Method and apparatus for scalable droplet ejection manufacturing

1. A method, comprising:

ejecting liquid having a first composition from a first droplet ejection deposition system that includes a first printhead and a first fluid source, wherein the first printhead has a small number of flow paths, and wherein the first fluid source is configured to be self-contained and to hold a first volume of liquid;

collecting information on the behavior of the liquid under a variety of ejection conditions for the first droplet ejection deposition system;

selecting ejection conditions based on the information; and

ejecting liquid having the first composition from a second droplet ejection deposition system that includes a second printhead and a second fluid source under the selected ejection conditions, wherein the second printhead has a plurality of substantially identical flow paths, each of the substantially identical flow paths being substantially identical to at least one of the small number of flow paths, and there being a significantly larger number of flow paths in the second printhead than in the first printhead, and wherein the second fluid source is not self-contained or is configured to hold a second volume of liquid larger than the first volume.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the small number is at most ten.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the small number is one.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein there are at least ten times as many flow paths in the second printhead than in the first printhead.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein there are at least one-hundred times as many flow paths in the second printhead than in the first printhead.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein each flow path of the first printhead and flow path of the second printhead includes a nozzle and an inlet.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first printhead and the second printhead include an actuator for each flow path.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting ejection conditions includes determining ejection conditions that are at least satisfactory for droplet ejection from the second droplet ejection deposition system.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting ejection conditions includes selecting ejection conditions that are at least satisfactory for droplet ejection from the first droplet ejection deposition system.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising designing the second printhead based on the information.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising joining a fluid supply unit to a printhead unit for form a cartridge that is removably installable in the first droplet ejection deposition system, the fluid supply unit providing the first fluid source.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising delivering the liquid to the fluid supply unit.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the fluid supply unit and the printhead unit are substantially not detachable once joined.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the cartridge is disposable.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the second printhead is reusable.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the fluid supply unit is self-contained.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the second fluid source is not self-contained.

18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising ejecting a plurality of liquids having different compositions from the first droplet ejection deposition system.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising testing the plurality of liquids for effectiveness in a proposed application and selecting the first composition from the different compositions based on effectiveness.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising collecting information on the behavior of the plurality of liquids and selecting the first composition from the different compositions based on suitability for droplet ejection.