Nozzle Plate Cluster Design for Droplet Ejection Airflow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Droplet ejection devices face challenges in maintaining high print quality on textured or flexible surfaces due to the 'woodgrain' effect, caused by uncontrollable air flow which deviates droplet trajectories and results in irregular patterns.
Innovation Solution
A nozzle plate design with clustered nozzle arrangements that create controlled air flow paths, allowing forced air to pass through in a controlled manner by spacing nozzle clusters to reduce the 'woodgrain' effect, maintaining consistent droplet spacing and deposition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If nozzles are arranged in a continuous row with uniform spacing, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but air flow becomes uncontrollable causing woodgrain effect
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous row of nozzles is segmented into discrete nozzle clusters spaced apart from each other. This segmentation creates gaps between clusters that allow controlled air flow paths, preventing the buildup of uncontrollable air pressure that causes the woodgrain effect, while maintaining uniform projected nozzle spacing for consistent droplet deposition.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the nozzle arrangement have different properties: within each nozzle cluster, nozzles are closely spaced for high deposition density, while between clusters, larger spacing creates air flow channels. This local variation in spacing quality allows simultaneous achievement of manufacturing precision and air flow control.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If nozzle clusters are spaced apart to create air flow paths, then woodgrain effect is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle system is divided into repeating clusters with standardized internal structures. This segmentation approach simplifies the overall design by creating modular units that can be replicated, reducing the complexity burden despite the introduction of cluster spacing for air flow control.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple nozzles are merged into compact clusters that function as integrated units. This merging reduces the total number of individual nozzle components while maintaining the necessary nozzle count, simplifying the device structure despite the added requirement for cluster spacing.
3Productivity
If print frequency is increased for high throughput, then productivity improves, but droplet deviation increases due to air flow instability
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented nozzle cluster arrangement creates controlled air flow paths that prevent air pressure buildup even at high print frequencies. The gaps between clusters act as pressure relief channels, allowing the system to maintain droplet placement accuracy while operating at higher productivity levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The nozzle cluster spacing is designed in advance to preemptively counteract air flow instability that would occur at high print frequencies. By providing air flow paths before instability can develop, the system maintains droplet accuracy even when operating at high productivity.
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 solution effectively reduces the dynamic element of the 'woodgrain' effect, resulting in improved print quality with reduced droplet deviation and consistent pattern formation, even at high print frequencies and gap distances.
Implementation Method 1
each nozzle cluster is spaced apart from an adjacent nozzle cluster along the row direction by a cluster spacing a such that an air flow path is created for forced air to pass through the row of nozzles in a controlled manner
Data Source
AI summary
A nozzle plate for a droplet ejection head, the nozzle plate comprising a first row of nozzles arranged to deposit droplets onto a deposition media; wherein the first row of nozzles extends in a row direction and comprises two or more nozzle clusters, each nozzle cluster being arranged along the row direction for a cluster length c, and extending along a cluster depth direction perpendicular to the row direction by a cluster depth d; wherein each nozzle cluster comprises a plurality of nozzles of which one or more nozzles within each nozzle cluster define the cluster length c and two or more nozzles within each nozzle cluster define the cluster depth d; wherein each nozzle cluster is spaced apart from an adjacent nozzle cluster along the row direction by a cluster spacing a such that an air flow path is created for forced air to pass through the row of nozzles in a controlled manner; and wherein, when the first row is projected in a transverse direction onto the row direction, a transition region between adjacent nozzle clusters comprises two or more nozzles from a first cluster and two or more nozzles from a second cluster, the second cluster being adjacent to the first cluster, and the nozzles in the transition region being equidistantly spaced from one another by a projected nozzle spacing.