JP2006256011A - Liquid droplet delivering head and liquid droplet delivering apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid droplet delivering head and a liquid droplet delivering apparatus in which defective delivering caused by clogging of nozzle holes, a change of a liquid droplet quantity and a shift of a striking position is prevented by suitably carrying out discharge of a liquid of a nozzle plate surface. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid droplet delivering head 34 is equipped with a nozzle plate 60 where nozzle arrays 1A and 1B consisting of a plurality of the nozzle holes 18 for delivering a liquid object are set. A plurality of recessed parts 10 are dispersed and arranged in at least a part which includes the periphery of the nozzle arrays 1A and 1B of the nozzle plate 60. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a droplet discharge head and a droplet discharge device.

  The droplet discharge head of the droplet discharge device discharges the ink pressurized in the pressure generation chamber as an ink droplet from the nozzle hole to the object, but the ink viscosity increases due to the evaporation of the solvent from the nozzle hole, There is a possibility that ejection failure may occur due to solidification of ink, adhesion of dust to the vicinity of the nozzle, and mixing of bubbles. Therefore, a liquid having an ink suction unit having a pump for removing mixed bubbles and thickened ink, and a wiping unit having a wiper member for cleaning the nozzle plate surface of the droplet discharge head as necessary Droplet ejection devices are widely used.

  However, a large amount of ink adheres to the nozzle plate after ink suction, and cleaning may not be performed well by one wiping. Furthermore, even if liquid repellent treatment is applied to the surface of the nozzle plate, the effect of the liquid repellent function diminishes over time, and it is not possible to remove foreign matters such as ink and dust attached to the vicinity of the nozzle hole, In some cases, ejection failure occurred.

In order to prevent ink droplet ejection failure, the following method has been proposed as a method for removing ink on the surface of the nozzle plate.
(1) In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, a method of forming trap grooves in a direction perpendicular to the wiping direction (a direction parallel to the nozzle row) is proposed. According to this, by wiping the nozzle plate surface with the wiping blade, the ink adhering to the nozzle plate surface can be stored in the trap groove, and the ink on the nozzle plate surface can be removed.
(2) In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2, a method of forming a groove in the outer peripheral portion of the nozzle hole is proposed. According to this, the ink adhering to the surface of the nozzle plate can be stored in the groove on the outer peripheral portion of the nozzle hole, and the ink on the surface of the nozzle plate can be removed, as in Patent Document 1.
JP-A-11-277756 JP 2004-17344 A

  However, in the inventions disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, since the grooves are formed in parallel with the nozzle rows, when the ink in the grooves overflows, the nozzles in the nozzle rows adjacent to (adjacent to) the grooves. There was a problem that ink was mixed into the holes. Further, when waste liquid cannot be stored in the groove formed in parallel to the nozzle row by wiping the nozzle plate surface by the wiping means, ink overflowing from the groove is mixed into the nozzle hole formed in the wiping direction. There was a problem that. As a result, clogging of the nozzle holes, changes in the amount of liquid droplets, and landing position deviations occurred, causing problems that caused ejection failure.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to suitably drain the nozzle plate surface to prevent ejection failure due to clogging of nozzle holes, changes in droplet volume, and landing position displacement. Another object of the present invention is to provide a droplet discharge head and a droplet discharge device.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the present invention includes a nozzle plate provided with a nozzle row including a plurality of nozzle holes for discharging a liquid material, and at least a part of the nozzle plate including the periphery of the nozzle row is provided. The plurality of recesses are arranged in a dispersed manner.

  According to this configuration, since the plurality of recesses are regularly arranged on the entire surface of the nozzle plate, the ink adhering to the surface of the nozzle plate is dispersed and averaged over a wide range without being concentrated in one place. Is stored in the recess. Thereby, the possibility that the waste liquid adhering to the nozzle plate is mixed into the nozzle hole is reduced. Further, when the surface of the nozzle plate is wiped by the wiping means, the wiping means contacts the ink at a point instead of a surface, so that no wiping is lost and unnecessary waste liquid can be efficiently discharged from the nozzle plate surface. Therefore, adhesion of the liquid material to the nozzle holes can be avoided, and defective discharge can be prevented.

  The droplet discharge head according to the present invention includes a nozzle plate provided with a nozzle array including a plurality of nozzle holes for discharging a liquid material, and a support plate that supports the nozzle plate, and the nozzle array of the nozzle plate. A plurality of concave portions are dispersed and arranged in at least a part including the periphery of the.

  Even in the case where the droplet discharge head is constituted by the nozzle plate and the support plate as in the present invention, the same effects as the above-described invention can be obtained. That is, the ink adhering to the surface of the nozzle plate is dispersed and averaged over a wide range without being concentrated in one place and is accumulated in a plurality of recesses, so that there is little possibility that the waste liquid adhering to the nozzle plate enters the nozzle holes. Become. Further, when the surface of the nozzle plate is wiped by the wiping means, the wiping means contacts the ink at a point instead of a surface, so that no wiping is lost and unnecessary waste liquid can be efficiently discharged from the nozzle plate surface. Therefore, adhesion of the liquid material to the nozzle holes can be avoided, and defective discharge can be prevented.

  The droplet discharge head according to the present invention includes a nozzle plate provided with a nozzle row including a plurality of nozzle holes for discharging a liquid material, and a support plate that supports the nozzle plate, and at least a part of the support plate. Is characterized in that a plurality of recesses are dispersed and arranged.

  Even in the case where the droplet discharge head is constituted by the nozzle plate and the support plate as in the present invention, the same effects as the above-described invention can be obtained. In other words, ink or the like scattered from the nozzle plate to the support plate is dispersed and averaged over a wide range without being concentrated in one place, and accumulated in a plurality of recesses, so that waste liquid adhering to the nozzle plate is mixed into the nozzle holes. The fear is reduced. Therefore, clogging of the liquid material in the nozzle holes can be avoided, and ejection failure can be prevented. Further, since the nozzle hole is not provided on the surface of the support plate, it is easier to form the recess compared to the case where the recess is formed on the discharge surface of the nozzle plate.

  In the droplet discharge head of the present invention, it is also preferable that the concave portion is provided in a circular shape in plan view and curved in the thickness direction of the nozzle plate.

  According to this configuration, for example, when the wiping means uses a roll wound with a cloth on the surface of a rotatable roll, the waste liquid stored in the recess can be wiped well. In other words, if there is a corner on the inner surface of the recess, the waste liquid accumulates at the corner and the ink cannot be wiped well. Since the means can be brought into contact, the waste liquid in the recess can be wiped well.

  In the droplet discharge head of the present invention, it is preferable that the circular diameter is 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

  This is because if the circular diameter of the concave portion is less than 0.1 mm, the concave portion becomes fine and ink cannot be sufficiently stored. On the other hand, when the diameter of the circular shape of the concave portion exceeds 1 mm, the ink is excessively accumulated and cannot be dispersed and averaged and accumulated in the concave portion.

  In the liquid droplet ejection head of the present invention, it is also preferable that the plurality of concave portions are arranged in a lattice shape or a staggered shape.

  According to this configuration, the plurality of recesses are formed in a lattice shape or a staggered pattern on the nozzle plate surface, so that the plurality of recesses are regularly formed on the entire surface of the nozzle plate surface. Thereby, the ink adhering to the surface of the nozzle plate can be dispersed and averaged over a wide range without being concentrated in one place, and can be accumulated in a plurality of recesses.

  In the droplet discharge head of the present invention, it is also preferable that an interval between the plurality of recesses is 0.5 mm to 5 mm.

  This is because if the distance between the recesses is less than 0.5 mm, the ink contacts between the adjacent recesses, and the ink cannot be dispersed and averaged. On the other hand, when the interval between the recesses exceeds 5 mm, a plurality of recesses cannot be formed at a fine pitch, and the ink cannot be dispersed and averaged.

  In the droplet discharge head of the present invention, it is also preferable that a liquid repellent treatment is performed on the surface of the nozzle plate.

  According to this configuration, the ink adhering to the nozzle plate surface is repelled and discharged from the nozzle plate surface by the liquid repellent treatment. Thereby, it is possible to prevent ink from being mixed into the nozzle holes.

  The method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to the present invention includes a recess forming step of forming a plurality of recesses by irradiating a surface of a nozzle plate with an excimer laser through a mask formed in a predetermined pattern, and the nozzle plate including the recesses And a liquid repellent treatment step of performing a liquid repellent treatment on the surface of the substrate.

  In addition, the method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to the present invention includes a recess forming step of forming a plurality of recesses by irradiating an excimer laser on one surface side of the seal material, and the seal material in which the plurality of recesses are formed. It has a sticking process which affixes a surface side on the surface of the nozzle plate, and a liquid repellent treatment process which performs a liquid repellent treatment on the surface of the nozzle plate including the concave part.

  According to this method, a fine recess can be formed on the surface of the nozzle plate by using a low-frequency excimer laser. As a result, a plurality of recesses can be arranged on the nozzle plate surface at a fine pitch, and the ink adhering to the nozzle plate surface is dispersed and averaged over a wide range without being concentrated in one place. Can be stored.

The method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to the present invention includes a recess forming step for forming a plurality of recesses on the surface of the nozzle plate by machining, and a liquid repellent treatment step for performing a liquid repellent treatment on the surface of the nozzle plate including the recesses. It is characterized by having.
According to this method, a plurality of recesses can be mechanically formed on the nozzle plate surface.

A droplet discharge apparatus according to the present invention includes the droplet discharge head.
According to the present invention, it is possible to manufacture a droplet discharge device with improved discharge accuracy without discharge failure.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size.

[First Embodiment]
(Droplet discharge device)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a droplet discharge device 90. The droplet discharge device 90 includes a base 31, a substrate moving unit 32, a head moving unit 33, a droplet discharge head 34, a liquid supply unit 35, a control device 40, and the like. The base 31 has the substrate moving means 32 and the head moving means 33 installed thereon.

The substrate moving means 32 is provided on the base 31 and has guide rails 36 arranged along the Y-axis direction. The substrate moving means 32 is configured to move the slider 37 along the guide rail 36 by, for example, a linear motor (not shown).
A stage 39 is fixed on the slider 37. Therefore, the substrate moving means 32 becomes the moving axis of the stage 39. This stage 39 is for positioning and holding the substrate. That is, the stage 39 has a known suction holding means (not shown), and the suction holding means is operated to hold the substrate on the stage 39 by suction. The substrate is accurately positioned and held at a predetermined position on the stage 39 by a positioning pin (not shown) of the stage 39, for example.

  A flushing area (not shown) for causing the droplet discharge head 34 to perform flushing on both sides of the substrate on the stage 39, that is, on both sides in the movement direction (X-axis direction) of the droplet discharge head 34 described later. ) Is provided.

  The head moving means 33 includes a pair of mounts 33a and 33a standing on the rear side of the base 31, and a travel path 33b provided on the mounts 33a and 33a. It is arranged along the axial direction, that is, the direction orthogonal to the Y-axis direction of the substrate moving means 32. The travel path 33b is formed by having a holding plate 33c passed between the gantry 33a and 33a and a pair of guide rails 33d and 33d provided on the holding plate 33c. A carriage 42 on which the droplet discharge head 34 is mounted is movably held in the length direction 33d. The carriage 42 is configured to run on the guide rails 33d and 33d by the operation of a linear motor (not shown) or the like, thereby moving the droplet discharge head 34 in the X-axis direction.

  Here, the carriage 42 can move in the length direction of the guide rails 33d, 33d, that is, in the X-axis direction, for example, in units of 1 μm, and such movement is controlled by the control device 40. ing.

The liquid supply means 35 includes a liquid supply source 45 that supplies a liquid material to the droplet discharge head 34, and a liquid supply tube 46 that supplies liquid from the liquid supply source 45 to the droplet discharge head 34. .
The control device 40 is constituted by a CPU such as a microprocessor for controlling the entire device, a computer having various signal input / output functions, and the like. The moving operation is controlled.

  Such a droplet discharge device 90 is provided inside the vacuum chamber 41 indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The vacuum chamber 41 is closed from the outside by being cut off from the outside. A vacuum pump is disposed on the side surface of the vacuum chamber 41 via a pipe, and a controller (not shown) is connected to the vacuum pump. Accordingly, by driving the decompression pump, the inside of the vacuum chamber 41 is evacuated, and the pressure inside the vacuum chamber 41 can be controlled. Needless to say, the vacuum chamber 41 is provided with a door so that the inside and the outside can be accessed.

(Droplet ejection head)
The droplet discharge head 34 is rotatably attached to the carriage 42 via an attachment portion 43. The mounting portion 43 is provided with a motor 44, and a support shaft (not shown) of the droplet discharge head 34 is connected to the motor 44. Based on such a configuration, the droplet discharge head 34 is rotatable in the circumferential direction. The motor 44 is also connected to the control device 40, whereby the droplet ejection head 34 is controlled by the control device 40 to rotate in the circumferential direction.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 2A, the droplet discharge head 34 includes, for example, a stainless steel nozzle plate 60 and a vibration plate 13 which are joined via a partition member (reservoir plate) 14. is there. A plurality of spaces 15 and liquid reservoirs 74 are formed between the nozzle plate 60 and the diaphragm 13 by the partition member 14. Each space 15 and the inside of the liquid reservoir 74 are filled with a liquid material, and each space 15 and the liquid reservoir 74 communicate with each other via a supply port 62. The nozzle plate 60 is formed with a plurality of nozzle holes 18 for injecting the liquid material from the space 15 in a state of being aligned vertically and horizontally. On the other hand, a hole 19 for supplying a liquid material to the liquid reservoir 74 is formed in the vibration plate 13.

  Also, a piezoelectric element (piezo element) 64 is joined to the surface of the diaphragm 13 opposite to the surface facing the space 15 as shown in FIG. The piezoelectric element 64 has a pair of electrodes 66, and is configured to bend and project outward when energized between the electrodes 66 and 66. The diaphragm 13 to which the piezoelectric element 64 is bonded in such a configuration is integrally bent with the piezoelectric element 64 and bends outward at the same time, whereby the volume of the space 15 is increased. It is going to increase. Accordingly, the liquid corresponding to the increased volume flows into the space 15 from the liquid reservoir 74 through the supply port 62. Further, when energization to the piezoelectric element 64 is released from such a state, both the piezoelectric element 64 and the diaphragm 13 return to their original shapes. Accordingly, since the space 15 also returns to the original volume, the pressure of the liquid material inside the space 15 rises, and the liquid droplet 72 is discharged from the nozzle hole 18 toward the substrate.

In addition, the droplet discharge head 34 having such a configuration has a substantially rectangular bottom surface shape, and the nozzle holes 18 are aligned and arranged so that, for example, the length × width is 2 × 180. Here, only one droplet discharge head 34 is shown in FIG. 1, but the droplet discharge device 90 of the present invention is not limited to this, and may include a plurality of droplet discharge heads 34. For example, twelve droplet discharge heads 34 may be provided in parallel.
In addition to the piezoelectric jet type using the piezoelectric element 64, for example, a method using an electrothermal transducer as an energy generating element can be adopted as the droplet discharge head 34.

(Nozzle plate)
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view schematically showing the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 of the droplet ejection head 34, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA 'in FIG.
On the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60, two nozzle rows 1 </ b> A and 1 </ b> B composed of a plurality of nozzle holes 18 for ejecting ink (liquid material) are formed along the Y-axis direction. In the present embodiment, the two nozzle rows 1A and 1B are provided with nozzle holes 18 for ejecting inks of different colors. For example, the nozzle holes 18 in the nozzle row 1A receive C (cyan) ink. The nozzle holes 18 of the nozzle row 1B discharge B (black) ink. However, several nozzle holes 18 at both ends of each of the nozzle arrays 1A and 1B are set as “pause nozzles” where ink is not discharged, and the other nozzles are set as “discharge nozzles” where ink is discharged. In addition, the discharge surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 is subjected to a liquid repellent process in order to remove ink attached to the discharge surface 70. The nozzle rows 1A and 1B may eject the same color.

  The discharge surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 is provided with a first region 70a and a second region 70b that are divided along a boundary 80 between the two nozzle rows 1A and 1B. The first area 70a is an area where the wiping blade 82 scans in the left direction (Y-axis direction) in the figure, and the second area 70b is an area where the wiping means scans in the right direction (Y-axis direction) in the figure. . That is, the wiping means scans the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 in the opposite direction between the first region 70a and the second region 70b with the boundary 80 as a reference. Accordingly, since the wiping blade 82 wiping the first region 70a does not enter the second region 70b, color mixture of C (cyan) and B (black) can be prevented. It is assumed that the wiping blade 82 moves in the vertical direction (wiping direction) with respect to the nozzle rows 1A and 1B.

  A plurality of recesses 10 are formed in a lattice shape over substantially the entire area of the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60. The concave portion 10 has a circular shape in a plan view, and is formed in a dimple shape by being curved in an arc shape in the thickness direction of the nozzle plate 60. The diameter W1 of the recess 10 in a circular shape in plan view is, for example, 0.1 mm to 1 mm as shown in FIG. Moreover, the space | interval W3 between the recessed parts 10 and 10 is 0.5 mm-5 mm as shown in FIG.

Next, an arrangement pattern of the plurality of recesses 10 will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, since the recess patterns formed in the first region 70a and the second region 70b are symmetrical, only the arrangement pattern of the recesses 10 formed in the first region 70a will be described.
On the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60, recess rows A to E in which a plurality of recesses 10 are arranged are formed in parallel to the nozzle row 1A. The recess columns are arranged at equal intervals with a distance W3 in the row direction. Further, the recesses 10 of the recess rows A to E are arranged at equal intervals with a distance W3 in the column direction. Thus, on the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60, a plurality of concave portions 10 arranged at equal intervals in the column direction and the row direction are formed in a lattice shape.

  According to the present embodiment, since the plurality of recesses 10 are regularly arranged in a grid pattern on the entire surface of the nozzle plate 60, the ink adhering to the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 does not concentrate in one place. Dispersed and averaged over a wide range and stored in the plurality of recesses 10. Thereby, the possibility that the waste liquid adhering to the nozzle plate 60 is mixed into the nozzle holes is reduced. Therefore, adhesion of the liquid material to the nozzle holes 18 can be avoided, and defective discharge can be prevented.

  Moreover, as for the recessed part 10 of this embodiment, the circular diameter is 0.1 mm-1 mm. This is because when the diameter of the circular shape of the concave portion 10 is less than 0.1 mm, the concave portion 10 becomes fine and ink cannot be stored. On the other hand, when the circular diameter of the concave portion 10 exceeds 1 mm, the ink is excessively accumulated, and the ink cannot be dispersed and averaged and accumulated in the concave portion 10. In addition, when the interval between the recesses 10 and 10 is less than 0.5 mm, the ink may come into contact between the adjacent recesses 10 and 10 and the ink may not be dispersed and averaged. . On the other hand, if the interval between the recesses is more than 5 mm, the plurality of recesses 10 cannot be formed with a fine pitch, and the ink may not be dispersed and averaged. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the ink adhering to the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 can be dispersed and averaged over a wide range without being concentrated in one place, and can be accumulated in a plurality of recesses.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, since the liquid repellent process is performed on the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60, the ink attached to the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 can be repelled and discharged. Thereby, it is possible to prevent ink from being mixed into the nozzle hole 18.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 is scanned by the wiping blade 82 provided in the droplet ejection device 90, the ink is dispersed and averaged without being concentrated in one place. Since they are stored in the plurality of recesses 10, the wiping blade 82 comes into contact with ink not at the surface but at a point. Therefore, there is almost no ink wiping off, and unnecessary waste liquid can be efficiently discharged from the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60.
Further, when the wiping means is made of, for example, a roll wound with a cloth on a rotatable roll surface, the ink is dispersed and averaged over a wide range without being concentrated in one place and collected in the recess 10. Therefore, the amount of ink per unit area in contact with the cloth can be made uniform, and the waste liquid can be wiped well.

(Method for forming recesses)
Next, a method for forming a recess on the discharge surface of the nozzle plate will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a process of forming the recess 10 in the discharge surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5A, a mask 50 on which a predetermined pattern is formed is positioned and installed on the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60. The mask 50 is formed with an opening 50 a (pattern) having a shape corresponding to the recess 10 formed on the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, excimer laser light is irradiated onto the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 from the upper surface side of the mask 50 through the mask 50. This excimer laser beam is an ultraviolet ray having a short wavelength of 248 nm. The irradiated laser light passes through the opening 50 a of the mask 50 and reaches the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60. As the laser light, various laser lights such as a gas laser such as a CO ₂ laser, an infrared lamp, a xenon lamp, a YAG laser, an argon laser, and a carbon dioxide gas laser can be used.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, the laser beam irradiated onto the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 forms a recess 10 pattern on the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 by laser ablation. That is, in the region on the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 irradiated with the laser light, the intermolecular chemical bond is cut by the laser light, and the gasified substance is scattered in the atmosphere by expansion. Thereby, a plurality of recesses 10 are formed on the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60. By using a halftone mask as the mask 50, it is possible to form the concave portion 10 curved in an arc shape in the thickness direction of the nozzle plate 60.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, after the laser light irradiation is completed, the mask 50 is separated from the droplet discharge head 34. In this way, by using the mask 50, a plurality of recesses 10 can be formed in the entire region on the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 of the droplet ejection head 34.

  According to the present embodiment, since a low-frequency excimer laser is used for the laser light, it is easy to narrow down the laser light, and the fine recess 10 can be formed on the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60. This makes it possible to form a plurality of recesses 10 on the discharge surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 at a fine pitch, and disperse the ink adhering to the discharge surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 over a wide range without concentrating on one place. In addition, it can be averaged and stored in the plurality of recesses 10.

In addition, it is also possible to form a recessed part with the formation method of a recessed part different from the said embodiment. Specifically, an excimer laser is irradiated on one surface side of the sealing material made of the adhesive layer to form a plurality of recesses 10 made of a grid or staggered arrangement pattern. Next, the other surface side of the sealing material is attached to the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60. Next, a liquid repellent treatment is performed on the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 to which the sealing material is attached. By such a method, the plurality of recesses 10 can be formed on the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60.
As yet another method, it is possible to mechanically form a plurality of recesses 10 having a grid or staggered arrangement pattern on the discharge surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 by punching.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the above embodiment, the concave portions are formed in a lattice shape on the discharge surface of the nozzle plate. In contrast, the present embodiment is different in that the concave portions are formed in a staggered pattern on the nozzle plate discharge surface. Therefore, in this embodiment, a different point from 1st Embodiment is demonstrated in detail. The other components of the droplet discharge head are the same as those in the first embodiment, and common components are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

Hereinafter, the arrangement pattern of the plurality of recesses 10 will be described in detail. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view schematically showing the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 of the droplet ejection head 34. In the following description, since the recess patterns formed in the first region 70a and the second region 70b are symmetrical, only the arrangement pattern of the recesses 10 formed in the first region 70a will be described.
A plurality of recesses 10 are formed in a staggered pattern over substantially the entire area of the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60. The recess 10 is formed in a circular shape in plan view and curved in an arc shape in the thickness direction of the nozzle plate 60.
Specifically, on the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60, recess rows A to E in which a plurality of recesses 10 are arranged are formed in parallel to the nozzle row 1A. The recess rows A, C, E are arranged in odd rows, and the recess rows B, D are arranged in even rows. Recessed columns A, C, E are arranged at equal intervals with a distance W4 in the row direction. Further, the recesses 10 of the recess rows A, C, and E are arranged at equal intervals with a distance W4 in the row direction. On the other hand, the recess columns B are arranged in the row direction from the recess column A by a distance W5, and the recesses 10 in the recess column B are arranged in the column direction by a distance W5 from the recesses 10 in the recess column A. ing. The concave row D is also arranged in the same manner as the concave row C. Although the distance W5 can be arbitrarily set, in the present embodiment, the distance W5 is set to be a half distance (W4 / 2, half pitch) of the distance W4. As described above, in this embodiment, the recess columns B and D arranged in the even columns and the recess columns A, C, and E arranged in the odd columns are shifted from each other by a half pitch in the column direction and the row direction. Are arranged in a staggered pattern.

According to this embodiment, the same operational effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. That is, since the plurality of recesses 10 are formed in a staggered pattern on the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60, the ink adhering to the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 is dispersed and averaged over a wide range without being concentrated in one place. And can be stored in the plurality of recesses 10. Thereby, adhesion of the liquid material to the nozzle hole 18 can be avoided, and discharge failure can be prevented.
As shown in FIG. 3, when the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 is scanned by the wiping blade 82 provided in the droplet ejection device 90, the ink is dispersed and averaged without being concentrated in one place. Since they are stored in the plurality of recesses 10, the wiping blade 82 comes into contact with ink not at the surface but at a point. Therefore, there is almost no ink wiping off, and unnecessary waste liquid can be efficiently discharged from the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60.
Further, when the wiping means is made of, for example, a roll wound with a cloth on a rotatable roll surface, the ink is dispersed and averaged over a wide range without being concentrated in one place and collected in the recess 10. Therefore, the amount of ink per unit area in contact with the cloth can be made uniform, and the waste liquid can be wiped well.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, this embodiment will be described in detail.
In the above embodiment, the nozzle plate of the droplet discharge head is formed by a single plate. On the other hand, the droplet discharge head of this embodiment is different in that it includes a plate provided with nozzle holes and a support plate. The other components of the droplet discharge head are the same as those in the first embodiment, and common components are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 7 shows the discharge surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 and the support plate 30 of the droplet discharge head 34.
It is a top view which shows typically on the surface of this.
As shown in FIG. 7, the droplet discharge head 34 of the present embodiment includes a nozzle plate 60 provided with nozzle rows 1 </ b> A and 1 </ b> B, and a support plate 30 that supports the nozzle plate 60. An opening corresponding to the outer shape of the nozzle plate 60 is formed at the center of the support plate 30, and the nozzle plate 60 is fitted into this opening. Thus, the droplet discharge head 34 of the present embodiment is configured by integrating the nozzle plate 60 and the support plate 30.

  On the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60, recess rows A and B in which a plurality of recesses 10 are arranged are formed in parallel to the nozzle row 1A. The concave portions 10 of the concave row A are arranged at equal intervals with a distance W7 in the row direction. On the other hand, the recess columns B are arranged so as to be shifted from the recess columns A by a distance W6 in the row direction and are shifted from the recesses 10 of the recess columns A by a distance W6 in the column direction. Although the distance W6 can be arbitrarily set, in the present embodiment, the distance W6 is set to be a half distance (W7 / 2, half pitch) of the distance W7. Thus, in this embodiment, the recessed part row | line | column B and the recessed part row | line | column A are mutually arranged in the zigzag form shifted | deviated by half pitch in the column direction and the row direction. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the recess 10 is not formed on the surface of the support plate 30.

  According to this embodiment, the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be achieved. That is, since the ink adhering to the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 can be dispersed and averaged over a wide range without being concentrated in one place, and accumulated in the plurality of recesses 10, the waste liquid adhering to the nozzle plate 60 is collected by the nozzle. The possibility of mixing into the holes 18 is reduced. Therefore, adhesion of the liquid material to the nozzle holes 18 can be avoided, and defective discharge can be prevented. Note that the arrangement pattern of the plurality of recesses 10 may be formed in a lattice shape. Similarly, when two or more recess rows are formed on the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60, the plurality of recesses 10 can be formed in a staggered pattern or a lattice pattern.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, this embodiment will be described in detail.
In the third embodiment, the plurality of recesses 10 are formed on the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60. In contrast, the present embodiment is different in that a plurality of recesses 10 are formed on the surface of the support plate 30. The other constituent elements of the droplet discharge head are the same as those in the third embodiment, and common constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 8 is a plan view schematically showing the ejection surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 and the surface of the support plate 30 of the droplet ejection head 34.
On the ejection surface 70 of the support plate 30, recess rows A to D in which a plurality of recesses 10 are arranged are formed in parallel to the nozzle row 1 </ b> A. The recess rows A and C are arranged in odd rows, and the recess rows B and D are arranged in even rows. The concave columns A and C are arranged at equal intervals in the row direction at a distance W9, and the concave portions 10 of the concave columns A and C are arranged at equal intervals in the column direction at a distance W9. On the other hand, the even-numbered recess columns B are arranged in the row direction away from the odd-numbered recess columns A by a distance W8. Arranged in the column direction. The concave row D is also arranged in the same manner with respect to the concave row C. Although the distance W8 can be arbitrarily set, in the present embodiment, the distance W8 is set to be a half distance (W9 / 2, half pitch) of the distance W9. As described above, in the present embodiment, the concave columns B and D arranged in the even-numbered columns and the concave columns A and C arranged in the odd-numbered columns are shifted from each other by a half pitch in the column direction and the row direction. Are arranged in a shape.

  According to this embodiment, the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be achieved. Further, since the nozzle hole is not formed in the support plate 30, the recess 10 can be easily formed as compared with the case where the recess 10 is formed in the nozzle plate 60. In the third and fourth embodiments, the recess 10 is formed only on one of the nozzle plate 60 and the support plate 30. However, the recess 10 is formed on both the nozzle plate 60 and the support plate 30. Is also possible.

It should be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes those in which various modifications are made to the above-described embodiment without departing from the gist of the present invention. Moreover, you may combine each example mentioned above in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.
For example, in this embodiment, the concave portion 10 is not formed between the nozzle rows 1A and 1B, but the concave portion 10 can also be formed between the nozzle rows 1A and 1B. In the present embodiment, the distance between the adjacent recesses 10 and 10 is set to be equal in the column direction and the row direction, but it is also possible to make the distances in the column direction and the row direction different from each other.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the concave portions 10 are arranged on the discharge surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 in a lattice shape or a staggered shape. On the other hand, it is also possible to form the recesses 10 on the discharge surface 70 of the nozzle plate 60 in an irregular (random) manner.

It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of a droplet discharge apparatus. (A) is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of a droplet discharge head, (b) is sectional drawing. It is a top view which shows the nozzle plate discharge surface which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A ′ of the nozzle plate discharge surface. It is sectional drawing which shows the process of forming a recessed part on a nozzle plate discharge surface similarly. It is a top view which shows the discharge surface of the nozzle plate which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the discharge surface of the nozzle plate which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the surface of the support plate which concerns on 4th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A ... Nozzle row, 1B ... Nozzle row, 10 ... Recess, 18 ... Nozzle hole, 30 ... Support plate, 34 ... Droplet discharge head, 50 ... Mask, 60 ... Nozzle plate, 70 ... Discharge surface, 90 ... Droplet discharge apparatus

Claims (12)

Comprising a nozzle plate provided with a nozzle array comprising a plurality of nozzle holes for discharging a liquid material;
A droplet discharge head, wherein a plurality of concave portions are dispersed and arranged in at least a part including the periphery of the nozzle row of the nozzle plate. A nozzle plate provided with a nozzle row composed of a plurality of nozzle holes for discharging a liquid material, and a support plate for supporting the nozzle plate,
A droplet discharge head, wherein a plurality of concave portions are dispersed and arranged in at least a part including the periphery of the nozzle row of the nozzle plate. A nozzle plate provided with a nozzle row composed of a plurality of nozzle holes for discharging a liquid material, and a support plate for supporting the nozzle plate,
A droplet discharge head, wherein a plurality of recesses are dispersed and arranged on at least a part of the support plate.   4. The liquid droplet ejection head according to claim 1, wherein the concave portion is provided in a circular shape in plan view and curved in the thickness direction of the nozzle plate. 5.   The droplet discharge head according to claim 4, wherein a diameter of the circular shape in plan view is 0.1 mm to 1 mm.   6. The droplet discharge head according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of concave portions are arranged in a lattice shape or a zigzag shape.   The liquid droplet ejection head according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an interval between the plurality of concave portions is 0.5 mm to 5 mm.   The liquid droplet ejection head according to claim 1, wherein a liquid repellent treatment is performed on a surface of the nozzle plate. A recess forming step of forming a plurality of recesses by irradiating the surface of the nozzle plate with an excimer laser through a mask formed in a predetermined pattern;
A liquid repellent treatment step of performing a liquid repellent treatment on the surface of the nozzle plate including the recess;
A method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head, comprising: A recess forming step of forming a plurality of recesses by irradiating one surface side of the sealing material with an excimer laser;
An affixing step of adhering the other surface side of the sealing material on which the plurality of recesses are formed to the surface of the nozzle plate;
A liquid repellent treatment step of performing a liquid repellent treatment on the surface of the nozzle plate including the recess;
A method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head, comprising: A recess forming step for forming a plurality of recesses by machining on the nozzle plate surface;
A liquid repellent treatment step of performing a liquid repellent treatment on the surface of the nozzle plate including the recess;
A method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head, comprising:   A liquid droplet ejection apparatus comprising the liquid droplet ejection head according to claim 1.

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