Msc: Mechanical Engineering TU/e - Flow pressure dynamics modeling in a print head

Are you a MSc. student from the Micro Thermo Fluids or Microsystems department, looking for a graduation assignment? Are you ready for the challenge to improve our inkjet print heads stability by improving the pressure dynamics within? We are looking for you!

Your assignment

Within an inkjet print head, numerous fluid (micro-) channels are embedded to supply ink from the inlet to the thousands of driving ejection elements that form tiny (picoliter) droplets used to make a print. The ink flowing into the print head causes complex pressure dynamic effects that need to be controlled accurately for proper droplet formation with consistent volume, each drop after drop in a kHz fashion. Starting and stopping effects, but also slight changes in coverage on paper will change the flow and so the pressure dynamics at the nozzle.

Several mechanisms are present in the print head to control the pressure, such as flow restrictions, pressure damping devices, and parallel balancing structures over all the nozzles. Within our company, several basic fluid dynamics computational models exist to help design these elements, but these are generally very simplistic or lumped element based, and/or assume only simplified laminar conditions.

In this assignment, you will explore the fundamental physics behind the pressure dynamics in a print head, and further extend our basic models where appropriate. From this, you will extract requirements for a proper print head design. By making prototypes of a subset of a print head, you will verify and confirm your model-based designs by means of conceptual experiments. This assignment will be carried out at CPP R&D.

Your profile

You are currently studying Mechanical Engineering at TU/e in the Micro Thermo Fluids or Microsystems department and are ready for your final MSc graduation assignment. You think it is a challenge to perform your MSc graduation assignment externally at a high-tech company such as Canon Production Printing in Venlo. You are proactive, eager to learn what it means to carry out a project in an industrial environment, and interested in exploring the possible impact of your work in the Canon product portfolio.

What’s in it for you?

• A challenging assignment with skilled coaching
• Internship/Graduation compensation of €500,- per month
• Travel cost compensation if you don’t have an OV-weekcard
• The possibility to network with professionals inside and outside your field of expertise, thanks to the diversity of disciplines you will work with

About the company

We develop and manufacture high-tech printing products and workflow software for the commercial printing market as part of Canon, a global leader in imaging technologies. Our culture is built on openness, collegiality, trust and stability. We empower our people to grow, take initiative, and make an impact.