US 11,673,409 B2
Fluid printing apparatus
Filip Granek, Wrocław (PL); Aneta Wiatrowska, Wrocław (PL); Krzysztof Fijak, Wrocław (PL); Michal Dusza, Wrocław (PL); Przemyslaw Cichon, Wrocław (PL); and Piotr Kowalczewski, Wrocław (PL)
Assigned to XTPL S.A., Wroclaw (PL)
Appl. No. 17/425,610
Filed by XTPL S.A., Wrocław (PL)
PCT Filed Mar. 20, 2019, PCT No. PCT/IB2019/052285
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 23, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/157547, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 6, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0080742 A1, Mar. 17, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B41J 3/28 (2006.01); B41J 2/045 (2006.01); B41J 2/175 (2006.01)
CPC B41J 3/28 (2013.01) [B41J 2/04505 (2013.01); B41J 2/17596 (2013.01)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for printing fluid on a printable surface of a substrate, comprising:
a substrate stage relative to which the substrate is fixed in position during the printing;
a print head positioned above the substrate and comprising a micro-structural fluid ejector, the micro-structural fluid ejector comprising: (1) an output portion comprising an exit orifice of an output inner diameter ranging between 0.1 μm and 5 μm and an end face having a surface roughness of less than 0.1 μm, (2) an elongate input portion having an input inner diameter that is greater than the output inner diameter by a factor of at least 100, and (3) a tapering portion between the elongate input portion and the output portion;
a pneumatic system coupled to the print head such that the pneumatic system applies pressure to the fluid in the micro-structural fluid ejector via the elongate input portion, the pressure being regulated to within a range of −50,0000 Pa to 1,000,000 Pa during the printing; and
a print head positioning system which controls a vertical displacement and a lateral displacement of the print head relative to the substrate;
wherein the micro-structural fluid ejector is oriented with the output portion pointing downward and the end face facing toward the printable surface;
the print head positioning system maintains a vertical distance between the end face and the printable surface within a range of 0 μm to 5 μm during the printing;
the print head ejects fluid through the exit orifice in a continuous stream without any applied electric field between the print head and the substrate, the continuous stream forming a line of fluid on the printable surface.