Thermal Transfer Print Head: Talk About Image Quality

In the realm of digital printing, professionals in the field recognize and appreciate specific brands of Thermal Transfer Print Heads, a critical component of printing equipment. These individuals have diverse perspectives and requirements when it comes to the characteristics of printheads. Some prioritize cost-effectiveness, while others focus on longevity, ink compatibility, or after-sales support. Nevertheless, printing quality is ultimately the foremost consideration for everyone involved, driving continual improvements in this aspect by various print head manufacturers.

Kyocera, a newcomer to the inkjet printing market, embraces the knowledge and advancements made by established leaders in the industry. Leveraging their deep understanding of ceramic materials and combining it with their expertise in electronics, audio, and mechanical domains, Kyocera has developed a piezoelectric inkjet print head based on monolithic piezoelectric ceramics. This revolutionary technology allows Kyocera print heads to deliver exceptional performance in terms of printing width, ignition frequency, and precision.

Since their introduction to the market, Kyocera print heads have garnered significant attention and recognition due to their outstanding printing quality. This accomplishment can be attributed to Kyocera's technical proficiency and expertise in various fields. So, what makes Kyocera inkjet print heads truly exceptional in terms of image quality? Let's delve deeper into the technical sources of their remarkable printing capabilities.

To enhance the quality of printing, it is crucial to improve the speed at which ink droplets are discharged. The accuracy and stability of the ink droplet landing point significantly impact printing quality. Various factors affect the placement accuracy of ink droplets, including the precision of the nozzle hole processing, uniformity of piezoelectric ceramics' inductance, ink temperature stability, and printing spacing. However, once the nozzle is manufactured, except for temperature and printing spacing, these factors cannot be altered. Therefore, ensuring reliable printing accuracy for each nozzle becomes a challenge during mass production.

During the processing stage, Kyocera optimizes and inspects the flow paths and processing techniques to ensure high standards for the factory nozzles. However, the physical processing technology used in nozzle production, unlike photolithography, results in slight variations within the acceptable tolerance range among the thousands of nozzle holes in a single nozzle. These differences affect the speed at which ink droplets are ejected. The visible outcome of such variations is observed as slight fluctuations in straight lines when magnified, especially when printing perpendicular to the relative movement direction. Normally, these fluctuations become apparent only when viewing the printing screen from a distance of 10~20cm.

As an industrial-grade printhead, Kyocera has developed strategies to address these minor differences. By effectively matching high-performance piezoelectric sheets and waveforms, the initial velocity of ink droplets upon ejection is maximized while keeping the droplets intact. This approach utilizes the high flight speed of ink droplets to compensate for the individual differences between nozzles. This ensures improved printing accuracy and minimizes the impact of slight variations among the nozzle holes.

When it comes to image quality, the term "clean" is often used to describe a picture that is visually appealing and free from imperfections. On the other hand, a slightly "dirty" picture may have issues such as scattered or satellite dots, as well as smearing. In the industry, professionals associate these problems with floating ink, miscellaneous dots, and smudges. However, in a "clean" picture, the ink is neatly contained within round dots, the edges are sharp, and there are no ink dots in the empty spaces. Those with a deep understanding of piezoelectric inkjet printheads recognize that each ink droplet is ejected through acoustic resonance generated by the piezoelectric sheet's deformation. Properly handling the residual sound waves is crucial, as it can affect the formation of ink droplets. Kyocera, during their research and development phase, emphasized the dual control of sound wave transmission and suppression in the flow path design through simulations of flow paths and fluids. Through a well-designed flow path and Kyocera's waveform debugging, they successfully reduced the amount of ink per droplet to just one.