JP4943135B2 - Method for manufacturing liquid discharge head - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a liquid ejection head and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a technique for preventing nozzle clogging and displacement that occurs when a nozzle plate on which nozzles are formed is bonded to a head main body with an adhesive.

  The ink jet recording apparatus is a method of recording information on a recording medium by ejecting ink from fine nozzles (ejection ports) of a print head (liquid ejection head). It is one of the very important members that determine the discharge performance. The ink ejection performance varies greatly depending on the nozzle hole shape and the like, and high dimensional accuracy is required to make the ejection performance uniform for a large number of nozzle holes.

  In particular, in recent years, in the field of inkjet recording, the need for high speed and high image quality has further increased, and a one-pass recording (recording by one sub-scan feed using a page-wide print head) system using a high-density and high-precision head has been developed. Yes. Accompanying this, the fineness and density of ink flow paths and nozzles have increased, and it is required to realize a technique for bonding these members with high yield and high accuracy.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for preventing clogging of communication holes and nozzle holes caused by an adhesive that protrudes by irradiating ultraviolet rays from a supply side to a laminated and pressurized flow path plate. In addition, the same document prevents the protrusion by using quartz glass as the pressure member and applying pressure and irradiation at the same time, or irradiating the plate edge with UV light with low illuminance and stacking it in a semi-cured state. Techniques to do this are disclosed.

Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for adhering a nozzle plate to a head body by irradiating ultraviolet rays from the discharge side while pressing the nozzle plate using a light transmitting member.
JP 2000-218790 A JP 2000-343713 A

  However, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, the nozzle plate cannot be retrofitted due to irradiation from the supply side, and the nozzle plate is likely to be stressed or strained during high-temperature heating such as electrical connection, and vibration using the discharge opening It is also difficult to check the operation of the plate and measure the variation in displacement. In addition, when the channel plate is formed by SUS double-sided etching, etc., when the member has protrusions, or when the irradiation light is tilted, the adhesive corner is not exposed to light, and the adhesive is heated and reduced in viscosity due to poor curing. Tends to enter the flow path. Furthermore, the mask exposure used in the case of semi-curing the end of the plate tends to cause misalignment, which increases the number of processes and tends to increase costs. Further, since it is in a semi-cured state, the adhesive force and airtightness are likely to be lowered, and the applied pressure is also nonuniform, so that residual stress and deformation are likely to occur.

  In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2, since the material of the nozzle plate is limited to a light-transmitting material, it is difficult to apply to a metal nozzle plate having high rigidity and excellent durability such as SUS press and Ni electroforming. There is a problem. In addition, since light cannot selectively enter the flow path, it is difficult to preferentially cure the protruding adhesive, and clogging occurs during pressurization, especially with adhesives with low viscosity and nozzle plates with high wettability. Cheap.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, production how a liquid discharge head capable of surely preventing the nozzle clogging and displacement in bonding with an adhesive nozzle plate to the head main body portion The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that a nozzle plate in which a nozzle for discharging a liquid is formed, a flow path that opens to the nozzle plate side, and a flow path in the flow path are formed. A liquid discharge head manufacturing method comprising: a head main body portion on which discharge means for applying a pressure change to the liquid is formed, wherein at least one joint surface of the nozzle plate and the head main body portion is photocurable. A step of applying an adhesive having, a step of laminating and pressurizing the nozzle plate on the head main body while positioning the nozzle so as to communicate with the flow path after the application of the adhesive, and the lamination After pressurization, exposure is performed from the discharge side of the nozzle plate, and the adhesive existing in the flow path is cured by light incident on the flow path from the discharge side opening of the nozzle. And extent, only including, a wall facing the nozzle side of the flow path is constituted by a diaphragm which is displaced by the ejection means, when performing exposure from the discharge side of the nozzle plate, the vibration by the discharging means It is characterized by being performed while displacing the plate .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the nozzle plate and the head main body are bonded with the adhesive, the adhesive present in the flow path inside the head main body is obtained by performing exposure from the discharge side of the nozzle plate. It can be cured. In other words, the adhesive present in the flow path can be cured before the adhesive present on the joint surface between the nozzle plate and the head main body is cured. Even when the viscosity of the adhesive is reduced due to the above, the adhesive can be prevented from flowing into the nozzle. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent misalignment caused by nozzle clogging or curing shrinkage of the adhesive, and it is possible to join the nozzle plates with high accuracy. In addition, before joining the nozzle plate to the head body, it is possible to perform high-temperature heating processes such as checking the operation of the discharge means of the head body and electrical connection, reducing the distortion of the nozzle plate and discharging accuracy. And reliability is improved.
In particular, in the present invention, since the diaphragm can be used as a light reflecting member, it is possible to reliably irradiate the adhesive existing in the flow path with a single reflection, and further, SUS, Ni, etc. Using a highly reflective material increases the light utilization efficiency, and by displacing the diaphragm, the light irradiation area for the adhesive existing in the flow path is expanded, and the adhesive is cured in a more stable state. be able to.

A second aspect of the present invention is the method of manufacturing the liquid discharge head according to the first aspect, wherein the nozzle plate is formed with a taper shape in which the flow path cross-sectional area gradually decreases toward the discharge side. Before performing the stacking and pressurization, the nozzle is configured such that light is incident on the inside of the flow path from the discharge side opening of the nozzle at an incident angle wider than an inclination angle of the inner wall surface of the nozzle with respect to the nozzle axis of the nozzle. It includes a step of performing exposure from the discharge side of the plate .

According to the aspect of the second aspect, since the cured portion of the adhesive is formed in the peripheral portion of the opening on the inflow side (opposite to the discharge side) of the nozzle, it is possible to prevent nozzle clogging more reliably. Also, the flying direction is reduced even variations in adhesive shape you stable.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a nozzle plate in which nozzles for discharging liquid are formed, and a flow path that opens to the nozzle plate side, and discharge that changes pressure in the liquid in the flow path. A liquid discharge head manufacturing method comprising: a head main body portion on which means is formed; and a step of applying a photocurable adhesive to at least one joint surface of the nozzle plate and the head main body portion; After applying the adhesive, the step of laminating the nozzle plate on the head main body while pressing so that the nozzle communicates with the flow path, and pressurizing, after the laminating pressure, Exposing from the discharge side, and curing the adhesive existing in the flow path with light incident on the flow path from the discharge side opening of the nozzle, A nozzle is formed in the plate in a tapered shape in which the cross-sectional area of the flow path gradually decreases toward the discharge side, and before performing the stacking pressurization, the incident angle is wider than the inclination angle of the nozzle inner wall surface with respect to the nozzle axis of the nozzle. The method further includes the step of performing exposure from the discharge side of the nozzle plate so that light enters the flow path from the discharge side opening of the nozzle .

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the nozzle plate and the head main body are bonded with the adhesive, the adhesive present in the flow path inside the head main body is obtained by performing exposure from the discharge side of the nozzle plate. It can be cured. In other words, the adhesive present in the flow path can be cured before the adhesive present on the joint surface between the nozzle plate and the head main body is cured. Even when the viscosity of the adhesive is reduced due to the above, the adhesive can be prevented from flowing into the nozzle. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent misalignment caused by nozzle clogging or curing shrinkage of the adhesive, and it is possible to join the nozzle plates with high accuracy. In addition, before joining the nozzle plate to the head body, it is possible to perform high-temperature heating processes such as checking the operation of the discharge means of the head body and electrical connection, reducing the distortion of the nozzle plate and discharging accuracy. And reliability is improved.
In particular, in the present invention, since the hardened portion of the adhesive is formed in the periphery of the opening on the inflow side (opposite to the discharge side) of the nozzle, it is possible to prevent nozzle clogging more reliably. In addition, the variation in adhesion shape is reduced and the flight direction is stabilized.

The invention of claim 4 is a method for producing a liquid discharge head according to any one of claims 1 to 3, opposite the pore size gradually increases toward the discharge side to the nozzle plate A tapered hole is formed .

According to the invention described in claim 4, when the nozzle plate and the head main body are joined, the surplus adhesive flows into the reverse tapered hole, and the surplus adhesive is exposed by exposure from the discharge side of the nozzle plate. Is hardened in a wedge shape, the adhesive strength is improved and the effect of preventing the displacement of the nozzle plate is also enhanced.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a nozzle plate in which nozzles for discharging liquid are formed, and a flow path that opens to the nozzle plate side and that changes pressure in the liquid in the flow path. A liquid discharge head manufacturing method comprising: a head main body portion on which means is formed; and a step of applying a photocurable adhesive to at least one joint surface of the nozzle plate and the head main body portion; After applying the adhesive, the step of laminating the nozzle plate on the head main body while pressing so that the nozzle communicates with the flow path, and pressurizing, after the laminating pressure, Exposing from the discharge side, and curing the adhesive existing in the flow path with light incident on the flow path from the discharge side opening of the nozzle, The plate is characterized in that the inverse tapered hole portion with a hole diameter towards the discharge side gradually increases is formed.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the nozzle plate and the head main body are bonded with the adhesive, the adhesive present in the flow path inside the head main body is obtained by performing exposure from the discharge side of the nozzle plate. It can be cured. In other words, the adhesive present in the flow path can be cured before the adhesive present on the joint surface between the nozzle plate and the head main body is cured. Even when the viscosity of the adhesive is reduced due to the above, the adhesive can be prevented from flowing into the nozzle. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent misalignment caused by nozzle clogging or curing shrinkage of the adhesive, and it is possible to join the nozzle plates with high accuracy. In addition, before joining the nozzle plate to the head body, it is possible to perform high-temperature heating processes such as checking the operation of the discharge means of the head body and electrical connection, reducing the distortion of the nozzle plate and discharging accuracy. And reliability is improved.
In particular, in the present invention, when the nozzle plate and the head main body are joined, the surplus adhesive flows into the reverse tapered hole, and the surplus adhesive is cured in a wedge shape by exposure from the discharge side of the nozzle plate. because, the adhesive strength is improved, the displacement prevention effect of the nozzle plate also Ru heightened.

Invention of claim 6, the method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the exposure is carried out using an inclined rotary-type exposure apparatus Rukoto It is characterized by.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, high-quality bonding can be realized with an inexpensive exposure apparatus.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is the method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the exposure is performed by a Keller illumination optical system using a laser light source. It is characterized by being.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to fix and hold the workpiece, and it is possible to realize bonding with excellent productivity by batch irradiation .

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, a nozzle plate in which nozzles for discharging liquid are formed, and a flow path that opens to the nozzle plate side is formed, and discharge that gives a pressure change to the liquid in the flow path A liquid discharge head manufacturing method comprising: a head main body portion on which means is formed; and a step of applying a photocurable adhesive to at least one joint surface of the nozzle plate and the head main body portion; After applying the adhesive, the step of laminating the nozzle plate on the head main body while pressing so that the nozzle communicates with the flow path, and pressurizing, after the laminating pressure, Exposing from the discharge side, and curing the adhesive existing in the flow path with light incident on the flow path from the discharge side opening of the nozzle, and the exposure , Characterized in that it is carried out using an inclined rotary-type exposure apparatus.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, when the nozzle plate and the head main body are joined with the adhesive, the adhesive present in the flow path inside the head main body is obtained by performing exposure from the discharge side of the nozzle plate. It can be cured. In other words, the adhesive present in the flow path can be cured before the adhesive present on the joint surface between the nozzle plate and the head main body is cured. Even when the viscosity of the adhesive is reduced due to the above, the adhesive can be prevented from flowing into the nozzle. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent misalignment caused by nozzle clogging or curing shrinkage of the adhesive, and it is possible to join the nozzle plates with high accuracy. In addition, before joining the nozzle plate to the head body, it is possible to perform high-temperature heating processes such as checking the operation of the discharge means of the head body and electrical connection, reducing the distortion of the nozzle plate and discharging accuracy. And reliability is improved.
In particular, in the present invention, high-quality bonding can be realized with an inexpensive exposure apparatus.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a nozzle plate in which nozzles for discharging liquid are formed, and a flow path that opens to the nozzle plate side and that changes pressure in the liquid in the flow path. A liquid discharge head manufacturing method comprising: a head main body portion on which means is formed; and a step of applying a photocurable adhesive to at least one joint surface of the nozzle plate and the head main body portion; After applying the adhesive, the step of laminating the nozzle plate on the head main body while pressing so that the nozzle communicates with the flow path, and pressurizing, after the laminating pressure, Exposing from the discharge side, and curing the adhesive existing in the flow path with light incident on the flow path from the discharge side opening of the nozzle, and the exposure , Characterized in that it is performed in Keller illumination optical system using a laser light source.
According to the ninth aspect of the invention, when the nozzle plate and the head main body are bonded with the adhesive, the adhesive present in the flow path inside the head main body is obtained by performing exposure from the discharge side of the nozzle plate. It can be cured. In other words, the adhesive present in the flow path can be cured before the adhesive present on the joint surface between the nozzle plate and the head main body is cured. Even when the viscosity of the adhesive is reduced due to the above, the adhesive can be prevented from flowing into the nozzle. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent misalignment caused by nozzle clogging or curing shrinkage of the adhesive, and it is possible to join the nozzle plates with high accuracy. In addition, before joining the nozzle plate to the head body, it is possible to perform high-temperature heating processes such as checking the operation of the discharge means of the head body and electrical connection, reducing the distortion of the nozzle plate and discharging accuracy. And reliability is improved.
In particular, in the present invention, workpieces can be fixed and held, and joints with excellent productivity can be realized by batch irradiation .

The invention described in 請 Motomeko 10 is a method for producing a liquid discharge head according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and enters the inside of the flow path from the discharge side opening of the nozzle The light reflected by the wall surface of the flow path hardens the adhesive present in the flow path .
According to the invention described in claim 10, since the incident light is multiple-reflected by the wall surface and irradiated into the flow path, the adhesive existing in the flow path can be reliably cured.

  According to the present invention, when the nozzle plate and the head main body are bonded with an adhesive, the adhesive present in the flow path inside the head main body can be cured by performing exposure from the discharge side of the nozzle plate. . Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent misalignment caused by nozzle clogging caused by excess adhesive or the like, curing shrinkage of the adhesive, or the like. In addition, before joining the nozzle plate to the head main body, it is possible to carry out a high-temperature heating process such as operation confirmation of the ejection means of the head main body and electrical connection.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Overall configuration of inkjet recording apparatus]
First, an ink jet recording apparatus which is an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an outline of an ink jet recording apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, the ink jet recording apparatus 10 includes a printing unit 12 having a plurality of liquid ejection heads (hereinafter simply referred to as “heads”) 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y provided for each color of ink. And an ink storage / loading unit 14 for storing ink to be supplied to each of the heads 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y, a paper feeding unit 18 for supplying the recording paper 16, and a decurling process for removing the curling of the recording paper 16 By the printing unit 12, the suction belt conveyance unit 22 that is arranged to face the nozzle surface (ink ejection surface) of the printing unit 12 and conveys the recording paper 16 while maintaining the flatness of the recording paper 16. A print detection unit 24 that reads a print result and a paper discharge unit 26 that discharges printed recording paper (printed matter) to the outside are provided.

  In FIG. 1, a magazine for rolled paper (continuous paper) is shown as an example of the paper supply unit 18, but a plurality of magazines having different paper widths, paper quality, and the like may be provided side by side. Further, instead of the roll paper magazine or in combination therewith, the paper may be supplied by a cassette in which cut papers are stacked and loaded.

  In the case of an apparatus configuration using roll paper, a cutter 28 is provided as shown in FIG. 1, and the roll paper is cut into a desired size by the cutter 28. The cutter 28 includes a fixed blade 28A having a length equal to or greater than the conveyance path width of the recording paper 16, and a round blade 28B that moves along the fixed blade 28A. The fixed blade 28A is provided on the back side of the print. The round blade 28B is arranged on the print surface side with the conveyance path interposed therebetween. Note that the cutter 28 is not necessary when cut paper is used.

  When multiple types of recording paper are used, an information recording body such as a barcode or wireless tag that records paper type information is attached to the magazine, and the information on the information recording body is read by a predetermined reader. Therefore, it is preferable to automatically determine the type of paper to be used and perform ink ejection control so as to realize appropriate ink ejection according to the type of paper.

  The recording paper 16 delivered from the paper supply unit 18 retains curl due to having been loaded in the magazine. In order to remove this curl, heat is applied to the recording paper 16 by the heating drum 30 in the direction opposite to the curl direction of the magazine in the decurling unit 20. At this time, it is more preferable to control the heating temperature so that the printed surface is slightly curled outward.

  After the decurling process, the cut recording paper 16 is sent to the suction belt conveyance unit 22. The suction belt conveyance unit 22 has a structure in which an endless belt 33 is wound between rollers 31 and 32, and at least a portion facing the nozzle surface of the printing unit 12 and the sensor surface of the printing detection unit 24 is flat. It is configured to make.

  The belt 33 has a width that is greater than the width of the recording paper 16, and a plurality of suction holes (not shown) are formed on the belt surface. As shown in FIG. 1, an adsorption chamber 34 is provided at a position facing the nozzle surface of the print unit 12 and the sensor surface of the print detection unit 24 inside the belt 33 spanned between the rollers 31 and 32. Then, the suction chamber 34 is sucked by the fan 35 to be a negative pressure, whereby the recording paper 16 on the belt 33 is sucked and held.

  The power of a motor (not shown) is transmitted to at least one of the rollers 31 and 32 around which the belt 33 is wound, so that the belt 33 is driven in the clockwise direction in FIG. The recording paper 16 is conveyed from left to right in FIG.

  Since ink adheres to the belt 33 when a borderless print or the like is printed, the belt cleaning unit 36 is provided at a predetermined position outside the belt 33 (an appropriate position other than the print area). Although details of the configuration of the belt cleaning unit 36 are not shown, for example, there are a method of niping a brush roll, a water absorbing roll, etc., an air blowing method of spraying clean air, or a combination thereof. In the case where the cleaning roll is nipped, the cleaning effect is great if the belt linear velocity and the roller linear velocity are changed.

Although a mode using a roller / nip transport mechanism instead of the suction belt transport unit 22 is also conceivable, when the print area is transported by a roller / nip, the roller comes into contact with the print surface of the paper immediately after printing, so that the image blurs. There is a problem that it is easy. Therefore, as in this example, suction belt conveyance that does not contact the image surface in the printing region is preferable.

  A heating fan 40 is provided on the upstream side of the printing unit 12 on the paper conveyance path formed by the suction belt conveyance unit 22. The heating fan 40 heats the recording paper 16 by blowing heated air onto the recording paper 16 before printing. Heating the recording paper 16 immediately before printing makes it easier for the ink to dry after landing.

  The printing unit 12 is a so-called full-line type head in which line-type heads having a length corresponding to the maximum paper width are arranged in a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the paper transport direction (sub-scanning direction). Each of the heads 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y constituting the printing unit 12 has a plurality of ink discharge ports (nozzles) arranged over a length exceeding at least one side of the maximum size recording paper 16 targeted by the inkjet recording apparatus 10. It is composed of a line-type head (see FIG. 2).

  A head corresponding to each color ink in the order of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) from the upstream side (left side in FIG. 1) along the conveyance direction (paper conveyance direction) of the recording paper 16. 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y are arranged. A color image can be formed on the recording paper 16 by ejecting the color ink from each of the heads 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y while conveying the recording paper 16.

  Thus, according to the printing unit 12 in which the full line head that covers the entire width of the paper is provided for each ink color, the recording paper 16 and the printing unit 12 are relatively moved in the paper transport direction (sub-scanning direction). It is possible to record an image on the entire surface of the recording paper 16 by performing this operation only once (that is, by one sub-scan). Thereby, high-speed printing is possible and productivity can be improved as compared with a shuttle type head in which the head reciprocates in a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the paper transport direction.

  In this example, the configuration of KCMY standard colors (four colors) is illustrated, but the combination of ink colors and the number of colors is not limited to this embodiment, and light ink and dark ink are added as necessary. May be. For example, it is possible to add a head for ejecting light-colored ink such as light cyan and light magenta.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ink storage / loading unit 14 has tanks that store inks of colors corresponding to the heads 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y, and each tank is connected via a conduit that is not shown. The heads 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y communicate with each other. Further, the ink storage / loading unit 14 includes notifying means (display means, warning sound generating means, etc.) for notifying when the ink remaining amount is low, and has a mechanism for preventing erroneous loading between colors. doing.

  The print detection unit 24 includes an image sensor (line sensor or the like) for imaging the droplet ejection result of the print unit 12, and means for checking nozzle clogging and other ejection defects from the droplet ejection image read by the image sensor. Function as.

The print detection unit 24 of this example is composed of a line sensor having a light receiving element array that is wider than at least the ink ejection width (image recording width) of the heads 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y. This line sensor is a photoelectric conversion element (pixel) provided with a red (R) color filter.
A color separation line CCD sensor comprising: an R sensor array in which G is arranged in a line, a G sensor array provided with a green (G) color filter, and a B sensor array provided with a blue (B) color filter It consists of Instead of the line sensor, an area sensor in which the light receiving elements are two-dimensionally arranged can be used.

  The print detection unit 24 reads the test patterns printed by the heads 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y for each color, and detects the ejection of each head. The ejection determination includes the presence / absence of ejection, measurement of dot size, measurement of dot landing position, and the like.

  A post-drying unit 42 is provided following the print detection unit 24. The post-drying unit 42 is means for drying the printed image surface, and for example, a heating fan is used. Since it is preferable to avoid contact with the printing surface until the ink after printing is dried, a method of blowing hot air is preferred.

  When printing on porous paper with dye-based ink, the weather resistance of the image is improved by preventing contact with ozone or other things that cause dye molecules to break by blocking the paper holes by pressurization. There is an effect to.

  A heating / pressurizing unit 44 is provided following the post-drying unit 42. The heating / pressurizing unit 44 is a means for controlling the glossiness of the image surface, and pressurizes with a pressure roller 45 having a predetermined uneven surface shape while heating the image surface to transfer the uneven shape to the image surface. To do.

  The printed matter generated in this manner is outputted from the paper output unit 26. It is preferable that the original image to be printed (printed target image) and the test print are discharged separately. The ink jet recording apparatus 10 is provided with sorting means (not shown) for switching the paper discharge path in order to select the print product of the main image and the print product of the test print and send them to the discharge units 26A and 26B. ing. Note that when the main image and the test print are simultaneously formed in parallel on a large sheet, the test print portion is separated by a cutter (second cutter) 48. The cutter 48 is provided immediately before the paper discharge unit 26, and cuts the main image and the test print unit when the test print is performed on the image margin. The structure of the cutter 48 is the same as that of the first cutter 28 described above, and includes a fixed blade 48A and a round blade 48B. Although not shown, the paper output unit 26A for the target prints is provided with a sorter for collecting prints according to print orders.

  In this embodiment, a full-line head is exemplified, but the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this, and a short head having a nozzle row having a length shorter than the width of the recording medium is arranged in the width direction of the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable to a serial type (shuttle scan type) head that performs printing in the width direction of the recording medium while scanning.

[Structure of liquid discharge head]
Next, the structure of the liquid discharge head of this embodiment will be described. Since the structures of the heads 12K, 12C, 12M, and 12Y provided for each ink color are common, the head is represented by the reference numeral 50 in the following.

  FIG. 3A is a plan perspective view showing a structural example of the head 50. As shown in FIG. 3A, the head 50 of this example corresponds to a plurality of ink chamber units (corresponding to one nozzle) including nozzles 51 serving as ink droplet ejection openings, pressure chambers 52 corresponding to the nozzles 51, and the like. The liquid droplet ejection elements 53 serving as recording element units are arranged in a staggered matrix (two-dimensional), and are thus arranged along the longitudinal direction of the head (direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction). Thus, the density of the substantial nozzle interval (projection nozzle pitch) projected is increased.

  In addition, the form which comprises the nozzle row more than the length corresponding to the full width of the recording paper 16 in the direction (main scanning direction) substantially orthogonal to the conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction) of the recording paper 16 is not limited to this example. For example, instead of the configuration of FIG. 3A, as shown in FIG. 3B, short head units 50 ′ in which a plurality of nozzles 51 are two-dimensionally arranged are arranged in a staggered manner and joined together. A line head having a nozzle row having a length corresponding to the entire width of the recording paper 16 may be configured.

  The pressure chamber 52 provided corresponding to each nozzle 51 has a substantially square planar shape. Nozzles 51 are arranged at substantially central portions of the respective pressure chambers 52, and supply ink inlets (supply ports) 54 are provided at the corners thereof. The shape of the pressure chamber 52 is not limited to this example, and the planar shape may have various forms such as a quadrangle (rhombus, rectangle, etc.), a pentagon, a hexagon and other polygons, a circle, and an ellipse. Further, the arrangement of the nozzles 51 and the supply ports 54 is not limited to the arrangement shown in FIGS.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a three-dimensional configuration of a droplet discharge element for one channel (an ink chamber unit 53 corresponding to one nozzle 51). As shown in FIG. 4, the head 50 has a structure in which a nozzle plate 60, a flow path plate 62, and a vibration plate 64 are laminated and joined.

  The nozzle plate 60 constitutes the nozzle surface (ink ejection surface) 50A of the head 50 and the bottom surface (lower surface in the drawing) of each pressure chamber 52, and there are two nozzles 51 communicating with each pressure chamber 52. Dimensionally formed.

  The flow path plate 62 constitutes a side wall portion of the pressure chamber 52 and forms a supply port 54 as a throttle portion (most narrowed portion) of an individual supply path that guides ink from the common flow path 55 to the pressure chamber 52. It is a forming member. For convenience of explanation, the flow path plate 62 has a structure in which one or a plurality of substrates are stacked, although the display is simplified in FIG.

  The diaphragm 64 constitutes one wall surface (the upper surface in FIG. 4) of the pressure chamber 52 and is made of a conductive material such as stainless steel (SUS) or silicon (Si) with a nickel (Ni) conductive layer. It also serves as a common electrode for a plurality of piezoelectric elements 58 arranged corresponding to the chamber 52. It is also possible to form the diaphragm with a non-conductive material such as resin. In this case, a common electrode layer made of a conductive material such as metal is formed on the surface of the diaphragm member.

  A piezoelectric body 56 is provided at a position corresponding to each pressure chamber 52 on the surface opposite to the pressure chamber 52 side of the diaphragm 64 (upper side in FIG. 4). The individual electrode 57 is formed on the surface opposite to the surface in contact with the diaphragm 64 that also serves as the same. A piezoelectric element 58 (corresponding to the discharge means of the present invention) is composed of the individual electrode 57, the common electrode (in this example, also serving as the diaphragm 64) opposed thereto, and the piezoelectric body 56 interposed so as to be sandwiched between these electrodes. ) Is configured. A piezoelectric material such as lead zirconate titanate or barium titanate is preferably used for the piezoelectric body 56.

  In addition, a common flow path forming member 66 (shown by a one-dot chain line) is disposed on the surface of the diaphragm 64 opposite to the pressure chamber 52 side at a position that does not overlap the piezoelectric body 56. A common channel 55 for storing ink to be supplied to each pressure chamber 52 is formed inside the common channel forming member 66. The common flow channel 55 communicates with each pressure chamber 52 via a supply port 54, and an ink tank (designated by reference numeral 70 in FIG. 5) serving as an ink supply source disposed in the ink storage / loading unit 14 shown in FIG. The ink supplied from the above description is supplied to each pressure chamber 52 via the common flow channel 55.

  When the drive voltage is applied between the individual electrode 57 and the common electrode (also used as the vibration plate 64) while the pressure chamber 52 is filled with ink, the piezoelectric element 58 is deformed and the volume of the pressure chamber 52 changes. Ink is ejected from the nozzle 51 due to the pressure change accompanying this. After the ink is ejected, when the displacement of the piezoelectric element 58 is restored, new ink is refilled into the pressure chamber 52 from the common channel 55 through the supply port 54.

  In the present embodiment, a method of ejecting ink droplets by deformation of the piezoelectric element 58 typified by a piezo element is employed. However, the present invention is not limited to a method of ejecting ink, and the piezo element is not limited. Instead of the method, a thermal jet method in which ink is heated by a heating element such as a heater to generate bubbles and ink droplets are ejected by the pressure may be used.

[Configuration of ink supply system]
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the ink supply system in the inkjet recording apparatus 10. In the figure, an ink tank 70 is a base tank that supplies ink to a head 50, and is installed in the ink storage / loading unit 14 described in FIG. In the form of the ink tank 70, there are a system that replenishes ink from a replenishment port (not shown) and a cartridge system that replaces the entire tank when the remaining amount of ink decreases. A cartridge system is suitable for changing the ink type according to the intended use. In this case, it is preferable that the ink type information is identified by a barcode or the like, and ejection control is performed according to the ink type.

  A filter 72 is provided between the ink tank 70 and the head 50 in order to remove foreign matters and bubbles. The filter mesh size is preferably equal to or smaller than the nozzle diameter (generally about 20 μm). Although not shown in FIG. 5, a configuration in which a sub tank is provided in the vicinity of the head 50 or integrally with the head 50 is also preferable. The sub-tank has a function of improving a damper effect and refill that prevents fluctuations in the internal pressure of the head 50.

  Further, the inkjet recording apparatus 10 is provided with a cap 74 as a means for preventing an increase in ink viscosity near the nozzles and drying, and a cleaning blade 76 as a means for cleaning the nozzle surface 50A of the head 50. . The maintenance unit including the cap 74 and the cleaning blade 76 can be moved relative to the head 50 by a moving mechanism (not shown), and is moved from a predetermined retracted position to a maintenance position below the head 50 as necessary.

  The cap 74 is displaced up and down relatively with respect to the head 50 by an elevator mechanism (not shown). The cap surface 74A is covered with the cap 74 by raising the cap 74 to a predetermined raised position when the power is turned off or during printing standby, and bringing the cap 74 into close contact with the head 50. Further, the cap 74 functions as a suction unit for sucking the nozzles and can also function as a preliminary discharge ink receiver.

  The cleaning blade 76 is made of an elastic member such as rubber, and can slide on the ink discharge surface (nozzle surface 50A) of the head 50 by a blade moving mechanism (not shown). When ink droplets or foreign matters adhere to the nozzle surface 50A, the cleaning blade 76 is slid on the nozzle surface 50A (so-called wiping operation) to wipe the nozzle surface 50A and clean the nozzle surface 50A. Yes.

  During printing or standby, when the frequency of use of a specific nozzle 51 decreases and the ink viscosity in the vicinity of the nozzle increases, preliminary ejection is performed toward the cap 74 to discharge the deteriorated ink.

  That is, if the head 50 does not discharge for a certain period of time, the ink solvent in the vicinity of the nozzles evaporates and the viscosity of the ink in the vicinity of the nozzles increases, and the discharge driving actuator (piezoelectric element 58) operates. However, no ink is ejected from the nozzle 51. Therefore, before this state is reached (within the viscosity range in which ink can be ejected by the operation of the piezoelectric element 58), the piezoelectric element 58 is operated toward the ink receiver, and the ink in the vicinity of the nozzle whose viscosity has increased is removed. “Preliminary discharge” is performed. Further, after the dirt on the nozzle surface 50A is cleaned by a wiper such as a cleaning blade 76 provided as a cleaning means for the nozzle surface 50A, foreign matter is mixed into the nozzle 51 by this wiper rubbing operation (wiping operation). In order to prevent this, preliminary discharge is performed. Note that the preliminary discharge may be referred to as “empty discharge”, “purge”, “spitting”, or the like.

  When air bubbles are mixed in the ink in the head 50 (ink in the pressure chamber 52), the cap 74 is applied to the head 50, and the ink in the head 50 (ink mixed with air bubbles) is removed by suction with the suction pump 77. Then, the sucked and removed ink is sent to the collection tank 78. In this suction operation, the deteriorated ink that has increased in viscosity (solidified) is sucked out when the ink is initially loaded into the head 50 or when the ink is used after being stopped for a long time.

  Specifically, if bubbles are mixed into the nozzle 51 or the pressure chamber 52 or if the viscosity of the ink in the vicinity of the nozzle exceeds a certain level, ink cannot be ejected from the nozzle 51 by the preliminary ejection that operates the piezoelectric element 58. . In such a case, the pump 77 is used to suck ink or thickened ink in which bubbles in the pressure chamber 52 are mixed by applying the cap 74 to the nozzle surface 50 </ b> A of the head 50.

  However, since the above suction operation is performed on the entire ink in the pressure chamber 52, the ink consumption is large. Therefore, when the increase in viscosity is small, it is preferable to perform preliminary discharge as much as possible. Preferably, the inside of the cap 74 is divided into a plurality of areas corresponding to the nozzle rows by a partition wall, and each of the partitioned areas can be selectively sucked by a selector or the like.

[Control system configuration]
Next, the control system of the inkjet recording apparatus 10 will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a principal block diagram showing the system configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus 10. The inkjet recording apparatus 10 includes a communication interface 80, a system controller 82, an image memory 84, a motor driver 86, a heater driver 88, a print control unit 90, an image buffer memory 92, a head driver 94, and the like.

  The communication interface 80 is an interface unit that receives image data sent from the host computer 96. A serial interface or a parallel interface can be applied to the communication interface 80. In this part, a buffer memory (not shown) for speeding up communication may be mounted.

  Image data sent from the host computer 96 is taken into the inkjet recording apparatus 10 via the communication interface 80 and temporarily stored in the image memory 84. The image memory 84 is a storage unit that temporarily stores an image input via the communication interface 80, and data is read and written through the system controller 82. The image memory 84 is not limited to a memory composed of semiconductor elements, and a magnetic medium such as a hard disk may be used.

  The system controller 82 is a control unit that controls each unit such as the communication interface 80, the image memory 84, the motor driver 86, the heater driver 88, and the like. The system controller 82 includes a central processing unit (CPU) and its peripheral circuits, and performs communication control with the host computer 96, read / write control of the image memory 84, and the like, as well as a transport system motor 98 and heater 99. A control signal for controlling is generated.

  The motor driver 86 is a driver (drive circuit) that drives the motor 98 in accordance with an instruction from the system controller 82. The heater driver 88 is a driver that drives the heaters 99 of the post-drying unit 42 and other units in accordance with instructions from the system controller 82.

  The print control unit 90 has a signal processing function for performing various processes and corrections for generating a print control signal from the image data in the image memory 84 according to the control of the system controller 82, and the generated print A control unit that supplies a control signal (dot data) to the head driver 94. Necessary signal processing is performed in the print controller 90, and the ejection amount and ejection timing of the ink droplets of the head 50 are controlled via the head driver 94 based on the image data. Thereby, a desired dot size and dot arrangement are realized.

  The print controller 90 is provided with an image buffer memory 92, and image data, parameters, and other data are temporarily stored in the image buffer memory 92 when image data is processed in the print controller 90. In FIG. 6, the image buffer memory 92 is shown in a mode associated with the print control unit 90, but it can also be used as the image memory 84. Also possible is an aspect in which the print controller 90 and the system controller 82 are integrated and configured with one processor.

  The head driver 94 generates a drive signal for driving the piezoelectric elements 58 (see FIG. 4) of the heads 50 of the respective colors based on the print data given from the print control unit 90, and the generated drive signal is output to the piezoelectric elements 58. Supply. The head driver 94 may include a feedback control system for keeping the driving condition of the head 50 constant.

  As described with reference to FIG. 1, the print detection unit 24 is a block including a line sensor, reads an image printed on the recording paper 16, performs necessary signal processing, and the like to perform a print status (whether ejection is performed, droplet ejection And the detection result is provided to the print control unit 90.

  The print control unit 90 performs various corrections on the head 50 based on information obtained from the print detection unit 24 as necessary.

[Manufacturing method of liquid discharge head]
In the method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to the present invention, an adhesive is applied to at least one joint surface of a metal nozzle plate and a flow path plate (head body portion) formed by Ni electroforming, and these are laminated. While pressing the alignment, exposure is performed from the discharge side of the nozzle plate, light is irradiated from the discharge side opening of the nozzle to the inside of the pressure chamber (ink flow path), and the adhesive existing in the pressure chamber (for example, excess bonding) It is characterized by curing the agent, etc., and prevents nozzle clogging and displacement that occur at the time of nozzle plate bonding, and enables high-precision bonding. Hereinafter, an example of a method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing the head 50 of this embodiment.

  First, a nozzle plate is produced (step S102). As an example of a method for producing the nozzle plate, a flowchart of a method using Ni electroforming is shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the steps shown in FIG. 8 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, in step S202 of FIG. 8, an exposure mask is produced. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9A, the opaque film 104 is patterned so that an opening region corresponding to the nozzle opening is formed on one surface of a transparent substrate 102 such as glass. The opaque film 104 is made of Cr (chromium) or chromium oxide, and is patterned into a predetermined shape using a known photolithography method. In addition, when the exposure mask 100 already exists, the process for producing the exposure mask can be omitted.

  Next, a negative type photoresist is applied on one side of the exposure mask 100 (step S204). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9B, a resist 106 is applied to the surface of the exposure mask 100 on the opaque film 104 side by a spin coater or the like. Since the film thickness of the resist 106 corresponds to the thickness of the nozzle plate to be manufactured, a thick film resist is used in this embodiment. For example, the negative resist is applied with a film thickness of about 20 to 50 μm. Thereafter, the resist 106 applied on the exposure mask 100 is pre-baked.

  Instead of adhesion by coating, a dry film (DFR) is used to adhere to the exposure mask 100, or a resist-coated substrate is used to adhere the resist surface of the substrate to the exposure mask 100. There may be.

  Next, tilt rotation exposure is performed on the resist 106 on the exposure mask 100 (step S206). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9C, an exposure mask 100 with a negative resist is placed on the stage 108 of an inclined rotation type exposure apparatus described later so that the transparent substrate 102 side is on the upper side (exposure surface side). The exposure is performed while rotating around the rotation axis 110 of the stage 108 in a state where the incident angle θ of the light is fixed and is an oblique angle that is not a right angle.

  When such tilt rotation exposure is performed, the light other than the opening area of the opaque film 104 is blocked, while the light passes through the opening area. Therefore, the inverted truncated cone according to the incident angle θ of the light. The region 106a of the resist 106 is exposed in the shape (reverse taper shape).

  Thereafter, after developing the exposed resist 106, post-baking is performed (step S208). In this way, as shown in FIG. 9D, a resist pattern in which the resist 106a corresponding to the inverted frustoconical photosensitive portion remains is formed on the exposure mask 100, and this is used as a nickel (Ni) electroforming mold. It is done.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9E, a Ni electroformed layer (metal layer) 112 is deposited on the opaque film 104 by Ni electroforming (step S210). The metal plate portion formed by the Ni electroformed layer 112 becomes the nozzle plate 60.

  Subsequently, the resist 106a is removed with an organic solvent or the like (step S212). Thereafter, the nozzle plate 60 formed by the Ni electroformed layer 112 is peeled from the exposure mask 100 (step S214).

  Thus, as shown in FIG. 9 (f), a nozzle plate 60 is obtained in which the tapered nozzles 51 whose diameter (channel cross-sectional area) gradually narrows in the ejection direction (downward in the figure).

  As a method for producing the nozzle plate, a method using Ni electroforming has been shown as an example. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the nozzle plate may be produced using various methods such as a SUS press. .

  After producing the nozzle plate in this way, the head main body is then assembled (step S104 in FIG. 7). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10A, the head main body 114 including the flow path plate 62, the vibration plate 64, and the piezoelectric element 58 is assembled. At this time, it is preferable to form an electrical wiring for supplying a drive signal to the piezoelectric element 58. The common flow path forming member (not shown in FIG. 10, described as reference numeral 66 in FIG. 4) may be mounted when the head main body 114 is assembled, or may be mounted later.

  The order in which the nozzle plate is manufactured (step S102) and the assembly of the head main body (step S104) is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 7, and the nozzle plate may be manufactured after the head main body is assembled. These may be performed simultaneously.

  Next, an adhesive is applied to at least one joint surface between the nozzle plate and the head main body, and the head main body and the nozzle plate are bonded together (step S106). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10A, the adhesive 120 is applied to the joint surface of the nozzle plate 60 on the flow path plate 62 side (head main body 114 side) by a transfer method or the like. The adhesive 120 may be applied to the joint surface on the nozzle plate 60 side of the flow path plate 62 (head main body portion 114), or each joint surface of the nozzle plate 60 and the flow path plate 62 (head main body portion 114). You may apply to.

  In the present embodiment, an ultraviolet curable adhesive having thermosetting properties is used as the adhesive 120, and among them, a thermosetting epoxy adhesive having ultraviolet curable properties is particularly preferable.

  After applying the adhesive, the nozzle plate is stacked on the head main body and pressed while positioning the nozzle so as to communicate with the ink flow path formed in the head main body (step S108). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10B, alignment is performed so that the nozzle 51 communicates with the pressure chamber 52 corresponding to the ink flow path, and the nozzle plate is connected to the flow path plate 62 (head main body 114). 60 is bonded and pressurized. Hereinafter, the laminated substrate in a state where the nozzle plate 60 is bonded to the head main body 114 is denoted by reference numeral 116.

  Next, inclined rotation exposure is performed from the discharge side of the nozzle plate on the laminated substrate in which the nozzle plate is bonded to the head main body (step S110). Specifically, the laminated substrate 116 shown in FIG. 10B is subjected to inclined rotational exposure from the discharge side (lower side in the figure) of the nozzle plate 60, and the pressure chamber 52 from the discharge side opening of the nozzle 51. Irradiate light inside.

  Here, an inclined rotation type exposure apparatus (hereinafter simply referred to as “exposure apparatus”) used when performing inclined rotation exposure will be described. Note that the tilt rotation type exposure apparatus described below is also used in the tilt rotation exposure (step S206 in FIG. 8) when producing the nozzle plate by Ni electroforming as described above.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of an inclined rotation type exposure apparatus. The exposure apparatus 210 is mainly composed of a light source 212, an irradiation optical system 214, an immersion vessel 216, a window frame 218, and a stage 220. The light emitted from the light source 212 is converted into parallel light below the figure by the irradiation optical system 214. The laminated substrate 116 on the stage 220 which is guided and tilted and rotated is irradiated. The multilayer substrate 116 is arranged on the stage 220 so that the nozzle plate 60 side is on the upper side (exposure surface side), and exposure is performed from the discharge side of the nozzle plate 60, and the discharge side opening of the nozzle 51 (not shown). The light is applied to the pressure chamber 52 (not shown) inside the head main body 114.

  The stage 220 is disposed in the immersion container 216. The stage 220 introduces a liquid (for example, pure water) into the immersion container 216 and performs exposure in the liquid, and performs exposure in the gas. It is possible to switch between normal (dry) exposure.

  Further, the stage 220 has a rotation mechanism capable of in-plane rotation of the table surface 226 and an inclination (oscillation) capable of adjusting an inclination angle of the table surface 226 (an inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane, that is, an incident angle of irradiation light). And a tilt rotation stage equipped with a mechanism.

  That is, the stage 220 is attached to a rotary shaft 228 perpendicular to the table surface 226 and can be rotated about the rotary shaft (first rotary shaft) 228. Further, the rotating shaft 228 of the stage 220 is a mechanism that can swing in a vertical plane orthogonal to the table surface 226, and the tilt angle of the table surface 226 can be varied depending on the swinging position of the rotating shaft 228. Further, the tiltable rotation shaft 228, the stage 220, and the entire liquid immersion vessel 216 are rotatable in a horizontal plane around the rotation shaft 230 parallel to the vertical line.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the light source 212 and the irradiation optical system 214 used in the exposure apparatus 210 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the illumination unit 260 used in the exposure apparatus 210 of the present example uses an ultrahigh pressure mercury lamp 261 as a light source. The light emitted from the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 261 is collected by the elliptical collecting mirror 262, the optical path is bent in the horizontal direction by the plane reflecting mirror 263, and then enters the integrator lens 264.

  The light whose illuminance distribution has been made uniform by the integrator lens 264 has its transmission wavelength range selected by the optical filter 265, and then its optical path is bent in the vertical direction by the plane reflection mirror 266 and enters the collimator lens 267. The light converted into parallel light by the collimator lens 267 is irradiated toward the irradiation surface 268 as parallel irradiation light having a uniform illuminance distribution.

  The type and wavelength of the light source to be used are not limited to the above example, and an appropriate light source (wavelength) is selected in relation to the photosensitive characteristics of the photoresist to be used. In carrying out the present invention, a mode in which a solid-state laser, a semiconductor laser (for example, wavelengths: 355 nm, 375 nm, 405 nm) or the like is used as a light source for illumination is also possible.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the tilt rotation type exposure apparatus 210 configured as described above is fixed on the stage 220 so that the nozzle plate 60 side of the multilayer substrate 116 is on the upper side (exposure surface side). In a state where pressure is applied while aligning the nozzle plate 60 with respect to the main body 114, tilt rotation exposure is performed from the discharge side of the nozzle plate 60.

  FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing a state in which light incident from the discharge side opening of the nozzle 51 is reflected by tilt rotation exposure. FIG. 13A shows the incident light on the diaphragm 64 constituting the inner wall surface of the pressure chamber 52. A state in which the adhesive 120a existing on the bottom surface (surface on the nozzle 51 side) of the pressure chamber 52 is reflected once is shown, and (b) shows a plurality of incident light reflected on the inner wall surface of the pressure chamber 52 and pressure. It is an example showing a state where the adhesive 120a existing on the bottom surface of the chamber 52 is irradiated. When tilt rotation exposure is performed from the discharge side of the nozzle plate 60 in this way, light enters the pressure chamber 52 inside the head main body 114 from the discharge side opening of the nozzle 51, and further, the inner wall surface of the pressure chamber 52 In this case, the adhesive 120a is reflected once or a plurality of times and irradiated to the adhesive 120a in the pressure chamber 52, so that the adhesive 120a can be cured.

  After performing the tilt rotation exposure in step S110 of FIG. 7, the multilayer substrate 116 is removed from the stage 220 of the tilt rotation exposure apparatus 210, and the multilayer substrate 116 is heated (step S112). As a result, the adhesive 120b existing on the joint surface between the nozzle plate 60 and the head main body 114 is cured. Thus, the head 50 of this embodiment is completed.

  In this embodiment, as described above, an ultraviolet curable adhesive having thermosetting properties is used, but the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an ultraviolet curable adhesive having anaerobic curability or a light delayed curable adhesive can be used. That is, in the present invention, an adhesive having at least photocurability and having other properties such as thermosetting property and anaerobic curing property is used, and is shown in step S112 in FIG. 7 according to the other properties. The heating process is appropriately changed to another process.

  In order to reduce distortion due to the difference in linear expansion coefficient between the nozzle plate 60 and the head main body 114 during the heating process, it is desirable to use an adhesive that cures at a relatively low temperature (60 to 80 ° C.).

  As described above, according to the present manufacturing method, exposure (tilt rotation exposure) is performed from the discharge side of the nozzle plate, and light is incident on the inside of the pressure chamber (ink channel) from the discharge side opening of the nozzle. The adhesive present in the pressure chamber (ink channel) can be cured. That is, the adhesive existing in the pressure chamber can be cured before the adhesive present on the joint surface between the nozzle plate and the head main body is cured. Even when the viscosity of the adhesive is lowered, the adhesive can be prevented from flowing into the nozzle. Therefore, nozzle clogging and positional deviation can be reliably prevented, and highly accurate nozzle plate joining can be achieved.

  Further, it is possible to perform a high-temperature heating process such as electrical connection of piezoelectric elements before joining the nozzle plate to the head main body, reducing the stress and distortion of the nozzle plate and improving the discharge accuracy and reliability.

  It is also possible to perform continuity inspection of the actuator and measurement of the displacement of the diaphragm before joining the nozzle plate. Specifically, after assembling the head main body in step S104 of FIG. 7, a capacitance inspection of the actuator (piezoelectric element) is performed before proceeding to the next step. By measuring the displacement of the actuator and the diaphragm corresponding to the pressure generating unit, it is possible to correct the variation by trimming the actuator wiring or image processing.

  Even in the case of irregularly shaped (rectangular) channels such as Si anisotropic etching, the corners are irradiated by rotating exposure while varying the tilt angle, so the entire pressure chamber (ink channel) channel is irradiated. Curing is possible.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the head 50 of this embodiment, the wall surface on the opposite side of the pressure chamber 52 from the nozzle 51 side is configured by the diaphragm 64, and the pressure direction ( This is a so-called top shooter type head in which the discharge direction of the nozzle 51 and the discharge direction of the nozzle 51 are arranged in parallel. According to such a top shooter type head, when performing tilt rotation exposure from the discharge side of the nozzle plate, a relatively highly reflective diaphragm formed by Ni electroforming, SUS etching, Si etching or the like is used as a reflecting member. The reflected light of one reflection (by the vibration plate) is reliably irradiated to the adhesive existing in the pressure chamber (ink flow path), and the light use efficiency is also increased.

  In addition, in the top shooter type head, there is also an aspect in which tilt rotation exposure is performed while displacing one wall surface of the ink flow path. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, the discharge side opening of the nozzle 51 is displaced while displacing the diaphragm 64 constituting one wall surface of the pressure chamber 52 by driving the piezoelectric element 58 (corresponding to the discharge means of the present invention). Light is incident on the inside of the pressure chamber 52 from the portion. Compared with the case where the diaphragm 64 is not displaced, the irradiation area of the reflected light by the diaphragm 64 is widened, so that the adhesive 120a existing on the bottom surface of the pressure chamber 52 (surface on the nozzle 51 side) is more reliably cured over a wide range. be able to. In addition, since the irradiation area of the reflected light by the diaphragm 64 is widened, it is possible to reduce the swing angle (tilt angle) of the stage 220 in the tilt rotation type exposure apparatus 210 described above.

  Further, it is preferable that after applying an adhesive on the joint surface of the nozzle plate on the head main body side and before the nozzle plate is bonded to the head main body portion, tilt exposure is performed at a wider angle than the nozzle taper angle. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15A, in the state where the adhesive 120 is applied to the inflow side (upper side in the figure) corresponding to the opposite side to the discharge side of the nozzle plate 60, the nozzle plate 60 faces the discharge side. Thus, exposure is performed so that the incident angle θ of the light with respect to the nozzle axis P of the tapered nozzle 51 whose flow path cross-sectional area becomes gradually smaller than the taper angle θ1 of the nozzle 51. When the incident angle θ of light is smaller than the taper angle θ1 of the nozzle 51, the edge portion (adhesive edge portion) 120c of the adhesive 120 around the inflow side opening of the nozzle 51 is not irradiated, and the pressure chamber 52 (non-pressure) In the case of irradiation using the reflected light from the wall surface (shown), it is difficult to cure only the adhesive edge portion 120c accurately and selectively. Therefore, as described above, it is preferable that the incident angle θ of light is equal to or larger than the taper angle θ1 of the nozzle 51 (θ ≧ θ1). As a result, as shown in FIG. 15B, the adhesive edge 120c around the inflow side opening of the nozzle 51 is cured.

  In FIG. 15A, the incident angle θ of light is larger than the angle θ2 defined by the straight line connecting the discharge side opening end of the nozzle 51 and the inflow side opening end opposite to the nozzle axis P. If it is large, the adhesive edge 120c around the inflow side opening of the nozzle 51 is not irradiated with light, or the reflected light from the inner wall surface of the nozzle is reflected even when the adhesive edge 120c is irradiated. The irradiation light rate is significantly reduced. Therefore, it is more preferable to set so as to satisfy the following formula θ1 ≦ θ ≦ θ2.

  Here, when the discharge-side opening diameter of the tapered nozzle 51 is φ1, the inflow-side opening diameter is φ2, and the thickness of the nozzle plate 60 is t, θ1 and θ2 are expressed by the following equations.

θ1 = tan ⁻¹ (φ2−φ1) / 2t
θ2 = tan ⁻¹ (φ1 + φ2) / 2t
From the above, the light incident angle θ in the case of tilt rotation exposure at a wider angle than the nozzle taper angle is preferably in the range represented by the following equation.

θ ≧ tan ⁻¹ (φ2−φ1) / 2t
And more preferably, it is the range shown by a following formula.

tan ⁻¹ (φ2−φ1) / 2t ≦ θ ≦ tan ⁻¹ (φ1 + φ2) / 2t
By exposing the nozzle taper angle to an inclined rotational exposure at a wider angle than this, a hardened portion of the adhesive (corresponding to the adhesive edge portion 120c) is formed around the inflow side opening of the nozzle. It can be prevented more reliably, and the variation in adhesion shape is reduced and the flight direction is stabilized.

  In the case of a tilt rotation exposure with a wider angle than the nozzle taper angle, if the light irradiation amount of the nozzle inflow portion is set to be equal to or less than the irradiation amount of the joint portion, curing of the joint portion due to reflection on the inner surface of the flow path can be prevented and direct irradiation So there is no energy shortage. For example, in the case of a Ni diaphragm, the ultraviolet reflectance is about 40%.

  When the nozzle plate is produced by the Ni electroforming method, the electroforming layer corresponding to the nozzle plate is not peeled off from the exposure mask (that is, with the exposure mask attached), that is, on the discharge side of the nozzle plate (ie There is also an aspect in which inclined rotation exposure is performed from the exposure mask side. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, the Ni electroformed layer 112 (corresponding to the nozzle plate 60) with the exposure mask 100 is placed on the head main body 114 on the stage 220 of the tilt rotation exposure apparatus 210 (see FIG. 11). In the state of being bonded together, tilt rotation exposure is performed while pressing the alignment. FIG. 17 shows a plan view of the Ni electroformed layer 112 formed on the exposure mask 100. In the illustrated example, four nozzle plate forming portions 250 (corresponding to the nozzle plates 60) corresponding to the respective heads 50 are formed on the disc-shaped Ni electroformed layer 112. When tilt rotation exposure is performed, the head main body 114 is stacked on each nozzle plate forming section 250 and set on the stage 220 as shown in FIG.

  The Ni electroformed layer 112 is formed with a light receiving monitor portion 258 in which a plurality of nozzle holes for light receiving monitoring are formed in a region that does not overlap with any of the nozzle plate forming portions 250 described above. The light receiving sensor 248 is disposed at a corresponding position directly below the portion 258. That is, the light receiving sensor 248 is disposed on the stage 220 in a region that does not overlap any nozzle plate forming unit 250 (a region other than the nozzle plate forming unit).

  As described above, according to the aspect in which the tilt rotation exposure is performed without peeling off the exposure mask, the handling property is improved even with a thin nozzle plate, and the distortion and warpage at the time of bonding are reduced, and high-precision bonding is possible. It becomes. The exposure mask may be peeled after the adhesive existing between the nozzle plate forming portion and the head main body is cured by heating or the like, and then the Ni electroformed layer peeled off from the exposure mask is applied to each nozzle. What is necessary is just to cut | disconnect for every plate formation part 250. FIG.

  In addition, about the shape of the nozzle plate formation part 250 and the light reception monitor part 258 on the Ni electroforming layer 112, the number of arrangement | positioning, and an arrangement position can be various, It is not limited to the example shown in FIG.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, description of parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted, and description will be made focusing on characteristic parts of the present embodiment.

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a nozzle plate according to the second embodiment. Hereafter, each process shown in FIG. 18 is demonstrated, referring FIGS. 19-21.

First, in step S302 of FIG. 18, an exposure mask is produced. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 19A, a light interference film 304 is formed on the entire surface of one side of a transparent substrate 302 made of glass or the like. The optical interference film 304 is a so-called optical multilayer film in which a high refractive index material and a low refractive index material are alternately laminated. By adjusting the film thickness of the high refractive index material and the low refractive index material to be laminated, a desired transmittance can be obtained at a predetermined wavelength. Al ₂ O ₃ (aluminum oxide) or TiO ₂ (titanium oxide) is used as the high refractive index material, and SiO ₂ (silicon oxide) or MgF ₂ (magnesium fluoride) as the low refractive index material. Is used. The optical interference film 304 is formed by alternately depositing these materials by a technique such as sputtering or vacuum deposition. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 20, when light of wavelength 365 [nm] is incident perpendicularly to the surface of the optical interference film 304 (0 degree), transmission of about 30 [%] is performed. When the light is incident at an angle of 35 degrees or more with respect to the surface of the optical interference film 304, the material and the film thickness are selected so that the light transmittance is approximately 0% (inferred from FIG. 20). Configured.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 19B, a resist 306 is applied by a spin coater or the like so as to overlap the optical interference film 304 on the transparent substrate 302 and prebaked. Thereafter, exposure is performed using a mask corresponding to a pattern of an opening region of a target light blocking layer (corresponding to an opaque film 308 described later), and then development is performed, whereby light blocking as shown in FIG. 19C is performed. The resist 306 is patterned only in a portion corresponding to the opening region of the layer (opaque film 308).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 19D, an opaque film 308 is formed on the entire surface of the transparent substrate 302 on which the resist 306 is formed. The opaque film 308 is made of Cr (chromium) or chromium oxide, and is formed by a method such as sputtering or vacuum deposition.

  As shown in FIG. 19D, after the opaque film 308 is formed on the entire surface of the resist 306, the resist 306 is formed by so-called lift-off in which the entire transparent substrate 302 is immersed in an organic solvent. The opaque film 308 on the region is removed together with the resist 306.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 19E, the opaque film 308 remains only in the region where the resist 306 is not formed on the optical interference film 304.

  After that, as shown in FIG. 19F, the portion that becomes the opening region 304a of the optical interference film 304 is removed by a laser trimmer or the like. Thus, the exposure mask 300 is completed.

After producing the exposure mask (step S302 in FIG. 18), a negative type photoresist is applied on one side of the exposure mask (step S304). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 21A, a resist 310 is applied to the surface of the exposure mask 300 on which the light interference film 304 and the opaque film 308 are formed by a spin coater or the like. Since the film thickness of the resist 310 corresponds to the thickness of the nozzle plate to be manufactured, a thick film resist is used in this embodiment. For example, the negative resist is applied with a film thickness of about 20 to 50 μm. Thereafter, pre-baking is performed on the applied resist 310. Note that, instead of adhesion by application, a dry film (DRF) is used to adhere to the exposure mask 300, or a resist-coated substrate is used. The exposure mask 300 may be in close contact.

  Next, on the stage 220 of the inclined rotation type exposure apparatus 210 described in FIG. 11, the pre-baked exposure mask 300 with a negative resist is fixed so that the transparent substrate 302 side is on the upper side (exposure surface side). Exposure is performed from the substrate 302 side (steps S306 and S308 in FIG. 18). The optical filter 265 (see FIG. 12) of the tilt rotation type exposure apparatus 210 is a filter that cuts light having a wavelength shorter than 365 [nm].

  In the first exposure process shown in step S306, as shown in FIG. 21B, vertical exposure is performed in which light is irradiated at an incident angle perpendicular to the exposure mask 300.

  When the vertical exposure is performed, the irradiated exposure light is not absorbed at all in the opening region 304a of the optical interference film 304. Therefore, the light having the wavelength component transmitted through the optical filter 265 (see FIG. 12) described above. Although the resist 310 is irradiated, in the region where the optical interference film 304 is formed, the resist 310 is irradiated with light having a wavelength component of approximately 400 nm or more cut by the optical interference film 304. Since light having a wavelength shorter than about 400 nm has a large light absorption inside the resist due to the characteristics of the resist, the region 310a of the resist 310 is exposed to taper. In particular, when the opening of the opaque film 308 is narrowed, the tendency is remarkable, and the region 310b of the resist 310 shown in FIG. In the region covered with the opaque film 308 of the exposure mask 300, the exposure light does not pass through the opaque film 308, so that the resist 310 formed in this region is not exposed.

  Following the above vertical exposure (step S306 in FIG. 18), tilt rotation exposure shown in step S308 in FIG. 18 is performed. Specifically, the tilt rotation that irradiates light at an oblique incident angle with respect to the exposure mask 300 with a negative resist fixed on the stage 220 by the swing mechanism of the tilt rotation type exposure apparatus 210 shown in FIG. Perform exposure. In this embodiment, exposure is performed so that the incident angle θ of light is about 35 degrees.

  When tilt rotation exposure is performed, as shown in FIG. 21C, the light transmitted through the opening region 304 a of the optical interference film 304 penetrates the resist 310, thereby forming a tapered region 310 c in the resist 310. It is so exposed. Here, the resist 310 is irradiated with light including a wavelength component of approximately 400 nm or more that has passed through the optical filter 265 (see FIG. 12). Since light of approximately 400 nm or more has little light absorption inside the resist due to the characteristics of the resist, the region 310c of the resist 310 is exposed substantially linearly. On the other hand, in the region where the optical interference film 304 is provided, in the state where the incident angle is inclined to about 35 degrees, the transmittance of the exposure light becomes approximately 0% due to the interference of the light. Never do. Therefore, the resist 310 is exposed by the inclined rotation exposure in step S308 of FIG. 18 only by the exposure light incident from the opening region 304a of the optical interference film 304.

  Thereafter, in step S310 in FIG. 18, the exposed resist 310 is developed and then post-baked. In this way, as shown in FIG. 21D, a resist pattern in which the resist 310 corresponding to the photosensitive portion remains is formed on the exposure mask 300, and this is used as a nickel (Ni) electroforming mold.

  Next, in step S312 of FIG. 18, nickel (Ni) eutectoid plating is performed on the exposure mask 300 to form a liquid repellent plating layer. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 21E, nickel (Ni) eutectoid plating is performed on the surface of the exposure mask 300 on which the opaque film 308 is formed to form a Ni eutectoid plating layer 312.

  Ni eutectoid plating is performed using a plating solution containing PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) until a film thickness of 1 to 3 [μm] is obtained. Since Ni eutectoid plating is performed only on the metal portion, in this example, the Ni eutectoid plating layer 312 is formed only on the surface of the opaque film 308 made of Cr.

  Thereafter, in step S314 of FIG. 18, Ni electroforming is performed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 21E, a Ni electroformed layer 314 is deposited by Ni electroforming on the Ni eutectoid plated region, that is, on the Ni eutectoid plated layer 312. The film thickness of Ni deposited at this time is 10 to 50 [μm]. A metal plate portion formed by the Ni eutectoid plating layer 312 and the Ni electroformed layer 314 becomes the nozzle plate 316.

  After polishing the growth surface by plating, the resist 310 is removed with an organic solvent or the like (step S316 in FIG. 18), and then the nozzle plate formed by the Ni eutectoid plating layer 312 and the Ni electroforming layer 314. 316 is peeled from the exposure mask 300 (step S318 in FIG. 18).

  Thus, as shown in FIG. 21 (f), along with the tapered straight nozzle 322 composed of the forward tapered portion 318 and the cylindrical straight portion 320, the flow passage cross-sectional area gradually decreases in the discharge direction (downward in the figure). A nozzle plate 316 having a reverse taper portion (hole portion) 324 in which the hole diameter gradually increases in the discharge direction is obtained.

  Note that a sacrificial layer such as Cu or Zn is formed before the Ni eutectoid plating layer 312 is deposited, and is removed after the exposure mask 300 is peeled off, thereby further improving the quality of the ejection surface.

  When the nozzle plate 316 obtained in this way is joined to the head main body 114 (flow path plate 62), the tilt rotation type exposure apparatus 210 described above may be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 22A, first, wide-angle tilt rotation exposure is performed in which light is irradiated at a relatively large incident angle θa. As a result, the adhesive edge portion 120c around the inflow side opening of the nozzle 322 is directly irradiated with light and is cured. Next, as shown in FIG. 22B, narrow-angle tilt rotation exposure is performed in which light is irradiated at a relatively small incident angle θb (<θa). The light that has entered the pressure chamber 52 from the discharge side opening of the nozzle 322 is reflected on the wall surface of the diaphragm 64 and the like, and the reflected light is applied to the adhesive 120 a existing inside the pressure chamber 52. 120a cures.

  Further, when the nozzle plate 322 is attached to the head main body 114 and pressed into the reverse taper portion (hole) 324 formed in the nozzle plate 316, the excess adhesive 120d enters, but the reverse taper portion is caused by the exposure described above. Since the excess adhesive 120d inside 324 is irradiated with light, the excess adhesive 120d can be cured in a wedge shape. At that time, a movable mask 328 is provided on the front surface side (exposure side) of the reverse taper portion 324, and light is applied to the excess adhesive 120d inside the reverse taper portion 324 only when narrow-angle tilt rotation exposure is performed. Also good. Since the excess adhesive 120d inside the reverse taper portion 324 is cured in a wedge shape, the adhesive strength and the effect of preventing displacement are improved.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 23, there is also an aspect in which the tilt rotation exposure is performed in a state where the nozzle plate 316 is not peeled off from the exposure mask 300. In this case, the nozzle plate 316 may be peeled from the exposure mask 300 after the joining of the nozzle plate 316 and the head main body 114 (flow path plate 62) is completed. Even a thin nozzle plate reduces distortion and warpage, and enables high-precision bonding.

  For convenience of explanation, the nozzle plate 316 and the exposure mask 300 are simply shown in FIGS.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, description of parts common to the first and second embodiments will be omitted, and description will be made focusing on characteristic parts of the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the first and second embodiments described above are used as exposure apparatuses for irradiating light from the discharge side opening of the nozzle to cure the adhesive existing in the ink flow path (inside the head). Unlike the tilt-and-rotation type exposure apparatus used in the above, a Keller illumination type laser (solid laser: 355 [nm], semiconductor laser 375 [nm]) in which the intensity of vertical irradiation light is set low by providing a glass mask on the aperture stop, etc. , 405 [nm], etc.).

  FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing an exposure apparatus used in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 24, this exposure apparatus 400 uses a solid-state laser as a light source 451, and light emitted from the light source 451 enters a fly-eye lens 453 via an optical system 452 including an input lens. To do. The fly-eye lens 453 is obtained by orthogonally crossing two cylindrical lenses. The light beam incident on the fly-eye lens 453 irradiates the mask 455 through the relay lens 454. On the mask 455, a pattern for irradiating light to the adhesive existing in the pressure chamber (ink flow path) is formed in accordance with the nozzle arrangement. The light beam irradiated on the mask 455 is irradiated onto the irradiation surface 458 by the projection lens 457 through the aperture stop 456.

  The aperture stop 456 is disposed at a position where the condensing surface of the fly-eye lens 453 is imaged by the relay lens 454, and constitutes a telecentric optical system. In addition, the exposure apparatus includes a Keller illumination type optical system.

  Since the exposure apparatus has a Keller illumination type optical system, there is a parallel light beam that enters the irradiation surface 458 obliquely as shown in the figure.

  When performing exposure using such an exposure apparatus 400, after performing wide-angle exposure with the aperture stop 456 opened (wide-angle irradiation stop), the aperture stop 456 is stopped (narrow-angle irradiation stop). It is preferable to perform narrow angle exposure. The state of exposure at this time is the same as that shown in FIGS. 22 (a) and 22 (b).

  That is, first, when wide-angle exposure is performed with the aperture stop 456 opened, light is irradiated from the nozzle plate 316 side at a relatively large incident angle θa, as shown in FIG. As a result, the adhesive edge portion 120c around the inflow side opening of the nozzle plate 316 is cured by the irradiated light. Next, when narrow-angle exposure is performed with the aperture stop 456 in a narrowed state, light is irradiated from the nozzle plate 316 side at a relatively small incident angle θb (<θa) as shown in FIG. . Thereby, the adhesive 120 a existing in the pressure chamber 52 is cured by the reflected light from the inner wall surface of the pressure chamber 52.

  Further, when the nozzle plate 316 is bonded to the head main body 114 (flow path plate 62) and pressed, the excess adhesive 120d flows into the reverse taper portion (hole) 324 formed in the nozzle plate 316. By the exposure, the excess adhesive 120d in the reverse tapered portion 324 is cured in a wedge shape. For example, as shown in FIG. 22A, at the time of narrow-angle exposure, a mask 328 is disposed on the front surface of the reverse taper portion 324 so that the excessive adhesive 120d in the reverse taper portion 324 is not exposed, and FIG. As shown in FIG. 5B, during the wide-angle exposure, the mask 328 on the front surface of the reverse tapered portion 324 may be moved to perform exposure to the excess adhesive 120d in the reverse tapered portion 324. Since the excess adhesive 120d in the reverse taper portion 324 is cured in a wedge shape, the adhesive strength and the effect of preventing misalignment are improved.

  Further, as in the second embodiment, there is a mode in which the exposure is performed from the exposure mask 300 side without peeling the nozzle plate 316 from the exposure mask 300 (see FIG. 23). Even a thin nozzle plate reduces distortion and warpage, and enables high-precision bonding.

  According to the present embodiment, since the Keller illumination type optical system is used as the exposure apparatus used when the nozzle plate is joined to the head main body, the tilt rotation mechanism is unnecessary and the work can be fixed and held. It is possible to perform bonding with excellent productivity by batch irradiation of the entire pressure chamber (ink flow path).

  In addition, since the vertical irradiation light is set to be weak, the influence of stray light due to the return light to the apparatus is prevented, so that the processing quality is stabilized.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment according to the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, description of parts common to the first to third embodiments will be omitted, and description will be made focusing on characteristic parts of the present embodiment.

  FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view showing the main configuration of the head of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 25, the head 500 of this embodiment is provided on the front surface (lower surface in the drawing) of the head main body 510 including the flow path plate 504, the vibration plate 506, and the piezoelectric element 508 in which the pressure chambers 502 are defined. The nozzle plate 514 on which the nozzle 512 is formed is joined with an adhesive.

  Since the configuration of each part is substantially the same as that of the head 50 of the first embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted. However, the head 500 of this embodiment has a direction in which the diaphragm 506 is displaced by driving the piezoelectric element 508 (left direction in the figure). ) Is a so-called side shooter type head configured so that the direction perpendicular to the nozzle is the ejection direction of the nozzle 512 (the downward direction in the figure).

  The present invention can also be applied to a side shooter type head. In FIG. 25, when the nozzle plate 514 is bonded to the head main body 510 with the adhesive 516 interposed therebetween, inclined rotational exposure is performed from the discharge side of the nozzle plate 514. By irradiating the inside of the pressure chamber 502 with light from the discharge side opening of the nozzle 512, the reflected light from the inner wall surface of the pressure chamber 502 or the light directly radiated causes the inside of the ink flow path (pressure chamber 502). The adhesive 516a present in the substrate can be cured. Therefore, it is possible to prevent nozzle clogging and displacement that occur when the nozzle plates are joined. Further, as the exposure apparatus, the above-described Keller illumination type optical system may be used.

Has been described in detail with the production how liquid discharge head of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above examples, without departing from the scope of the present invention, that various improvements and modifications of the Of course.

Overall configuration diagram showing outline of inkjet recording apparatus Main part plan view showing the periphery of the printing unit of the ink jet recording apparatus Plane perspective view showing structural example of head Sectional view showing an example of the internal structure of the head Schematic diagram showing the configuration of an ink supply system in an ink jet recording apparatus Main block diagram showing the system configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus The flowchart figure which showed the manufacturing method of the head of 1st Embodiment. Flow chart showing a method for manufacturing a nozzle plate by Ni electroforming Explanatory drawing which showed the manufacturing process of the nozzle plate by Ni electroforming Explanatory drawing showing how the head body and nozzle plate are joined Configuration diagram showing an example of an inclined rotation type exposure apparatus Configuration diagram of light source and irradiation optical system used in tilt rotation type exposure apparatus Explanatory drawing showing the state of exposure by tilt rotation exposure Explanatory drawing showing exposure while displacing the diaphragm Explanatory drawing showing an aspect of tilting and rotating exposure at a wider angle than the nozzle taper angle Explanatory drawing which showed a mode that Ni electroformed layer (nozzle plate) with an exposure mask was exposed Plan view of Ni electroformed layer formed on exposure mask The flowchart figure which showed the manufacturing method of the nozzle plate in 2nd Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which showed the manufacturing process of the exposure mask in 2nd Embodiment. Graph showing transmittance characteristics (incident angle dependence) of optical interference film used for exposure mask Explanatory drawing which showed the manufacturing process of the nozzle plate in 2nd Embodiment. Explanatory drawing showing the state of wide angle tilt rotation exposure and narrow angle tilt rotation exposure Explanatory drawing showing how exposure is performed without peeling off the exposure mask Schematic view showing an exposure apparatus (Keller illumination type optical system) used in the third embodiment Sectional drawing which shows an example of the internal structure of the head in 4th Embodiment

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Inkjet recording device 50 ... Head, 51 ... Nozzle, 52 ... Pressure chamber, 54 ... Ink supply port, 55 ... Common flow path, 58 ... Piezoelectric element, 60 ... Nozzle plate, 62 ... Flow path plate, 64 ... Vibration Plate: 100 ... Exposure mask, 102 ... Transparent substrate, 104 ... Opaque film, 112 ... Ni electroformed layer, 300 ... Exposure mask, 302 ... Transparent substrate, 304 ... Light interference film, 308 ... Opaque film, 400 ... Keller illumination type Optical system exposure equipment

Claims (10)

A nozzle plate in which nozzles for discharging liquid are formed; a head main body portion in which a flow path opening on the nozzle plate side is formed and discharge means for changing pressure in the liquid in the flow path is formed; A method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head comprising:
Applying a photo-curing adhesive to at least one joint surface of the nozzle plate and the head main body;
After the application of the adhesive, the step of laminating the nozzle plate on the head main body portion and pressurizing the nozzle so as to communicate with the flow path; and
After the laminating pressurization, exposing from the discharge side of the nozzle plate, and curing the adhesive existing in the flow path with light incident on the flow path from the discharge side opening of the nozzle; only including,
The wall surface facing the nozzle side of the flow path is composed of a diaphragm that is displaced by the discharge means,
A method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head, characterized in that when performing exposure from the discharge side of the nozzle plate, the diaphragm is displaced by the discharge means . In the nozzle plate, nozzles are formed in a tapered shape in which the channel cross-sectional area gradually decreases toward the discharge side,
Before performing the stacking and pressurization, the nozzle plate is configured such that light is incident on the inside of the flow path from the discharge side opening of the nozzle at an incident angle wider than the inclination angle of the inner wall surface of the nozzle with respect to the nozzle axis of the nozzle. The method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to claim 1, further comprising a step of performing exposure from the discharge side of the liquid discharge head.   A nozzle plate in which nozzles for discharging liquid are formed; a head main body portion in which a flow path opening on the nozzle plate side is formed and discharge means for changing pressure in the liquid in the flow path is formed; A method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head comprising:
  Applying a photo-curing adhesive to at least one joint surface of the nozzle plate and the head main body;
  After the application of the adhesive, the step of laminating the nozzle plate on the head main body portion and pressurizing the nozzle so as to communicate with the flow path; and
  After the laminating pressurization, exposing from the discharge side of the nozzle plate, and curing the adhesive existing in the flow path with light incident on the flow path from the discharge side opening of the nozzle; Including
  In the nozzle plate, nozzles are formed in a tapered shape in which the channel cross-sectional area gradually decreases toward the discharge side,
  Before performing the stacking and pressurization, the nozzle plate is configured such that light is incident on the inside of the flow path from the discharge side opening of the nozzle at an incident angle wider than the inclination angle of the inner wall surface of the nozzle with respect to the nozzle axis of the nozzle. A method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head, further comprising the step of performing exposure from the discharge side of the liquid discharge head. Of the liquid discharge head according to any one of claims 1 to 3 in the nozzle plate, characterized in that the inverse tapered hole portion with a hole diameter towards the discharge side gradually increases is formed Production method.   A nozzle plate in which nozzles for discharging liquid are formed; a head main body portion in which a flow path opening on the nozzle plate side is formed and discharge means for changing pressure in the liquid in the flow path is formed; A method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head comprising:
  Applying a photo-curing adhesive to at least one joint surface of the nozzle plate and the head main body;
  After the application of the adhesive, the step of laminating the nozzle plate on the head main body portion and pressurizing the nozzle so as to communicate with the flow path; and
  After the laminating pressurization, exposing from the discharge side of the nozzle plate, and curing the adhesive existing in the flow path with light incident on the flow path from the discharge side opening of the nozzle; Including
  A method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head, wherein the nozzle plate is formed with a reverse-tapered hole portion having a hole diameter that gradually increases toward the discharge side. The exposure method of the liquid discharge head according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that is carried out using an inclined rotary-type exposure apparatus. The exposure method of the liquid discharge head according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that takes place in Keller illumination optical system using a laser light source.   A nozzle plate in which nozzles for discharging liquid are formed; a head main body portion in which a flow path opening on the nozzle plate side is formed and discharge means for changing pressure in the liquid in the flow path is formed; A method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head comprising:
  Applying a photo-curing adhesive to at least one joint surface of the nozzle plate and the head main body;
  After the application of the adhesive, the step of laminating the nozzle plate on the head main body portion and pressurizing the nozzle so as to communicate with the flow path; and
  After the laminating pressurization, exposing from the discharge side of the nozzle plate, and curing the adhesive existing in the flow path with light incident on the flow path from the discharge side opening of the nozzle; Including
  The method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head, wherein the exposure is performed using an inclined rotation type exposure apparatus.   A nozzle plate in which nozzles for discharging liquid are formed; a head main body portion in which a flow path opening on the nozzle plate side is formed and discharge means for changing pressure in the liquid in the flow path is formed; A method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head comprising:
  Applying a photo-curing adhesive to at least one joint surface of the nozzle plate and the head main body;
  After the application of the adhesive, the step of laminating the nozzle plate on the head main body portion and pressurizing the nozzle so as to communicate with the flow path; and
  After the laminating pressurization, exposing from the discharge side of the nozzle plate, and curing the adhesive existing in the flow path with light incident on the flow path from the discharge side opening of the nozzle; Including
  The liquid exposure head manufacturing method, wherein the exposure is performed by a Keller illumination type optical system using a laser light source. Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the adhesive is cured to light reflected by the wall surface of the flow path of the light incident on the inside of the flow path from the discharge side opening of the nozzle is present in the flow channel The method for producing a liquid discharge head according to any one of the above.

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