Patent ID: 7284842

Claim:
An apparatus for printing a fluid material by means of a continuous jet printing technique, comprising a reservoir for storing the material, a channel connected with the reservoir, which is provided with at least one outflow opening from which, in use, flows a jet of the material breaking up into drops, and a pressure regulating mechanism for varying the pressure of the material upstream of the outflow opening for the purpose of obtaining the jet breaking up into drops, the apparatus being further provided with pressure generating means for passing the material under a predetermined pressure through the channel in the direction of the outflow opening, characterized in that the pressure generating means are arranged for applying the predetermined pressure to the material in the channel hydraulically and/or pneumatically; wherein the pressure regulating mechanism comprises a movable control pin, which control pin can be moved in a longitudinal direction towards/away from the outflow opening; and wherein an end of the control pin can be placed at a predetermined distance of 15-500 μm from the outflow opening, for varying the pressure adjacent the outflow opening by means of vibration of the control pin.