JP2009233879A - Liquid jet head, method for manufacturing liquid jet head and method for manufacturing metal sheet - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid jet head capable of efficiently striking a liquid to an object to be delivered, a method for manufacturing the liquid jet head, and a method for manufacturing a metal sheet. <P>SOLUTION: A recording head 1 includes a nozzle plate 13 formed by arranging a plurality of nozzle rows in which a plurality of nozzle openings 10 are aligned, a flow path forming substrate 12 forming a pressure room 17 provided so as to communicate with the nozzle openings, and a piezoelectric vibrator 18 for providing pressure variation to the pressure generating room. In a nozzle forming member, a group 23 of the nozzle openings constituted of a plurality of the nozzle openings is formed on every pressure room. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting head, a method of manufacturing a liquid ejecting head, and a method of manufacturing a metal plate, and is particularly suitable for manufacturing a nozzle plate for a liquid ejecting head having fine through holes. .

  Examples of the liquid ejecting head that discharges liquid droplets from the nozzle openings by causing pressure fluctuations in the liquid in the pressure generating chamber include, for example, an ink jet recording head (hereinafter referred to as an ink jet recording head) used in an image recording apparatus such as an ink jet recording apparatus (printer). , Simply a recording head), a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, an electrode material ejecting head used for forming electrodes such as an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, FED (surface emitting display), bio There are bioorganic ejecting heads used for manufacturing chips (biochemical elements).

  For example, in the above recording head, a pressure generating element is joined to an elastic plate that seals a hollow pressure generating chamber, and the pressure generating element is vibrated in the longitudinal direction of the pressure generating element, whereby pressure is applied to the pressure generating chamber. The liquid in the pressure generation chamber is discharged from a nozzle opening that is fluctuated and communicated with the pressure generation chamber (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-103765 A

  By the way, this type of printer is required to improve the image quality on the discharge target (recording paper) and the recording (printing) speed. However, when the diameter of the ejected droplets is increased, a large area can be filled with large dots, but on the other hand, the granularity of the droplets is generated, and the image quality may be degraded. On the other hand, if the diameter of the ejected droplets is reduced, the printing speed may be reduced.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a liquid ejecting head capable of efficiently landing a liquid on an ejection target, a method for manufacturing the liquid ejecting head, and a metal. It is in providing the manufacturing method of a board.

In order to achieve the above object, a liquid jet head according to the present invention includes a nozzle forming member formed by arranging a plurality of nozzle rows in which a plurality of nozzle openings are arranged, and
A flow path forming substrate in which a pressure generating chamber provided to communicate with the nozzle opening is formed;
A liquid ejecting head including a pressure generating element that applies pressure fluctuation to the pressure generating chamber,
The nozzle forming member is characterized in that a nozzle opening group including a plurality of nozzle openings is formed for each pressure generating chamber.

  According to the above configuration, the nozzle forming member is formed with the nozzle opening group composed of a plurality of nozzle openings for each pressure generating chamber, so that droplets are simultaneously ejected from each nozzle opening constituting the nozzle opening group. In addition to improving the image quality of the discharge target, it is possible to efficiently fill a predetermined area on the injection target with dots with a smaller amount of liquid than in the past. As a result, the consumption of liquid can be suppressed as compared with the conventional case, and as a result, for example, distortion of the recording paper due to moisture and bleeding of the recorded image can be suppressed.

  The said structure WHEREIN: It is desirable for the shape of each said nozzle opening which forms the said nozzle opening group to be a rectangle.

  According to the above configuration, the nozzle openings are formed in a rectangular shape in cross section, and the adjacent nozzle openings can be arranged densely as compared with the round nozzle openings, so that the opening area of the nozzle openings can be increased. . As a result, it is possible to widen a printing area when droplets are ejected from the nozzle openings, and it is possible to improve liquid ejection properties.

Further, the method of manufacturing a liquid jet head according to the present invention includes a nozzle forming member formed by arranging a plurality of nozzle rows in which a plurality of nozzle openings are arranged,
A flow path forming substrate in which a pressure generating chamber provided to communicate with the nozzle opening is formed;
A pressure generating element that applies pressure fluctuation to the pressure generating chamber, and a manufacturing method of a liquid ejecting head comprising:
A plurality of the above-mentioned nozzle openings are simultaneously opened at positions corresponding to the respective pressure generation chambers by forming a groove on the tip surface and dividing the tip into a plurality of divided punches into the nozzle forming member. A nozzle opening group composed of nozzle openings is formed.

  According to the above configuration, a groove is formed on the front end surface of the punch to form a divided punch in which the front end is divided into a plurality of portions. Therefore, when the divided punch is driven into the metal plate, a plurality of holes are simultaneously opened in the metal plate. Can be opened efficiently. In addition, since the divided punch can be formed simply by cutting the groove in the punch, the existing punch can be processed and used.

Further, the method for producing a metal plate of the present invention is a method for producing a metal plate in which a punch is punched into the metal plate to open a hole,
A plurality of holes are formed in the metal plate at the same time by driving into the metal plate a split punch in which a groove is formed on the tip surface and the tip is divided into a plurality of portions.

  According to the above configuration, a split punch having a groove formed on the tip surface and divided into a plurality of tips is driven into the metal plate, so a large number of split punches can be provided at the tip of the punch, and a large number of holes are formed in the metal plate. It can be opened at the same time.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments described below, various limitations are made as preferred specific examples of the present invention. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following description unless otherwise specified. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. In the following description, the metal plate material that is a workpiece in the present invention is used in an ink jet recording head (a type of liquid ejecting head; hereinafter simply referred to as a recording head 1) mounted on an ink jet recording apparatus. The nozzle plate (equivalent to the nozzle formation member in this invention) is illustrated.

First, the configuration of the recording head 1 will be described.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part for explaining the configuration of the recording head 1. The recording head 1 includes a filter assembly 5 including an ink introduction needle 2, a filter 3, an introduction needle unit 4 and the like, a head case 6, a vibrator unit 7 housed therein, a flow path unit 8 and the like. The head unit 9 is schematically configured. A series of ink flow paths (a type of liquid flow path) from an ink cartridge, which is a type of liquid supply source, to the nozzle opening 10 of the flow path unit 8 is formed inside the recording head 1.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the configuration of the flow path unit 8 in the present embodiment. The flow path unit 8 is manufactured by joining and integrating the nozzle plate 13 on one surface of the flow path forming substrate 12 and the diaphragm 11 on the other surface of the flow path forming substrate 12. The diaphragm 11, the flow path forming substrate 12, and the nozzle plate 13 are joined to the front end surface of the case head 6 in a state where they are sequentially laminated.

  The vibration plate 11 is a plate material disposed between the flow path forming substrate 12 and the head case 6, and is a composite plate having a double structure in which an elastic film 22 is laminated on a metal support plate 21 such as stainless steel. It is. In the portion corresponding to the pressure chamber 17 of the vibration plate 11, the support plate 21 is annularly removed by etching or the like, so that the tip surface of the free end of the piezoelectric vibrator 18 (corresponding to the pressure generating element in the present invention) is provided. An island portion 19 for joining is formed, and this portion functions as a diaphragm portion. That is, the diaphragm 11 is configured such that the elastic film 22 around the island portion 19 is elastically deformed in accordance with the operation of the piezoelectric vibrator 18. The diaphragm 11 also functions as a compliance unit 20 by sealing the opening surface of the common ink chamber 15 of the flow path forming substrate 12. As for the portion corresponding to the compliance portion 20, the support plate 21 is removed by etching or the like as in the diaphragm portion, so that only the elastic film 22 is obtained.

  The piezoelectric vibrator 18 in the present embodiment is a so-called longitudinal vibration mode piezoelectric vibrator that is displaced in a direction orthogonal to the electric field direction. When a drive signal is supplied, the piezoelectric vibrator 18 extends in a direction orthogonal to the stacking direction of the piezoelectric body and the electrodes. Displace (stretch). In addition, each piezoelectric vibrator 18 is cut at the same pitch as the formation pitch of the pressure chambers 17 of the flow path unit 8, and is configured to correspond to one pressure chamber 17 (see FIG. 3) one by one. Has been.

  The flow path forming substrate 12 is a member disposed between the nozzle plate 13 and the vibration plate 11, and is a common ink chamber 15, which is a kind of common liquid chamber, an ink supply port 16, a pressure chamber 17 (the pressure in the present invention). (Corresponding to the generation chamber) An empty portion serving as an ink flow path such as the nozzle communication port 14 is defined. The flow path forming substrate 12 is produced, for example, by etching a silicon wafer. The opening portions of the empty portions are sealed by the nozzle plate 13 and the vibration plate 11, respectively.

  The pressure chamber 17 is formed as an elongated chamber in a direction (sub-scanning direction) orthogonal to the direction in which the nozzle openings 10 are arranged (nozzle row direction). The pressure chambers 17 are provided in a plurality of rows in the sub-scanning direction on the flow path forming substrate 12, and the pressure chambers 17 are partitioned by a partition wall 26. The pressure chamber 17 is configured such that one end communicates with the ink supply port 16 and the other end communicates with the nozzle opening 10 of the nozzle plate 13 through the nozzle communication port 14. The common ink chamber 15 is a chamber into which ink from an ink supply source such as an ink cartridge or a sub tank is introduced. The ink introduced into the common ink chamber 15 is distributed and supplied to the pressure chambers 17 through the ink supply ports 16. That is, the flow path unit 8 forms a series of ink flow paths from the common ink chamber 15 to the ink supply port 16, the pressure chamber 17, and the nozzle opening 10, as shown in FIG.

  The nozzle plate 13 is a metal thin plate in which nozzle sets 23 (corresponding to a group of nozzle openings in the present invention) including a plurality of nozzle openings 10 having a quadrangular cross section are formed in a row in the sub-scanning direction. In the present embodiment, the nozzle plate 13 is made of a stainless steel plate, and a plurality of nozzle sets 23 (nozzle rows) are provided in parallel. In the present embodiment, one nozzle set 23 is configured to arrange a set of four nozzle openings 10 so as to be adjacent to each other in the sub-scanning direction and the main scanning direction. These nozzle openings 10 are formed in a rectangular shape, and the nozzle openings 10 constituting the nozzle set 23 are arranged so that the sides of the opposed nozzle openings 10 are parallel to each other. That is, the nozzle openings 10 constituting the nozzle set 23 are arranged so as to be dense with each other. The method for producing the nozzle plate 13 will be described in detail later.

  Further, in this embodiment, the nozzle plate 13 is depressed halfway in the thickness direction, and the concave portion 24 having an elliptical shape in plan view common to the nozzle openings 10 constituting the same nozzle set 23 is provided for each nozzle set 23. Forming. Each nozzle opening 10 is opened at the bottom of the concave portion 24. That is, the recessed portion 24 is formed so as to include each nozzle opening constituting the same nozzle set. Since the plate thickness at the bottom of the concave portion 24 is thinner than the surrounding plate thickness, by opening the nozzle opening 10 at the bottom of the concave portion 24, it is possible to apply to a later-described punch 36 used for plastic working at that time. The load is reduced and buckling of the punch 36 can be prevented. Moreover, since the recessed part 24 is common to each nozzle opening 10 which comprises the same nozzle set 23, compared with the structure which forms a recessed part for every nozzle opening, processing is easy. The strength of the punch 36 for forming can be ensured.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part for explaining the configuration of the flow path forming substrate 12 in the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the flow path unit 8, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, one nozzle set 23 is constituted by four adjacent nozzle openings 10, and the nozzle sets 23 are arranged in the sub-scanning direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the island portion 19 of the diaphragm 11, the piezoelectric vibrator 18 of the vibrator unit 7, and the pressure chamber 17 are provided on a one-to-one basis with respect to the nozzle set 23. One nozzle set 23 is arranged for each pressure chamber 17. The pressure chambers 17 corresponding to the nozzle set 23 are partitioned by a partition wall 26 as shown in FIG. In this way, by arranging the nozzle set 23 which is a set of a plurality of nozzle openings 10 corresponding to each pressure chamber 17, one pressure chamber 17 is provided for each nozzle opening 10 as in the related art. There is no need to provide it. That is, in the nozzle group configured with the same number of nozzle openings 10, the number of pressure chambers 17 corresponding to these nozzle openings 10 is compared with the conventional configuration in which the pressure generating chambers correspond to the nozzle openings one-to-one. Can be reduced (halved). Alternatively, the number of nozzle openings 10 can be increased (doubled) without increasing the number of piezoelectric vibrators 18 and pressure chambers 17. In the present embodiment, one nozzle row is composed of 720 nozzle openings 10, whereas the pressure chamber 17 corresponding to these nozzle openings 10 is composed of ¼ of the 180 nozzle openings 10. . Thereby, the partition wall 26 which partitions each pressure chamber 17 can be thickened compared with the conventional structure which provides the same number of pressure chambers 17 as the nozzle openings 10. As a result, the rigidity of the partition wall 26 can be increased as compared with the conventional configuration, and the influence of pressure waves generated by the discharge operation of the adjacent pressure chambers 17 can be prevented. For this reason, crosstalk can be prevented and the ejection characteristics can be stabilized.

  When the recording head 1 having the above-described configuration gives a pressure fluctuation in the pressure chamber 17 by the operation of the piezoelectric vibrator 18, the ink introduced from the ink cartridge into the pressure chamber 17 through the ink flow path is discharged from the nozzle opening 10. It can be ejected as ink droplets, and an image or the like can be recorded by landing the ink droplets on recording paper or the like as a recording medium.

Next, a method for producing the nozzle plate 13 by plastic working of the press device 30 provided with the punch according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part for explaining the configuration of the press device 30.
The press device 30 includes a die 32 on which a metal plate (plate material) 31 (shown by a broken line in FIG. 5), which is a material of the nozzle plate 13, a punch plate 33 attached to the lower surface of a ram (not shown), and the punch A pressing plate 35 provided below the plate 33 via an elastic material (not shown) such as a spring or an elastomer so as to be vertically movable with respect to the punch plate 33, and a base end fixed to the punch plate 33 downward. And a punch 36 provided in the main body. The die 32 is provided with a burring formation hole 37 formed in a concave shape from the surface at a position facing the front end surface 51 of the punch 36. The pressing plate 35 has a through guide hole 42 larger than the diameter of the punch 36, and a portion from the middle of the punch 36 to the tip is inserted into the through guide hole 42.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the punch 36 is arranged at the punch body 45 on the punching plate 33 (base end) side, the tapered portion 46 connected to the end portion on the distal end side of the punch body 45, and the distal end of the tapered portion 46. And a columnar small-diameter straight portion 47. The punch main body 45 has an outer diameter of 20 to 30 μm and is formed in a cylindrical shape along the direction in which the punch 36 is driven (that is, the axial direction of the punch and is indicated by an arrow K in FIGS. 5 and 6). The taper portion 46 is formed in a substantially conical shape whose outer diameter gradually becomes smaller toward the arrow K (front end side). The small-diameter straight portion 47 is formed in a columnar shape extending along the arrow K, and as shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of divided split punches 50 are provided on the tip side. The divided punch 50 has a prismatic shape (one side is about 4 μm) extending along the arrow K, and is formed so that each tip surface 51 is flat.

  Each of the divided punches 50 is separated by a groove 48 that is provided by cutting the tip end surface 51. The groove 48 has a width of about 4 μm and a depth of 10 to 15 μm which is substantially the same as the thickness of the nozzle plate. The groove 48 of the present embodiment is provided with a pair of grooves 48 a and 48 b that intersect with each other on the axis of the punch 36. That is, the divided punch 50 is divided into four by these grooves 48a and 48b. Note that the number of grooves 48a and 48b is not limited to two, and in the case of one, two divided punches are formed, and in the case of more than two, the divided punches are further finely divided and formed. . Further, the grooves 48a and 48b may be provided by cutting or may be formed by electric discharge machining.

  Further, each of the four divided punches 50 is formed so as to have the same square cross section. That is, the split punch 50 is provided with a notch 49 on the outer side surface. In the notch 49, a notch 49a formed parallel to the groove 48a and a notch 49b formed parallel to the groove 48b extend in directions perpendicular to each other.

  And the case where punching process (process) is performed using the press apparatus 30 which consists of an above-described structure is demonstrated. The die is fixed on a support plate such as a bolster (not shown) of the press device 30, and the punching plate 33 is fixed to the lower surface of the ram, and the relative position between the die and the punching plate 33 (punch 36) and the bottom death of the punch 36. All mold adjustments such as point adjustment have been completed.

  First, the metal plate 31 is placed on a predetermined position on the die 32, and as shown in FIG. 5, the punching plate 33 is lowered with the burring formation hole 37 and the tip surface 51 of the punch 36 facing each other. Then, the lower surface of the pressing plate 35 comes into contact with the surface of the metal plate 31, and then the punching plate 33 is further pushed down while resisting the urging force of the elastic material, so that it is guided to the through guide hole 42 of the pressing plate 35. Then, the punch 36 is pushed into the metal plate 31 along the arrow K halfway in the longitudinal direction of the divided punch 50, whereby a hole (nozzle opening 10 constituting the nozzle set 23) is formed in the metal plate 31. At this time, since the four divided punches 50 of the present embodiment are provided at the tip of the punch 36, the four nozzle openings 10 are simultaneously formed in the metal plate 31. Thus, the rectangular nozzle openings 10 having the same shape as the outer shape of the divided punch 50 are formed in the metal plate 31. Since the divided punches 50 are separated from each other by orthogonal grooves 48a and 48b, the nozzle openings 10 constituting the nozzle set 23 are each formed in a rectangular shape, and opposite sides of the nozzle openings 10 are opposed to each other. It arrange | positions so that it may mutually become parallel.

  When the punch 36 is lowered to the bottom dead center and the nozzle opening 10 is formed in the metal plate 31, the punch 36 is then raised. When the punching plate 33 rises with the rise of the ram, the pressing plate 35 starts to rise slightly later than the punching plate 33 due to the restoration of the elastic material, and is separated from the surface of the metal plate 31 to the top dead center. To rise. This completes one punching process.

  Then, the metal plate 31 is moved by a feeder by a predetermined pitch for the next step. When this movement is finished, the next nozzle set 23 can be opened at a predetermined pitch on the metal plate 31 by repeating the punching process described above. When these operations are repeated, the nozzle set on the metal plate 31 is repeated. 23 can be sequentially opened at a predetermined pitch. Thus, the nozzle plate 13 in which the nozzle openings 10 are opened is manufactured.

  As described above, in the punch 36, the grooves 48a and 48b are provided in the front end surface 51 of the punch 36, thereby forming the divided punch 50 in which the front end is divided into a plurality of portions. Therefore, when the divided punch 50 is driven into the metal plate 31. A plurality of holes (nozzle openings 10) can be simultaneously opened in the metal plate 31, and the holes can be efficiently opened. Further, since the divided punch 50 can be formed simply by forming the grooves 48a and 48b in the punch 36, the existing punch can be processed and used.

  Further, the nozzle plate 13 is configured such that the nozzle openings 10 constituting the nozzle set 23 are formed in a rectangular shape, and the sides of the nozzle openings 10 facing each other in the nozzle openings 10 are arranged in parallel to each other. The nozzle openings 10 constituting the set 23 can be arranged densely, and the printing area when ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle openings 10 can be expanded.

  Further, in the recording head 1, a nozzle set 23, that is, a plurality of nozzle openings 10, is arranged for each pressure chamber 17, and ink droplets are simultaneously ejected from these nozzle openings 10, so that the recording head or the like is ejected. In addition, it is possible to efficiently fill a predetermined area on the recording paper with dots with a smaller amount of ink than in the past. Thereby, consumption of ink can be suppressed as compared with the conventional case, and as a result, for example, distortion of the recording paper due to moisture and bleeding of the recorded image can be suppressed. Further, since the nozzle opening 10 is formed in a rectangular (quadrangle) cross section, the ink meniscus area (opening area of the nozzle opening) in the nozzle opening can be increased as compared with the round nozzle opening, and the ink Dischargeability can be improved.

By the way, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made based on the description of the scope of claims.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the set of four nozzle openings 10 formed in the concave portion 24 is the nozzle set 23 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which a set of two, three, or five or more nozzle openings 10 is used as the nozzle set 23 may be employed. That is, any combination of nozzle openings 10 may be used as long as the nozzle set 23 has a plurality of nozzle openings 10 for each pressure chamber 17.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the thing of the structure which made the nozzle opening 10 square cross section was illustrated, it is not restricted to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which a nozzle set 23 ′ in which the nozzle opening 10 ′ is formed in a circular cross section is used.

  In the above, the recording head 1 mounted on a printer which is a kind of liquid ejecting apparatus has been described as an example, but the present invention can also be applied to a recording head mounted on another liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, a display manufacturing apparatus that manufactures color filters such as liquid crystal displays, an electrode manufacturing apparatus that forms electrodes such as organic EL (Electro Luminescence) displays and FEDs (surface emitting displays), and chips that manufacture biochips (biochemical elements) The present invention can also be applied to a manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part for explaining the configuration of a recording head. It is a disassembled perspective view explaining the structure of a flow path unit. It is a principal part top view explaining the structure of a flow-path formation board | substrate. It is the IV-IV sectional view taken on the line in FIG. It is principal part sectional drawing explaining the structure of a press apparatus. It is a perspective view of a punch. It is explanatory drawing of a punch, (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view. It is a principal part top view explaining the structure of the flow-path formation board | substrate concerning other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Recording head, 10 ... Nozzle opening, 12 ... Flow path formation board | substrate, 13 ... Nozzle plate, 17 ... Pressure chamber, 18 ... Piezoelectric vibrator, 23 ... Nozzle set, 31 ... Metal plate, 36 ... Punch, 48a, 48b ... groove, 50 ... divided punch, 51 ... tip surface

Claims (4)

A nozzle forming member formed by arranging a plurality of nozzle rows in which a plurality of nozzle openings are arranged;
A flow path forming substrate in which a pressure generating chamber provided to communicate with the nozzle opening is formed;
A liquid ejecting head including a pressure generating element that applies pressure fluctuation to the pressure generating chamber,
The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein a nozzle opening group including a plurality of nozzle openings is formed in the nozzle forming member for each pressure generating chamber.   The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein each nozzle opening forming the nozzle opening group has a rectangular shape. A nozzle forming member formed by arranging a plurality of nozzle rows in which a plurality of nozzle openings are arranged;
A flow path forming substrate in which a pressure generating chamber provided to communicate with the nozzle opening is formed;
A pressure generating element that applies pressure fluctuation to the pressure generating chamber, and a manufacturing method of a liquid ejecting head comprising:
A plurality of the above-mentioned nozzle openings are simultaneously opened at positions corresponding to the respective pressure generation chambers by forming a groove on the tip surface and dividing the tip into a plurality of divided punches into the nozzle forming member. A method of manufacturing a liquid ejecting head, comprising forming a nozzle opening group composed of nozzle openings. A method of manufacturing a metal plate by punching a metal plate and opening a hole,
A method of manufacturing a metal plate, comprising: forming a groove on a front end surface and dividing the front end into a plurality of divided punches into the metal plate to simultaneously open a plurality of holes in the metal plate.

Images