JP2003291355A - Ink recording head and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To manufacture an electrostatic ink recording head capable of printing at a high speed by a convenient method. <P>SOLUTION: A protrusion is formed of cured photo-curing ink in front of the slit opening of an electrostatic ink recording head. A structure for concentrating the electric field is provided on the front face of the recording head simultaneously with a structure for assisting protrusion of ink by a convenient manufacturing method and thereby an ink recording head capable of high speed ink recording can be manufactured. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for outputting characters, images, etc., and more specifically, recording ink by moving ink in a liquid chamber from an opening by using electrostatic force by the action of an electrostatic field. The present invention relates to an ink recording head used in an ink recording device for recording on a recording medium, and a method for producing the ink recording head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing a conventional ink recording head for recording ink by using electrostatic force. In FIG. 12, 501 is a support, 502 is a slit-shaped opening, 503 is a feeding electrode, 504 is a counter electrode, 5
Reference numeral 05 is a recording medium, 506 is a driving unit, and 507 is a liquid chamber and ink supplied to the inside.

[0003]

However, a conventional ink recording head for recording ink by using electrostatic force is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, it has an excellent feature that ink jet recording is possible with a simple structure, but since the front surface of the recording head is slit-shaped and the front surface of the ink is uniform, it is difficult to concentrate the electric field, and There is a problem in increasing the recording speed because it takes time for the swelling of the front surface of the ink before the ink jets.

Further, it is necessary to provide a structure for concentrating an electric field on the front surface of the recording head, which is necessary for increasing the recording speed, or to provide a structure for assisting the bulging of the ink. It was very difficult to create.

[0005]

An ink recording head according to the present invention has a slit-shaped ink opening formed by end portions of upper and lower substrates facing each other, and a plurality of recording electrodes on at least one inner surface of the substrate. Arranged at intervals of
The tip of the recording electrode is arranged so as to face the ink opening, and is arranged at a position opposed to the ink supply means for communicating the ink through the both substrates to the ink opening and the ink opening via a minute gap. An electrostatic ink jet type ink recording head which has a counter electrode, a power source and a driving means for applying a voltage pulse between the recording electrode and the counter electrode, and applies a Coulomb force to the ink to suck and fly the ink from the ink opening. The ink recording head is characterized in that it has a protrusion made of a cured photo-curing resin that protrudes further toward the counter electrode side from the slit-shaped ink opening. An ink recording head for recording ink is realized.

Further, in the ink recording head of the present invention, an ink recording head formed by disposing a substrate facing a substrate in which recording electrodes are arranged at a pitch corresponding to a recording pixel via a spacer is opposed to the opposing electrode. Then, a driving means capable of applying a driving voltage is connected between the counter electrode and the recording electrode, the photocurable ink is arranged in the slit-shaped ink opening formed in the recording head, and the driving means opposes each other. A drive voltage is applied between the electrode and the recording electrode to expose the photo-curable ink while the photo-curable ink is being attracted to the counter electrode to cure the photo-curable ink and form a protrusion in the slit-shaped ink opening. By using the method for creating an ink recording head, which is characterized by And the kicking it possible to simultaneously providing a structure to assist the ridges of the ink, and allows the creation of high-speed ink recordable ink recording head.

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

An outline of ink recording using the ink recording head of the present invention is shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, 101 is a lower substrate, and a recording electrode 103 is formed on the upper surface. 1
Reference numeral 02 denotes an upper substrate, and an ink flow path is formed in a gap between the lower substrate and the upper substrate. Ink supply part 1 on a part of the upper substrate
No. 06 is provided, and ink is supplied from the ink supply port 108. At the front opening of the flow path formed by the upper substrate and the lower substrate, protrusions (a lower protrusion 112 and an upper protrusion 111) made of cured photo-curing resin are formed. Meniscus 109
Is retained.

A counter electrode 104 is provided at a position facing the ink meniscus 109, and a recording medium 105 is arranged on the ink meniscus 109 side of the counter electrode 104.

The recording electrode 103 formed on the lower substrate 101 has a connecting portion 113 by means such as wire bonding.
Is connected to the driving means 107 via
Applies a voltage of several hundred to several thousand V between the recording electrode 103 and the counter electrode 104, and the meniscus 1 is applied by the electrostatic force.
The ink is sucked from the portion 09 to the counter electrode 104, and a recording dot is formed on the recording medium 105 arranged during the suction flight.

In the ink recording head according to the present invention, ink jet recording is performed in this manner.

A method of producing the ink recording head shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 11.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 101 denotes a lower substrate, on which a recording electrode 103 is formed. In this embodiment, the lower substrate 101 is glass and the electrode 10
In No. 3, by forming an aluminum sputtered film on glass and then performing etching, 70 μm at 70 μm pitch is formed.
It is formed with a width of μm.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the lower substrate of FIG. 2 is viewed from the lateral direction.
And shows a state where the recording electrode 103 is formed on one surface. The lower substrate 101 may be processed at its front end so that the electric field is easily concentrated after the recording head is formed. FIG. 4 shows this state, and the front end portion 121 of the lower substrate 101 is processed by polishing or cutting.

FIG. 5 shows a state in which spacers 122 are provided on the lower substrate on which the recording electrodes 103 are formed to secure a gap corresponding to the ink flow path when the upper substrate is stacked. In the present embodiment, the spacer 122 is made of photoresist and is formed at a position where it does not interfere with the recording electrode 103.

FIG. 6 shows an upper substrate 102 which is arranged with a gap between the lower substrate 101 and the lower substrate 101. In the case of a simple shape as shown in FIG. 6A, recording is also performed as shown in FIG. 6B. The front end 1 should be
31 may be processed. In this embodiment, glass is also used for the upper substrate.

FIG. 7 shows the lower substrate 1 on which the recording electrodes 103 are formed.
01 to the upper substrate 10 with a gap by the spacer 122.
2 shows a state where 2 is arranged.

After the flow path is formed in this way, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the ink supply portion 141 is attached, and the wiring 142 for transmitting the voltage from the driving means is formed on the recording electrode 113 to form an ink recording head.
In the present embodiment, the ink supply portion 141 is adhered with an epoxy adhesive, and the wiring 142 is bonded with a connecting portion 113 using a wire bonder.

As shown in FIG. 8, after the ink recording head is formed, the photocurable ink is injected from the ink supply means 141 into the ink recording head. The photocurable ink has a liquid property in a dark place like the ink for ink recording. In this state, the counter electrode 104 is arranged as shown in FIG. 10, and when a voltage is applied between the counter electrode 104 and the recording electrode 103, the photocurable ink is 110
As shown in (3), swelling occurs in the direction of the counter electrode. When the voltage is further applied, the photo-curable ink is attracted and jetted toward the counter electrode 104. Therefore, at a time point when an appropriate swell is generated within the range where the attraction and flight is not performed, exposure is performed from the upper substrate direction and the lower substrate direction. I do. This exposure is exposure with a wavelength for curing the photo-curable ink, whereby the photo-curable ink is cured in a shape in which an appropriate raised state is recorded.

After that, FIG. 9 shows a state in which the uncured photocurable ink is washed, and the protrusions (the lower protrusion 112 and the upper protrusion 111) of the cured photocurable ink on the tip of the recording head. Are formed.

The lower protrusion 112 and the upper protrusion 111
Is a shape in which the ink itself is liable to rise due to the force of electrostatic force when recording, so that the electric field is easily concentrated and during the process of flying ink. As a result, the ink uplifting time is shortened, and high-speed ink recording can be performed in combination with electric field concentrated curing.

In the above description, as shown in FIG. 11 (a), the upper and lower protrusions 111 and 112 are independent of each other by the curing exposure from the respective upper and lower directions. The case of making
As shown in (b), by further controlling the exposure intensity or changing the exposure direction, a nozzle-shaped protrusion as shown by 151 is formed, and the ink flying portion is separated into a nozzle shape. It is also possible to achieve even higher speeds.

When ink recording is performed using the ink recording head of the present invention, ink is supplied from the ink supply port 108, and the counter electrode 104 is arranged at a position facing the ink meniscus 109 at the front end. The recording medium 105 is arranged on the ink meniscus 109 side of the counter electrode 104, and the driving unit 1 is provided between the counter electrode 104 and the recording electrode 103.
The recording voltage is applied according to 07. At this time, the ink meniscus 109 has a lower protrusion 112 and an upper protrusion 111.
Since it was in a state of being assisted so that the raised shape was retained by the recording medium 105, the recording medium 105 was quickly attracted and jetted at the same time as the recording voltage was applied, and just before reaching the counter electrode 104.
Form recording dots on top.

As described above, according to the ink recording head of the present invention, it is possible to easily prepare the structure for concentrating the electric field on the front surface of the recording head and the structure for assisting the bulging of the ink. Although it is a method, it is possible at the same time, thereby realizing an ink recording head capable of high-speed ink recording.

[0025]

In the ink recording head of the present invention,
A slit-shaped ink opening formed by the end surface portions of the upper and lower substrates facing each other, and a plurality of recording electrodes are arranged at a predetermined interval on at least one inner surface of the substrate, and the tip of the recording electrode is set to the ink opening. The ink supply means arranged to face each other and communicating with the ink opening through both substrates to supply the ink, the counter electrode arranged at a position opposed to the ink opening via a minute gap, and the recording electrode. An electrostatic ink jet type ink recording head having a power supply and a driving means for applying a voltage pulse between electrodes and for applying a Coulomb force to the ink to suck and fly the ink from the ink opening, the slit-shaped ink opening The ink recording head is characterized in that it has a protrusion made of a cured photo-curing resin that further protrudes toward the counter electrode side. Used was, it is possible to realize the ink recording head for high-speed ink recording.

Further, in the ink recording head manufacturing method of the present invention, the ink recording head formed by disposing the substrate facing the substrate in which the recording electrodes are arranged at the pitch corresponding to the recording pixel via the spacer is opposed. Facing the electrodes,
A drive unit capable of applying a drive voltage is connected between the counter electrode and the recording electrode, and the photo-curable ink is arranged in the slit-shaped ink opening formed in the recording head. A drive voltage is applied between the recording electrodes to expose the photo-curable ink while the photo-curable ink is being attracted to the counter electrode to cure the photo-curable ink and form a protrusion in the slit-shaped ink opening. By using the ink recording head manufacturing method described above, it is possible to provide a structure for concentrating an electric field on the front surface of the recording head, even though it is a simple manufacturing method similar to the conventional ink recording head. At the same time, it is possible to provide a structure that assists the uplift, and it is possible to create an ink recording head capable of high-speed ink recording.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining ink recording using an ink recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a lower substrate according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method of manufacturing the ink recording head shown in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is another explanatory diagram for explaining the method for producing the ink recording head according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is another explanatory diagram for explaining the method for producing the ink recording head according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an upper substrate according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is another explanatory diagram for explaining the method for manufacturing the ink recording head according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is another explanatory diagram for explaining the method for producing the ink recording head according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is another explanatory diagram for explaining the method for producing the ink recording head according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is another explanatory diagram for explaining the method for producing the ink recording head according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a protrusion of the ink recording head created according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram for explaining a conventional ink recording head.

[Explanation of symbols]

101 Lower substrate 102 upper substrate 103 recording electrode 104 counter electrode 105 recording medium 106 ink supply means 107 drive means 108 ink supply port 109 ink meniscus 111 Upper protrusion 112 Lower protrusion 113 connection 122 spacer 142 wiring 151 Nozzle-shaped protrusion

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A slit-shaped ink opening portion formed by end face portions of upper and lower substrates facing each other, and a plurality of recording electrodes arranged at a predetermined interval on at least one inner surface of the substrate, and The tip is arranged toward the ink opening, and is arranged at a position opposed to the ink supply means for communicating the ink through the both substrates to the ink opening and supplying ink to the ink opening via a minute gap. Ink of the ink jet system of the electrostatic type, which has a counter electrode, a power source and a driving unit for applying a voltage pulse between the recording electrode and the counter electrode, and applies Coulomb force to the ink to suck and fly the ink from the ink opening. A recording head, characterized in that it has a protrusion made of a cured photo-curing resin, which protrudes further toward the counter electrode side from the slit-shaped ink opening. Ink recording head. 2. A procedure in which an ink recording head formed by arranging a substrate having recording electrodes arranged at a pitch corresponding to a recording pixel and facing the substrate via a spacer is made to face the opposite electrode; A step of connecting a driving means capable of applying a driving voltage between the recording electrodes, a step of arranging the photo-curable ink in a slit-shaped ink opening formed in the recording head, and the driving means. The slit shape, including a step of applying a drive voltage between the counter electrode and the recording electrode, and a step of exposing the photo-curable ink to light while the photo-curable ink is being attracted to the counter electrode to cure the photo-curable ink. A method for producing an ink recording head, characterized in that a protrusion is formed in the ink opening.