Toner confinement condition for toner resistivity and electrode

Control of toner movement is an important parameter in the development of digital printing. The conductive toner particles were sprayed onto the lower electrode. An electric field was applied between the two electrodes. The toner moved up and down between the two electrodes by electrostatic force. When the cone shape of the dented electrode replaced the lower plate, conductive toner particles were confined in the dented electrode. This research studied the toner confinement conditions required to form a toner cloud state using the cone shaped dented electrode. We found that the depth of cone-shaped, dented lower electrode, the resistivity of conductive toner and applied voltage between the electrodes are the influencing factors that determine the optimum size of toner cloud confinement and the toner jumping current. The deeper cone shaped, dented electrode reduces the size of the toner cloud confinement and the required toner jumping current. A high resistivity toner produces a larger size toner cloud and decreases the toner jumping current. When a greater amount of toner is placed into the electrode, a larger size toner cloud and greater toner jumping current are obtained. A higher applied voltage reduces the size of the toner cloud and increases the toner jumping current. This research calculated the toner movement direction during jumping using and Elfin program, which allowed us to observe the direction and position of toner cloud movement in addition to the size of the toner cloud. The calculated outcome agrees well with the experimental results.