Ink jet curl outwards mechanism
View Patent ↗A nozzle arrangement for an ink jet printhead includes a wafer substrate having a nozzle chamber defined therein. The nozzle arrangement has a nozzle chamber wall that defines an ink ejection port and a rim about the ink ejection port. A series of radially positioned actuators are connected to the wafer substrate and extend radially inwardly towards the rim. Each actuator is configured so that a radially inner edge of each actuator is displaceable, with respect to the nozzle rim, into the chamber, upon actuation of the actuator and so that, upon such displacement, a pressure within the nozzle chamber is increased, resulting in the ejection of ink from the ejection port.
1. An ink jet nozzle arrangement comprising:
a nozzle chamber which includes a wall defining an ink ejection port; and
an ink ejection means operatively arranged relative to the nozzle chamber, the ink ejection means being displaceable, upon activation on demand, in a direction away from a direction of ink ejection to increase a pressure in the chamber and to cause ink to be ejected from the ink ejection port.
2. The arrangement of claim 1 in which the ink ejection means is arranged in said wall of the nozzle chamber, the ink ejection means being displaceable, upon activation on demand, in said direction away from the direction of ink ejection to cause a decrease in a volume of the chamber thereby increasing the pressure in the chamber.
3. The arrangement of claim 2 in which the ink ejection means comprises at least one paddle which lies substantially coplanar with said wall.
4. The arrangement of claim 3 in which the ink ejection means comprises a plurality of actuators arranged at spaced intervals about the ink ejection port.
5. The arrangement of claim 4 in which each actuator is anchored to said wall at an end of said actuator remote from the ink ejection port.
6. The arrangement of claim 4 in which each actuator is an electro-thermal bend actuator.