Design Parameters of a Shear Mode Piezo Printhead for a Given Resolution

Due to the function principles, the selection of possible resolutions of bubble-jet and piezo printheads is restricted. In the case of the "shear mode / shared wall" piezo printhead, there is the limitation that not all channels can be fired at the same time. Moreover, each resolution requires a specified drop volume in order to obtain the appropriate optical density on the print media. In this paper, the interdependence of print resolution, printhead tilt angle, carriage speed, and firing frequency is explained. It is also shown that a great variety of resolutions and print modes can be adjusted, despite the limitations mentioned above. Furthermore, possible changes of the geometrical design to vary the performance parameters as drop speed and mass are discussed. Based on this knowledge it is possible to obtain an optimal combination of resolution and drop volume, if also the ink/paper interaction is known.