Human Eye Inkjet Technology

It seems that, the more we study about ourselves, the more advancement is made in technology. Certainly, this was the case when engineers from Columbia in University of Missouri invented clog preventing nozzles for inkjet printers by mimicking the human eye. It is well established fact that the most expensive aspect of printer maintenance is replacements of ink cartridges and the new technology potentially could save money for businesses and consumers alike.

The co-inventor of the technology Jae Wan Kwon commented: “The nozzle cover we invented was inspired by the human eye. The eye and inkjet nozzle have a common problem: they mustn’t be allowed to dry while, simultaneously, they must open. We used bio-mimicry the imitation of nature, to solve human problems. Other printing devices use similar mechanisms to inkjet printers. Adapting the clog-free nozzle to these machines could save businesses and researches thousands of dollars in wasted materials.” professor Kwon went on to say “For example, biological tissue printers, which may someday be capable of fabricating replacement of human organs, squirt living cells to form biological structures. These cells are so expensive that researchers often find it cheaper to replace the nozzles rather than waste the cells. Clog-free nozzles would eliminate the costly replacements”.

How does it work?

The problem is after we finish printing the ink dries out and the nozzle occasionally gets clogged. The new technology will apply a drop of silicone oil to cover the the nozzle when not in use. Similar to the way the eye operates when eyelids keep the eye moisturised but the inject technology will use an electric field to move droplet of oil in and out, keeping the nozzle moist and avoiding the clogs.

HP challenge

HP has challenged the human eye inkjet technology by claiming that they already have solutions to the nozzle drying out problem. Thom Brown supplies expert said that HP already implemented ways to stop ink drying out by “cartridges design, ink chemistry, careful selection of ingredients, printer design, and servicing algorithms.” he added ” Additionally, HP printers are equipped with a physical cap to prevent the ink at the print head from drying out while the printer is not in use. Under normal wear and use this design performs very well to prevent the ink drying at the nozzle.”

Conclusion

Current inkjet technology does a brilliant job preventing dry nozzles and doesn’t seem to be an issue. However, what was created by Professor Jae Wan Kwon and his co-workers cannot be underestimated. This could be the greatest invention towards ever advancing 3D printing technology. 3D Printing Technology is where even immortality has the potential to be achieved when creating human organs using human cells. One thing is certain – this invention will definitely speed up 3D printing developments.

Author: Donatas Ivaskevicius