inkjet printing

I got my start in printing at one of the largest printer manufacturer's on earth. I quickly took a liking to the company and stayed 3 years until a division slow down coupled with a merger saw me in a new opportunity.

My position was in the inkjet method of printing and my early years were in TIJ. Basics of the colors and inks used in printing are identified as C cyan M magenta Y yellow and K black CMYK. These varieties are used in varying amounts mixed to produce vibrant colours in many combinations controlled by icc profiles and information sent to the printer.

I will use this weblog to record and overview of the piezo and thermal inkjet methods of printing and link to resources.

Printheads at hp even that many years ago were impressive and innovative new development and research by Hewlett Packard kept me busy with large format printheads with over 500 nozzles and sophisticated architecture.

Tests on these printheads in development were carried out on sophisticated tooling that tested things like resistor life in an accelerated environment on large machines with barrels of ink. Several other tests like droplet weights, uniformity, drop spread, clarity with several other types of machines, media and software are used to ensure product quality.

I would later jet white inks in a PIJ method and briefly studied extra inkjet colors like orange used in printing systems. In researching closest known technologies to new development I was tasked with I discovered a wealth of knowledge and interesting technology in textiles. Of particular interest were the printing systems used to produce product in the textile industry as well as the chemistry and processes involved.

NCSU North Carolina State University was found to have impressive inkjet textile labs, staff and professors. The professors were very helpful, knowledgeable and I worked with them and picked their brains often.

Tasked with something outside of conventional printing the choice at first attempts in testing was an Encad large format plotter over the Hewlett Packard LFP's I was used to due to its ability to feed media up to 1 inch thick past the print swath.

Later I had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented engineers that were formerly with the company where I had got my start in printing and left to start their own companies or careers before I had arrived. Development commenced on what was some of the most mechanically impressive printing systems that could feed metal plates on a print path as well as other innovative methods that built upon traditional methods of printing. My part was mostly concept and requirements communicated to highly skilled well rounded engineers. This was some of the early work in 3d printing and jetting onto non flat surfaces or traditional paper feed mechanisms.

3d printing

Yeas ago, while sitting around the table with some very talented phd's, technicians and engineers in Cambridge I could see the 3 dimensional technology would have some practical applications. Discussing the subject I became aware that there was already work underway with those with lineages from the likes of Domino sciences and other groundbreaking entities from previous generations. I could see it would be an interest to corporations and even military work both in the field and in the lab and carry with it an innovative approach in building and creating solutions. There are a few different methods including jetting through the nozzles, building layers upon each other as well as a method that builds up layers after the print swath leaves layers of specially formulated ink on top of specially formulated powder's after curing each layer.

3d objects can be printed after software takes a CAD image and slices the files into thin layers (unique slices) with instructions for the printer. There are free open source software packages like MeshLab that do a great job at this as well as other options free and at cost from AutoDesk etc.
At times in development there can be some interesting finds when attempting different prints and images may be re-sliced a number of times in order to get the desired result.

A few companies offer desktop models with user friendly software packages that can be used out of the box for simple object creation by the end user. The cost is becoming more realistic for consumers as progress is made.

It seems there is still allot of wonder as to how to use this technology.

There are 3d scanning devices and companies springing up around the scanning end like gom as well as some handheld wand type scanners created by some of the printer companies that scan an object and process the information to the slicing software. Some of the scanning technology I have seen can be tedious at the moment requiring placing a series of numerous tiny white stickers on an object while a scanner that consists of 2 cameras and a laser at the center captures images as the object is rotated by the user to various points.

Contrary to some of the current beliefs I have seen materials made that have good strength and even some processes that have a high degree of speed and process time in making.
Some of the things I have seen in this technology are impressive but I am not that impressed overall yet by some of the 3d technology. Not that I really have a place to be impressed or not, that is just my personal opinion and take on some of the development in 3d.

I have been out of the Inkjet PIJ and TIJ technology field for so long it was quite and interest to see the technology again as I have briefly been back into Hewlett Packard, Gengineer research and a few other companies for acquirements in the technology before entering back into the aerospace industry. I will be writing some key notes about the technology soon and posting them.