JP2020146899A - Liquid discharge head, liquid discharge device, and manufacturing method of liquid discharge head - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a liquid discharge head which eliminates a possibility that an adhesive adheres to a portion of a component, which is not an adhesion surface, and can be assembled by applying the adhesive after all components are set.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge head 401 comprises: a passage member 411 including a passage in which a liquid flows; a housing 412 which contacts with the passage member 411; and a recessed part 415 provided at a position where the passage member 411 and the housing 412 face each other and contacting with an adhesive. The housing 412 includes an opening 416 formed at a position different from the recessed part 415 and leading to the recessed part through a space in the housing 412. In the housing 412, portions excluding the recessed part 415 and the opening 416 are sealed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid discharge head, a liquid discharge device, and a method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head.

As a liquid discharge device, a liquid discharge head having a nozzle surface having a plurality of liquid discharge nozzles and discharging liquid from the nozzles toward a medium to form an image or an object is already known. The liquid discharge head discharges liquid from a nozzle by driving an actuator element such as a piezoelectric element or a heat generating resistor in response to a recording signal.

Adhesive with a dispenser (syringe) for assembling such a liquid discharge head (hereinafter, appropriately referred to as "head"), that is, for applying an adhesive (sealing material) to the exterior parts of the upper part of the head. Is applied. However, there is a problem that the adhesive squeezes out when the exterior parts and the flow path members are bonded.

For example, in Patent Document 1, for the purpose of applying a coating material to a base material, the moving base material is heated to a predetermined temperature, and the back surface of the base material opposite to the coating surface of the base material is sucked. A configuration in which a coating material is applied to a coating surface is disclosed. However, this cannot be used as an adhesive application technique for resin parts, which are exterior parts around the head cover.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharge head in which an adhesive does not adhere to a portion other than the adhesive surface of the component.

This task is to provide a flow path member including a flow path through which a liquid flows, a housing in contact with the flow path member, and a recess provided at a position where the flow path member and the housing face with each other and in contact with an adhesive. The housing is formed at a position different from the recess, and has an opening that communicates with the recess through a space inside the housing. The housing has an opening other than the recess and the opening. The solution is a liquid discharge head, which is characterized by being hermetically sealed.

According to the present invention, when assembling the liquid discharge head, it is possible to prevent the adhesive from squeezing out of the adhesive surface.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the whole liquid discharge device and the structure of a liquid discharge unit including a cap. It is a top view which shows the outline of the liquid discharge unit 400. It is a figure which shows the liquid discharge unit 400 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the head which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the head. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the head front view. It is a front view of the head at the time of air suction. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the entire liquid discharge device and the configuration of the liquid discharge unit including the cap.
First, the liquid discharge device 1000 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the present embodiment, as the medium, continuous paper rolled in a roll shape (hereinafter referred to as “roll paper Md”) is used, but the medium that can be used in the liquid ejection device is not limited to roll paper. That is, the medium may be cut paper. The media that can be used in the liquid ejection device include plain paper, woodfree paper, thin paper, thick paper, recording paper and roll paper, as well as transparencies, synthetic resin films, metal thin films, and other media on which liquid can adhere. Including. Here, the roll paper is a continuous paper (continuous paper, continuous form) in which cutable perforations are formed at predetermined intervals. Further, the page (page) on the roll paper is, for example, an area sandwiched between perforations at predetermined intervals.

As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid ejection device 1000 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a carry-in means 100 for carrying in a roll paper Md as a medium, a pretreatment means 200 for pretreating the carried-in roll paper Md, and a pretreatment means 200. It has a drying means 300 for drying the pretreated roll paper Md. Further, the liquid discharge device 1000 includes a liquid discharge unit 400 that discharges the liquid onto the surface of the roll paper Md, a post-treatment means 500 that post-treats the roll paper Md on which the liquid is discharged, and a post-treatment after the liquid is discharged. It has a drying means 310 for drying the roll paper Md, and a carry-out means 600 for carrying out the post-processed roll paper Md. Further, the liquid discharge device 1000 has a control means 700 for controlling the operation of the liquid discharge device 1000.

In the liquid discharge device 1000 according to the present embodiment, the roll paper Md is fed to the pretreatment means 200 by the carry-in means 100, and the surface of the roll paper Md is pretreated and dried by the pretreatment means 200 and the drying means 300. Further, the liquid discharge device 1000 discharges the liquid to the surface of the roll paper Md after the pretreatment and drying by the pretreatment means 200 and the drying means 300 by the liquid discharge unit 400. Further, the liquid discharge device 1000 post-treats and dries the roll paper Md in which the liquid is discharged from the liquid discharge unit 400 by the post-treatment means 500 and the drying means 300. After that, the liquid discharge device 1000 winds up the post-treated and dried roll paper Md by the unloading means 600 and discharges it. The above series of operations is controlled by the control means 700.

The liquid discharge device 1000 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be configured not to include any one or more of the pretreatment means 200 and the like depending on the type of the medium into which the liquid is discharged.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an outline of the liquid discharge unit 400. As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, a full-line type recording head is used for the liquid discharge unit 400. In the liquid discharge unit 400, four liquid discharge heads 401K, 401C, 401M and 401Y are arranged from the upstream side in the transport direction Xm of the roll paper Md which is a recording medium. The subscripts K, C, M, and Y in the recording head indicate the colors black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, respectively. The color order of K, C, M, and Y is not limited to FIG. 2, and may be another order. Further, the recording head may be green, red, light cyan and / or other colors, or may be a single color (for example, black only).

Here, in the black (K) liquid discharge head 401K, four head units 401K-1, 401K-2, 401K-3, and 401K-4 are staggered in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction Xm of the roll paper Md. Have been placed. As a result, the liquid discharge head 401K can form a black (K) image in the entire area of the image forming region (printing region) of the roll paper Md. The configurations of the other liquid discharge heads 401C, 401M and 401Y are the same as the configurations of the black (K) liquid discharge head 401K.

The liquid discharge unit 400 is an assembly of parts related to liquid discharge in which other functional parts and mechanisms are integrated with the four liquid discharge heads 401K, 401C, 401M and 401Y. The liquid discharge unit 400 drives the liquid discharge heads 401K, 401C, 401M and 401Y to discharge the liquid.

FIG. 3 shows a liquid discharge unit 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 3, for simplification of the drawings, only two of the four liquid discharge heads 401K, 401C, 401M and 401Y (hereinafter referred to as “liquid discharge head 401”) are shown.
The liquid discharge unit 400 includes a liquid discharge head 401, a cap 402, a cap cleaning member 405, a suction pump 406, and a moving means 435.
The cap 402 is a cap member that sucks liquid from the nozzle 401b and moisturizes the nozzle surface 401a by abutting (capping) the nozzle surface 401a of the liquid discharge head 401 and closing the cap 402. The cap cleaning member 405 removes dirt adhering to the nip portion 501 at the tip of the cap 402. The suction pump 406 is connected to the cap 402, and is a suction means for sucking and discharging the liquid from the nozzle 401b by driving the cap 402 in a capped state of the nozzle surface 401a. The moving means 435 has a belt member 433 hung around the rollers 431 and 432, and the belt member 433 is moved in the medium transport direction by rotationally driving the roller 432 to move the cap 402. The control means 700 controls the operations of the cap cleaning member 405, the suction pump 406, the moving means 435, the rollers 431, 432 and the like included in the liquid discharge unit 400. The liquid sucked from the nozzle 401b of the liquid discharge head by the cap 402 and the suction pump 406 is discharged to the drainage tank 800 and accumulated.

The moving means 435 has an endless belt member 433 wound around the rollers 431 and 432. The cap 402 provided on the belt member faces the liquid discharge head 401, and the cap position 403 (FIG. 2A) where the cap 402 can close the nozzle surface 401a of the liquid discharge head 401 and the cap 402 discharge the liquid. The liquid discharge head 401 moves away from the head 401 and moves to and from the retreat position 404 (FIG. 2B) where the nozzle surface 401a is opened. The cap cleaning member 405 is arranged at the retreat position 404 of the cap 402, and can come into contact with the cap 402 to remove liquid and dirt adhering to the nip portion 501 of the cap 402. The cap cleaning member 405 is formed of a sponge or the like and can absorb a liquid. Further, the cap 402 is connected to the suction pump 406 via a tube 430.

Next, the liquid discharge device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
4 is a perspective view of the head according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a front view of the head, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the front view of the head of FIG. 8 is a front view of the head when air is sucked, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, the liquid discharge head 401 has a housing member 411 at the bottom, a resin component 412 arranged on the housing member 411, a PCB 413, and the like. The housing member 411 is made of, for example, stainless steel, and is a flow path member including a flow path through which a liquid flows. That is, the housing member 411 has a nozzle surface 401a and a nozzle 401b for discharging the liquid. The resin component 412 is a housing that is in contact with the housing member 411, and is a rectangular parallelepiped that is arranged on the flat lower resin component 412a and the lower resin component 412a arranged in contact with the housing member 411 and occupies most of the resin component. It is composed of three parts, a central resin part 412b having a shape and an upper resin part 412c arranged on the central resin part 412b and located around the connector of the PCB 413. In FIGS. 4 and 5, the exterior parts composed of three parts, which are the upper parts of the housing member, are shown by dotted lines. The exterior parts correspond to the entire resin parts 412.

Although not shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the liquid discharge head 401 has a heater, a thermistor as a temperature detecting means, a heat sink, and the like inside. Further, the nozzle surface 401a and the nozzle 401b are located on the lowermost surface of the housing member 411. The PCB 413 has functions such as connection between a connector and an actuator, storage of a serial number and a drive voltage, connection between a thermistor and a heater, and GND connection of a heat sink (heat sink).

As can be seen from FIGS. 6 and 7 which are cross-sectional views of the liquid discharge head 401, the lower resin part 412a of the resin part 412 is provided with a plurality of recesses provided on the ground plane facing the housing member 411 to which the adhesive adheres. It has a gap 415 as. Except for the gap 415, the lower resin component 412a comes into contact with the upper surface of the housing member 411. As will be described later, since the adhesive is applied to the outside of the gap 415 and then enters the gap 415, the gap 415 is an adhesive intrusion path formed on the ground plane of the resin component 412.

Further, as can be seen from FIGS. 4 to 7, an opening 416 communicating with the inside and the outside of the liquid discharge head 401 is formed at a position different from the gap 415 at the upper part of the resin component 412 of the liquid discharge head 401. The opening 416 does not need to be filled even after the liquid discharge head 401 is manufactured. Further, the gap 415, which is the bonding target portion in the lower part of the resin component 412 of the liquid discharge head 401, also communicates with the inside and the outside of the liquid discharge head 401. Therefore, the opening 416 located at the upper part of the liquid discharge head 401 and the gap 415 located at the lower part communicate with each other as an air path. On the other hand, the resin component 412 is sealed except for the gap 415 and the opening 416, that is, the bonding target portion between the housing member 411 and the resin component 412 and the upper portion of the exterior component.

In order to seal the portion of the resin component 412 other than the gap 415 and the opening 416, for example, the portion other than the gap 415 and the opening 416 may be integrally molded with a seamless resin. Further, even when a plurality of resins are used to form a seam, a sealed state can be created if the inflow of air can be reduced by providing a sealing member or an adhesive at the seam. Even if it is not completely sealed, the degree of sealing may be such that a negative pressure can be formed in the resin component 412 at the time of suction, and the degree of sealing can be appropriately selected by an engineer.

Further, it is desirable that the opening 416 is a cylindrical portion protruding from the outer surface of the resin component 412. More preferably, the cylindrical portion is axially elongated. As a result, it is possible to easily connect a suction tube or the like to the opening 416.

In FIG. 8, a cover 417, which is a part (tip portion) of the suction device 420, is attached to the upper portion (that is, the upper resin component 412c) of the liquid discharge head 401. Here, the entire suction device 420 is shown by a dotted line. As the suction device 420, any device that can create a negative pressure in the liquid discharge head 401 can be used. As can be seen from FIG. 9 which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 8, the cover 417 has a dome portion 417a covering the upper part of the liquid discharge head 401 and a suction port 417b protruding upward from the top thereof. In FIG. 8, the suction port 417b is covered with a tube 418 that is a part of the suction device 420, and the tube 418 forms an air path for the sucked air indicated by the arrow.

As can be seen from FIG. 9, when the liquid discharge head 401 is sucked by the suction device 420, the liquid discharge head 401 is sucked along the air path from the gap 415 located at the lower part to the suction port 417b through the opening 416 located at the upper part. Air is sucked. Then, the adhesive applied to the outside of the gap 415, which is the target of adhesion, enters the inside of the gap 415 due to negative pressure, solidifies there, and the housing member 411 and the resin component 412 are bonded.

In short, after setting all the exterior parts on the housing member 411 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the adhesive can be applied from the outside of the exterior parts by a normal coating device (dispenser or the like), as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. By the action of negative pressure due to suction, the adhesive can be spread over a plurality of gaps 415 provided on the ground surface to be adhered as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Therefore, there is no possibility that the adhesive adheres to a portion other than the adhesive surface of the component in the process of assembling the liquid discharge head. The opening 416 on the upper part of the exterior component is a portion that does not need to be sealed at the end.

When the resin component 412 is not provided with the opening 416 as in the conventional case, the space inside the resin component 412 becomes relatively high pressure when the housing member 411 and the resin component 412 are bonded, so that the adhesive protrudes from the gap 415. Cheap. On the other hand, by providing the opening 416, the pressure in the resin component 412 can be easily released from the opening 416, and the adhesive can be prevented from squeezing out.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the lower resin component 412a has gaps 415 as a plurality of recesses to which the adhesive adheres, and the upper surface of the housing member 411 is flat, but the present invention is not limited to this. May have a gap 415 as a plurality of recesses to which the adhesive adheres, and the lower surface of the lower resin component 412a may be formed flat.

Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention.
The liquid discharge head 401
A housing member 411 as a flow path member including a flow path through which a liquid flows, and
Resin parts 412 as a housing in contact with the housing member 411,
A gap 415 as a recess in contact with the adhesive provided at a position where the housing member 411 and the resin component 412 face each other is provided.
The resin component 412 is formed at a position different from the gap 415, and includes an opening 416 that communicates with the gap 415 through the space inside the resin component 412.
The resin component 412 is sealed except for the gap 415 and the opening 416.

As a result, when assembling the liquid discharge head 401, it is possible to apply the adhesive after setting all the parts, so that the adhesive is prevented from adhering to a part other than the adhesive surface of the parts in the process of assembling the parts. be able to.

Further, the opening 416 is a cylindrical portion protruding from the outer surface of the resin component 412.
Further, as can be seen particularly from FIGS. 6 and 7, the gap 415 is provided on the lower surface of the resin component 412.

Further, as can be seen from FIGS. 6 and 7, the opening 416 is provided on the opposite side of the housing member 411 and above the resin component 412.

Further, as can be seen from FIGS. 6 and 7, the area of the opening 416 is smaller than the area of the lower surface of the housing member 411 when the liquid discharge head 401 is viewed in a plan view.

Further, the liquid discharge device 1000 includes such a liquid discharge head 401.

The manufacturing method of the liquid discharge head 401 is as follows.
(1) Internal components such as PCB 413 are assembled to the housing member 411 as a flow path member including a flow path through which liquid ink flows.
(2) The internal component is covered with a resin component 412 as a housing in contact with the housing member 411.
(3) An adhesive is applied to the outside of the gap 415, which is a recess at a position where the housing member 411 and the resin component 412 face each other, by a coating device.
(4) Air is sucked from the opening 416 formed in the resin part 412 by the suction device 420 attached to the resin part 412.

Finally, the definitions of terms used in the present specification are described.
The "liquid discharge head" is a functional component that discharges and ejects liquid from a nozzle.
The liquid to be discharged may have a viscosity and surface tension that can be discharged from the head, and is not particularly limited, but has a viscosity of 30 mPa · s or less at room temperature, under normal pressure, or by heating or cooling. Is preferable. More specifically, solvents such as water and organic solvents, colorants such as dyes and pigments, polymerizable compounds, resins, functionalizing materials such as surfactants, biocompatible materials such as DNA, amino acids and proteins, and calcium. , Solvents, suspensions, emulsions, etc. containing edible materials such as natural dyes, etc., for example, inks for inkjets, surface treatment liquids, constituents of electronic elements and light emitting elements, and formation of electronic circuit resist patterns. It can be used for applications such as liquids for three-dimensional modeling.

Piezoelectric actuators (laminated piezoelectric elements and thin-film piezoelectric elements), thermal actuators that use electrothermal conversion elements such as heat-generating resistors, and electrostatic actuators that consist of a vibrating plate and counter electrodes are used as energy sources for discharging liquid. Includes what to do.

The "liquid discharge unit" is a liquid discharge head integrated with functional parts and a mechanism, and is an assembly of parts related to liquid discharge. For example, the "liquid discharge unit" includes a combination of at least one of a head tank, a carriage, a supply mechanism, a maintenance / recovery mechanism, and a main scanning movement mechanism with a liquid discharge head.

Here, "integration" means, for example, a liquid discharge head and a functional component, a mechanism in which the mechanism is fixed to each other by fastening, adhesion, engagement, etc., or one in which one is movably held with respect to the other. Including. Further, the liquid discharge head, the functional parts, and the mechanism may be detachably attached to each other.

For example, as a liquid discharge unit, there is a liquid discharge head and a head tank integrated. In addition, there are some that are connected to each other by a tube or the like to integrate the liquid discharge head and the head tank. Here, a unit including a filter can be added between the head tank of these liquid discharge units and the liquid discharge head.

Further, as a liquid discharge unit, there is a liquid discharge head and a carriage integrated.

Further, there is a liquid discharge unit in which the liquid discharge head and the scanning movement mechanism are integrated by holding the liquid discharge head movably by a guide member forming a part of the scanning movement mechanism. In some cases, the liquid discharge head, the carriage, and the main scanning movement mechanism are integrated.

Further, as a liquid discharge unit, there is a carriage to which a liquid discharge head is attached, in which a cap member which is a part of the maintenance / recovery mechanism is fixed, and the liquid discharge head, the carriage, and the maintenance / recovery mechanism are integrated. ..

Further, as a liquid discharge unit, there is a liquid discharge unit in which a tube is connected to a head tank or a liquid discharge head to which a flow path component is attached, and the liquid discharge head and a supply mechanism are integrated. The liquid of the liquid storage source is supplied to the liquid discharge head through this tube.

The main scanning movement mechanism shall also include a single guide member. Further, the supply mechanism includes a single tube and a single loading unit.

In the present application, the "liquid discharge device" is a device including a liquid discharge head or a liquid discharge unit, which drives the liquid discharge head to discharge the liquid. The liquid discharge device includes not only a device capable of discharging a liquid to a device to which the liquid can adhere, but also a device for discharging the liquid toward the air or the liquid.

This "liquid discharge device" can also include means related to feeding, transporting, and discharging paper to which a liquid can adhere, as well as a pretreatment device, a posttreatment device, and the like.

For example, as a "liquid ejection device", an image forming apparatus that ejects ink to form an image on paper, and a powder in which powder is formed in layers in order to form a three-dimensional model (three-dimensional model). There is a three-dimensional modeling device (three-dimensional modeling device) that discharges the modeling liquid to the body layer.

Further, the "liquid discharge device" is not limited to a device in which significant images such as characters and figures are visualized by the discharged liquid. For example, those that form patterns that have no meaning in themselves and those that form a three-dimensional image are also included.

The above-mentioned "material to which a liquid can adhere" means a material to which a liquid can adhere at least temporarily, such as one that adheres and adheres, and one that adheres and permeates. Specific examples include media such as paper, recording paper, recording paper, film, cloth and other recording media, electronic substrates, electronic components such as piezoelectric elements, powder layers (powder layers), organ models, and inspection cells. Yes, including anything to which the liquid adheres, unless otherwise specified.

The material of the above-mentioned "material to which liquid can be attached" may be paper, thread, fiber, cloth, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, ceramics or the like as long as the liquid can be attached even temporarily.

The "liquid" may have a viscosity and surface tension that can be discharged from the head, and is not particularly limited, but has a viscosity of 30 mPa · s or less at room temperature, under normal pressure, or by heating or cooling. It is preferable to have. More specifically, solvents such as water and organic solvents, colorants such as dyes and pigments, polymerizable compounds, resins, functionalizing materials such as surfactants, biocompatible materials such as DNA, amino acids and proteins, and calcium. , Solvents, suspensions, emulsions, etc. containing edible materials such as natural dyes, etc., for example, inks for inkjets, surface treatment liquids, constituents of electronic elements and light emitting elements, and formation of electronic circuit resist patterns. It can be used for applications such as liquids for three-dimensional modeling.

Further, the "liquid discharge device" includes, but is not limited to, a device in which the liquid discharge head and the device to which the liquid can adhere move relatively. Specific examples include a serial type device that moves the liquid discharge head, a line type device that does not move the liquid discharge head, and the like.

In addition, as a "liquid discharge device", a treatment liquid coating device that discharges a treatment liquid onto a paper in order to apply the treatment liquid to the surface of the paper for the purpose of modifying the surface of the paper, and a solution of raw materials. There is an injection granulator that injects a composition liquid dispersed therein through a nozzle to granulate fine particles of raw materials.

401 Liquid discharge head 411 Housing member (flow path member)
412 Resin parts (housing)
415 Gap (recess)
416 openings

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-996

Claims (7)

A flow path member including a flow path through which a liquid flows, and
A housing in contact with the flow path member and
It is provided with a recess provided in a position where the flow path member and the housing face each other and in contact with an adhesive.
The housing is formed at a position different from the recess and includes an opening communicating with the recess through the space inside the housing.
The housing is a liquid discharge head characterized in that a portion other than the recess and the opening is sealed. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein the opening is a cylindrical portion protruding from the outer surface of the housing. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the recess is provided on the lower surface of the housing. The liquid discharge head according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the opening is on the opposite side of the flow path member and is provided in the upper part of the housing. The liquid discharge head according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the area of the opening is smaller than the area of the lower surface of the housing when the liquid discharge head is viewed in a plan view. A liquid discharge device including the liquid discharge head according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head.
(1) Assemble internal components to the flow path member including the flow path through which the liquid flows.
(2) The internal component is covered with a housing in contact with the flow path member, and the internal component is covered.
(3) An adhesive is applied to the outside of the recess at a position where the flow path member and the housing face each other by a coating device.
(4) A manufacturing method characterized in that air is sucked from an opening formed in the housing by a suction device attached to the housing.