Model-free optimization based feedforward control for an inkjet printhead

Inkjet is an important technology in document printing and many new industrial applications. As inkjet developments are moving towards higher productivity and quality, it is required to achieve small droplet size which is fired at a high jetting frequency. Inkjet printers are now widely used to form conductive traces for circuits, as well as color filters in LCD and plasma displays, what makes the printing quality an important issue. In this paper, an optimization-based feedforward control is proposed to improve the printing quality of the piezoelectric inkjet printer. A novel optimized input pulse is proposed and a model-free optimization is applied to obtain the optimal parameters of the proposed pulse. The proposed optimal pulse is applied to the inkjet printhead and the system performance is investigated.