According to one embodiment, a liquid dispensing apparatus includes a mounting unit configured to hold a liquid discharging apparatus that discharges liquid from nozzles simultaneously by an operation of an actuator. An inspection media placement region is provided on which an inspection medium can be placed to receive the liquid discharged from the liquid discharging apparatus. A controller is configured to control the actuator to vary a volume of the liquid discharged from each nozzle for a nozzle inspection operation. The volume is varied according to a predetermined distance between adjacent nozzles that simultaneously discharge liquid and a predetermined contact angle for a droplet of the liquid when on the inspection medium.

According to one embodiment, an actuator of a liquid ejection head is supplied with a drive signal including a first waveform and at least one second waveform. First waveform includes a first change from a first voltage to a second voltage, and a second change from the second voltage to a third voltage less than the first voltage. A second waveform begins after a time equal to one half of the natural oscillation period of liquid in a pressure chamber of the liquid ejection head. The second waveform includes a change from the third voltage to the second voltage and a change from second voltage to the third voltage after a time less than one half of the natural oscillation period.

According to one embodiment, a liquid ejection device includes a nozzle plate in which nozzles for ejecting liquid are arranged, an actuator, a liquid supply unit, and a drive control unit. The actuator is provided in each of the nozzles. The liquid supply unit communicates with the nozzles. When one of a plurality of nozzles is given attention, the drive control unit gives drive signals to actuators of nozzles adjacent in an X direction and a Y direction, to drive the actuators at a timing shifted by a predetermined amount, such as half of a drive period, from a timing of an actuator of the nozzle given attention.

A liquid discharge apparatus includes an actuator and a drive circuit. The actuator is configured to cause liquid to be discharged from a nozzle. The drive circuit is configured to apply a waveform to the actuator during a discharge cycle in accordance with a discharge trigger and to cause a voltage of the actuator to be maintained at a value from an end of the discharge cycle until reception of a subsequent discharge trigger.

A drive circuit of a liquid ejecting device includes a first switch, a second switch, and a signal processing circuit. The first switch is connected between a first potential and an output terminal through which a drive signal is transmitted to an actuator of a liquid ejecting device. The second switch is connected between the output terminal and a second potential lower than the first potential. The signal processing circuit is configured to detect a difference between a waveform of a target drive signal and the drive signal waveform output at the output terminal, and to cause the first switch and the second switch to be off when an absolute value of the difference is less than a threshold value.

An ink ejecting device includes: a head that ejects ink from a plurality of nozzles arranged along a Y-axis direction parallel to a direction in which a recording medium is conveyed; an X-axis moving mechanism that moves the head in an X-axis direction orthogonal to the Y-axis direction on the horizontal plane; a control unit that performs scanning in which the head is moved in the X-axis direction and that causes the head to eject ink during the scanning; and a Z-axis moving mechanism that moves the head in a Z-axis direction orthogonal to the Y-axis and X-axis directions.

A printer is configured to provide a jet of extraction gas that extracts a printing fluid from a printing nozzle in the presence of an electrostatic field that accelerates the extracted printing fluid toward a printing substrate. The printer is also configured to selectively turn the electrostatic field and the jet of extraction gas off and on to enable printing in an aerosol mode, an e-assisted aerosol mode, or an e-jet mode. The jet of gas can be provided by a second nozzle concentric with the printing nozzle. A third nozzle can discharge a focusing gas around the aerosol.

A liquid discharge apparatus includes a nozzle plate and a drive controller. The nozzle plate includes an array of nozzles arranged in a first direction and a plurality of actuators corresponding to the nozzles, respectively. The array includes first, second, and third nozzles arranged in the first direction. The actuators include first, second, and third actuators corresponding to the first, second, and third nozzles, respectively. The drive controller is configured to apply a drive signal to the first, second, third actuators during a drive cycle. The drive signal is applied to the first actuator at a timing different from a timing at which the drive signal is applied to the third actuator by an odd number multiple of a half of an inherent vibration cycle of the liquid discharge apparatus.

An actuator device includes: an actuator including a first element contact; and a wire member including (a) a first contact connected to the first element contact and (b) a first wire configured to conduct with the first contact. A first wide portion is formed at a distal end portion of the first wire at an edge portion of the wire member. The first wide portion is disposed beyond the first element contact in a wire direction of the first wire. The first contact is disposed at a basal end portion of the first wire. The basal end portion is located further from the edge portion of the wire member than the first wide portion. The first contact is connected to the first element contact.

A droplet ejector for a printhead comprises: a substrate having a mounting surface and an opposite nozzle surface; at least one electronic component integrated with the substrate; a nozzle-forming layer formed on at least a portion of the nozzle surface of the substrate; a fluid chamber defined at least in part by the substrate and at least in part by the nozzle-forming layer, the fluid chamber having a fluid chamber outlet defined at least in part by a nozzle portion of the said nozzle-forming layer; a piezoelectric actuator formed on at least a portion of the nozzle portion of the nozzle-forming layer; and a protective layer covering the piezoelectric actuator and the in nozzle forming layer. The piezoelectric actuator comprises a piezoelectric body provided between first and second electrodes. At least one of the said first and second electrodes is electrically connected to the at least one electronic component. The piezoelectric body comprises one or more piezoelectric materials processable at a temperature below 450 C.