JP2007098806A - Method for manufacturing liquid discharge head and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate handling, and to improve discharge stability. <P>SOLUTION: Provided is a method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head which includes processes of: forming a first through hole corresponding to a supply throttle with respect to a first thin plate member; forming a second through hole corresponding to a common flow passage and a third through hole corresponding to a pressure chamber with respect to a second thin plate member; stacking and bonding the first and second thin plate members so that at least a part of the first through hole is overlapped with at least either one of the first and second through holes after the process of forming the first and second through holes; and forming the third through hole penetrating through at least either of a fourth through hole corresponding to the common flow passage, and a fifth through hole corresponding to the pressure chamber with respect to the first thin plate member, after the bonding process. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head configured by stacking a plurality of thin plate members.

  Ink is supplied to each of the plurality of pressure chambers from the common flow path, and the ink in the pressure chambers is added using the displacement of a pressure generating element (for example, a piezoelectric element) disposed adjacent to each pressure chamber. There is known an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with a head (liquid ejection head) that pressurizes and ejects ink droplets from a nozzle provided corresponding to a pressure chamber.

In this type of head, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, there is one configured by laminating a plurality of thin plate members, and by combining holes and grooves formed in each thin plate member, A common flow path and a pressure chamber are provided inside the head. Further, at least a part of the individual flow path communicating between the common flow path and each pressure chamber is provided with a supply restrictor having a flow path resistance larger than that of the flow path on the nozzle side. The reverse flow of the ink from the chamber toward the common flow path is limited to prevent a decrease in ejection efficiency.
JP 2003-19796 A

  By the way, in patent document 1, the groove | channel part corresponded to a supply aperture | diaphragm is processed by half etching with respect to one thin plate member. In half etching, there is a problem that the accuracy of the depth direction of the groove is poor and the shape accuracy of the supply throttle is not good. For this reason, the flow path resistance in each supply throttle is likely to vary, and the ejection characteristics such as the ejection amount and ejection speed of the ink droplets are different for each nozzle, resulting in degradation of image quality.

  In addition, as the density of the head increases, the ratio of the area occupied by the openings in the thin plate member increases, and there is a problem that handling at the time of manufacturing the head is difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head and an image forming apparatus that facilitate handling and improve discharge stability.

  In order to achieve the object, the invention according to claim 1 is a plurality of pressure chambers provided corresponding to each nozzle, and a common flow path for supplying the liquid in communication with the plurality of pressure chambers. And a supply restrictor provided in at least a part of the individual flow path communicating with each pressure chamber and the common flow path, and a method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head formed by laminating a plurality of thin plate members. A first hole forming step of penetrating and forming a first hole corresponding to the supply throttle portion with respect to the first thin plate member, and a common flow path with respect to the second thin plate member. A second hole forming step of penetrating and forming a second hole and a third hole corresponding to the pressure chamber; and after the first and second hole forming steps, the first hole So that at least a portion thereof overlaps at least one of the second hole and the third hole. A joining step of laminating and joining the first thin plate member and the second thin plate member; and after the joining step, a fourth hole corresponding to the common flow path with respect to the first thin plate member; and And a third hole forming step of penetrating and forming at least one of the fifth holes corresponding to the pressure chamber. A method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head is provided.

  According to the present invention, handling is facilitated by performing the third hole forming step after the joining step of laminating and joining the first thin plate member and the second thin plate member. Further, by forming the first hole portion corresponding to the supply throttle portion with respect to the first thin plate member in the first hole forming step, the shape accuracy of the supply throttle portion is the plate of the first thin plate member. Thick and easy to manage. That is, the shape accuracy of the supply restricting portion is improved, the flow resistance in the supply restricting portion is not varied, and the discharge stability is improved.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a liquid ejection head according to the first aspect, in the joining step, one end of the first hole overlaps the second hole. In addition, the first thin plate member and the second thin plate member are stacked and joined so that the other end portion of the first hole portion overlaps the third hole portion. .

  According to the aspect of claim 2, the third hole forming step is performed by laminating the first and second thin plate members so that the first hole overlaps the second and third holes, respectively. Thus, it is possible to reliably process a shape in which the common flow path and the pressure chamber are connected via the supply restrictor. Further, even if a positional shift occurs when the first and second thin plate members are laminated, the common flow path and the pressure chamber are reliably connected via the supply restrictor if the holes overlap as described above. .

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head according to the first or second aspect, the third hole forming step includes the second thin plate member as a mask. And at least one of the four holes and the fifth hole.

  According to the aspect of the third aspect, by masking the second thin plate member, the hole portion (fourth or fifth hole portion) formed so as to penetrate the first thin plate member penetrates the second thin plate member. It is formed in the same shape with no positional deviation from the formed hole (second or third hole). That is, the common flow path and the pressure chamber can be formed with high accuracy. Further, it is not necessary to prepare another mask, and the cost can be reduced.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a liquid ejection head according to any one of the first to third aspects, the first thin plate member is a resin member, and the first At least one of the hole forming step and the third hole forming step is performed by laser processing.

  According to the aspect of claim 4, the supply restricting portion can be formed with high accuracy.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 5 includes a liquid discharge head manufactured by the manufacturing method described in any one of claims 1 to 4. An image forming apparatus is provided.

  According to the present invention, handling is facilitated by performing the third hole forming step after the joining step of laminating and joining the first thin plate member and the second thin plate member. Further, by forming the first hole portion corresponding to the supply throttle portion with respect to the first thin plate member in the first hole forming step, the shape accuracy of the supply throttle portion is the plate of the first thin plate member. Thick and easy to manage. That is, the shape accuracy of the supply throttle portion is improved, the flow resistance in the supply throttle portion is not varied, and the discharge stability is improved.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Inkjet recording device]
FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of an ink jet recording apparatus which is an embodiment of an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet recording apparatus 10 includes a printing unit 12 having a plurality of printing heads 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y provided for each ink color, and each printing head 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y. An ink storage / loading unit 14 for storing ink to be supplied to the paper, a paper feeding unit 18 for supplying the recording paper 16, a decurling unit 20 for removing curling of the recording paper 16, and a nozzle surface of the printing unit 12 An adsorption belt conveyance unit 22 that is arranged opposite to the (ink ejection surface) and conveys the recording paper 16 while maintaining the flatness of the recording paper 16, a print detection unit 24 that reads a printing result by the printing unit 12, and a print And a paper discharge unit 26 for discharging the printed recording paper (printed matter) to the outside.

  In FIG. 1, a magazine for rolled paper (continuous paper) is shown as an example of the paper supply unit 18, but a plurality of magazines having different paper widths, paper quality, and the like may be provided side by side. Further, instead of the roll paper magazine or in combination therewith, the paper may be supplied by a cassette in which cut papers are stacked and loaded.

  In the case of an apparatus configuration using roll paper, a cutter 28 is provided as shown in FIG. 1, and the roll paper is cut into a desired size by the cutter 28. The cutter 28 includes a fixed blade 28A having a length equal to or greater than the conveyance path width of the recording paper 16, and a round blade 28B that moves along the fixed blade 28A. The fixed blade 28A is provided on the back side of the print. The round blade 28B is arranged on the print surface side with the conveyance path interposed therebetween. Note that the cutter 28 is not necessary when cut paper is used.

  When multiple types of recording paper are used, an information recording body such as a barcode or wireless tag that records paper type information is attached to the magazine, and the information on the information recording body is read by a predetermined reader. Therefore, it is preferable to automatically determine the type of paper to be used and perform ink ejection control so as to realize appropriate ink ejection according to the type of paper.

  The recording paper 16 delivered from the paper supply unit 18 retains curl due to having been loaded in the magazine. In order to remove this curl, heat is applied to the recording paper 16 by the heating drum 30 in the direction opposite to the curl direction of the magazine in the decurling unit 20. At this time, it is more preferable to control the heating temperature so that the printed surface is slightly curled outward.

  After the decurling process, the cut recording paper 16 is sent to the suction belt conveyance unit 22. The suction belt conveyance unit 22 has a structure in which an endless belt 33 is wound between rollers 31 and 32, and at least a portion facing the nozzle surface of the printing unit 12 and the sensor surface of the printing detection unit 24 is flat ( Flat surface).

  The belt 33 has a width that is wider than the width of the recording paper 16, and a plurality of suction holes (not shown) are formed on the belt surface. As shown in FIG. 1, an adsorption chamber 34 is provided at a position facing the nozzle surface of the print unit 12 and the sensor surface of the print detection unit 24 inside the belt 33 spanned between the rollers 31 and 32. Then, the suction chamber 34 is sucked by the fan 35 to make a negative pressure, whereby the recording paper 16 on the belt 33 is sucked and held.

  The power of a motor (not shown) is transmitted to at least one of the rollers 31 and 32 around which the belt 33 is wound, so that the belt 33 is driven in the clockwise direction in FIG. The recording paper 16 is conveyed from left to right in FIG.

  Since ink adheres to the belt 33 when a borderless print or the like is printed, the belt cleaning unit 36 is provided at a predetermined position outside the belt 33 (an appropriate position other than the print area). Although details of the configuration of the belt cleaning unit 36 are not shown, for example, there are a method of niping a brush roll, a water absorbing roll, etc., an air blowing method of spraying clean air, or a combination thereof. In the case where the cleaning roll is nipped, the cleaning effect is great if the belt linear velocity and the roller linear velocity are changed.

  Although a mode using a roller / nip transport mechanism instead of the suction belt transport unit 22 is also conceivable, when the print area is transported by a roller / nip, the roller comes into contact with the print surface of the paper immediately after printing, so that the image blurs. There is a problem that it is easy. Therefore, as in this example, suction belt conveyance that does not contact the image surface in the printing region is preferable.

  A heating fan 40 is provided on the upstream side of the printing unit 12 on the paper conveyance path formed by the suction belt conveyance unit 22. The heating fan 40 heats the recording paper 16 by blowing heated air onto the recording paper 16 before printing. Heating the recording paper 16 immediately before printing makes it easier for the ink to dry after landing.

  The printing unit 12 is a so-called full-line type head in which line-type heads having a length corresponding to the maximum paper width are arranged in a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the paper transport direction (sub-scanning direction). Each of the print heads 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y constituting the printing unit 12 has one ink ejection port (nozzle) over a length exceeding at least one side of the maximum size recording paper 16 targeted by the inkjet recording apparatus 10. It consists of line type heads arranged in rows.

  Printing corresponding to each color ink in the order of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) from the upstream side (left side in FIG. 1) along the conveyance direction (paper conveyance direction) of the recording paper 16 Heads 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y are arranged. A color image can be formed on the recording paper 16 by discharging the color inks from the print heads 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y while the recording paper 16 is conveyed.

  Thus, according to the printing unit 12 in which the full line head that covers the entire width of the paper is provided for each ink color, the recording paper 16 and the printing unit 12 are relatively moved in the paper transport direction (sub-scanning direction). It is possible to record an image on the entire surface of the recording paper 16 by performing this operation only once (that is, by one sub-scan). Accordingly, high-speed printing is possible as compared with a shuttle type head in which the print head reciprocates in a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the paper transport direction, and productivity can be improved.

  In this example, the configuration of KCMY standard colors (four colors) is illustrated, but the combination of ink colors and the number of colors is not limited to this embodiment, and light ink and dark ink are added as necessary. May be. For example, it is possible to add a print head that discharges light ink such as light cyan and light magenta.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ink storage / loading unit 14 has tanks that store inks of colors corresponding to the print heads 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y, and each tank has a pipeline that is not shown. The print heads 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y communicate with each other. Further, the ink storage / loading unit 14 includes notifying means (display means, warning sound generating means, etc.) for notifying when the ink remaining amount is low, and has a mechanism for preventing erroneous loading between colors. is doing.

  The print detection unit 24 includes an image sensor (line sensor or the like) for imaging the droplet ejection result of the print unit 12, and means for checking nozzle clogging and other ejection defects from the droplet ejection image read by the image sensor. Function as.

  The print detection unit 24 of this example is composed of a line sensor having a light receiving element array that is wider than at least the ink ejection width (image recording width) by the print heads 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y. The line sensor includes an R sensor row in which photoelectric conversion elements (pixels) provided with red (R) color filters are arranged in a line, a G sensor row provided with green (G) color filters, The color separation line CCD sensor includes a B sensor array provided with a blue (B) color filter. Instead of the line sensor, an area sensor in which the light receiving elements are two-dimensionally arranged can be used.

  The print detection unit 24 reads the test patterns printed by the print heads 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y for each color, and detects the ejection of each head. The ejection determination includes the presence / absence of ejection, measurement of dot size, measurement of dot landing position, and the like.

  A post-drying unit 42 is provided following the print detection unit 24. The post-drying unit 42 is means for drying the printed image surface, and for example, a heating fan is used. Since it is preferable to avoid contact with the printing surface until the ink after printing is dried, a method of blowing hot air is preferred.

  When printing on porous paper with dye-based ink, the weather resistance of the image is improved by preventing contact with ozone or other things that cause dye molecules to break by blocking the paper holes by pressurization. There is an effect to.

  A heating / pressurizing unit 44 is provided following the post-drying unit 42. The heating / pressurizing unit 44 is a means for controlling the glossiness of the image surface, and pressurizes with a pressure roller 45 having a predetermined uneven surface shape while heating the image surface to transfer the uneven shape to the image surface. To do.

  The printed matter generated in this manner is outputted from the paper output unit 26. It is preferable that the original image to be printed (printed target image) and the test print are discharged separately. The ink jet recording apparatus 10 is provided with sorting means (not shown) for switching the paper discharge path in order to select the print product of the main image and the print product of the test print and send them to the discharge units 26A and 26B. ing. Note that when the main image and the test print are simultaneously formed in parallel on a large sheet, the test print portion is separated by a cutter (second cutter) 48. The cutter 48 is provided immediately before the paper discharge unit 26, and cuts the main image and the test print unit when the test print is performed on the image margin. The structure of the cutter 48 is the same as that of the first cutter 28 described above, and includes a fixed blade 48A and a round blade 48B.

  Although not shown, the paper output unit 26A for the target prints is provided with a sorter for collecting prints according to print orders.

  Since the structures of the print heads 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y provided for each ink color are the same, the print head is represented by the reference numeral 50 below.

[Print head]
Next, first to third embodiments of the print head 50 according to the present invention will be described.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the nozzle surface of the print head 50 according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, nozzles 51 for ejecting ink droplets are arranged two-dimensionally (matrix) on the nozzle surface of the print head 50.

  The print head 50 is mainly composed of a plurality of flow path units 52 (52A to 52F) having a main scanning direction as a longitudinal direction and a supply port forming member 56 (56A, 56B), and are stacked in the sub scanning direction. Supply port forming members 56 (56A, 56B) are arranged at both ends in the sub-scanning direction of the path unit 52 (52A to 52F).

  Each flow path unit 52 is provided with one nozzle row arranged along the longitudinal direction (that is, the main scanning direction), and one nozzle row is another nozzle row adjacent in the sub-scanning direction. And the nozzles 51 are arranged in a so-called zigzag pattern. In such a nozzle arrangement configuration, although not particularly illustrated, the projection nozzle rows projected so as to be arranged in the main scanning direction are arranged at regular intervals with a constant nozzle pitch, and thus substantially. High dot pitch density has been achieved.

  The supply port forming member 56 (56A, 56B) is provided with a plurality of ink supply ports 58 (58A, 58B) for supplying ink to the print head 50 from the ink storage / loading unit 14 shown in FIG. Yes. The arrangement of the supply port forming member 56 is not limited to this example.

  3 is a configuration diagram of the flow path unit 52, (a) is a partially enlarged plan view of the flow path unit 52, (b) is a side sectional view of the flow path unit 52 (3b-3b in FIG. 3 (a)). (Cross-sectional view taken along the line).

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the flow path unit 52 includes a unit main body 64 that is a laminate of a plurality of thin plate members 62 (62a to 62f), and a nozzle plate 66 on which the nozzles 51 are formed. The nozzle plate 66 is joined to one end surface of the unit main body 64 perpendicular to the stacking direction (sub-scanning direction) of the thin plate members 62.

  The flow path unit 52 is provided with a common flow path 68, a supply throttle 70, a pressure chamber 72, and a nozzle flow path 74 by a combination of holes (or grooves) formed in each thin plate member 62. The nozzles 51 are arranged in the main scanning direction so as to correspond to the nozzles 51 arranged in the main scanning direction (see FIG. 3A). Similarly, piezoelectric elements 76 to be described later are arranged in the main scanning direction.

  The supply restrictor 70, the nozzle flow path 74, and the nozzle 51 are provided for each pressure chamber 72, and each pressure chamber 72 communicates with the common flow path 68 via the supply restrictor 70 and via the nozzle flow path 74. It communicates with the nozzle 51. Although not shown in the figure, the common flow path 68 is formed over a plurality of flow path units 52 and communicates with the pressure chambers 72 of the flow path units 52 via supply throttles 70.

  A thin film piezoelectric element 76 is provided at a position corresponding to the pressure chamber 72 on the thin plate member 62 b constituting one wall surface of the pressure chamber 72. The piezoelectric element 76 has a configuration in which individual electrodes 82 are provided on a thin-film piezoelectric body having a thin width in the sub-scanning direction corresponding to the stacking direction of the thin plate members 62. A common electrode 80 is provided on the entire surface of the thin plate member 62b on the piezoelectric element 76 side. The piezoelectric element 76 is polarized in the film thickness direction (sub-scanning direction), and when an electric field is applied in parallel to the polarization direction, the piezoelectric element 76 generates a deformation in a so-called expansion / contraction mode (longitudinal vibration mode). The thin plate member (vibrating plate) 62b on which 76 is disposed is deformed so as to bend toward the pressure chamber 72 side.

  The thin plate member 62a is provided with a groove 84 that opens to the thin plate member 62b side. The groove portion 84 is configured to be slightly larger than the size of the piezoelectric element 76, and in the state where the piezoelectric element 76 on the thin plate member 62 b is housed in the groove portion 84, the periphery of the piezoelectric element 76 is not hindered. A cavity is formed in the bottom. Thereby, the displacement efficiency of the piezoelectric element 76 improves.

  4A to 4F are plan views of the thin plate members 62a to 62f, respectively.

  Holes 90a to 90f corresponding to the common flow path 68 are formed through the thin plate members 62a to 62f, respectively. A hole 92 corresponding to the supply restrictor 70 is formed through the thin plate member 62d. Holes 94a to 94c corresponding to the pressure chamber 72 are formed through the thin plate members 62c, 62d and 62e, respectively. A hole 96 corresponding to the nozzle channel 74 is formed through the thin plate member 62e. As described above, the thin plate member 62 b is provided with the piezoelectric element 76, and the thin plate member 62 a is provided with the groove portion 84 for accommodating the piezoelectric element 76.

  FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the supply port forming member 56 (56A, 56B), (a) showing the supply port forming member 56A on the flow channel unit 52A side, and (b) showing the supply port on the flow channel unit 52B side. The forming member 56B is shown. In each figure, the flow path units 52A and 52B are shown for convenience.

  The supply port forming member 56A is stacked on the thin plate member 62a side of the flow path unit 52A (see FIG. 5A). On the other hand, the supply port forming member 56B is stacked on the thin plate member 62f side of the flow path unit 52F (see FIG. 5B). Each of the supply port forming members 56A and 56B is provided with ink supply ports 58A and 58B at positions corresponding to the common flow path 68 of the flow path units 52A and 52F, respectively. That is, the ink supply port 58A is disposed at one end of the common flow path 68, and the ink supply port 58B is disposed at the other end. By circulating the ink in the common flow path 68 by using one ink supply port 58A for supplying ink and the other ink supply port 58B for discharging ink, it is possible to prevent thickening of the ink, and stable ejection. Can increase the sex.

  In such a configuration, the ink supplied from the ink storage / loading unit 14 shown in FIG. 1 is stored in the common flow path 68, and is supplied from the common flow path 68 to the pressure chambers 72 through the supply restrictors 70. The pressure chamber 72 is distributed and supplied. When a predetermined drive voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 76 corresponding to the pressure chamber 72, the thin plate member (vibrating plate) 62 b is deformed so as to bend toward the pressure chamber 72 b due to the displacement of the piezoelectric element 76. The ink inside is pressurized and an ink droplet is ejected from the nozzle 51.

  At this time, the ink in the pressure chamber 72 moves to the nozzle 51 side (discharge side) through the nozzle flow path 74 and also moves (reverses) to the common flow path 68 side (supply side). The supply restrictor 70 provided between the chamber 72 and the common flow path 68 serves as flow path resistance and restricts the back flow of ink, so that ink discharge is performed in a state where pressure loss is suppressed.

  The print head 50 of the present embodiment is configured by stacking a plurality of flow path units 52 (52A to 52F) in the sub-scanning direction, and each flow path unit 52 has a plurality of thin plate members in the stacking direction (sub-scanning direction). 62 (62a to 62f) is laminated. On the thin plate member 62b, a piezoelectric element array in which thin film piezoelectric elements 76 are arranged in a one-dimensional manner in the main scanning direction is provided. That is, a piezoelectric element array composed of a plurality of piezoelectric elements 76 arranged in a direction (main scanning direction) substantially perpendicular to the film thickness direction (sub-scanning direction) of the thin film piezoelectric element 76 is a film of the piezoelectric element 76. A plurality of rows are provided in the thickness direction (sub-scanning direction). Therefore, since the head size in the sub-scanning direction can be shortened, alignment adjustment when the print head 50 is attached can be easily performed, and ink droplet landing accuracy can be improved. Further, it is possible to increase the density of the print head 50.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the print head 50 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 6A, a hole (long hole) 92 (first hole) corresponding to the supply restrictor 70 with respect to the thin plate member (polyimide sheet) 62d (first thin plate member). Are formed by laser processing using an excimer laser. By using an excimer laser, the hole 92 can be processed with high accuracy. In addition, although the aspect which uses a polyimide sheet as the thin plate member 62d is the most preferable from a viewpoint of workability, when implementing this invention, it is not limited to this, For example, resin, such as PET, may be used.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, a hole 90c (second hole) corresponding to the common flow path 68 with respect to the thin plate member (SUS plate) 62c (second thin plate member), and A hole 94a (third hole) corresponding to the pressure chamber 72 is formed by wet etching. There is also an aspect in which the thin plate member 62c is configured by dry etching or wet etching for silicon (Si) or Ni electroforming instead of wet etching for SUS. Although wet etching for SUS has poor accuracy, it has a feature that it can be enlarged at low cost. Dry etching or wet etching with respect to Si is expensive and cannot be increased in size, but has a feature of good accuracy. Ni electroforming is characterized by slightly low cost, large size, and good accuracy. Therefore, it is desirable to use these materials and processing methods properly according to the required accuracy, size, and the like.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, a polyimide sheet 62d is bonded to the back surface of the SUS plate 62c. At this time, the two holes 90c and 94a of the SUS plate 62c are laminated so as to communicate with each other through the hole 92 of the polyimide sheet 62d. That is, in the stacked state, one end of the hole 92 is overlapped with the hole 90c, and the opposite end is overlapped with the hole 94a.

  In such a state, as shown in FIG. 6D, laser processing is performed on the polyimide sheet 62d from the SUS plate 62c side using, for example, a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser, with the SUS plate 62c as a mask. Then, holes having the same shape as the holes 90c and 94a of the SUS plate 62c are formed through the polyimide sheet 62d. As a result, the polyimide sheet 62d has holes corresponding to combinations of three holes 90d (fourth hole), 92, 94b (fifth hole), as shown in FIG. The portion 98 is formed in a penetrating manner.

  By using the SUS plate 62c as a mask in this way, the holes 90c and 90d corresponding to the common flow path 68 are not displaced, and the holes 94a and 94b corresponding to the pressure chamber 72 are also displaced. Does not occur. In addition, there is no need to prepare another mask and the cost can be reduced. Further, since the adhesive that protrudes from the hole 90c corresponding to the common flow path 68 and the hole 94a corresponding to the pressure chamber 72 is also removed by laser processing, the bubble adhesion inside the head can be reduced.

  In this step, laser processing is adopted, but dry etching processing or blast processing may be used. Compared with laser processing, dry etching processing can be performed with high accuracy, and blast processing can be performed at low cost. However, in any method, it is necessary to optimize the processing conditions so as not to damage the SUS plate 62c.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6E, the other thin plate members 62a, 62b, 62e, and 62f are laminated and bonded to the bonded SUS plate 62c and polyimide sheet 62d. Thereby, the unit main body 64 is completed. And the flow path unit 52 is completed by joining the nozzle board 66 to the end surface of the unit main body 64 parallel to the lamination direction of each thin plate member 62, as shown in FIG.6 (f).

  Then, a plurality of flow path units 52 (52A to 52F) are respectively produced by the method described above, and as shown in FIG. 2, the flow path units 52 are stacked and joined together with the supply port forming members 56A and 56B. Thus, the print head 50 of this example can be manufactured.

  According to this embodiment, after bonding the polyimide sheet 62d formed through the hole 92 corresponding to the supply restrictor 70 to the SUS plate 62c, laser processing is performed from the SUS plate 62c side, and the hole of the SUS plate 62c is obtained. Since holes having the same shape as 90c and 94a are formed through the polyimide sheet 62d, they correspond to the common flow path 68, the supply restrictor 70, and the pressure chamber 72 with respect to the polyimide sheet 62d before being bonded to the SUS plate 62c. Compared to the case where the hole 98 is formed through from the beginning, the area ratio occupied by the opening in the polyimide sheet 62d is small, and handling is easy.

  Further, the accuracy in the depth direction of the supply restrictor 70 thus formed can be managed by the thickness of the polyimide sheet 62d, so that the shape accuracy of the supply restrictor 70 is improved. As a result, there is no variation in the flow path resistance of the supply restrictor 70, there is no variation in the ejection characteristics such as the ejection amount and ejection speed of the ink droplets, and the ejection stability is improved.

  In the present embodiment, when the SUS plate 62c and the polyimide sheet 62d are bonded, the polyimide sheet 62d side of the SUS plate 62c shown in FIG. It is preferable to provide a relief groove 100 that opens to the polyimide sheet 62d side in the peripheral portion of the holes 90c and 94a on the bonding surface. However, it is preferable not to provide the escape groove 100 in a portion overlapping the hole 92 of the polyimide sheet 62d (a region surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 7). If the relief groove 100 overlaps the hole 92 corresponding to the supply restrictor 70, excess adhesive protrudes from the escape groove 100 to the supply restrictor 70, resulting in variations in flow path resistance in the supply restrictor 70, and ejection stability. This is because there is a risk of damage. Such a relief groove 90 can be formed by a half etching process by wet etching.

Further, a relief groove 102 opened to the SUS plate 62c side may be provided in the peripheral portion of the hole 92 on the adhesive surface of the polyimide sheet 62d shown in FIG. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the excess adhesive from protruding to the supply restrictor 70. As described above, in the configuration in which the adhesive groove 102 is provided in the polyimide sheet 62 d, excessive adhesive sometimes protrudes into the common flow path 68 or the pressure chamber 72, but the effect at that time is that the excessive adhesive protrudes into the supply throttle 70. Smaller than sometimes. Such a relief groove 102 can be formed by laser processing using a carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) laser or an excimer laser, for example.

<Second Embodiment>
FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of the print head 50 according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a plan view of each thin plate member 62 (62a to 62f) constituting the print head 50 of FIG. In addition, the same number is attached | subjected to the part which is common in 1st Embodiment (refer FIG. 3 etc.).

  In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, thin plate members 62 (62a to 62f) are stacked in a direction parallel to the ink ejection direction. Although not shown, the nozzles 51, the pressure chambers 72, and the piezoelectric elements 76 are two-dimensionally arranged along the direction of the surface perpendicular to the ink ejection direction, and are substantially the same as the film thickness direction of the piezoelectric elements 76. Ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle 51 in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a piezoelectric element 76 is provided at a position corresponding to the pressure chamber 72 on the thin plate member 62b, and a groove 84 that opens to the thin plate member 62b side is provided on the thin plate member 62a. ing. Further, holes 90a and 90b corresponding to the common flow path 68 are formed through the thin plate members 62c and 62d, respectively. Similarly, a hole (long hole) 92 corresponding to the supply throttle 70 is formed in the thin plate member 62d, and holes 94a and 94b corresponding to the pressure chamber 72 are formed in the thin plate members 62c and 62d and holes corresponding to the nozzle flow path 74. Each part is formed through. Further, the thin plate member 62f corresponds to the nozzle plate 66 (see FIG. 3) in the first embodiment, and a nozzle hole (nozzle) 51 is formed therethrough.

  FIG. 11A is a plan view showing an end of the print head 50 shown in FIG. 9, and FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11b-11b in FIG. Note that FIG. 9 shown above corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11A, an ink supply port 58 provided in the supply port forming member 56 is disposed at one end of the common flow path 68 that communicates with each pressure chamber 72 via the supply restrictor 70. Ink is supplied from the ink storage / loading unit 14 shown in FIG. 1 to the common flow path 68 via a conduit (not shown). Then, the ink is distributed and supplied from the common flow path 68 to each pressure chamber 72 via the supply restrictor 70.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the print head 50 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that description of parts common to the first embodiment is omitted or simplified.

  First, as shown in FIG. 12A, a hole (long hole) 92 corresponding to the supply restrictor 70 is formed through the polyimide sheet (thin plate member) 62d. The hole 92 is processed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Further, as shown in FIG. 12 (b), holes 90a and 94a corresponding to the common flow path 68 and the pressure chamber 72 are formed through the SUS plate (thin plate member) 62c.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 12C, in the state where the SUS plate 62c and the polyimide sheet 62d are laminated, one end of the hole 92 overlaps the hole 90a, and the opposite end is A polyimide sheet 62d is bonded to the back surface of the SUS plate 62c so as to overlap the hole portion 94a.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 12D, using the SUS plate 62c as a mask, the SUS plate is formed so that holes having the same shape as the holes 90a and 94a of the SUS plate 62c are formed through the polyimide sheet 62d. Laser processing is performed on the polyimide sheet 62d from the 62c side. The planar shape of the polyimide sheet 62d after laser processing is such that a hole 98 corresponding to a combination of the three holes 90b, 92, and 94b is formed through as shown in FIG.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 12E, the other thin plate members 62a, 62b, 62e, and 62f are joined to the bonded SUS plate 62c and polyimide sheet 62d. In this way, the print head 50 of this example can be manufactured.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of the print head 50 according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 14 is a plan view of each thin plate member 62 constituting the print head 50 of FIG. In addition, the same number is attached | subjected to the part which is common in 1st Embodiment (refer FIG. 3 etc.).

  In the third embodiment, similarly to the second embodiment, the thin plate members 62 (62a to 62g) are stacked in a direction parallel to the ink ejection direction. As shown in FIG. 13, one end (lower end) of the common flow path 68 is provided with an ink supply path (individual flow path) 104 extending to the pressure chamber 52 side. A supply restrictor 70 is provided at the upper end of the end opposite to the path 68 side. The common flow path 68 and the pressure chamber 72 communicate with each other through the ink supply path 104 including the supply throttle 70.

  Holes 90a to 90c corresponding to the common flow path 68 are formed through the thin plate members 62c to 68e, respectively. A hole 106 corresponding to the ink supply path 104 is formed through the thin plate member 62e. Note that the holes 90c and 106 of the thin plate member 62e are connected. Similarly, a hole (round hole) 92 corresponding to the supply restrictor 70 is formed in the thin plate member 62d, a hole 94 corresponding to the pressure chamber 72 is formed in the thin plate member 62c, and holes 96a to 96c corresponding to the nozzle flow path 74. Are formed through the thin plate members 62d to 62f, respectively. Further, a nozzle hole (nozzle) 51 is formed through the thin plate member 62g.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the print head 50 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Note that description of parts common to the first and second embodiments will be omitted or simplified.

  First, as shown in FIG. 15A, a hole 96a corresponding to the nozzle flow path 74 and 92 corresponding to the supply restrictor 70 are formed through the polyimide sheet (thin plate member) 62d. Further, as shown in FIG. 15B, a hole 90a corresponding to the common flow path 68 and a hole 94 corresponding to the pressure chamber 72 are formed through the SUS plate (thin plate member) 62c.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 15C, the polyimide sheet 62d is placed on the back surface of the SUS plate 62c so that the two holes 92 and 96a of the polyimide sheet 62d enter the holes 94 of the SUS plate 62c. Glue.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 15D, laser processing is performed from the SUS plate 62c side, and a hole 90b corresponding to the common flow path 68 is formed through the polyimide sheet 62d. As shown in FIG. 14D, three holes 90b, 92, and 96a are formed through the polyimide sheet 62d after laser processing.

  Next, the print head 50 of this example is manufactured by laminating and bonding the other thin plate members 62a, 62b, 62e, 62f, and 62g to the bonded SUS plate 62c and polyimide sheet 62d. be able to.

  Although the liquid ejection head manufacturing method and the image forming apparatus of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Of course, you may also do.

Overall schematic diagram of inkjet recording apparatus The top view which showed the nozzle surface of the print head which concerns on 1st Embodiment 1 is a configuration diagram of a flow path unit constituting a print head according to a first embodiment. Plan view of thin plate member constituting flow path unit Side sectional view of supply port forming member Explanatory drawing which showed the manufacturing process of the print head which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The top view which showed the polyimide sheet side adhesion side of SUS plate Plan view showing the SUS plate-side adhesive surface of the polyimide sheet Partial sectional view of a print head according to a second embodiment The top view of the thin-plate member which comprises the print head concerning 2nd Embodiment The block diagram which showed the print head edge part which concerns on 2nd Embodiment Explanatory drawing which showed the manufacturing process of the print head which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. Partial sectional view of a print head according to a third embodiment The top view of the thin-plate member which comprises the print head concerning 3rd Embodiment The top view which showed the manufacturing process of the print head which concerns on 3rd Embodiment

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Inkjet recording device, 16 ... Recording paper, 50 ... Print head, 51 ... Nozzle, 52 ... Flow path unit, 56 ... Supply port forming member, 62 ... Thin plate member, 64 ... Unit main body, 66 ... Nozzle plate, 68 ... Common flow path, 70 ... supply restriction, 72 ... pressure chamber, 74 ... nozzle flow path, 76 ... piezoelectric element, 80 ... common electrode, 82 ... individual electrode, 100, 102 ... relief groove

Claims (5)

At least one of a plurality of pressure chambers provided corresponding to each of the nozzles, a common channel for supplying the liquid to the plurality of pressure chambers, and an individual channel for communicating each pressure chamber with the common channel. A liquid supply head that is formed by laminating a plurality of thin plate members.
A first hole forming step of penetrating and forming a first hole corresponding to the supply throttle portion with respect to the first thin plate member;
A second hole forming step of penetrating and forming a second hole corresponding to the common flow path and a third hole corresponding to the pressure chamber with respect to the second thin plate member;
After the first and second hole forming steps, the first thin plate is arranged such that at least a part of the first hole overlaps at least one of the second hole and the third hole. A joining step of laminating and joining the member and the second thin plate member;
After the joining step, a third hole is formed that penetrates at least one of the fourth hole corresponding to the common flow path and the fifth hole corresponding to the pressure chamber with respect to the first thin plate member. Process,
A method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head, comprising:   In the joining step, one end of the first hole is overlapped with the second hole, and the other end of the first hole is overlapped with the third hole. The method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein the first thin plate member and the second thin plate member are stacked and joined.   The third hole forming step includes forming at least one of the fourth hole and the fifth hole through the second thin plate member as a mask. 3. A method for producing a liquid ejection head according to 2. The first thin plate member is a resin member;
4. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first hole forming step and the third hole forming step is performed by laser processing. 5. Production method.   An image forming apparatus comprising the liquid discharge head manufactured by the manufacturing method according to claim 1.

Images