Patent ID: 8038424

Claim:
A system for manufacturing solid ink sticks comprising: a volumetric container having a wall that encloses a space, the wall having an inlet and an outlet; a cooling member located within the volumetric container that removes heat from the wall; a heated member located within the volumetric container that adds heat to the ink within the volumetric container; an ejection member configured to force ink from the volumetric container through the outlet of the volumetric container into a mold cavity; and a controller coupled to the heated member, the cooling member, and the ejection member, the controller being configured to keep the heated member in a first temperature range that maintains ink in a liquid or nearly liquid state proximate the heated member, to keep the cooling member in a second temperature range that maintains ink in a solid or near solid state proximate the cooling member, and to energize the ejection member to mix the liquid or near liquid ink with the solid or near solid ink to form a solid ink paste proximate the outlet of the volumetric container.