User Manual

The Technologies behind PrecisionCore
Tech Focus:
Thin Film Piezo (TFP)
A piezo crystal has the property that it flexes
or changes shape when an electrical volt-
age is applied to it. This motion is the driving
force of the tiny “ink pumps” in every nozzle
of Epson’s printheads. In general, the thinner
the piezo element, the more it flexes.
Conventional piezo printheads are created
by precisely machining pieces of piezo
crystal. For its PrecisionCore Thin Film Piezo
(TFP) print chips, Epson uses a proprietary
process to form a dense PZT piezo crystal
element just 1 micron thick on a silicon wa-
fer, resulting in outstanding actuator perfor-
mance.
Micro Electro Mechanical Systems
(MEMS) Manufacturing
Below you can see magnified images of the
ink cavities, piezo actuators, and nozzles
from the MicroTFP print chip, spaced at 84.7
microns apart. All are created using Epson’s
MEMS manufacturing techniques. MEMS
technology builds tiny mechanical systems
on silicon or glass using semiconductor IC
chip fabrication techniques, and is used
to create accelerometers for automobiles
and mobile phones, parts used in hard disk
drives, and other devices indispensible in
modern society. By merging MEMS pro-
cesses with its advanced piezo material
science, Epson has been able to create mi-
croscopic, high-performance actuators and
form high-accuracy ink channels, enabling
precise, high-speed ink ejection.
Precision Assembly
These print chips are then connected to ink
reservoirs, filters and electronics, and finally
encased on fully-automated assembly lines
featuring Epson’s leading-edge factory auto-
mation, with almost no human intervention.
Six-axis scalar robots work in unison with
proprietary image processing and assem-
bly technology to produce a steady flow of
encased chip assemblies, which form the
platform for the respective print heads.
Electron microscope image of a PZT piezo
crystal cross-section.
Piezo actuators
Ink cavities
0.55mm
84.7 microns
Ink ow path
Nozzles
The key components in the PrecisionCore print chip
Epson robots on the production lines
PrecisionCore white paper
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