flow restrainer that restrains the liquid discharged onto the liquid discharge area, from flowing to the air discharge opening.

Abstract: A method of method of making a corrosion resistant print head die comprises creating a self-ionized plasma (SIP) of a coating material; establishing a bias on a print head die comprising a plurality of feed slots (40), each feed slot (40) comprising side wall surfaces (61); and causing the coating material plasma to be deposited on the surfaces to form a protective coating, wherein at least a portion of the coating material is deposited on at least a portion of the surfaces by resputtering. In some cases, the feed slots have an aspect ratio greater than 2. In some cases, the feed slot comprises at least one rib (41), each rib (41) comprising a top surface (68), two side surfaces (66), and an under surface (69), and the formed protective coating is deposited on the top surface (68), two side surfaces (66), and under surface (69) of each rib (41).

Abstract: An ink or coating composition is rheologically tested at three or more temperatures which substantially cover the anticipated range of printing operation temperatures expected to be encountered during printing to determine the value of the rheological parameters viscous modulus, phase angle and phase-angle slope, and to identify values of these parameters encountered during printing around which the structural behavior of the ink or coating changes. An ink composition that has a phase angle of at least 55°, a viscous modulus of at least 150 Pa, and a phase-angle slope of at least ?0.5°/° C. exhibits low misting when employed in high speed printing apparatus.

Abstract: A printhead including a jetstack configured to include a multi-plane filter laminate. The multi-plane filter laminate includes a first rock screen subassembly and a second rock screen subassembly. Each subassembly is configured to include an upstream pocket layer, a downstream pocket layer aligned with the upstream pocket layer, and a rock screen plate sandwiched between the upstream and downstream pocket layers, the rock screen plate configured with through holes over an entire exposed surface area thereof. A portion of the rock screen plate of the first subassembly is configured to overlay the rock screen plate of the second subassembly.