JP2007223057A - Method for manufacturing inkjet printer head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for readily and accurately manufacturing an inkjet printer head having a pressure wave suppressing member provided in a common ink chamber for suppressing a crosstalk phenomenon. <P>SOLUTION: Plates 11-13 having a plurality of nozzles 4, communication holes 37 communicating therewith, and dumper chambers 45 respectively formed thereon are laminated to be bonded beforehand. Manifold plates 14a and 14b each having a common ink chamber 7 are laminated thereon such that one of the faces is opened. A heat peeling sheet 102 having a suppressing member 101 disposed on a position corresponding to the common ink chamber 7 is laminated on the manifold plate 14b so as to cover the opened face of the common ink chamber 7. The heat peeling sheet 102 is heated by a bar heater 103, and then the suppressing member 101 is separated therefrom to be placed in the common ink chamber 7. Thereafter, by removing the heat peeling sheet 102, the other plates 15-17 are laminated to be bonded so as to seal the opened face of the common ink chamber 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet printer head manufacturing method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an inkjet printer head, a cavity unit having a plurality of nozzles arranged in a row and a pressure chamber for each nozzle as in Patent Document 1 includes an energy generating unit formed corresponding to the pressure chamber. It is configured to be joined to a plate-type piezoelectric actuator having a flexible flat cable for supplying electric power for causing the piezoelectric actuator to discharge ink. In this ink jet printer head, by selectively driving the energy generating unit, a pressure for ejecting ink is applied to a pressure chamber corresponding to the energy generating unit. The pressure is propagated to the nozzle as a pressure wave, and ink is ejected from the nozzle while the ink jet printer head scans in a direction orthogonal to the paper transport direction.

  The cavity unit is configured by laminating a plurality of plates, in which a manifold plate having a common ink chamber that communicates with a pressure chamber and supplies ink from an ink supply source is disposed below the plate. A damper plate that can be elastically deformed is installed adjacently. The common ink chamber is formed to extend in the longitudinal direction of the cavity unit along each pressure chamber row. In addition, a damper chamber that matches the position and shape of the common ink chamber is formed on the lower surface side of the damper plate. The damper chamber is formed as a recess leaving a part of the plate thickness of the damper plate, and the common ink chamber and the damper chamber are isolated through a part of the plate thickness. When ejecting ink, the pressure wave for ejecting ink generates not only the forward component propagating to the nozzle but also the backward component propagating to the common ink chamber, and this backward component contributes to the occurrence of crosstalk. It was. For this reason, a part of the plate that partitions the common ink chamber and the damper chamber is elastically deformed and vibrates, so that the backward component is absorbed and reduced, and the occurrence of crosstalk is suppressed.

  As another method for suppressing the occurrence of crosstalk, in Patent Document 2, a suppressing member (a pressure propagation preventing member in Patent Document 2) is arranged in a common ink chamber. An ink jet printer head (recording head in Patent Document 2) has a large number of nozzles (ink discharge ports in Patent Document 2) arranged at high density and discharge energy generating means, and includes a common ink chamber. Then, the plurality of nozzles (energy generating portions) are divided into a plurality of blocks and driven, and a suppression member is provided on the extension of the line corresponding to the boundary between the blocks of the common ink chamber, thereby providing common ink. The propagation of the pressure wave in the room is diffused, absorbed and diffusely reflected to prevent the pressure wave from affecting the ink ejection.

JP 2005-329628 A Japanese Patent No. 2771670

  In recent years, inkjet printers are required to have performance that combines downsizing, higher resolution, higher speed, and improved print quality. Increasing the number of nozzles of the inkjet printer head and increasing the density increase the resolution and speed. The printing quality is improved by reducing the particle size of the discharged ink. In particular, in order to increase the number of nozzles at higher resolution and higher speed, it has been considered that a plurality of nozzles arranged in the cavity unit are arranged in the scanning direction of the ink jet printer head. Along with this, the pressure chambers and common ink chambers formed in the cavity unit are correspondingly increased, so that the width of the cavity unit in the scanning direction is widened, or each pressure chamber row and each common ink chamber row is scanned. It was necessary to narrow the width of the direction. However, increasing the width of the cavity unit is not preferable in terms of miniaturization. In addition, if the width of each common ink chamber row is reduced, the volume of each common ink chamber is reduced, and the width of the damper chamber is correspondingly reduced, so that the thickness of the damper chamber for absorbing and relaxing the propagation of pressure waves is reduced. Since a part of the film does not bend sufficiently, there is a problem that a damper effect cannot be obtained sufficiently and it is difficult to suppress crosstalk.

  For this reason, installing the suppression member in the common ink chamber as in Patent Document 2 is effective in preventing crosstalk, but there is a problem in its manufacture. That is, since the process of installing the suppression member in the common ink chamber as in Patent Document 2 is performed by handling, it is difficult to manufacture with good accuracy and reproducibility because it lacks the accuracy of alignment. Further, the narrowing of the width in the scanning direction of each common ink chamber accompanying the downsizing, high resolution, and high speed of the ink jet printer has made the manufacture more difficult.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a method for easily and accurately manufacturing an ink jet printer head having a pressure wave suppressing member provided in a common ink chamber in order to suppress a crosstalk phenomenon. It is for the purpose.

  In the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to claim 1, a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink, a plurality of pressure chambers provided for each nozzle, and a common ink chamber for supplying ink to the pressure chambers An actuator that applies pressure to the ink in the pressure chamber and ejects the ink from the nozzle; and a suppression member for suppressing propagation of pressure waves related to ink ejection is provided in the common ink chamber. In a manufacturing method of an ink jet printer head in which a plurality of plates in which a chamber and a common ink chamber are formed are stacked, the common ink chamber is formed on a manifold plate of at least one surface of the plurality of plates. And a first step of forming the suppressing member at a position corresponding to the common ink chamber of the sheet-like material. And a third step of laminating a sheet supporting the suppression member on the manifold plate so as to cover one open surface of the common ink chamber, and installing the suppression member in the common ink chamber. It is characterized by providing.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the first aspect, the second step is a step of bonding the suppressing member to the sheet-like material, and the third step The step is characterized in that the suppression member is detached by heating the sheet-like material laminated with the manifold plate.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the first or second aspect, after the third step, the sheet-like material is removed, and then the plurality of plates. A fourth step is performed in which another plate is laminated on the manifold plate so as to close the one open surface and joined.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet printer head manufacturing method according to the third aspect, the plate stacked on the manifold plate in the fourth step communicates the pressure chamber and the common ink chamber. It is a plate in which a connection channel is formed.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the third aspect, the plate stacked on the manifold plate in the fourth step is a side where the common ink chamber communicates with the pressure chamber. It is a plate laminated | stacked on the surface of the said manifold plate on the opposite side.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the first aspect, wherein the sheet-like material is another plate stacked on the manifold plate among the plurality of plates. In the second step, the suppression member is formed on the other plate.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the sixth aspect, the other plate is a plate in which a connection flow path that connects the pressure chamber and the common ink chamber is formed. It is characterized by being.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the sixth aspect, the other plate includes a manifold plate on a side opposite to a side where the common ink chamber communicates with the pressure chamber. It is the plate laminated | stacked on a surface, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the first step includes forming a plurality of the common ink chambers on one manifold plate. In the second step, the suppression members are respectively formed on the single sheet-like material at positions corresponding to the plurality of common ink chambers, and in the third step, the plurality of suppression members are formed. The supported sheet is laminated on the manifold plate so as to cover one open surface of each common ink chamber, and the plurality of suppressing members are installed in the plurality of common ink chambers.

  A tenth aspect of the present invention is the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to any of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the first step is to apply a plate material having a size corresponding to a plurality of the manifold plates. A plurality of the manifold plates are connected and formed, and the common ink chamber is formed in each manifold plate, and the second step includes a single sheet having a size corresponding to the plurality of manifold plates. The suppression member is formed on a sheet-like material at a position corresponding to the common ink chamber of each manifold plate. In the third step, the sheet supporting the plurality of suppression members is attached to each manifold plate. The plate member is laminated so as to cover one open surface of the common ink chamber, and the plurality of suppressing members are attached to the manifold plates. Characterized in that it placed in the common ink chamber of the bets.

  The invention according to claim 11 is the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the suppressing member is a member having a concavity and convexity with respect to the common ink chamber inner surface, a porous body, or an elastic member. It consists of a body.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet printer head manufacturing method according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, the suppressing member is formed substantially along the shape of the common ink chamber. And

  As is apparent from the above description, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the common ink chamber that supplies ink to the pressure chamber provided for each of the plurality of nozzles that discharge ink, In a manufacturing method of an ink jet printer head, in which a suppression member for suppressing the propagation of pressure waves is provided and a plurality of plates in which a pressure chamber and a common ink chamber are formed are laminated, a manifold plate among the plurality of plates A first step of forming a common ink chamber with at least one surface open, a second step of forming a suppression member at a position corresponding to the common ink chamber of the sheet-like material, and the suppression member supported A third step of laminating the sheet on the manifold plate so as to cover one open surface of the common ink chamber, and installing the suppressing member in the common ink chamber; Because it is equipped with a restraining member, it can be easily installed at a position corresponding to the common ink chamber without handling by handling, thus suppressing variations in accuracy and reproducibility due to handling and shortening manufacturing time. Can improve productivity.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to claim 1, the second step is a step of bonding the suppressing member to the sheet-like material, and the third step is: Since the sheet-shaped material laminated with the manifold plate is heated to release the suppressing member, the positioning member can be easily and accurately positioned, and the suppressing member can be installed in the common ink chamber with higher accuracy. If this method is used, even if the width of the common ink chamber is narrowed, the suppressing member can be easily and accurately installed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the first or second aspect, after the third step, after the sheet-like material is removed, the other plate of the plurality of plates Is stacked on the manifold plate so as to close one of the open surfaces, and the fourth step of bonding is performed. Therefore, the ink jet printer head of the present invention can be easily and accurately manufactured.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the third aspect, the plate stacked on the manifold plate in the fourth step is a connection flow path that connects the pressure chamber and the common ink chamber in communication. Therefore, the common ink chamber is closed by covering the open surface of the common ink chamber in which the restraining member is disposed, and the plate is stacked on the manifold plate, so that the pressure chamber and the common ink chamber communicate with each other. Is done.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet printer head manufacturing method according to the third aspect, the plate laminated on the manifold plate in the fourth step is opposite to the side where the common ink chamber communicates with the pressure chamber. Since the plate is stacked on the surface of the side manifold plate, the common ink chamber is closed by stacking the plate on the manifold plate so as to cover the open surface of the common ink chamber in which the suppression member is disposed.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the first aspect, the sheet-like material is another plate laminated on the manifold plate among the plurality of plates, In this process, since the suppression member is formed on another plate, the suppression member can be easily and accurately placed in the common ink chamber by stacking the manifold plate and the other plate. Further, if this method is used, even if the width of the common ink chamber is narrowed, the suppressing member can be easily and accurately installed.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet printer head manufacturing method according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the other plate is a plate in which a connection channel that connects the pressure chamber and the common ink chamber is formed. By stacking the plate supporting the suppression member on the manifold plate, the common ink chamber is closed, the pressure chamber and the common ink chamber are communicated, and the suppression member is simply and accurately installed in the common ink chamber. be able to.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet printer head manufacturing method according to the sixth aspect, the other plate is laminated on the surface of the manifold plate opposite to the side where the common ink chamber communicates with the pressure chamber. Therefore, by stacking the plate supporting the suppression member on the manifold plate, the common ink chamber can be closed, and the suppression member can be easily and accurately installed in the common ink chamber.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the first step includes forming a plurality of common ink chambers on one manifold plate, and the second step. In the step, the suppressing members are respectively formed on the single sheet-like material at positions corresponding to the plurality of common ink chambers, and in the third step, the sheet supporting the plurality of suppressing members is attached to each common ink chamber. Since the plurality of suppression members are installed in the plurality of common ink chambers so as to cover one of the open surfaces, the suppression members can be easily and accurately provided for the plurality of common ink chambers. Can be installed.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the first step includes a plurality of plate materials having a size corresponding to a plurality of manifold plates. A plurality of manifold plates are connected and formed, and a common ink chamber is formed in each manifold plate. In the second step, each sheet material having a size corresponding to a plurality of manifold plates is formed on each sheet-like material. In the third step, a suppression member is formed at a position corresponding to the common ink chamber of the manifold plate, and the third step covers a sheet supporting the plurality of suppression members so as to cover one open surface of the common ink chamber of each manifold plate. A plurality of manifold plates are stacked on the plate material, and a plurality of restraining members are installed in the common ink chamber of each manifold plate. Can be installed suppressing member to the common ink chamber of the bets easily and accurately and the common ink chamber, respectively. That is, it is possible to manufacture a plurality of inkjet printer heads while simultaneously installing the suppressing member.

  The invention according to claim 11 is the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the suppressing member is made of a member, a porous body, or an elastic body having irregularities with respect to the common ink chamber inner surface. Therefore, the propagation of the pressure wave in a predetermined direction can be dispersed, reflected, and absorbed with respect to the ink in the common ink chamber, and the occurrence of crosstalk can be suppressed.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, the suppression member is formed substantially along the shape of the common ink chamber. The propagation of pressure waves can be suppressed over the entire area, and it is more effective in preventing crosstalk.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the side from which ink is ejected is the lower surface and the downward direction, and the opposite side is the upper surface and the upward direction.

  Although not shown, the ink jet printer has a head holder that functions as a carriage attached to a guide shaft, and the head holder ejects ink from nozzles 4 formed on the lower surface of the ink jet printer head for recording on recording paper. 100 and ink tanks containing inks of various colors, for example, black B, cyan C, magenta M, and yellow Y, are mounted and reciprocally scanned in the width direction (Y direction in FIG. 1) along the recording paper. However, printing is performed by driving the actuator 2 of the inkjet printer head 100.

  The ink jet printer head 100 is similar to the known one described in Patent Document 1, and is formed on the cavity unit 1 having nozzle surfaces on the lower surface on which nozzles 4 are arranged in a staggered manner in the X direction as shown in FIGS. A plate-type actuator 2 that selectively applies discharge pressure to the ink in the cavity unit 1 is joined via an adhesive sheet (not shown), and a flexible flexible wiring member 3 is formed on one end thereof. Is joined to the actuator 2 and electrically connected, the other end is parallel to the surface and drawn in the Y direction, and further has a structure in which a drive circuit 49 described later is mounted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the piezoelectric actuator 2 includes a plurality of ceramic layers 31 including a lowermost ceramic layer covering a plurality of pressure chambers 36, which will be described later, in the same manner as the known one described in Patent Document 1. The cavity unit 1 is stacked from the pressure chamber 36 side in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement surface of the plurality of pressure chambers 36, and the upper surface (wide surface) of the ceramic layer 31 b of the even-numbered stages from the bottom of each ceramic layer 31 is formed. The narrow individual electrodes 32 are formed in a row along the X direction at each location corresponding to each pressure chamber 36 in the cavity unit 1. A common electrode 33 common to the plurality of pressure chambers 36 is formed on the upper surface (wide surface) of the odd-numbered ceramic layers 31a from the bottom. One ceramic layer 31 has a thickness of about 30 μm and is a piezoelectric ceramic such as PZT. The individual electrodes 32 and the common electrode 33 are alternately arranged with at least one ceramic layer 31 except for the lowermost ceramic layer, and each individual electrode 32 in the actuator 2 and each in the cavity unit 1 are arranged. The cavity unit 1 and the actuator 2 are bonded and fixed with the pressure chambers 36 facing each other.

  In the actuator 2, a portion of the ceramic layer 31 between the individual electrode 32 and the common electrode 33 facing each other in the stacking direction of the plurality of ceramic layers 31 is used as an energy generation unit, and the drive circuit 49 selectively selects the individual electrode 32. By applying a voltage between the common electrode 33 and the common electrode 33, the energy generating portion corresponding to the applied individual electrode 32 is distorted in the stacking direction, and this displacement changes the volume of the pressure chamber 36, and the ink is discharged. The pressure and pressure wave to be discharged are generated, the forward component of the pressure wave pushes out the ink, and is discharged from the nozzle 4 through a communication hole 37 described later in the cavity unit 1. The drive circuit 49 selectively applies a voltage between the individual electrode 32 and the common electrode 33 based on the print data.

  Next, the cavity unit 1 will be described. The cavity unit 1 is configured as shown in FIGS. The cavity unit 1 is composed of a total of eight thin plate materials including a nozzle plate 11, a spacer plate 12, a damper plate 13, two manifold plates 14a and 14b, a supply plate 15, a base plate 16 and a cavity plate 17 with an adhesive. It has a lap joint structure. In addition, a suppression member 101 is installed in a common ink chamber 7 (described later) of the two manifold plates 14a and 14b to disperse, reflect and absorb the backward component of the pressure wave for ejecting ink. The suppressing member 101 will be described later.

    In the embodiment, each of the plates 11 to 17 has a thickness of about 50 to 150 μm, the nozzle plate 11 is made of synthetic resin such as polyimide, and the other plates 12 to 17 are made of 42% nickel alloy steel plate. In the nozzle plate 11, a large number of nozzles 4 for discharging ink having a minute diameter (in the embodiment, about 20 μm) are formed at minute intervals. The nozzles 4 are arranged in five rows in a staggered manner along the long side direction (X direction) of the nozzle plate 11.

    In the cavity plate 17, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of pressure chambers 36 are arranged in five rows in a staggered manner along the long side (X direction) of the cavity plate 17. In the embodiment, each pressure chamber 36 is formed in an elongated shape in plan view, and the longitudinal direction thereof is drilled along the short side direction (Y direction) of the cavity plate 17, and one end portion 36 a in the longitudinal direction is formed as a nozzle. 4, and the other end 36 b communicates with a common ink chamber 7 described later.

    The distal end portion 36a in each pressure chamber 36 has a small diameter that is similarly drilled in a staggered arrangement in the base plate 16, the supply plate 15, the two manifold plates 14a and 14b, the damper plate 13, and the spacer plate 12. It communicates with each nozzle 4 of the nozzle plate 11 through the communication hole 37. In the base plate 16 adjacent to the lower surface of the cavity plate 17, a through hole 38 is formed at a position corresponding to each other end 36 b in order to connect to the other end 36 b of each pressure chamber 36. The supply plate 15 adjacent to the lower surface of the base plate 16 is provided with a connection channel 40 for supplying ink from a common ink chamber 7 to be described later to each pressure chamber 36. Each connection channel 40 is provided between an inlet hole into which ink enters from the common ink chamber 7, an outlet hole opened on the pressure chamber 36 side (through hole 38), and the inlet and outlet holes. 40 is provided with a throttle portion formed with a reduced cross-sectional area so as to have the largest flow path resistance in 40.

    In the two manifold plates 14a and 14b, five common ink chambers 7 extending along the long side direction (X direction) are formed through the plate thickness so as to extend along each row of the nozzles 4. Yes. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, two manifold plates 14 a and 14 b are stacked, the upper surface thereof is covered with the supply plate 15, and the lower surface is covered with the damper plate 13. An ink chamber (manifold chamber) 7 is formed. Each of the common ink chambers 7 extends in the row direction of the pressure chambers 36 (the row direction of the nozzles 4) so as to overlap a part of the pressure chambers 36 when viewed in plan from the stacking direction of the plates. Further, four ink supply ports 42 and 43 are formed in the end portions on one short side of the cavity plate 17, the base plate 16, and the supply plate 15, respectively, corresponding to the upper and lower positions. Ink supplied from an ink tank (not shown) is supplied to one end of the common ink chamber through these ink supply ports 42 and 43.

  In the ink flow path from the ink supply ports 42, 43 to the nozzle 4, the ink is supplied from the ink supply ports 42, 43 to the common ink chamber 7 as an ink supply channel, and then passes through the connection flow path 40 of the supply plate 15. The pressure is distributed and supplied to each pressure chamber 36. Then, by driving the actuator 2, the ink passes from the inside of each pressure chamber 36 through the communication hole 37 and reaches the nozzle 4 corresponding to the pressure chamber 36.

    As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a damper chamber 45 isolated from the common ink chamber 7 is formed as a recess on the lower surface side of the damper plate 13 adjacent to the lower surface of the manifold plate 14 a. The positions and shapes of the damper chambers 45 are matched with the common ink chambers 7 as shown in FIG. Since the damper plate 13 is a metal material that can be elastically deformed as appropriate, the thin plate-like ceiling portion of the damper chamber 45 can freely vibrate both on the common ink chamber 7 side and on the damper chamber 45 side. . Even when the pressure fluctuation generated in the pressure chamber 36 propagates to the common ink chamber 7 when ink is ejected, the ceiling portion elastically deforms and vibrates, thereby producing a damper effect that absorbs and attenuates the pressure fluctuation. Crosstalk that propagates to the pressure chamber 36 can be prevented.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, four ink supply ports 42 (43) are provided, whereas five common ink chambers 7 are provided, and one ink supply port 42 ( Only 43) is connected to the two common ink chambers 7,7. The ink supply port 42 (43) is set so that black ink is supplied, and it is considered that the black ink is used more frequently than other color inks. The other ink supply ports 42 (43) are supplied with yellow, magenta and cyan inks, respectively. A filter body 20 having a filtering portion 20a corresponding to each opening is attached to the ink supply port 42 (43) with an adhesive or the like.

  A suppression member 101 is installed in each common ink chamber 7 of the manifold plates 14a and 14b. The suppressing member 101 is a member that disperses, reflects, and absorbs a retreat component of a pressure wave propagated from the pressure chamber 36 into the common ink chamber 7 when ink is ejected. In the present embodiment, the suppressing member 101 is used in combination with elastic deformation of the damper plate 13. However, the damper plate 13 can be omitted. Since the suppressing member 101 is installed in the common ink chamber 7, it has a shape that is slightly smaller than the inner surface shape of the common ink chamber 7 and substantially along the length of the cavity unit 1, as shown in FIGS. Five long pressure suppression members 101 extend along each row of nozzles 4 along the side direction (X direction). Further, since the common ink chamber 7 distributes and supplies the ink supplied from the ink supply ports 42 and 43 to the pressure chamber 36, the suppression member 101 is installed so as not to block the ink flow. That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the suppressing member 101 is placed on the bottom surface of the common ink chamber 7 (the surface corresponding to the common ink chamber 7 on the damper plate 13), and the upper surface of the common ink chamber 7 is closed. The thickness of the supply plate 15 is set such that the supply plate 15 is installed at a distance (space) for ink flow.

  Further, the suppressing member 101 is installed without being fixed to the bottom surface of the common ink chamber 7, but may be fixed. The suppressing member 101 is made of a member having irregularities with respect to the inner surface of the common ink chamber 7, a urethane foam or a porous body overlaid with fibers, or an elastic body such as gel or soft resin. The various aspects are shown in FIG.

  6A and 6B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view of the manifold plates 14a and 14b in which the suppressing member 101 is installed in the common ink chamber 7 as viewed from above in the stacking direction. In FIG. 6, only the manifold plates 14 a and 14 b are shown for the sake of explanation, the other plates 11 to 13 and 15 to 17 are omitted, and the inlet holes of the connection flow paths 40 of the supply plate 15 are indicated by broken-line circles.

  In FIG. 6 a and FIG. 6 b, a mesh sheet knitted with fine lines is used as the suppressing member 101. The mesh sheet may be a general-purpose one, and is not limited to metal, and may be made of resin or fiber. That is, since the unevenness is formed by the fine line and the gap between the fine lines, the pressure wave propagated from the pressure chamber 36 into the common ink chamber 7 is dispersed and irregularly reflected by the unevenness, and if it is a soft resin fine line, it is absorbed. The In FIG. 6 c and FIG. 6 d, a plate member in which a plurality of circular concave portions are formed as the suppressing member 101 is installed. As shown in FIG. 6 c, the plurality of circular recesses are formed at positions corresponding to the inlet holes of the connection flow path 40 of the supply plate 15. The size of the recess is set to a size that does not block the inlet hole of the connection channel 40 by the suppressing member 101 even if the suppressing member 101 moves in the common ink chamber 7. This is not limited to metal, but may be made of soft resin. Also in this case, since the surface of the plate member and the concave portion are uneven, the pressure wave propagated from the pressure chamber 36 into the common ink chamber 7 is dispersed and irregularly reflected by the unevenness. In the mesh sheets of FIGS. 6 a and 6 b, a through hole may be formed at a position corresponding to the inlet hole of the connection portion 40 to ensure introduction into the connection flow path 40. Moreover, in FIG. 6e and FIG. 6f, the suppression member 101 is a laminated body which laminated | stacked two plate members in which several circular recessed parts were formed, and the position of the recessed part of each thin plate does not overlap in the lamination direction. It has become. Since the concave portions are formed so as not to overlap with each other, the pressure wave can be further dispersed and irregularly reflected. Moreover, FIG. 6g and FIG. 6h are the suppression members 101 which combined the mesh sheet | seat and the plate member in which the several recessed part was formed. 6i and 6j, the plate-like suppression member 101 is provided with a notch at a position corresponding to the inlet hole of the connection flow path 40, and forms irregularities for dispersing and irregularly reflecting the pressure wave as described above. is doing. The notch size is set to a size that does not block the inlet hole of the connection channel 40. In addition, the suppression member 101 can also combine these Examples. Further, the suppressing member 101 may have a shape in which a plurality of solid bodies such as a spherical shape and a star shape are connected.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the ink jet printer head 100 will be described. The ink jet printer head 100 separately produces a cavity unit 1 in which a plurality of plates 11 to 17 are laminated and bonded, a plurality of ceramic layers 31, and an actuator 2 in which the electrodes 32 and 33 are laminated and fired, and the two are bonded together. After the bonding, the flexible wiring material 3 is bonded to the upper surface thereof.

  In the manufacture of the cavity unit 1, the spacer plate 12, the damper plate 13, the two manifold plates 14a and 14b, the supply plate 15, the base plate 16 and the cavity plate 17 are each one plate as shown in FIG. A plurality of the same type of plates are arranged on the material 104, the outer periphery thereof is surrounded by a frame-shaped frame 105, and each plate and the frame 105 are connected by a connecting piece 106. Although FIG. 7 shows the plates 13, 14a, and 14b, the same applies to the other plates 12, 15, 16, and 17. In this state, the necessary holes and dents are processed at the same time as the processing of the outer shapes of the plates 12 to 17. That is, in each of the metal plates 12 to 17, the ink supply ports 42 and 43, the common ink chamber 7, the communication hole 37, the through hole 38, the connection flow path 40, the damper chamber 45, etc. The holes to be formed are formed by etching, electric discharge machining, plasma machining, laser machining, or the like.

  As for the nozzle plate 11, the pre-processed nozzle 4 is affixed to the spacer plate 12, or after being affixed to the spacer plate 12, the nozzle 4 is pierced by irradiating laser light through the communication hole 37 of the spacer plate 12. You may set up. Thereafter, four plate members 104 having the spacer plate 12, the damper plate 13, and the manifold plates 14a and 14b are stacked with an adhesive interposed therebetween, and bonded by bonding. These alignments are performed by inserting a positioning jig into a positioning hole 107 provided in the frame-like frame 105.

  Next, the process of installing the suppressing member 101 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5A, the suppressing member 101 is preliminarily bonded to the heat release sheet 102 along a position corresponding to each common ink chamber 7. The alignment can be easily performed using a positioning jig or the like. As shown in FIG. 7, the thermal release sheet 102 has almost the same size as the plate material 104, that is, a size that covers the whole of the plurality of manifold plates 14 a connected to each other. The restraining member 101 can be peeled off by melting the adhesive between the two. Then, the suppression member 101 is inserted from the open upper surface of the common ink chamber 7, and the thermal release sheet 102 including the suppression member 101 is laminated on the manifold plate 14b. This positioning is also performed by aligning the positioning holes 107 provided in the heat release sheet 102 with the positioning holes 107 of the four plate members 104 laminated as described above, so that each manifold plate 14a, 14b The suppression member 101 can be accurately inserted into the common ink chamber 7.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, heating is performed by the bar heater 103 or the like from the upper surface (the surface that does not include the suppressing member 101) of the thermal release sheet 102. By being heated, the adhesive force of the thermal release sheet 102 is reduced, the suppression member 101 is peeled off by its own weight, and the suppression member 101 is formed on the bottom surface of the common ink chamber 7 (the surface corresponding to the common ink chamber 7 of the damper plate 13). Can be installed. At this time, an adhesive is applied in advance to the lower surface of the suppressing member 101 or the upper surface of the damper plate 13, and the adhesive is melted by the above heating, so that the dropped suppressing member 101 is bonded and fixed. good.

  Subsequently, after removing the thermal release sheet 102, as shown in FIG. 5C, the supply plate 15 is laminated and bonded so as to close the opened surface of the common ink chamber 7, and then the base plate 16, the cavity The plate 17 is laminated and bonded. Up to this point, the plates 12 to 17 are aligned with each other by the positioning holes 107 while being supported by the frame-like frame 105. Thereafter, the connecting piece 106 is cut and the cavity units 1 are individually separated from the frame-like frame 105.

  On the other hand, the piezoelectric actuator 2 manufactured separately has an adhesive sheet (not shown) made of a non-ink-permeable synthetic resin material as an adhesive in advance on the entire lower surface (the wide surface facing the pressure chamber 36). Next, the piezoelectric actuator 2 is bonded and fixed to the cavity unit 1 with the individual electrodes 32 corresponding to the pressure chambers 36 in the cavity unit 1. In addition, one end of the flexible flat cable 3 (see FIG. 1) is overlaid on the upper surface of the piezoelectric actuator 2 so that various wiring patterns (not shown) in the flexible flat cable 3 can be connected to individual electrodes. Thus, the inkjet head 100 is formed.

  As described above, in the method of manufacturing the ink jet printer head according to the present embodiment, the step of installing the suppressing member 101 in the common ink chamber 7 is not handled but is easily and accurately installed using a heat release sheet. Can do. Further, since it can be produced in large quantities, it can lead to an improvement in productivity.

  FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the present invention. The same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those of the above-mentioned embodiment, and the description is omitted. In this embodiment, the supply plate 15 of the above embodiment is omitted, and a throttle portion 36c having a large flow resistance is formed at the end of the pressure chamber 36 on the side of the communication hole 38 instead of the connection flow path 40. . In this embodiment, the cavity plate 17, the base plate 16, and the manifold plates 14 a and 14 b are stacked in a state where each plate is supported by the frame 105 as in the above embodiment, and then the damper of the common ink chamber 7 is stacked. The suppressing member 101 is inserted from the opening on the plate 13 side. As an actual work, the supported sheet 102 is laminated in a state where the above laminated body is turned upside down, and the restraining member 101 is peeled off and installed on the base plate 16 as in the above embodiment. Thereafter, the sheet 102 is removed, and the damper plate 13 and the spacer plate 12 are sequentially laminated to form a cavity unit. 6 can be used as the restraining member 101. Preferably, the restraining member 101 is formed in a shape that avoids the position corresponding to the inlet hole of the connection flow path 40.

9 and 10 show still another embodiment of the present invention, and the same parts as those in the above-mentioned embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the suppressing member 101 is fixed at a position corresponding to the common ink chamber 7 on the upper surface of the damper plate 13. In the embodiment of FIG. 10, the suppressing member 101 is fixed at a position corresponding to the common ink chamber 7 on the lower surface of the base plate 16. In any case, it is not necessary to peel off the suppression member 101 as in the above embodiment, and the suppression member 101 is installed in the common ink chamber 7 by covering the opening surface of the common ink chamber 7 with the damper plate 13 or the base plate 16. The 9 and 10, the suppression member 101 may be the one shown in FIG. 6, but the surface of the damper plate 13 or the base plate 16 is made of a resin material so that the surface has irregularities. It can also be printed.

1 is an exploded perspective view of an inkjet printer head 1. FIG. It is an exploded perspective view of the cavity unit 2. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of FIG. 2. It is a figure which shows the installation process of the suppression member. It is a figure which shows the various aspects of the suppression member. 5 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing process of the cavity unit 2. FIG. It is an exploded sectional view of other embodiments. It is an exploded sectional view of other embodiments. It is an exploded sectional view of other embodiments.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cavity unit 2 Actuator 4 Nozzle 7 Common ink chamber 13 Damper plate 14a, 14b Manifold plate 36 Pressure chamber 45 Damper chamber 100 Inkjet printer head 101 Control member

Claims (12)

A plurality of nozzles for discharging ink, a plurality of pressure chambers provided for each of the nozzles, a common ink chamber for supplying ink to the pressure chambers, and applying pressure to the ink in the pressure chambers to remove the ink from the nozzles An actuator for discharging;
In the common ink chamber, a suppression member for suppressing the propagation of pressure waves related to ink ejection is provided,
In a manufacturing method of an ink jet printer head for manufacturing a laminate of a plurality of plates forming the pressure chamber and the common ink chamber,
A first step of forming at least one surface of the common ink chamber in a manifold plate among the plurality of plates;
A second step of forming the suppression member at a position corresponding to the common ink chamber of the sheet-like material;
An ink jet printer head comprising: a third step of laminating a sheet supporting the suppressing member on the manifold plate so as to cover one open surface of the common ink chamber, and installing the suppressing member in the common ink chamber. Manufacturing method. The second step is a step of bonding the suppressing member to the sheet-like material,
2. The method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to claim 1, wherein in the third step, the suppression member is detached by heating the sheet-like material laminated with the manifold plate. 3.   After the third step, after the sheet-like material is removed, another plate of the plurality of plates is laminated and bonded to the manifold plate so as to close the one open surface. 4. The method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to claim 1, wherein step 4 is performed.   4. The ink jet printer according to claim 3, wherein the plate stacked on the manifold plate in the fourth step is a plate in which a connection flow path that connects the pressure chamber and the common ink chamber is formed. 5. Manufacturing method of the head.   The plate laminated on the manifold plate in the fourth step is a plate laminated on the surface of the manifold plate opposite to the side where the common ink chamber communicates with the pressure chamber. 4. A method for producing an ink jet printer head according to item 3. The sheet-like material is another plate laminated on the manifold plate among the plurality of plates,
2. The method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to claim 1, wherein in the second step, the suppressing member is formed on the other plate.   The method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to claim 6, wherein the other plate is a plate in which a connection flow path for communicating and connecting the pressure chamber and the common ink chamber is formed.   7. The ink jet printer head manufacturing method according to claim 6, wherein the other plate is a plate laminated on a surface of the manifold plate opposite to a side where the common ink chamber communicates with the pressure chamber. Method. In the first step, a plurality of the common ink chambers are formed in one manifold plate,
In the second step, each of the suppression members is formed on one sheet-like material at a position corresponding to the plurality of common ink chambers,
In the third step, a sheet supporting the plurality of suppression members is laminated on the manifold plate so as to cover one open surface of each common ink chamber, and the plurality of suppression members are stacked on the plurality of common inks. The ink jet printer head manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet printer head is installed indoors. In the first step, a plurality of manifold plates are connected to a plate material having a size corresponding to a plurality of manifold plates, and the common ink chamber is formed in each manifold plate.
In the second step, each of the suppression members is formed at a position corresponding to a common ink chamber of each manifold plate on one sheet-like material having a size corresponding to a plurality of the manifold plates.
In the third step, the sheet supporting the plurality of suppressing members is laminated on the plate material so as to cover one open surface of the common ink chamber of each manifold plate, and the plurality of suppressing members are attached to the respective plate members. The ink jet printer head manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet printer head is installed in a common ink chamber of a manifold plate.   The method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to claim 1, wherein the suppressing member is made of a member having an unevenness with respect to the common ink chamber inner surface, a porous body, or an elastic body. The method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to claim 1, wherein the suppressing member is formed substantially along a shape of the common ink chamber.

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