Piezoelectric dispenser based on a piezoelectric-metal-cavity actuator.
A piezoelectric dispenser has been fabricated based on the idea of a piezoelectric-metal-cavity (PMC) actuator. The PMC actuator consists of a metal ring sandwiched between two identical piezoelectric unimorphs. The radial contraction of the piezoelectric ceramic is converted into a flextensional motion of the unimorph, causing a large flexural displacement in the center part of the actuator. With the PMC actuator as a fluid chamber, the large flexural actuation can be used to produce the displacement needed to eject fluid. By applying an appropriate voltage to the piezoelectric unimorphs, a drop-on-demand ejection of ink or water can be achieved. The efficiency of fluid ejection can be enhanced after installing a valve in the fluid chamber. With the simple PMC structure, the dispenser can be operated with a low driving voltage of 12-15 V.
Lam
K H
KH
Department of Applied Physics and Materials Research Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hunghom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. kokokhlam@gmail.com
Sun
C L
CL
Kwok
K W
KW
Chan
H L W
HL
D017097:Electric Impedance; D004560:Electricity; D004581:Electronics / Q000295:instrumentation*