Continuous inkjet printers

Answers are reported the very first time from the possibility and reason for polymer degradation in the full commercial inkjet printer. The behavior of three linear poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) samples, having Mw 90, 310 and 468 kDa correspondingly, in a continuous inkjet (CIJ) Domino A-Series+ printer is investigated and weighed against previously reported outcomes for two experimental fall on demand (DOD) printers, a Dimatix DMP-2800 and a Microfab solitary nozzle glass capillary. Despite all three printheads having comparable strain rate at the nozzle tip () no degradation is observed inside the CIJ mind alone whereas single-pass degradation is noticed in both DOD printheads. This can be attributed to a result of several factors including the a little higher nozzle diameter, and different nozzle geometry, which include cone perspective and nozzle cylinder size, for CIJ, different mode of fall generation and/or greater polymer focus investigated. It should be mentioned your movement through CIJ nozzle is continuous, in which it is pulsed when it comes to DOD. The computed maximum stress prices are comparable, in DOD its becoming occasionally ramped up and powered down.

The primary supply of polymer degradation in CIJ publishing through a CIJ Domino A-Series+ printer is located becoming the continuous recycling of ink through pump leading to mechano-chemical polymer degradation. Molecular fat degradation proceeds by arbitrary scission, and it is gotten during the reduced shear rates experience as a consequence of the longer residence time because of mechano-chemical damage when you look at the pump. These results have actually significance when you look at the complete design of inkjet methods for the delivery of large molecular body weight polymers and products sensitive to mechano-chemical degradation and emphasize the need for careful consideration when going from laboratory based print resources to full-scale application.

Keywords

• Ink-jet printing;
• Polymer degradation;
• Extensional flow;
• Poly(methyl methacrylate)

1. Introduction

Ink-jet printing has developed as an important technology for the defined spatial deposition of polymer solutions in programs since diverse as visuals, fabrics and electronic fabrication, , and . There are 2 significant systems by which falls tend to be generated and positioned: continuous inkjet printing (CIJ) and drop-on-demand inkjet publishing (DOD). For CIJ and DOD the average person fall generation procedure and ink administration methods provide different challenges and constraints on ink design, making them pretty much appropriate particular applications . Both in technologies the current presence of polymer can fulfil several features inside the ink formula ranging from dispersant , viscosity control representative or once the functional material . It offers long been recognised that the inclusion of lower amounts of polymeric materials to ink formulations can have a large effect on the printing overall performance of ink with both polymer focus and molecular mass influencing drop ejection and breakup, , , , and .