Multi-nozzle micro-droplet jet printing device

Abstract

The utility model discloses a multi-nozzle micro-droplet jet printing device, which belongs to the technical field of jet printing equipment and comprises a controllable injection device, the controllable injection device is connected with one end of a liquid guide pipe, the other end of the liquid guide pipe is connected with a liquid inlet quick connector, and the liquid inlet quick connector is connected with the controllable injection device. The liquid inlet quick connector is in threaded connection with the upper surface of the liquid separation device, an adapter is fixed to the lower surface of the liquid separation device through threads, a stainless steel dispensing needle head is fixed to the adapter through threaded connection, and the stainless steel dispensing needle head is in threaded connection with an inner threaded hole in the lower end of the adapter; a threaded hole in the outer surface of the liquid separation device is sealed through a threaded plug with a sealing ring. According to the utility model, the micro-droplets are continuously jet-printed in batches through the modularized multi-nozzle device, so that the production efficiency is remarkably improved, stable generation of uniform droplets and accurate quantification of array micro-droplets on a substrate are realized, and efficient preparation is realized by means of high-frequency generation of the droplets and parallel multi-channel generation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of inkjet printing equipment technology, and in particular to a multi-nozzle micro-droplet inkjet printing device. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, electrofluidic inkjet printing technology has shown significant advantages in high-throughput generation and application of microdroplets due to its ease of operation, low cost, and good compatibility. It also eliminates waste by depositing only the required material. Electrofluidic inkjet printing technology has been extensively studied and applied in many fields such as biological detection, cell encapsulation, material synthesis, micro-nano electronics, and microreactors. Due to considerations of usability and ease of use, traditional electrofluidic inkjet printing technology uses a single needle nozzle, which has low efficiency. The multi-nozzle design helps to improve the relatively low throughput of single-nozzle electrofluidic inkjet printing, making the technology easier to apply to large-scale production. Therefore, multi-nozzle electrofluidic inkjet printing devices have become the key to the industrial application of this technology.

[0003] Currently, most methods integrate multiple needle nozzles together and supply liquid uniformly through a flow channel or reservoir. This method is cumbersome to remove blockages and disassemble for cleaning. Furthermore, the use of a multi-nozzle system results in electric field interference between each nozzle, causing the jet to tilt and increasing droplet instability. This leads to lower droplet uniformity and poor print quality.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a multi-nozzle microdroplet printing device to solve the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a multi-nozzle micro-droplet inkjet printing device.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a multi-nozzle micro-droplet printing device, including a controllable injection device. One end of the controllable injection device is connected to a liquid conduit, and the other end of the liquid conduit is connected to a quick-connect liquid inlet. The quick-connect liquid inlet is threadedly connected to the upper surface of a dispensing device. An adapter is threadedly fixed to the lower surface of the dispensing device. A stainless steel dispensing needle is threadedly fixed to the adapter. The stainless steel dispensing needle is threadedly connected to the threaded hole at the lower end of the adapter. The threaded hole on the outer surface of the dispensing device is sealed by a threaded plug with a sealing ring.

[0007] The present invention is further configured such that: an air cover is fixed to the liquid dispensing device by three screws, and the stainless steel dispensing needle extends one millimeter through the through hole on the air cover.

[0008] With the above technical solution, the tip of the stainless steel dispensing needle extends about one millimeter beyond the bottom surface of the air hood, which facilitates photography and observation, and also optimizes the effect of airflow-assisted electrostatic printing.

[0009] The present invention is further configured such that: the quick-connect air inlet at the bottom of the air hood is connected to a gas conduit via a threaded connection, the gas conduit is connected to a pressure regulating valve, and the pressure regulating valve is connected to an air pump.

[0010] Through the above technical solution, the air pump controls the air pressure of the output airflow through the pressure regulating valve, and the pressure regulating valve evenly inputs the airflow into the air storage chamber formed between the bottom surface of the liquid separator and the air hood through the gas conduit.

[0011] The present invention is further configured such that: a receiving device is provided directly below the dispensing device, and the receiving device is perpendicular to the axial direction of the stainless steel dispensing needle.

[0012] The above technical solution allows the receiving device to be located directly below the nozzle, with its bottom surface perpendicular to the nozzle axis.

[0013] The present invention is further configured such that: a terminal is fixed on the upper surface of the liquid separating device by a threaded connection, the terminal is connected to the positive terminal of the high-voltage power supply, and the negative terminal of the high-voltage power supply is connected to the receiving device.

[0014] Through the above technical solution, the negative terminal of the high-voltage power supply is connected to the receiving device, so that a high-voltage electric field is formed between the nozzle and the receiving device.

[0015] The present invention is further configured such that: the liquid distribution device is designed as a regular hexagonal prism, with four internal flow channel threaded holes, one liquid inlet and one terminal threaded hole on the upper surface, and one internal flow channel threaded hole on each of the six side surfaces, wherein two opposite side surfaces are designed with connecting devices, and the two liquid distribution devices are fixed by the connecting devices, and the bottom surface has four adapter threaded holes, three air cover threaded holes and one internal flow channel threaded hole.

[0016] With the above technical solution, the nozzles are arranged in a hexagonal pattern, which can provide a large spacing and density within a limited area, reduce the overall size, reduce electric field concentration, and reduce electrostatic interference between nozzles.

[0017] The present invention is further configured such that: the internal flow channel of the liquid separating device is shaped like a bicycle wheel spoke, with a total of three horizontal flow channels and one vertical straight flow channel, both ends of which are perpendicular to the outer surface of the liquid separating device, and multiple liquid separating devices are connected in pairs by bolts through the protruding parts on both sides.

[0018] The above technical solution facilitates the cleaning and sealing of the liquid separation device.

[0019] The present invention is further configured such that: the gas conduit is connected to the air vent channel on the gas hood, and the pressure regulating valve is connected to the air vent channel on different modules through a multi-port conduit connector.

[0020] With the above technical solution, when using multiple modules, the pressure regulating valve is connected to a multi-port conduit connector to divide into multiple paths and connect to the air vent channels on different modules.

[0021] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0022] 1. This utility model uses a modular multi-nozzle device to continuously print microdroplets in batches, which significantly improves production efficiency, achieves stable generation of uniform droplets and precise quantitative measurement of arrayed microdroplets on the substrate, and realizes efficient preparation by means of high-frequency droplet generation and multi-channel parallel processing;

[0023] 2. This utility model adopts a modular design, which can freely increase or decrease the number of nozzles according to actual needs. The internal flow channels are all straight and connected to the outside, so they can be cleaned without disassembling the device, which greatly reduces the cleaning work.

[0024] 3. This utility model can accelerate the printing speed and improve production efficiency by introducing auxiliary airflow, and can also refine the droplets and reduce the droplet diameter. At the same time, the airflow can carry away the surface charge of the jet, reducing electrostatic interference between jets. The nozzles are arranged in a hexagonal shape, which can reduce the phenomenon of electric field concentration and reduce charge interference between nozzles. A high voltage power supply is provided to all nozzles. The printhead is easy to disassemble, easy to clean, and easy to replace. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the gas hood and liquid separation device of this utility model;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the multi-port conduit connector of this utility model;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the controllable injection device and liquid conduit of this utility model;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of the high-voltage power supply of this utility model;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the air pump of this utility model;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of the receiving device of this utility model;

[0031] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the gas hood and liquid separation device of this utility model;

[0032] Figure 8This is a front view structural diagram of the gas hood and liquid separation device of this utility model;

[0033] Figure 9 for Figure 7 Sectional view along axis AA;

[0034] Figure 10 This is a top view of the gas hood and liquid separation device of this utility model;

[0035] Figure 11 for Figure 9 BB-direction sectional view.

[0036] In the diagram: 1. Controllable injection device; 2. Multi-port connector; 3. Liquid conduit; 4. High-voltage power supply; 5. Terminal block; 6. Quick-connect liquid inlet; 7. Threaded plug with sealing ring; 8. Gas hood; 9. Liquid dispensing device; 10. Air pump; 11. Gas conduit; 12. Pressure regulating valve; 13. Receiving device; 14. Adapter; 15. Stainless steel dispensing needle; 16. Quick-connect air inlet. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that the advantages and features of the present invention can be more easily understood by those skilled in the art, thereby making a clearer and more definite definition of the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] Please see Figures 1-11 A multi-nozzle micro-droplet printing device includes a controllable injection device 1. One end of the controllable injection device 1 is connected to a liquid conduit 3, and the other end of the liquid conduit 3 is connected to a quick-connect liquid inlet 6. The quick-connect liquid inlet 6 is threadedly connected to the upper surface of a dispensing device 9. An adapter 14 is threadedly fixed to the lower surface of the dispensing device 9. A stainless steel dispensing needle 15 is threadedly fixed to the adapter 14. The stainless steel dispensing needle 15 is threadedly connected to the inner threaded hole at the lower end of the adapter 14. The threaded hole on the outer surface of the dispensing device 9 is sealed by a threaded plug 7 with a sealing ring. During use, the threaded hole on the outer surface of the dispensing device 9 is sealed by the threaded plug 7 with a sealing ring. The capillary nozzle uses a stainless steel dispensing needle 15, which is threadedly connected to the inner threaded hole at the lower end of the adapter 14. This facilitates replacement, disassembly, and cleaning, reducing operational complexity. The terminal 5, dispensing device 9, adapter 14, and stainless steel dispensing needle 15 are all metal, thus allowing for a simple and practical way to provide a uniform high-voltage current to all needles.

[0039] like Figures 5-11As shown, a gas cover 8 is fixed to the liquid separator 9 by three screws. A stainless steel dispensing needle 15 protrudes one millimeter through a through hole in the gas cover 8. A quick-connect air inlet 16 at the bottom of the gas cover 8 is threaded to a gas conduit 11. The gas conduit 11 is connected to a pressure regulating valve 12, which is connected to an air pump 10. The gas conduit 11 is connected to the air vents on the gas cover 8. The pressure regulating valve 12 is connected to the air vents on different modules via a multi-port connector 2. The air pump 10 controls the output air pressure through the pressure regulating valve 12. The pressure regulating valve 12 is connected to the air vents on the bottom of the gas cover 8 via the gas conduit 11, so that the airflow output by the pressure regulating valve 12 is evenly input into the gas storage chamber formed between the bottom of the liquid separator 9 and the gas cover 8. The bottom of the gas cover 8 has coaxial through holes, the number of which is the same as the number of nozzles. Each nozzle passes through the through holes on the gas cover 8, allowing air to pass through the bottom of the gas cover 8. The hole is located below and close to the tip of the stainless steel dispensing needle 15. The airflow with a certain pressure entering the air chamber is guided and focused by the through hole of the air cover 8, generating an auxiliary airflow in the same direction as the electrostatic jet. The stretching force of the auxiliary airflow accelerates the electrostatic printing speed, further improves the efficiency of droplet generation, and further refines the droplet diameter. At the same time, the airflow can carry away the surface charge of the jet, reduce the surface charge density, reduce electrostatic interference between jets, and ensure that each nozzle can generate a stable jet at the same time. The air pressure of the airflow entering the air chamber can be controlled by adjusting the pressure regulating valve 12, thereby controlling the pressure of the auxiliary electrostatic printing airflow. Meanwhile, the tip of the stainless steel dispensing needle 15 extends about one millimeter out of the bottom surface of the air cover 8, which is convenient for shooting and observation, and also allows the airflow to achieve the best effect of electrostatic printing.

[0040] like Figures 6-11 As shown, a receiving device 13 is located directly below the dispensing device 9. The receiving device 13 is perpendicular to the axial direction of the stainless steel dispensing needle 15. A terminal 5 is fixed to the upper surface of the dispensing device 9 by a threaded connection. The terminal 5 is connected to the positive terminal of the high-voltage power supply 4. The negative terminal of the high-voltage power supply 4 is connected to the receiving device 13. The receiving device 13 is located directly below the nozzle, and its bottom surface is perpendicular to the axial direction of the nozzle. The negative terminal of the high-voltage power supply 4 is connected to the receiving device 13, so that a high-voltage electric field is formed between the nozzle and the receiving device 13.

[0041] like Figures 7-11As shown, the liquid dispensing device 9 is designed as a regular hexagonal prism. Its upper surface has four internal flow channel threaded holes, one liquid inlet, and one terminal post threaded hole 5. Each of its six side surfaces has an internal flow channel threaded hole. Two opposing side surfaces are designed with connecting devices, through which two dispensing devices are fixed. The bottom surface has four adapter threaded holes 14, three air hood threaded holes 8, and one internal flow channel threaded hole. The internal flow channel shape of the liquid dispensing device 9 is that of a bicycle wheel spoke, with three horizontal flow channels and one vertical straight flow channel. Both ends are perpendicular to the outer surface of the liquid dispensing device 9. Multiple dispensing devices 9 are connected by bolts through protruding parts on both sides. The nozzles are connected in pairs and arranged in a hexagonal pattern, which can provide a large spacing and density within a limited area, reduce the overall size, reduce electric field concentration, and reduce electrostatic interference between nozzles. The controllable injection device 1 and the dispensing device 9 are connected so that the printing solution is evenly supplied to each nozzle through the inner hole of the adapter 14, so that each nozzle sprays droplets simultaneously. The nozzles, adapter 14, threaded holes of dispensing device 9 and bottom through holes of air cover 8 are arranged in the same way. By changing the number and position of the threaded holes of dispensing device 9 and through holes of air cover 8, different numbers of nozzles and different nozzle arrangements can be achieved.

[0042] It should be noted that the multi-nozzle microdroplet printing device of this utility model can have any number of nozzles and any nozzle arrangement.

[0043] In use, this invention utilizes an air pump 10 to control the output air pressure via a pressure regulating valve 12. The pressure regulating valve 12 is connected to the air holes on the bottom surface of the air hood 8 via a gas conduit 11, ensuring that the airflow output by the pressure regulating valve 12 is evenly fed into the air storage chamber formed between the bottom surface of the liquid separator 9 and the air hood 8. The bottom of the air hood 8 has coaxial through holes, the number of which is the same as the number of nozzles. Each nozzle passes through the through holes on the air hood 8, positioning the through holes at the bottom of the air hood 8 below and close to the tip of the stainless steel dispensing needle 15. The airflow with a certain pressure entering the air storage chamber is guided by the through holes of the air hood 8. Under the focusing effect, an auxiliary airflow is generated in the same direction as the electrostatic jet. The stretching force of the auxiliary airflow accelerates the electrohydraulic printing speed, further improving the efficiency of droplet generation and further refining the droplet diameter. At the same time, the airflow can carry away the surface charge of the jet, reducing the surface charge density and reducing electrostatic interference between jets, ensuring that each nozzle can generate a stable jet simultaneously. The pressure of the airflow entering the gas storage chamber can be controlled by adjusting the pressure regulating valve 12, thereby controlling the pressure of the auxiliary electrohydraulic printing airflow. Meanwhile, the tip of the stainless steel dispensing needle 15 extends about one millimeter from the bottom surface of the gas hood 8. The nozzle is positioned at a height of 1 meter, facilitating both observation and optimal airflow-assisted electrostatic printing. The receiving device 13 is located directly below the nozzle, with its bottom surface perpendicular to the nozzle axis. The negative terminal of the high-voltage power supply 4 is connected to the receiving device 13, creating a high-voltage electric field between the nozzle and the receiving device 13. The controllable injection device 1 and the dispensing device 9 are connected, allowing the printing solution to be evenly supplied to each nozzle through the inner hole of the adapter 14, enabling each nozzle to simultaneously spray droplets. The nozzles, adapter 14, threaded holes of the dispensing device 9, and the bottom through-hole array of the air hood 8 are arranged in a consistent pattern. By modifying the designed threaded holes of the dispensing device 9 and the air hood 8... The number and position of the through holes in the cover 8 can achieve different numbers of nozzles and different nozzle arrangements. By introducing auxiliary gas, it is helpful to improve the droplet ejection speed, improve the uniformity of the collected droplet array and reduce the droplet volume. At the same time, the airflow can carry away the surface charge of the jet, reduce the surface charge density and reduce electrostatic interference between jets. By reasonably arranging the nozzle spacing and arrangement, the electric field concentration phenomenon can be reduced and the electrostatic interference between nozzles can be reduced. It is simple and practical to provide high voltage current to all nozzles uniformly, and each nozzle is easy to disassemble, clean, replace and operate.

[0044] The above description is merely an embodiment of this utility model and does not limit the patent scope of this utility model. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made based on the description and drawings of this utility model, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A multi-nozzle microdroplet printing device, comprising a controllable injection device (1), characterized in that: The controllable injection device (1) is connected to one end of the liquid conduit (3), and the other end of the liquid conduit (3) is connected to the quick inlet connector (6). The quick inlet connector (6) is connected to the upper surface of the dispensing device (9) by a thread. The lower surface of the dispensing device (9) is fixed with an adapter (14) by a thread. The adapter (14) is fixed with a stainless steel dispensing needle (15) by a thread. The stainless steel dispensing needle (15) is threaded to the inner threaded hole at the lower end of the adapter (14). The threaded hole on the outer surface of the dispensing device (9) is sealed by a threaded plug (7) with a sealing ring.

2. The multi-nozzle microdroplet printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid dispensing device (9) is fixed with an air cover (8) by three screws, and the stainless steel dispensing needle (15) extends one millimeter through the through hole on the air cover (8).

3. The multi-nozzle microdroplet printing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The air intake quick connector (16) at the bottom of the air hood (8) is connected to a gas conduit (11) by a thread. The gas conduit (11) is connected to a pressure regulating valve (12), and the pressure regulating valve (12) is connected to an air pump (10).

4. The multi-nozzle microdroplet printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A receiving device (13) is provided directly below the dispensing device (9), and the receiving device (13) is perpendicular to the axial direction of the stainless steel dispensing needle (15).

5. The multi-nozzle microdroplet printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper surface of the liquid separator (9) is fixed with a terminal (5) by a threaded connection. The terminal (5) is connected to the positive terminal of the high-voltage power supply (4), and the negative terminal of the high-voltage power supply (4) is connected to the receiving device (13).

6. The multi-nozzle microdroplet printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid distribution device (9) is designed as a regular hexagonal prism. The upper surface has four internal flow channel threaded holes, one liquid inlet and one terminal (5) threaded hole. Each of the six side surfaces has an internal flow channel threaded hole. Two opposite side surfaces are designed with connecting devices. The two distribution devices are fixed by the connecting devices. The bottom surface has four adapter (14) threaded holes, three air hood (8) threaded holes and one internal flow channel threaded hole.

7. The multi-nozzle microdroplet printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The internal flow channel of the liquid separating device (9) is shaped like a bicycle wheel spoke, with a total of three horizontal flow channels and one vertical straight flow channel. Both ends are perpendicular to the outer surface of the liquid separating device (9). Multiple liquid separating devices (9) are connected in pairs by bolts through the protruding parts on both sides.

8. The multi-nozzle microdroplet printing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The gas conduit (11) is connected to the air vent channel on the gas cover (8), and the pressure regulating valve (12) is connected to the air vent channels on different modules through the multi-port conduit connector (2).

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