Application of the thermal network method to the thermal analysis of thermal printer heads used in high speed thermal printers

The thermal network method was applied to the analysis of thermal heads used in high-speed printers, and the relationships among pertinent variables were obtained. These include heating duration and applied power, which can be more easily measured than temperature. The relationships are exhibited by varying the protective layer thickness as example parameter. It was found that the thermal network method is a very useful tool for preliminary thermal design of a head due to its simplicity and that the effects of a parameter such as the protective layer thickness on the thermal performance of the head become stronger for a shorter heating duration. This means that thermal analysis is of special importance in designing high-speed thermal printers