Numerical Study of Nozzle Evaporation and Increasing Ink Viscosity

Abstract

Relation between evaporation and evolution of ink viscosity in the nozzle of inkjet head is investigated with an experiment and a numerical simulation. Nozzle clogging due to evaporation is a great concern for developing a robust inkjet head. Theoretical and experimental investigations would be useful for understanding the phenomenon and for taking measures it. Experiments with laser doppler vibrometer (LDV) method estimates the viscosity of nozzle for various combinations of ink and inkjet head. The effect of meniscus-vibration method for suppressing nozzle clogging is also investigated experimentally. Viscosity can be estimated from one-dimensional convection-diffusion simulation, and the results show good agreement with the experiments. The simulation can investigate a robust nozzle condition against ink clogging, and it is useful to design a configuration of inkjet head.