JP2016107527A - Manufacturing method for liquid discharge head, liquid discharge head, and liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method for a liquid discharge head with which the liquid discharge head can be assembled more efficiently, inexpensively and with positional precision of a nozzle, and to provide a liquid discharge head and a liquid discharge device.SOLUTION: The manufacturing method for a liquid discharge head comprises: an applying step of applying an adhesive to a joined part on at least either one of a head unit 11 side and a holder 12 side; an assembling step of assembling the head unit and the holder by inserting positioning pins 35 through corresponding positioning holes 53 respectively, while positioning relatively the head unit and the holder; a temporarily fixing step of temporarily fastening the head unit to the holder by caulking protruding parts of the positioning pins inserted through the positioning holes; and a fully fixing step of curing the adhesive while the head unit is temporarily fastened to the holder.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head such as an ink jet recording head including a plurality of head units that discharge liquid from nozzles, a liquid discharge head manufactured by this manufacturing method, and a liquid discharge apparatus including the same. It is.

  As this liquid discharge head, for example, there is an ink jet recording head used in an image recording apparatus such as an ink jet recording apparatus, but recently, taking advantage of the feature that a very small amount of liquid can be accurately landed at a predetermined position. It is also applied to various manufacturing equipment. For example, a display manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, an electrode forming apparatus for forming an electrode such as an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display or FED (surface emitting display), a chip for manufacturing a biochip (biochemical element) Applied to manufacturing equipment. The recording head for the image recording apparatus ejects liquid ink, and the color material ejection head for the display manufacturing apparatus ejects a solution of each color material of R (Red), G (Green), and B (Blue). The electrode material discharge head for the electrode forming apparatus discharges a liquid electrode material, and the bioorganic discharge head for the chip manufacturing apparatus discharges a bioorganic solution.

  As the liquid ejection head, a configuration in which a plurality of head units are arranged on a support member (holder) has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a plurality of head units are fixed to a long substrate as a support member with an adhesive. In such a configuration, due to dimensional error of each member or deformation such as warpage and waviness, the fixing position of each head unit, particularly the height of the nozzle surface on which the nozzle is formed (direction perpendicular to the nozzle surface) If the position of the recording medium varies, the distance from the nozzle to the recording medium such as printing paper differs for each head unit, which may cause a deviation in the landing position of the ink with respect to the recording medium. As a result, there is a problem that the print quality is deteriorated. In order to prevent this, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, the height direction of the nozzle surface of each head unit is aligned, the thickness of the adhesive between each head unit and the support member, dimensional error, etc. The variation due to is adjusted (absorbed).

Japanese Patent No. 2006-256051

  In the above configuration, until the adhesive between the head unit and the support member is cured (during the curing process), the support arm to which the support member is attached and the positioning stage that supports the nozzle surface of the head unit are provided. It was necessary to hold the support member and the head unit by an assembling apparatus, that is, a jig. However, when such a jig is used, it takes a relatively long time until the adhesive is cured. Therefore, more jigs are required to process more workpieces per unit time. There was a problem that capital investment increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and the object thereof is a method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head, a liquid discharge head capable of being assembled more efficiently and inexpensively and with a high positional accuracy of nozzles, and The object is to provide a liquid ejection device.

[Means 1]
The present invention has been proposed to achieve the above object, and a liquid that fixes the relative positions of a head unit that discharges liquid from a nozzle formed on a nozzle surface and a holder that holds the head unit. A method for manufacturing a discharge head, comprising:
A positioning pin that defines a relative position with the holder is provided on a surface opposite to the nozzle surface of the head unit, and an insertion port through which the positioning pin is inserted into a position corresponding to the positioning pin. Are provided,
An application step of applying an adhesive to at least one joining portion of the head unit side and the holder side;
The assembling step of assembling the head unit and the holder in a state of relative positioning by inserting the positioning pin through the corresponding insertion port includes the protruding portion of the positioning pin inserted through the insertion port. The method includes a fixing step of fixing the head unit to the holder by caulking.

  According to the present invention, since the head unit is fixed to the holder by caulking the positioning pin, a jig for holding both the holder and the head unit until the adhesive is cured becomes unnecessary. For this reason, it becomes possible to suppress the capital investment for that amount. Further, since no jig is required, the liquid discharge head can be manufactured regardless of the curing time of the adhesive, and the manufacturing efficiency is improved.

[Means 2]
In the method of the above means 1, the method includes the step of joining the head unit to a fixing plate having an opening exposing the nozzle of the head unit.
In the assembling step, it is desirable that the fixing plate and the holder are assembled with an adhesive.

  According to this method, the head unit is joined to the fixed plate, and the fixed plate is fixed to the holder, whereby the relative position in the direction perpendicular to the nozzle surface of the head unit with respect to the holder is fixedly defined by the fixed plate. On the other hand, the relative position in the direction parallel to the nozzle surface of the head unit with respect to the holder is defined by inserting the positioning pin through the insertion port. Therefore, the head unit can be positioned easily and with high accuracy.

[Means 3]
In the method of the above means 1 or 2, the holder has a wall defining a space in which the head unit can be accommodated, and in the assembly step, the head unit is accommodated in the space, The end face of the wall and the fixing plate can be joined.

  According to this method, the positioning in the direction perpendicular to the nozzle surface of the head unit is completed by bringing the end face of the wall of the holder into contact with the fixing plate, which is simple and efficient.

The liquid discharge head of the present invention is manufactured by the method described in [Means 1] to [Means 3].
Furthermore, a liquid discharge apparatus according to the present invention includes the liquid discharge head.

  According to these inventions, in the configuration in which the head unit is fixed to the holder, since the head unit is fixed to the holder with high positional accuracy, the landing position deviation of the liquid ejected from the nozzle of the head unit with respect to the recording medium is suppressed. It becomes possible.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a recording head. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the recording head. It is a disassembled perspective view of a head unit. It is AA sectional view sectional drawing of a head unit. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the recording head corresponding to a cross section taken along line AA of the head unit in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the recording head corresponding to a cross section taken along line B-B of the head unit in FIG. 4. It is a top view of a holder. FIG. 6 is a process diagram for describing an assembly process of a recording head. It is process drawing explaining a temporary fixing process.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying 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, an ink jet printer (hereinafter simply referred to as printer 1) equipped with an ink jet recording head (hereinafter simply referred to as recording head 3), which is a kind of liquid ejection head, as the liquid ejection apparatus of the present invention. )) As an example.

  First, the configuration of the printer 1 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The printer 1 is an apparatus for recording an image or the like by ejecting liquid ink onto the surface of a recording medium 2 such as a recording paper or a synthetic resin film. The printer 1 includes a recording head 3, a control device 4, a transport mechanism 5, and the like. The control device 4 comprehensively controls each unit constituting the printer 1. The transport mechanism 5 transports the recording medium 2 from the paper feed side to the paper discharge side (from the upper side to the lower side in FIG. 1) under the control of the control device 4. Further, the printer 1 is mounted with an ink cartridge 6 filled with ink. The recording head 3 is a so-called line-type recording head that discharges ink supplied from the ink cartridge 6 side to the recording medium 2 from a plurality of nozzles 7 under the control of the control device 4. As will be described later, the recording head 3 is configured by fixing a plurality of head units 11 to a fixed plate 10 and joining the fixed plate to a holder 12.

  FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the recording head 3. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the recording head 3, and corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. In FIG. 2, the holder 12, the head unit 11, and the fixing plate 10 are mainly illustrated. The recording head 3 in the present embodiment is provided with an ink introduction substrate 9, a flow path plate 14, a filter substrate 16, a seal member 17, a fixing plate, a plurality of head units 11, a holder (support member) 12, and the like stacked. ing. In the following, for convenience, the stacking direction of each member will be described as the vertical direction.

  The ink introduction substrate 9 is a member into which ink is introduced, and a plurality of ink introduction needles 9a are erected on the upper surface thereof. The ink introduction needle 9a is provided for each ink color. Both the ink introduction substrate 9 and the ink introduction needle 9a are made of synthetic resin. In the present embodiment, a sub tank (not shown) that stores ink from the ink cartridge 6 is mounted on the upper surface of the ink introduction substrate 9, and the ink introduction needle 9a is inserted into the sub tank. . The ink in the sub tank is introduced into the internal flow path from the opening Op provided at the tip of the ink introduction needle 9a. When ink is introduced from the ink introduction needle 9 a, it is supplied to the flow path plate 14 disposed below the ink introduction substrate 9. The ink introduction needle 9a is not limited to a configuration in which the ink introduction needle 9a is inserted into an ink storage member such as a sub tank. For example, a porous material such as a nonwoven fabric or a sponge is disposed in the ink introduction portion of the ink introduction substrate 9, and the ink cartridge or sub tank It is also possible to employ a so-called foam-type configuration in which a similar porous material is provided in the ink lead-out portion and ink is transferred by bringing both porous members into contact with each other.

  The flow path plate 14 is a substrate on which an intermediate flow path (not shown) that guides the ink introduced from the ink introduction needle 9a to the head unit 11 side is formed. The intermediate flow path opens on the lower surface of the flow path plate 14 and communicates with the filter chamber 15 a of the filter substrate 16 provided below the flow path plate 14. The filter substrate 16 is a plate material provided with a filter 15 and a filter chamber 15a. The filter chamber 15a is a space whose diameter is increased from the downstream side (head unit 11 side) to the upstream side (channel plate 14 side). The filter 15 is fixed so as to close the upstream opening of the filter chamber 15a. The filter 15 is a member that filters ink flowing down the flow path. For example, a material in which a metal is finely knitted in a mesh shape or a thin metal plate material in which a large number of through holes are formed by plastic working is used. . When bubbles or foreign matters are mixed in the ink, the bubbles or foreign matters are prevented from being trapped in the filter chamber 15a by the filter 15 and flowing into the head unit 11 side. A lead-out path 16a is opened at the bottom of the filter chamber 15a. The lower end of the lead-out path 16a communicates with the ink supply port 52 of the holder 12 through a communication hole 17a of the seal member 17 described later. Therefore, the ink flowing into the filter chamber 15a from the flow path plate 14 side is filtered by the filter 15 and then flows into the ink supply port 52 through the outlet path 16a.

  A seal member 17 is disposed between the filter substrate 16 and the holder 12. The seal member 17 is a thin plate-like member made of, for example, an elastic material such as elastomer or rubber, and a communication hole 17a is opened at a position corresponding to the lead-out path 16a of the filter substrate 16. The communication hole 17 a is disposed between the lower end opening of the outlet path 16 a in the filter substrate 16 and the upper end opening of the ink supply port 52 of the holder 12. Then, the opening peripheral edge of the communication hole 17a is in close contact with the peripheral edge of both openings by the elasticity of the seal member 17, thereby communicating the outlet path 16a and the ink supply port 52 in a liquid-tight state.

  As shown in FIG. 2, inside the holder 12, a plurality of accommodation empty portions 13 that are spaces in which the head unit 11 can be accommodated are partitioned. The accommodation space 13 has an opening on the lower surface side (side facing the recording medium 2 during the printing operation in the printer 1), and the head unit 11 joined to the fixed plate 10 from the opening is accommodated. The fixed plate 10 is made of, for example, a metal plate material such as stainless steel. As the material of the fixing plate 10, a relatively high-rigidity metal is suitable, but stainless steel such as SUS430 and SUS304 having a relatively small linear expansion coefficient is more suitable from the viewpoint of suppressing thermal deformation. The thickness of the fixing plate 10 is set to, for example, a dimension within a range of 50 [μm] to 1000 [μm], for example, 80 [μm]. Further, the dimension in the longitudinal direction of the fixed plate 10 is set to be longer than the width of the maximum size recording medium 2 that can be printed by the printer 1. Hereinafter, one surface of the fixed plate 10 is referred to as a first surface 10a, and the surface to which the head unit 11 is joined is referred to as a second surface 10b. The recording head 3 is disposed in the printer 1 in a posture in which the first surface 10a of the fixed plate 10 is opposed to a support member (also called a platen) (not shown) that supports the recording medium 2 to be printed from the back side.

  The head unit 11 includes a nozzle plate 23 in which a nozzle row 8 (8a, 8b) formed by arranging a plurality of nozzles 7 is formed, a piezoelectric element 40 that functions as a drive source for ejecting ink from the nozzle 7, and the like. It is a unitized head chip. As shown in FIG. 1, each head unit 11 is placed on the second surface 10 b of the fixed plate 10 in a posture along the direction in which the nozzle row 8 intersects the conveyance direction of the recording medium 2 (width direction of the recording medium 2). Fixed. In the present embodiment, each head unit 11 is divided into a first group and a second group that are different from each other in the arrangement position of the fixed plate 10 in the recording medium conveyance direction. These groups are also different in arrangement position in the nozzle row direction. That is, the head units 11 are arranged alternately (staggered arrangement).

  FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the configuration of the head unit 11, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. Since all of the plurality of head units 11 have the same configuration, one head unit 11 will be described as a representative. The head unit 11 includes a pressure chamber substrate 19, an actuator substrate 20, a protective substrate 21, and a case 22 stacked in this order on the upper surface side (holder 12 side) of the flow path substrate 18, and the lower surface side of the flow path substrate 18. The nozzle plate 23 and the compliance substrate 24 are joined to each other. These constituent members are joined to each other by an adhesive.

  The nozzle plate 23 is a plate material in which a plurality of nozzles 7 are opened along a direction corresponding to the width direction of the recording medium 2. As the material of the nozzle plate 23, for example, a silicon single crystal substrate or a metal plate such as stainless steel is preferably used. A total of two nozzle rows 8a and 8b are formed on the nozzle plate 23 in the present embodiment. The total length (total extension) of the nozzle row 8a of each head unit 11 in the recording medium width direction exceeds the width of the maximum printable recording medium 2. Similarly, the total length in the recording medium width direction of the nozzle row 8b of each head unit 11 also exceeds the maximum width of the recording medium 2. That is, the nozzles 7 of the head units 11 are distributed so that printing on the maximum size recording medium 2 is possible. Then, by ejecting ink from each nozzle 7 of the head unit 11 in synchronization with the conveyance of the recording medium 2 by the conveyance mechanism 5, an image, text, or the like is recorded (printed) on the recording medium 2. The lower surface of the nozzle plate 23 (the surface on the recording medium 2 side during printing operation) corresponds to the nozzle surface in the present invention. Each head unit 11 has a configuration (structure) corresponding to each of the nozzle row 8a and the nozzle row 8b. Since both configurations are substantially common, in the following description, one nozzle row 8a is assigned to one nozzle row 8a. Focusing on the corresponding configuration, the description of the configuration corresponding to the other nozzle row 8b is omitted for convenience.

  The flow path substrate 18 is a flat plate member that forms a flow path through which ink flows. The flow path substrate 18 in the present embodiment is composed of a silicon single crystal substrate or the like elongated along the nozzle row direction, and includes a common communication path 25 extending along the substrate longitudinal direction, a plurality of individual supply paths 26, A plurality of nozzle communication passages 27 are formed. The individual supply path 26 and the nozzle communication path 27 are through holes formed for each nozzle 7 and each pressure chamber 37. On the other hand, the common communication path 25 is an opening common to the plurality of nozzles 7 and the pressure chamber 37, and is provided for each nozzle row in the present embodiment. The flow path substrate 18 is configured by forming each through hole and opening with respect to a silicon single crystal substrate by a photolithography technique.

  The compliance substrate 24 has a double structure in which a flexible film 28 and a support 29 are laminated. The flexible film 28 is a sheet-like (film-like) member having flexibility. The support 29 is made of, for example, a relatively rigid metal plate such as stainless steel. In the support 29, a compliance opening 31 that allows the displacement of the flexible film 28 is opened in a portion corresponding to the common communication path 25 of the flow path substrate 18 and the lower surface side opening of each individual supply path 26. Yes. In the present embodiment, an opening 31 for exposing the nozzle plate 23 is formed in the center portion of the compliance substrate 24. The compliance substrate 24 is bonded to the lower surface of the flow path substrate 18 with the flexible film 28 sealing the common communication path 25 and the lower surface side opening of each individual supply path 26. The nozzle plate 23 is bonded to the flow path substrate 18 in a state where each nozzle 7 communicates with the corresponding nozzle communication path 27 in the opening 31 of the compliance substrate 24.

  On the upper surface of the flow path substrate 18, that is, the surface opposite to the nozzle plate 23 and the compliance substrate 24 side, a pressure chamber substrate 19, an actuator substrate 20, and a protective substrate 21 are stacked in this order. The case 22 is joined in a state of including the substrates 19 to 21 (hereinafter, these substrates are collectively referred to as a pressure generating unit as appropriate). The case 22 is formed by, for example, synthetic resin injection molding. In the case 22 in the present embodiment, a liquid chamber empty portion 32 extending along the nozzle row direction is formed on the side of the accommodating portion of the pressure generating unit, and the case 22 communicates with the liquid chamber empty portion 32. An introduction opening 33 is formed in the upper surface. Further, a wiring opening 34 communicating with the accommodating portion of the pressure generating unit is formed in the central portion of the case 22. The liquid chamber cavity 32 is a recess having an opening shape corresponding to the common communication path 25 of the flow path substrate 18. When the flow path substrate 18 and the case 22 are joined in a positioned state, the liquid chamber empty portion 32 and the common communication path 25 communicate with each other, and both function as a so-called reservoir (common liquid chamber). The wiring opening 34 is a rectangular opening that is long in the nozzle row direction and communicates with a wiring space 45 provided in the protective substrate 21 described later. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the upper surface of the case 22, that is, the surface opposite to the bonding surface with the flow path substrate 18, the wiring openings 34 are opposite to the holder 12 on both sides in the nozzle row direction. A pair of positioning pins 35 that define the position are provided upright. Details of the process of attaching the head unit 11 to the holder 12 using the positioning pins 35 will be described later.

  A pressure chamber substrate 19 is joined to a region inside the upper surface of the common communication passage 25 on the upper surface of the flow path substrate 18. The pressure chamber substrate 19 is formed with empty portions that correspond to the nozzles 7 and serve as a plurality of pressure chambers 37. Hereinafter, the pressure chamber 37 including this empty portion is also described. The pressure chamber substrate 15 is also made of a silicon single crystal substrate, like the flow path substrate 18. The pressure chamber 37 is an empty portion that is long in a direction orthogonal to the nozzle row direction, and in a state where the flow path substrate 18 and the pressure chamber substrate 19 are positioned and joined, the individual supply path 26 and the nozzle communication path 27 are formed. And communicate with each other. Accordingly, the reservoir (common communication path 25), the individual supply path 26, the pressure chamber 37, the nozzle communication path 27, and the nozzle 7 communicate in series.

  An actuator substrate 20 is laminated on the upper surface of the pressure chamber substrate 19 opposite to the flow path substrate 18 side. The actuator substrate 20 includes a vibration plate (elastic film) 39 and a piezoelectric element 40. The diaphragm 39 is a flexible member joined to the pressure chamber substrate 19 in a state in which the upper opening of the pressure chamber 37 is sealed. A portion of the vibration plate 39 corresponding to the upper opening of the pressure chamber 37 functions as a flexible surface. At a position corresponding to the flexible surface of the diaphragm 39, for example, a piezoelectric element 40 in which a lower electrode, a piezoelectric body, and an upper electrode are sequentially laminated is formed. That is, a plurality of piezoelectric elements 40 are formed corresponding to each pressure chamber 37. The piezoelectric element 40 is deformed (bent) when a drive signal is applied through a wiring substrate 43 described later. The volume of the pressure chamber 37 changes as the flexible surface of the diaphragm 39 is displaced according to the deformation of the piezoelectric element 40. By controlling the volume change of the pressure chamber 37, it is possible to cause a pressure fluctuation in the ink in the pressure chamber 37, and it is possible to eject ink from the nozzle 7 using this pressure fluctuation.

  Further, on the vibration plate 39, a protective substrate 21 having a concave portion 42 that is a space having a size that does not hinder the displacement is bonded to a region facing the piezoelectric element 40. A wiring space 45 through which the wiring substrate 18 is inserted is formed in the central portion of the protective substrate 21. The wiring space 45 communicates with the wiring through hole 34 of the case 22 in series. The wiring substrate 43 is electrically connected to the terminal portion of the piezoelectric element 40 exposed in the wiring space 45 of the protective substrate 21, and is drawn out of the head unit 11 through the wiring through hole 34.

  6 and 7 are cross-sectional views in a state where the head unit 11 is assembled to the holder 12, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the line AA in FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 is a line BB in FIG. FIG. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the lower surface side of the holder 12. In FIG. 7, the head unit 11 is shown in white for convenience. 6 and 7 show a configuration corresponding to one head unit. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, each head unit 11 is fixed to the second surface 10 b of the fixing plate 10. A plurality of nozzle exposure openings 46 (corresponding to openings in the present invention) having an opening shape following the outer shape of the nozzle plate 23 are formed in the fixing plate 10 corresponding to each head unit 11. Each head unit 11 is bonded to the second surface 10b of the fixing plate 10 with an adhesive in a state where the nozzle plate 23 is positioned in the nozzle exposure opening 46.

  The holder 12 in this embodiment includes a base surface 47 that forms the upper surface of the holder 12, side walls 48 that extend downward from the four sides of the base surface 47, and a head unit together with these side walls 48. And a partition wall 49 that partitions the 11 accommodation cavities 13 and is integrally molded by, for example, injection molding of synthetic resin. These walls 48 and 49 correspond to the walls in the present invention. Each side wall 48 is formed to have a rectangular frame shape following the outer shape of the fixed plate 10 in plan view. Further, the partition wall 49 is formed inside the side wall 48. Each head unit 11 fixed to the fixing plate 10 is accommodated in the accommodating space 13 inside the holder 12, and on the end surfaces of the partition wall 49 and the side wall 48 (the end surface opposite to the base surface 47), The second surface 10 b of the fixing plate 10 is fixed by the adhesive 50. For example, an epoxy adhesive is used as the adhesive 50.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, a plurality of protrusions 44 are formed on the end surfaces of the side wall 48 and the partition wall 49 of the holder 12. These protrusions 44 are portions protruding from the end surfaces of the walls 48 and 49 toward the fixed plate 10 and are provided at positions spaced apart from each other at a substantially constant interval. As the shape of the protrusion 44, various shapes such as a columnar shape, a quadrangular prism shape, a hemispherical shape, and the like can be adopted as long as the heights are uniform. When the fixing plate 10 is joined to the holder 12, the second surface 10 b of the fixing plate 10 comes into contact with these protrusions 44, so that the fixing plate 10 for the holder 12 and each head unit 11 fixed to the holder 12 are fixed. A position in the height direction (a direction perpendicular to the fixing plate 10) is defined, and a gap for holding the adhesive 50 is secured between the second surface 10b of the fixing plate and the end surfaces of the walls 48 and 49 of the holder. Is done. In this way, by joining the plurality of head units 11 to the fixed plate 10, the positions in the direction perpendicular to the nozzle surface between the head units 11 are made uniform.

  In the base surface 47 of the holder 12, a plurality of wiring slits 51 are opened corresponding to the wiring through holes 34 of the head units 11. In the state where the head unit 11 is accommodated in the accommodating space 13, the wiring slit 51 communicates with the wiring through hole 34 and the wiring space 45 of the head unit 11. Then, the other end side of the wiring substrate 43 whose one end is connected to the terminal portion of the piezoelectric element 40 is pulled out of the recording head 3 through the wiring slit 51. A relay board (not shown) is disposed on the upper surface side of the holder 12, and the terminal of the relay board and the terminal portion on the other end side of the wiring board 43 are electrically connected.

  On the base surface 47 of the holder 12, ink supply ports 52 are respectively opened at positions corresponding to the introduction openings 33 of the head unit 11 accommodated in the accommodation space 13. The ink supply port 52 and the introduction opening 33 communicate with each other with an adhesive 54 applied along the periphery of the introduction opening 33. That is, the opening peripheral portion of the introduction opening 33 and the opening peripheral portion on the downstream side of the ink supply port 52 are joint portions of the head unit 11 and the holder 12, respectively, and the head unit 11 is interposed via the adhesive 54 therebetween. And the holder 12 are joined. The ink sent from the ink cartridge 6 passes through the flow path plate 14 and the filter chamber 15 a and is introduced into the flow path in the head unit 11 through the ink supply port 52 and the introduction opening 33. As the adhesive 54, for example, a silicon-based adhesive is used.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a pair of positioning holes 53a and 53b (in the present invention) are provided at positions corresponding to the positioning pins 35 erected on the upper surface of the case 22 of the head unit 11 on the base surface 47 of the holder 12. Equivalent to the insertion port in). In the present embodiment, one positioning hole 53a of the paired positioning holes 53a and 53b is formed in a perfect circle in a plan view aligned with the outer diameter of the positioning pin 35, and the other positioning hole 53b. Is formed in a long hole in which the inner method in the direction in which the positioning holes are arranged is set longer than the diameter of the positioning pin 53. That is, by making the other positioning hole 53 a long hole, an error in the distance between the positioning pins 53 of the head unit 11 can be dealt with. When the head unit 11 is accommodated in the accommodating space 13 of the holder 12, the positioning pins 35 are inserted into the corresponding positioning holes 53, so that the relative position of the head unit 11 with respect to the holder 12, specifically, the nozzle A position in a direction corresponding to the row direction and the conveyance direction of the recording medium 2 is defined. The position of each head unit 11 in the height direction (perpendicular to the nozzle plate 23) with respect to the holder 12 is such that the second surface 10b of the fixing plate 10 is on the lower surface of the holder 12 (the end surfaces of the side walls 48 and the partition walls 49). It is prescribed | regulated by making it contact | abut each protrusion part 44) provided. Thus, the adhesive 50 between the fixing plate 10 and the holder 12 and the adhesive 54 between the head unit 11 and the holder 12 are cured in a state where the relative position between the head unit 11 and the holder 12 is defined. Thus, the head unit 11 can be fixed to the holder 12 with high positional accuracy.

Next, the assembly process of the recording head 3 will be described.
FIG. 9 is a process diagram illustrating a process of assembling the fixing plate 10, the head unit 11, and the holder 12. As shown in FIG. 9A, first, the plurality of head units 11 are fixed to the fixing plate 10. In this step, the fixed plate 10 is placed on the surface plate 56 with the first surface 10 a facing the surface plate 56 side and the second surface 10 b facing the opposite side of the surface plate 56. In this state, as shown in FIG. 9B, each head unit 11 is bonded to the second surface 10 b of the fixing plate 10 with an adhesive in a state where the nozzle plate 23 is positioned in the nozzle exposure opening 46. The Next, an adhesive 54 (see FIG. 6) is applied to the peripheral edge portion of the introduction opening 33 of each head unit 11 (corresponding to the adhesive application step in the present invention). The adhesive 54 that joins the head unit 11 and the holder 12 may be applied to at least one of the head unit 11 side or the holder 12 side. For example, the adhesive 54 is applied to the opening peripheral edge on the downstream side of the ink supply port 52. It can also be set as the structure made. In addition, the adhesive 50 (see FIG. 6) is also applied to a portion of the second surface 10b of the fixing plate 10 where the end surfaces of the side wall 48 and the partition wall 49 of the holder 12 come into contact.

Subsequently, in a state where each head unit 11 is housed in the corresponding housing space 13, the protrusions 44 provided on the end surfaces of the side wall 48 and the partition wall 49 of the holder 12 are formed on the second surface 10 b of the fixing plate 10. The holder 12 is assembled to the fixed plate 10 so as to abut (an assembling process). At this time, as described above, the positioning pin 35 of the head unit 11 is inserted into the positioning hole 53 of the holder 12, so that the relative position of the head unit 11 with respect to the holder 12, specifically, the nozzle row direction and the recording medium 2. A position in a direction corresponding to the transport direction (that is, a position in a direction parallel to the nozzle surface) is defined. In this way, positioning in the direction perpendicular to the nozzle surface of the head unit 11 is completed by bringing the end surfaces (projections 44) of the walls 48 and 49 of the holder 12 into contact with the fixing plate 10, so that it is simple and efficient. It is. On the other hand, the relative position of the holder 12 in the direction parallel to the nozzle surface of the head unit 11 is defined by inserting the positioning pin 35 through the positioning hole 53. Therefore, the head unit 11 can be positioned easily and with high accuracy.
Here, it is necessary to maintain the positioned state until the adhesive 54 between the head unit 11 and the holder 12 and the adhesive 50 between the fixing plate 10 and the holder 12 are cured. Conventionally, when these members are held using a jig, this embodiment is characterized in that it is fixed (temporarily fixed) using the positioning pins 35 of the head unit 11. ing.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining a temporary fixing process of the head unit 11 to the holder 12 (corresponding to the fixing process in the present invention). As shown in FIG. 10A, when the positioning pins 35 are inserted into the positioning holes 53 and the head units 11 are positioned and accommodated in the accommodating empty portions 13, the tip portions of the positioning pins 35 are positioned. It protrudes from the hole 53 to the outside (upward) of the holder 12. In this state, the tip of the positioning pin 35 (the protruding portion from the positioning hole 53) is pressed downward, that is, toward the fixed plate 10 by the caulking horn 57 that applies ultrasonic vibration. Then, the ultrasonic vibration is applied by the caulking horn 57 to heat and melt the distal end portion of the positioning pin 35, and the melted portion deforms following the shape of the distal end surface of the caulking horn 57. . When released from the pressurization by the caulking horn 57, as shown in FIG. 10B, the deformed portion hardens quickly (for example, in several seconds) with the upper opening of the positioning hole 53 closed. The diameter of the deformed portion is larger than the inner diameter of the positioning hole 53. As a result, the deformed portion of the positioning pin 35 is prevented from coming off from the positioning hole 53. That is, the head unit 11 is temporarily secured to the holder 12 by caulking the protruding portion of the positioning pin 35. Therefore, the position is maintained until the adhesive 54 between the head unit 11 and the holder 12 and the adhesive 50 between the fixing plate 10 and the holder 12 are cured. This eliminates the need for jigs. Fixing by such heat caulking is relatively easy, and devices (such as the caulking horn 57) necessary for this are relatively inexpensive. As a result, capital investment can be suppressed as compared with the conventional configuration. Further, since no jig is required, the recording head 3 can be manufactured without being affected by the curing time of the adhesive, and the manufacturing efficiency is improved.

  By leaving the head unit 11 temporarily attached to the holder 12 by caulking the positioning pins 35 as described above and leaving it at room temperature, the adhesive 54 between the head unit 11 and the holder 12, the fixing plate 10, The adhesive 50 between the holder 12 is cured. Thereby, the fixing plate 10 and each head unit 11 attached to the holder 12 are fixed to the holder 12 with high positional accuracy (main fixing step). Thereafter, the process proceeds to the next step, and the seal member 17, the filter substrate 16, the flow path plate 14, the ink introduction substrate 9 and the like are attached. The recording head 3 is assembled as described above.

  And in the structure which fixed the head unit 11 to the holder 12 like the said recording head 3 and the printer 1 provided with this, since the head unit 11 is being fixed to the holder 12 with sufficient positional accuracy, from the nozzle 7 of the head unit 11 It is possible to suppress the landing position deviation of the ejected ink with respect to the recording medium 2. As a result, it is possible to reduce deterioration in image quality of recorded images and the like.

  In the above embodiment, a configuration in which a total of six head units 11 are attached to the holder 12 in a state of being fixed to the fixed plate 10 is illustrated, but the number of head units 11 is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to a configuration in which only one head unit 11 is attached to the holder 12. In this case, the fixing plate 10 may not necessarily be used, and the head unit 11 may be directly fixed to the holder 12.

  Further, as the recording head 3 in the above embodiment, a so-called line-type recording head that discharges ink without scanning in the width direction with respect to the recording medium 2 has been exemplified, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the width of the recording medium 2 is not limited thereto. The present invention can be similarly applied to a so-called serial type recording head that ejects ink while reciprocally scanning in a direction.

  In the above description, the ink jet recording head 3 which is a kind of liquid discharge head has been described as an example, but the present invention is also applicable to other liquid discharge heads adopting a configuration in which the head unit is fixed to a holder. be able to. For example, color material discharge heads used for the production of color filters such as liquid crystal displays, electrode material discharge heads used for electrode formation such as organic EL (Electro Luminescence) displays, FEDs (surface emitting displays), biochips (biochemical elements) The present invention can also be applied to bioorganic discharge heads used in the production of

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer, 2 ... Recording medium, 3 ... Recording head, 7 ... Nozzle, 8 ... Nozzle row, 10 ... Fixed plate, 11 ... Head unit, 12 ... Holder, 13 ... Accommodating empty part, 18 ... Channel board, 19 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Pressure chamber formation board, 20 ... Actuator board, 21 ... Protection board, 22 ... Case, 23 ... Nozzle plate, 33 ... Introduction opening, 34 ... Opening for wiring, 35 ... Positioning pin, 40 ... Piezoelectric element, 43 ... Wiring board , 44 ... Projection, 46 ... Nozzle exposure opening, 47 ... Base surface, 48 ... Side wall, 49 ... Partition wall, 50 ... Adhesive, 51 ... Wiring slit, 52 ... Ink supply port, 53 ... Positioning hole, 54 ... Adhesive, 56 ... Surface plate, 57 ... Caulking horn

Claims (5)

A liquid discharge head manufacturing method for fixing a relative position between a head unit for discharging liquid from a nozzle formed on a nozzle surface and a holder for holding the head unit,
A positioning pin that defines a relative position with the holder is provided on a surface opposite to the nozzle surface of the head unit, and an insertion port through which the positioning pin is inserted into a position corresponding to the positioning pin. Are provided,
An application step of applying an adhesive to at least one joining portion of the head unit side and the holder side;
The assembling step of assembling the head unit and the holder in a state of relative positioning by inserting the positioning pin through the corresponding insertion port includes the protruding portion of the positioning pin inserted through the insertion port. A method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head, comprising a fixing step of fixing the head unit to the holder by caulking. Joining the head unit to a fixed plate having an opening exposing the nozzle of the head unit;
The method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein in the assembling step, the fixing plate and the holder are assembled with an adhesive. The holder has a wall defining a space capable of accommodating the head unit;
3. The method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head according to claim 2, wherein, in the assembly step, the end surface of the wall and the fixing plate are joined in a state where the head unit is accommodated in the space.   A liquid discharge head manufactured by the manufacturing method according to claim 1.   A liquid discharge apparatus comprising the liquid discharge head according to claim 4.

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