JP2001277514A - Liquid ejection recording head, liquid ejection recorder, and method for manufacturing liquid ejection recording head - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a liquid ejection recording head in which an orifice plate is bonded surely to a base body while ensuring planarity of a face of the orifice plate, i.e., the ejection opening forming face of the liquid ejection recording head. SOLUTION: Nozzles 7 are formed between a heater board 1 and a top plate 5, and a chip tank 11 is set on a base plate 3 secured with the heater board 1. The chip tank 11 has a front plate part 11b covering the periphery of the front end face 1b of the heater board 1 and the front end face 5b of the top plate 5 wherein cuts 33, 34 are made stepwise in the edge parts 31, 32 of the front plate part 11b. When an orifice plate 6 is bent along the edge parts 31, 32 and bonded, an arc can be formed at the bend of the orifice plate 6 depending on the bending stress because the cuts 33, 34 are made and the face 6b of the orifice plate 6 is prevented from floating or projecting significantly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting recording head for ejecting ink from a plurality of ejection openings formed in an orifice plate toward recording paper and performing recording on the recording paper, and the liquid ejecting head. The present invention relates to a liquid jet recording apparatus equipped with a recording head and a method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A liquid jet recording apparatus supplies a liquid ink, for example, to a liquid jet recording head, and applies an ink droplet ejection means such as a piezo element or an electrothermal converter provided in the liquid jet recording head to image data. The image is formed on a recording medium such as paper by an ink dot pattern by driving based on.

An ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording by discharging ink from the discharge ports of a liquid jet recording head is known as a recording apparatus excellent in terms of low noise, high speed recording and the like.

A liquid jet recording head of this type includes an orifice plate 140 having a plurality of ejection ports 141 for ejecting ink, as shown in FIG. 28, for example.
A top plate 400 in which a groove for forming a liquid flow path 401 communicating with each discharge port 141 is formed. And an element substrate 500 having a heat converter 501.

[0005] Generally, the orifice plate 140 is provided with a step difference between the element substrate 500 and the top plate 400 or the element substrate 50.
In order to prevent a shift in the ink ejection direction due to a difference in wettability of the ink between the ink jet head 0 and the top plate 400, the main object of the present invention is to form the ejection port surface with the same member.
It is provided as one. The orifice plate 140 is provided integrally with the top plate 400,
The top plate 400 may be provided as a separate member from the top plate 400 and joined to the top plate 400 or the element substrate 500 in some cases.

When the orifice plate 140 is provided separately from the top plate 400, the orifice plate 14
After positioning each discharge port 141 with respect to the liquid flow path 401 formed by press-contact between the element substrate 500 and the top plate 400 and performing alignment, the orifice plate 1
40 is joined to the front end face of the head base composed of the element substrate 500 and the top plate 400. This method has an advantage that the material of the orifice plate 140 requiring durability can be arbitrarily selected.

On the other hand, the orifice plate 140 is
In the case where the top plate 400 and the element substrate 500 are provided integrally with each other, the orifice plate 140 and the top plate 400 are an integral member in which a groove serving as the liquid flow path 401 communicates with the discharge port 141. Since each liquid flow path 401 is formed by appropriate mechanical pressure contact, the productivity of the liquid jet recording head is excellent.

Generally, when the orifice plate 140 is made of a resin material, the plurality of discharge ports 141 are formed by excimer laser processing. The excimer laser light used in the processing has a uniform light amount distribution by an optical system, and the plurality of discharge ports 141 are processed in one step or two to three steps by the laser light passing through such an optical system. Is formed. This makes it possible to form the plurality of outlets 141 with high precision in the relative positions of the outlets 141 and the arrangement pitch of the outlets 141, and to make the shape and opening area of the outlets 141 uniform. Have been.

In the discharge port forming apparatus, the light beam of the excimer laser is
The more the optical system retreats from the entrance surface of the processed part of the orifice plate, the more it spreads. Further, in the process of ablating the resin by irradiating the excimer laser beam, the size of the hole formed on the surface of the orifice plate 140 opposite to the incident surface side is larger than the size of the hole formed on the incident surface. Also has the feature that it becomes larger.

[0010] Due to the above two features, the discharge port 14 is formed as a member in which the orifice plate 140 and the top plate 400 are integrated.
In the case of forming 1, the laser beam is irradiated to the orifice plate 140 from the liquid flow path 401 side, and the irradiated laser light is emitted from the orifice plate 140 in the ink ejection direction.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 29, a mask 222 is disposed on the top plate 400 on the side opposite to the orifice plate 140 side, and the laser beam 221 passing through the mask 222 The top plate 200 is held inclined with respect to the optical axis 221a of the laser beam 221 so as not to interfere with the inner wall surface of the liquid flow channel groove 233. By irradiating the orifice plate 140 with the laser beam 221 through the mask 222 in this manner, the orifice plate 140 is formed with the discharge port 141 inclined with respect to the top plate 200.

Here, the laser 221 is irradiated on the orifice plate 140 perpendicularly to the discharge port forming surface 140a of the orifice plate 140 where the discharge port 141 is formed, so that the discharge port 141 is formed. In the liquid ejection recording head, ink is ejected vertically from the ejection port forming surface (face surface) 140a.

In the liquid jet recording head having the top plate 200 and the orifice plate 140 having such a configuration, the amount of the liquid corresponding to the direction of the discharge port 141 (inclination direction at the time of laser processing) and the amount of inclination with respect to the element substrate 500 are adjusted. The ink is held at an angle by the main body of the ejection recording apparatus, and ink is ejected perpendicularly to the recording medium from the liquid ejection recording head.

On the other hand, the orifice plate 140
When the top plate 400 and the top plate 400 are formed as separate members, the optical axis of the laser beam does not interfere with the top plate 400 as described above. Is done.

In general, in a liquid jet recording apparatus such as an ink jet recording apparatus, the ink in the liquid flow path is used to remove bubbles in the liquid flow path and to prevent the viscosity of the ink from increasing due to long-term storage. Suction recovery operation for recovering the state of the liquid ejection recording head by sucking ink and discharging ink, or pressure recovery operation for recovering the state of the liquid ejection recording head by pressing and discharging ink in the liquid flow path Has been done. Further, in order to prevent thickening and drying of the ink around the discharge ports of the liquid jet recording head, a capping operation is performed in which a cap member is brought into contact with the surface of the orifice plate to seal the surface.

In the case where ink is continuously ejected, ink splashed from the paper surface or mist-like liquid (ink mist) in the air adheres to the surface of the orifice plate, and excess liquid is deposited on the surface of the orifice plate. May accumulate. In this case, unstable ejection may be caused by extra liquid adhering to the surface of the orifice plate, or non-ejection may be caused in some cases. Therefore,
As a cleaning means for wiping residual ink adhered to the surface of the orifice plate, a blade made of rubber, an elastomer, a water-absorbing material, or the like is used, and the ink adhered to the orifice plate is wiped off by the blade.

However, in order to secure the area of the orifice plate where the cap member is in close contact with the outer peripheral portion of the discharge port on the face surface of the orifice plate, it is necessary to increase the area of the orifice plate. Handling (handling) of the orifice plate, which is a thin film-shaped member, is deteriorated, and the joining accuracy with the top plate and the element substrate is reduced. Further, when the bonding area of the entire orifice plate is increased, the curing shrinkage stress of the adhesive acting on the orifice plate is increased, and the flatness of the capping portion of the orifice plate is impaired, resulting in poor capping or The peripheral portion of the discharge port is deformed, and the direction of the discharge port and the arrangement accuracy are deteriorated.

For this reason, in the conventional liquid jet recording head as shown in FIG. 28, a seal member is provided around the orifice plate 140, and a cap member is brought into contact with the seal member to seal the surface of the orifice plate 140. By doing so, measures such as performing a capping operation on the discharge port surface have been taken.

Next, an example of the recovery device will be described with reference to a perspective view of the liquid jet recording device shown in FIG. FIG.
1 is an external perspective view showing an example of a conventional liquid jet recording apparatus equipped with a liquid jet recording head. The liquid jet recording head 101 shown in FIG. 30 has the same configuration as that shown in FIG.

In the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 30, a liquid ejection recording head 101 is mounted on a carriage 102, and ink is ejected from ejection ports 141 formed on an ejection port forming surface 140a of the liquid ejection recording head 101. Thus, an image is recorded on the recording medium 105. The carriage 102 is supported by a guide shaft 103 and the carriage 1
The carriage 102 reciprocates while facing the recording medium 105 by the guide 02 being guided by the guide shaft 103 in the moving direction. The recording medium 105 is pressed against a feed roller (not shown) by a pinch roller (not shown), is sandwiched between the rollers, and is conveyed by rotating the feed roller. Further, the recording medium 105 after image formation is discharged to the outside of the recording apparatus by a discharge roller (not shown).

This ink jet recording apparatus is provided with a wiping device, and a wiping blade 104 of the wiping device is provided outside the image forming area of the liquid jet recording head 101. Foreign matter such as paper dust and extra ink adhered to the ejection port forming surface 140a of the liquid jet recording head 101 are scraped off by the wiping blade 104 provided outside the image forming area. In addition, the cap 1 covers the ejection port forming surface 140a to prevent clogging of the ejection port 141, and sucks ink in the liquid flow path 401 from outside the liquid ejection recording head 101.
06 is provided. A suction device includes the cap 106 and suction means for suctioning ink in the liquid flow path 401 through the cap 106.

Here, an operation (wiping operation) of cleaning and removing foreign matter and ink on the discharge port forming surface 140a of the liquid jet recording head 101 by the wiping blade 104 in the conventional ink jet recording apparatus will be described.

FIG. 31 is a schematic diagram for explaining the wiping operation in the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG.
b and c show states before the wiping operation, during the wiping operation, and after the wiping operation, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 31, when the wiping blade 104 moves from the state a in the direction of arrow A and attempts to enter the ejection port forming surface 140a of the liquid jet recording head 101, the tip of the wiping blade 104 is moved. The liquid jet recording head 101 bends while pressing it to the side, and its front end is pressed against the discharge port forming surface 140a with an appropriate pressure.
Since the wiping blade 104 passes over the discharge port forming surface 140a while being pressed against the discharge port forming surface 140a, foreign matter and ink attached to the discharge port forming surface 140a are scraped at the end of the wiping blade 140a. When the wiping blade 140a is completely passed through the liquid jet recording head 101,
4 recovers to its original shape by the elastic force as shown in state c.

By cleaning the ejection port forming surface 140a by a series of wiping operations as described above, the ejection of ink from the liquid ejection recording head 101 is stabilized, and a good image can be obtained.

[0026]

With the recent advancement of recording technology, higher-speed, higher-definition recording is required for a liquid jet recording apparatus. It is essential that the size (opening area of the discharge port) is finer and formed at a high density. Along with this, in the liquid jet recording head shown in FIG. 28, it is necessary to further improve the processing accuracy of the ejection port 141 and the liquid channel 401 and the alignment accuracy of the ejection port 141 and the liquid channel 401. is there.

However, the orifice plate 140
When the density of the plurality of discharge ports 141 opened in the
Since the interval between the adjacent discharge ports 141 becomes narrow, the discharge port 1
There is a problem that the bonding area of the portion between the 41 is reduced. That is, the orifice plate 1 is provided on the liquid flow path side wall 402 between the orifice plate 140 and the liquid flow path 401.
Since the adhesive for bonding the adhesives 04 spreads and moves when the orifice plate 400 and the top plate 400 are pressed against each other, the adhesive applied to the space between the adjacent discharge ports 141 may cause the inside of the discharge ports 141 and the liquid flow. There is a risk of flowing into the inside of the road 401. When the adhesive enters the discharge port or liquid flow path,
The adhesive causes a change in the internal shape of the discharge port and the liquid flow path, causing disturbances in the ink discharge direction and causing problems such as the inability to obtain stable discharge.

Therefore, when the orifice plate 104 and the liquid flow path side wall 402 are joined by pressure contact, the pressure contact force, the amount of adhesive applied, the adhesive application area, the viscosity of the adhesive, the shape of the joint surface, It is necessary to optimally manage the curing conditions, environmental conditions, and the like of the adhesive to regulate the spread of the adhesive.
As described above, in the configuration of the conventional liquid jet recording head, the difficulty of the joining process of the orifice plate 140 is extremely high, and the productivity of the liquid jet recording head is deteriorated. Furthermore, since the amount and area of application of the adhesive are limited,
This is a factor that lowers the adhesive strength of the orifice plate 140.

On the other hand, the orifice plate 14
There is a problem of a difference in coefficient of thermal expansion due to a difference between the material of No. 0 and the material of the liquid flow path constituting member. That is, in the step of heating and curing the adhesive, the orifice plate 140 and the top plate 400
Cause thermal expansion individually, the discharge port 141 and the liquid flow path 4
There is a problem that the relative position with respect to 01 changes and the adhesive hardens in a state where the relative positions of the two are shifted.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-187342
As described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H10-207, after joining an orifice plate made of a resin film to the surface of the head base on the opening end side of one end of the liquid flow path, a laser beam is irradiated from the front side of the orifice plate to form a discharge port. A way to do this has been proposed. However, in the method of forming the discharge port in this manner, dust and foreign matters such as carbon generated by ablation during laser processing enter the liquid flow path,
There is a problem that the liquid flow path is clogged.

The wiping operation also has the following problems.

That is, in a liquid jet recording head in which an orifice plate is generally joined to a liquid flow path (nozzle) forming member, that is, a head base, when the ink ejection surface is cleaned by a wiping operation of a recovery device, a wiping blade is used. Since the leading end is in sliding contact with the discharge port forming surface (face surface) of the orifice plate, there is a possibility that the junction between the orifice plate and the liquid flow path forming member may be separated by repeated wiping operations.

In particular, when the wiping blade enters the discharge port formation surface of the orifice plate, the tip of the wiping blade enters the end ridge of the orifice plate, so that the wiping blade can drag the orifice plate. If the wiping operation is repeated in such a situation, the end of the orifice plate will peel off from the main body of the liquid jet recording head. And even if the end of the orifice plate peels off even slightly, the repetition of the subsequent wiping operation causes the peeling of the orifice plate to spread to areas other than the end, causing irreparable damage to the liquid jet recording head. Become.

In order to avoid such a problem, in the configuration in which the front plate is provided as a seal member around the orifice plate as described above, the area required for capping is inevitably reduced, and the accuracy of the capping operation is reduced. Therefore, there is a necessity that high-precision parts must be used in order to increase the quality. In addition, if the capping area is to be ensured by enlarging the area of the front plate, the front plate components become relatively large, which increases the cost of the liquid jet recording head and increases the size of the entire recording apparatus. .

Further, since a step is formed between the front plate and the orifice plate, when the residual ink on the discharge port forming surface of the orifice plate is wiped by the blade, the ink may accumulate at the corner of the step. When the blade slides on the stepped portion and rubs the stepped portion, vibrations, jumping over, etc. may occur, and the contact of the blade may become insufficient and uneven wiping may occur. Also, since the blade contacts the liquid jet recording head so as to straddle the stepped portion between the front plate and the orifice plate in a one-sided state,
This may damage the blade, lowering the durability of the blade and causing a problem in terms of wiping reliability.

On the other hand, in a configuration in which the front plate is not used for the discharge port forming surface, the movable range of the wiping blade is narrowed so that the wiping blade does not catch on the end face of the orifice plate, and the discharge port forming surface of the wiping blade and the orifice plate is formed. There is a method of restricting a sliding contact area with the contact. However, in the case of such a method, firstly, it is necessary to make the wiping blade advance and retreat with respect to the orifice plate face surface, and there is a problem that the wiping device becomes expensive. Second, there is a problem due to retransfer of dust (dust, paper dust, paper fuzz, etc.) and thickened ink (ink in which volatile components have evaporated) collected by the wiping blade by the wiping operation.

That is, dust and thickened ink collected and adhered to the sliding contact surface of the wiping blade by the wiping operation are transferred to the discharge port forming surface of the orifice plate when the wiping blade advances and retreats, or the discharge port is formed. There is a risk of being pressed against the forming surface. As described above, it is not very advantageous to control the range in which the wiping blade and the orifice plate face slide.

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid jet recording head having a structure in which an orifice plate is joined to a head base having a liquid flow path formed therein, wherein the face surface of the orifice plate, that is, the discharge port forming surface of the liquid jet recording head is formed. The orifice plate is securely bonded to the head base while maintaining the flatness, and the capping area of the cap member on the discharge port forming surface can be widened, and the orifice plate can be peeled off even in the wiping operation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid jet recording head, a liquid jet recording apparatus equipped with the liquid jet recording head, and a method of manufacturing the liquid jet recording head.

[0039]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating bubbles in a liquid, and a plurality of energy generating means each having the energy generating means disposed therein. In a liquid jet recording head having a head base having a liquid flow path, and a plurality of ejection ports arranged in a straight line in communication with the liquid flow path, and having an orifice plate joined to the head base. The orifice plate is bent along the edge of the end of the head base on the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths, and the front end face of the head base on the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths An end of the orifice plate is joined to a surface different from the above, and a notch extending along the edge is formed in the edge of the head base.

Specifically, it is preferable that the notch is formed in the edge so that the edge of the recording head has a stepped shape.

Further, the present invention provides an energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating bubbles in a liquid, a head base having a plurality of liquid flow paths in which the energy generating means are respectively disposed, A plurality of discharge ports arranged in a straight line in communication with the flow paths are formed,
A liquid jet recording head having an orifice plate joined to the head base, wherein the orifice plate is bent along an edge of an opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths in the head base, and An end of the orifice plate is joined to a surface of the head substrate different from a front end surface on the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths, and a surface of the edge of the head substrate is a curved surface.

Further, the present invention provides an energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating bubbles in a liquid,
And a head base having a plurality of liquid flow paths in which the energy generating means are respectively disposed, and a plurality of discharge ports arranged in a straight line in communication with the liquid flow paths, and joined to the head base. And a bent orifice plate, the orifice plate is bent along the edge of the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths in the head base, and the head base, An end of the orifice plate is joined to a surface different from a front end surface on the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths, and the edge of the head base is chamfered.

Further, the orifice plate may be bonded to the front end surface of the head base, and the orifice plate may be in surface contact with the surface of the edge of the head base. Alternatively, the orifice plate may be adhered only to a surface of the head base different from the front end surface, and the orifice plate may be in surface contact with the surface of the edge of the head base.

Further, the orifice plate is also adhered to the front end face of the head base, and a fold line of the orifice plate and an edge of the front end face of the head base are separated by a predetermined distance. preferable.
Alternatively, the orifice plate is adhered only to a surface of the head base different from the front end face, and a bent line of the orifice plate and an edge of the front end face of the head base are separated by a predetermined distance. Is preferred.

In the above-described liquid jet recording head, in the configuration in which the orifice plate is bent along the edge of the head base and the orifice plate is joined to the head base, a notch is formed in the edge of the head base. When the edge is stepped, the surface of the edge is curved, or the edge is chamfered, the bent portion of the orifice plate includes the end of the front end face of the head base. It is possible to form not the bending arc centered on the ridge line, but the bending stress of the orifice plate. This makes it possible to prevent the orifice plate from largely floating or protruding from the front end surface or edge of the head base on the opening side of the liquid flow path, that is, the surface that receives the orifice plate. When the surface of the edge of the head base is curved or the edge is chamfered, and the bent portion of the orifice plate is in contact with the surface of the edge, the bending stress of the orifice plate is reduced. It can be distributed smoothly along the surface of the edge. As a result, it is possible to prevent the orifice plate from largely floating or protruding from the edge of the head base and the front end face connected to the edge. further,
By making the shape of the edge of the head substrate any of the shapes described above, even when the orifice plate and the front end surface of the head substrate are bonded with an adhesive or a sealing material having an adhesive property, the orifice plate is The adhesive or sealing material that stays near the end of the front end face can be deformed to some extent,
The adhesive or sealing material is deformed according to the curvature of the bent portion of the orifice plate. Therefore, the retained adhesive or sealing material does not serve as a starting point of floating or peeling of the bonding surface after the orifice plate is bent, and a sufficient effect of bonding between the orifice plate and the front end surface of the head substrate is obtained. Can be. With these effects, the face of the portion of the orifice plate joined to the front end face of the head base, that is, the flatness of the ejection port forming surface of the liquid jet recording head can be ensured. The size of the liquid jet recording head can be reduced by making the area of the face surface of the orifice plate the same, and the reliability of the orifice plate from peeling off in the wiping operation can be improved. Further, since there is no step on the face surface of the orifice plate, the durability of the wiping blade is improved, and a liquid jet recording head that can extend the life of the liquid jet recording apparatus can be realized.

Further, the present invention provides an energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating bubbles in a liquid,
And a head base having a plurality of liquid flow paths in which the energy generating means are respectively disposed, and a plurality of discharge ports arranged in a straight line in communication with the liquid flow paths, and joined to the head base. And a bent orifice plate, the orifice plate is bent along the edge of the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths in the head base, and the head base, An end of the orifice plate is joined to a surface different from a front end surface on the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths, and at least one portion of the orifice plate corresponding to the edge portion on the surface of the orifice plate on the head base side. The portion has a groove extending in a direction parallel to the edge.

Further, the present invention provides an energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating bubbles in a liquid,
And a head base having a plurality of liquid flow paths in which the energy generating means are respectively disposed; a plurality of discharge ports arranged in a straight line in communication with the liquid flow paths; and An orifice plate joined to the head base so that each of the ejection ports has a plurality of projections formed independently of each other, and at least a part of the projections enters the liquid flow path and fits therein. Wherein the orifice plate is bent along an edge of an end of the head base on the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths, and the plurality of liquid flow paths of the head base are provided. The end of the orifice plate is joined to a surface different from the front end surface on the opening end side of the orifice, and a portion corresponding to the edge on the surface of the orifice plate on the head base side. Least part of a groove extending in the edge and parallel direction are formed.

[0048] The groove of the orifice plate may be divided into a plurality of portions. Preferably, a side wall surface in the groove of the orifice plate is inclined with respect to a bottom surface of the groove. Further, a cross-sectional shape of the groove of the orifice plate in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction may be wedge-shaped. Furthermore, the groove of the orifice plate may be formed at a position other than both ends of the orifice plate. Further, the orifice plate may be bonded and joined to the front end face of the head base.

In the liquid jet recording head as described above, in the configuration in which the orifice plate is bent along the edge of the head base and the orifice plate is joined to the head base, the edge of the head base on the surface of the orifice plate on the head base side is provided. A groove extending in a direction parallel to the edge of the head base, that is, in a direction parallel to the bent ridge line of the orifice plate, at a portion corresponding to the portion, that is, a bent portion on the inner surface of the bent portion of the orifice plate. The plate can be easily bent, and the productivity of the liquid jet recording head is improved. Specifically, by forming such a groove in the orifice plate, when the orifice plate is bent, the tension of the entire orifice plate will be divided at the portion where the groove is formed, When the orifice plate is joined to the head base, the tension of the orifice plate acting as a repulsive force around the surface of the orifice plate which is in contact with the front end face of the head base is reduced. Therefore, in the step of bonding the orifice plate, the repulsive force against the bonding such as waving or undulation generated on the face of the portion of the orifice plate in contact with the front end face of the head base is reduced, and as a result, the face of the orifice plate is reduced. The smoothness of the surface and the bonding strength of the bonding surface on the back side of the face surface are improved. Here, in the case where a convex portion that enters and fits into the liquid flow path of the head base is formed around the discharge port of the orifice plate, the convex portion is formed by the above-described operation. It can be easily fitted inside. Furthermore, the shrinkage stress due to the thermal effect of the adhesive acting on the orifice plate acts mainly only toward the inside of the groove due to the effect of the groove, so that the shrinkage stress is applied to the end of the orifice plate. The acting shrinkage stress will be reduced. As a result, problems such as undulations and undulations that occur in the entire orifice plate due to the curing shrinkage stress of the adhesive can be greatly suppressed. In this manner, the orifice plate can be fixed on the three surfaces, that is, the face surface (front surface) and the bent end surfaces, so that the orifice plate can be more firmly held with respect to the head base. it can. Therefore, the breaching strength of the orifice plate is significantly improved with respect to the external force generated by the wiping blade, and peeling of the end of the orifice plate or the like can be prevented. In addition, in the case of such a configuration in which the orifice plate is bent, a smooth area can be created on the face surface of the orifice plate, and compared with a configuration in which another member such as a front plate is provided around the orifice plate. As a result, no step is formed on the face surface of the orifice plate, and a smooth area is secured over a wide range, so that the capping area of the cap member can be increased. Further, since the entire face surface of the orifice plate is smooth, it is possible to greatly reduce liquid residue and uneven wiping when wiping the blade. In addition, the smooth wiping surface can reduce the damage to the blade, so that the durability of the blade and the reliability of wiping can be improved. In addition, when forming the discharge ports and projections of the orifice plate by processing using an excimer laser, etc., by forming such grooves in the same process, the manufacturing cost of the orifice plate can be significantly reduced. Can be. In addition, by using an excimer laser for processing the discharge ports, convex portions, and grooves in the orifice plate, it is possible to perform processing with excellent positional accuracy and smoothness of the surface and extremely low residual stress.
Therefore, by these actions, the degree of freedom in designing the liquid jet recording head is increased, and the size and cost of the liquid jet recording head and the liquid jet recording apparatus can be reduced as described above. A liquid jet recording head that can extend the life of the liquid jet recording apparatus can be realized.

On the other hand, with respect to the joining of the orifice plate, a convex portion is provided for each discharge port around the discharge port on the back surface of the orifice plate, and the whole or a part of the convex portion enters the liquid flow path of the head base. By joining the orifice plate to the head base, even when the adhesive spreads between the orifice plate and the front end face of the head base when the orifice plate is pressed against the discharge port to connect the liquid passage to the discharge port, the protruding portion is formed by the adhesive. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the adhesive from flowing into the inner surface of the discharge port or the inner surface of the liquid flow path. Although the adhesive flows into the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the convex portion inserted into the liquid flow path and the inner surface of the liquid flow channel, the adhesive flows into the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the convex portion and the inner surface of the liquid flow channel. Stagnation due to surface tension, so that the liquid does not enter further into the liquid flow path. In addition, the adhesive stagnating in the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the projection and the inner surface of the liquid flow passage increases the bonding area of the orifice plate, thereby improving the bonding strength of the entire orifice plate. Furthermore, even when the orifice plate is made of a material different from the material for forming the liquid flow path, the convex portion of the orifice plate is inserted into the liquid flow path, so that during the adhesive curing step, This makes it possible to physically prevent the relative position between the discharge port and the liquid flow path from moving.

Further, the present invention is a liquid jet recording apparatus for performing recording on the recording medium by discharging a liquid toward the recording medium and attaching the liquid to the recording medium. The liquid ejection recording head includes any one of the liquid ejection recording heads, and a cap member for sealing a region including the ejection ports on the ejection port formation surface of the liquid ejection recording head where the ejection ports are located.

Further, the present invention is a liquid jet recording apparatus for performing recording on the recording medium by discharging a liquid toward the recording medium and causing the liquid to adhere to the recording medium. And a wiping blade for wiping the ejection port forming surface of the liquid ejection recording head where the ejection port is located to clean the ejection port forming surface.

Further, the present invention provides an energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating bubbles in a liquid,
And a head base having a plurality of liquid flow paths in which the energy generating means are respectively disposed, and a plurality of discharge ports arranged in a straight line in communication with the liquid flow paths, and joined to the head base. A liquid ejecting recording head having an orifice plate, wherein a notch extending along the edge is provided at an edge of the head base on the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths. Preparing the formed head base and the orifice plate; and positioning the plurality of discharge ports of the orifice plate with respect to the plurality of liquid flow paths of the head base to form the discharge port in the orifice plate. Fixing a portion around an outlet, and bending the orifice plate along the edge of the head base;
Joining the end of the orifice plate to a surface of the head base that is different from the front end surface on the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths.

Further, the present invention provides an energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating bubbles in a liquid,
And a head base having a plurality of liquid flow paths in which the energy generating means are respectively disposed, and a plurality of discharge ports arranged in a straight line in communication with the liquid flow paths, and joined to the head base. A liquid ejecting recording head having a orifice plate, wherein the surface of the edge of the head substrate at the open end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths is curved. And preparing the orifice plate, and positioning the plurality of discharge ports of the orifice plate with respect to the plurality of liquid flow paths of the head base to fix a portion of the orifice plate around the discharge port. Bending the orifice plate along the edge of the head base, and connecting the end of the orifice plate to the head. And a step of bonding the substrates, the front end surface and a different surface of the open end side of said plurality of liquid flow paths.

Further, the present invention provides an energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating bubbles in a liquid,
And a head base having a plurality of liquid flow paths in which the energy generating means are respectively disposed, and a plurality of discharge ports arranged in a straight line in communication with the liquid flow paths, and joined to the head base. A liquid ejecting recording head having an orifice plate, wherein the head substrate has a chamfered edge at an opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths in the head substrate, and the orifice plate. Preparing, and aligning the plurality of discharge ports of the orifice plate with respect to the plurality of liquid flow paths of the head substrate, and fixing a portion of the orifice plate around the discharge ports, Bending the orifice plate along the edge of the head base, and connecting the end of the orifice plate to the head base. And a step of joining to the front end face and different surfaces of the open end side of said plurality of liquid flow paths.

Further, the present invention provides an energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating bubbles in a liquid,
And a head base having a plurality of liquid flow paths in which the energy generating means are respectively disposed, and a plurality of discharge ports arranged in a straight line in communication with the liquid flow paths, and joined to the head base. Orifice plate, the orifice plate being bent along the edge of the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths in the head base, and the plurality of liquid flows of the head base being A method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head in which an end of the orifice plate is joined to a surface different from a front end surface on the opening end side of a path, the method corresponding to the edge on the surface of the orifice plate facing the head base. At least a part of the groove is formed so as to extend in a direction parallel to the edge of the head base when the orifice plate is joined to the head base. Positioning the plurality of discharge ports of the orifice plate with respect to the plurality of liquid flow paths of the head base to fix a portion of the orifice plate around the discharge ports; and Bending the plate along the edge of the head substrate, and joining the end of the orifice plate to a surface of the head substrate, which is different from a front end surface on the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths. Have.

Further, in the step of aligning the plurality of discharge ports of the orifice plate with the plurality of liquid flow paths of the head base, each of the discharge ports is provided around the discharge port of the orifice plate. It is preferable that at least a part of the plurality of independently formed protrusions enter the liquid flow path and fit into the liquid flow path.

Further, the step of forming the groove in the orifice plate includes the step of forming the plurality of discharge ports and the digging processing to form the plurality of convex portions simultaneously with forming the plurality of discharge ports. It is preferably performed by digging for forming. In this case, it is preferable that the plurality of ejection ports, the plurality of protrusions, and the grooves are formed by processing using an excimer laser.

Further, before the step of bending the orifice plate along the edge of the head base, the orifice plate is joined to the front end face of the head base on the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths. It may have a process.

Further, the present invention provides an energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating bubbles in a liquid,
And a head base having a plurality of liquid flow paths in which the energy generating means are respectively disposed, and a plurality of discharge ports arranged in a straight line in communication with the liquid flow paths, and joined to the head base. A method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head having a selected orifice plate, wherein the step of preparing the head base and the orifice plate includes the steps of: Positioning the orifice plate to the front end face of the head base on the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths; and connecting the orifice plate to the plurality of liquids in the head base. Bending along the edge of the end on the open end side of the flow path, and connecting the end of the orifice plate to the front of the head base. And a step of bonding to the surface different from the surface.

According to the method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head of the present invention as described above, a liquid jet recording head having a structure in which the orifice plate is bent along the edge of the head base and the orifice plate is fixed to the head base. In this case, the orifice plate can be reliably bent and fixed to the head substrate, and the orifice plate can be easily bent, thereby improving the productivity of the liquid jet recording head. Also, by joining the orifice plate to the front end face of the head base before bending the orifice plate, stress is generated due to the bending rigidity of the orifice plate due to the bending, and the bent portion of the orifice plate becomes a shape having a certain curvature R. However, since the orifice plate is bonded and bonded to at least the front end face of the head base, the liquid jet recording head can be manufactured while maintaining the flatness of the face surface of the orifice plate. By this action, the flatness of the face surface of the orifice plate is ensured, and the capping area on the face surface is made equal to the area of the face surface of the orifice plate to reduce the size of the liquid jet recording head and the orifice in the wiping operation. The reliability against peeling of the plate can be improved. Furthermore, since there is no step on the face surface of the orifice plate, the durability of the wiping blade is improved, and a liquid jet recording head capable of extending the life of the liquid jet recording apparatus can be manufactured. .

[0062]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIGS. 1 to 3 are exploded perspective views for explaining the structure of a liquid jet recording head according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The substrate of the recording head is partially shown in cross section. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the orifice plate of the liquid jet recording head is bent.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the liquid jet recording head 15 of this embodiment, the heater board 1 is die-bonded on the base plate 3 which is a supporting substrate. The heater board 1 includes an electrothermal converter (hereinafter, referred to as a discharge heater) 1a that is an energy generating unit that generates thermal energy for discharging liquid ink, and wiring for supplying power to the discharge heater 1a. Are formed on a silicon substrate by a silicon film forming process.
Aluminum or ceramics is used as a material of the base plate 3, and the base plate 3 also functions as a heat sink for cooling the heater board 1 by radiating heat of the heater board 1 generated by driving the discharge heater 1a.

On the surface of the heater board 1 on the side of the discharge heater 1a, a top plate 5 for forming an ink flow path is joined. On the surface of the top plate 5 on the side of the heater board 1, a plurality of grooves for forming the nozzles 7 serving as liquid flow paths and concave portions for forming the common liquid chambers 8 communicating with the nozzles 7 are formed. ing. These grooves and recesses of the top plate 5 may be formed of, for example, a photosensitive resin. The plurality of ink flow channel grooves, each of which is a nozzle 7,
a, the heater board 1 and the top plate 5 are joined to form a plurality of nozzles 7 arranged in a straight line, and a common liquid chamber. 8 are formed, and a discharge heater 1a is arranged for each nozzle 7.

The grooves for forming the plurality of nozzles 7 may be formed on the heater board 1 instead of the top plate 5 side. In that case, after laminating a photosensitive resin layer of epoxy or the like on the upper surface of the heater board 1, through a photolithography process such as etching or the like, partition walls for partitioning the nozzles 7 are formed.
A groove serving as the nozzle 7 is formed. Next, by joining the top plate to the heater board 1 via the partition layer on the heater board 1, the groove on the heater board 1 is closed by the top plate, and the nozzle 7 as an ink flow path is formed. You.

In the case where the top plate 5 is formed of resin, a groove for the nozzle 7 is integrally formed on the lower surface of the top plate 5 by injection molding, or the nozzle 7 is formed by excimer laser processing after injection molding. May be formed. Further, when the top plate 5 is made of silicon or the like, the ink flow channel may be formed by anisotropic etching.

In any case, when the groove for the nozzle 7 is provided on the upper surface of the heater board 1, the relative position between the groove for the nozzle 7 and the discharge heater 1a is adjusted with high precision by the semiconductor film forming technique. Will be arranged. On the other hand, in a mode in which the groove for the nozzle 7 is provided on the lower surface of the top plate 5, the groove for the nozzle 7 and the discharge heater 1a are arranged so that their relative positions are accurately adjusted by mechanical alignment processing. become.

The top plate 5 is provided with an ink supply port 9 for receiving ink supplied from an ink tank (not shown) and introducing the ink into the common liquid chamber 8. The ink in 8 is supplied to each nozzle 7. The common liquid chamber 8 has a role as a tank for temporarily storing ink to be supplied to each nozzle 7.

The liquid jet recording head 15 is provided with a chip tank 11 joined to the base plate 3, the top plate 5, and the heater board 1. Inside the chip tank 11, ink is supplied from an ink storage tank or a sub-tank (not shown) disposed at a position upstream of the liquid jet recording head 15 in the ink supply path of the ink jet recording apparatus to the ink supply port 9 of the top plate 5. An ink passage 11a for guiding is formed. This chip tank 11
Has a front plate portion 11b disposed around the front end surface 1b of the heater board 1 on the opening end side of the nozzle 7 and around the front end surface 5b of the top plate 5 on the opening end side of the nozzle 7.

The base plate 3, the heater board 1, the top plate 5, and the chip tank 11 constitute a head base 4, and a film-shaped orifice plate 6 is joined to the head base 4. The orifice plate 6 has a plurality of nozzles 7 on the surface of the front plate portion 11b of the chip tank 11, the front end surface 1b of the heater board 1, and the front end surface 5b of the top plate 5, that is, the head base 4.
Is joined to the chip tank 11 and the base plate 3 so as to cover the front end face on the open end side of the chip. The orifice plate 6 has a desired number of discharge ports 6a for discharging the ink in the nozzles 7 toward the recording medium, corresponding to the number of the nozzles 7, and each of the discharge ports 6a is provided with a heater. It communicates with the nozzle 7 between the board 1 and the top plate 5. Therefore, the discharge ports 6a are also arranged in a line on a straight line like the plurality of nozzles 7. Multiple outlets 6a
Is formed by irradiating the orifice plate 6 with an excimer laser beam from the back side of the orifice plate 6, that is, the surface side which is the head base 4 side, to penetrate the orifice plate 6.

The upper surface of the chip tank 11, that is, the surface of the chip tank 11 opposite to the base plate 3 side is a flat joining surface 11e substantially perpendicular to the surface of the front plate portion 11b. One end of the orifice plate 6 is joined and fixed to the surface 11e. The surface of the base plate 3 on the side opposite to the chip tank 11 side is also substantially the same size as the bonding surface 11e of the chip tank 11, and is a planar bonding surface substantially perpendicular to the surface of the front plate portion 11b. The other end of the orifice plate 6 is joined and fixed to the joint surface.

Front plate portion 11b of chip tank 11
In order to satisfactorily join the orifice plate 6 to the head base 4 by bending the orifice plate 6 as described later, the edge 31
A notch 33 extending along is formed. In addition, a notch extending along the edge portion 32 of the front plate portion 11b of the chip tank 11 at the edge portion 32 on the side of the base plate 3 in order to bend the orifice plate 6 and join the orifice plate 6 to the head base 4 well. Chip 34
Are formed. By forming the notches 33 and 34 in the edges 31 and 32 in this manner, the edges 3 and 32 are formed.
Each of the shapes 1 and 32 has a stepped shape.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the area of the orifice plate 6 is
b, and the orifice plate 6 is bent so that the cross-sectional shape in a direction perpendicular to the direction of arrangement of the discharge ports 6a is a U-shape.
g is bent at two points and joined to the chip tank 11 and the base plate 3. The bending ridge line 6f is a bending line along the edge 31 of the head base 4, and the bending ridge line 6g is a bending line along the edge 32 of the head base 4. One end of the orifice plate 6 is
i is joined to the joining surface 11e of the chip tank 11, and the other end of the orifice plate 6 is joined to the surface of the base plate 3 on the side opposite to the heater board 1 side as a fixing portion 6j.

In this embodiment, the orifice plate 6 is bent along the direction in which the discharge ports 6a are arranged. In the present invention, however, the orifice plate 6 is bent in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the discharge ports 6a are arranged. Configuration may be used.

A row of discharge ports 6a is arranged in a face portion 6k of the orifice plate 6 between the fixed portions 6i and 6j, and the face portion 6k is arranged on the surface of the front plate portion 11b, that is, the head base 4 Are joined to the front end surfaces of the plurality of nozzles 7 on the opening end side. Therefore, the front plate portion 11b serves to hold a portion of the orifice plate 6 around the discharge port 6a by bonding to the portion, and also serves to prevent the cap member provided in the main body of the recording apparatus from capping when the capping operation is performed. The orifice plate 6 has a role of supporting the orifice plate 6 so that the orifice plate 6 can sufficiently withstand the applied detachment force and pressing and holding force. This orifice plate 6
As described later, the front end portion of the base plate 3 is used for supporting the base plate 3, and the base plate 3 may directly support the orifice plate 6. The face of the face portion 6k of the orifice plate 6 opposite to the head base 4 side is the face face 6b which is the ejection port forming face of the liquid jet recording head 15.

The orifice plate 6 bent as shown in FIG. 2 is attached to the head base 4 by engaging means such as a pressing plate 12, a stud not shown, or bonding or welding with an adhesive. Fixing part 6
i and 6j are fixed to the head base 4.

The material of the top plate 5 is polysulfone,
Resins such as polyethersulfone, polypropylene, modified polyphenylene oxide, polyphenylene sulfide, epoxy, and liquid crystal polymer, or ceramics, silicon, silicon nitride, nickel, carbon, and glass can be used.

The orifice plate 6 is made of SUS
(Stainless steel), a metal plate of Ni, Cr, Al or the like, or a resin molded product such as polyimide, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyphenylene oxide, polyphenylene sulfide, or polypropylene, a resin film material, or the like can be used.

Next, an outline of an assembling process of the above-described liquid jet recording head 15 will be described.

First, the discharge heater 1a on the heater board 1
Is aligned with the groove serving as the nozzle 7 in the top plate 5 facing the discharge heater 1a so as to match with high precision, and then the heater is joined by a bonding means such as an adhesive or a pressing means such as a pressing spring (not shown). By bringing the board 1 and the top plate 5 into close contact with each other, a nozzle 7 serving as an ink flow path is formed between the heater board 1 and the top plate 5.

Next, the chip tank 11 is mounted on the base plate 3 in which the heater board 1 to which the top plate 5 is in close contact is fixed, and the ink supply port 9 of the top plate 5 and the ink passage 11a of the chip tank 11 are provided. And connect. As a result, the front plate portion 11b of the chip tank 11 has the front end surface 1b of the heater board 1 and the front end surface 5b of the top plate 5
Will cover the surrounding area. At this time, the front end faces 1b, 5b
Are configured to protrude forward by about several tens μm to several hundred μm from the front surface of the front plate portion 11b.

Next, the orifice plate 6 is joined to the front end surfaces 1b and 5b formed so as to protrude from the front plate portion 11b by the close contact between the heater board 1 and the top plate 5 by joining means such as an adhesive. At this time, since the front surface of the front plate portion 11b is retracted from the front end surfaces 1b and 5b, the joining between the orifice plate 6 and the front end surfaces 1b and 5b is not hindered.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a step of joining the orifice plate 6 to the head base 4, and FIG. 4 shows a cross section of a portion of the head base 4 on the nozzle 7 side. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion on the ejection port 6a side of the liquid jet recording head 15 of the present embodiment, that is, a face portion of the liquid jet recording head 15.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the orifice plate 6 is joined to the head base 4, first, in a state where the orifice plate 6 is not bent, the front surface is set so that the discharge port 6 a communicates with the nozzle 7. The orifice plate 6 is aligned with the front end surfaces 1b and 5b protruding from the plate portion 11b, and the orifice plate 6 is fixed by fixing means such as an adhesive. Then, an adhesive or a sealing material having an adhesive force is poured into a gap 16 formed between the back surface of the orifice plate 6 on the side of the head base 4 and the front plate portion 11b.

For bonding the back surface of the orifice plate 6 and the front plate portion 11b, an epoxy adhesive excellent in ink resistance is generally used. In the bonding with the epoxy adhesive, the curing of the adhesive is promoted by UV irradiation or heating, but the influence of the curing shrinkage and thermal expansion of the adhesive is reduced, and the high-precision arrangement of the discharge ports 6a is maintained. For this reason, a curing method using a combination of UV irradiation and low-temperature curing is considered preferable.

After the portion of the orifice plate 6 around the discharge port 6a, that is, the face portion 6k of the orifice plate 6, is fixed to the head base 4, the vicinity of the end of the front plate portion 11b of the chip tank 11, that is, The orifice plate 6 is bent near each of the edges 31 and 32 of the head base 4, and finally, the bent fixing portions 6i and 6j of the orifice plate 6 are bent.
Of the head base 4 by the pressing plate 12 or the like as described above.
Fixed to.

By bending the orifice plate 6,
Due to the bending elasticity of the material of the orifice plate 6 itself, a stress is generated in the orifice plate 6 to return to the original plane, and the bent portion of the orifice plate 6 draws an arc. By forming the notches 33 and 34 respectively, the front end ridge lines 11c and 11d of the front plate portion 11b as shown in FIG.
Are bent ridge lines 6 of the orifice plate 6
Since it is located inside f and 6g, an arc formed by the bending stress of the orifice plate 6 can be formed at the bent portion of the orifice plate 6. As a result, the bent ridge lines 6f and 6g of the orifice plate 6 are aligned with the front plate portion 11
The orifice plate 6 can be bent without floating above the surface b.

Further, when an adhesive or a sealing material having an adhesive force is poured into the gap 16 between the back surface of the orifice plate 6 and the front plate portion 11b, the notches 33, 3 are formed.
4 forms a sealing material reservoir 16a. Orifice plate 6
Is bent, the sealing material pool 16a is notched 3
3 between the inner wall surface and the orifice plate 6,
Since it enters between the four orifice plates 6 and is deformed, the sealing material reservoir 16a does not cause protrusions or protrusions of the orifice plate 6.

The distance a between the bent ridge line 6f of the orifice plate 6 and the front end ridge line 11c of the front plate portion 11b and the distance between the bent ridge line 6g and the front end ridge line 11d shown in FIG. 5 are appropriately set. This makes it possible to absorb variations in the amount of the sealing material reservoir 16a, and to increase the margin in the manufacturing process.

When the back surface of the orifice plate 6 and the front plate portion 11b are joined by the adhesive or the sealing material having an adhesive force as described above, the bending stress of the orifice plate 6 is suppressed, and the face surface of the orifice plate 6 is reduced. 6b, that is, the liquid jet recording head 15
The flatness of the discharge port forming surface can be obtained more reliably and with higher reliability. If the orifice plate 6 and the front plate portion 11b are bonded to more reliably obtain the flatness and reliability of the face surface 6b, bonding after bending is desirable.

The bent edge line of the orifice plate 6
The distance between the front plate portion 11b and the front end ridge line is set to a predetermined value according to the material, bending rigidity, thickness, shape, and the like of the orifice plate 6. Further, the choices are expanded depending on whether the orifice plate 6 and the front plate portion 11b are joined or not joined. Naturally, bending ridgeline 6f
The larger the distance a between the front end ridge line 11c and the front end ridge line 11c is, the better the bent shape of the orifice plate 6 is. On the other hand, if the distance a is too small, the bent shape of the orifice plate 6 becomes defective. The distance a and the distance b from the bent ridge line 6f shown in FIG. 5 to the step surface 33b of the edge 33 need to be set to appropriate values in consideration of the characteristics of the material of the orifice plate 6 and the like.

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining a method of bending the orifice plate 6 and fixing the orifice plate 6 to the head base 4.

When the orifice plate 6 is bent and fixed to the head base 4, as shown in FIG. 6, both ends of the orifice plate 6 are arranged in a direction away from the face surface 6 a in the arrangement direction of the discharge ports 6 a. It is preferable to fix the orifice plate 6 by applying tension to the orifice plate 6 while pulling both ends of the orifice plate 6 in a direction perpendicular to the orifice plate. This allows
The flatness of the face surface 6b of the orifice plate 6 is further improved, and the orifice plate 6 is not lifted from the chip tank 11, so that the effect of preventing the orifice plate 6 from peeling off is increased. However, if the tension applied to the orifice plate 6 is unnecessarily large, the discharge port 6a is deformed and breaks. Therefore, the tension is adjusted to an appropriate value in consideration of the material of the orifice plate 6 and its strength and shape. Must be set.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view for explaining the capping operation in the liquid jet recording head 15. As shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the wiping operation in the liquid jet recording head 15.

The liquid jet recording head 15 of this embodiment is
It is mounted on an ink jet recording apparatus which is a liquid jet recording apparatus for performing recording on a recording medium. In the ink jet recording apparatus, liquid ink is ejected from the liquid jet recording head 15 toward the recording medium, and the ink adheres to the recording medium to perform recording on the recording medium. In addition, in the ink jet recording apparatus equipped with the liquid jet recording head 15, similarly to the conventional recording apparatus, the face surface 6b of the liquid jet recording head 15,
That is, all the ejection ports 6 on the ejection port forming surface of the liquid ejection recording head 15 where the plurality of ejection ports 6a are located.
and a wiping blade for wiping the face surface 6b to clean the face surface 6b.

In the liquid jet recording head 15 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, in order to perform a recovery operation of the liquid jet recording head 15 in a recording operation by liquid jetting, the cap member 13 is attached to the face 6 b of the orifice plate 6.
The capping region 1 including the row of the discharge ports 6a on the face surface 6b by contacting the face surface 6b
3a is sealed by the cap member 13. At this time, according to the configuration of the liquid jet recording head 15 of the present embodiment, the face surface 6b of the orifice plate 6, that is, the discharge port forming surface of the liquid jet recording head 15, is smooth and has no steps, so the face surface 6b , The contact portion with the cap member 13 can ensure good sealing performance in any area of the face surface 6b. Therefore, it is not necessary to set the precision of the component of the cap member 13 and the precision of the entry positioning portion for allowing the cap member 13 to enter the face surface 6b of the orifice plate 6 with high accuracy. Can be simplified, and the recording apparatus can be manufactured at low cost.

Next, after capping the face 6b of the orifice plate 6 with the cap member 13,
Alternatively, a wiping operation performed after continuous ejection will be described. In FIG. 8, the state a of the wiping blade is the state before the wiping operation, the state b is the start of the wiping operation, the states c, d, and e are the states during the wiping operation, and the state f is the state after the wiping operation.

As shown in FIG. 8, the wiping operation causes the wiping blade 2 to enter the face surface 6b of the orifice plate 6, and the face surface 6b is wiped and cleaned by the wiping blade 2 in order to obtain good recording. It is required operation. Here, when the wiping blade 2 moves from the state a in the direction of arrow B parallel to the arrangement direction of the discharge ports 6a and enters the face surface 6a in the state b, the wiping blade 2 6, the orifice plate 6 may be peeled off by the wiping blade 2. This is wiping blade 2
This is due to the fact that the wiping blade 2 gets caught on the end 6h of the orifice plate 6 when entering the orifice plate 6, and the adhesive strength of the orifice plate 6 is insufficient. In any case,
In the case of a one-sided bonding mode in which the orifice plate is bonded to the head base only at the face surface thereof as in a conventional liquid jet recording head, the orifice plate cannot have sufficient adhesive strength.

On the other hand, in the liquid jet recording head 15 of this embodiment, since the orifice plate 6 is bent, the bonding surface of the orifice plate 6 with the head base 4 or the bonding surface by fitting or the like is reduced to three. Surface. That is, the mode of joining the orifice plate 6 includes joining the fixing portion 6i of the orifice plate 6 to the joining surface 11d of the chip tank 11, joining the face portion 6k of the orifice plate 6 to the front plate portion 11b, and joining the orifice plate 6 And a three-surface holding form including bonding of the fixing portion 6j of the base plate 3 to the back surface of the base plate 3.
Thereby, regarding the reaction force of the orifice plate 6 to the wiping blade 2, not only the back surface of the face portion 6k of the orifice plate 6, but also the back surface of the fixed portions 6i and 6j of the orifice plate 6, ie, the bending side 2b.
One side can be added, and a larger reaction force can be obtained. Therefore, in such a three-side holding mode,
The joining strength of the orifice plate 6 is remarkably improved, and the orifice plate 6 can obtain a great reaction force against the sliding of the wiping blade 2.

When an external force is applied to the contact surface of the orifice plate 6 with the wiping blade 2 to separate the orifice plate 6, the orifice plate 6
Is bent, so that the orifice plate 6
Is required to be sheared at the bent portion or the like. Normally, the breaking force of the orifice plate 6 in the shear direction is much larger than the pressing pressure of the wiping blade 2 against the surface of the orifice plate 6, so that the orifice plate 6 is not substantially peeled off by the wiping blade 2. .

The approach direction of the wiping blade 2 is shown in FIG.
The direction perpendicular to the direction shown in FIG.
When set in the direction perpendicular to the array direction of
The wiping blade 2 comes into contact with the orifice plate 6 from the bent ridge line 6f or 6g. Therefore, in this case, the wiping blade 2 does not catch on the end of the orifice plate 6, and there is almost no possibility that the orifice plate 6 is peeled off.

Next, the liquid jet recording head 1 of this embodiment
Modification 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 are cross-sectional views for explaining a modification of the liquid jet recording head 15, and FIGS. 9 and 10 show cross sections of the face portion of the liquid jet recording head 15. FIG. 9 and 10 show a state before the orifice plate 6 is bent and joined to the head base 4.

In a modification of the liquid jet recording head 15 shown in FIG. 9, each of the edges 31 and 32 of the head base 4 is chamfered, and the liquid jet recording head 1 shown in FIG.
In the fifth modification, the surfaces of the edges 31 and 32 of the head base 4 are curved surfaces defined by a predetermined radius of curvature R.

As described above, when the orifice plate 6 is bent along each of the edges 31, 32 as described above, the inclined surfaces 21a,
21b or curved surfaces 22a, 22b of edges 31, 32
Receives the bending ridge lines 6f and 6g in a wide area, the bending stress of the orifice plate 6 is applied to the edges 31,
Thus, the orifice plate 6 can be prevented from floating or protruding from the front plate portion 11b. further,
Such an effect can be obtained irrespective of the presence or absence of adhesion between the front plate portion 11b and the orifice plate 6. Among these modified examples, the shapes of the curved surfaces of the edges 31 and 32 are the same as the three shapes of the edges 31 and 32 described in the present embodiment, and the front plate 11b and the orifice plate 6 are bonded. It is the most suitable shape when not performing.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the configuration of a liquid jet recording head according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is sectional drawing of a face part. The liquid jet recording head of the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the shape of the portion on the ejection port side of the chip tank and the base plate. Will be described.

In the liquid jet recording head of this embodiment, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 12, the head base 44a includes a heater board 1, a top plate 5, a base plate 43a, and a chip tank 51a.
The front plate portion 4a includes the front plate portion 24 of the base plate 43a and the front plate portion 23 of the chip tank 51a. Therefore, the plate portion configured by combining the front plate portions 23 and 24 is the front plate portion 11b in the first embodiment.
Is equivalent to The shape of the base plate 43a other than the front plate portion 24 is the same as the shape of the base plate 3 used in the first embodiment, and the shape of the chip tank 51a other than the front plate portion 23 is the same as in the first embodiment. This is the same as the chip tank 11 used.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the front plate portion for receiving the face portion 6k of the orifice plate 6 is constituted by the respective ends of the two parts of the chip tank 51a and the base plate 43a. By configuring the front plate portion of the head base body 44a with the front plate portions 23 and 24 in this manner, simplification of the respective component shapes of the chip tank 51a and the base plate 43a is realized, and the incorporation of components, particularly the chip tank 51a
A very good assemblability is realized in the mounting direction 25 of the chip tank 51a with respect to the base plate 43a.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the structure of a liquid jet recording head according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is sectional drawing of a face part. The liquid jet recording head of the present embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment in the shape of the portion on the ejection port side of the chip tank. Are different in that different members are used. Hereinafter, points different from the first embodiment will be described.

In the liquid jet recording head of this embodiment, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 14, the head base body 44b includes the heater board 1, the top plate 5, the base plate 3, the chip tank 51a, and the front plate dedicated member 26. The front plate exclusive member 26 is joined to the front end face of the base plate 3 and the chip tank 51a on the discharge port 6a side, and the front plate portion for receiving the face portion 6k of the orifice plate 6 is constituted by the front plate exclusive member 26. Have been. The head base member 4 is constituted by the front plate dedicated member 26 in this manner.
The greatest feature is that it is easy to secure the flatness of the orifice plate receiving portion in 4b. In particular, when the number of nozzles increases and the length of the nozzle row increases, it becomes difficult to ensure the flatness of the face surface 6b of the orifice plate 6. In this case, in particular, the orifice plate 6
The flatness of the front plate portion supporting the face portion 6k becomes very important. Therefore, if the front plate portion of the head base 44b is the front plate dedicated member 26 as in the present embodiment, the receiving portion of the orifice plate 6 is an integral member, and the structure is relatively simple. It is easy to ensure the flatness of the plate surface.

In both the second and third embodiments described above, the shape of the edge of the front plate portion in the head bases 44a and 44b is the same as the stepped shape shown in FIGS. Chamfer shape shown in FIG. 9, FIG.
It is possible to make the curved surface shown in FIG. Regardless of whether or not the orifice plate 6 is bonded to the front plate portion of the head base, either may be used. In fact, the first
Regarding the three shapes of the edge of the front plate portion in the embodiment, the configuration of each front plate portion of the first to third embodiments, and the combination of these, such as the presence or absence of adhesion between the orifice plate and the front plate portion, The optimum configuration of the liquid jet recording head is selected from various points such as performance, cost, assemblability, and use form.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view for explaining a liquid jet recording head according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The liquid jet recording head according to the present embodiment has a stepped edge shape of the head base in order to better bond the orifice plate to the head base as compared with those of the first to third embodiments. The main difference is that a groove is formed on the back surface of the orifice plate instead of the shape. In FIG. 15, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the following description will focus on differences from the first embodiment.

In the liquid jet recording head according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG.
, Top plate 5, base plate 3, chip tank 71
And so on. The orifice plate 46 is joined to the head base 64.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a state before the orifice plate shown in FIG. 15 is bent.
FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a state where the orifice plate shown in FIG. 15 is bent. FIG. 18 is a sectional view of a portion on the ejection port side in the liquid jet recording head of the present embodiment. FIG. 19 is an enlarged view of a bent portion of the orifice plate.

The outer shape of the orifice plate 46 is substantially the same as that of the orifice plate 6 used in the first to third embodiments. However, as shown in FIGS. On the back surface 46g on the opposite side, the bent ridge 4 of the orifice plate 46
Two grooves 17a extending along 6f are formed. Therefore, a portion corresponding to the edge of the head base 64 in the plane of the orifice plate 46 on the head base 64 side,
That is, the front plate portion 7 of the chip tank 71
A groove 17a extending parallel to the front end ridge line 71c parallel to the direction of arrangement of the discharge ports 46a in 1b is formed. Thus, the bent portion 46 of the orifice plate 46
When a groove 17a having a desired width is formed in the bent portion 46m
The thickness of the orifice plate 46 is reduced with respect to other portions, so that the repulsive force at the time of bending is reduced, the orifice plate 46 can be easily bent, and the productivity of the liquid jet recording head is improved.

Further, a predetermined tension is applied to two surfaces of the fixed portions 46i and 46j of the bent orifice plate 46, and the two surfaces are fixed and held on the upper surface of the chip tank 71 and the rear surface of the base plate 3, respectively. Is done. For this reason, the orifice plate 46 is connected to the back surface of the face surface (front surface) 46b and the fixing portions 46i, 4
6j will be fixed on the three back surfaces of each
The holding strength is remarkably improved as compared with a configuration in which the orifice plate 46 is fixed only on the back surface of the face surface 46b.

In the present embodiment, the orifice plate 46
Is bent along the direction in which the discharge ports 46a are arranged. However, the orifice plate 46 may be bent in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the discharge ports 46a are arranged.

Around the discharge port 46a on the rear surface 46g of the orifice plate 46, a plurality of projections 18a protruding from the rear surface 46g are formed independently for each discharge port 46a. The shape of the protrusions 18a may be any of a cylindrical shape, a polygonal column shape, and the like.
“a” may be constituted by a wall having a uniform projection shape, or may be constituted by a wall divided into several pieces.

Each of the projections 18a is formed by excimer laser processing in the same manner as the discharge port 46a. However, due to the processing for forming projections, portions other than the projections 18a are excimer laser-exposed to the height of the projections 18a. It is a process to remove only. In addition, the above-described groove 17a is also dug by excimer laser processing. That is, the plurality of convex portions 1
Since the groove 8a and the two grooves 17a are formed by excimer laser processing, their positional accuracy and surface smoothness are good, and processing with very little residual stress can be performed. Therefore, the projections 18a and the grooves 17a are formed in the same step by excavation with an excimer laser, and the discharge ports 4 by the excimer laser are formed.
If the orifice plate 46 is manufactured so as to be formed in the same process as the hole processing of 6a, the orifice plate 4
6 can reduce the processing cost.

Generally, the orifice plate 46 is made of SU
Metal plates of S (stainless steel), Ni, Cr, Al, etc., or resin molded products such as polyimide, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyphenylene oxide, polyphenylene sulfide, polypropylene, etc., resin film materials, etc., and silicon, ceramics, etc. Formed by the discharge port 46a, the projection 18a, the groove 17
a is not only formed by excimer laser processing, but also can be formed by applying various methods such as injection molding, transfer molding, electroforming, sand blasting, etching, etc., depending on the material used. .

The shape and role of the chip tank 71 are the same as those of the chip tank 11 used in the first embodiment, except for the shape of the edge of the front plate portion 71b. Therefore, the role of the front plate portion 71b is the same as that of the front plate portion 11b of the chip tank 11, and the role of holding the peripheral portion of the orifice plate 46 around the discharge port 46a by joining the same with the front plate portion 11b. Has a role of supporting the orifice plate 46 so that the orifice plate 46 can sufficiently withstand a detachment force and a pressing and holding force applied from the cap member at the time of the capping operation of the cap member disposed in the orifice.

The groove 17a of the orifice plate 46 is disposed at a position where the center of the groove width substantially coincides with the front end ridge line 71c of the front plate portion 71b.

Inside the liquid jet recording head, as shown in FIG. 18, a wiring board 35 is adhered on the base plate 3 with an adhesive or the like. The wiring board 35 is for performing wiring to the heater board 1 and electrical contact to the main body of the liquid jet recording apparatus.
As the wiring substrate 35, a PWB substrate having a wiring pattern formed of copper or nickel on a glass epoxy substrate, a TAB film having a wiring pattern formed on a flexible film or the like is used. The heater board 1 and the wiring board 35 are electrically connected by, for example, wire bonding 35a.

Next, an outline of a process of assembling the liquid jet recording head will be described.

First, the heater board 1 and the top plate 5 are brought into close contact with each other in the same manner as in the first embodiment.
1 is connected to the ink supply port 9 of the top plate 5 and the ink passage in the chip tank 71. As a result, the front plate portion 71b of the chip tank 71 covers the front end surface 1b of the heater board 1 and the periphery of the front end surface 5b of the top plate 5. At this time, the front end surfaces 1b and 5b are configured to protrude forward from the front surface of the front plate portion 71b by about several tens μm to several hundred μm.

Next, the orifice plate 46 is joined to the front end surfaces 1b and 5b formed so as to protrude from the front plate portion 71b by the adhesion between the heater board 1 and the top plate 5 by joining means such as an adhesive. . At this time, since the front surface of the front plate portion 71b is retracted from the front end surfaces 1b and 5b, the orifice plate 46 and the front end surfaces 1b and 5b are moved.
The joining with b is not hindered.

The orifice plate 46 is joined to the front plate portion 71b by the projection 18 of the orifice plate 46.
a and the nozzle 7 opposed to the convex portion 18a are aligned with high precision, and then the convex portion 18a is inserted into the inside of the nozzle 7 and the convex portion 18a is fitted to the nozzle 7, thereby performing the adhesive. Is completed by joining both joining surfaces.

The rear surface 46 g of the orifice plate 46
In general, an epoxy-based adhesive having excellent ink resistance is used for joining the head and the front plate 71b. In the bonding with the epoxy-based adhesive, the curing of the adhesive is accelerated by UV irradiation or heating. However, the effects of the curing shrinkage and the thermal expansion of the adhesive are reduced, and the high-precision arrangement of the discharge ports 46a is maintained. Therefore, it is considered that a curing method using a combination of UV irradiation and low-temperature curing is preferable.

When the rear surface 46g of the orifice plate 46 is pressed against the end face of the front plate portion 71b, the adhesive is sandwiched between them and spreads. However, since the respective convex portions 18a block the flow of the adhesive, the adhesive is This has the effect of suppressing the flow into the inner surface of the discharge port 46a and the inner surface of the nozzle 7. Further, since the clearance between the outer peripheral surface of the convex portion 18a of the orifice plate 46 and the inner surface of the nozzle 7 is set to several μm, even if the adhesive flows into the gap between the two, the nozzle located deeper than this gap by the surface tension. It is difficult for the adhesive to flow up to the inner surface of 7. As described above, the adhesive is applied to the convex portion 1.
Since the gas flows into the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle 8a and the inner surface of the nozzle 7, the bonding area of the orifice plate 46 increases, and the bonding strength can be improved.

Further, even if the orifice plate 46 and the member for forming the nozzle 7 are made of different materials, since the protruding portion 18a of the orifice plate 46 is inserted into the nozzle 7, the adhesive is cured. During the process,
This makes it possible to physically prevent the relative position between the discharge port 46a and the nozzle 7 from fluctuating.

Further, the provision of the groove 17a causes the tension (stiffness) of the entire orifice plate 46 to be divided at the boundary of the groove 17a. The tension of the orifice plate 46 acting as a repulsive force is reduced. That is, at the time of the joining process of the orifice plate 46, the repulsive force against joining such as waving and undulation generated on the face surface 46b is reduced, and the projection 18a can be easily fitted into the nozzle 7. As a result, the smoothness and joining accuracy of the face surface 46b are improved.

Further, the shrinkage stress due to the thermosetting of the adhesive acting on the orifice plate 46 mainly acts only toward the inside of the groove 17a due to the effect of the provision of the groove 17a. The contraction stress acting on the fixing portions 46i and 46j of the plate 46 is reduced. Accordingly, defects such as undulations and undulations that occur in the entire orifice plate 46 due to the curing shrinkage stress of the adhesive are significantly suppressed.

In the next step, the gap between the outer peripheral area of the discharge port 46a on the back surface 46g of the orifice plate 46 and the front plate portion 71b (several tens μm to several hundreds μm between the front plate portion 71b and the front end surfaces 1b and 5b). An adhesive or a sealing material or the like is poured into the (μm step), and the joining of the orifice plate 46 in the outer peripheral region of the discharge port 46a and the front plate portion 71b is completed.

Next, the fixing portion 4 of the orifice plate 46
Each of 6i and 46j is bent along the front end ridgeline 71c of the front plate portion 71b of the chip tank 71. As shown in FIG. 19, it is preferable that a bent portion of the orifice plate 46 be formed with a curved surface through which the bent ridgeline 46 f passes. This is because when the wiping blade is rubbed in the recovery process or when the cap member is attached or detached, the bent ridge 4
This is to prevent stress from concentrating on the bent portion of 6f and causing defects such as cracks and cuts in the orifice plate 46.

However, the front end ridge line 7 of the chip tank 71
1c is the bent ridge line 4 in the orifice plate 46
In order not to interfere with the curved surface portion 6f, it is necessary to form a chamfer, a curved surface and the like also at the front end ridgeline 71c of the chip tank 71 (see FIG. 19).

The fixing portion 46i of the orifice plate 46 is bent along the upper surface of the chip tank 71, and is fixed and held on the upper surface of the chip tank 11 by a joining means or an engaging means. Similarly, the fixing portion 46j of the orifice plate 46 is bent along the back surface of the base plate 3, and is fixed and held on the back surface of the base plate 3 by a joining means or an engaging means.
FIG. 20 shows the fixing portions 46i, 4 of the orifice plate 46.
FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing an example of an engaging means for fixing the fixing member 6j to the head base 64. As shown in FIG. 20, for example, as in the first embodiment, an orifice plate The fixing portions 46i and 46j are fixed and held so as to press down the fixing portions 46i and 46j.

The procedure for bending the orifice plate 46 is as follows. The protruding portion 18a of the orifice plate 46 is fitted into the nozzle 7 and bonded, and then the orifice plate 4
6 may be bent, or the orifice plate 4
6 may be bent along the bent ridge line 46f, and then the protrusion 18a may be fitted into the nozzle 7 to perform bonding.

In the former method in which the projection 18a is fitted into the nozzle 7 and then the orifice plate 46 is bent, the orifice plate 46 is bent along the outer shape of the chip tank 71. Even if it is large, it will be possible to respond flexibly. On the other hand, after the orifice plate 46 is bent,
In the case of the latter method in which the orifice 8a is fitted into the nozzle 7, the orifice plate 46 can be more reliably bent, so that the bent ridge line 46f of the orifice plate 46 can be securely secured.

In the former method, the material of the orifice plate 46 such as a resin film or a thin film metal plate having a low bending strength and being easy to bend is suitable. On the contrary, in the latter method, the material of the orifice plate 46 is suitable. Those with high bending strength are suitable. In any case,
The method of bending the orifice plate 46 needs to be appropriately selected depending on its material, shape, and the like.

The back surface 46 of the orifice plate 46
g and the outer peripheral region of the discharge port 46a and the front plate portion 7
The step of pouring an adhesive or a sealing material or the like into the gap between the first orifice 1b and the second orifice 1b may be performed after the orifice plate 46 is bent and fixed. If this step is performed at the same time when there is another step using an adhesive or a sealing material, the residence time for curing can be reduced, and the production process can be reduced.

In the liquid jet recording head of this embodiment, when the recovery operation is performed, the cap member 13 is moved to the face of the orifice plate 46 in the same manner as the capping operation described with reference to FIG. 7 in the first embodiment. 4
6b, the cap member 13 comes into contact with the peripheral portion of the discharge port 46a, so that the discharge port 46a is sealed. At this time, the face 4 of the orifice plate 46
6b is smooth and has no step, so that the contact portion of the face surface 46b with the cap member 13 is:
Good sealing performance can be ensured in any area of the face surface 46b. Therefore, it is not necessary to set the component accuracy and the positioning accuracy of the cap member 13 with high accuracy, and the recovery device is simplified, and the recovery device can be manufactured at low cost.

Regarding the peeling of the end of the orifice plate 46 due to the repetition of the capping operation of the cap member 13, the three surfaces of the orifice plate 46 are fixed by the face surface 46b of the orifice plate 46.
Is firmly held, thereby preventing problems such as peeling caused by repeated contact and separation of the cap member 13.

The wiping operation performed after capping and after continuous ejection is also performed in the orifice plate of the liquid jet recording head of the present embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 8 in the first embodiment. By bending the 46, a three-sided holding configuration is employed in which the fixing portions 46i and 46j of the orifice plate 46 are fixed to the upper surface and the lower surface of the head base 64, respectively. And the orifice plate 46 holds the wiping blade 2
A large reaction force can be obtained against the sliding of

Further, even when the entering direction of the wiping blade 2 is set to a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the discharge ports 46a, the wiping blade 2 comes into contact from the bent ridge line 46f, and the wiping blade 2
Does not catch the end of the orifice plate 46, and there is almost no possibility that the orifice plate 46 will peel off.

When the orifice plate 46 is bent and fixed to the head base 64, both ends of the orifice plate 46 are face-faced as described with reference to FIG. 6 in the first embodiment. Tension is applied to the orifice plate 46 while pulling both ends of the orifice plate 46 in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the discharge ports 46a in a direction away from the orifice plate 46a to fix the orifice plate 46. As a result, the flatness of the face surface 46b of the orifice plate 46 is further improved, and the orifice plate 46 does not float from the chip tank 71, so that the effect of preventing the orifice plate 46 from peeling off is increased.

In this case, too, the tension is set to an appropriate value in consideration of the strength and shape of the material of the orifice plate 46 so that the above-mentioned tension does not become unnecessarily large and the discharge port 46a does not deform or break. Must be set to The configuration in which the convex portion 18a of the orifice plate 46 is inserted into the nozzle 7 like the liquid jet recording head of the present embodiment has a greater resistance to tension than the configuration in which the convex portion 18a is not provided. The tension applied to the orifice plate 46 can be set large.

As described above, the orifice plate 46
Is fixed along the front end ridgeline 71c of the front plate portion 71b by being bent to the same size as the surface of the front plate portion 71b, so that the orifice plate 46 can be firmly fixed. As a result, a smooth area can be created on the face surface 46b, a wide smooth surface required for capping can be obtained, and the face surface 46b can be easily set to a desired area.

Furthermore, since the entire surface of the face surface 46b of the orifice plate 46 is smooth, it is possible to greatly reduce liquid residue, uneven wiping, and the like when wiping with a wiping blade. In addition, the smooth wiping surface can reduce the damage to the wiping blade, so that the durability of the wiping blade and the reliability of the wiping operation can be improved.

Accordingly, the degree of freedom in designing the liquid jet recording head and the liquid jet recording apparatus is increased, and the size and cost of the liquid jet recording head and the liquid jet recording apparatus can be reduced. A longer life of the head can be realized.

The configuration in which the groove 17a is formed along the ridge line 46f on the back surface 46g of the orifice plate 46 as in the present embodiment is applied only to the orifice plate having a projection provided around the discharge port. However, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to an orifice plate in which such a projection is not provided.

The orifice plate 46 is not limited to an integrated structure made of the same material, but may be a laminated structure made of the same material or a laminated structure made of a different material.
The present invention can be applied. That is, the protrusion around the discharge port may be formed by an individual layer, or the step of the orifice plate 46 may be formed by an individual layer. Further, the area outside the bent portion with respect to the face portion of the orifice plate 46 is thin so that the entire back surface of the fixed portions 46i and 46j of the orifice plate 46 is flush with the bottom surface of the groove 17a. A similar effect can be obtained with a simple orifice plate configuration.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 21 is a perspective view of an orifice plate constituting a liquid jet recording head according to a second embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the back.

As described in the fourth embodiment, the groove 17a is provided on the back surface of the orifice plate 46,
Although the bending of the orifice plate 46 can be easily performed, the fixing portion 46 of the orifice plate 46
Due to its own weight, i and 46j bend downward with the portion where the groove 17a is formed as a fulcrum, which may deteriorate the handling of the orifice plate 46.

This embodiment proposes a configuration in which the bent surface of the orifice plate 46 can be easily bent at the bent ridge line without deteriorating the handling of the parts. Hereinafter, in the orifice plate used in the present embodiment, the same portions as those in the fourth embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and will be described with reference to FIG.

In the orifice plate 46 used in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, the groove 17a formed on the back surface 46g of the orifice plate 46 is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the orifice plate 46, that is, in the arrangement direction of the discharge ports 46a. It is formed so as to be cut off near both ends 46h. That is, the groove 17a is provided in the orifice plate 46.
Are formed at positions excluding both end portions 46h of the orifice plate 46, thereby increasing the bending rigidity of the orifice plate 46. Therefore, unlike the configuration in which the groove 17a penetrates in the longitudinal direction, the fixing portions 46i and 46 of the orifice plate 46 are different.
j does not bend downward with the portion where the groove 17a is formed as a fulcrum, and the orifice plate 4
6 has good handling properties.

The portion where the groove 17a is cut off is the end 4
6h, the fixed area 46i,
The resistance force when bending 46j is small, and the fixing portions 46i, 4
6j can be easily bent with respect to the face portion.

(Sixth Embodiment) FIG. 22 is an enlarged view of a bent portion of an orifice plate in a liquid jet recording head according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

In the orifice plate 46 in the fourth and fifth embodiments, the face surface 46b is
A smooth surface must be ensured for the recovery process, and it is necessary to minimize the floating of the joint surface of the orifice plate 46. The periphery of the bent portion in the orifice plate 46 is a region where the floating is likely to occur. In order to suppress the floating in this region, the bent ridge line 46f in the orifice plate 46 is formed with a gentle curved surface or a curved surface with a large curvature. Thus, it is effective to reduce the repulsive force against bending.

In the step of bending the orifice plate 46 along the upper surface of the chip tank 71 or the back surface of the base plate 3, the orifice plate 46 bends from a portion which is easily bent. At this time, as shown in FIG. 19 described in the fourth embodiment, the bottom of the groove 17a and the groove 17a
In the case where the side wall surface of a is orthogonal at the intersection 17b,
The portion near the intersection 17b in the orifice plate 46 is a region where the bending rigidity changes extremely.
As shown in FIG. 19, if the width of the groove 17a is increased while the vertical wall remains, the intersection 1
Not only does the region near 7b bend easily, but the bending may concentrate on this region. in this way,
If the bending is concentrated in one place, not only the curved surface at the bent ridge line 46f becomes small, but also stress concentrates on the area near the intersection 17b, and the orifice plate 46 is easily damaged. turn into.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, a gentle curved surface or a curved surface having a large curvature is formed at the bent ridge line 46f in the orifice plate 46, so that the periphery of the groove 17a in the orifice plate 46 is improved.
That is, a problem such as floating around the bent portion is prevented. In the following, regarding the orifice plate used in the present embodiment, the same portions as those in the fourth embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and will be described with reference to FIG.

In the orifice plate 46 used in the liquid jet recording head of this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The side wall 17c inside the groove 7a is inclined with respect to the bottom surface of the groove 17a, and the whole opening width of the groove 17a is widened so that the bent portion of the orifice plate 46 is bent gently.
On the other hand, the chip tank 71 is provided with a chamfer or a curved surface at the front end ridgeline 71c so as not to interfere with the bent portion of the orifice plate 46. Thus, the side wall 17 in the groove 17a
By setting c to the inclined surface, the bending rigidity gradually changes in the vicinity of the intersection between the bottom surface of the groove 17a and the side wall 17c in the orifice plate 46, and the bent ridge line 46f in the orifice plate 46 It can be bent while forming a large curved surface.

(Seventh Embodiment) FIG. 23 is a rear perspective view of an orifice plate constituting a liquid jet recording head according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 23, the orifice plate is bent. The previous state is shown. FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing a state where the orifice plate shown in FIG. 23 is bent.

The excimer laser used to form the discharge ports, grooves, and projections of the orifice plate has a high processing cost, and if the excavation area is large, the irradiation time of the laser beam is long, and the processing unit price is high. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the cost of machining the groove of the orifice plate is reduced by narrowing the irradiation range of the laser beam. Hereinafter, in the orifice plate used in the present embodiment, the same portions as those in the fourth embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and will be described with reference to FIGS.

The orifice plate 4 used in this embodiment
In 6, in place of the groove 17a formed in the fourth embodiment, three wedge-shaped grooves 17d are formed along the bent ridge line 46f, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the groove 17
The cross-sectional shape in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction at d is wedge-shaped, and three wedge-shaped grooves 17d are provided for one bent ridge line 46f. As shown in FIG. 24, when the orifice plate 46 is bent,
Since the opening angle of each of the wedge-shaped grooves 17d is reduced, a desired curved surface can be formed on the bent ridge line 46f. The number of the grooves 17d is appropriately set according to the size of the curved surface of the bent portion and the material of the orifice plate 46.

The shape of the groove 17d is not limited to a wedge shape, but may be a trapezoidal shape, a right angle shape, or the like. In any case, by forming a groove on the back surface of the bent portion of the orifice plate 46 in a direction perpendicular to the bending ridge line 46f, the dug area of the groove processing can be reduced. The irradiation time of the excimer laser light can be reduced, and the processing time of the orifice plate 46 can be reduced.

(Eighth Embodiment) FIGS. 25 and 26
FIG. 14 is a sectional view for describing a method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention. The method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to the present embodiment is a manufacturing method applied to the liquid jet recording heads according to the first to seventh embodiments described above and modifications thereof. A liquid jet recording head of the embodiment will be described as an example.
25 and 26, the stepped shape at the edge of the front plate portion 11b of the chip tank 11 is omitted.

In FIG. 25, the orifice plate 6 is positioned with respect to the end face of the nozzle 7 which is formed by the close contact between the heater board 1 and the top plate 5, and the orifice plate 6 is fixed by a bonding means such as an adhesive. The state joined to the head base 4 is shown. FIG. 26 shows a state in which the orifice plate 6 is bent at the front end ridgeline 11c of the front plate portion 11b of the chip tank 11.

First, as shown in FIG. 25, a plurality of nozzles 7 formed on the orifice plate 6 correspond to a plurality of nozzles 7 formed so as to protrude from the front plate portion 11b due to the close contact between the top plate 5 and the heater board 1. The outlet 6a is aligned, and the orifice plate 6 is fixed by fixing means such as an adhesive. A gap 16 formed between the back surface area of the orifice plate 6 and the front plate portion 11b.
An adhesive or a sealing material having an adhesive force is poured into the substrate.

Next, as shown in FIG.
Front end ridge lines 11c and 11d of the front plate portion 11b
And the fixing portions 6i and 6j of the orifice plate 6 are fixed to the upper surface of the chip tank 11 and the rear surface of the base plate 3 by the holding plate 12 or the like.

When the orifice plate 6 is bent, the bending elasticity of the material of the orifice plate 6 causes
A stress is generated in the orifice plate 6 so as to return to the original plane, but the back surface area of the orifice plate 6 and the front plate portion 11b are joined at the bonding area 30 by an adhesive or a sealing material having an adhesive force. Therefore, this stress is suppressed.

In the present embodiment, the bonding area 30 is formed between the rear area of the orifice plate 6 and the front plate 11b.
Are joined on the entire surface facing each other.
The area and bonding strength of the bonding region 30 should be selectively determined according to the bending rigidity determined from the material and thickness of the orifice plate 6 and the like. As a matter of course, the bonding strength of the orifice plate 6 with respect to the bending stress must have a sufficient margin.

The bonding strength of the bonding area 30 is also affected by the performance of the adhesive or the sealing material itself, but the surface properties of the rear area of the orifice plate 6 and the front plate portion 11b, and the adhesion of dust, grease, etc. When it is necessary to improve the bonding strength, it is more effective to perform cleaning, surface treatment, or the like as a treatment before bonding when it is necessary to improve the bonding strength.

In order to cancel the stress caused by the bending of the orifice plate 6, it is also effective to apply a bending exceeding the elastic limit of the orifice plate 6.
However, since the effectiveness changes depending on the material of the orifice plate 6, it is necessary to select it according to the situation.

Next, the step of bending the orifice plate will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 27 is a view sequentially illustrating a process of bending the orifice plate adhered to the head base.

First, in FIG. 27A, the discharge port 6a formed in the orifice plate 6 is positioned with respect to the nozzle 7 formed by the top plate 5 and the heater board 1, and the orifice plate 6 is made of an adhesive or the like. It is fixed by. At this time, the top plate 5 and the heater board 1 are bonded to the orifice plate 6, but as described above, a gap 16 of several tens to several hundreds of microns exists between the orifice plate 6 and the front plate portion 11b. It has a configuration that exists.

Next, as shown in FIG. 27B, an adhesive or a sealing material 19 having an adhesive force is poured into the gap 16. Thereby, the orifice plate 6 and the front plate portion 11b are bonded and integrated in the bonding region 30.

Next, as shown in FIG. 27C, the orifice plate 6 is bent along the edges 31, 32 of the front plate portion 11b. At this time, a bending stress 20a of the orifice plate 6 is generated in the same direction as the bending direction 20 of the orifice plate 6. At the same time, a derivative force 20b is also generated. This derivative power 20b
Works in a direction to enlarge the gap 16 between the orifice plate 6 and the front plate portion 11b. However, since the face portion of the orifice plate 6 is adhered and fixed to the front plate portion 11b in the previous step,
The size of the gap 16 does not change. Therefore, FIG.
As shown in (d), the orifice plate 6 does not float at the bent portion of the orifice plate 6 and its peripheral portion, and the flatness of the face surface 6b can be maintained.

By performing the bonding step for ensuring the flatness of the face surface 6b of the orifice plate 6 before bending the orifice plate 6, the effect can be further enhanced.

Therefore, according to the method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head of the present embodiment, a liquid jet recording head having a face surface 6b that is smooth and has no steps can be manufactured. When the recovery operation is performed in the recording operation by the liquid ejection, the cap member enters the face surface 6b of the orifice plate 6 and comes into contact therewith, and the area including the row of the ejection ports 6a on the face surface 6b is sealed by the cap member. Face face 6
Since b is smooth and has no step, the contact portion of the face surface 6b with the cap member can secure the sealing performance even at the portion of the face surface 6b. Therefore, since it is not necessary to set the accuracy of the entry positioning portion of the cap member to a high degree, the recording apparatus can be simplified.

In the wiping operation performed after the capping operation or after the continuous discharge, the bending surface of the orifice plate 6 causes the bonding surface of the orifice plate 6 to the head base 4 or the bonding surface by fitting or the like to three. With respect to the reaction force of the orifice plate 6 against the wiping blade, not only the back surface of the face portion 6k of the orifice plate 6 but also the back surfaces of the fixing portions 6i and 6j of the orifice plate 6, that is, the two surfaces on the bending side. And a larger reaction force can be obtained. Therefore, in such a three-surface holding configuration, the joining strength of the orifice plate 6 is remarkably improved, and the orifice plate 6 can obtain a great reaction force against the sliding of the wiping blade.

[0181]

As described above, the present invention relates to a liquid jet recording head having a structure in which an orifice plate is bent along an edge of a head base and the orifice plate is fixed to the head base. By forming a notch and making the edge a stepped shape, making the surface of the edge a curved surface, or chamfering the edge, the flatness of the ejection port forming surface of the liquid jet recording head is improved. With sufficient securing, the orifice plate can be reliably bent and fixed to the head base. Thus, it is possible to prevent the orifice plate from floating when the wiping blade enters the ejection port forming surface of the liquid jet recording head, that is, the face surface of the orifice plate, thereby improving the durability of the liquid jet recording head. be able to. In addition, by creating a smooth face surface with no irregularities in the orifice plate, the capping area of the cap member can be maximized, so that the recovery suction operation for the liquid jet recording head can be reliably performed, Since a complicated capping mechanism is not required, the cost of the liquid jet recording apparatus can be kept low. Further, since the liquid jet recording head itself can be downsized, space saving and cost reduction such as high density arrangement of heads when a plurality of liquid jet recording heads are mounted and downsizing of the recording apparatus itself accompanying this are achieved. I can go a long way. Furthermore, the smooth face of the orifice plate reduces the damage to the wiping blade, and makes it possible to extend the life of the recording apparatus. Also, even for recording liquid that easily adheres to the uneven surface, the recording liquid hardly adheres to the orifice plate due to the smooth surface of the face, and the recording liquid is surely wiped from the face by wiping. Since it is removed, there is an effect that good recording quality can be maintained for a long time.

The present invention also relates to a liquid jet recording head having a structure in which an orifice plate is bent along an edge of a head base to fix the orifice plate to the head base.
A groove extending in a direction parallel to the edge of the head base is formed in a portion corresponding to the edge of the head base on the surface of the orifice plate on the head base side, so that the orifice plate can be easily bent. This has the effect of improving the productivity of the liquid jet recording head. Further, by forming such a groove in the orifice plate, when the orifice plate is bent, the tension of the entire orifice plate is cut off at the portion where the groove is formed, and the head base body is cut off. When the orifice plate is joined, a repulsive force against joining such as waving or undulation generated on the face surface of the portion of the orifice plate joined to the front end face of the head base is reduced. As a result, there is an effect that the smoothness of the face surface and the bonding strength of the bonding surface on the back side of the face surface are improved.

Further, according to the method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head of the present invention, a liquid jet recording head having a structure in which the orifice plate is bent along the edge of the head base to fix the orifice plate to the head base is manufactured. To
Since the orifice plate can be reliably bent and fixed to the head base and the orifice plate can be easily bent, there is an effect that the productivity of the liquid jet recording head is improved. Further, by bonding the orifice plate to the front end surface of the head base before bending the orifice plate, it is possible to manufacture a liquid jet recording head while maintaining the flatness of the face surface of the orifice plate. By this action, the flatness of the face surface is ensured, and the capping area on the face surface is made equal to the area of the face surface of the orifice plate to reduce the size of the liquid jet recording head, and the orifice plate peels off during the wiping operation. Reliability can be improved. Furthermore, since there is no step on the face surface of the orifice plate, the durability of the wiping blade is improved, and a liquid jet recording head capable of extending the life of the liquid jet recording apparatus can be manufactured. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view for describing a configuration of a liquid jet recording head according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view for describing a configuration of the liquid jet recording head according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view for describing a configuration of the liquid jet recording head according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a step of joining an orifice plate to a head base.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a face portion of the liquid jet recording head.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method of bending an orifice plate and fixing it to a head base.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view for explaining a capping operation in the liquid jet recording head.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining a wiping operation in the liquid jet recording head.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view for describing a modification of the liquid jet recording head.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view for describing a modification of the liquid jet recording head.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view for describing a configuration of a liquid jet recording head according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a face portion of the liquid jet recording head.

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view for describing a configuration of a liquid jet recording head according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a face portion of the liquid jet recording head.

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a liquid jet recording head according to a fourth embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a state before the orifice plate shown in FIG. 15 is bent.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a state where the orifice plate shown in FIG. 15 is bent.

18 is a cross-sectional view of a portion on the ejection port side in the liquid jet recording head shown in FIG.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged view of a bent portion of an orifice plate.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing an example of an engaging means for fixing the fixing portion of the orifice plate to the head base.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of an orifice plate included in a liquid jet recording head according to a second embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the back.

FIG. 22 is an enlarged view of a bent portion of an orifice plate in a liquid jet recording head according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a rear perspective view of an orifice plate included in a liquid jet recording head according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

24 is a perspective view showing a state where the orifice plate shown in FIG. 23 is bent.

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the method for manufacturing the liquid jet recording head according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the method for manufacturing the liquid jet recording head according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a view sequentially illustrating a process of bending an orifice plate adhered to a head base.

FIG. 28 is a perspective view showing a conventional liquid jet recording head in a partially sectional view.

FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view for describing a state in which discharge ports are formed in the orifice plate shown in FIG. 28 by laser processing.

FIG. 30 is an external perspective view showing an example of a conventional liquid jet recording apparatus equipped with a liquid jet recording head.

FIG. 31 is a schematic diagram for explaining a wiping operation in the liquid jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 30;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heater board 1a Discharge heater 1b, 5b Front end surface 2 Wiping blade 3, 43a Base plate 4, 44a, 44b, 64 Head base 5 Top plate 6, 46 Orifice plate 6a, 46a Discharge port 6b, 46b Face surface 6f, 6g, 46f Bending ridge line 6h, 46h End 6i, 6j, 46i, 46j Fixed part 6k Face part 7 Nozzle 8 Common liquid chamber 9 Ink supply port 11, 51a, 51b, 71 Chip tank 11a Ink passage 11b, 23, 24, 71b Front plate Part 11c, 11d, 71c Front end ridge line 11e Joining surface 12 Pressing plate 13 Cap member 13a Capping area 14 Curved surface part 15 Liquid jet recording head 16 Gap 16a Sealant pool 17a, 17d Groove 17b Intersection 17c Side wall 18a, 18b Convex part 1 Sealing material 20 Bending direction 20a Stress 20b Derived force 21a, 21b Inclined surface 22a, 22b Curved surface 25 Incorporation direction 26 Front plate dedicated member 30 Adhesive region 31, 32 Edge 33, 34 Notch 33b Step surface 35 Wiring board 35a Wire bonding 46m bending part a, b distance

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Nobuyuki Hatasa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Yuki Tajima 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon (72) Inventor Hiroshi Koizumi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo F-term within Canon Inc. (reference) 2C057 AF65 AF99 AG46 AG85 AP13 AP23 AP25 AP34 AP46 AP47 AP72 BA03 BA13

Claims (26)

[Claims] An energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating air bubbles in a liquid; a head base having a plurality of liquid flow paths each including the energy generating means; A plurality of ejection ports arranged in a straight line in communication with each other, and having an orifice plate joined to the head base, wherein the orifice plate is formed of a plurality of liquid flow paths in the head base. While being bent along the edge of the end on the open end side, the end of the orifice plate is joined to a surface different from the front end surface on the open end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths of the head base, A liquid jet recording head, wherein a notch extending along the edge is formed in the edge of the head base. 2. The liquid jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the notch is formed in the edge so that the edge of the recording head has a stepped shape. 3. A head base having a plurality of liquid flow paths each of which is provided with energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating bubbles in a liquid, and each of the liquid flow paths A plurality of ejection ports arranged in a straight line in communication with each other, and having an orifice plate joined to the head base, wherein the orifice plate is formed of a plurality of liquid flow paths in the head base. While being bent along the edge of the end on the open end side, the end of the orifice plate is joined to a surface different from the front end surface on the open end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths of the head base, A liquid jet recording head, wherein a surface of the edge of the head base is a curved surface. 4. A head base comprising: energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating bubbles in a liquid; a plurality of liquid flow paths each including the energy generating means; A plurality of ejection ports arranged in a straight line in communication with each other, and having an orifice plate joined to the head base, wherein the orifice plate is formed of a plurality of liquid flow paths in the head base. While being bent along the edge of the end on the open end side, the end of the orifice plate is joined to a surface different from the front end surface on the open end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths of the head base, A liquid jet recording head, wherein the edge of the head base is chamfered. 5. The orifice plate according to claim 3, wherein the orifice plate is also adhered to the front end face of the head base, and the orifice plate is in surface contact with the surface of the edge of the head base. Liquid jet recording head. 6. The head plate according to claim 3, wherein the orifice plate is bonded only to a surface of the head base different from the front end surface, and the orifice plate is in surface contact with a surface of the edge of the head base. Or the liquid jet recording head according to 4. 7. The orifice plate is also adhered to the front end face of the head base, and a fold line of the orifice plate and an edge of the front end face of the head base are separated by a predetermined distance. Item 7. The liquid jet recording head according to any one of Items 1 to 6. 8. The orifice plate is adhered only to a surface of the head base different from the front end face, and a bend line of the orifice plate is separated from an edge of the front end face of the head base by a predetermined distance. The liquid jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein: 9. A head base comprising: energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating bubbles in a liquid; a plurality of liquid flow paths each including the energy generating means; A plurality of ejection ports arranged in a straight line in communication with each other, and having an orifice plate joined to the head base, wherein the orifice plate is formed of a plurality of liquid flow paths in the head base. While being bent along the edge of the end on the open end side, the end of the orifice plate is joined to a surface different from the front end surface on the open end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths of the head base, A groove extending in a direction parallel to the edge at least at a portion corresponding to the edge on a surface of the orifice plate facing the head base; Liquid jet recording head is characterized in that it is formed. 10. A head base comprising: energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating bubbles in a liquid; a plurality of liquid flow paths each including the energy generating means; A plurality of discharge ports which are communicated and arranged on a straight line, and a plurality of protrusions formed independently for each of the discharge ports around the discharge ports, at least a part of the protrusions being the liquid An orifice plate joined to the head base so as to enter and fit into the flow path, wherein the orifice plate has an end on the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths in the head base. The orifice plate is bent along the edge of the portion, and the end of the orifice plate is in contact with a surface of the head base that is different from the front end surface on the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths. A liquid extending in a direction parallel to the edge at least in a portion corresponding to the edge on a surface of the orifice plate facing the head base. Jet recording head. 11. The orifice plate according to claim 9, wherein said groove of said orifice plate is divided into a plurality of parts.
3. The liquid jet recording head according to 1. 12. The groove surface of the orifice plate in the groove is inclined with respect to the bottom surface of the groove.
12. The liquid jet recording head according to any one of items 11 to 11. 13. The liquid jet recording head according to claim 9, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the groove of the orifice plate in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction is a wedge shape. 14. The groove of the orifice plate,
The liquid jet recording head according to claim 9, wherein the liquid jet recording head is formed at a position other than both ends of the orifice plate. 15. The liquid jet recording head according to claim 9, wherein said orifice plate is also adhered and joined to said front end face of said head base. 16. A liquid jet recording apparatus which performs recording on a recording medium by discharging a liquid toward the recording medium and causing the liquid to adhere to the recording medium, wherein: A liquid jet recording head comprising: a liquid jet recording head according to any one of the preceding claims; and a cap member for sealing a region including the discharge port on a discharge port forming surface of the liquid jet recording head where the discharge port is located. apparatus. 17. A liquid jet recording apparatus which performs recording on a recording medium by discharging a liquid toward the recording medium and causing the liquid to adhere to the recording medium, wherein: A liquid jet recording head according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and a wiping blade for wiping a discharge port forming surface of the liquid jet recording head where the discharge port is located to clean the discharge port forming surface. apparatus. 18. An energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating air bubbles in a liquid, a head base having a plurality of liquid flow paths in which the energy generating means are respectively disposed, and each of the liquid flow paths A method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head, comprising: a plurality of ejection ports arranged in a line in communication with each other; and an orifice plate joined to the head base, wherein the plurality of liquid flow paths in the head base are provided. A step of preparing the head base and the orifice plate in which a notch extending along the edge is formed at an edge of an end on the opening end side of the head base; Positioning the plurality of outlets of the orifice plate with respect to the orifice plate to fix a portion of the orifice plate around the outlets; Bending a orifice plate along the edge of the head base; and bonding an end of the orifice plate to a surface of the head base, which is different from a front end surface on the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths. A method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head having: 19. A head base comprising: energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating bubbles in a liquid; a plurality of liquid flow paths each including the energy generating means; A method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head, comprising: a plurality of discharge ports arranged in a line in communication with each other; and an orifice plate joined to the head base, wherein the plurality of liquid flows of the head base are provided. A step of preparing the head base and the orifice plate having a curved surface at an end of the path on the open end side; and a step of preparing the orifice plate for the plurality of liquid flow paths of the head base. Positioning a plurality of outlets to fix a portion of the orifice plate around the outlets; A liquid having a step of bending along the edge of the head base, and a step of joining an end of the orifice plate to a surface of the head base different from a front end surface of the plurality of liquid flow paths on the opening end side. A method for manufacturing an ejection recording head. 20. An energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating air bubbles in a liquid, a head base having a plurality of liquid flow paths in which the energy generating means are respectively disposed, and each of the liquid flow paths A method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head, comprising: a plurality of discharge ports arranged in a line in communication with each other; and an orifice plate joined to the head base, wherein the plurality of liquid flow paths in the head base are provided. Preparing the head base and the orifice plate, the edges of which are chamfered at the open end side; and the plurality of discharge ports of the orifice plate with respect to the plurality of liquid flow paths of the head base. Positioning the portion of the orifice plate around the discharge port, and fixing the orifice plate to the head. Liquid jet recording comprising: a step of bending along the edge of the base; and a step of joining an end of the orifice plate to a surface of the head base different from a front end surface of the plurality of liquid flow paths on the opening end side. Head manufacturing method. 21. An energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating air bubbles in a liquid, a head base having a plurality of liquid flow paths in which the energy generating means are respectively disposed, and each of the liquid flow paths A plurality of discharge ports arranged in a straight line in communication with each other, and having an orifice plate joined to the head base, wherein the orifice plate is provided at an opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths in the head base. Manufacturing a liquid jet recording head in which the end of the orifice plate is joined to a surface of the head base that is different from the front end surface on the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths while being bent along the edge of the end portion The method, wherein the orifice plate is provided on at least a part of a portion corresponding to the edge portion on a surface of the orifice plate facing the head substrate. Forming a groove extending in a direction parallel to the edge of the head base when joined to the head base; and forming the plurality of orifice plates on the orifice plate with respect to the plurality of liquid flow paths of the head base. Aligning a discharge port to fix a portion of the orifice plate around the discharge port, bending the orifice plate along the edge of the head base, and cutting an end of the orifice plate. Bonding the head substrate to a surface different from the front end surfaces of the plurality of liquid flow paths on the opening end side. 22. A step of aligning the plurality of discharge ports of the orifice plate with the plurality of liquid flow paths of the head base, wherein each of the discharge ports is provided around the discharge port of the orifice plate. 22. The method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to claim 21, wherein at least a part of the plurality of independently formed protrusions is inserted into the liquid flow path and fitted into the liquid flow path. 23. The step of forming the groove in the orifice plate includes forming the groove at the same time as forming a hole for forming the plurality of discharge ports and digging for forming the plurality of protrusions. 22. The method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to claim 21, wherein the method is performed by digging for forming. 24. The plurality of discharge ports, the plurality of projections,
24. The method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to claim 23, wherein the grooves are formed by processing using an excimer laser. 25. Before the step of bending the orifice plate along the edge of the head base, the orifice plate is joined to the front end face of the head base on the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths. The method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to any one of claims 18 to 24, comprising a step. 26. An energy generating means for generating thermal energy for generating air bubbles in a liquid, a head base having a plurality of liquid flow paths in which the energy generating means are respectively arranged, A method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head, comprising: a plurality of ejection ports arranged in a straight line in communication with each other; and an orifice plate joined to the head base, wherein the head base and the orifice plate are prepared. Positioning the plurality of discharge ports of the orifice plate with respect to the plurality of liquid flow paths of the head base; and opening the orifice plate to the plurality of liquid flow paths of the head base. Joining the orifice plate to the opening end side of the plurality of liquid flow paths in the head base. Of a step of folding along the edge, the orifice plate of the end portion and the head substrate, method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head and a step of bonding the front surface and the different surfaces.