Application of the Nucleation Theory to the Design of Bubble Jet Printers

Abstract

A model, based on the classical nucleation theory, has been developed to predict the nucleation process in bubble jet printers. The nucleation probability distribution curve predicted by the model agreed with an experiment which was done using a prototype bubble jet printing head. The effects of heat pulse width, heat flux, dissolved air and surface wettability on the nucleation process were investigated using the model. The results provide a new guide to the design of bubble jet printers.