Inks and printheads with internal clog prevention
View Patent ↗Active enzymes are incorporated into inks to prevent clogging. These may be just cellulase or cellulase and protease, to attack the most prevalent materials. The enzymes decompose the materials they are specific to, which degrades or solubilizes them to prevent clogging at nozzles and other flow features of a printhead.
1. An inkjet ink for inkjet printers comprising coloring matter suspended in a liquid vehicle, said ink further comprising an active enzyme to decompose one or more of cellulose, protein or biofilm.
2. The ink as in claim 1 in which said ink contains as said enzyme cellulase from Trichoderma reesei.
3. The ink as in claim 1 in which said ink contains as said enzyme only cellulase from Trichoderma reesei.
4. The ink as in claim 1 in which said ink contains as said enzyme protease from B globigii.
5. The ink as in claim 1 in which said ink contains as said enzyme only protease from Bacillus globigii.
6. The ink as in claim 1 in which said ink contains as said enzyme amylase from Aspergillus oryzae.
7. The ink as in claim 1 in which said ink contains as said enzyme only amylase enzyme from Aspergillus oryzae.
8. The ink as in claim 1 in which said ink contains as said enzyme only an active enzyme to decompose cellulose and an active enzyme to decompose protein.
9. The ink as in claim 8 in which said enzyme to decompose cellulose is cellulase from Trichoderma reesei and said enzyme to decompose protein is protease from Bacillus globigii.
10. The ink as in claim 1 which contains less than about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
11. The ink as in claim 2 which contains less than about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
12. The ink as in claim 3 which contains less than about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
13. The ink as in claim 4 which contains less than about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
14. The ink as in claim 5 which contains less than about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
15. The ink as in claim 6 which contains less than about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
16. The ink as in claim 7 which contains less than about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
17. The ink as in claim 8 which contains less than about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
18. The ink as in claim 9 which contain less than about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
19. The ink as in claim 1 which contains about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
20. The ink as in claim 2 which contains about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
21. The ink as in claim 3 which contains about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
22. The ink as in claim 4 which contains about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
23. The ink as in claim 5 which contains about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
24. The ink as in claim 6 which contains about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
25. The ink as in claim 7 which contains about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
26. The ink as in claim 8 which contains about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
27. The ink as in claim 9 which contain about 2 percent by weight of all said active enzymes in said ink.
28. An inkjet printhead having small nozzles and holding the ink of claim 1 to be expelled through said nozzles to be combined to form visual images.
29. An inkjet printhead having small nozzles and holding the ink of claim 8 into be expelled through said nozzles to be combined to form visual images.
30. An inkjet printhead having small nozzles and holding the ink of claim 9 to be expelled through said nozzles to be combined to form visual images.
31. An inkjet printhead having small nozzles and holding the ink of claim 18 to be expelled through said nozzles to be combined to form visual images.