Print module with air exhaust opposite ink ejection direction
A print module includes: a body housing at least one printed circuit board (PCB); an air inlet and an air outlet positioned in a roof of the body; an air pathway extending through the body between the air inlet and the air outlet; and an inkjet printhead positioned at a lower part of the body opposite the roof, the inkjet printhead electrically communicating with the PCB.
1. A print module comprising:
a body housing at least one printed circuit board (PCB);
an air inlet and an air outlet positioned in a roof of the body;
an air pathway extending through the body between the air inlet and the air outlet; and
an inkjet printhead positioned at a lower part of the body opposite the roof, the inkjet printhead electrically communicating with the PCB.
2. The print module of claim 1 , wherein a direction of ink droplet ejection is opposite to a direction of airflow through the air outlet.
3. The print module claim 1 , wherein the PCB comprises a heatsink cooled by an airflow through the air pathway.
4. The print module of claim 3 , wherein the heatsink comprises a base in thermal contact with a heat-generating electronic component, and wherein an array of cooling fins for the heatsink extends from the base into the air pathway.
5. The print module of claim 1 , wherein the air pathway is defined by an air duct extending between air inlet and the air outlet.
6. The print module of claim 5 , wherein the air duct isolates the air pathway from the PCB.
7. The print module of claim 1 , further comprising a fan for generating an airflow through the air pathway.
8. The print module of claim 7 , wherein the fan is positioned at the air inlet or the air outlet.
9. The print module of claim 1 , wherein the PCB comprises at least one of: a drive transistor supplying power to the inkjet printhead and a microprocessor supplying print data to the inkjet printhead.
10. The print module of claim 1 comprising a supply module engaged with a replaceable printhead cartridge, the supply module comprising the body and the printhead cartridge comprising the inkjet printhead.
11. The print module of claim 10 , wherein the supply module comprises an ink inlet module and an ink outlet module flanking either side of the body, each of the ink inlet and ink outlet modules having a respective ink coupling engaged with complementary inlet and outlet couplings of the printhead cartridge.
12. The print module of claim 1 , wherein airflow through the air outlet is in an opposite direction to an ink ejection direction of the inkjet printhead.