Wide Format Inkjet Print Head Arrays for High Resolution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wide format inkjet printers face challenges in achieving high resolution without sacrificing print speed, as they either require costly custom print heads or fragile silicon ink chips that are less reliable and more expensive.
Innovation Solution
The use of conventional piezoelectric inkjet print heads arranged in a manner that allows for continuous resolution across the entire width of the substrate without scanning, utilizing multiple print head arrays that can be shifted or rotated to achieve composite resolutions greater than the native resolution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional scanning wide format printers are used to achieve high resolution, then print resolution is improved, but print speed deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The print head array is divided into multiple independently controllable print heads arranged along the width of the substrate. Each print head can be positioned and controlled independently, allowing the system to achieve high resolution through precise positioning of multiple print heads rather than requiring multiple scanning passes of a single print head.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-axis scanning approach to a two-dimensional arrangement where print heads are distributed across the width of the substrate. This allows simultaneous printing across the entire width, achieving high resolution in the width direction without requiring multiple scanning passes, thereby maintaining high print speed.
2Manufacturing precision
If custom inkjet print heads spanning entire width are designed, then continuous resolution across width is achieved, but manufacturing cost deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of manufacturing a single custom print head spanning the entire width, the system uses multiple standard print heads arranged along the width. Each print head can be manufactured using conventional processes, benefiting from economies of scale, while the array configuration achieves the continuous resolution effect across the entire substrate width.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses conventional, standardized print head designs that can be manufactured using existing processes. These same print heads can be used across different substrate widths by adjusting the array configuration, providing universality and avoiding the need for custom-designed print heads for each application.
3Manufacturing precision
If silicon ink chips are used to achieve continuous resolution, then resolution continuity is improved, but reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs conventional piezoelectric print heads that are more robust and reliable than silicon ink chips. While individual print heads may have limited lifetimes, they can be easily replaced as standardized components, and their robustness ensures higher overall system reliability compared to fragile silicon-based solutions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system achieves continuous resolution not through a single long print head but by coordinating multiple print heads with controlled positioning and timing. By changing the operational parameters (positioning, timing, and coordination) of multiple standard print heads, the system achieves resolution continuity without relying on fragile single-piece components.
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
This approach enables high-resolution wide format printing at high speeds using conventional technology, reducing costs and improving reliability by maintaining continuous resolution without the need for custom or fragile components.
Implementation Method 1
a piezoelectric vibrator applies pressure to an ink reservoir of a print head to force ink through nozzles positioned on the underside of the print head
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and methods are provided for wide format inkjet printing using conventional piezoelectric inkjet print heads that each print at a native resolution. A plurality of inkjet print heads are disposed in a print head array to print an image on the substrate at the native resolution across an entire width of the substrate without scanning across the width of the substrate. The print head array may be shifted in a direction parallel to the width of the substrate, and the print head array may be used to print images on the substrate in multiple passes to form a composite image having a resolution equal to a multiple of the native resolution. Alternatively, a plurality of print head arrays may be provided, with adjacent print head arrays spaced apart to provide a composite print resolution equal to a multiple of the native resolution.