JP2009126012A - Method for manufacturing droplet discharge head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a manufacturing method of a droplet discharge head in which, in a droplet discharge head in which a damper plate is laminated on one surface of a spacer plate and a nozzle plate is laminated on the other surface thereof, a damper wall is allowed to face a common fluid chamber, and the droplet discharge head can be formed by highly accurately positioning open holes of the spacer plate and the damper plate relative to a nozzle. <P>SOLUTION: The method includes the steps of: laminating and adhering a resin damper plate 13 used as a damper wall 27 on one wide surface and a resin nozzle plate 11 on the other wide plate, in a spacer plate 12 in which a recessed part 32 used as a damper chamber 28 and a first open hole 23a are provided; irradiating a position corresponding to the first open hole 23a in the damper plate 13 with a laser beam to bore a second open hole 23b therein; and irradiating a position corresponding to the first open hole 23a in the nozzle plate 11 with a laser beam to bore a nozzle 5 therein. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head that selectively discharges liquid from a plurality of nozzles.

  Conventionally, in an ink jet recording head, for example, an ink flow path is formed so that ink supplied from an ink supply source is distributed from a common ink chamber (common liquid chamber) to each pressure chamber and reaches nozzles. There is known a configuration including a cavity portion and an actuator laminated on the cavity portion (Patent Documents 1 and 2, etc.). In this configuration, by selectively applying a discharge pressure from the actuator to the ink in each pressure chamber, the ink is discharged from the nozzle corresponding to the pressure chamber.

  In the above configuration, since the pressure chamber communicates with both the nozzle and the common ink chamber, when the ink in the pressure chamber is pressurized by the actuator, the pressure wave generated in the ink is moved forward toward the nozzle. In addition to the component, a backward component toward the common ink chamber is also generated. When the crosstalk in which the backward component of the pressure wave propagates to other nozzles through the common ink chamber occurs, the recording quality deteriorates. Therefore, a damper that absorbs (attenuates) the backward component of the pressure wave is provided in the common ink chamber to prevent crosstalk.

  For example, in the recording head disclosed in Patent Document 1, a damper wall constituting one side of the common ink chamber is formed of a thin metal wall, and a damper chamber is provided on the opposite side of the common ink chamber across the damper wall. By making the walls vibrate, pressure fluctuations are absorbed. Moreover, in patent document 2, it replaces with a metal damper wall, and it makes it easier to vibrate by comprising a damper wall with the thin film member which consists of a polyimide resin, and has improved the damping effect with respect to a pressure fluctuation.

  By the way, in patent documents 1 and 2, in order to constitute a complicated ink flow path, a thin plate is laminated and a cavity part is formed. In the cavity portion, a nozzle opens on the lower surface (front surface) and a pressure chamber is formed on the upper surface (rear surface). Therefore, a common ink is formed between the plate on which the nozzle is formed and the plate on which the pressure chamber is formed. A plurality of plates such as a plate in which a chamber (common liquid chamber) is formed and a plate having a damper wall (damper plate) are interposed.

  Therefore, the communication path for communicating the pressure chamber and the nozzle is formed to be continuous with the plurality of plates. That is, communication holes to be communication paths are formed in the plurality of plates, and these are aligned with each other to form a communication path, and the communication path is aligned with the nozzle. A damper plate having a damper wall also needs to be formed with a communication hole and aligned with the upper and lower plates. However, if the damper plate is formed of a single resin in consideration of the damping effect, the rigidity is low and the handleability is poor. Therefore, if an assembly method is selected in which a resin damper plate having communication holes previously formed is aligned with other upper and lower plates, it is difficult to align with high accuracy.

In order to solve this, in Patent Document 2, as a damper plate, a resin thin film member and a metal plate material that are integrated and bonded together are used, and after these are bonded together, a communication hole is formed in the thin film member. Are drilled by laser processing. In addition, the plate material is etched from a number of recesses (corresponding to the damper chamber) so as to leave the thin plate member from the opposite side of the thin plate member, and if the rigidity of the entire damper plate is secured, the thin film member It can be vibrated.
JP 2007-125807 A (see FIGS. 2 and 3) JP 2006-347036 A (see FIGS. 3 and 4)

  However, in both configurations of Patent Documents 1 and 2, since the nozzle plate on which the nozzle is formed is directly or indirectly stacked on the damper plate on which the communication hole is formed, the communication hole and the nozzle are highly accurate. It was difficult to align with.

  The present invention solves the above problem, and includes a first plate having a depression serving as a damper chamber, a second plate made of resin that is laminated on one surface thereof and serving as a damper wall, and laminated on the other surface. And having a resin-made third plate on which the nozzle is formed, the resin-made damper wall faces the common liquid chamber to sufficiently enhance the damping effect, and each of the first and second plates communicates with each other. An object of the present invention is to realize a method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head that can be formed by aligning holes and nozzles with high accuracy.

  In order to achieve the above object, a method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of nozzles that discharge liquid, and are provided for each nozzle and communicated with the nozzles via a communication path. Pressure chambers, a common liquid chamber that distributes liquid to each pressure chamber, a damper wall that constitutes one side of the common liquid chamber and has flexibility, and is adjacent to the common liquid chamber across the damper wall A droplet discharge head manufacturing method comprising: a cavity portion including at least a damper chamber, wherein the cavity portion is formed by laminating a plurality of plates so that their wide surfaces face each other. A recess portion serving as the damper chamber is formed in one wide surface of the first plate, and a part of the communication path passes through the plate thickness of the first plate at the same time or before and after. Forming a first communication hole to be, and A step of laminating and fixing a resin second plate serving as the damper wall to the one wide surface of one plate and a resin third plate to the other wide surface; Irradiating a laser beam at a position corresponding to the first communication hole in the second plate to form a second communication hole serving as a part of the communication path; and the first plate in the third plate. And a step of irradiating a laser beam at a position corresponding to the communication hole to form the nozzle.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to the first aspect, the second communication hole and the nozzle are different from the first plate of the second plate. The second communication hole and the nozzle are formed in this order by laser light irradiated from the opposite side.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to the first or second aspect, the second plate is made of an aramid resin.

  In the method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to claim 4, a plurality of nozzles that discharge liquid, a pressure chamber that is provided for each nozzle and communicates with the nozzle via a communication path, At least a common liquid chamber that distributes the liquid to the pressure chamber, a flexible damper wall that constitutes one side of the common liquid chamber, and a damper chamber adjacent to the common liquid chamber across the damper wall A method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head, wherein the cavity portion is formed by laminating a plurality of plates so that the wide surfaces thereof face each other. A concave portion that becomes the damper chamber is provided in one wide surface of one plate, and at the same time or before and after this, it penetrates the plate thickness of the first plate and becomes a part of the communication path. Forming a first communication hole; A step of laminating and adhering a second plate made of a positive photosensitive resin serving as the damper wall to the one wide surface of one plate, and the first plate to the second plate. Exposing and developing as a mask through the first communication hole, developing a second communication hole that becomes a part of the communication path at a position of the second plate corresponding to the first communication hole; After the step of forming the second communication hole, a step of laminating and fixing a third plate made of resin on the other wide surface of the first plate, and the third plate, Irradiating a laser beam from the outside of the second plate opposite to the first plate through the second communication hole and the first communication hole to form the nozzle. Is.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a liquid droplet ejection head, comprising: a plurality of nozzles that eject liquid; a pressure chamber that is provided for each nozzle and communicates with the nozzle via a communication path; At least a common liquid chamber that distributes the liquid to the pressure chamber, a damper wall that constitutes one side of the common liquid chamber and has flexibility, and a damper chamber that is adjacent to the common liquid chamber across the damper wall A method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head, wherein the cavity portion is formed by laminating a plurality of plates so that the wide surfaces thereof face each other. A concave portion that becomes the damper chamber is provided in one wide surface of one plate, and at the same time or before and after this, it penetrates the plate thickness of the first plate and becomes a part of the communication path. Forming the first communication hole; and A step of laminating and fixing a translucent resin-made third plate on the one wide surface of the rate; and the third plate, the third plate of the first plate Irradiating laser light from the outside on the opposite side through the first communication hole, and drilling the nozzle at the position of the third plate corresponding to the first communication hole; and the other of the first plate And a step of laminating and fixing a positive photosensitive resin second plate serving as the damper wall to the wide surface of the second plate, and the third plate using the first plate as a mask with respect to the second plate. Exposing and developing through a plate and the first communication hole, and forming a second communication hole that becomes a part of the communication path at a position of the second plate corresponding to the first communication hole; It is characterized by comprising.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the third plate is made of polyimide resin. .

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the first plate is made of metal.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the liquid droplet ejection head manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, as viewed from the plate stacking direction of the recess provided in the first plate. The planar view shape is substantially the same as the planar view shape of the common liquid chamber.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the first, second, and third plates are integrated, and the first After forming the second communication hole in the second plate and the nozzle in the third plate, a hole serving as the common liquid chamber is formed on the opposite side of the second plate from the first plate. The fourth plate having the holes is laminated and fixed so that the hole portion corresponds to the recessed portion.

  The invention according to claim 10 is the method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the cavity portion includes the first, second, and third plates; A fourth plate having a hole serving as the common liquid chamber; and a fifth plate having a hole serving as the pressure chamber; and the pressure chamber, the second plate, A step of laminating and fixing the fourth and fifth plates to the first, second and third plates so that the common liquid chamber is located between the first and second plates. Is.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the second plate and the third plate made of resin are laminated and fixed to the wide surfaces of the front and back surfaces of the first plate, respectively, and then the first plate is punched in advance. The second communication hole is processed with a laser beam in the second plate so as to correspond to the provided first communication hole. Next, the third plate is irradiated with laser light so as to correspond to the first communication hole of the first plate, and the nozzle is drilled. In other words, since the second communication hole and the nozzle are formed corresponding to the first communication hole formed in advance, not only the communication holes but also the positional accuracy of the communication hole and the nozzle can be improved, and the plates can be connected to each other. There is no need to align and stack with the holes.

  In addition, the second plate laminated on the first plate makes use of the characteristics of the thin-film resin that is easy to bend by facing the common liquid chamber with the region corresponding to the depression in the first plate as a damper wall, The attenuation effect on the pressure wave can be improved. Furthermore, since the second communication hole is processed in the second plate made of resin after being laminated on the first plate, it is easy to handle at the time of manufacture and has excellent assemblability.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, the nozzle processing for the third plate is performed in the order of the second communication hole and the nozzle by the laser beam irradiated from the outside of the second plate. That is, in processing the second communication hole and the nozzle, a laser light source can be shared, and processing can be performed sequentially without changing the positional relationship between the laser light source and the second and third plates as processing objects. The positional accuracy of the first communication hole, the second communication hole, and the nozzle can be made extremely high.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, since the aramid resin excellent in pressure wave absorption efficiency (easy to vibrate) is used for the second plate, crosstalk through the common liquid chamber is greatly suppressed. can do.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the second plate made of a positive photosensitive resin is laminated and fixed to one wide surface of the first plate having a light shielding property, and then the first plate is masked. As described above, exposure and development are performed through the first communication hole, and the second communication hole is formed at the position of the second plate corresponding to the first communication hole. That is, since the 2nd communicating hole is formed using the 1st communicating hole formed beforehand, the position accuracy of the communicating holes becomes very high.

  When a third plate made of resin is laminated and fixed to the other wide surface of the first plate, and the nozzle is laser processed on the third plate, the laser beam is irradiated from the outside of the second plate. Yes. Therefore, when forming the nozzle, laser processing is performed through the second communication hole and the first communication hole, so that the alignment accuracy between the first communication hole and the nozzle can be improved.

  In addition, the second plate stacked on the first plate has a region corresponding to the depression in the first plate facing the common liquid chamber as a damper wall, thereby making it possible to attenuate the pressure wave by taking advantage of the characteristics of the resin. The effect can be demonstrated. Furthermore, since the second communication hole is processed in the second plate made of resin after being laminated on the first plate, it is easy to handle at the time of manufacture and has excellent assemblability.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the third plate made of resin is laminated and fixed to one wide surface of the first plate, and the third plate of the first plate is attached to the third plate. Is drilling the nozzle by irradiating laser light from the outside on the opposite side. That is, when the nozzle is formed, laser processing is performed through the first communication hole, so that the alignment accuracy between the first communication hole and the nozzle is improved.

  A second plate made of a positive photosensitive resin is laminated and fixed to the other wide surface of the first plate, and the light-transmitting first plate is used as a mask with respect to the second plate. The second communicating hole is formed by exposing and developing through the third plate having the first hole and the first communicating hole. Therefore, since the 2nd communicating hole is formed using the 1st communicating hole, the position accuracy of the communicating holes becomes very high.

  In addition, the second plate stacked on the first plate has a region corresponding to the depression in the first plate facing the common liquid chamber as a damper wall, thereby making it possible to attenuate the pressure wave by taking advantage of the characteristics of the resin. The effect can be demonstrated. Furthermore, since the second communication hole is processed in the second plate made of resin after being laminated on the first plate, it is easy to handle at the time of manufacture and has excellent assemblability.

  According to invention of Claim 6, since the 3rd plate is a product made from a polyimide, it is excellent in workability when processing a nozzle with a laser beam. Moreover, since polyimide has translucency, in the invention according to claim 5, it is possible to perform exposure through the third plate.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the first plate is made of metal, it is easy to process the recess and the first communication hole by etching. In addition, since the metal has a light-shielding property, it can be used as a mask in the invention according to claim 4 or 5.

  According to invention of Claim 8, the planar view shape seen from the lamination direction of the plate of the hollow part provided in the 1st plate is formed substantially the same as the planar view shape of a common liquid chamber. Yes. That is, when the first plate and the second plate are stacked, the second plate region that covers the recess, in other words, the second plate having substantially the same size as the plan view shape of the common liquid chamber. Since the entire plate area is used as a damper wall, the damping efficiency is improved.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, after the first, second, and third plates are integrated to form the nozzle and the second communication hole, the second plate faces the second plate. A fourth plate is laminated. Thereby, the hole which becomes the 4th common liquid chamber in a plate is covered with a 2nd plate, and a 2nd plate becomes a damper wall which comprises one side of a common liquid chamber.

  According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the first, second, and third plates, the fourth plate in which the hole serving as the common liquid chamber is formed, and the hole serving as the pressure chamber are formed. By laminating the provided fifth plate, a cavity part in which the common liquid chamber is located between the pressure chamber and the second plate can be manufactured.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in an ink jet recording head 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the recording head 1. The recording head 1 includes a cavity portion 2 having a plurality of nozzles 5 (see FIG. 2 and FIG. 3) opened to the outside and an ink flow path therein, an actuator 3 that applies discharge pressure to the ink in the cavity portion 2, and this The actuator 3 has a structure in which a flexible wiring material 4 that outputs a drive signal is stacked. In the following description, the side of the cavity 2 where the nozzle 5 is opened is the lower surface, and the side where the actuator 3 is laminated is the upper surface. In FIGS. 1 and 2, ink is ejected downward from the nozzle 5 opening on the lower surface side.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cavity portion 2 includes a nozzle plate (corresponding to the third plate in the claims) 11, a spacer plate (corresponding to the first plate in the claims) 12, a damper plate (second claim in the claims). 13), two manifold plates (corresponding to the fourth plate of claims) 14a, 14b, supply plate 15, base plate 16, and cavity plate (corresponding to the fifth plate of claims) 17 A total of eight thin flat plates are laminated so that their wide surfaces face each other, and are joined by an adhesive or the like.

  Each of the plates 11 to 17 (excluding 13) has a thickness of about 40 to 150 μm, the nozzle plate 11 is made of polyimide resin, the damper plate 13 is made of aramid resin, and the other plates 12, 14a, 14b, 15, 16 and 17 are 42% nickel alloy steel plates. The damper plate 13 is a thin film and has a thickness of about 20 to 40 μm.

  In the nozzle plate 11, a large number of nozzles 5 for discharging ink having a minute diameter (about 20 μm) are formed at minute intervals, and the nozzles 5 are arranged in a row extending along the X direction, and five rows are provided. It has been. Each nozzle 5 of the nozzle plate 11 is individually communicated with a pressure chamber 21 described later via a communication passage 22. Therefore, the spacer plate 12, the damper plate 13, the manifold plates 14 a and 14 b, the supply plate 15, and the base plate 16 inserted between the nozzle plate 11 and the cavity plate 17 each have a communication hole that becomes a part of the communication path 22. 23 is drilled (see FIG. 3).

  In the cavity plate 17, holes to be a plurality of pressure chambers 21 are arranged in five rows corresponding to the arrangement of the nozzles 5. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the pressure chambers 21 has an elongated shape in plan view, and penetrates the thickness of the cavity plate 17 so that its longitudinal direction is along the Y direction (direction perpendicular to the X direction). Is formed. Each of the holes is formed in the pressure chamber by covering the upper and lower surfaces with a base plate 16 and an actuator 3 described later. One end of each pressure chamber 21 in the longitudinal direction communicates with the common ink chamber 26 via a connection hole 24 formed in the base plate 16 and a connection channel 25 formed in the supply plate 15. The other end in the longitudinal direction of each pressure chamber 21 is connected to the communication path 22 described above.

  In the two manifold plates 14a, 14b, five groove-shaped holes (to be the common liquid chamber 26) that are long along the X direction are formed substantially parallel to each other through the plate thickness. Both hole portions are formed in a total of five common liquid chambers 26 by laminating two manifold plates 14a and 14b, covering the upper surface with the supply plate 15, and covering the lower surface with the damper plate 13. .

  On the upper surface of the spacer plate 12, a recess is formed which becomes a damper chamber 28 whose position and shape coincide with each common liquid chamber 26. A resin damper plate 13 is bonded to the entire surface of the spacer plate 12 so as to cover the recess, and the recess is covered with the damper plate 13 to form a damper chamber 28. The portion of the damper plate 13 that faces the recess is formed as a damper wall 27 that can vibrate freely by elastic deformation. In addition, the hollow part may be either one that penetrates the spacer plate 12 in the plate thickness direction or one that does not penetrate the spacer plate 12. Further, the recessed portion may not be a planar shape in which the planar shapes of the common liquid chambers 26 are matched, and may be a shape that is further divided into a plurality of portions.

  By stacking the spacer plate 12 having the damper plate 13 on the upper surface on the lower surface of the lower manifold plate 14 b, the damper wall 27 faces the common liquid chamber 26. The damper wall 27 is displaced by the retreat component of the pressure wave propagated from the pressure chamber 21 to the common liquid chamber 26, so that the pressure fluctuation is absorbed and attenuated, and the crosstalk in which the pressure fluctuation propagates to the other pressure chambers 21 is suppressed. .

  Four ink supply ports 29 for introducing ink from an ink supply source are formed near one side parallel to the Y direction of the cavity plate 17, and each ink supply port 29 corresponds to the vertical position. Thus, four connection ports 30 are formed in the base plate 16 and the supply plate 15, respectively. Filter bodies 31 (see FIG. 1) for removing foreign substances in the ink are collectively attached to the four ink supply ports 29 with an adhesive or the like.

  The one ink supply port 29 on the left side in FIG. 2 is for black ink, and is connected to the two common liquid chambers 26 and 26 on the left side, and two nozzle rows for discharging black ink are set. ing. This is because black ink is used more frequently than other color inks, and each of the other three ink supply ports 29 is supplied with cyan, yellow, and magenta inks individually. Each nozzle row is provided.

  In this way, ink flows into the cavity portion 2 from the ink supply port 29 via the connection port 30 to the common liquid chamber 26, reaches the pressure chamber 21 via the connection flow path 25 and the connection hole 24, and An ink flow path reaching the nozzle 5 through the communication path 22 is formed.

  As the actuator 3, a known piezoelectric method, a method of driving a diaphragm by static electricity, a method using an electric heating element, or the like can be applied. Here, the actuator 32 is a flat shape having a size extending over all the pressure chambers 21 and is stacked in a direction perpendicular to the flat direction, similar to the known one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-322850. A plurality of piezoelectric ceramic layers 41 (for example, PZT) are provided (see FIGS. 2 and 3). A plurality of individual electrodes 42 provided for each pressure chamber 21 between the plurality of ceramic layers 41 and a common electrode 43 common to the plurality of pressure chambers 21 are inserted, and selectively between the individual electrodes 42 and the common electrode 43. By applying a voltage to the ink, an ejection pressure can be applied to the ink in the pressure chamber 21.

  Further, the individual electrode 42 and the common electrode 43 are electrically connected to the outermost electrode 44 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) on the uppermost surface of the actuator 3 by a conductive material in a through hole that penetrates the ceramic layer 41. . And the external electrode 44 and the electrode pattern (not shown) of the flexible flat wiring material 4 are joined.

  Next, the manufacturing method of the cavity part 2 is demonstrated. Since the damper wall 27 is made of a thin resin plate (film) in order to enhance the damping effect on the pressure fluctuation of the common ink chamber 26, the damper plate 13 is low in rigidity and difficult to handle.

  For this reason, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, first, a recess 32 serving as the damper chamber 28 is provided in the wide surface serving as the upper surface of the spacer plate 12 so as to penetrate the plate thickness. A first communication hole 23 a that is a part of the communication path 22 is formed. Since the spacer plate 12 is made of metal, except for the recessed or penetrating portion, the front and back surfaces thereof are covered with a resist film, and etching is performed using an etching solution (solvent). The first communication hole 23a can be formed. The formation of the recessed portion 32 and the second communication hole 23a may be performed simultaneously or separately.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the damper plate 13 is bonded and fixed to the wide surface that is the upper surface of the spacer plate 12 to cover the recess 32 and the first communication hole 23 a. As the damper plate 13, a resin solution may be applied to the spacer plate 12 and cured to form a thin plate (film). Further, the nozzle plate 11 is bonded and fixed to the wide surface which is the lower surface of the spacer plate 12 to cover the first communication hole 23a.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, a laser beam is irradiated from the outside of the damper plate 13 to the position of the damper plate 13 corresponding to the first communication hole 23 a of the spacer plate 12. A part of the second communication hole 23b is formed. The second communication hole 23b is formed in the same size as the first communication hole 23a. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 4 (d), the nozzle plate 11 is irradiated with laser light from the outside of the damper plate 13 to the position of the nozzle plate 11 corresponding to the first communication hole 23 a of the spacer plate 12. Nozzle 5 is drilled in. The nozzle 5 is formed with a smaller diameter than the first and second communication holes 23a and 23b.

  Then, the other plates 14a, 14b, 15, 16, and 17 of the cavity portion 2 are aligned and bonded to the laminated body in which the nozzle plate 11, the spacer plate 12, and the damper plate 13 are integrated (FIG. 2 and FIG. 2). (See FIG. 3). The other plates 14 to 17 may be bonded and integrated with the integrated plates 11 to 13 before being bonded, or the integrated plates 11 to 13 may be bonded to each other. The other plates 14 to 17 may be sequentially stacked and then bonded together.

  Since the plates 12 and 14 to 17 are made of the same type of metal material, mutual positioning portions (not shown) are formed by the same etching process at the same time as the formation of the hole portions for the ink flow paths. , Mutual positional relationship can be laminated with high accuracy. Preferably, as described in JP-A-2002-234170, etching is performed in a state where each plate is supported by the frame frame, and alignment between the plates is performed by positioning portions provided on the frame frame. It can be laminated with high accuracy. On the other hand, when the nozzle plate 11 and the damper plate 13 which are resin materials are previously drilled and stacked in the same manner as other plates, the holes of the plates and the holes of other plates are expanded due to expansion due to heating during bonding. The part tends to shift.

  When the above manufacturing method is used, the nozzle plate 11 and the damper plate 13 are bonded to the spacer plate 12, and the second communication hole 23b of the damper plate 13 and the nozzle of the nozzle plate 11 are aligned with the position of the first communication hole 23a. 5 is processed, the position of each hole can be matched with high precision compared with the case where the plate that has been previously drilled is aligned. Further, since the spacer plate 12 and the other plates 14 to 17 are easily aligned as described above, the hole portions serving as the ink flow paths as the entire cavity portion can be matched with high accuracy.

  In the above method, the second communication hole 23b and the nozzle 5 are sequentially laser processed from the same direction. Therefore, a laminated body in which the nozzle plate 11, the spacer plate 12, and the damper plate 13 are integrated is set in a laser processing apparatus, and the above two holes are sequentially processed without turning the laminated body upside down. Can do. Therefore, the positioning accuracy of the first communication hole 23a, the second communication hole 23b, and the nozzle 5 is further improved.

  Further, since the damper plate 13 and the nozzle plate 11 are made of resin, the rigidity of the damper plate 13 and the nozzle plate 11 is low. However, since the damper plate 13 and the nozzle plate 11 are fixed to the metal spacer plate 12 and processed, the handling property is greatly improved. Furthermore, although there is a difference in expansion coefficient between the resin plates 11 and 13 and the spacer plate 12, since both surfaces of the spacer plate 12 are sandwiched between the resin plates 11 and 13, a laminate in which the three plates are integrated is formed. Warpage can be suppressed and lamination with other plates 14 to 17 can be easily performed.

  As described above, the communication path 22 is formed by connecting the communication holes 23 formed in the plates 12 to 16 up and down. Here, at least the first communication hole 23a and the second communication hole 23b are They are formed in the same shape. However, the shape of each communication hole 23 does not necessarily have to be the same, and may be set stepwise so that the side close to the nozzle 5 has a small diameter.

  Next, 2nd Embodiment of the manufacturing method of the cavity part 2 is described using FIG. In the second embodiment, a positive photosensitive resin is used for the damper plate 13.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5A, similarly to the first embodiment, the hollow portion 32 and the first communication hole 23a are processed in the metal spacer plate 12 by etching. Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, a thin plate (film) -like damper plate 13 made of positive photosensitive resin (positive photosensitive polyimide or the like) is bonded and fixed to the wide surface which is the upper surface of the spacer plate 12. To do. As the damper plate 13, a positive photosensitive resin solution may be applied to the spacer plate 12 and cured to form a thin plate (film).

  Then, when the spacer plate 12 (which has a light shielding property) is exposed from the outside on the spacer plate 12 side as a photomask, a portion of the damper plate 13 corresponding to the first communication hole 23a of the spacer plate 12 is exposed. Since the damper plate 13 is positive photosensitive, the exposed portion is melted and removed by the development process, and as shown in FIG. 5C, the second communication having the same size as the first communication hole 23a. A hole 23 b is formed in the damper plate 13.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5 (d), the nozzle plate 11 is bonded and fixed to the wide surface which is the lower surface of the spacer plate 12. Then, as shown in FIG. 5E, the nozzle plate 11 is irradiated with laser light from the outside of the damper plate 13 through the second communication hole 23b and the first communication hole 23a. The nozzle 5 having a smaller diameter than the two communication holes 23a and 23b is formed. The subsequent manufacturing steps are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  In the second embodiment, in particular, the damper plate 13 is made of a positive photosensitive resin, and the spacer plate 12 having a light shielding property is used as a photomask. Therefore, the second communication hole 23b having the same size as the first communication hole 23a can be easily formed with high positional accuracy. Further, since the nozzle 5 is formed on the nozzle plate 11 by the laser beam from the damper plate 13 side, the positional accuracy between the first and second communication holes 23a, 23b and the nozzle 5 is also improved.

  Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Also in the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the damper plate 13 is made of a positive photosensitive resin. In 3rd Embodiment, as shown to Fig.6 (a), the recessed part 32 and the 1st communicating hole 23a are processed by the etching process to the metal spacer plates 12 similarly to 1st Embodiment. Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, the polyimide nozzle plate 11 is bonded and fixed to the wide surface which is the lower surface of the spacer plate 12. The polyimide resin has translucency.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6 (c), the nozzle plate 11 is irradiated with laser light from the outside of the spacer plate 12, and the position of the nozzle plate 11 corresponding to the first communication hole 23 a of the spacer plate 12. In addition, the nozzle 5 having a smaller diameter than the first communication hole 23a is formed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6D, a positive photosensitive resin damper plate 13 is bonded and fixed to the wide surface, which is the upper surface of the spacer plate 12, as in the second embodiment. Then, the damper plate 13 is exposed from the nozzle plate 11 side. At this time, since the polyimide of the nozzle plate 11 transmits light, the light-shielding metal spacer plate 12 acts as a photomask, as in the second embodiment, and the first communication hole 23a of the spacer plate 12 Only the corresponding part of the damper plate 13 is exposed. Since the damper plate 13 is positive-type photosensitive, the exposed portion is melted and removed by the development process, and as shown in FIG. 6E, the damper plate 13 has the same size as the first communication hole 23a. The second communication hole 23b is formed.

  In the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the alignment accuracy of the first communication hole 23a, the second communication hole 23b, and the nozzle 5 can be increased.

  In the above embodiment, an ink jet recording head has been described as an example of a droplet discharge head. However, the present invention can also be applied to an apparatus that applies a colored liquid or discharges a conductive liquid in a pattern. .

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a recording head. It is a disassembled perspective view of a cavity part. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view which cut | disconnected the cavity part along the Y-axis direction. (A)-(d) is process drawing explaining the manufacturing method of 1st Embodiment. (A)-(e) is process drawing explaining the manufacturing method of 2nd Embodiment. (A)-(e) is process drawing explaining the manufacturing method of 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording head 2 Cavity part 3 Actuator 4 Flexible wiring material 5 Nozzle 11 Nozzle plate (3rd plate)
12 Spacer plate (first plate)
13 Damper plate (second plate)
14a, 14b Manifold plate (fourth plate)
15 Supply plate 16 Base plate 17 Cavity plate (fifth plate)
21 pressure chamber 22 communication passage 23 communication hole 23a first communication hole 23b second communication hole 26 common liquid chamber 27 damper wall 28 damper chamber 32 recess

Claims (10)

A plurality of nozzles for discharging liquid, a pressure chamber provided for each nozzle and communicating with the nozzle via a communication path, a common liquid chamber for distributing the liquid to each pressure chamber, and one side of the common liquid chamber And a flexible damper wall and at least a damper chamber adjacent to the common liquid chamber with the damper wall interposed therebetween, and the cavity portion includes a plurality of plates. A method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head formed by laminating so that wide surfaces face each other,
A concave portion serving as the damper chamber is provided in one wide surface of the first plate, and at the same time or before and after this, a part of the communication path passes through the plate thickness of the first plate. Forming a first communication hole,
A step of laminating and fixing a resin-made second plate serving as the damper wall to the one wide surface of the first plate and a resin-made third plate to the other wide surface;
Irradiating a laser beam at a position corresponding to the first communication hole in the second plate to form a second communication hole serving as a part of the communication path;
And a step of irradiating a laser beam at a position corresponding to the first communication hole in the third plate to pierce the nozzle.   The second communication hole and the nozzle are formed in the order of the second communication hole and the nozzle by laser light emitted from the outside of the second plate opposite to the first plate. The method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to claim 1.   The method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to claim 1, wherein the second plate is made of an aramid resin. A plurality of nozzles for discharging liquid, a pressure chamber provided for each nozzle and communicating with the nozzle via a communication path, a common liquid chamber for distributing the liquid to each pressure chamber, and one side of the common liquid chamber And a flexible damper wall and at least a damper chamber adjacent to the common liquid chamber with the damper wall interposed therebetween, and the cavity portion includes a plurality of plates. A method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head formed by laminating so that wide surfaces face each other,
A recess portion serving as the damper chamber is formed in one wide surface of the first light-shielding plate so as to penetrate the plate thickness of the first plate at the same time or before and after the recess. Forming a first communication hole to be a part of
A step of laminating and fixing a second plate made of a positive photosensitive resin to be the damper wall on the one wide surface of the first plate;
The second plate is exposed and developed through the first communication hole using the first plate as a mask, and developed, and one of the communication paths is placed at the position of the second plate corresponding to the first communication hole. Forming a second communication hole to be a part;
After the step of forming the second communication hole, a step of laminating and fixing a resin-made third plate on the other wide surface of the first plate;
Irradiating the third plate with laser light from the outside of the second plate opposite to the first plate through the second communication hole and the first communication hole, thereby forming the nozzle. A method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head, comprising: A plurality of nozzles for discharging liquid, a pressure chamber provided for each nozzle and communicating with the nozzle via a communication path, a common liquid chamber for distributing the liquid to each pressure chamber, and one side of the common liquid chamber And a flexible damper wall and at least a damper chamber adjacent to the common liquid chamber with the damper wall interposed therebetween, and the cavity portion includes a plurality of plates. A method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head formed by laminating so that wide surfaces face each other,
A recess portion serving as the damper chamber is formed in one wide surface of the first light-shielding plate so as to penetrate the plate thickness of the first plate at the same time or before and after the recess. Forming a first communication hole to be a part of
A step of laminating and fixing a translucent resin-made third plate on the one wide surface of the first plate;
The third plate is irradiated with laser light from the outside of the first plate opposite to the third plate through the first communication hole, and the third plate corresponding to the first communication hole is irradiated with the third plate. Drilling the nozzle at the position of the plate;
A step of laminating and adhering a second plate made of a positive photosensitive resin to be the damper wall to the other wide surface of the first plate;
The position of the second plate corresponding to the first communication hole is exposed and developed with respect to the second plate through the third plate and the first communication hole using the first plate as a mask. And a step of forming a second communication hole which becomes a part of the communication path.   The method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to claim 1, wherein the third plate is made of polyimide resin.   The method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to claim 1, wherein the first plate is made of metal.   The planar view shape of the recess provided in the first plate as viewed from the stacking direction of the plates is formed substantially the same as the planar view shape of the common liquid chamber. 8. A method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to any one of items 1 to 7.   The first, second, and third plates are integrated, the second communication hole is formed in the second plate, and the nozzle is formed in the third plate. A step of laminating and fixing a fourth plate having a hole serving as the common liquid chamber on the side opposite to the first plate so that the hole corresponds to the recess is provided. 9. A method of manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to claim 1, wherein The cavity portion has the first, second, and third plates, a fourth plate in which a hole serving as the common liquid chamber is formed, and a hole that serves as the pressure chamber. A fifth plate,
The fourth and fifth plates are stacked on the first, second, and third plates so that the common liquid chamber is located between the pressure chamber and the second plate. The method for manufacturing a droplet discharge head according to claim 1, further comprising a fixing step.

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