JP2018051502A - Droplet discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for discharging a flowable material of a high viscosity in minute liquid droplets without hindrance.SOLUTION: When a flowable material is discharged from a discharge port by the movement of a movable body built in a storage part for storing the flowable material, a discharge passage from a communication part communicating with the storage part to a discharge part is formed to have a channel diameter larger than the opening diameter of the discharge port. In addition, the distance along the moving direction of the movable body from the communication part to the contour of the storage part is made longer than the passage length from the communication part through the discharge passage to the discharge port.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a droplet discharge device.

  Conventionally, various droplet discharge devices for discharging a fluid material as droplets from a discharge port have been proposed. In such a droplet discharge device, by reciprocating a plunger rod, which is a valve body, in the discharge portion of the fluid material, an inertial force is applied to the liquid in the discharge portion, and the fluid material is dropped from the discharge port. (For example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-282740 A

  The droplet discharge device as described in Patent Document 1 described above is used in, for example, a 3D printer that forms a three-dimensional object. The three-dimensional object has a modeling shape determined by depositing the ejected droplets in close contact with each other. Therefore, in order to improve the modeling quality, it is required to eject a highly viscous fluid material as minute droplets. . Although the droplet size can be reduced by reducing the diameter of the discharge port, the following problems are pointed out because the fluid material pushed toward the small diameter discharge port is highly viscous. Arrived.

  The high-viscosity flowable material is pushed toward the small-diameter discharge port along the direction of movement of the plunger rod, so the discharge port is short in order to ensure the passage of the high-viscosity flowable material at the discharge port. It is desirable that For this reason, the thickness of the formation part of the discharge port along the moving direction of the plunger rod is thin. As a result, the force generated by the movement of the plunger rod is directly applied to the formation portion of the thin discharge port, so that there is a concern that the formation portion of the discharge port is deformed, resulting in discharge failure. For these reasons, there has been a demand for a technique for ejecting a high-viscosity fluid material as fine droplets without hindrance.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms.

(1) According to an aspect of the present invention, a droplet discharge device is provided. The droplet discharge device is a droplet discharge device that discharges a fluid material as droplets, and includes a storage portion that stores the fluid material, a communication portion that communicates with the storage portion, and the fluid material. A discharge channel forming portion that has a discharge port that discharges to the outside, and that forms a discharge channel from the communication portion to the discharge port with a channel diameter larger than the opening diameter of the discharge port; and And a movable body that is incorporated so as to be movable in the direction of the communication portion, and that discharges the fluid material from the discharge port by movement in the direction of the communication portion. The discharge flow path forming section is configured such that the distance from the communication section to the outer wall of the housing section along the moving direction of the moving body is a flow from the communication section to the discharge port via the discharge flow path. The shape is longer than the road length.

  The droplet discharge device of this embodiment can reduce the diameter of the discharge port by making the opening diameter of the discharge port smaller than the channel diameter of the discharge channel, thereby enabling the discharge of minute droplets. To do. In this form of the droplet discharge device, the distance from the communicating portion to the outer contour of the accommodating portion along the moving direction of the moving body is made longer than the channel length from the communicating portion to the discharge port via the discharge channel. The discharge port is positioned away from the straight line extending in the moving direction of the moving body from the communicating portion, and the discharging port is not formed in the outer portion of the accommodating portion along the moving direction of the moving body from the communicating portion. Further, in this form of the droplet discharge device, the distance from the communication portion to the outline of the accommodating portion along the moving direction of the moving body is longer than the flow path length from the communication portion to the discharge port via the discharge flow channel. In this way, the thickness of the portion extending from the end of the discharge flow channel to the outline of the accommodating portion is ensured. Since the part extending from the end of the discharge channel to the outline of the housing portion forms the discharge port forming part, the strength of the discharge port forming part can be increased and the deformation of the discharge port can be suppressed. As a result, according to the droplet discharge device of this embodiment, it is possible to suitably discharge a highly viscous fluid material as fine droplets.

(2) In the droplet discharge device of the above aspect, the discharge flow path is bent or curved with respect to the moving direction of the movable body between the communication portion and the discharge port to reach the discharge port. It may be. If it carries out like this, the thickness of the site | part from the terminal of a discharge flow path to the outline of an accommodating part will be ensured easily, the intensity | strength improvement of the formation part of a discharge port and the deformation | transformation suppression of a discharge port will become easy.

(3) In the droplet discharge device of the above aspect, the discharge flow path may be bent at an angle of 45 ° to 90 ° with respect to the moving direction of the movable body to reach the discharge port. If it carries out like this, the thickness of the site | part from the terminal of a discharge flow path to the outline of an accommodating part will be ensured more reliably and easily, the intensity | strength improvement of the formation part of a discharge port and the deformation | transformation suppression of a discharge port will become easy.

  A plurality of constituent elements of each embodiment of the present invention described above are not essential, and some or all of the effects described in the present specification are to be solved to solve part or all of the above-described problems. In order to achieve the above, it is possible to appropriately change, delete, replace with a new component, and partially delete the limited contents of some of the plurality of components. In order to solve some or all of the above-described problems or achieve some or all of the effects described in this specification, technical features included in one embodiment of the present invention described above. A part or all of the technical features included in the other aspects of the present invention described above may be combined to form an independent form of the present invention.

  In addition, the present invention can be realized in various modes, and can be realized in the form of, for example, a three-dimensional object forming apparatus, an image forming apparatus, and a printing apparatus.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of the droplet discharge apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the discharge part of a droplet discharge apparatus seeing from the arrow A direction in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which roughly views the main dimensional relationship of the discharge part in 1st Embodiment goods. It is explanatory drawing which views roughly the main dimensional relationship of the discharge part in 2nd Embodiment goods. It is explanatory drawing which views roughly the main dimensional relationship of the discharge part in the 1st comparative example goods. It is explanatory drawing which views roughly the main dimensional relationship of the discharge part in the 2nd comparative example goods. It is explanatory drawing which compares and shows the discharge effect of embodiment goods and a comparative example goods.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a droplet discharge device 100A according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a discharge unit 110 of the droplet discharge device 100A as viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. . FIG. 1 shows an arrow G indicating the direction of gravity (vertical direction) when the droplet discharge device 100A is arranged in a normal use state. In the present specification, “upper” or “lower” means a direction based on the vertical direction. Arrow G is also illustrated in FIGS. Note that FIG. 1 and FIGS. 3 to 6 to be described later schematically show the apparatus configuration, and the shape shown does not reflect the actual size.

  The droplet discharge device 100A of this embodiment is a so-called 3D printer, and discharges the liquid LM, which is a fluid material, as droplets from the discharge unit 110 toward the modeling stage 150. “Droplet” refers to the state of the liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting apparatus, and includes those that have tails in the form of particles, tears, and threads. A specific example of the liquid LM will be described later.

  The droplet discharge device 100A forms a three-dimensional object by stacking layers obtained by solidifying the liquid LM on the modeling stage 150. In the present embodiment, the modeling stage 150, which is a droplet landing target for modeling a three-dimensional object, is a processing target to which droplets are attached for modeling a three-dimensional object. The droplet discharge device 100A includes a control unit 101, a supply unit 130, a moving mechanism 155, and an energy applying unit 160 in addition to the discharge unit 110 and the modeling stage 150.

  The control unit 101 controls the overall operation of the droplet discharge device 100A including the reciprocation of the valve body 113 described later. The control unit 101 is configured by a microcomputer including at least a CPU 102 and a memory 103. The CPU 102 exhibits various functions by reading and executing a program stored in the memory 103. This program may be recorded on various recording media such as a hard disk, a flash memory, and a DVD-ROM.

  A computer 200 is connected to the control unit 101. The control unit 101 receives data MD for modeling a three-dimensional object from the computer 200. The data MD includes data representing the discharge position of the liquid LM in each layer stacked in the height direction of the three-dimensional object. Based on the data MD, the control unit 101 determines processing conditions such as the timing at which the liquid droplets of the liquid LM are discharged to the discharge unit 110 and the landing positions of the liquid droplets on the modeling stage 150. The control unit 101 may acquire the data MD directly not via the computer 200 but via a network or a recording medium.

  The discharge unit 110 is a so-called head unit and is disposed horizontally as shown in the figure, and discharges the liquid LM in the vertical direction under the control of the control unit 101. The discharge unit 110 includes a main body 111 that is a hollow container and a discharge mechanism 112 for discharging the liquid LM. The main body 111 is made of stainless steel, for example. The discharge mechanism 112 is accommodated in the main body 111. The discharge mechanism 112 includes a valve body 113 and a drive unit 114. The drive unit 114 includes a piezo element 115 that is a piezoelectric element, and an urging member 116.

  The internal space of the main body 111 is divided into a storage chamber 121 and a drive chamber 125 by a partition wall 111s. The storage chamber 121 is located on the right side of the main body 111 in the horizontal direction, and the drive chamber 125 is located on the left side in the horizontal direction. The storage chamber 121 stores the liquid LM. An inlet 122 for allowing the liquid LM supplied from the supply unit 130 to flow in is provided on the side wall of the storage chamber 121. In FIG. 1, the inflow port 122 is formed as a through hole that opens in the vertical direction. However, the inflow port 122 is not limited to the vertical direction, and may be a through hole that opens in the horizontal direction on the front side or the front side of the paper. Or a through hole inclined with respect to the vertical direction.

  The bottom surface 121b of the storage chamber 121 forms a tapered inclined wall surface that is recessed toward the center, and a discharge channel 124 for guiding the liquid LM to the discharge port 123 is provided at the lowest portion in the center. Is formed. The discharge channel 124 is a channel to the discharge port 123, and the center of the tapered inclined wall surface is a communication part 124a communicating with the storage chamber 121. In this embodiment, the communication part 124a is a valve described later. It becomes a movement end point described later when the body 113 moves for discharging the liquid LM. The discharge part 110 is provided with this discharge flow path 124 along the moving direction of the valve body 113. The discharge flow path 124 is bent with respect to the moving direction of the valve body 113 from the communication portion 124 a to the discharge port 123, specifically at the end of the flow path, and reaches the discharge port 123. As shown in FIG. 2, the discharge port 123 opens at the side wall portion 111 c of the main body portion 111 that is notched, and faces the vertical direction. Since the discharge flow path 124 is formed with a flow path diameter larger than the opening diameter of the discharge port 123, the opening diameter of the discharge port 123 is smaller than the flow path diameter of the discharge flow path 124. The opening diameter of the discharge port 123 is, for example, about 5 to 300 μm, and the flow path diameter of the discharge channel 124 is, for example, about 50 to 1000 μm. Since the storage chamber 121 of the discharge unit 110 stores the supplied liquid LM, it functions as a storage unit in the present application. In addition, the discharge unit 110 includes a communication unit 124 a that communicates with the storage chamber 121 and a discharge port 123 that discharges the liquid LM to the outside. The discharge channel 124 from the communication unit 124 a to the discharge port 123 passes through the discharge port 123. Therefore, it functions as a discharge flow path forming portion in the present application.

  The valve body 113 of the discharge mechanism 112 is incorporated in the main body portion 111 so as to be movable in the direction of the communication portion 124a, and directly opens and closes the discharge flow path 124 at the communication portion 124a. Open and close. In the present embodiment, the valve body 113 is constituted by a metal columnar member. The tip 113t at the lower end of the valve body 113 has a hemispherical shape. The valve body 113 is disposed across the accommodation chamber 121 and the drive chamber 125 via a through hole 111h provided in the partition wall 111s. The valve body 113 is arranged so as to reciprocate in the longitudinal direction along the horizontal direction on the central axis NX. That is, the valve body 113 functions as a moving body that discharges the liquid LM from the discharge port 123 through the discharge flow path 124 by moving in the direction of the communication portion 124a. In addition, an annular seal member SL for suppressing leakage of the liquid LM to the drive chamber 125 is disposed in the through hole 111h so as to surround the periphery of the valve body 113.

  The drive chamber 125 accommodates a piezo element 115 and a biasing member 116 that constitute the drive unit 114 of the discharge mechanism 112. The driving unit 114 generates a driving force for reciprocating the valve body 113 in the accommodation chamber 121. The piezoelectric element 115 has a configuration in which a plurality of piezoelectric materials are stacked, and the length changes in the stacking direction by applying a voltage to each piezoelectric material. The left end portion of the piezo element 115 is fixed to the side wall surface of the drive chamber 125, and the right end portion is in contact with the left end portion of the valve element 113. When the piezo element 115 extends, the valve body 113 moves in a direction toward the discharge flow path 124. The urging member 116 is constituted by, for example, a string spring, and urges the valve body 113 toward the left. When the piezo element 115 contracts, the valve element 113 moves to the left following the lower end portion of the piezo element 115 by the urging force of the urging member 116.

  In the state in which the piezo element 115 is extended to be the longest, the distal end portion 113t of the valve body 113 is in liquid-tight line contact with the inclined wall surface of the communication portion 124a of the discharge flow channel 124, and the discharge flow channel 124 and the discharge port 123 is closed. This position becomes the movement end point of the valve body 113. In this way, the valve body 113 that drives to close the discharge flow path 124 and the discharge port 123 moves from the discharge port 123 to the liquid LM in the process of moving in the direction toward the discharge flow path 124. Is discharged. When the piezo element 115 contracts, the valve body 113 moves to the left following the right end portion of the piezo element 115 by the urging force of the urging member 116, and the tip end portion 113 t is separated from the discharge flow path 124. Thus, the discharge passage 124 and the discharge port 123 are opened and closed by the valve body 113 reciprocating between a position at which the discharge passage 124 is closed and a position away from the discharge passage 124.

  The supply unit 130 pumps the liquid LM into the storage chamber 121 of the discharge unit 110. The supply unit 130 includes a flow path member 131, a pipe 132, a valve 133, a liquid storage unit 134, and a pressure generation unit 135. The flow path member 131 is a member connected to the side surface of the main body 111. The flow path member 131 has a supply flow path 131p through which the liquid LM flows. In the present embodiment, the supply flow path 131p is configured as a tubular communication path having a portion extending obliquely downward from above the accommodation chamber 121. The supply channel 131p has one open end connected to the inlet 122 of the storage chamber 121 and the other open end connected to the pipe 132.

  The valve 133 is provided in the pipe 132 and controls the flow of the liquid LM to the supply flow path 131p. In the present embodiment, the valve 133 is constituted by a shutoff valve. When the valve 133 is open, the flow of the liquid LM to the supply flow path 131p is allowed, and when the valve 133 is closed, the flow of the liquid LM to the supply flow path 131p is blocked. The opening / closing operation of the valve 133 is controlled by the control unit 101. The valve 133 normally remains open during the operation of the droplet discharge device 100A.

  A liquid reservoir 134 is connected to the pipe 132. The liquid storage unit 134 is configured by a tank that stores the liquid LM, and functions as a supply source of the liquid LM in the droplet discharge device 100A. A stirring mechanism for stirring the liquid LM may be provided inside the tank. In the liquid storage unit 134, the liquid LM is mixed and adjusted so as to have the viscosity (input viscosity) of the liquid LM input from the user via the computer 200. In the present embodiment, under the control of the control unit 101, the viscosity of the liquid LM is adjusted to be, for example, a viscosity of 2 Pa · s or more.

  The pressure generating unit 135 is configured by a pressurizing pump, for example. The pressure generation unit 135 applies pressure to the liquid LM in the liquid storage unit 134 in order to flow into the storage chamber 121 via the pipe 132 and the supply channel 131p. For example, the pressure generation unit 135 applies a pressure of about 10 to 100 atm to the liquid LM. In FIG. 1, the pressure generator 135 is provided on the upstream side of the liquid reservoir 134, but the pressure generator 135 may be provided between the liquid reservoir 134 and the valve 133.

  The control unit 101 controls the pressure of the liquid LM in the storage chamber 121 by controlling the pressure applied to the liquid LM by the pressure generation unit 135. More specifically, the control unit 101 monitors the pressure of the liquid LM in the discharge unit 110 by a pressure gauge (not shown), and feedback-controls the pressure that the pressure generation unit 135 applies to the liquid LM.

  In the droplet discharge device 100A, the discharge of the liquid LM from the discharge unit 110 is executed as follows. Before the liquid LM is discharged, the piezo element 115 is extended and the valve body 113 is closing the discharge flow path 124. In addition, a predetermined pressure is generated in the storage chamber 121 by the liquid LM being pumped by the supply unit 130.

  When starting the discharge of the liquid LM, first, the piezo element 115 is contracted, and the valve body 113 is moved to the left to be separated from the discharge flow path 124. Then, the liquid LM flows from the storage chamber 121 into the flow channel region of the discharge flow channel 124 and the discharge port 123 using the pressure applied to the liquid LM as a driving force.

  After the piezo element 115 is kept contracted for a predetermined period, the piezo element 115 is extended and deformed, and the valve body 113 is moved toward the discharge flow path 124. As a result, the liquid LM that has flowed into the flow path area of the discharge flow path 124 and the discharge port 123 is pushed out through the discharge port 123, and the liquid LM hangs downward from the discharge port 123. When the discharge passage 124 is completely closed by the valve body 113, the discharge of the liquid LM from the discharge port 123 is blocked, and the liquid LM that has been suspended from the discharge port 123 is discharged downward as a droplet.

  The flow rate of the liquid LM flowing out from the discharge port 123 is adjusted by the pressure applied to the storage chamber 121 by the pressure generator 135. The flow rate of the liquid LM is desirably determined in consideration of the viscosity of the liquid LM. The flow rate of the liquid LM discharged from the discharge port 123 may be adjusted to, for example, about 10 m / second to 50 m / second.

  The modeling stage 150 described above is provided at the tip of the discharge port 123 in the opening direction. The modeling stage 150 is configured by a flat plate-like member extending horizontally. The modeling stage 150 is arrange | positioned in the position which left | separated about 1.5-3 mm vertically downward from the discharge outlet 123, for example. In the droplet discharge device 100A of the present embodiment, the position of the modeling stage 150 relative to the discharge port 123 of the discharge unit 110 is displaced by the moving mechanism 155.

  The moving mechanism 155 includes a motor, a roller, a shaft, various actuators, and the like for moving the modeling stage 150. The moving mechanism 155 displaces the modeling stage 150 in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction relative to the discharge unit 110 as indicated by the double arrows X and Y shown in FIG. Thereby, the landing position of the liquid LM on the modeling stage 150 is adjusted. The control unit 101 controls the movement of the modeling stage 150 by the moving mechanism 155 based on the data MD for modeling the above-described three-dimensional object. In the droplet discharge device 100 </ b> A, the modeling stage 150 may be fixed and the discharge unit 110 may be displaced with respect to the modeling stage 150.

  The energy applying unit 160 applies energy to the droplets of the liquid LM that have landed on the modeling stage 150 and cures them. In this embodiment, the energy provision part 160 is comprised with a laser apparatus, and provides optical energy to a droplet by laser irradiation. The energy applying unit 160 includes at least a laser light source, a condensing lens for condensing the laser emitted from the laser light source onto a droplet landed on the modeling stage 150, and a galvanometer mirror for scanning the laser. Included (not shown). The energy applying unit 160 scans the landing position of the droplet on the modeling stage 150 with a laser, and sinters the material powder in the droplet with the optical energy of the laser. Alternatively, the material powder in the droplets is once melted and then solidified. Thereby, the solid object to be modeled and the particles constituting the support part for supporting the three-dimensional object are fixed on the modeling stage 150. In addition to the laser device, the energy applying unit 160 applies ultraviolet light as long as it applies thermal energy to the droplets by infrared light irradiation or a liquid LM containing a powder and a solvent that is cured by ultraviolet light. The liquid droplets of the liquid LM that has landed may be irradiated.

  With the above configuration, the droplet discharge device 100A of the present embodiment forms a three-dimensional object by discharging the liquid LM as droplets from the discharge unit 110 toward the modeling stage 150. The liquid LM used in the present embodiment is a fluid composition containing a powder and a solvent. The liquid material is, for example, a simple powder of magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), or An alloy containing one or more of these metals (maraging steel, stainless steel, cobalt chrome molybdenum, titanium alloy, nickel alloy, aluminum alloy, cobalt alloy, cobalt chrome alloy), or one kind selected from a single powder or alloy powder Or the mixed powder which combined 2 or more types is included. A mixed material in which these powders are made into a slurry or paste containing a solvent and a binder may be used. Alternatively, a resin obtained by melting a resin such as general-purpose engineering plastics such as polyamide, polyacetal, polycarbonate, modified polyphenylene ether, polybutylene terephthalate, and polyethylene terephthalate may be used. In addition, resins such as engineering plastics such as polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyphenylene sulfide, polyarylate, polyimide, polyamideimide, polyetherimide, and polyetheretherketone may be used. Thus, the liquid material is not particularly limited, and metals other than the above metals, ceramics, resins, and the like can be used. The solvent of the liquid material is, for example, water; (poly) alkylene glycol monoalkyl ethers such as ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monoethyl ether; ethyl acetate, n-propyl acetate Acetates such as iso-propyl acetate, n-butyl acetate and iso-butyl acetate; aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene and xylene; methyl ethyl ketone, acetone, methyl isobutyl ketone, ethyl n-butyl ketone, diisopropyl ketone , Ketones such as acetylacetone; alcohols such as ethanol, propanol, butanol; tetraalkylammonium acetates; dimethyl sulfoxide, diethyl sulfoxide, etc. Sulfoxide solvents; pyridine solvents such as pyridine, γ-picoline, 2,6-lutidine; ionic liquids such as tetraalkylammonium acetate (for example, tetrabutylammonium acetate), or one or two selected from these It may be a combination of more than one species. The binder is, for example, an acrylic resin, an epoxy resin, a silicone resin, a cellulose resin or other synthetic resin, PLA (polylactic acid), PA (polyamide), PPS (polyphenylene sulfide) or other thermoplastic resin. Also good.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram that outlines the main dimensional relationship of the discharge unit 110 in the first embodiment product, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram that schematically shows the main dimensional relationship of the discharge unit 110A in the second embodiment product. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram that outlines the main dimensional relationship of the discharge part 110H1 in the first comparative example product, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram that outlines the main dimensional relationship of the discharge unit 110H2 in the second comparative example product. FIG.

  The embodiment product shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the comparative example product shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are common in the discharge-related configuration described with reference to FIG. And the channel length is different as follows.

  In the discharge unit 110 of the first embodiment product in FIG. 3, the illustrated movement of the valve body 113 in which the tip 113t of the valve body 113 is in liquid-tight line contact with the inclined wall surface of the peripheral edge of the communication portion 124a of the discharge flow path 124 is illustrated. The distance from the end point EP to the outline of the discharge part 110 along the movement direction of the valve body 113, that is, the bottom surface 111b (hereinafter referred to as the distance L1 between the bottom surfaces) is set to the discharge port from the movement end point EP via the discharge channel 124. It is longer than the flow path length L2 until reaching the opening 123. In this way, the discharge unit 110 of the first embodiment product sets the discharge port 123 to a position deviated from the straight line extending in the moving direction of the valve body 113 from the communication unit 124a, and sets the discharge port 123 from the communication unit 124a. It is not formed on the outer surface of the bottom surface 111b along the moving direction of the valve body 113, but is opened at the side wall portion 111c. The flow path length L2 includes the flow path length L2a from the movement end point EP to the end of the discharge flow path 124, and the bending from the end of the discharge flow path 124 to the discharge port 123. It is the sum with the flow path length L2b until it reaches 123 opening. As shown in the drawing, in the discharge unit 110 of the first embodiment product, the distance L1 between the bottom surfaces is 1.1 mm, and the flow path length L2 is 0.2 mm (L2a = 0.1 mm, L2b = 0.1 mm). .

  The discharge section 110A of the second embodiment product of FIG. 4 has a discharge flow path 124 such that the discharge port 123 having an opening diameter smaller than the flow path diameter of the discharge flow path 124 faces an angle of 60 ° from the moving direction of the valve element 113. Is bent at an angle of 60 ° from the moving direction of the valve body 113. And the discharge part 110A is arrange | positioned with the inclination attitude | position of 30 degrees so that the discharge outlet 123 may become a perpendicular direction. Even in the discharge unit 110A, the distance L1 between the bottom surfaces along the movement direction of the valve body 113 from the movement end point EP of the valve body 113 is set to 1.1 mm, and the discharge port passes through the discharge flow path 124 from the movement end point EP. The flow path length L2 to the opening of 123 is 0.2 mm (L2a = 0.1 mm, L2b = 0.1 mm), and the distance L1 between the bottom surfaces is longer than the flow path length L2. By doing so, even in the discharge unit 110A of the second embodiment product, the discharge port 123 is positioned away from the straight line extending from the communication unit 124a in the moving direction of the valve body 113, and the discharge port 123 is connected to the discharge unit 110A. It is not formed on the outer surface of the bottom surface 111b along the moving direction of the valve body 113 from the portion 124a, but is opened at the side wall portion 111c.

  The discharge part 110H1 of the first comparative example product in FIG. 5 is disposed so that the valve body 113 can reciprocate along the vertical direction, and the discharge flow path from the movement end point EP to the discharge port 123 is described. 124 and the discharge port 123 are provided along the vertical direction. Further, the discharge part 110H1 has an opening diameter of the discharge port 123 smaller than the flow path diameter of the discharge flow path 124. Then, the discharge unit 110H1 discharges from the movement end point EP to the bottom surface distance L1 (= 1.1 mm) from the movement end point EP to the bottom surface 111b along the movement direction of the valve body 113 and the discharge end point via the discharge flow path 124. The flow path length L2 (= 1.1 mm) up to the opening of the outlet 123 is the same length. The flow path length L2a from the movement end point EP to the end of the discharge flow path 124 is 0.9 mm, and the flow path length L2b of the discharge port 123 is 0.2 mm.

  The discharge part 110H2 of the second comparative example product in FIG. 6 is disposed so that the valve body 113 can reciprocate along the vertical direction, and includes a discharge port 123 along the vertical direction from the movement end point EP. That is, the discharge unit 110H2 does not include the discharge flow path 124, and includes a small-diameter discharge port 123 formed directly in the storage chamber 121. And since the discharge part 110H2 is not provided with the discharge flow path 124, the distance L1 between bottom surfaces from the movement end point EP to the bottom face 111b along the movement direction of the valve body 113 is set from the movement end point EP to the end of the discharge flow path 124. The same flow path length L2 (= L2a) as 0.2 mm.

  3 described above and the discharge unit 110A of the second embodiment product in FIG. 4, and the discharge unit 110H1 of the first comparative example product in FIG. 5 and the second comparison example in FIG. A liquid LM discharge experiment was performed using the product discharge section 110H2. The opening diameter of each discharge port 123 is 0.03 mm, and the flow path diameter of the discharge flow path 124 is 0.12 mm. In the discharge experiment, liquids LM having different viscosities were discharged from the respective discharge portions, and whether discharge was possible, the discharge amount per drop, the discharge speed, and the maximum pressure were examined. In addition, about the maximum pressure, the simulation using a computer was performed and the maximum pressure was computed. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing the ejection effects of the embodiment product and the comparative product in comparison.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the discharge unit 110 of the first embodiment product and the discharge unit 110A of the second embodiment product, not only the low viscosity (2 Pa · s) liquid LM but also the high viscosity (20 Pa · s). The liquid LM could be ejected as fine droplets of 1.3 to 3 nanoliters (nl) without any problem. On the other hand, in the discharge part 110H1 of the first comparative example product, although the liquid LM having a low viscosity (2 Pa · s) was discharged as a droplet of 3.5 nanoliters (nl), the viscosity (20 Pa · s) was high. The liquid LM could not be ejected as droplets. The reason why the liquid LM with high viscosity (20 Pa · s) could not be discharged is that the liquid LM is compressed in the discharge flow path 124 before reaching the discharge port 123, and the pressure for discharging the liquid LM by this compression is low. It is assumed that it was because it was absorbed. In the discharge part 110H2 of the second comparative example product, not only the low viscosity (2 Pa · s) liquid LM but also the high viscosity (20 Pa · s) liquid LM could not be discharged as droplets. The reason why the liquid LM with high and low viscosity could not be discharged is because there is no discharge flow path 124, so that the pressure for discharging the liquid LM is only 0.2 mm (= L2). Therefore, it is assumed that the portion where the discharge port 123 is formed is deformed.

  The reason why the liquid LM having high and low viscosity can be discharged as fine droplets without any trouble by the discharge unit 110 of the first embodiment and the discharge unit 110A of the second embodiment is as follows. First, the opening diameter of the discharge port 123 is made smaller than the flow path diameter of the discharge flow channel 124 to reduce the diameter of the discharge port 123, thereby enabling the discharge of minute droplets. Second, the distance from the movement end point EP to the bottom surface 111b along the movement direction of the valve body 113 (the distance L1 between the bottom surfaces) flows from the movement end point EP through the discharge flow path 124 to the opening of the discharge port 123. By making it longer than the path length L2, the thickness (distance L1 between the bottom surfaces) of the part from the end of the discharge flow path 124 to the bottom surface 111b that is the outline of the discharge unit 110 is secured. This is because the portion extending from the end of the discharge flow path 124 to the bottom surface 111b forms the discharge port 123 forming portion, so that the strength of the discharge port 123 forming portion can be increased and deformation of the discharge port 123 can be suppressed. Further, the force accompanying the movement of the valve body 113 directly acts on the flow path end of the discharge flow path 124 along the movement direction of the valve body 113 from the movement end point EP. Therefore, according to the droplet discharge device 100A having the discharge unit 110 of the first embodiment product or the discharge unit 110A of the second embodiment product, the high-viscosity liquid LM can be suitably discharged as fine droplets.

  The droplet discharge apparatus 100A having the discharge unit 110 of the first embodiment product is a droplet having the discharge port 123 bent at an angle of 90 ° from the moving direction of the valve body 113 and having the discharge unit 110A of the second embodiment product. The discharge device 100A merely bends the discharge port 123 at an angle of 60 ° from the moving direction of the valve body 113. Therefore, according to the droplet discharge device 100A having the discharge section 110 of the first embodiment product or the discharge section 110A of the second embodiment product, the end of the discharge flow path 124 can be obtained by a simple method of bending the discharge port 123. Therefore, it is possible to easily secure the thickness of the portion from the discharge portion 110 to the bottom surface 111b of the discharge portion 110, and to easily improve the strength of the formation portion of the discharge port 123 and suppress deformation of the discharge port 123.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, examples, and modifications, and can be realized with various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features in the embodiments, examples, and modifications corresponding to the technical features in each embodiment described in the summary section of the invention are to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or In order to achieve part or all of the above effects, replacement or combination can be performed as appropriate. Further, if the technical feature is not described as essential in the present specification, it can be deleted as appropriate.

  In the embodiment described above, the discharge flow path 124 is bent at an angle of 90 ° or 60 ° with respect to the moving direction of the valve body 113 to reach the discharge port 123. May be bent at an angle from 60 ° to 90 ° or from 45 ° to 60 ° to reach the discharge port 123.

  In the embodiment described above, the discharge flow path 124 is bent with respect to the movement direction of the valve body 113 to reach the discharge port 123, but the discharge flow path 124 is curved with respect to the movement direction of the valve body 113. Then, the discharge port 123 may be reached. Further, the discharge flow path 124 is a straight flow path inclined with respect to the moving direction of the valve body 113 so as to go from the communication part 124a to the side wall part 111c, and the discharge port 123 faces the vertical direction at the end of the flow path. You may do it.

  In the embodiment described above, the discharge port 123 is a through hole extending in the vertical direction. However, if the liquid discharge device is assumed to discharge the liquid LM obliquely with respect to the modeling stage 150, the discharge port 123 is used. May be bent with respect to the moving direction of the valve body 113 from the end of the discharge flow path 124 and then tilted with respect to the modeling stage 150. Specifically, the discharge unit 110 illustrated in FIG. 2 may be disposed in an inclined manner, or the discharge unit 110 </ b> A illustrated in FIG. 2 may be disposed in a horizontal direction so that the discharge port 123 is inclined with respect to the modeling stage 150.

  In the embodiment described above, the movement end point EP that defines the distance L1 between the bottom surfaces and the flow path length L2 is the position where the tip 113t of the valve body 113 is in liquid-tight line contact with the inclined wall surface of the peripheral edge of the discharge flow path 124. However, it may be as follows. Since the valve body 113 moves toward the discharge flow path 124 as the piezo element 115 extends, the tip 113t of the valve body 113 is inclined at the peripheral edge of the discharge flow path 124 when the piezo element 115 is extended most. Without reaching the wall surface, the valve body 113 may stop moving slightly before the inclined wall surface. In this case, the position at which the valve body 113 stops moving before the inclined wall surface may be set as the movement end point EP.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100A ... Droplet discharge apparatus, 101 ... Control part, 102 ... CPU, 103 ... Memory, 110 ... Discharge part (1st Embodiment product), 110A ... Discharge part (2nd Embodiment product), 110H1 ... Discharge part (1st) 1 comparative example product), 110H2 ... discharge part (second comparative example product), 111 ... main body part, 111b ... bottom surface, 111c ... side wall part, 111h ... through hole, 111s ... partition wall, 112 ... discharge mechanism, 113 ... valve body , 113t ... tip part, 114 ... drive part, 115 ... piezo element, 116 ... urging member, 121 ... storage chamber, 121b ... bottom surface, 122 ... inflow port, 123 ... discharge port, 124 ... discharge flow path, 124a ... communication , 125 ... drive chamber, 130 ... supply part, 131 ... flow path member, 131 p ... supply flow path, 132 ... piping, 133 ... valve, 134 ... liquid storage part, 135 ... pressure generation part, 150 ... modeling stage, 55: Movement mechanism, 160: Energy application unit, 200: Computer, EP: Movement end point, L1: Distance between bottom surfaces, L2: Channel length, L2a: Channel length, L2b: Channel length, LM: Liquid, MD ... Data, NX ... Center axis, SL ... Seal member

Claims (3)

A droplet discharge device for discharging a fluid material as droplets,
An accommodating portion for accommodating the flowable material;
A communication portion that communicates with the accommodating portion; and a discharge port that discharges the fluid material to the outside. A discharge channel forming part to be formed;
A movable body that is incorporated in the housing portion so as to be movable in the direction of the communication portion, and that moves in the direction of the communication portion to discharge the fluid material from the discharge port;
The discharge flow path forming part is
A liquid in which the distance from the communication part to the outline of the housing part along the moving direction of the moving body is longer than the flow path length from the communication part to the discharge port via the discharge flow path. Drop ejection device.   2. The droplet discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge channel is bent or curved with respect to a moving direction of the moving body from the communication portion to the discharge port to reach the discharge port.   The droplet discharge device according to claim 2, wherein the discharge flow path is bent at an angle of 45 ° to 90 ° with respect to the moving direction of the moving body and reaches the discharge port.

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