Device for removing dirt or air particles from an ink jet print head of a printing mechanism

In ink jet printing mechanisms having the smallest outlet nozzles required for producing very small ink droplets, there is the risk of foreign bodies blocking these jets. Such blocking can also easily occur due to ink having dried in the nozzles or as a result of ink decayed by ageing. Furthermore, in ink jet print heads, entry of air bubbles must be avoided since these prevent ejection of ink droplets from the outlet nozzles. The risk of outlet nozzles becoming blocked is even greater in ink jet print heads having several ink chambers containing inks of different colours. The invention is based on the object of providing a device for removing dirt or air particles from ink jet print heads producing multi-colour records, which device has a simple construction and is suitable for cheap mass products. This object is achieved in that the supply hoses 17, 18, 19, which connect the ink jet print heads in terms of flow to ink reservoirs 14, 15, 16, rest in each case with a portion 25, 26, 27, 28 against an inner wall 29 of a pump housing 30, arranged spirally one above the other. These portions 25, 26, 27, 28 are charged by a squeezing device progressing spirally in the longitudinal direction and at intervals successively and separately. The drive for the squeezing device can be of low-capacity and inexpensive construction.