Diverging Ink Jet Technologies and Applications

Abstract

It has taken years for ink jets to move from the laboratory to the home, office and commercial workplace. Commercial ink jet printing literally began on the floor with Miliken's carpet printers in the 1970's, but it was not until HP's ThinkJet that enabled everyone to inexpensively print from PC's did ink jet printing become a common term. Now we are seeing many markets utilizing a wide variety of ink jets in ways unthinkable 30 years ago. These applications include every form of graphics arts printing, product decoration and even fabrication of products and components.This presentation will discuss recent advances in drop-ondemand piezo ink jet technology with particular emphasis on designs intended for dispensing functional fluids rather than printing inks. Recently new methods of constructing printheads have been introduced and these tools are enabling new applications in areas as diverse as biotechnology, nanofluid development and flexible organic electronics. We know from looking at billboards and address labels that ink jets produce valuable graphic arts products, but it remains to be seen if ink jets can move from industrial and university labs into volume manufacturing of products such as displays and biochips.