Various technologies implement inkjet for varying reasons. Some examples:
Application Benefit of Inkjet
Automotive coatings
Replaces spraying or dipping, thereby reducing waste and increasing coating uniformity.
Plastic part decoration
Non-contact accommodates curved surfaces. Improved print quality over pad or screen printing. Digital eliminates requirement for inventory of screens or pads, resulting in faster prototyping and a wider variety of designs. Process color capability reduces the number of ink colors that must be stocked.
Conductive patterns
Minimizes waste of costly materials; very suitable for short runs.
Rapid prototyping
Rapid formation of three-dimensional structures designed by using computer software.
Variable information
Allows fast changing of the printed information, unlike analogue printing methods which require formation of new hardware (e.g., screens in silk screen printing).
Ceramics Minimizes setup time, eliminates requirement for inventory of screens.
Industrial Inkjet Explained
While all inkjet technologies can fundamentally be described as the digitallycontrolledejectionofdropsoffluidfromaprintheadontoa substrate, this is accomplished in a variety of ways. Industrial inkjet is broadly and most typically classified as either continuous (CIJ) or drop-on-demand (DOD), with variants within each classification.
As the name implies, continuous inkjet technology ejects drops continuously2 (Fig. 1A). These drops are then either directed to the substrate or to a collector for recirculation and reuse. Drop-on-demand technology ejects drops only when required7−9 (Fig. 1B).
Continuous Inkjet (CIJ) is considered amateur technology. It is pri-marily used for marking and coding of products and packages. In this technology, a pump directs fluid from a reservoir to small nozzles that eject a continuous stream of drops at high frequency (in the range of roughly 50 kHz to 175 kHz) by way of a vibrating