Reusable Ultem Ink Cartridge has been developed !
So far, the only ink storage options were: Pilot Con-70, Con-40, or eye-dropper style.
There has been some feedback regarding ink seeping out between converter / grip section.
It is still not 100% clear, but I think the cause of this problem arrises from the injection moulding parting line, as can be seen below (* an O-ring was added to help overcome this issue):
This phenomenon may happen to some Con-70, it seems that there are some small variations for Con-70. They are not made 100% indentically.
The below Con-70 has been used a lot.
You can see barely the parting line almost at the top (because it doesn't engage hard as the area below)
The area where the engagement is hardest, the parting line has completely worn down.
This converter doesn't have any issues with leaking.
Because the clear plastic of the Con-70 is created by injection moulding,
the two halves of the moulds inevitably creates a parting line.
If the plastic part was precision machined, there shouldn't be any issues with our grip section.
So, when the ultem ink cartridge was planned, I knew the ink seeping problem wasn't going to happen,
because both inside of the grip section and the ultem ink cartridge are precision machined.
however, I wanted an extra protection mechanism, that will prevent any unexpected ink leak / seeping out.
* precision of critical areas: ± 0.025mm
the ultem ink cartridge is comprised of three parts, as can be seen below:
1) the body
2) O-ring pusher
3) O-ring
I did my best to make sure the ultem ink cartridge will last very long.
The wall thickness of the ultem is quite thick, and the material itself is very robust material and high quality.
It will be very durable in terms of both mechanically and chemically.
* Max ink fill line (below picture), you can go over it, but be careful as it could overflow !
* Max capacity:
1.0 ml @ max ink fill line
1.3 ml @ topped up
* Inside the cartridge there's an internal helix pattern.
This internal helix pattern facilitates ink to flow down to the opening
the three parts are assembled like this:
when the O-ring pusher is turned,
depending on the direction it is turned, the O-ring pusher will move forward or backward.
when the O-ring pusher moves forward, it will also move the O-ring forward.
eventually the O-ring will compress against the end of the grip section.
*Only a light force is needed, you will be able to feel the light resistance. Do not apply too much force!
through this research, I successfully developed an In-House ink storage mechanism.
I am happy to present you this contraption, and it will be on sale very soon.
I have learned a lot from this project, and it will help us develop new contraptions in the future.
thank you!
