Jetting devices with supply conduit actuator
A device configured to jet one or more droplets of a viscous medium includes a housing at least partially defining a jetting chamber, a supply conduit that supplies the viscous medium into the jetting chamber, a jetting nozzle, an impacting device configured to force the one or more droplets of the viscous medium through the conduit of the jetting nozzle to be jetted as the one or more droplets, and a supply conduit actuator configured to adjust a hydrodynamic resistance of at least a portion of the supply conduit to viscous medium flow from the jetting chamber via the supply conduit, based on moving through the portion of the supply conduit, independently of the impacting device, to adjust a cross-sectional flow area of the portion of the supply conduit.
1 . A device configured to jet one or more droplets of a viscous medium, the device comprising:
a jetting chamber configured to hold the viscous medium;
a supply conduit in fluid communication with the jetting chamber, the supply conduit configured to supply the viscous medium into the jetting chamber;
a jetting nozzle in fluid communication with the jetting chamber;
an impacting device at least partially defining the jetting chamber, the impacting device configured to cause an increase of internal pressure of the viscous medium in the jetting chamber by moving through at least a portion of the jetting chamber to reduce a volume of the jetting chamber, to force the one or more droplets of the viscous medium through the jetting nozzle to be jetted as the one or more droplets;
a supply conduit actuator configured to adjust a hydrodynamic resistance of at least a portion of the supply conduit to viscous medium flow from the jetting chamber via the supply conduit, based on moving through the portion of the supply conduit, independently of the impacting device, to adjust a cross-sectional flow area of the portion of the supply conduit, without closing the cross-sectional flow area of the portion of the supply conduit; and
a control device configured to control the supply conduit actuator and the impacting device to control the hydrodynamic resistance of at least the portion of the supply conduit in association with jetting the one or more droplets, such that:
the hydrodynamic resistance is increased, based on reducing the cross-sectional flow area of the portion of the supply conduit from a first area to a second area, at least in advance of and during jetting the one or more droplets, and
the hydrodynamic resistance is decreased, based on increasing the cross-sectional flow area of the portion of the supply conduit from the second area after jetting the one or more droplets,
wherein each of the first area and the second area has a respective non-zero magnitude.
2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the impacting device includes a piezoelectric actuator.
3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the supply conduit actuator includes a piezoelectric actuator.
4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the supply conduit actuator is coupled to the supply conduit at an outlet orifice of the supply conduit that is in one or more inner surfaces of a housing that at least partially define the jetting chamber.
5 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a sensor device configured to monitor the one or more droplets and generate sensor data based on the monitoring, such that the sensor data indicates a value of one or more properties of the one or more droplets;
wherein the control device is configured to
receive and process the sensor data to determine the value of the one or more properties of the one or more droplets, and
adjustably control the hydrodynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit, via adjustably controlling movement of the supply conduit actuator, based on the value of the one or more properties.
6 . The device of claim 5 , wherein the control device is configured to:
determine a difference between the value of the one or more properties and a corresponding target value of the one or more properties, and
control the hydrodynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit to a new hydrodynamic resistance, via adjustably controlling the movement of the supply conduit actuator, in response to determining that the difference at least meets a threshold value.
7 . The device of claim 5 , wherein the one or more properties of the one or more droplets include at least one of:
a velocity of the one or more droplets,
a diameter of the one or more droplets, or
a volume of the one or more droplets.
8 . The device of claim 5 , wherein the control device is configured to control the impacting device and the supply conduit actuator to
cause the supply conduit actuator to increase the hydrodynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit from a first magnitude to a second magnitude, and subsequently cause the impacting device to cause the one or more droplets to be jetted while the hydrodynamic resistance is maintained at the second magnitude.
9 . The device of claim 8 , wherein the control device is configured to control the impacting device and the supply conduit actuator to
cause the supply conduit actuator to reduce the hydrodynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit from the second magnitude to the first magnitude, upon an elapse of a rest period subsequently to the one or more droplets being jetted.
10 . A method of controlling a device configured to jet one or more droplets of viscous medium onto a substrate, the device including a jetting chamber configured to hold the viscous medium, a supply conduit in fluid communication with the jetting chamber, the supply conduit configured to supply the viscous medium into the jetting chamber, a jetting nozzle in fluid communication with the jetting chamber, an impacting device at least partially defining the jetting chamber, the impacting device configured to cause an increase of internal pressure of the viscous medium in the jetting chamber by moving through at least a portion of the jetting chamber to reduce a volume of the jetting chamber, to force the one or more droplets of the viscous medium through the jetting nozzle to be jetted as the one or more droplets, and a supply conduit actuator configured to move through a portion of the supply conduit, independently of the impacting device, to adjust a cross-sectional flow area of the portion of the supply conduit without closing the cross-sectional flow area, to adjust a hydrodynamic resistance of at least the portion of the supply conduit to viscous medium flow from the jetting chamber via the supply conduit, the method comprising:
controlling the supply conduit actuator to increase the hydrodynamic resistance to an increased hydrodynamic resistance based on reducing the cross-sectional flow area of the portion of the supply conduit from a first area to a second area;
controlling the impacting device to jet the one or more droplets while maintaining the increased hydrodynamic resistance based on maintaining the cross-sectional flow area of the portion of the supply conduit at the second area; and
after jetting the one or more droplets, controlling the supply conduit actuator to decrease the hydrodynamic resistance, based on increasing the cross-sectional flow area of the portion of the supply conduit from the second area, wherein each of the first area and the second area has a respective non-zero magnitude.
11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
processing sensor data received from a sensor device, the sensor data generated based on the sensor device monitoring the one or more droplets, to determine a value of one or more properties of the one or more droplets, and
adjustably controlling the hydrodynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit, via adjustably controlling movement of the supply conduit actuator, based on the value of the one or more properties.
12 . The method of claim 11 wherein the adjustably controlling includes
determining a difference between the value of the one or more properties and a corresponding target value of the one or more properties, and
controlling the hydrodynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit to a new hydrodynamic resistance, via adjustably controlling the movement of the supply conduit actuator, in response to determining that the difference at least meets a threshold value.
13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more properties of the one or more droplets include at least one of:
a velocity of the one or more droplets,
a diameter of the one or more droplets, or
a volume of the one or more droplets.
14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the controlling the supply conduit actuator causes the supply conduit actuator to increase the hydrodynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit from a first magnitude to a second magnitude, and
the method further includes subsequently causing the impacting device to cause the one or more droplets to be jetted while the hydrodynamic resistance is maintained at the second magnitude.
15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
causing the supply conduit actuator to reduce the hydrodynamic resistance of the portion of the supply conduit from the second magnitude to the first magnitude, upon an elapse of a rest period subsequently to the one or more droplets being jetted.
16 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the impacting device includes a piezoelectric actuator.
17 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the supply conduit actuator includes a piezoelectric actuator.