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AnonymousInactiveEpson’s Next-Generation Micro Piezo Print Head Boasts Macro Potential
By
capitalizing on its semiconductor expertise, Epson has engineered an
inkjet print head capable of producing 360 dots per inch–the industry’s
highest for a print head based on piezoelectric technology–doubling the
density of its current print head. This ramp-up in ink placement will
result in much speedier printers, usher in original compact designs for
printers, and expand the range of inkjet printing applications.Before
describing the innovations that make the new Micro Piezo print head
possible, first a recap of how piezoelectric technology works. The word
“piezo” is derived from the Greek “piezein,” meaning to squeeze or
push. Essentially, when a voltage is applied to piezo material (e.g.
ceramics or quartz) it causes the material to change dimension. By
controlling the amount and type of movement, ink in a surrounding
chamber can be jetted out through an orifice or nozzle in precisely
measured droplets at great speeds.Epson’s current Micro Piezo head has
a nozzle count of 180 per row, producing a print density of 180
dots-per-inch or dpi. The obvious way to increase print density and
therefore speed, then, would be to increase the number of print nozzles
in each row.”But the present print head is engineered using machine
tools and has reached the maximum density possible using this
production method,” says Tomoaki Takahashi, manager of the Epson group
of researchers that developed the new version of the Micro Piezo print
head.Consequently, the researchers not only had to rethink the design
of the print head but also needed to find a different way to
manufacture it. The answer to the challenge was found in
photolithography, the same production process used to create the
infinitely small patterns that make up the circuits crammed into
semiconductor chips.Applying photolithographic techniques to a
thin film of piezo material, Epson has created a microscopically small
piezo element just 1 micron in thickness. Yet despite its minuteness,
the new element has been designed to produce an even greater change of
dimensions or distortion in the piezo material than the current print
element. The greater the distortion produced in the material-and here
Epson has achieved the industry’s highest level-the greater the
displacement of ink in the chamber, which in turn creates larger ink
droplets.The result is that with a piezo unit measuring almost half the
effective area of the current unit, Epson has been able to double the
number of nozzles on the print head, all while maintaining the same
size of ink droplet. This advancement can be used either to accelerate
print speed or to make smaller print heads for smaller printers that
will deliver the same output as current models.Despite the microscopic
size of the elements, the next-generation Micro Piezo head retains all
the advantages of the current print head, including the ability to
produce variable sized droplets. “This is because we’ve designed the
piezo unit to give us control over both the piezo vibration and the
motion of the ink’s surface,” explains Takahashi. “Technically this is
called meniscus control, and it differentiates our technology from that
of our competitors.”Meniscus control helps to produce perfectly
spherical dots and manages the degree of droplet impact. It also
improves the speed of jetting. According to Takahashi, the Micro Piezo
head can produce an astonishing 40,000 droplets a second. “This is
something that our competitors using thermal inkjet printing cannot
match outside of the laboratory,” he says. “With the thermal approach,
ink must be heated or boiled in order to jet it. This limits the
printing speed and also makes for a less durable head.”Yet
another advantage stemming from meniscus control is that it enables the
Micro Piezo head to employ a range of inks, including dye and pigment
types, solvent inks, and ultraviolet cure inks used in industry.Epson
is the leading company employing the piezoelectric approach in printing
in the worldwide consumer market. At the same time, the flexibility of
its Micro Piezo technology makes it suitable for use in commercial and
industrial fields in such applications as photolab printing, textile
printing, and the manufacture of color filters used in the production
of liquid crystal displays. -
AuthorJune 11, 2007 at 9:56 AM
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