CA2185838A1 - Method for manufacturing a fluid cavity in an ink jet print head - Google Patents
Method for manufacturing a fluid cavity in an ink jet print headInfo
- Publication number
- CA2185838A1 CA2185838A1 CA 2185838 CA2185838A CA2185838A1 CA 2185838 A1 CA2185838 A1 CA 2185838A1 CA 2185838 CA2185838 CA 2185838 CA 2185838 A CA2185838 A CA 2185838A CA 2185838 A1 CA2185838 A1 CA 2185838A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- cavity
- wire
- fluid cavity
- manufacturing
- resonator
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/015—Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process
- B41J2/02—Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process generating a continuous ink jet
- B41J2/025—Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process generating a continuous ink jet by vibration
Landscapes
- Particle Formation And Scattering Control In Inkjet Printers (AREA)
Abstract
A continuous ink jet printing system includes a resonator having an internal fluid cavity An initial aperture is drilled through the internal fluid cavity. A wire electrical discharge machining process is then applied to the surface of the internal fluid cavity to achieve a desired aperture dimension. The final aperture can be honed to improve surface finish.
Description
~ .
METHOD FOR MA~VPACTURI~G A
FLUID t:~VITY IN ~ INK JET PRI~ HEAD
T~ 'n i ~J~ 1 Field ~he pre~ent invention relate~ co ~,~ntin~ 7l~ ink jet r-~ntf~rs and, more particularly, to a method for ~ f;~ ri~g a ~luid cavlty in an irlk jet print head to provide a sf raight and unifo~
bor~ for ink drop9 exit~ng the ~luid ca~rity ~ rlr~ inlc jet pri~teri co~pri3e a series o~ rir~ and 1uidic , q, including a~ orifice plate zuld a charge plate, ~or generating one or more rows of letS of ink and qelectively charging the ink droplets as th~y fo~m from the je~s. Typicall~, there may be several hundred jeto for~ed i~ each row, and each j~i:t may ~e sti latpd to produce drops of ink ac a given ra~e. ~11 ~such d~ops fall throu~h an elec~7~ical de~lection field, and those ~hich are c~arged a;e l~f 7 PCtPd into a catcher u... ~ drops ar~ deposited on a prirlt media positioned below the print head.
In general, contiIluoue ink je~ printins have a prin~ head ~n;fo7~ to ~hich ink ia ~rp~ under p~ev ,- Le so a1 to issue in streams from a print head orifice plate thar is ir~ liquid i~ tir~n ~,tith the fluid cavity Periodic 3~ L~cions are i~po~ed on ~he li~uid streams, ~uch ZLS vibrations }~y an el~ ' it~l t~e~ ~, to c~use the ~3trea~s to break-up into uni~ormly giz¢d and alhaped drople~s.
A ~harge plate, compri8ing an ar_ay o~
~ddre~sable el~s_s~vd~6, i8 located prox~mate the srrearn~3 b_eak-of ~ points to induce an electrical ~1 85838 .
charge. selectively, on adjacent droplets, in accord ~7ith pri~t i nfonnation signals . C~argqd drople~a ~Lre defle~ted ~rom their nominal rrajectory. Fo~
cxample, in a co~nmon, binary, printing mode, charged or non-print drople~ are ~:^f 1 e~d in~o a catcher device and non-char5ed droplets proce~d to the print medium ~h2 ~ s---i h--~ Abovo should be precisely sized and posirioned to achieve accurate ~la- ' of droplets o~ the print raedlum or on the catcher faee One of the critical requirements in ink jet printers i3 an orii~e pl~te whlch will produce several hundred ~ets o ink which are precisely posit;rnPd, pre~isely rs~A11PI, and precisely uni:Eorm ln di: ~r alld ~;h~pe. The oriflce plate is A~=Cl~iAt~ with a ~- ~tnr body ~hich defines a ~luid ~aYity and includes an opening for ~jectlng fluid ~rom the cavit~.
In ~ OL~, ~uch as those described in U.S Patent ~o. 4,999,6~7, it is known to be r-c~e~ >~r to apply ~--^hin;~ techniques to the ~urface of the re~lonator c~vity area in order to achie1re the appropriate ~ n in the area where ink i!~ brought into and expelled from the resonacor.
For example, drilling in rom both ends of the r~ n~ toward the midd~e o~ the resonator to creat~3 the f luid eavity, haa bee~ a~
U..~o~ Luu~tely, mil;-al~gnment o~ holea drilled from the two ~nds o~ the cavity can occur. Thi~: mis-;-- ir ' can be due to a drl~ting of the hole d~lring a drilling operation. ~his mis-alignmeht h2s the undesirable result of trapping air and debris in thl~ fluid cavicy during cros~-flu3h Thi~ also glYes non-uni~orm walls, ~hich adYer3ely afCecta stimulation. This ag2in yields non-uniform caYlty ~ 2~85838 walls, which can adverqely a~Fect qt; l;~tit~rn A
drit in the cavity 1~ n~ as it pas~es through the r~o~:~tnr can be partially overcon~e ~y --~nini the excerior of the drop 3-~rPr~nr to be ~;cuare to the ca~ ty. Althougb resquaring the drop generator to the cavi~y eliminates si~r~i f ir:~nt end to end variatlon ~n ~ore lc-r:~f it~n, the bore Cbn still drii~t in the interior of the drop gellerator. This c~n still result is~ non-uni~orm gt~ ~ti~n ampli~ude lD Additionally, drilling does not give a uni~or~
~urface ~ini h, which c~n lead to particles be$ng generacea ~ n side the cavity.
Another .~L~ is to u8e g~m boring to c~eate the fluid cavity. Gun boring te~ds to gi~e lrsY drife ~n th~ holes than a standard dr~lling operation Gun bor-ng allows ~he cavity to be drill~d from one side, avoiding the m; - ~h in the center. Unfortunat~ly, the bore location and diam~er cah still vary excessi~ely. Also, the differ~llce in alignment l~rom one e~d o the cavity to the other C2Ul be several ~ils with the g~n boring process, ~ith all the same :-QSO~;~t~ Al ;5 proble~s which arige ~ith other -^^h; ~
r~rhnjS[--~q Thig again yield~ non-uniforTn ca~ity wa11g, Whlch can a.lv~ ly af~ect sti l~tion. A
drift in che cavity lo~-~ti~n as it pa~ges thro~gh the c~ n~tor can be partially ~verc by ----hi n; r~
the ~ ri r~r o~ the drop ~n~ t~r to be square to ~he cavi~y. Altho~lgh resquaring che d~op generator to the cavity ~1 ;m;n~-t.~e: si~nific~nt end to end variacion in bore location, ehe bore can still drl~t in the interior o~ the d~op generator. rhis can Eitill r~sult in non-u~i~orm Ytimulation a~plitude Since ~he ~luid calriey d; ~ so 3s ~n~all and precise, most --~-hinir~g nethods are 2 ~ 85838 impractical, r~ n~ resquaring of the ourer di ~i~r~: o~ the drop generator ~o the bore.
v~ri2tions in the cavity location and ~ 3r result in changes i~ 10~ rL~ 'y and non-S uniform vibration amplitude of the re~on~tor Changing ~he r~J~ frequen~y o~ the r~q~At~
adversely affectfi drop for~ation and pri~t qualit~
Exis~lng '~--h~n;n~J yrO~ 3~e~ also create ~ rough s~rface ~ h on the r~nn~to2~, ~ebulting in several print problems. For exa~ple, the rough finiah can allow rh~ ~ 3~nc~ of air in the print bar Debris hrP~ n~ o~f ~rom the rough finish can cauffe crooked or clcgged j etfi .
It i8 qeen then that there existff a need ~or an ~ d method of r~-n~-f:~r~--ring the fluid cavity ~n an ink ~et print head ~.rhicb ~l;~1nar~7 th~
pr~ typically cau~ed by existing rA^^hining ~ ~,.,~.,J~3.
~ ~ of ~he In~eneion This need is met ~y the method according to the presenr invenrio33, wherein ~ fluid cavity in ~m ink j et print head i~ manu~actured to provide a ~traigh~ and uniform bore for ink drop~ exiting the fluld cavi~y. Since the bore is uni~or~ alld fi~raight, and p~ to the outer ~ nc, the~e i3 no need to ~egQuare any r~ ncl, In accordance with one a~p~ct Of the pre3ent invenrion, a c~n~;m~ ink ~et printing system ~hC~ q a resonator having an ;nt~rn~l fluid cavity Init1ally, a small ~irfit pilot hole or aE":r~uL~ is drilled through the ~ onator to ~acilltare feoding ~ wlre through the resonator.
~rJing this u~r~, an electric~l digch~ge ----hin;~
~13DM~ proces ~ i~ applied ~o the sur~ace of the 2 ~ 85838 in~rn:~l fluid cavi~y. The path for the wire de~lne~: the desir~3d ~inal aperture dirlension, creating a t~niform rnd 8~ h~- ~2vity. A f~n~.-h;n~
or honing step can be applied to improve the texture ~f the fis~al cavity~ as needed.
Accor~ingly, it is an object o~ the present inventios~ to provide an i ~ d slu~ace ~inish for the resonator cavi~y o~ an ink jet printing sy~tem. The improved surface finish has th~3 ~dvantage of i~rovi~g drop forma~ion and print quality The present invenrion haa thc further advantage of prOviaing re unlforr~ _ lit~d~ along the re~onator Finally, the tf~rhni~ o~ rhe present invention allowg for various ~ on~
hole~!;, rather than being re~rricted to round hole3, there~y offering pQt~t~r;~l fluid flow a~v~ L~y~
other o}~jects~ and advantages of the invention ~ill be apparent from the folloYing description, the =~ inçJ ~-AYin~c and the 2 0 ~ claim~l R~ief Descriptio4 of the Dra~inqs Fig. 1 illust~at~s a por~ion o~ a print head ~ u--u~ :, including a resonator, for ~6~r;hin~ ~he r~h~;51up of the pres~nt inven~ion;
Figs 2A and 2B illustra~e the rf~ nAt~r of Pig 1; and Figs 3A and 3EI illustnlte the ~l7ire ED~
process applied to the resonator, in a~o~ e with 3 0 the p~esent invention .
DeCailed De~cri~tion of the Pref erred ~ boc~
12efer~ing to the drawlngs, i n Fig 1 i?ortio~ oi~ a prlnt head 10 of an ink jet printer ~Iystem 1~ il~ u:3~rated. The print head lo is ~ ~ 1 8583~
co~prised of a resonator 12 haviry ~R~; ~t~r2 ping 28. The re~onator 12 is typically constructed ol~ ~ stainless steel material in the form o~ a pre~t~r~;nC~y dimenEiioned rectangalar ~olid. ~e p~int head 10 further comp~ises a drop selection mea~s 14 I`he print head lo de~ines one or more ro-~g of ori~ices on an orifice plate 16, of the r~c~n~tnr 12 which rec~ive an electrically ~nn~ ti~e recording ~lUid, I;uch a~ a water b~Lse 0 ink, ;Erom a pressurized ~luid supply rr~ntz~ n~ in a fluid cavity 18. ~rh~ ~luid i5 ejected fro~ the r~C~t~r ~hroush aperture 19 in ro~s of parallel strealns 20 as ink droplets ZZ. A drop catcher de~rice 24 and a charge plate 26 de_ine the drop sele~tio~ mean~ 1~ for selectively charging and de~lecting ~he drops 22 in each of the streams and depositing at least ~ome of the drops 22 on a print rec.-iving rledi~
It ~ill be und~rstood ~hat the pri~t zo head 10 and r~aor~nr 12 cooFe:r~tC~ with other known u23ed in i~k jet print~s- Tho prl~r. head 10 2nd r~ ro~ 12 ~unction to produce th~ desired YtreamS of unl~onn3 y sized and spaced drops in a highly ~ .c~ condition, Other conti ~luous ink jet printer ~ ~, such as charge and ~fle~t;on ele_2 ~de.6, drop catcher, media feed system and dat2 inpu~ arld machine co~trol elect~onlc~ ~not shown) cooperate with t}~e drop strealr~s, ~ ,v~ by the print he~d lo to e_fect r~,-n2~n~ C jet printing.
Re~erring now to Figs. 2A and 2B, in accocdance ~i~h the pre~ent invention, the rc~c~n~ r 1~ ig ~--h- n~rl and ground to p:redetermined outer d~ nYi ~c . A8 illus~r2~ed in ~ig. 2s, a pllot hole 3s or ~ rL~ 30 is d~illed through the r~ r~r a2.
2 ~ 85838 The pilot hole 30 is smaller than the final desired cavi~ qize. To hold lo~rinn and ~ n. F~rr~icity~
the r~ t~lr 12 is rr~n~-rl~red at both end~, using any suitable process, such as a C~7C mill E~ig!3 3A and 313 illus~:race the ~ire 1;3M
process ac-orr3; n~J to the present invention, jVhich is applied to ~he resonator lZ following thl3 drilling step illu3traced in Fig 2B. As seen in }~ig. 3A, a ~ire 32 is i~serted through pilot hole 30, and held taut s it moves t~nrin~ tCly throug_ pilo~ ~ole 30, along an axial burn rate path in the direction o~
arrow 34. As the -ire 32 burn~ along i~s axial path, it also rotates around the perimeter of the pilot hole 30 in ~he direccion of arrow 36, grr~ l l y and uniformly ~io'cnil~g the pilot hole or ~P~L LULe~ as illus~rated in Fig 3B, to form the de~lirea cavity 30' The llnif~rmi1-y and ~:~r~h~ne~
of ~ the cavity 30 ', as the cavity 30 ' size approaches the desirod cavity size, is r~- i n~ i n~ using the :2D wi~e ~7M proce3Y. The shape of cavity 30 ~ remains true, even if the shape is not ~ircular Hence, the rtos~ or is ~o~ r~stricted to circlllar cavities, allo-ri~s for ~rariou~i dimensioned cavitie~ to be achieved ZS As the wire 33DM proce33 in~S~ase3 the <~i 'nn13 o~ the initial pil~t hole or ~y~:L~US~: 30, a~d ~.t~ ,dch~ the desired cavity 30 ' di~ension, the ~peed of burn can be changed to impS-oYe the ~ ish.
Addi~ionally, to ~u~thel improve the cexcure ~inish and remove the recast layer of the ~inal caYity, a honing step can be applied ~his 3tep requires the tlce 0~ a honins machine th~t Vill r~moYe a ~mall amo~ of ma~eri~l from the c~vity Thi~ 1~ done by circula~ing a very bigh precision and h~ n~d sto~e in and Otlt of ch~ cavity ~rom both ends. A layer ol~
~ 2 1 85838 reca~ material left over after the ED~ proce~cs ic removed, and a smooth mirror-like finish remainc on the cavity wall. The honin~ step does not introduce a nev diTnension to rhe final aperture, ~ ; ce~
S ~he integri~y of the ~inal aperture, or adversely a~ect ehe trueness or accuracy o~ ehe apere~lre ~; ~ licabilitY and ~`~vantac~ec o ~e precent invention is uceful in the fiela of ink jet printing, and ha~; the advantage of F.l ;m;nJ-tih~ the ~ln~ai-r~ pri~t problen~ caused by ~-Yi ~ rt; n~ f luid ~;tYity ~r ^h i rl i ng 1" ~ 9 ~j~ c . The present invention also provides more u~i~orm amplltuae ~long the r~son~tor, si nce the location and _iz~ of the fluia caYity are nov uni~orm ~av~ns describe~ the invention in detail and ~y re~erence to the preferred A ~ ~i t thereof, lt will be app~re~t that other modification~ and ~;~ ti^r~ are p~nC~ e ~ithout departing frotn ~he scope o~ the invention defined in the ~ 1 claims.
~hat i8 claimed is:
METHOD FOR MA~VPACTURI~G A
FLUID t:~VITY IN ~ INK JET PRI~ HEAD
T~ 'n i ~J~ 1 Field ~he pre~ent invention relate~ co ~,~ntin~ 7l~ ink jet r-~ntf~rs and, more particularly, to a method for ~ f;~ ri~g a ~luid cavlty in an irlk jet print head to provide a sf raight and unifo~
bor~ for ink drop9 exit~ng the ~luid ca~rity ~ rlr~ inlc jet pri~teri co~pri3e a series o~ rir~ and 1uidic , q, including a~ orifice plate zuld a charge plate, ~or generating one or more rows of letS of ink and qelectively charging the ink droplets as th~y fo~m from the je~s. Typicall~, there may be several hundred jeto for~ed i~ each row, and each j~i:t may ~e sti latpd to produce drops of ink ac a given ra~e. ~11 ~such d~ops fall throu~h an elec~7~ical de~lection field, and those ~hich are c~arged a;e l~f 7 PCtPd into a catcher u... ~ drops ar~ deposited on a prirlt media positioned below the print head.
In general, contiIluoue ink je~ printins have a prin~ head ~n;fo7~ to ~hich ink ia ~rp~ under p~ev ,- Le so a1 to issue in streams from a print head orifice plate thar is ir~ liquid i~ tir~n ~,tith the fluid cavity Periodic 3~ L~cions are i~po~ed on ~he li~uid streams, ~uch ZLS vibrations }~y an el~ ' it~l t~e~ ~, to c~use the ~3trea~s to break-up into uni~ormly giz¢d and alhaped drople~s.
A ~harge plate, compri8ing an ar_ay o~
~ddre~sable el~s_s~vd~6, i8 located prox~mate the srrearn~3 b_eak-of ~ points to induce an electrical ~1 85838 .
charge. selectively, on adjacent droplets, in accord ~7ith pri~t i nfonnation signals . C~argqd drople~a ~Lre defle~ted ~rom their nominal rrajectory. Fo~
cxample, in a co~nmon, binary, printing mode, charged or non-print drople~ are ~:^f 1 e~d in~o a catcher device and non-char5ed droplets proce~d to the print medium ~h2 ~ s---i h--~ Abovo should be precisely sized and posirioned to achieve accurate ~la- ' of droplets o~ the print raedlum or on the catcher faee One of the critical requirements in ink jet printers i3 an orii~e pl~te whlch will produce several hundred ~ets o ink which are precisely posit;rnPd, pre~isely rs~A11PI, and precisely uni:Eorm ln di: ~r alld ~;h~pe. The oriflce plate is A~=Cl~iAt~ with a ~- ~tnr body ~hich defines a ~luid ~aYity and includes an opening for ~jectlng fluid ~rom the cavit~.
In ~ OL~, ~uch as those described in U.S Patent ~o. 4,999,6~7, it is known to be r-c~e~ >~r to apply ~--^hin;~ techniques to the ~urface of the re~lonator c~vity area in order to achie1re the appropriate ~ n in the area where ink i!~ brought into and expelled from the resonacor.
For example, drilling in rom both ends of the r~ n~ toward the midd~e o~ the resonator to creat~3 the f luid eavity, haa bee~ a~
U..~o~ Luu~tely, mil;-al~gnment o~ holea drilled from the two ~nds o~ the cavity can occur. Thi~: mis-;-- ir ' can be due to a drl~ting of the hole d~lring a drilling operation. ~his mis-alignmeht h2s the undesirable result of trapping air and debris in thl~ fluid cavicy during cros~-flu3h Thi~ also glYes non-uni~orm walls, ~hich adYer3ely afCecta stimulation. This ag2in yields non-uniform caYlty ~ 2~85838 walls, which can adverqely a~Fect qt; l;~tit~rn A
drit in the cavity 1~ n~ as it pas~es through the r~o~:~tnr can be partially overcon~e ~y --~nini the excerior of the drop 3-~rPr~nr to be ~;cuare to the ca~ ty. Althougb resquaring the drop generator to the cavi~y eliminates si~r~i f ir:~nt end to end variatlon ~n ~ore lc-r:~f it~n, the bore Cbn still drii~t in the interior of the drop gellerator. This c~n still result is~ non-uni~orm gt~ ~ti~n ampli~ude lD Additionally, drilling does not give a uni~or~
~urface ~ini h, which c~n lead to particles be$ng generacea ~ n side the cavity.
Another .~L~ is to u8e g~m boring to c~eate the fluid cavity. Gun boring te~ds to gi~e lrsY drife ~n th~ holes than a standard dr~lling operation Gun bor-ng allows ~he cavity to be drill~d from one side, avoiding the m; - ~h in the center. Unfortunat~ly, the bore location and diam~er cah still vary excessi~ely. Also, the differ~llce in alignment l~rom one e~d o the cavity to the other C2Ul be several ~ils with the g~n boring process, ~ith all the same :-QSO~;~t~ Al ;5 proble~s which arige ~ith other -^^h; ~
r~rhnjS[--~q Thig again yield~ non-uniforTn ca~ity wa11g, Whlch can a.lv~ ly af~ect sti l~tion. A
drift in che cavity lo~-~ti~n as it pa~ges thro~gh the c~ n~tor can be partially ~verc by ----hi n; r~
the ~ ri r~r o~ the drop ~n~ t~r to be square to ~he cavi~y. Altho~lgh resquaring che d~op generator to the cavity ~1 ;m;n~-t.~e: si~nific~nt end to end variacion in bore location, ehe bore can still drl~t in the interior o~ the d~op generator. rhis can Eitill r~sult in non-u~i~orm Ytimulation a~plitude Since ~he ~luid calriey d; ~ so 3s ~n~all and precise, most --~-hinir~g nethods are 2 ~ 85838 impractical, r~ n~ resquaring of the ourer di ~i~r~: o~ the drop generator ~o the bore.
v~ri2tions in the cavity location and ~ 3r result in changes i~ 10~ rL~ 'y and non-S uniform vibration amplitude of the re~on~tor Changing ~he r~J~ frequen~y o~ the r~q~At~
adversely affectfi drop for~ation and pri~t qualit~
Exis~lng '~--h~n;n~J yrO~ 3~e~ also create ~ rough s~rface ~ h on the r~nn~to2~, ~ebulting in several print problems. For exa~ple, the rough finiah can allow rh~ ~ 3~nc~ of air in the print bar Debris hrP~ n~ o~f ~rom the rough finish can cauffe crooked or clcgged j etfi .
It i8 qeen then that there existff a need ~or an ~ d method of r~-n~-f:~r~--ring the fluid cavity ~n an ink ~et print head ~.rhicb ~l;~1nar~7 th~
pr~ typically cau~ed by existing rA^^hining ~ ~,.,~.,J~3.
~ ~ of ~he In~eneion This need is met ~y the method according to the presenr invenrio33, wherein ~ fluid cavity in ~m ink j et print head i~ manu~actured to provide a ~traigh~ and uniform bore for ink drop~ exiting the fluld cavi~y. Since the bore is uni~or~ alld fi~raight, and p~ to the outer ~ nc, the~e i3 no need to ~egQuare any r~ ncl, In accordance with one a~p~ct Of the pre3ent invenrion, a c~n~;m~ ink ~et printing system ~hC~ q a resonator having an ;nt~rn~l fluid cavity Init1ally, a small ~irfit pilot hole or aE":r~uL~ is drilled through the ~ onator to ~acilltare feoding ~ wlre through the resonator.
~rJing this u~r~, an electric~l digch~ge ----hin;~
~13DM~ proces ~ i~ applied ~o the sur~ace of the 2 ~ 85838 in~rn:~l fluid cavi~y. The path for the wire de~lne~: the desir~3d ~inal aperture dirlension, creating a t~niform rnd 8~ h~- ~2vity. A f~n~.-h;n~
or honing step can be applied to improve the texture ~f the fis~al cavity~ as needed.
Accor~ingly, it is an object o~ the present inventios~ to provide an i ~ d slu~ace ~inish for the resonator cavi~y o~ an ink jet printing sy~tem. The improved surface finish has th~3 ~dvantage of i~rovi~g drop forma~ion and print quality The present invenrion haa thc further advantage of prOviaing re unlforr~ _ lit~d~ along the re~onator Finally, the tf~rhni~ o~ rhe present invention allowg for various ~ on~
hole~!;, rather than being re~rricted to round hole3, there~y offering pQt~t~r;~l fluid flow a~v~ L~y~
other o}~jects~ and advantages of the invention ~ill be apparent from the folloYing description, the =~ inçJ ~-AYin~c and the 2 0 ~ claim~l R~ief Descriptio4 of the Dra~inqs Fig. 1 illust~at~s a por~ion o~ a print head ~ u--u~ :, including a resonator, for ~6~r;hin~ ~he r~h~;51up of the pres~nt inven~ion;
Figs 2A and 2B illustra~e the rf~ nAt~r of Pig 1; and Figs 3A and 3EI illustnlte the ~l7ire ED~
process applied to the resonator, in a~o~ e with 3 0 the p~esent invention .
DeCailed De~cri~tion of the Pref erred ~ boc~
12efer~ing to the drawlngs, i n Fig 1 i?ortio~ oi~ a prlnt head 10 of an ink jet printer ~Iystem 1~ il~ u:3~rated. The print head lo is ~ ~ 1 8583~
co~prised of a resonator 12 haviry ~R~; ~t~r2 ping 28. The re~onator 12 is typically constructed ol~ ~ stainless steel material in the form o~ a pre~t~r~;nC~y dimenEiioned rectangalar ~olid. ~e p~int head 10 further comp~ises a drop selection mea~s 14 I`he print head lo de~ines one or more ro-~g of ori~ices on an orifice plate 16, of the r~c~n~tnr 12 which rec~ive an electrically ~nn~ ti~e recording ~lUid, I;uch a~ a water b~Lse 0 ink, ;Erom a pressurized ~luid supply rr~ntz~ n~ in a fluid cavity 18. ~rh~ ~luid i5 ejected fro~ the r~C~t~r ~hroush aperture 19 in ro~s of parallel strealns 20 as ink droplets ZZ. A drop catcher de~rice 24 and a charge plate 26 de_ine the drop sele~tio~ mean~ 1~ for selectively charging and de~lecting ~he drops 22 in each of the streams and depositing at least ~ome of the drops 22 on a print rec.-iving rledi~
It ~ill be und~rstood ~hat the pri~t zo head 10 and r~aor~nr 12 cooFe:r~tC~ with other known u23ed in i~k jet print~s- Tho prl~r. head 10 2nd r~ ro~ 12 ~unction to produce th~ desired YtreamS of unl~onn3 y sized and spaced drops in a highly ~ .c~ condition, Other conti ~luous ink jet printer ~ ~, such as charge and ~fle~t;on ele_2 ~de.6, drop catcher, media feed system and dat2 inpu~ arld machine co~trol elect~onlc~ ~not shown) cooperate with t}~e drop strealr~s, ~ ,v~ by the print he~d lo to e_fect r~,-n2~n~ C jet printing.
Re~erring now to Figs. 2A and 2B, in accocdance ~i~h the pre~ent invention, the rc~c~n~ r 1~ ig ~--h- n~rl and ground to p:redetermined outer d~ nYi ~c . A8 illus~r2~ed in ~ig. 2s, a pllot hole 3s or ~ rL~ 30 is d~illed through the r~ r~r a2.
2 ~ 85838 The pilot hole 30 is smaller than the final desired cavi~ qize. To hold lo~rinn and ~ n. F~rr~icity~
the r~ t~lr 12 is rr~n~-rl~red at both end~, using any suitable process, such as a C~7C mill E~ig!3 3A and 313 illus~:race the ~ire 1;3M
process ac-orr3; n~J to the present invention, jVhich is applied to ~he resonator lZ following thl3 drilling step illu3traced in Fig 2B. As seen in }~ig. 3A, a ~ire 32 is i~serted through pilot hole 30, and held taut s it moves t~nrin~ tCly throug_ pilo~ ~ole 30, along an axial burn rate path in the direction o~
arrow 34. As the -ire 32 burn~ along i~s axial path, it also rotates around the perimeter of the pilot hole 30 in ~he direccion of arrow 36, grr~ l l y and uniformly ~io'cnil~g the pilot hole or ~P~L LULe~ as illus~rated in Fig 3B, to form the de~lirea cavity 30' The llnif~rmi1-y and ~:~r~h~ne~
of ~ the cavity 30 ', as the cavity 30 ' size approaches the desirod cavity size, is r~- i n~ i n~ using the :2D wi~e ~7M proce3Y. The shape of cavity 30 ~ remains true, even if the shape is not ~ircular Hence, the rtos~ or is ~o~ r~stricted to circlllar cavities, allo-ri~s for ~rariou~i dimensioned cavitie~ to be achieved ZS As the wire 33DM proce33 in~S~ase3 the <~i 'nn13 o~ the initial pil~t hole or ~y~:L~US~: 30, a~d ~.t~ ,dch~ the desired cavity 30 ' di~ension, the ~peed of burn can be changed to impS-oYe the ~ ish.
Addi~ionally, to ~u~thel improve the cexcure ~inish and remove the recast layer of the ~inal caYity, a honing step can be applied ~his 3tep requires the tlce 0~ a honins machine th~t Vill r~moYe a ~mall amo~ of ma~eri~l from the c~vity Thi~ 1~ done by circula~ing a very bigh precision and h~ n~d sto~e in and Otlt of ch~ cavity ~rom both ends. A layer ol~
~ 2 1 85838 reca~ material left over after the ED~ proce~cs ic removed, and a smooth mirror-like finish remainc on the cavity wall. The honin~ step does not introduce a nev diTnension to rhe final aperture, ~ ; ce~
S ~he integri~y of the ~inal aperture, or adversely a~ect ehe trueness or accuracy o~ ehe apere~lre ~; ~ licabilitY and ~`~vantac~ec o ~e precent invention is uceful in the fiela of ink jet printing, and ha~; the advantage of F.l ;m;nJ-tih~ the ~ln~ai-r~ pri~t problen~ caused by ~-Yi ~ rt; n~ f luid ~;tYity ~r ^h i rl i ng 1" ~ 9 ~j~ c . The present invention also provides more u~i~orm amplltuae ~long the r~son~tor, si nce the location and _iz~ of the fluia caYity are nov uni~orm ~av~ns describe~ the invention in detail and ~y re~erence to the preferred A ~ ~i t thereof, lt will be app~re~t that other modification~ and ~;~ ti^r~ are p~nC~ e ~ithout departing frotn ~he scope o~ the invention defined in the ~ 1 claims.
~hat i8 claimed is:
Claims (8)
- A method for manufacturing a fluid cavity in a component of an jet printing system, the method comprising the steps of.
a. providing a resonator;
b. drilling an initial aperture through the resonator;
c. feeding a wire through the initial aperture;
d. defining a path for the wire to create a desired final cavity dimension in the resonator, the cavity having a cavity surface - 2. A method for manufacturing a fluid cavity as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of defining a path for the wire comprises the step of using the wire to apply wire electrical discharge machining to the surface of the cavity to achieve the desired final cavity dimension.
- 3. A method for manufacturing a fluid cavity as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of honing the desired final cavity dimension to improve surface finish of the desired final cavity dimension.
- 4. A method for manufacturing a fluid cavity in a component of an jet printing system, the method comprising the steps of:
a. providing a resonator;
b. applying a machining technique to the resonator to create a fluid cavity with a desired final cavity dimension;
c. honing the fluid cavity to improve surface finish of the desired final cavity dimension. - 5. A method for manufacturing a fluid cavity as claimed in claim 4 wherein the step of applying a machining technique to the resonator to create a fluid cavity with a desired final cavity dimension further comprises the steps of:
a. drilling an initial aperture through the resonator;
b. feeding a wire through the initial aperture;
c. defining a path for the wire. - 6. A method for manufacturing a fluid cavity as claimed in claim 5 wherein the step of applying a machining technique to the resonator to create a fluid cavity with a desired final cavity dimension further comprises the step of using the wire to apply wire electrical discharge machining to the surface of the cavity to achieve the desired final cavity dimension.
- 7. A method for manufacturing a fluid cavity in a component of an jet printing system, the method comprising the steps of:
a. drilling an initial aperture through the component;
b. feeding a wire through the initial aperture;
c. defining a path for the wire to create a desired final cavity dimension in the component, the cavity having a cavity surface- - 8. A method for manufacturing a fluid cavity as claimed in claim 7 wherein the step of defining a path for the wire comprises the step of using the wire to apply wire electrical discharge machining to the surface of the cavity to achieve the desired final cavity dimension.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US53086795A | 1995-09-19 | 1995-09-19 | |
| US08/530,867 | 1995-09-19 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2185838A1 true CA2185838A1 (en) | 1997-03-20 |
Family
ID=24115301
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2185838 Abandoned CA2185838A1 (en) | 1995-09-19 | 1996-09-18 | Method for manufacturing a fluid cavity in an ink jet print head |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0764534A3 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPH09169116A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2185838A1 (en) |
Family Cites Families (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS608077A (en) * | 1983-06-27 | 1985-01-16 | Fujitsu Ltd | Manufacture of ink jet head |
| JPS60213421A (en) * | 1984-04-07 | 1985-10-25 | Fanuc Ltd | Initial hole machining device in wire-cut electric discharge machining device |
| JPS639551A (en) * | 1986-07-01 | 1988-01-16 | Ricoh Co Ltd | Manufacture of ink jet recording head |
| US4685185A (en) * | 1986-08-29 | 1987-08-11 | Tektronix, Inc. | Method of manufacturing an ink jet head |
| US4746929A (en) * | 1987-01-16 | 1988-05-24 | Xerox Corporation | Traveling wave droplet generator for an ink jet printer |
| EP0299143A1 (en) * | 1987-06-12 | 1989-01-18 | Raycon Textron Inc. | Laser/EDM drilling manufacturing cell |
| JPH066378B2 (en) * | 1987-11-10 | 1994-01-26 | 日本電気株式会社 | Method for forming end face of nozzle in inkjet head |
| JPH03295659A (en) * | 1990-04-13 | 1991-12-26 | Seiko Epson Corp | Ink jet recording head |
| US5235746A (en) * | 1992-03-19 | 1993-08-17 | Atlas Fluid Controls Inc. | Method of manufacturing a high-capacity servo valve body |
| JP3178115B2 (en) * | 1992-10-12 | 2001-06-18 | セイコーエプソン株式会社 | Ink jet recording head and water repellent treatment method thereof |
-
1996
- 1996-09-18 EP EP96306775A patent/EP0764534A3/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1996-09-18 CA CA 2185838 patent/CA2185838A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1996-09-19 JP JP24805796A patent/JPH09169116A/en not_active Withdrawn
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| JPH09169116A (en) | 1997-06-30 |
| EP0764534A3 (en) | 1997-09-17 |
| EP0764534A2 (en) | 1997-03-26 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US11292257B2 (en) | Molded die slivers with exposed front and back surfaces | |
| US10603916B2 (en) | Method of making a fluid structure having compression molded fluid channel | |
| CA2163369C (en) | Simplified ink jet head | |
| US4158847A (en) | Piezoelectric operated printer head for ink-operated mosaic printer units | |
| EP0997284B1 (en) | Printheads | |
| CA2035867A1 (en) | Ink supply construction and printing method for drop-on-demand | |
| EP0133167A2 (en) | Ink jet printer, particularly for high speed printing | |
| IL142870A0 (en) | Droplet deposition apparatus | |
| EP0036297A2 (en) | Ink jet printing apparatus and process | |
| US4376284A (en) | Ink jet print head | |
| JPS6280054A (en) | Ink jet type printing head with built-in filter and manufacture thereof | |
| CN105555539A (en) | Printbar and method of forming same | |
| US4250510A (en) | Fluid jet device | |
| US9731509B2 (en) | Fluid structure with compression molded fluid channel | |
| CA1278949C (en) | Thermal ink jet printhead assembly including common slotted ink feed through and method of manufacture | |
| WO1999001285A1 (en) | Ink jet recorder | |
| CN101143514B (en) | Liquid ejection element manufacturing method | |
| CA2185838A1 (en) | Method for manufacturing a fluid cavity in an ink jet print head | |
| US7757397B2 (en) | Method for forming an element substrate | |
| CA1160905A (en) | Arrangement for a printing head in ink mosaic printing devices | |
| CN1417032A (en) | Micromachined silicon interlocking structure for attaching tablet to pen body | |
| US20070058011A1 (en) | Method of cleaning an inkjet cartridge | |
| ATE471791T1 (en) | FORMING INK FEED SLOTS FOR INKJET PRINT HEADS | |
| US20050024450A1 (en) | Print cartridge bodies | |
| JPS59138472A (en) | Liquid jet recording apparatus |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Dead |
Effective date: 20030918 |