Msc: Mechanical Engineering TU/e - Air bubble growth, dynamics and removal in an inkjet 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 inkjet print head stability by solving struggles with air bubbles? We are looking for you!

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.

A big challenge in printing is the control of air within ink and formation of air bubbles within the complex channel structures. Air bubbles could be a cause for deteriorated jetting dynamics. For instance, these can block channels and obstruct supply of ink to the ejection elements, especially by changing pressures as air bubbles will grow and shrink continuously. Also, air bubbles can act as (micro-) fluidic dampening elements, which can change the jetting dynamics especially at the driving ejection elements as system frequencies go into the kHz range.

Understanding this air bubble formation is crucial for print quality. Industry uses high-speed imaging insights to develop degassing membranes, ink recirculation systems, and optimized acoustic waveforms. Additionally, within the print head design the complex channel structure can also be optimized to effectively remove air bubbles, which is not yet explored in full detail.

In this assignment, you will explore the fundamental physics behind bubble formation within a print head channel system, with help of numerical simulations. From this, you will extract requirements for a proper print head design. By making (sub-set of a print head) prototypes, 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.