Memjet Technology Limited

An ink delivery system for delivering ink to an inkjet printhead includes: an ink tank; the inkjet printhead having a printhead inlet port and a printhead outlet port; an ink supply line connected between the ink tank and the printhead inlet port; an ink return line connected between the ink tank and the printhead outlet port; an ink recirculation pump positioned in the ink return line; an ink filter positioned in the ink return line; a bypass line for bypassing ink around the ink filter; a bypass valves for controlling flow of ink either through the ink filter or through the bypass line; and a controller for coordinating the bypass valve and the pump. The controller is configured to pump ink from the printhead outlet port to the ink tank via the bypass line when the return line contains air.

A compliance assembly includes: an ink duct having duct sidewalls and an opening defined in a roof of the ink duct; a gasket covering the opening, the gasket having a compliance portion communicating with ink in the ink duct; and a rigid member urged against the gasket for sealing the opening. The compliance portion is spaced apart from the rigid member and the rigid member includes a tongue extending towards a floor of the ink duct, such that flexing of the compliance portion is limited by the tongue.

A compliance assembly includes: an ink duct having duct sidewalls and an opening defined in a roof of the ink duct, the opening having a perimeter lip; a gasket for sealing the opening; and a plug having rigid plug sidewalls received in the perimeter lip. The gasket includes a perimeter seal radially sealingly engaged between the plug sidewalls and the perimeter lip and a compliance portion communicating with ink in the ink duct.

A printing unit includes: a base plate defining an elongate slot extending across a media feed path; an elongate printhead positioned in the slot for printing onto print media fed along the media feed path; an aerosol extractor positioned downstream of the printhead relative to a media feed direction, the aerosol extractor providing an airflow through a print zone associated with the printhead; and air guides projecting from a lower surface of the base plate towards the media feed path. The air guides are positioned at opposite ends of the printhead and include respective guide walls for directing the airflow towards the aerosol extractor.

A printing unit includes: a unit chassis for mounting over a media feed path; first and second elongate printheads mounted on the unit chassis and positioned in an overlapping arrangement across the media feed path; a first aerosol extractor positioned downstream of the first printhead relative to the media feed direction; and a second aerosol extractor positioned downstream of the second printhead and the first aerosol extractor relative to the media feed direction. The first and second aerosol extractors are positioned at a same distance from their respective first and second printheads.

An inkjet printhead includes: an elongate manifold having a longitudinal central portion extending along a central longitudinal axis of the printhead; first and second longitudinal channel portions extending along respective longitudinal axes at opposite sides of the central portion; and first and second rows of butting print chips mounted to a base of the manifold, the first row of print chips extending along the first channel portion and the second row of print chips extending along the opposite second channel portion. Each of the first and second channel portions extends beyond the central portion at opposite ends of the manifold, such that respective opposite ends of the manifold have a re-entrant profile configured for complementary interleaving of a plurality of said printheads.

An inkjet printhead includes an elongate manifold having an upper face and a lower face, ink supply channels extending along a length of the manifold, and first and second rows of butting print chips mounted to the lower face of the manifold. A stiffener plate is fastened to the upper face of the manifold, wherein the manifold is comprised of a moldable first material and the stiffener plate has a higher degree of stiffness than the manifold. The stiffener plate is formed of a second material different than the first material.

An inkjet nozzle device includes a main chamber having a floor, a roof and a perimeter wall enclosing the main chamber. The main chamber includes: a firing chamber having a nozzle aperture defined in the roof and a bar heater for ejection of ink through the nozzle aperture; an antechamber for supplying ink to the firing chamber, the antechamber having a chamber inlet defined in the floor; and a baffle plate extending parallel with the bar heater, which partitions the main chamber to define the firing chamber and the antechamber. The nozzle device has mirror symmetry about a symmetry plane extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the bar heater and the baffle plate.

An inkjet printhead includes: an elongate manifold having through-holes defined through a thickness of the manifold and ink supply channels extending along a length of the manifold. First and second rows of butting print chips are mounted to a lower face of the manifold and receive ink from the ink supply channels. A first PCB is mounted to lower face of the manifold between the first and second rows of print chips. The first PCB receives power and data via the through-holes from a second PCB and the first PCB distributes the power and data to both the first and second rows of butting print chips at either side thereof.

A printing unit includes a unit chassis with first and second opposed inkjet modules mounted in tandem on the unit chassis in forward and reverse orientations, each inkjet module having a respective printhead. The inkjet modules are each pivotally mounted on the unit chassis for pivotally moving them towards and away from each other. The printing unit is configured for printing only in a closed configuration in which the first and second inkjet modules have parallel opposed faces, and is configured for printhead replacement only in an open configuration in which the first and second inkjet modules have non-parallel opposed faces.