A micro-valve includes an orifice plate including an orifice. The micro-valve further includes an actuating beam having a first end and a second end. The actuating beam also includes a base layer and a layer of piezoelectric material disposed on the base layer, a bottom electrode layer, and a top electrode layer. At an electrical connection portion of the actuating beam, the layer of piezoelectric material includes a first via, and a portion of the top electrode layer disposed within the first via, and a portion of the bottom electrode disposed beneath the first via. The actuating beam includes a base portion extending from the electrical connection portion and a cantilevered portion extending from the base portion. The cantilevered portion is movable in response to application of a differential electrical signal between the bottom electrode layer and the top electrode layer to one of open or close the micro-valve.

A droplet discharge head includes a plurality of nozzles, first liquid chambers communicating with the nozzles, a first inflow path for supplying a liquid to the first liquid chambers, a first actuator that individually changes pressures of the first liquid chambers, and a second actuator that changes pressures of a plurality of first liquid chambers in common, in which an expansion/contraction amount of the second actuator is larger than that of the first actuator.

The disclosure relates to a print head for applying a coating agent to a component, in particular for applying a paint to a motor vehicle body component, having a nozzle plate, a nozzle in the nozzle plate for dispensing the coating agent, and a valve element movable relative to the nozzle plate for controlling the release of coating agent through the nozzle, the movable valve element closing the nozzle in a closed position, whereas the movable valve element releases the nozzle in an opened position, and having a seal for sealing the nozzle with respect to the movable valve element in the closed position of the valve element. The disclosure provides that the seal is not designed as an elastomer insert on the valve element.

A droplet discharge head includes a lower housing, an upper housing, a nozzle plate, a shaft-shaped member, and a driver. The lower housing includes a flow channel. The upper housing is on the lower housing and detachable from the lower housing. The nozzle plate is on a lower surface of the lower housing. The shaft-shaped member includes a valve element at a tip end of the shaft-shaped member to open and close a nozzle orifice of the droplet discharge head. The shaft-shaped member is reciprocatable in the upper housing. The driver is disposed in the upper housing and reciprocates the shaft-shaped member in an axial direction of the shaft-shaped member. The shaft-shaped member is movable in the axial direction of the shaft-shaped member such that a length of the tip end of the shaft-shaped member protruding from the lower surface of the upper housing is shortened.

A micro-valve includes an orifice plate having a first surface, a second surface and an orifice extending from the first surface to the second surface. An actuating beam is disposed in spaced relation to the orifice plate. The actuating beam includes a base portion and a cantilevered portion. The base portion is separated from the orifice plate by a predetermined distance. The cantilevered portion extends from the base portion such that an overlapping portion thereof overlaps the orifice. The actuating beam is movable between a closed position and an open position. The micro-valve also includes a sealing structure including a sealing member disposed at the overlapping portion of the cantilevered portion. When the actuating beam is in the closed position, the cantilevered portion is positioned such that the sealing structure seals the orifice so as to close the micro-valve.

A liquid discharge head includes a nozzle forming member having a nozzle configured to discharge liquid; an opening and closing member configured to open and close the nozzle; a piezoelectric body configured to expand and contract in an axial direction in response to a drive voltage so as to actuate the opening and closing member such that the nozzle is opened and closed; a first housing member having a cylindrical shape and configured to house the piezoelectric body; and a ground member configured to contact an inner side of the first housing member.

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 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 service tank includes a container having an internal space, the container being provided with an inlet through which ink is introduced into the internal space and a plurality of supply ports through which the ink is supplied, a divider configured to divide the internal space into a plurality of compartments, and a detector configured to detect that the liquid surface of the ink is at an upper limit or a lower limit. The divider is attached between the inlet and a supply port located closest to the inlet. The divider includes a plate that prevents flow of the ink and air between adjacent compartments, an ink opening through which the ink flows between the adjacent compartments, and an air opening through which the air flows between the adjacent compartments. The plate, the ink opening, and the air opening are located in, below, and above the proper area, respectively.

A liquid discharge head includes a nozzle plate having a nozzle from which a liquid is discharged, a housing holding the nozzle plate, a valve that opens and closes the nozzle, an expandable driver disposed inside the housing, and a restraint. The expandable driver has a first end that supports a rear end of the valve and a second end fixed to the housing. The expendable driver moves the valve in a longitudinal direction to push a leading end of the valve against the nozzle to close the nozzle. The restraint positions the second end with respect to the housing in the longitudinal direction. A difference between ΔL1 and ΔL2 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, where ΔL1 represents a thermal deformation amount of a first length due to temperature change, and ΔL2 represents a thermal deformation amount of a second length due to the temperature change.