A fluid ejection device is a fluid ejection device adapted to eject a fluent material including an actuator, and a drive signal supply section adapted to output a signal used to drive the actuator, wherein the actuator includes a first piezoelectric element and a second piezoelectric element connected in series to each other. The drive signal supply section is capable of outputting a first drive waveform and a second drive waveform having a voltage change part steeper than that of the first drive waveform to the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element, outputs the second drive waveform to the second piezoelectric element in a case of outputting the first drive waveform to the first piezoelectric element, and outputs the first drive waveform to the second piezoelectric element in a case of outputting the second drive waveform to the first piezoelectric element.

The disclosure concerns an applicator (e.g. print head) for applying a coating agent (e.g. paint) to a component (e.g. motor vehicle body component), having a nozzle chamber with a plurality of nozzles for dispensing the coating agent in the form of continuous jets or droplets, the coating agent flowing during operation through the nozzle chamber to the nozzles so that the nozzle chamber is filled with the coating agent during operation. The print head further comprises a plurality of slidable valve needles associated with the individual nozzles and selectively opening or closing the respective nozzle depending on the position of the valve needles. Furthermore, the print head according to the disclosure contains an actuator chamber for receiving actuators for displacing the valve needles. In addition, the applicator according to the disclosure has a sealing element which fluidically separates the actuator chamber from the nozzle chamber in order to avoid contamination of the actuator chamber with the coating agent in the nozzle chamber. The disclosure provides that the sealing element is designed such that the individual valve needles can be displaced independently of one another without a displacement of one of the valve needles impairing the opening and closing of the nozzles at the adjacent valve needle.

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a liquid discharge head configured to discharge a liquid and a circuitry configured to drive the liquid discharge head. The liquid discharge head includes multiple nozzles from each of which the liquid is dischargeable, multiple valves configured to openably close the multiple nozzles, respectively, and multiple drivers configured to respectively drive the multiple valves, and the circuitry controls a voltage to be applied to the multiple drivers according to a number of driven valves of the multiple valves to be simultaneously driven.

The invention relates to a method for the rapid manufacture of a three-dimensional workpiece from a molten material (1), in particular a molten metal, in which method the molten material (1) is supplied to a compression chamber (2) and delivered in drop form via an injector hole (4) by means of a pressure pulse which is generated with the aid of a reciprocating piston (3) that delimits the compression chamber (2). According to the invention, the compression chamber (2) is degassed before manufacturing begins and/or during a pause in the manufacturing. In a first step, ultrasonic waves are coupled into the molten material (1) in the compression chamber (2), which generate a force (F.sub.Bjrk) that makes the gas in the molten material (1) sink, and in a second step, after the ultrasonic excitation has ended, the piston (3) is introduced deeper into the compression chamber (2) in order to remove the rising gas via a conduit (5) of the piston (3). The invention also relates to a device for carrying out the method according to the invention.

A method for operating a liquid droplet dispensation system is provided. The method includes dispensing a first droplet of a first fluid sample from a reservoir at a first pressure, measuring a first velocity of the first droplet, and measuring a first mass of the first droplet. The method further includes dispensing a second droplet of the first fluid sample from the reservoir at a second pressure, measuring a second velocity of the second droplet, and measuring a second mass of the second droplet. The method further includes dispensing a droplet of a second fluid sample from the reservoir at a third pressure, measuring a third velocity of the droplet of the second fluid sample, and determining a mass of the droplet of the second fluid sample based upon the first, second and third velocities, the first, second and third pressures, and the first and second masses.

A liquid discharge device includes a liquid discharge head including nozzles configured to discharge a liquid, a carriage mounting the liquid discharge head and movable, a wiper configured to wipe a nozzle surface of the liquid discharge head, and a wiper mover configured to hold and move the wiper between a facing position at which the wiper faces the nozzle surface and a standby position at which the wiper does not face the nozzle surface. The carriage movably holds the liquid discharge head and the wiper mover as a single unit.

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a head including a discharge port. The head discharges a liquid from the discharge port toward an object. The liquid discharge apparatus further includes a liquid receiving surface that receives the liquid discharged from the discharge port, a contact part that contacts the discharge port, a moving unit that holds at least one of the liquid receiving surface and the contact part, and a holder. The moving unit is movable between a facing position where at least one of the liquid receiving surface and the contact part faces the discharge port and a position where the liquid receiving surface and the contact part do not face the discharge port. The holder movably holds the discharge port of the head in a discharge direction to discharge the liquid.

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a holder, a fixing member, multiple liquid dischargers, and multiple couplings. The fixing member is detachably attached to the holder. The multiple liquid dischargers are secured to the fixing member and arranged side by side in a vertical arrangement direction. The multiple liquid dischargers include respective liquid conveyors. The multiple couplings couple the respective liquid conveyors and respective liquid containers, One of the liquid conveyors of a lower one of the multiple liquid dischargers is longer in a direction intersecting the vertical arrangement direction than another one of the liquid conveyors of an upper one of the multiple liquid dischargers above the lower one.

A liquid discharge head includes: a nozzle plate having multiple nozzles from each of which a liquid is to be discharged; a housing supporting a peripheral edge of the nozzle plate; a liquid channel between the nozzle plate and the housing; and a coupling portion coupling an inner region of the peripheral edge of the nozzle plate and the housing.

A liquid discharge head includes a nozzle plate having a discharge port, and a valve facing the nozzle plate to open and close the discharge port. The valve includes a core having a recess, and an elastic member attached to the core. The recess has: an opening rim on a leading end of the core, the opening rim defining an opening of the recess opening toward the discharge port; a bottom face opposite to the opening rim; and a retaining portion having a width wider than a width of a portion other than the retaining portion of the recess in a width direction. the retaining portion disposed in a rear region between the bottom face and a center of the recess. The elastic member includes a first portion fitted into the recess and a second portion projecting from the opening of the recess toward the discharge port.