Air entrapment in piezo-driven inkjet printheads

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  • Jos de Jong
    University of Twente Physics of Fluids Group, Faculty of Science and Technology and Burgers Center of Fluid Dynamics, , Enschede, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
  • Gerrit de Bruin
    University of Twente Physics of Fluids Group, Faculty of Science and Technology and Burgers Center of Fluid Dynamics, , Enschede, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
  • Hans Reinten
    Océ Technologies B.V. , P.O. Box 101, 5900 MA Venlo, The Netherlands
  • Marc van den Berg
    Océ Technologies B.V. , P.O. Box 101, 5900 MA Venlo, The Netherlands
  • Herman Wijshoff
    Océ Technologies B.V. , P.O. Box 101, 5900 MA Venlo, The Netherlands
  • Michel Versluis
    MESA+Institute for Nanotechnology, Institute for Biomedical Technology (BMTI) and Institute of Mechanics, Processes and Control-Twente (IMPACT) Physics of Fluids Group, Faculty of Science and Technology, Burgers Center of Fluid Dynamics, , , P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
  • Detlef Lohse
    MESA+Institute for Nanotechnology, Institute for Biomedical Technology (BMTI) and Institute of Mechanics, Processes and Control-Twente (IMPACT) Physics of Fluids Group, Faculty of Science and Technology, Burgers Center of Fluid Dynamics, , , P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands

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<jats:p>The stability of inkjet printers is a major requirement for high-quality-printing. However, in piezo-driven inkjet printheads, air entrapment can lead to malfunctioning of the jet formation. The piezoactuator is employed to actively monitor the channel acoustics and to identify distortions at an early stage. Modifications of the response of the piezoactuator indicate entrapped air bubbles and these allow us to investigate them. When we employ the signal as a trigger for high-speed imaging, we can visualize the consequences of the entrained bubbles on the droplet formation. Two mechanisms are found to cause air entrapment: First, a distorted droplet formation caused by small particles, and, second, an accumulation of ink on the nozzle plate, which favors void formation once the meniscus is pulled back.</jats:p>

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