JP2002307691A - Ink jet head, and method and apparatus for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet head, a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an ink jet head, in which an instability in discharging ink because of jointing failures of an adhesive and clogging nozzles can be reduced and the yield can be improved. SOLUTION: The adhesive 7 is applied to the whole face other than opening parts 4 of a nozzle plate attachment face 16a of a head body 16. The head body 16 and the nozzle plate 6 are set opposite to each other and positioned so that centers of openings 4 of the head body 16 and centers of nozzle holes 5 of the nozzle plate 6 agree with each other. The head body 16 is pressed towards the nozzle plate 6, and the adhesive 7 is set.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an ink jet head and an ink jet head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electric signal is selectively applied to a plurality of pressure generating means to an ink jet head used in an ink jet printer to discharge ink from nozzle holes to perform flying droplet recording. A piezoelectric ink jet head is used.

A piezoelectric type ink jet head has a head body in which a plurality of pressure chambers whose volumes change due to deformation of a piezoelectric element are formed, and a plurality of nozzles communicating with the pressure chambers of the head body on a substrate made of stainless steel, a resin sheet or the like. And a nozzle plate in which holes are formed. The head body and the nozzle plate are integrated by applying a thermosetting adhesive to the open end side of the pressure chamber of the head body, bonding the nozzle plate, and fixing the adhesive by pressing and heating. You.

[0004]

However, in the ink jet head configured as described above, the size of the nozzle hole formed in the nozzle plate is 0.04 mm to 0.06 mm.
Since it is very small, the adhesive used for pasting flows into the nozzle holes, which is liable to cause clogging, resulting in poor workability.

In order to solve such a problem, International Publication No. WO96141721 proposes a piezoelectric ink jet head shown in FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the head body 16
Various bonding layers 30a to 30c are formed on the bonding surface 16a by using an adhesive for bonding the nozzle plate 6. The adhesive layer 30a is an outer peripheral airtight layer formed in an annular shape with an arbitrary width along the outer peripheral edge of a region where the head main body 16 and the nozzle plate 6 face each other, and the adhesive layer 30b includes the nozzle hole 5 and the pressure chamber 3 Is a nozzle seal layer formed with an arbitrary width so as to surround the outer periphery of the opening, and the adhesive layer 30c is a reinforcing layer formed in a scattered manner at an intermediate portion between the outer peripheral airtight layer and the nozzle seal layer. .

However, when the various types of adhesive layers 30a to 30c having different shapes are formed as described above, there is a problem that the step of applying the adhesive becomes complicated and the number of processing steps is increased.
In the drawing, 1 is a base, 22 is a cover, 23 is an ink supply port, 40 is a flexible printed circuit board, 41 is a drive conductive pattern, and 42 is a common conductive pattern.

When the nozzle body 6 is bonded to the head body 16 to which the adhesive has been applied as described above, the nozzle plate 6 is placed on the suction support plate 80 shown in FIG. The held head body 16 is pressed against the nozzle plate 6 to cure the adhesive.

A plate-like elastic member 83 having a groove-like suction hole 84 forming a vacuum chuck is formed on the suction support plate 80.
Are provided, and the mounted nozzle plate 6 is configured to be suction-fixed by vacuum suction. When the head body 16 held by the jig is pressed toward the nozzle plate 6, the guide pins and the positioning holes formed on the jig are engaged with the guide holes 81 and the positioning pins 85 of the suction support plate 80, respectively. Positioning.

In such a positioning method, fine adjustment such as adjusting the backlash between the guide hole 81 of the suction support plate 80 and the guide pin cannot be performed, which may result in poor connection of the nozzle plate 6 and the head body 16 and the nozzle. Accurate bonding with the plate 6 is difficult, and the obtained inkjet head has a problem that the ejection characteristics of the ejected ink particles vary.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and provides a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an ink-jet head which can reduce the instability of ink discharge due to defective bonding of an adhesive or clogging of nozzles, thereby improving the yield. The purpose is to provide.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a method of manufacturing an ink jet head according to the present invention comprises applying an adhesive to the entire surface of a nozzle body of a head body to which the nozzle plate is attached, and bonding the nozzle body to the nozzle plate. It is characterized by the following.

According to the present invention, the step of applying the adhesive can be simplified. Further, the apparatus for manufacturing an ink jet head of the present invention is configured so that the center of the nozzle hole of the nozzle plate and the center of the opening of the head main body can be positioned by specially configuring the support plate on which the nozzle plate is mounted. Features.

According to the present invention, the filling of the nozzle hole with the adhesive can be reduced, and the head body and the nozzle plate can be accurately bonded. The ink jet head manufactured by the above manufacturing method or manufacturing apparatus has a stable ejection performance of ink particles.

[0014]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an ink jet head, comprising: a head body having a pressure chamber whose volume changes due to deformation of a piezoelectric element; and a nozzle hole communicating with the pressure chamber. When manufacturing the ink jet head by bonding the formed nozzle plate with an adhesive, the head body is bonded to the bonding surface of the nozzle plate so as to cover the entire surface other than the opening formed at the opening end of the pressure chamber. Applying an agent, the head body and the nozzle plate are opposed to each other, and the nozzle plate and the head body are positioned so that the center of the opening of the head body and the center of the nozzle hole of the nozzle plate coincide with each other, The head body may be pressed against the nozzle plate to cure the adhesive.

According to this configuration, the head body and the nozzle plate can be easily and accurately attached to each other, and a highly reliable ink jet head can be obtained. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an ink jet head according to the first aspect, wherein the nozzle plate is suction-held and transferred to a bonding position with the head main body, and the nozzle plate is elastically supported by the support plate. And is placed by pressing the side of the adhesive surface.

According to this configuration, the shape of the nozzle plate hardly changes due to the planar pressing of the nozzle plate. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing an inkjet head according to the second aspect, the support plate is provided with an adhesive receiving member, and the nozzle plate is placed on the receiving member to position the nozzle plate. It is characterized by doing.

According to this configuration, the work of positioning the nozzle plate on the support plate can be easily performed. An apparatus for manufacturing an inkjet head according to claim 4 of the present invention includes a head body in which a pressure chamber whose volume changes due to deformation of a piezoelectric element is formed,
What is claimed is: 1. An inkjet head manufacturing apparatus, comprising: a nozzle plate having a nozzle hole communicating with said pressure chamber, bonded to said nozzle plate with an adhesive, comprising: a transport unit configured to transport the nozzle plate to a bonding position with a head body; A support plate for elastically supporting the nozzle plate, and the head main body having an adhesive applied to an affixed surface of the nozzle plate so as to cover the entire surface other than the opening formed at the opening end of the pressure chamber. Holding means for holding, the nozzle plate and the nozzle plate so that the center of the opening of the head body held by the holding means and the center of the nozzle hole of the nozzle plate placed on the support plate coincide. Positioning means for positioning the head body is provided, and the positioned head body is pressed toward the nozzle plate to cure the adhesive.

According to this configuration, the manufacturing method of the present invention can be easily realized. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inkjet head manufacturing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, wherein the transporting means is configured to suck and hold an adhesive surface of the nozzle plate with the head body.

According to this structure, the ink ejection side of the nozzle plate is not damaged, and the stability of ink ejection can be ensured. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the inkjet head manufacturing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the support plate is provided with a means for positioning the nozzle plate in contact with the transport means.

According to this configuration, the work of positioning the nozzle plate on the support plate can be easily performed. According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inkjet head manufacturing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, wherein an elastic body is provided between the support plate and the fixed side.

According to this structure, the force applied to the adhesive when the head body is pressed can be reduced, and the spread of the adhesive can be reduced. In the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to claim 8 of the present invention, in claim 4, the positioning means is provided on a side opposite to the head main body via the nozzle plate, and is disposed to face the nozzle plate. Optical means,
The light source is characterized in that the nozzle plate and the light source are arranged at an angle to the arrangement direction of the optical means.

According to this configuration, the reflected light from the support plate can be avoided, and the center of the nozzle hole of the nozzle plate and the center of the opening of the head body can be accurately positioned. According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the inkjet head manufacturing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, a transparent transparent receiving member for mounting the nozzle plate on the support plate is provided.

According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the adhesion failure such as the formation of a void or an unbonded area between the nozzle plate and the head body due to uneven application of the adhesive or the like, and to stably bond the nozzle plate to the head body. Strength is obtained, and the force applied to the adhesive when the head body is pressed can be reduced to reduce the spread of the adhesive. Furthermore, the external force that worsens the arrangement of the nozzles with respect to the nozzle plate attitude at the time of attachment is reduced it can.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the inkjet head manufacturing apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the thickness of the receiving member is set to be greater than the sum of the flatness of the support plate and the flatness of the attaching surface of the head member. It is characterized by being enlarged.

According to this configuration, accurate attachment of the nozzle plate can be realized regardless of the undulation of the nozzle plate and the flatness of the receiving member. According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the inkjet head manufacturing apparatus of the ninth aspect, the receiving member is a sheet material having adhesiveness.

According to this structure, the nozzle plate is held by the adhesiveness of the receiving member, so that the ink ejection side is hardly damaged, and the stability of ink ejection can be secured. According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet head manufacturing apparatus of the eleventh aspect, the receiving member is made of an adhesive material such as silicone rubber.

An ink jet head according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is formed by the method according to any one of the first to third aspects. According to this configuration,
Adhesive can be reduced from flowing into the nozzle holes of the nozzle plate,
It is possible to reduce a decrease in ink dischargeability due to the adhesive attached to the nozzle holes.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 showing the above-described conventional example will be described with the same reference numerals.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a piezoelectric ink jet head 17 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The head body 16 is configured to change the volume of the pressure chamber 3 by deforming the base 1 made of a piezoelectric element, and to send out the ink filled in the pressure chamber 3 to the opening 4. A piezoelectric ceramic is laminated on a base 1 in which a pressure chamber 3 is formed, and an electrode 2 is formed.
Are formed, and the electrode 2 is drawn out to the electrode portion 9 in the wire bonding area behind the base 1. An opening 4 that is formed around the open end of the pressure chamber 3 and communicates with the nozzle hole 5 of the nozzle plate 6 is formed on the attachment surface 16 a of the nozzle plate 6 of the head body 16. 22 is a cover, and 23 is an ink supply port.

On the other hand, a nozzle plate 6 formed of a stainless steel material or a resin sheet has a nozzle hole 5 communicating with the pressure chamber 3 through the opening 4 of the head body 16. Adhering surface 1 of head body 16 configured as described above
An adhesive 7 such as a thermosetting epoxy resin is applied to 6a by a screen printing method or a transfer method so as to cover the entire surface other than the opening 4, and the center of the opening 4 of the head body 16 and the nozzle plate 6 are coated. It is positioned and bonded so that the center of the nozzle hole 5 overlaps.

As described above, by applying the adhesive 7 over the entire surface 16a of the nozzle plate 6, the adhesive 7 can be applied more easily than in the conventional example, and the airtightness as a nozzle seal is secured. And sufficient adhesive strength can be obtained.
The highly reliable bonding of the nozzle plate 6 and the head body 16 can be realized.

FIGS. 3 to 5 show an ink jet head manufacturing apparatus for realizing the ink jet head manufacturing method of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3A, the suction member 13 is set on the fixed base 18, and the nozzle plate 6 is placed on the suction member 13. The suction hole 24 of the suction member 13 is connected to a suction device (not shown) such as a pump.

The nozzle plate 6 suction-held by the suction member 13
Is conveyed to a position where it is bonded to the head body 16 and pressed against the receiving member 10 disposed on the support plate 11 elastically supported by the elastic body 12 as shown in FIG. . When the power of the pump is turned off, the suction force of the nozzle plate 6 is reduced from the state of being suctioned by the suction member 13, and the nozzle plate 6 is placed on the receiving member 10 by separating the suction member 13 and the nozzle plate 6. Is placed.

The support plate 11 on which the nozzle plate 6 is mounted is made of a transparent member such as Pyrex (registered trademark) glass, and the receiving member 10 is a transparent member having flexibility. The receiving member 10 preferably has adhesiveness. Specifically, a transparent sheet material made of silicone rubber or the like is used.

The positioning of the nozzle plate 6 is performed as shown in FIG.
As shown in (c), the edge of the suction member 13 and the edge of the positioning member 14 are aligned with each other so that the alignment line 2 is aligned.
5 is determined.

As described above, the nozzle plate 6 is suction-held and transported to the position where the nozzle plate 6 is bonded to the head body 16.
When the adhesive surface side is pressed, the nozzle plate 6 is pressed in a planar shape, so that a change in shape hardly occurs. Also, receiving member 1
When a material having adhesiveness is used as 0, the nozzle plate 6
Can be placed on the support plate 11 without causing any displacement or the like without applying a pressing force to the outer peripheral portion without pressing only the inner peripheral portion.

Accordingly, since only the side of the nozzle plate 6 to be attached to the head body 16 is pressed by the suction member 13, the side from which the ink protrudes is less likely to be damaged, and stable ink ejection can be secured. The unpressed outer peripheral portion of the nozzle plate 6 serves as a margin for gripping the nozzle plate 6 and is cut after being attached to the head body 16.

When the nozzle plate 6 is placed on the support plate 11,
As shown in FIG. 4, the head body 16 to which the adhesive 7 has been applied as described above is held by a holding jig 21 as holding means, and is arranged so as to face the nozzle plate 6.

The support plate 11 is configured to be movable in the direction of approaching and separating from the jig body 21 by an elastic body 12 such as a spring interposed between the support plate 11 and a base member 11a provided on the fixed side. .

Positioning means for positioning the nozzle plate 6 and the head main body 16 is disposed on the side of the support plate 11 opposite to the surface on which the nozzle plate 6 is mounted, so as to face the nozzle plate 6. The positioning means includes an optical means 26 such as a microscope or a CCD element arranged so as to face the nozzle plate 6, and a direction intersecting with the direction intersecting the nozzle means 6 and the optical means 26 arranged in parallel. Light source 15 such as an optical fiber for irradiating light
Consists of

By irradiating light from a direction having an angle with respect to the arrangement direction of the nozzle plate 6 and the optical means 26 in this manner, reflected light from the support plate 11 can be avoided,
The center of the nozzle hole 5 of the nozzle plate 6 and the center of the opening 4 of the head main body 16 can be accurately positioned.

The positioned head body 16 is pressed by the holding member 21 toward the nozzle plate 6 and the head body 1
The nozzle plate 6 is superimposed on the attachment surface 16a of the nozzle 6. Then, as shown in FIG.
1 and the support plate 11 are integrally pressed and heated to cure the adhesive 7.

At this time, since the nozzle plate 6 is elastically supported by the elastic body 12 provided on the support plate 11,
The pressing force of the head main body 16 is buffered, so that the crushing of the adhesive 7 can be reduced and the filling of the nozzle 7 with the adhesive 7 can be reduced.

The crush of the adhesive 7 can also be reduced by the receiving member 10 interposed between the nozzle plate 6 and the support member 11. Further, when the thickness of the receiving member 10 is set to be larger than the sum of the flatness of the support plate 11 and the flatness of the sticking surface 16a of the head member 16, the flatness of the sticking surface 16a of the head body 16 is adjusted. Is poor, the crushing of the adhesive 7 can be alleviated. Specifically, the thickness of the receiving member 10 depends on the flatness of the support plate 11 and the attaching surface 1 of the head member 16.
About 10 times the sum of the flatness of 6a and the flatness is sufficient.
The flatness of the support plate 11 is 5 μm or less.
6a is 10 μm or less, and the sum of the flatness of the support plate 11 and the flatness of the attaching surface 16a of the head member 16 is 1
The thickness is about 0 μm, and the thickness of the receiving member 10 is about 300 μm.

The obtained piezoelectric ink jet head is
A decrease in hydrophilicity due to the thermosetting epoxy adhesive 7 attached to the inner surface of the nozzle hole 6 can be reduced, and stable ejection characteristics of ink particles can be obtained.

[0046]

As described above, according to the ink jet head apparatus of the present invention, the head body in which the pressure chamber whose volume changes due to the deformation of the piezoelectric element, and the nozzle in which the nozzle hole communicating with the pressure chamber is formed. At the time of manufacturing an ink jet head by bonding the plate and the adhesive with an adhesive, an adhesive is applied to the surface of the head body to which the nozzle plate is attached, so as to cover the entire surface other than the opening formed at the opening end of the pressure chamber. The applied surface of the head body and the nozzle plate, which are coated and opposed to each other, are positioned on the opening of the head body by positioning means arranged on the side opposite to the head body via the nozzle plate. Position the nozzle plate and the head body such that the center and the center of the nozzle hole of the nozzle plate coincide with each other, and press the head body toward the nozzle plate to apply the adhesive. By reduction, it can easily and the head body and the nozzle plate can be accurately and firmly integrated without positional deviation, yet reduces the sealing of the nozzle hole by inflow of the adhesive to the nozzle hole.

According to the inkjet head manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the head body in which the pressure chamber whose volume changes due to the deformation of the piezoelectric element is formed, and the nozzle plate in which the nozzle hole communicating with the pressure chamber is formed. A manufacturing apparatus for an ink jet head, wherein the nozzle plate is transported to a bonding position with the head body, and a support plate that supports the nozzle plate transported by the transport unit. An elastic body provided on the support plate, holding means for holding the head body having an adhesive applied to the sticking surface of the nozzle plate, and a pressure chamber of the head body held by the holding means. The nozzle plate and the head body are positioned so that the center of the opening formed at the opening end and the center of the nozzle hole of the nozzle plate placed on the support plate coincide with each other. And a positioning unit that presses the head body held by the holding unit against the side of the nozzle plate placed on the support plate to cure the adhesive. A head manufacturing method can be easily realized.

Further, an ink jet head manufactured by the above-described manufacturing method or an ink jet head manufactured by using the above-described manufacturing apparatus has a stable ejection characteristic of ink particles.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a piezoelectric inkjet head according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along a longitudinal direction of a pressure chamber of the piezoelectric inkjet head according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating positioning of a nozzle plate on a support plate in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating alignment between the head body and the nozzle plate in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating bonding of the nozzle plate and the head body by pressing in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional piezoelectric ink jet head with a portion cut away, and a front view showing an applied state of an adhesive.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of a conventional pressing plate used for bonding the head body and the nozzle plate.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Pressure Chamber 4 Opening 5 Nozzle Hole 6 Nozzle Plate 7 Adhesive 8 Conveying Means 10 Receiving Member 11 Supporting Plate 12 Elastic Body 13 Adsorbing Member 15 Light Source 16 Head Body 16a Adhering Surface 17 Piezoelectric Inkjet Head 20 Clamp 21 Holding Jig 24 Suction hole 26 Optical means

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masatomo Matsui 8-1, Koshinmachi, Takamatsu-shi, Kagawa Prefecture Matsushita Hisashi Denshi Kogyo Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2C057 AF72 AF93 AG12 AG45 AP13 AP25 AP72 BA05 BA14

Claims (13)

[Claims] An ink jet head is produced by bonding a head body having a pressure chamber whose volume changes due to deformation of a piezoelectric element to a nozzle plate having a nozzle hole communicating with the pressure chamber with an adhesive. In doing so, an adhesive is applied to the surface of the head body to which the nozzle plate is to be adhered, so as to cover the entire surface other than the opening formed at the opening end of the pressure chamber. Positioning the nozzle plate and the head body such that the center of the opening of the main body and the center of the nozzle hole of the nozzle plate coincide with each other, and pressing the head body toward the nozzle plate to apply the adhesive A method for manufacturing an inkjet head that cures. 2. The nozzle plate is attracted and held, is conveyed to a position where the nozzle plate is bonded to the head body, and is placed on an elastically supported support plate by pressing an adhesive surface side with the nozzle plate. The manufacturing method of the inkjet head according to the above. 3. A method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to claim 2, wherein a receiving member having adhesiveness is provided on said support plate, and said nozzle plate is placed on said receiving member to position said nozzle plate. 4. A method for manufacturing an ink jet head, comprising: a head body having a pressure chamber whose volume changes due to deformation of a piezoelectric element; and a nozzle plate having a nozzle hole communicating with the pressure chamber, bonded with an adhesive. An apparatus, comprising: a conveying unit that conveys the nozzle plate to a bonding position with a head body; a support plate that elastically supports the conveyed nozzle plate; and an opening formed at an opening end of the pressure chamber. Holding means for holding the head main body having an adhesive applied to the sticking surface of the nozzle plate so as to cover the entire surface other than the portion, a center of the opening of the head main body held by the holding means, and the support plate Positioning means for positioning the nozzle plate and the head body so that the center of the nozzle hole of the nozzle plate mounted on the nozzle plate coincides with the center of the nozzle hole. Manufacturing apparatus of an ink jet head constructed such that by pressing on the side of hardening the adhesive. 5. An apparatus for manufacturing an ink jet head according to claim 4, wherein said transfer means sucks and holds an adhesive surface of said nozzle plate with a head body. 6. An apparatus for manufacturing an ink jet head according to claim 4, wherein said support plate is provided with means for positioning said nozzle plate in contact with said transport means. 7. An apparatus for manufacturing an ink jet head according to claim 4, wherein an elastic body is provided between said support plate and a fixed side. 8. The optical device, wherein the positioning means is provided on the side opposite to the head body via the nozzle plate, and is arranged opposite to the nozzle plate; 5. The apparatus for manufacturing an ink jet head according to claim 4, comprising: a light source arranged at an angle to the arrangement direction of the ink jet head. 9. An apparatus for manufacturing an ink jet head according to claim 4, wherein a flexible transparent receiving member for mounting said nozzle plate on said support plate is provided. 10. An ink jet head manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the thickness of said receiving member is larger than the sum of the flatness of said support plate and the flatness of the attaching surface of said head member. 11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said receiving member is a sheet material having adhesiveness. 12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said receiving member is made of an adhesive material such as silicone rubber. 13. An ink jet head formed by the method according to claim 1.