Fluid delivery devices and methods are described, where the device may comprise a piezoelectric actuator operatively coupled to an ampoule with fluid, under a preloading force. The ampoule may comprise a thin-walled thermoplastic package which includes one or more apertures positioned on the wall of the ampoule. The piezoelectric actuator may be configured to clamp at least partially around the circumference of the ampoule and apply oscillations to its wall. The oscillations, typically in ultrasonic frequency, produce cycles of acoustic pressure in the fluid, leading to ejection of the fluid droplets or streams from the apertures.

A fluid discharge apparatus includes a storage chamber, a moving body, a drive mechanism, and a coupling member. The storage chamber includes a discharge port to discharge the fluid. The moving body includes a leading end portion facing the discharge port inside the storage chamber. The drive mechanism is positioned on the opposite side of the moving body to the discharge port, and performs an operation to reciprocate the moving body. The coupling member couples the moving body to the drive mechanism such that the moving body is attachable and detachable. The coupling member includes a biasing section to apply an elastic force in a direction to move the moving body toward the drive mechanism, and, while pressing the moving body against the coupling member, to support the moving body in a state in which the moving body is capable of elastic displacement in a direction toward the discharge port.

A pulsating irrigation device is provided that transforms a fluid flow entering the device to an intermittent pulsating fluid flow that is ejected from the device. The device has a chamber and at least one compressible member in pressure contact with the chamber. The compressible member compresses to assist the formation of the pulses ejected from the device and the fluid within the chamber is substantially sealed from contact with the interior of the compressible member.

The present invention relates to devices and methods for coating surfaces including surfaces of medical devices, in particular the coating of microprojections on microprojection arrays. The present invention also relates to print head devices and their manufacture and to methods of using the print head devices for manufacturing articles such as microprojection arrays as well as to coating the surfaces of microprojection arrays. The present invention also relates to high throughput printing devices that utilize the print heads of the present invention.

A painting robot is provided with painting head unit that has a plurality of nozzles to eject droplets and painting head that is provided with piezoelectric substrate to eject the droplets from nozzles, robot arm to move said painting head unit to a desired position, and paint supply mechanism that may be installed between robot arm and painting head unit. Also, paint supply mechanism is provided with paint supply channel to provide paint towards painting head, return flow channel to recover paint that was not discharged from nozzle, an air-operated paint regulator that has been installed in paint supply channel for which the valve opening position can be adjusted in response to the controlled air pressure, and orifice that has been installed on the downstream side of paint supply channel facing painting head side.

A fluid injection device includes: a pulse generation section that includes a fluid chamber whose volume is changeable, and an inlet flow passage and an outlet flow passage that are connected to the fluid chamber; a first connection flow passage connected to the outlet flow passage, having an end portion; a second connection flow passage connected to the inlet flow passage; a fluid injection opening formed at the end portion of the first connection flow passage, having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the outlet flow passage; a connection flow passage tube including the first connection flow passage and having rigidity adequate to transmit pulses of fluid flowing from the fluid chamber to the fluid injection opening; and a pressure generation section that supplies fluid to the inlet flow passage.

The appliance includes a jet source of fluid, and a nozzle assembly (10) through which the fluid is directed and then out for application to the teeth. A flow interrupter assembly is mounted within the nozzle assembly, such that the interrupter assembly (20) is responsive to the fluid flow to produce momentary successive interruptions of the fluid flow by the action of the interrupter assembly moving from an original position to a flow interrupting position and then returning to its original position as the flow decreases and then is interrupted, due to the fluid flow itself, resulting in a cyclical perturbation in the fluid flow from the nozzle, by flow action alone.

Provided is a microvolume liquid dispensing method in which a variable capacity passage section of a liquid passage in a microvolume liquid dispenser is pressurized from the outside and shrunk in a direction that reduces the internal capacity thereof so that a liquid that is within the variable capacity passage section is pushed toward both a downstream passage section and an up stream passage section. A microvolume of the liquid is pushed toward the downstream passage section as a result of the downstream passage section having a much larger liquid passage resistance than the upstream passage section. It is thus possible to precisely drip a microvolume liquid of a picoliter order from the tip opening of a nozzle by simple control.

Methods for controlling or regulating the volume flow rate of a substance to be sprayed and/or a gas from a nozzle suitable for spraying substances, particularly dispersions, emulsions or suspensions, wherein the nozzle has a nozzle body comprising a nozzle mouthpiece, wherein the nozzle body has an inner pipe, which is connected to a supply for the substance to be sprayed and has an inner wall and a discharge port, and an outer pipe, which is spaced from the inner pipe, is connected to a supply for a gas and has a discharge port, and the discharge port of the inner pipe and the discharge port of the outer pipe are arranged in the region of the nozzle mouthpiece.

An ultrasonically activated water ejector includes a cylindrical water reservoir section configured to temporarily hold water, an ejection nozzle that ejects the water from a lower part of the water reservoir section, a dome-shaped ultrasonic vibration plate disposed in an upper part of the water reservoir section, facing the ejection nozzle, and having a concave spherical surface on a lower side thereof, and a water supply portion having a supply inlet configured to supply the water along the concave spherical surface into the water reservoir section from an outer periphery toward a center of the ultrasonic vibration plate. The water is supplied from the supply inlet to the water reservoir section in an amount greater than the water to be ejected from the ejection nozzle. The water flows along the concave spherical surface from the outer periphery toward the center, and is held in the water reservoir section.