EP0854040B1 - Verfahren zur Herstellung partikelfreier Komponenten für einen Tintenstrahldrucker - Google Patents

Verfahren zur Herstellung partikelfreier Komponenten für einen Tintenstrahldrucker Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0854040B1
EP0854040B1 EP19980300078 EP98300078A EP0854040B1 EP 0854040 B1 EP0854040 B1 EP 0854040B1 EP 19980300078 EP19980300078 EP 19980300078 EP 98300078 A EP98300078 A EP 98300078A EP 0854040 B1 EP0854040 B1 EP 0854040B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
ink jet
component
electrochemical
polishing
machining
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
EP19980300078
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0854040A2 (de
EP0854040A3 (de
Inventor
James A. Katerberg
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.)
Kodak Versamark Inc
Original Assignee
Kodak Versamark Inc
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Kodak Versamark Inc filed Critical Kodak Versamark Inc
Publication of EP0854040A2 publication Critical patent/EP0854040A2/de
Publication of EP0854040A3 publication Critical patent/EP0854040A3/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0854040B1 publication Critical patent/EP0854040B1/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
    • B41J2/015—Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process
    • B41J2/02—Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process generating a continuous ink jet
    • 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
    • B41J2202/00—Embodiments of or processes related to ink-jet or thermal heads
    • B41J2202/01—Embodiments of or processes related to ink-jet heads
    • B41J2202/22—Manufacturing print heads

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to continuous ink jet printers and, more particularly, to an improved method for manufacturing the ink jet printer and components.
  • Ink jet printing systems are known in which a print head defines one or more rows of orifices which receive an electrically conductive recording fluid, such as for instance a water base ink, from a pressurized fluid supply manifold and eject the fluid in rows of parallel streams.
  • Printers using such print heads accomplish graphic reproduction by selectively charging and deflecting the drops in each of the streams and depositing at least some of the drops on a print receiving medium, while others of the drops strike a drop catcher device.
  • the operation of ink-jet printers involves pumping fluid through small orifices, about 25 micron in diameter. This makes these machines sensitive to particles in the ink.
  • the filters are always used in the fluid systems.
  • the fluid systems include two filters: a primary filter to remove dirt which enters the fluid through the catcher line or from wear in the pumps and valves, and a final filter just ahead of the printhead to remove dirt produced in the fluid lines.
  • US-A-5574486 discloses an ink jet print head including an ink ejecting component which incorporates an orifice plate having electropolished surfaces.
  • the invention provides a method of producing an ink jet component including a fluid supply in fluid cavity of an ink jet head, the method comprising the steps of: a. machining the component using conventional machining techniques; b. treating all machined surfaces using non-abrasive, intrinsically leveling polishing processes to eliminate particulate sources, said machined surfaces include the internal fluid supply surfaces in the fluid cavity.
  • the conventional machining may be any known technique, such as electro discharge machining.
  • the polishing processes include, but are not limited to, electrochemical mears such as electropolishing, electrochemical deburring and electrochemical grinding.
  • the polishing processes may further comprise vapor polishing, and laser treatment to reflow the machined surface.
  • the particle-free ink jet printer according to the present invention provides a variety of advantages. First, it results in ink jet printer components with particle-free surfaces. This, in turn, reduces or eliminates several undesirable print problems, including crooked ink jets, and clogging of the orifices with the contaminant or debris. As a result of the reduction in crooked jets, manufacturing yields and printhead lifetimes are improved.
  • a portion of a print head 10 of an ink jet printer system is illustrated.
  • the print head 10 is comprised of a resonator 12, typically constructed of a stainless steel material in the form of a predeterminedly dimensioned rectangular solid, and a drop selection means 14.
  • the print head 10 defines orifices on an orifice plate 16 of the resonator 12 which receive an electrically conductive recording fluid, such as a water base ink, from a pressurized fluid supply contained in a fluid cavity 18.
  • the fluid is ejected from the resonator through aperture 19, in rows of parallel streams 20 as ink droplets 22.
  • the fluid cavity is typically produced by an EDM process.
  • a drop catcher device 24 and a charge plate 26 define the drop selection means 14 for selectively charging and deflecting the drops 22 in each of the streams and depositing at least some of the drops 22 on a print receiving medium.
  • the print head 10 and resonator 12 cooperate with other known components used in ink jet printers.
  • the print head 10 and resonator 12 function to produce the desired streams of uniformly sized and spaced drops in a highly synchronous condition.
  • Other continuous ink jet printer components such as charge and deflection electrodes, drop catcher, media feed system and data input and machine control electronics (not shown) cooperate with the drop streams, produced by the print head 10 to effect continuous ink jet printing.
  • EDM Electro-discharge machining
  • FIGs. 2A and 2B illustrate numerous burr-like edges and flakes ready to break off, which remain after a lathe turning operation, before the concept of the present invention is applied.
  • burr-like edges 28, flakes 30, and other contamination have been formed on ink jet printer component surfaces.
  • cleaning steps such as flushing or ultrasonic cleaning may not readily remove them.
  • the rough surfaces can act as temporary traps of externally generated particles. Such particles might remain attached through the cleaning steps and still come loose during operation of the printhead.
  • the machined surface serves as a source of particles which can produce crooked ink jets, and clogging of the orifices on orifice plate 16.
  • Chemical polishing is one prior art technique employed to try to eliminate such particles. Chemical polishing is not an intrinsically leveling process. That is, the metal removal rate is fairly uniform across the surface, not preferentially from the sharp edges. As a result, burr- like edges, flakes, or recast are not effectively removed by chemical polishing. In some cases, the flakes, etc., remain on the surface, but the metal which holds the flake to the surface may be weakened by the chemical polishing. Such flakes are therefore more inclined to break off due to a shock or fatigue during printhead operation than they would have been prior to chemical polishing.
  • the present invention eliminates these undesirable print problems created by the manufacture of the various printhead components.
  • the present invention proposes applying electrochemical means such as electropolishing, electrochemical deburring or electrochemical grinding, to smooth the surface finish of the printer components.
  • the printhead components comprise metal parts
  • fine burrs and flakes can be eliminated through use of electrochemical means according to the present invention.
  • the parts are placed in appropriate solutions, well known in the electropolishing and electrochemical deburring industries.
  • a voltage is then applied between the part and a second electrode, or cathode.
  • metal from the part is forced to go into solution. Due to the nature of the electric fields involved, the metal removal rate is highest at sharp edges. As a result, burrs, flakes, and the splatter and recast from EDM is readily removed. The result is a surface with no potential sources of particles.
  • electrodes internal to the fluid cavity can be used for polishing.
  • a pulsing technique can be used for polishing deeper into the component.
  • polishing processes in accordance with the present invention yield surfaces which are quite smooth, with no sharp edges, particles from external sources are also less likely to be trapped on the surfaces. This provides the advantage of making these surfaces easier to clean than normal surfaces.
  • Electropolishing and electrochemical deburring yield quite similar results in terms of surface finish, differing mainly in the type of solutions used.
  • the solutions used in electropolishing keep the metal which is removed in the form of soluble salts in the solution until they are plated out onto the other electrode.
  • the metal With electrochemical deburring, the metal forms non-soluble metal salts. These salts form a precipitate which either settles onto the parts or is filtered out. Any precipitate left on the parts can be removed using various acids.
  • these processes have been found to be much more effective than chemical polishing at removing the sharp burrs and edges produced by the various machining processes. This is because these processes are intrinsically leveling, since metal removal is highest at the edges. Therefore, thin burrs are either polished away or rounded considerably, making them less likely to break off during printhead operation.
  • a chemical polish tends to remove material fairly uniformly from surfaces. As a result, chemical polishing can make thin burrs thinner and, therefore, more likely to break off during printhead operation.
  • burrs such as those produced at intersecting holes, or when threaded holes break out into a side wall, can also be effectively removed from the metal components by means of thermal deburring.
  • This process involves placing the components in a sealed chamber with an explosive gas mixture. Exploding the gas produces an intense heat pulse. Burrs which have large surface to volume ratios can be vaporized or melted back by this process. A fine etch may be needed to remove the fine oxide layer which is produced. Since this treatment does not tend to remove the fine burrs as effectively as the electrochemical processes described above, a thermal deburring should be followed up with one of the electrochemical polishing processes described above.
  • lasers can also be used to process the surface.
  • a laser with enough power to melt the material, but not sufficient to cut the material, is used.
  • a thin layer of the surface including the burrs and EDM splatter, can be melted.
  • the surface resolidifies yielding a smoother surface free of burrs, EDM splatter or other sources of particles.
  • cryogenic deburring is effective for removing the larger burrs. This process involves freezing the plastic parts using liquid nitrogen or other suitable cryogen. Since this makes the burrs quite brittle, they can then be readily removed by using either a tumbling type deburrer or by grit blasting with fine plastic beads, both processes being well known in the art. It is also possible for some plastic parts to be effectively deburred by means of thermal deburring, as described above relative to metal parts.
  • the surface can still be covered with fine burrs and flakes, such as the ones seen microscopically for the metal surfaces.
  • These are effectively removed using vapor polishing.
  • Vapor polishing involves exposing the parts to the vapors of a chemical solvent, and is known in the art.
  • methylene chloride is an appropriate solvent. The vapors locally attack and dissolve the surface. Once the vapors are removed, the surface rehardens. The result is a virgin surface free of burrs, flakes, or fine fractures. A particle-free surface is therefore produced.
  • flow chart 34 illustrates the steps employed to achieve the particle-free surface of the ink jet printer components.
  • ink jet printer components are manufactured (36) using typical machining processes (38).
  • a deburring process is then applied (40).
  • the deburring process is preferably a thermal deburring process, which is applied before an electrochemical polishing process (42) which removes undesirable particulates.
  • the deburring process is preferably a cryogenic deburring process, applied before a vapor polishing process (44) which removes any remaining minuscule burrs and flakes.
  • a method for improving the operation of ink jet components, by machining the components using known, conventional machining techniques, and then treating all the machined surfaces using non-abrasive, intrinsically leveling polishing processes to eliminate particulate sources.
  • the conventional machining may be any known technique, such as electro discharge machining.
  • the polishing processes include, but are not limited to, electrochemical means such as electropolishing, electrochemical deburring, and electrochemical grinding.
  • the polishing processes may further comprise vapor polishing, and laser treatment to reflow the machined surface.
  • the particle-free ink jet printer assembly according to the present invention is useful in the continuous ink jet printing field. Normal manufacturing operations for ink jet printer parts produce undesirable particulate sources and abrasive material on the components.
  • the present invention utilizes electrochemical means and vapor polishing to provide particle-free ink jet printer component surfaces.

Landscapes

  • Particle Formation And Scattering Control In Inkjet Printers (AREA)
  • Electrical Discharge Machining, Electrochemical Machining, And Combined Machining (AREA)

Claims (8)

  1. Verfahren zum Erzeugen eines Tintenstrahlbauteiles, welches eine Fluidquelle in einem Fluidhohlraum (18) eines Tintenstrahlkopfes (10) enthält, wobei das Verfahren die folgenden Schritte aufweist:
    a. Bearbeiten des Bauteils unter Verwendung bekannter Bearbeitungstechniken,
    b. Behandeln aller bearbeiteten Oberflächen unter Verwendung von nicht-abrasiven, eigenleitenden Ausgleichspoliervorgängen, um Partikelquellen zu beseitigen, wobei die bearbeiteten Oberflächen die innenliegenden Fluidzuführoberflächen in dem Fluidhohlraum (18) umfassen.
  2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, bei dem der Schritt des Bearbeitens der Bauteile unter Verwendung bekannter Bearbeitungstechniken den Schritt des Anwendens einer elektrischen Entladungsbearbeitung an den Oberflächen des Bauteils enthält.
  3. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, bei dem der Schritt des Behandelns aller bearbeiten Oberflächen unter Verwendung der Poliervorgänge den Schritt des Verwendens elektrochemischer Mittel enthält, um Partikelquellen zu beseitigen.
  4. Verfahren nach Anspruch 3, bei dem der Schritt des Verwendens elektrochemischer Mittel den Schritt des Elektropolierens des Bauteils enthält.
  5. Verfahren nach Anspruch 3, bei dem der Schritt des Verwendens elektrochemischer Mittel den Schritt des Anwendens eines elektrochemischen Endgratens des Bauteils enthält.
  6. Verfahren nach Anspruch 3, bei dem der Schritt des Verwendens elektrochemischer Mittel den Schritt des Anwendens elektrochemischen Schleifens des Bauteils enthält.
  7. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, bei dem Schritt des Behandelns aller bearbeiteten Oberflächen unter Verwendung der Poliervorgänge den Schritt des Dampfpolierens enthält, um Partikelquellen zu beseitigen.
  8. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, bei dem der Schritt des Behandelns aller bearbeiteten Oberflächen unter Verwendung der Poliervorgänge den Schritt des Laserbearbeitens enthält, um die bearbeitete Oberfläche aufzuschmelzen.
EP19980300078 1997-01-21 1998-01-07 Verfahren zur Herstellung partikelfreier Komponenten für einen Tintenstrahldrucker Expired - Lifetime EP0854040B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US78655997A 1997-01-21 1997-01-21
US786559 1997-01-21

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0854040A2 EP0854040A2 (de) 1998-07-22
EP0854040A3 EP0854040A3 (de) 1999-03-17
EP0854040B1 true EP0854040B1 (de) 2003-03-19

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EP19980300078 Expired - Lifetime EP0854040B1 (de) 1997-01-21 1998-01-07 Verfahren zur Herstellung partikelfreier Komponenten für einen Tintenstrahldrucker

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Country Link
EP (1) EP0854040B1 (de)
JP (1) JPH10296983A (de)
CA (1) CA2227107A1 (de)
DE (1) DE69812194T2 (de)

Families Citing this family (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2004523261A (ja) * 2000-11-21 2004-08-05 グラクソ　グループ　リミテッド 薬剤送達用スプレーヘッドの製法
US7584539B2 (en) 2006-10-16 2009-09-08 Eastman Kodak Company Electropolishing of inkjet printer components
US8465140B2 (en) 2010-08-31 2013-06-18 Eastman Kodak Company Printhead including reinforced liquid chamber
US8465141B2 (en) 2010-08-31 2013-06-18 Eastman Kodak Company Liquid chamber reinforcement in contact with filter
JP2019089233A (ja) * 2017-11-14 2019-06-13 エスアイアイ・プリンテック株式会社 噴射孔プレートの製造方法

Family Cites Families (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS58112755A (ja) * 1981-12-25 1983-07-05 Nec Corp インクズエツト記録ヘツド用ノズルおよびその製造方法
US4482445A (en) * 1982-02-22 1984-11-13 The Boeing Company Methods and apparatus for electrochemically deburring perforate metallic clad dielectric laminates
JPS608077A (ja) * 1983-06-27 1985-01-16 Fujitsu Ltd インクジエツトヘツドの製造方法
JPS6286709A (ja) * 1985-10-11 1987-04-21 Mitsubishi Electric Corp 半導体装置の製造方法
US4685185A (en) * 1986-08-29 1987-08-11 Tektronix, Inc. Method of manufacturing an ink jet head
US5004883A (en) * 1989-10-04 1991-04-02 Calcor Space Facility, Inc. Method of fabricating plural shaped parts from a workpiece
US5406318A (en) * 1989-11-01 1995-04-11 Tektronix, Inc. Ink jet print head with electropolished diaphragm
JPH0592570A (ja) * 1991-10-03 1993-04-16 Canon Inc 液体噴射記録ヘツド、その製造方法、及び液体噴射記録ヘツドを備えた記録装置
US5574486A (en) * 1993-01-13 1996-11-12 Tektronix, Inc. Ink jet print heads and methos for preparing them

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPH10296983A (ja) 1998-11-10
DE69812194T2 (de) 2004-03-04
EP0854040A2 (de) 1998-07-22
DE69812194D1 (de) 2003-04-24
EP0854040A3 (de) 1999-03-17
CA2227107A1 (en) 1998-07-21

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