Introduction
Meteor Inkjet Ltd, headquartered in Cambridge, UK, is a leading supplier of industrial inkjet electronics, software, tools and services.
While primarily an electronics and software company, Meteor occasionally requires mechanical engineering support, which Round Peg addresses with an ongoing support relationship. Drawing on Round Peg’s years of understanding of Meteor products and systems, Meteor enlisted Round Peg to assist with the upgrade of their existing Dropwatcher system.
The Dropwatcher System
Meteor’s Dropwatcher system is a vital tool for developing industrial inkjet print systems.
The system includes microscope optics, a camera, and a strobe, all controlled by Meteor electronics and PC-based software. This setup allows for real-time observation and control of ink drop formation and its in-flight characteristics, providing a valuable tool for print system manufacturers to refine printhead and ink combinations.
Meeting Industry Demands: Enhancing the Dropwatcher System
In response to industry demand for better imaging of ink drop formation, Meteor embarked on an overhaul of the existing Dropwatcher system. This included an optics and mechanics upgrade to add additional features, such as:
- Synchronized or independent strobe and camera fine adjustment, for maintaining optical fidelity and measurement accuracy regardless of form factor of the printhead installed
- Enhanced micron-level control, for precise optical calibration.
- Optics rotation capability, for viewing nozzles on printheads equipped with a protective guard.
Achieving optics precision requires a finely tuned mechanical system, so Round Peg was tasked with packaging this into a platform with maximum adjustment and easy assembly.
The Value Round Peg Added
Round Peg engineers began by carefully examining and clarifying Meteor’s initial specifications, resulting in a robust technical specification and development direction.
During the design phase, several design methodologies were used to align with the nature of the challenge:
- For low-volume product volume requirements: Using off-the-shelf components wherever possible, to minimise design work and component cost.
- For optimal resolution and maximum adjustment: Designed a combination of coarse and fine calibration features.
- To ensure consistent positioning and quick calibration: Added machined positioning features with precise tolerances.
- To meet operational demands: Validated linear stages cantilever loads with hand calculations
Upon Meteor approval of the final design, a comprehensive drawing pack for manufacture and assembly was created. Round Peg continued to provide support throughout the prototype build phase.
Conclusion
The culmination of this collaborative effort resulted in an impressive new system.
The initial prototypes achieved the clearest views of printhead and drop formation to-date. This has enabled Meteor scientists to observe previously unseen micron-sized air bubbles trapped in the ink droplets. Link to article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/have-you-looked-inside-drop-fails-jet-fernando-rodriguez/