Dimatix Standard Operating Procedure

Contents

1 Start up

2 Install Ink Cartridge and Cleaning Pad

3 Pattern to Print

3.1 Load Pattern

3.2 Create your own pattern

3.3 Bitmap File Printing

4 Load Substrate

5 Print Pattern on Substrate

6 Unload Substrate

7 Shut Down

8 Optimization of Ink Jetting

8.1 Saber Angle Check

8.2 Drop Offset Adjustment

8.3 Re-adjustment of Nozzle Velocities

8.4 Maximum Jetting Frequency

9 Supplemental Document

1. Start up

1. Turn on the power of Dimatix injet printer.

2. Click the DMP 2800 icon on the computer screen.

3. The following dialog box shows up. If the printer platen is unobstructed, click "OK".

4. Wait until the initialization of the printer is done.

5. The "Select Cartridge Settings" dialog box shows up after the initialization. Click "Yes".

• Dimatix Model Fluid 2 Cartridge Settings are default.
• You can load the different cartridge settings later.

6. The "Select Pattern" tab shows up.

2. Install Ink Cartridge and Cleaning Pad

1. Open the "Replace Cartridge" tab.

2. Lift up the lid until it is fully open.

3. Release the cartridge holder latch by squeezing clamps on the right side of the holder.

4. Insert an ink cartridge into the cartridge holder (There is only one way for it to fit).

• See "Preparation of Ink Cartridge" in Dimatix Recipes.
• Make sure to push it down firmly so that it “clicks” into place.

5. Pull the cartridge holder latch forward and down until you hear it click and locks into place.

• Check to see that the cartridge is sitting flat in the holder.

6. Replace the cleaning pad if necessary.

1. Taking the top clear cap of a new Cleaning Pad assembly and push it down on the old pad until you hear a click and then simply pull it out.
2. Insert the new pad and holder by pushing the pad and holder down into the spot where the old one was until you hear a click.

• Note: You can also replace the cleaning pad when you click "Replace Cleaning Pad" in the drop-down menu of "Tools" on top of the screen.

7. Close the lid of the printer.

8. The "Select Cartridge Settings" dialog box shows up again.

1. If you want to load your cartridge settings, then click "No". Choose your settings from the file.
2. Otherwise, click "Yes".

3. Pattern to Print

3.1 Load Pattern

1. The "Select Pattern" tab shows up.

2. Click the "Select" button in the "Print Pattern" box in the tab.

3. Patterns file is opened. Choose the pattern you want to use.

4. Depending on the pattern, the dialog box pops up, and requires the head angle adjustment.

• Refer to "Adjustment of the head angle of the cartridge" in Dimatix Recipes.

5. Open the lid, and adjust the head angle as the dialog box says.

6. Close the lid.

7. Click the green "Next" button on the bottom of screen to go to the "Load/Unload Substrate" tab.

3.2 Create your own pattern

1. Click "Tools" in the menu bar.

2. Choose the "Pattern Editor" from the drop-down menu.

3. Pattern Editor window shows up (See the detail of "Pattern Editor" in Dimatix Recipes).

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4. Click the "Preview Drops" button in the middle of the "Pattern Editor" window.

5. Preview Drops window shows up, so that you can monitor the pattern you design.

6. Create a feature in the pattern block by placing the cursor on the Preview Drops window.

1. Place the cursor in a Block.
2. Hold the Shift key down and point.
3. Left click.
4. Drag to create a rectangle.

• A line containing the values of your newly created feature are automatically added to the table in the "Pattern Block Drop Position" box.
• You can edit it out by changing the values manually in the "Pattern Block Drop Position" table later.

7. Save your created file.

8. To print your pattern, select your file in the "Print Pattern" box in the main screen.

3.4 Bitmap File Printing

1. Click "Tools" in the menu bar.

2. Choose the "Pattern Editor (Bitmap images)" from the drop-down menu.

3. The "Image to Pattern Converter" window shows up .

4. Click "File" on top of the window.

5. Choose the "Open BMP" from the drop-down menu.

6. Load your BMP file from the file directory.

7. Your BMP pattern shows up in the screen.

8. You can edit the parameters (See the detail of "Bitmap File Printing" screen in Dimatix Recipes).

9. When all of the parameters are correct, save your file as a ptf pattern file.

10. To print your pattern, select your file in the "Print Pattern" box in the main screen.

4. Load Substrate

1. The "Load/Unload Substrate" tab is opened.

2. Open the lid.

3. Place the substrate on the printer platen.

• Make sure that the printing origin is the mark in the upper left corner of the platen, which is a general substrate registration position.
• If the preview screen shows the different location of origin before printing, then register the origin in the Fiducial Camera Window (See the detail in Dimatix Recipes).

4. You can change or edit the print pattern by clicking the "Select" or "Edit" button, if necessary.

5. Input the thickness of the substrate.

• The thickness of a glossy ink jet paper would be 250 micron.

6. Set the temperature of the print platen, if you want to heat the platen up.

7. Turn on the "Vacuum" button in the tab.

8. Click the green "Next" button on the bottom of screen to go to the "Print Set-Up" tab.

Note:

9. If you use a new ink cartridge or replace an ink cartridge, it is necessary to perform optimization of the ink jetting posted on the bottom of this page before printing procedure.

10. Otherwise, go to the next step.

5. Print Pattern on Substrate

1. The "Print Set-Up" tab is opened.

2. Make sure that Print Pattern, Substrate Settings, and Cartridge Settings are OK.

• If not, you can change or edit those settings.

3. Click "File" in the menu bar.

4. Make sure that "Printer Preview Enabled" is checked, so that the Print Preview screen can be seen before printing.

5. Click the green "Print" button on the right bottom of the window.

6. The print preview screen shows up.

7. If the preview is OK, then click the "Print" button on the bottom of screen.

8. The Dimatix ink jet printer starts printing.

6. Unload Substrate

1. Turn off the "Vacuum" button after printing.

2. Lift up the lid until it is fully open.

3. Take out the substrate.

4. Close the lid.

7. Shut Down

1. Exit DMP 2800 program.

2. Shut down the computer.

3. Turn off the power of Dimatix injet printer.

8. Optimization of Ink Jetting

8.1 Saber Angle Check

• seeDimatix Recipes.

8.2 Drop Offset Adjustment

• Also see Dimatix Recipes.

1. Click the "Fiducial Camera" button on the bottom left of the main screen.

2. Fiducial Camera screen shows up.

2. Choose "Set Drop Offset" from the drop-down menu in the Tools

3. The following window pops up.

4. To start, you must have the cartridge set to the angle required by your pattern.

5. Click Next.

6. The following dialog box shows up.

7. Move to the position where you can print the test pattern.

1. Place the cursor on the small "Platen" display of the "Move Controls" box.
2. Click on the position where you want to move the cartridge.
3. X- and Y-position boxes in the "Move Controls" box also indicate the position. You can adjust the position by inputting the value into the position boxes.
4. Click the "Move" button.

7. Place the cursor on the large Fiducial camera display.

8. Click in the Fiducial camera display to select the print location.

9. The following dialog box shows up.

10. After the test pattern has been printed, the following dialog box shows up.

11. To show the printed test pattern in the display, move the image of the Fiducial camera display by clicking and holding on the X+, X-, Y+, or Y- button in the "Move Controls" box.

12. The Fiducial camera display ends up with showing the following image.

12. Click on the center of the single spot.

Note: The fiducial camera usually comes to a point somewhere below the line so you only have to move in negative y direction to find the line.

13. This routine is now completed. Click the Finish button.

• Note: If the drop offset is determined to be outside the normal range, it needs to be repeated after verifying that the first nozzle selected in the cartridge settings is jetting properly and that the cartridge is positioned well in the holder.

14. This has now adjusted any positional offset from the newly installed cartridge to fiducial camera which you set the origins and reference points with.

8.3 Re-adjustment of Nozzle Velocities

1. Click the "Drop Watcher" button on the bottom left of the main screen.

2. The "Drop Watcher" screen shows up with the "Cartridge Settings" window.

• Also see Dimatix Recipes.

3. Make sure that the cartridge temperature on the bottom of the CCD display indicates the set-temperature which is shown in the "Cartridge" tab in the "Cartridge Settings" window.

• If not, then re-install the cartridge into the holder.

4. To automatically control the stage motion to keep the nozzles in line when drop watching, perform the "Calibrate Nozzle View" procedure (also see Dimatix Recipes), if necessary.

1. Choose "Calibrate Nozzle View" from the drop-down menu in the Tools of the "Drop Watcher" screen.
2. The screen image should be close to nozzle 1. Find nozzle 1 (the right most orifice).
   1. If you can not find nozzle 1, place the cursor on the display and click-drag it until you find nozzle 1 in the display.
   2. Then, put mouse pointer on the nozzle and click-drag it to the cross-hair on the screen.
   3. Use the focus buttons as necessary to refine the nozzle’s focus.
3. Click the "Next" button and drag the image to the right until nozzle 16 (the leftmost nozzle) is under the cross hair.
   1. Use the focus buttons again as necessary to refine the nozzle’s focus.
4. Click "Next" again and you are done calibrating the nozzle view. Now, when you select any nozzle from one to sixteen, the selected nozzle should be close to the 0 line opening, and in focus.

5. Click on the "Run Now" button in the "Cleaning" box on the top left of the screen to clean the cartridge.

6. After cleaning the cartridge, click on the "All On" button on the top right of the screen to start ink jetting from all nozzles.

• You can also start ink jetting from an individual nozzle by checking a box in "Firing Nozzles" box on the top of the screen.

7. You can change viewing mode and capture control.

1. Movie Title or Capture Movie: If Movie Mode box is checked, it lets you watch a stroboscopic movie of drops in flight as they are ejected from the nozzle. This is real time continuous jetting of the nozzles. Checking this box also changes the buttons Image Title and Capture Image to Movie Title or Capture Movie.
2. Image Title and Capture Image: If Movie Mode box is not checked, then the drops appear to be frozen in flight. This mode can be used for closer inspection and measurement. By adjusting the strobe delay you freeze the drop at different positions after it leaves the nozzle. Notice that this is still real time continuous jetting.

8. For example, the following picture shows ink jetting from nozzle 1 to 6, using "Image Title and Capture Image" mode. As you can see in the picture, the drops from the nozzles appear to be frozen and the positions are aligned, meaning that the nozzle velocities of the drops are almost the same.

• If you click on the "All On" button, all of the boxes in the "Firing Nozzles" box are checked.

9. If the positions of the drops are different, you have to adjust the Firing voltage in the "Waveform" tab or the cartridge temperature in the "Cartridge" tab in the "Cartridge Settings" window, next to the "Drop Watcher" screen.

• To move the image, place the cursor on the display and click-drag it in the direction you want.
• If you have some trouble, see the following trouble shootings inDimatix Recipes.

10. When you align all of the drop positions, then save the cartridge setting.

11. Re-adjustment of the drop velocities is finished.

8.4 Maximum Jetting Frequency

1. Keep opening the "Drop Watcher" and the "Cartridge Settings" windows.

2. Go to the main screen, and choose "Waveform Editor" from the drop-down menu of the Tools in the main screen.

3. The "Waveform Editor" window shows up.

• Also see the detail of "Waveform" in Dimatix Recipes.

4. Start ink jetting from one of nozzles, using the "Drop Watcher" window.

5. Input 80 kHz in the "Maximum Jetting Frequency" box in the middle right of the window.

• This value dictates the scale for the Jetting Frequency Maximum in the "Drop Watcher" window.

6. Save the waveform as your own file.

7. Click the "Select" button in the "Select Waveform" box of the "Waveform" tab in the "Cartridge Settings" window.

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8. Load your waveform file.

9. The scale of "Firing Frequency" in the "Firing Control" box in the "Drop Watcher" window expands to 80 kHz.

10. Adjust the "Firing Frequency" in the "Drop Watcher" window to establish the maximum sustainable jetting frequency in the drop watcher.

• It is essential to ensure that the maximum jetting frequency setting in the waveform file does not exceed the frequency used to optimize jetting in the drop watcher.

11. Edit and save the waveform by using the "Edit" button of the "Waveform" tab in the "Cartridge Settings" window.

• Note: Failure to do so could result in:

1. Jetting frequencies that are beyond the limits of your fluid to sustain
2. Misdirections
3. Poor sustainability
4. Unacceptable print quality.

9. Supplemental Document