Printhead assembly with stacked ink distribution sheets
View Patent ↗A printhead assembly includes a laminated stack of ink distribution sheets. The ink distribution sheets are micro-molded with apertures and slots that communicate through the stack in order to provide fluid communication conduits. The conduits interconnect an ink distribution molding, mounted on one side of the stack, and micro-electromechanical printheads disposed along an opposing side of the stack. The laminated stack provides a readily fabricated mechanism for establishing fluid communication between the ink distribution molding and the very small scale printhead ink inlets.
1. A printhead assembly including:
a laminated stack of ink distribution sheets;
a plurality of micro-electromechanical printheads disposed along a first side of the laminated stack; and
an ink distribution molding located on a second side, opposite the first side, of the laminated stack;
wherein said printheads are in fluid communication with the ink distribution molding via a network of slots and apertures formed in the ink distribution sheets, the sheets of the laminated stack sequenced from the ink distribution molding to the printheads having fewer and fewer said apertures, said slots being differently shaped than said apertures, wherein ink is directed from the distribution molding to the laminated stack via said apertures, and from said apertures to the printheads via said slots.
2. A printhead assembly according to claim 1 , including printhead driver circuitry mounted above the ink distribution molding.
3. A printhead assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the printhead driver circuitry is mounted to a printed circuit board.
4. A printhead assembly according to claim 3 , including a film containing conductive traces having first portions located between the printed circuit board and the ink distribution molding and second portions located between the printheads and the laminated stack.
5. A printhead assembly according to claim 4 , wherein the first portions of the film are sandwiched between the printed circuit board and a backing pad.
6. A printhead assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the ink distribution molding includes a number of elongate channels.
7. A printhead assembly according to claim 6 , wherein at least one of the elongate channels comprises an air inlet port and wherein at least a number of the elongate channels comprise printing fluid channels.
8. A printhead assembly according to claim 7 , wherein the elongate channels are disposed in parallel along the molding.
9. A printhead assembly according to claim 8 , including an ink distribution cover molding including a number of ports leading into corresponding transverse conduits, said conduits each terminating into a corresponding one of the elongate channels.