JP2008254351A - Suction apparatus, printer and micro-array manufacturing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce an amount of liquid to be discharged when conducting a filling operation for filing liquid into the nozzle of a liquid droplets discharge head or conducting a suction and removing operation of raised viscosity parts in the nozzle. <P>SOLUTION: The suction apparatus, which sucks in from the outside the nozzle holes of the liquid droplets discharge head equipped with a plurality of arrayed nozzle holes, comprises: a first cap having, on one surface side to be closely attached to the surface having the plurality of nozzle holes of the liquid droplets discharge head, minute cap groups consisting of a plurality of recessed parts arrayed respectively corresponding to each nozzle hole; a second cap forming a closed space on the other surface side of the first cap; and a depressurizing means for depressurizing the closed space. The minute cap groups are constituted of a material having gas permeability or elasticity. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a suction device, a printing device, and a microarray manufacturing apparatus.

  In general, in an inkjet printing apparatus, in order to eject liquid droplets normally from all nozzles, the cap surface is used to cap the nozzle surface to prevent drying, and suction operation is performed to fill the nozzle tip to the nozzle tip. However, there is a problem in that a large amount of ink is discarded at that time.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of manufacturing a DNA microarray (DNA chip) by an ink jet method, but in order to fill a small amount and an expensive biopolymer solution into the flow path of an ink jet head, DNA is used. Since the solution is wasted, it becomes very expensive.

  Patent Document 2 proposes a method of using a gas permeable membrane as a method of filling a liquid. By using this gas permeable membrane (gas-liquid separation filter), various types of liquid can be filled in the nozzle tip without waste. However, when the liquid in the nozzle rises in viscosity due to drying and cannot be ejected, it is difficult to recover the nozzle by sucking and removing the highly viscous portion.

Furthermore, Patent Document 3 proposes a method for preventing liquid contamination (contamination) between adjacent nozzles by providing a suction cap provided with a large number of through holes. It is difficult to reduce.
JP 2001-186880 A JP 2004-66506 A JP 2006-69091 A

  In this way, in the droplet discharge device that supplies a small amount of droplets onto the target object using the inkjet method, the operation of filling the discharge liquid up to the tip of the nozzle and the suctioned portion in the nozzle are sucked It is difficult to sufficiently reduce the amount of liquid discharged from the nozzle during the removing operation.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a suction device that can greatly reduce the amount of liquid used when performing a filling operation to a nozzle of a droplet discharge head or a suction removal operation of a highly viscous portion in the nozzle. It is intended to provide.

  In order to solve the above problems, a suction device according to the present invention is a suction device that sucks the nozzle holes of a droplet discharge head having a plurality of nozzle holes from the outside. A first cap having a micro cap group composed of a plurality of concave portions arranged corresponding to the plurality of nozzle holes on one surface side to be in close contact with the formed surface, and on the other surface side of the first cap A second cap that forms a closed space and a decompression unit that depressurizes the closed space, and the micro cap group is made of a material having gas permeability or elasticity.

  With this configuration, one concave portion of the micro cap group comes into contact with one nozzle hole, and the amount of liquid sucked out from one nozzle hole is limited to the small volume of the concave portion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the liquid from being discharged wastefully and to fill the liquid droplet ejection head with the liquid. In addition, it is possible to prevent the wasteful discharge of the liquid, discharge and remove the liquid whose viscosity has increased in the nozzle, and recover the nozzle in the non-ejection state. Further, since one minute cap is provided in one nozzle hole, the nozzle holes are separated from each other, and liquid contamination between adjacent nozzles is prevented.

  The opening diameter (diameter) of the concave portion of the micro cap group is preferably larger than the nozzle diameter (diameter) and smaller than the interval between the nozzle holes. Thereby, one minute cap is provided in one nozzle hole, and the minute cap is arranged for each of all the nozzle holes. Further, the nozzle hole is accommodated in the minute cap, and the liquid can be reliably stored.

  For example, the opening diameter of the micro cap can be set to about 2 to 5 times the diameter of the nozzle hole.

  As a material constituting the micro cap group, for example, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) can be used. Polydimethylsiloxane functions as a gas-liquid separator that separates gas and liquid. Moreover, since polydimethylsiloxane is transparent, the inside can be observed from the outside. Moreover, the 1st cap provided with a micro cap group can be manufactured by mixing liquid polydimethylsiloxane and a hardening | curing agent, and pouring into a type | mold.

  It is desirable that at least a part of the first and second caps are made of a translucent member so that the micro cap group can be observed from the outside. Accordingly, it is possible to detect the liquid discharge state from the outside by arranging an optical sensor.

  The material constituting the group of micro caps preferably has a self-adsorption property. According to this, it is possible to further improve the adhesion between the nozzle forming surface and the micro cap group. Here, the “self-adsorbing property” refers to a property that can be adsorbed to an object due to the property of the material itself (for example, the molecular structure of the material). The polydimethylsiloxane has such properties.

  It is desirable to provide a breathable support member that supports the first cap in the closed space of the second cap. Thereby, the first cap can be brought into close contact with the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head. Further, it can be avoided that the filter is attracted to the suction side by the suction force at the time of suction, and the adhesion between the nozzle forming surface and the filter is weakened. A sponge can be used as the support member.

  Furthermore, it is desirable to provide an absorbent material that contacts one surface of the first cap and absorbs the liquid sucked from the nozzle hole and accumulated in the plurality of concave portions of the micro cap group. Thereby, the liquid can be easily removed from the micro cap group, and the first cap can be used repeatedly. As the absorbent material, a sponge or the like can be used.

  The droplet discharge device, the printing device, and the microarray manufacturing apparatus of the present invention include the above-described suction device. According to this, it is possible to reduce as much as possible the amount of droplets used when performing the operation of filling the nozzles of the droplet discharge head and the operation of sucking and removing the highly viscous portion in the nozzles. Good condition.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the suction device includes a cap that covers a nozzle hole group of a droplet discharge head that supplies liquid fine particles to an object and a pump that sucks the inside of the cap. The cap includes first and second caps, and the first cap is covered with the second cap. The first cap is formed with a group of micro caps that individually cover each nozzle hole. For example, the first cap is made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and the second cap is made of butyl rubber.

  Polydimethylsiloxane has an adsorptive property and easily adheres to the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head. However, in order to more reliably adsorb, a sponge is disposed in the second cap, and the repulsive force is the first cap. Is pressed against the nozzle surface of the droplet discharge head.

  Further, instead of polydimethylsiloxane, a porous film such as a polycarbonate sheet (manufactured by ADVANTEC, trade name: polycarbonate type membrane filter) can be used.

  The bottom of the micro cap group of the first cap is, for example, a membrane having a thickness of 50 μm. When the inside of the second cap is sucked, the air in the first cap permeates the membrane of the micro cap group. The inside is depressurized, and the liquid in the droplet discharge head is sucked out from the nozzle hole. Since gas is also released from the side wall of the micro cap of the first cap, the gas is sucked out until the micro cap group of the first cap is filled with the liquid. After the suction from all the nozzle holes is completed, the entire cap is separated from the nozzle surface of the liquid extraction head.

  Since the liquid in the droplet discharge head is sucked only by an amount corresponding to the volume of the suction cap, the liquid is not discharged wastefully. Since each micro cap group of the first cap is in a constant reduced pressure state, liquid can be sucked out from all nozzle holes without unevenness.

  FIG. 1 is a view for explaining the suction device of the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the suction device according to the present embodiment roughly includes a cap 31 corresponding to a second cap, a breathable support member 32, a cap 33 corresponding to a first cap, and suction means. The pump 35 is configured.

  The cap 31 forms a space that is depressurized by the pump 35 through the tube 36, and forms a closed space that covers the periphery of the nozzle hole 51 of the droplet discharge head 50. The cap 31 has a concave shape and is formed by injection molding or the like using an elastic member such as butyl rubber. By using the elastic member, it is possible to make close contact with the surface 53 (hereinafter referred to as the nozzle formation surface) on which the nozzle holes 51 of the droplet discharge head 50 are formed, and the confidentiality in the closed space 37 can be improved. Therefore, it is preferable. In addition, a packing such as an O-ring may be provided at the tip of the cap 31 in order to improve the adhesion with the nozzle forming surface 53 of the droplet discharge head 50 and enhance the suction performance during suction. In that case, it is preferable that the material of the cap 31 is not an elastic member but a material having sufficient strength such as resin or metal.

  On the upper surface of the cap 33, a micro cap group including a plurality of recesses 34 is formed. The micro cap 34 suppresses an excessive outflow of the liquid 52 when the nozzle hole 51 is sucked. Since the micro cap 34 is provided for each nozzle hole 51, there is also an effect of suppressing contamination between the nozzle holes 51 at adjacent positions.

  For example, when the diameter of the nozzle hole is 20 μm, the diameter of the opening of the micro cap 34 is set to about 40 to 100 μm. For example, the depth is set to about 100 μm. This differs depending on the interval between the nozzle holes (for example, 140 μm) and the required suction amount of the liquid 52. For example, if the aperture diameter of the micro cap group is set larger than the aperture diameter of the nozzle hole 51, alignment between the droplet discharge head and the cap becomes easy. On the other hand, if the aperture of the micro cap is increased, the micro cap may cover the plurality of nozzle holes. Accordingly, the aperture and depth of the micro cap 34 are designed as appropriate according to the design of the droplet discharge head. Note that the shape of the opening of the micro cap 34 is not particularly limited, and may be any of a circle, an ellipse, and a polygon (eg, triangle, quadrangle, pentagon, hexagon, etc.).

  A closed space 37 formed between the cap 31 and the cap 33 is filled with a sponge 32 as a support member 32. The sponge acts to press the cap 33 against the nozzle forming surface 53 of the droplet discharge head 50 so as to be in close contact therewith. Thereby, even if the inside of the cap 31 is sucked by the pump 35, the adhesion between the nozzle forming surface 53 and the cap 33 is ensured. The sponge, which is a porous rubber, has air permeability, and the gas in the micro cap is sucked out of the cap 31 through the membrane and the sponge.

  A pump 35 (for example, a decompression pump, a tube pump, etc.) as a suction means is connected to the lower surface of the cap 31 via a tube 36. This makes it possible to reduce the pressure inside the cap 31 when the droplet discharge head 50 is mounted. The tube 41 may be formed integrally with the cap 31 or may be a separate body.

  On the side surface of the cap 31, an optical sensor 60 for detecting the filling of the liquid 52 into the microcap 34 is provided. Both the caps 31 and 33 can be made of a transparent or translucent material, but at least the optical sensor 60 and the micro cap 34 are made of a transparent or light transmissive member. When the nozzle holes 51 are arranged in a line, a plurality of optical sensors 60 are provided corresponding to each nozzle hole (microcap) along this line, and the discharge state from each nozzle can be detected. However, a part of the micro caps 34 may be detected as a sample.

An example of operation | movement of the suction device 30 mentioned above is demonstrated. First, the cap 31 and the droplet discharge head are aligned, and the surface of the cap 33 on which the minute cap group is formed is brought into close contact with the nozzle formation surface 53 of the droplet discharge head 50 (see FIG. 1). At the time of alignment, it is possible to mark the cap 31 and the droplet discharge head 50 in advance and align them so that the positions of the nozzle hole 51 and the micro cap 34 are matched.
Next, the pump 35 is started and suction is started. When the pump 35 is activated, the liquid 52 in the nozzle hole 51 is discharged into the micro cap 34. After performing suction for a predetermined time determined in advance by experiments or the like to discharge the liquid 52 from the nozzle hole into the micro cap 34, the pump 35 is stopped. More than the volume of the micro cap 34 is not sucked out.

  The pump stop timing may be determined according to the detection state by the optical detector 60 described above.

  By performing such an operation, various maintenance of the droplet discharge head 50 becomes possible.

Specifically, the maintenance using the cap described above includes, for example, the following.
For example, an operation (priming) of filling the liquid stored in the reservoir tank to the nozzle tip of the liquid droplet discharge head such as an ink jet head with the discharge liquid (eg, ink, biological sample solution, etc.) is included.

  Further, for example, an operation (sucking) for removing the thickened discharge liquid and remaining bubbles in the nozzle hole is included.

  When the use of the suction device 30 is stopped, the cap 31 may be used to prevent the droplet discharge head 50 from drying.

(Second embodiment)
The above-described cap is desirably used repeatedly. After the liquid is sucked, when the entire cap is separated from the droplet discharge head, the sucked liquid is held in the first cap. The liquid in the cap can be sucked and removed by pressing the absorbent material from the upper surface. The absorbent material may be any hydrophilic (lyophilic) fiber or porous material. If the liquid to be discharged contains an organic solvent or oil, a similar function can be realized by selecting a material that absorbs the liquid.

FIG. 2 shows an example of removing the liquid sucked into the minute gap group. In the figure, parts corresponding to those in FIG.
As shown in the figure, an absorber 70 in which an absorbent material 72 is disposed in a recess of the substrate 71 is brought into close contact with the cap. The absorbent material 72 is, for example, a sponge or a water absorbing pad. When the sponge 72 contacts the micro cap 34, the liquid 52 is absorbed into the sponge by capillary action. Thereby, the liquid 52 in the micro cap 34 is sucked out, and the cap can be reused.

(Third Example) FIG. 3 is a view for explaining another configuration example of the suction device 30 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. In both figures, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

  In this embodiment, the support member 32 filled in the closed space shown in FIG. 1 is omitted (no backup sponge is provided). The cap 33 is made of polydimethylsiloxane, and the bottom of the concave portion of the microcap 34 is a membrane having a thickness of 50 μm.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the inside of the cap 31 is sucked and depressurized, the membrane at the bottom of the micro cap 34 is deformed in a convex shape downward, and the volume of the micro cap 34 is increased. With this operation, the inside of the cap is decompressed and the liquid 52 is sucked out from the nozzle. Since the micro cap groups change in volume to the same extent, the liquid 52 can be sucked out from all the nozzles 51 without unevenness. When polydimethylsiloxane is used, as described above, since suction is also performed by gas permeation, suction can be performed more effectively.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 5 shows a fourth embodiment. In the figure, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.
As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the cap 31 is configured to overlap the cap 33. In the first embodiment described above, the cap 33 is formed inside the cap 31, but as shown in FIG. 5, the two caps 31 and 33 may be stacked one above the other. Moreover, you may comprise the caps 31 and 33 integrally with the same material.

  Such a suction device 30 is suitable for maintenance of the nozzle holes 51 of the inkjet head (droplet discharge head) used in the printing apparatus, maintenance of the nozzle holes 51 of the droplet discharge head used in the microarray manufacturing apparatus, and the like. Used.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, an example of a printing apparatus equipped with the suction device 30 and a microarray manufacturing apparatus will be described.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the ink jet printing apparatus according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 6, the inkjet printing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment includes a carriage 11, a droplet discharge head (inkjet head) 50, an ink cartridge 13, a carriage motor 14, a timing belt 15, a guide member 16, a platen 17, The main part is composed of the suction device 30.

  The carriage 11 is for mounting and transporting a droplet ejection head 50 that ejects droplets (ink droplets) and an ink cartridge 13 that supplies ink to the droplet ejection head 50. The carriage 11 is coupled to a timing belt 15 driven by a carriage motor 14, and is configured to reciprocate parallel to the main axis of the platen 17 (main scanning direction X) while being guided by a guide member 16. The feeding direction (sub-scanning direction Y) of the recording medium 20 is orthogonal to the main scanning direction X.

  The droplet discharge head 50 discharges droplets from the nozzle holes to the recording medium 20 and is provided on the side of the carriage 11 below the recording medium 20 facing the recording medium 20. The droplet discharge head 50 may employ any of an electrostatic actuator, a piezoelectric actuator, and a thermal method.

  The ink cartridge (tank) 13 is a container for storing ink (liquid) to be supplied to the droplet discharge head 50, and is attached on the droplet discharge head 50 via a connection portion (not shown). In this embodiment, the ink cartridge 13 is configured as a separate body from the droplet discharge head 50, but may be configured integrally.

  As described above, the suction device 30 is a device for sucking the nozzle holes of the droplet discharge head 50 from the outside. The suction device 30 is installed at the storage position (home position) of the droplet discharge head 50 located outside the printing area. The suction device 30 is configured to be movable up and down by a cylinder or a ball screw mechanism. Thereby, the suction device 30 can be moved to the nozzle opening surface (nozzle formation surface) of the droplet discharge head 50 as necessary. Note that only the cap 31 may be configured to be movable up and down.

(Sixth embodiment)
FIG. 7 is a view for explaining the microarray manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment.
As shown in the figure, the microarray manufacturing apparatus 100 of this embodiment includes a base 101, a droplet discharge head 50 that reciprocates in the X-axis direction, and a table on which the microarray substrate 105 is reciprocated in the Y-axis direction. 103 and a suction device 30 for filling the discharge liquid at the storage position (home position) of the droplet discharge head 50. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 104 denotes a driving unit for the droplet discharge head 50 and the table 103. The droplet discharge head 50 and the table 103 are moved by a numerical control method using a timing belt mechanism or a ball screw mechanism, for example. Can be made.

The droplet discharge head 50 discharges a biological sample solution containing DNA or protein onto the microarray substrate 105. The droplet discharge head 50 may be formed integrally with a head unit that discharges droplets to the outside and a storage unit (tank) that supplies a biological sample solution to the head unit, or may be formed separately. .
The suction device 30 can be the same as that described above.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to fill a droplet discharge head (including an ink jet head) without discharging liquid wastefully. Without discharging the liquid wastefully, the liquid with increased viscosity in the nozzle can be discharged and removed, and the nozzle in the non-ejection state can be recovered. Since the completion of the suction operation can be detected by the optical detection means, it is not necessary to repeat the uncertain suction operation. By providing the absorbent material, the discharged liquid remaining in the suction cap is removed, and the suction cap can be used repeatedly.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view for explaining the recovery of the discharge liquid according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example in which the micro cap group support member according to the third embodiment of the present invention is not provided. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the deformation of the membrane at the bottom of the minute cap. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example in which two caps according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention are stacked one above the other. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an ink jet printing apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a microarray manufacturing apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Inkjet printing apparatus, 11 Carriage, 13 Ink cartridge, 14 Carriage motor, 15 Timing belt, 16 Guide member, 17 Platen, 20 Recording medium, 30 Suction apparatus, 31 Cap (2nd cap), 32 Support member, 33 Cap (First cap), 34 micro cap, 35 tube, 36 closed space, 37 closed space, 39 through hole, 41 tube, 43 support member, 45 absorbent, 50 droplet discharge head, 51 nozzle hole, 52 liquid, 53 Nozzle formation surface, 72 convex part, 73 mold release agent, 75 molding material, 77 flat plate, 100 microarray manufacturing apparatus, 101 base, 103 table, 104 drive part, 105 microarray substrate

Claims (9)

A suction device that sucks the nozzle holes of a droplet discharge head having a plurality of nozzle holes from the outside,
A first cap having a micro cap group composed of a plurality of concave portions arranged corresponding to each of the plurality of nozzle holes on one surface side to be in close contact with the surface on which the plurality of nozzle holes of the droplet discharge head are formed; ,
A second cap forming a closed space on the other surface side of the first cap;
A decompression means for decompressing the closed space,
A suction device in which the micro cap group is made of a material having gas permeability or elasticity.   The suction device according to claim 1, wherein an opening diameter of the concave portion of the micro cap group is larger than the nozzle diameter and smaller than an interval between the nozzle holes.   The suction device according to claim 1, wherein the micro cap group is polydimethylsiloxane.   The suction device according to claim 1, further comprising a support member that has air permeability in a closed space of the second cap and supports the first cap.   The suction device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least a part of the first and second caps is made of a translucent member, and the micro cap group can be observed from the outside.   Furthermore, it has an absorbent material that contacts one surface of the first cap and absorbs the liquid sucked from the nozzle hole and accumulated in the plurality of concave portions of the micro cap group. The suction device according to 1.   A droplet discharge device comprising the suction device according to claim 1.   A printing apparatus comprising the suction device according to claim 1.   A microarray manufacturing apparatus comprising the suction device according to claim 1.

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