Ink Jet Recording Head Viscosity Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ink jet recording methods using line heads face challenges in maintaining ejection stability and preventing streaky unevenness in images due to ink thickening and viscosity changes, especially during long-term recording sessions.
Innovation Solution
An ink jet recording method employing a recording head with an ejection orifice, an ejection element, and first and second flow paths, where the ink contains a pigment and a compound with an ethylene oxide group, such as polyhydric alcohol derivatives, polyethylene glycol, or polyoxyethylene alkyl ether, to maintain viscosity and prevent ink thickening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ink is circulated in the recording head to suppress foreign materials and maintain ejection stability, then ejection stability is improved, but ink viscosity may change causing streaky unevenness in images
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the ink by adding a polyhydric alcohol compound with specific molecular weight range (1,000-10,000) and controlled content (0.1-10% by mass). This parameter change maintains ink viscosity stability during circulation while preventing streaky unevenness in recorded images, resolving the contradiction between ejection stability and image uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite ink formulation by combining pigment particles, surfactants, and polyhydric alcohol compounds in specific proportions. This composite material structure maintains both the flow properties needed for stable ejection and the viscosity characteristics that prevent image unevenness during long-term recording operations.
2Productivity
If recording is performed in single pass using line head to increase recording speed, then productivity is improved, but ejection stability deteriorates due to ink thickening
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the ink's rheological parameters by incorporating polyhydric alcohol compounds with specific molecular weights. This prevents ink thickening during continuous single-pass recording operations, maintaining ejection stability while achieving high recording speeds that would otherwise cause ink deterioration.
3Reliability
If ink circulation flow speed is increased to prevent ink thickening, then ejection stability is improved, but image uniformity deteriorates due to non-uniform distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the viscosity parameters of the ink through the addition of polyhydric alcohol compounds, creating a viscosity profile that remains stable across varying circulation flow speeds. This allows the ink to maintain uniform distribution and ejection stability regardless of circulation rate variations during recording operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method effectively reduces image unevenness by maintaining ink viscosity and stability, even with variations in circulation flow speed, resulting in high-quality images with improved ejection performance.
Implementation Method 1
the ink is aqueous ink containing a pigment and a compound having an ethylene oxide group... maintaining ink viscosity and stability
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording method capable of recording a high-quality image in which occurrence of unevenness is decreased. The ink jet recording method is a method of recording an image by ejecting ink from a recording head including an ejection orifice ejecting the ink, an ejection element generating energy for ejecting the ink, and first and second flow paths which communicate between the ejection orifice and the ejection element and in which the ink flows. The ink jet recording method includes: an ejection step of ejecting the ink from the ejection orifice; and a flow step of flowing the ink in the first flow path to the second flow path separately from the ejection step, wherein the ink is aqueous ink containing a pigment and a specific compound having an ethylene oxide group.