Industrial marking with inkjet printers can take place with two different technologies: Either you use continuous inkjet printing or drop-on-demand inkjet technology. Drop-on-demand inkjet printing uses an ink cartridge with an integrated printhead.
This article explains how drop-on-demand inkjet technology works and what its advantages are.
What Is Drop-on-Demand Inkjet Printing Technology?
Drop-on-Demand (DoD) inkjet means that each drop of ink is expelled as needed. The main DoD inkjet printing technologies are thermal-inkjet printing and piezo-inkjet printing. Both approaches use pressure waves to push custom amounts of ink drops through the nozzles of the printhead, thus printing. These pressure waves are generated in two different ways:
1. How Thermal-Inkjet Printers Work
Pressure is created by heat in thermal inkjet printing. Within a few hundred millionths of a second, heating elements generate steam bubbles in the tiny chambers of the printhead. The bubbles cause a pressure pulse in the chambers allowing individual ink drops to escape through the cartridges’ row of nozzles. As a result, printing takes place.
Suction is created by the contraction of the steam bubbles. This sucks fresh ink from the cartridge into the chambers so that the printing process can continue.
2. How Piezo-Inkjet Printers Work
Unlike thermal-inkjet printers, piezo-inkjet printers do not use heat. Instead, they use electric voltage to
generate pressure pulses in the ink cartridge. When voltage is applied to piezoelectrical material (crystal or ceramics), it changes shape. This is called the piezoelectrical effect. The distortion creates a pressure pulse in the ink chamber of the cartridge. As a result, ink drops flow out of the printer nozzles.
As soon as the voltage on the piezoelement is reversed, the material contracts. The pressure drop sucks new ink into the chamber. As voltage can be applied more quickly than heating elements can be warmed, piezo-inkjet printers can reach very high printing speeds. On top of that, the printheads boast a long life.
Advantages of Drop-on-Demand Inkjet Technology
DoD inkjet printing marks products with an impressively high printing quality of up to 600 dpi. This technology is also ideal for large-scale font printing as it allows prints up to 800 mm high.
Do you have any other questions about this technology or about your marking needs? Then get in touch with our team of experts! We will gladly tell you more about our products!
