EP0819526B1 - Tintenstrahldüsenkopf mit einem Trägerkörper - Google Patents

Tintenstrahldüsenkopf mit einem Trägerkörper Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0819526B1
EP0819526B1 EP19970202038 EP97202038A EP0819526B1 EP 0819526 B1 EP0819526 B1 EP 0819526B1 EP 19970202038 EP19970202038 EP 19970202038 EP 97202038 A EP97202038 A EP 97202038A EP 0819526 B1 EP0819526 B1 EP 0819526B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
fingers
nozzle head
actuators
head according
grooves
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.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP19970202038
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0819526A1 (de
Inventor
Hans Reinten
Peter Joseph Hollands
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Canon Production Printing Netherlands BV
Original Assignee
Oce Technologies BV
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from EP96202043A external-priority patent/EP0819524A1/de
Application filed by Oce Technologies BV filed Critical Oce Technologies BV
Priority to EP19970202038 priority Critical patent/EP0819526B1/de
Publication of EP0819526A1 publication Critical patent/EP0819526A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0819526B1 publication Critical patent/EP0819526B1/de
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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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
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
    • B41J2/1621—Manufacturing processes
    • B41J2/1632—Manufacturing processes machining
    • 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
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
    • B41J2/14201—Structure of print heads with piezoelectric elements
    • B41J2/14274—Structure of print heads with piezoelectric elements of stacked structure type, deformed by compression/extension and disposed on a diaphragm
    • 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
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
    • B41J2/1607—Production of print heads with piezoelectric elements
    • B41J2/1612—Production of print heads with piezoelectric elements of stacked structure type, deformed by compression/extension and disposed on a diaphragm
    • 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
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
    • B41J2/1621—Manufacturing processes
    • B41J2/1623—Manufacturing processes bonding and adhesion
    • 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
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
    • B41J2002/14379—Edge shooter

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a nozzle head for use in an ink jet printer.
  • a nozzle head having the features specified in the preamble of claim 1 is disclosed in EP-A-0 402 172.
  • This nozzle head comprises a channel plate defining a linear array of equidistant nozzles and a number of parallel ink channels each connected to a respective one of the nozzles.
  • On one side of the channel plate there is disposed an array of elongate fingers projecting towards the nozzle plate and extending in parallel with the ink channels. The ends of these fingers facing away from the channel plate are interconnected by a bridge portion which is formed integrally with the fingers.
  • the fingers and the bridge portion are made of a piezoelectric ceramic material.
  • Every second finger is provided with electrodes and serves as an actuator which, when a print signal is applied to the electrodes, compresses the ink liquid contained in the associated ink channel, so that an ink droplet is expelled from the nozzle.
  • the other fingers intervening between the actuators serve as support members which rigidly connect the channel plate to the bridge portion, so that latter may function as a backing means for receiving the reaction forces generated by the actuators.
  • each actuator Since a support member is provided between each pair of consecutive actuators, each actuator is substantially shielded against the reaction forces from its neighbours, so that undesired cross-talk between the various channels is reduced.
  • the backing means comprise a separate backing member disposed over the array of fingers, said backing member being more flexible in the transverse direction of the ink channels than in the longitudinal direction thereof.
  • the manufacture of the array of fingers and of the backing means is facilitated, because only the actuators have to be made of a piezoelectric material whereas the material of the separate backing member may be selected as desired in order to optimize the mechanical properties thereof.
  • part of the electrodes needed for energizing the actuators can be arranged at the boundary between the actuators and the backing member, so that the electrodes can easily be disposed at appropriate positions relative to the actuators and/or the pattern of electrical leads for energizing the electrodes is simplified.
  • the ends of the fingers (actuators and support members) adjacent to the backing member may still be interconnected by relatively thin bridge portions formed integrally with the fingers.
  • the fingers may be separated completely so that they are interconnected only by the backing member overlaid thereon.
  • the unisotropic flexibility characteristic of the backing member can be achieved for example by providing a plate with a suitable profile on the side opposite to the array of fingers.
  • the backing member has a grid-like structure and comprises a plurality of beams extending in longitudinal direction of the ink channels.
  • the width of the beams is made so large that each beam supports only a few fingers, i.e. at least one support member and at least one actuator.
  • the reaction force of an actuator is transmitted to the neighbouring support member (s) via the associated beam, without causing a substantial displacement of the neighbouring beams and the actuators supported thereby.
  • the backing member may further comprise transverse beams interconnecting the ends of the longitudinal beams, thereby stabilizing the longitudinal beams against tilting movements about their longitudinal axis.
  • the array of fingers is formed by a number of separate blocks each of which comprises only a few fingers integrally connected with each other and supported by a common beam.
  • Each block advantageously comprises only one support member and only one or two actuators, so that the spatial relationship between the actuators and the associated support members is the same for all actuators (except for mirror symmetry in case of two actuators disposed on opposite sides of the support member). Then, the support structure for the various actuators will not cause any differences in the performance and mechanical behavior of the actuators in the process of droplet generation.
  • An efficient method for manufacturing a nozzle head of the last-mentioned type is specified in claim 10.
  • a comparatively thick layer of piezoelectric material is bonded to a surface of an essentially plate-like member which will later form the backing member.
  • the array of fingers is formed by cutting parallel grooves into the layer of piezoelectric material.
  • the depth of the grooves separating individual fingers of the same block is made smaller than the thickness of the layer of piezoelectric material, whereas the grooves which are to separate the blocks from each other are cut to a greater depth so that they extend into the backing member, thereby dividing the backing member into separate beams.
  • the nozzle head 10 illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a channel plate 12 which defines a linear array of nozzles 14 and a number of parallel ink channels 16 only one of which is shown in Fig. 1.
  • the nozzles 14 and the ink channels 16 are formed by grooves cut into the top surface of the channel plate 12. Each nozzle 14 is connected to an associated ink channel 16.
  • the ink channels are separated by dam portions 18, 18'.
  • the top sides of the nozzles 14 and the ink channels 16 are closed by a thin vibration plate 20, which is securely bonded to the dam portions of the channel plate.
  • the top surface of the vibration plate 20 is formed with a series of grooves 22 which extend in parallel with the ink channels 16 and are separated by ridges 24.
  • the ends of the grooves 22 adjacent to the nozzles 14 are slightly offset from the edge of the vibration plate 20.
  • An array of elongate fingers 26, 28 is disposed on the top surface of the vibration plate 20 such that each finger extends in parallel with the ink channels 16 and has its lower end fixedly bonded to one of the ridges 24.
  • the fingers are grouped in triplets, each triplet consisting of a central finger 28 and two lateral fingers 26.
  • the fingers of each triplet are interconnected at their top ends and are formed by a one-piece block 30 of piezoelectric material.
  • Each of the fingers 26 is associated with one of the ink channels 16 and is provided with electrodes (not shown) to which an electric voltage can be applied in accordance with a printing signal. These fingers 26 serve as actuators which expand and contract in vertical direction in response to the applied voltage, so that the corresponding part of the vibration plate 20 is deflected into the associated ink channel 16. As a result, the ink liquid contained in the ink channel (e.g. hot-melt ink) is pressurized and an ink droplet is expelled from the nozzle 14.
  • the ink liquid contained in the ink channel e.g. hot-melt ink
  • the central fingers 28 are disposed over the dam portions 18 of the channel plate and serve as support members which absorb the reaction forces of the actuators 26. For example, if one or both actuators 26 belonging to the same block 30 are expanded, they exert an upwardly directed force on the top portion of the block 30. This force is largely counterbalanced by a tension force of the support member 28 the lower end of which is rigidly connected to the channel plate 12 via the ridge 24 of the vibration plate.
  • the top ends of the blocks 30 are flush with each other and are overlaid by a backing member 32.
  • the backing member 32 is formed by a number of longitudinal beams 34 extending in parallel with the ink channels 16 and by transverse beams 36 which interconnect the ends of the longitudinal beams 34 (only one of the transverse beams is shown in Fig. 1).
  • the longitudinal beams 34 have a trapezoidal cross section and are originally interconnected with each other at their broader base portions, so that they form a continuous plate.
  • a comparatively thick layer of piezoelectric material which will later form the blocks 30 is bonded to the plate, i.e. the lower surface of the backing member 32 in Fig. 1.
  • the blocks 30 and the fingers 26, 28 are formed by cutting grooves 38, 40 into the piezoelectric material. While the grooves 38 which separate the fingers 26 and 28 terminate within the piezoelectric material, the grooves 40 separating the blocks 30 are cut through into the backing member 32, thereby separating also the longitudinal beams 34 from one another.
  • the width of the longitudinal beams 34 is essentially equal to the width of the individual blocks 30.
  • the beams 34 efficiently prevent an elastic deformation of the top portions of the blocks 30 when the actuators 26 expand and contract.
  • the backing member 32 is formed by separate beams 34 which are only interconnected at their opposite ends by the transverse beams 36, and these transverse beams are additionally weakened by the grooves 40, the deflective forces are essentially confined to the blocks 30 from which they originate. Thus, the long-range cross-talk phenomenon can be suppressed successfully.
  • the top portion of the block 30 and the beam 34 will be caused to slightly tilt about the top end of the support member 28, thereby compressing the ink in the neighbouring channel.
  • This effect will however be very small, thanks to the stabilizing effect of the transverse beams 36. If necessary, this minor effect can also be compensated by applying a small compensation voltage with appropriate polarity to the actuator associated with the non-firing channel.
  • the support members 28 are made of piezoelectric material, it is also possible to provide additional electrodes for the support members 28 in order to actively counterbalance the reaction forces of the actuators 26.
  • the width of the grooves 40 is identical to the width of the grooves 38, and the fingers 26, 28 are arranged equidistantly.
  • the pitch a of the support members 28 is larger than the pitch b of the nozzles 14 by a factor 2. Since every third finger is a support member 28, the pitch of the fingers 26, 28 is 2b/3, in comparison to a pitch of b/2 for the conventional case in which a support member is provided between each pair of adjacent ink channels.
  • the pitch b of the nozzles and hence the resolution of the print head can be made small without exceeding the limits imposed by the manufacturing process for the piezoelectric actuators and support members.
  • the pitch b of the nozzles 14 may be as small as 250 ⁇ m (i.e. four nozzles per millimeter).
  • the pitch of the support members 28 will accordingly be 500 ⁇ m, and the pitch of all fingers (including the actuators 26) will be 167 ⁇ m.
  • the width of each individual finger 26 or 28 may for example be 87 ⁇ m, and the grooves 38, 40 will have a width of 80 ⁇ m and a depth in the order of 0,5 mm.
  • the ink channels 16 are not evenly distributed over the length of the nozzle array. Instead, the ink channels 16 are grouped in pairs separated by comparatively broad dam portions 18, whereas the ink channels of each pair are separated by a comparatively narrow dam portion 18'.
  • the broad dam portions 18 coincide with the ridges 24 of the vibration plate and with the support members 28, whereas the smaller dam portions 18' coincide with the grooves 22 of the vibration plate and the grooves 40 between the blocks 30.
  • the width of the ink channels 16 (at the top surface of the channel plate 12) is larger than the width of the fingers 26, 28, and the ink channels are offset relative to the nozzles 14 to such an extent that none of the actuators 26 overlaps with the dam portions 18, 18'.
  • the portions of the vibration plate 20 on both sides of the ridges 24 which are held in contact with the actuators 26 are weakened by the grooves 22, and at least a major part of these weakened portions is still within the area of the ink channels 16.
  • the width of the ridges 24 is slightly smaller than that of the fingers 26, 28.
  • the vibration plate 20 may be formed by a relatively soft foil of polyimide resin which is welded to the channel plate 12 and the ends of the fingers 26, 28.
  • the vibration plate may be formed by a thin film of glass or metal (aluminum) which is soldered to the channel plate and the fingers.
  • the width of the actuators 26 may be different from that of the support members 28.
  • the width of the grooves 40 may be different from that of the grooves 38, resulting in an uneven distribution of the fingers 26, 28.
  • FIG 3 shows an embodiment in which there is a one-to-one relationship between the support members 28 and the nozzles 14, and each block 30 consists only of two fingers, i. e. one support member 28 and one actuator 26.
  • the ink channels 16 are arranged equidistantly, without being offset relative to the corresponding nozzles 14.
  • the vibration plate 20 has a uniform thickness.
  • the width of the beams 34 is again adapted to that of the blocks 30.

Claims (10)

  1. Tintenstrahldüsenkopf mit:
    einer Kanalplatte (12), die eine Zeile äquidistanter Düsen (14) und eine Anzahl paralleler Tintenkanäle (16) bildet, die jeweils mit einer der Düsen verbunden sind,
    einer Zeile von Fingern (26, 28), die derart auf einer Seite der Kanalplatte (12) angeordnet sind, daß die Finger in Richtung auf die Düsenplatte vorspringen,
    wobei einige der Finger (26) als Aktoren zum Ausüben mechanischer Hübe auf die in den Tintenkanälen enthaltene Tinte ausgebildet sind, so daß Tintentröpfchen aus den Düsen ausgestoßen werden, wobei wenigstens ein Aktor für jede Düse vorgesehen ist,
    die anderen Finger (28) als Stützelemente zur Abstützung der Kanalplatte und eines Widerlagers gegen die Reaktionskräfte der Aktoren dienen, wobei das Widerlager die Aktoren und Stützelemente auf der der Kanalplatte entgegengesetzten Seite mechanisch miteinander verbindet,
    dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das Widerlager ein separates Abstützelement (32) aufweist, das über der Zeile der Finger (26, 28) angeordnet ist und in Querrichtung der Tintenkanäle (16) flexibler ist als in deren Längsrichtung.
  2. Düsenkopf nach Anspruch 1, bei dem das Abstützelement (32) eine Anzahl in Längsrichtung der Tintenkanäle (16) verlaufender Balken (34) aufweist.
  3. Düsenkopf nach Anspruch 2, bei dem die Enden der Längsbalken (34) durch Querbalken (36) verbunden sind.
  4. Düsenkopf nach Anspruch 2 oder 3, bei dem die Längsbalken (34) sich in Breitenrichtung über wenigstens ein Stützelement (28) und wenigstens einen Aktor (26) erstrecken.
  5. Düsenkopf nach Anspruch 4, bei dem jeder Längsbalken (34) sich über ein Stützelement (28) und ein oder zwei Aktoren (26) erstreckt.
  6. Düsenkopf nach Anspruch 4 oder 5, bei dem die Stützelemente und Aktoren, die zu demselben Balken (34) gehören, durch einen einstückigen Block (30) gebildet werden.
  7. Düsenkopf nach Anspruch 6, bei dem die Finger (26, 28) durch Nuten (38, 40) getrennt sind und die Nuten (38) zwischen den Fingern desselben Blockes (30) eine geringere Tiefe haben als die Nuten (40), die verschiedene Blöcke trennen.
  8. Düsenkopf nach Anspruch 7, bei dem die Nuten (40), die die Blöcke (30) trennen, sich in das Abstützelement (32) fortsetzen.
  9. Düsenkopf nach einem der Ansprüche 8 bis 4, bei dem die Balken (34) einen trapezförmigen Querschnitt haben, dessen breiterer Fuß den Fingern (26, 28) zugewandt ist.
  10. Verfahren zu Herstellung eines Düsenkopfes nach Anspruch 8 oder 9, mit den Schritten:
    Bereitstellen eines plattenförmigen Rohlings für das Abstützelement (32), welcher Rohling vorzugsweise entsprechend der Balkenstruktur profiliert ist, jedoch auf einer Seite eine durchgehende flache Oberfläche aufweist,
    Verbinden einer Schicht aus piezoelektrischem Material zur Bildung der Aktoren (26) mit dieser flachen Oberfläche des Rohlings,
    Einschneiden von Nuten (38, 40) in die Schicht aus piezoelektrischem Material, um die Finger (26, 28) zu bilden, wobei einige der Nuten (40) so tief eingeschnitten sind, daß sie in den Rohling hineinreichen und dadurch die Balken (34) voneinander trennen.
EP19970202038 1996-07-18 1997-07-07 Tintenstrahldüsenkopf mit einem Trägerkörper Expired - Lifetime EP0819526B1 (de)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP19970202038 EP0819526B1 (de) 1996-07-18 1997-07-07 Tintenstrahldüsenkopf mit einem Trägerkörper

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP96202043 1996-07-18
EP96202043A EP0819524A1 (de) 1996-07-18 1996-07-18 Tintenstrahl-Düsenkopf mit einem Trägerkörper
EP19970202038 EP0819526B1 (de) 1996-07-18 1997-07-07 Tintenstrahldüsenkopf mit einem Trägerkörper

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0819526A1 EP0819526A1 (de) 1998-01-21
EP0819526B1 true EP0819526B1 (de) 2000-05-10

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ID=26143014

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19970202038 Expired - Lifetime EP0819526B1 (de) 1996-07-18 1997-07-07 Tintenstrahldüsenkopf mit einem Trägerkörper

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EP (1) EP0819526B1 (de)

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH0764060B2 (ja) * 1989-06-09 1995-07-12 シャープ株式会社 インクジェットプリンタ
JPH03221458A (ja) * 1990-01-29 1991-09-30 Ricoh Co Ltd インクジェットヘッド
JPH0781058A (ja) * 1993-09-17 1995-03-28 Hitachi Koki Co Ltd 積層ｐｚｔアレイの固定方法
JPH07314672A (ja) * 1994-05-25 1995-12-05 Seiko Epson Corp インクジェット記録ヘッド
JPH08187848A (ja) * 1995-01-12 1996-07-23 Brother Ind Ltd 積層式圧電素子およびその製造方法

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Publication number Publication date
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