Patent ID: 9039156
Filing Date: 2015-05-26
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A particle removal device for an ink jet printer, comprising; a first separator of the ink jet printer, the first separator, comprising: an arrangement of obstacles disposed in a flow path of the ink jet printer, including at least two rows of obstacles, each of the obstacles extending laterally with respect to the flow path of ink in the first separator, the rows of obstacles offset from one another by a row offset fraction, the arrangement of obstacles configured to preferentially route larger particles having diameters greater than a critical diameter through the arrangement along a first trajectory vector that is angled with respect to the flow path of the ink, the angle of the first trajectory vector being a function of the row offset fraction, and to route smaller particles having diameters less than the critical diameter through the arrangement along a second trajectory that is not substantially angled with respect to the flow path of the ink while maintaining a pressure drop of the ink in the first separator of less than about 100 Pa and inlets fluidically coupled to receive ink that includes the smaller particles and to provide the ink that includes the smaller particles as a sheath liquid that focuses the larger particles.