JPH06143596A - Ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the quality such as drawing strength of a wiping blade and reliability, reduce the cost and improve the handling utility by eliminating necessity of a large-scale facility such as fusion-bonding when a wiping unit is manufactured. CONSTITUTION:A blade holder 32 for holding a blade 31 from both side surfaces to wipe to clean a discharge port surface of a recording head is connected to a blade cap 33 by snap fitting of plastic, and a protrusion for stopping removal is formed on a blade abutment surface of the holder 32.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means onto a recording material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording device having functions such as a printer, a copying machine and a facsimile, or a recording device used as an output device of a multifunction machine or a workstation including a computer, a word processor, etc., is a sheet or a plastic thin plate based on image information. An image (including characters and symbols) is recorded on a recording material (recording medium) such as (OHP). The recording device can be classified into an ink jet type, a wire dot type, a heat sensitive type, a thermal transfer type, a laser beam type and the like depending on the recording system of the recording means used.

In a serial type recording apparatus which employs a recording system in which a main scanning is performed in a direction intersecting a conveying direction (sub-scanning direction) of a recording material, the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position and then the recording material is set. An image (including characters, symbols, etc.) is recorded by a recording unit (recording head) mounted on a carriage that moves (main scanning) along, and after one line of recording is completed, a predetermined amount of paper is fed (sub-scan). An image is recorded in a desired range of the recording material by repeating the operation of performing (scanning) and then recording (main scanning) the image of the next row. On the other hand, in a line type recording apparatus that records a recording material only in the sub-scanning direction in which the recording material is fed in the transport direction, the recording material is set at a predetermined recording position, and one line of recording is continuously performed at one time. A predetermined amount of paper feed (pitch feed) is performed, and an image is recorded on the entire recording material.

Among them, the ink jet type (ink jet recording apparatus) is a means for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means (recording head) onto a recording material, and it is easy to make the recording means compact and high definition. Images can be recorded at high speed, plain paper can be recorded without requiring special processing, running costs are low, and the non-impact method reduces noise and uses multicolor inks. Therefore, it has an advantage that it is easy to record a color image.

In particular, an ink jet type recording means (recording head) for ejecting ink by utilizing heat energy,
Through the semiconductor manufacturing process such as etching, vapor deposition, and sputtering, the electrothermal converter formed on the substrate, the electrode,
By forming the liquid passage wall, the top plate, and the like, it is possible to easily manufacture a liquid discharge device having a high-density liquid passage arrangement (ejection port arrangement), and to further reduce the size. Further, by utilizing the advantages of IC technology and micro processing technology, it is easy to make the recording means long and planar (two-dimensional), and it is also easy to make the recording means full-multi and high-density mounting. is there.

The above-mentioned ink jet recording apparatus records by ejecting ink droplets from a fine ejection port onto a recording material. In such an ink jet recording apparatus, the ejection port is clogged (ejection failure). It is necessary to prevent the above, and to eliminate the defective discharge to recover to the stable discharged state. Therefore, a recovery mechanism is generally provided for that purpose. This recovery mechanism is
For example, a cap for preventing the ink near the ejection port of the recording head from drying, a pump unit for sucking the ink from the ejection port in the capping state, and a foreign substance such as ink or paper dust attached to the ejection port surface. And a wiping unit for wiping off.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a constitutional example of a conventional wiping unit. In FIG. 7, a flexible material such as urethane rubber is provided between a blade holder 102 and a blade cap 103 formed of a plastic molded product. The plate-shaped blade (wiping member) 101 made of is sandwiched, and the blade holder 102 and the blade cap 103 are welded and fixed to each other, so that the blade 101 is sandwiched and held between them.

[0008]

However, the ink jet recording apparatus using the conventional wiping unit as shown in FIG. 7 has the following problems to be solved due to its structure. First, an ultrasonic welding machine for welding the blade holder 102 and the blade cap 103 is required, which requires a large capital investment. Secondly, in ultrasonic welding machines, it is difficult to stabilize the quality because the welding state varies due to environmental changes such as temperature and humidity, and it is difficult to set the welding conditions (welding time, welding pressure, etc.). It takes time. Thirdly, it is necessary to form holes 105, 105 into which the welding rods 104, 104 of the blade holder 102 are inserted in the blade 101, which reduces the rigidity of the blade 101 and reduces the rigidity of the blade 101 when assembled in the wiping unit. The pull-out strength of the blade 101 is significantly reduced. Fourth, once the welding is performed to form the wiping unit, it is impossible to disassemble and reassemble.

The present invention is intended to solve such a conventional technical problem, and the object of the present invention is to:
An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of improving the quality such as the pulling-out strength of a blade in a wiping unit and reducing the cost of the wiping unit without requiring capital investment.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in an ink jet recording apparatus for performing recording by ejecting ink from a recording means to a recording material, a blade for wiping and cleaning an ejection port surface of the recording means is held. By adopting a configuration in which the method has a wiping unit that is a snap fit of plastic, it is possible to improve the quality such as the pulling-out strength of the blade in the wiping unit and reduce the cost of the wiping unit without requiring a capital investment. The present invention provides a possible inkjet recording device.

In addition to the above-mentioned structure, the invention according to claim 2 and claim 3 has a structure in which a protrusion for preventing the blade from pulling out is provided on a part of the contact surface of the plastic member holding the blade with the blade, or The above object can be achieved more efficiently by making the contact surface of the plastic member holding the blade with the blade rough so as to increase the friction coefficient.

The features of the wiping unit according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the structure of FIG. The first feature is that the blade holder 1 made of plastic that holds the blade 101 under pressure.
No. 02 and the blade cap 103 are snap-fitted. The second feature is that, in addition to the first feature, the blade holder 102 and the blade cap 103 holding the blade 101.
The blade pull-out preventing projection is provided on at least one of the blade contact surfaces. A third feature is that, in addition to the above first feature, a blade holder 102 and a blade cap 103 holding the blade 101.
In order to increase the friction coefficient of at least one of the blade contact surfaces, the contact surface is roughened.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, an inkjet cartridge 1 having a structure in which a recording head 2 and an ink tank 3 are integrated is mounted on a carriage 4. One end of the carriage 4 is slidably guided and supported by a lead screw 6 which is rotatably supported by a chassis 5. The guide roller 7 axially supported by the other end of the carriage 4 is fitted into a groove-shaped guide rail 8 formed in parallel with the lead screw 6. The lead screw 6 is provided with a spiral lead groove 8, and the carriage 4 is provided with a protrusion (pin) 10 which is pressed and engaged with the lead groove 8 by an elastic force. In this way, the carriage 4 is configured to reciprocate while maintaining a constant posture in accordance with the forward and reverse rotations of the lead screw 6.

A pulley 13 is fixed to the output shaft of the drive motor 12, and a pulley 14 is fixed to one end of the lead screw 6. A drive belt 15 is wound around these pulleys 13 and 14. There is. Therefore, the lead screw 6 is driven in the normal and reverse directions by the drive motor 12 rotating in the normal and reverse directions. As the lead screw 6 rotates normally and reversely, the lead screw 6 is fitted (engaged) into the lead groove 9 spirally formed at a predetermined pitch on the lead screw 6.
The carriage 4 reciprocates along the lead screw 6 as the protrusion (pin) 10 reciprocates in the arrow A direction and the opposite direction.

Recording material 1 such as recording paper or plastic thin plate
Paper 6 is fed (conveyed) through a recording position opposed to the front surface (ejection port surface) of the recording head 2 by a hollow cylindrical conveyance roller 17 (shown by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. 1). Both ends of the transport roller 17 are rotatably supported by a first side plate 18 erected at one site on the left side of the chassis 5 in the figure and a second side plate 19 erected at one site on the right side of the chassis 5 in the figure. Has been done. Further, the inside of the transport roller 17 communicates with the outside air.

The recording means (recording head) 2 is an ink jet recording means for ejecting ink by utilizing heat energy, and is provided with an electrothermal converter for generating heat energy. Further, the recording means records the ink by ejecting ink from the ejection port by utilizing the pressure change caused by the growth and contraction of the bubbles due to the film boiling caused by the thermal energy applied by the electrothermal converter. is there.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink ejection portion of the recording head 2. In FIG. 2, the recording material 16 and a predetermined gap (for example, about 0.5 to
(About 2.0 mm), the discharge port surface 81 facing each other,
A plurality of ejection openings 82 are formed at a predetermined pitch, and an electrothermal converter for generating energy for ejecting ink along the wall surface of each liquid passage 84 that connects the common liquid chamber 83 and each ejection opening 82 ( A heating resistor or the like) 85 is provided. In this example, the recording head 2 is mounted on the carriage 4 in such a positional relationship that the ejection ports 82 are arranged in a direction intersecting the moving direction (main scanning direction) of the carriage 4.
In this way, the corresponding electrothermal converter 85 is driven (energized) based on the image signal or the ejection signal to cause the ink in the liquid passage 84 to film-boil, and the ink generated from the ejection port 82 is ejected by the pressure generated at that time. Recording means (recording head)
2 are configured.

In FIG. 1, a recovery device for maintaining and recovering the ink ejection function of the recording head 2 is arranged on the left side of the conveying roller 17 in the figure. This recovery device includes a capping unit 20 that is pressed against the ejection port surface 81 of the recording head 2 to seal the ejection port 82, and the capping unit 20 with the ejection port 82 capped.
Ink is forcibly discharged from the discharge port 82 by generating a negative pressure in the inside of the discharge ink pipe 23.
Pump unit 21 for delivering to, a wiping unit 30 for wiping and cleaning foreign matter such as ink and paper powder adhering to the ejection port surface 81, and advancing (pressing) the capping 20 to the ejection port surface 81. A transmission mechanism portion 22 for transmitting the driving force to the pump unit 21 while being moved backward (retracted) is provided.

The transmission mechanism 22 is composed of a cam, a gear and the like. A clutch gear 24 is axially slidably fitted to the lead screw 6 via a rotation stopper sliding means such as a spline groove. The clutch gear 24 is constantly urged by the spring 25 toward the carriage 4. Then, the rotational driving force of the lead screw 6 can be transmitted to the transmission mechanism portion 22 via the clutch gear 24.

That is, the carriage 4 moves in the direction of arrow A from the position shown by the rotation (normal rotation) of the lead screw 6 in the direction of arrow D, and the clutch gear 24 resists the spring 25 by the pressing portion 11 of the carriage 4. When it is moved to the left side in the drawing, the clutch gear 24 and the timing gear 26 of the transmission mechanism portion 22 mesh with each other to rotate the timing gear 26 in the direction of the arrow B, which causes the rotation of the lead screw 6. The driving force is transmitted to the transmission mechanism section 22.

A zero lead circumferential groove 9A is provided at the left end of the lead groove 9 of the lead screw 6 in the figure. The circumferential groove 9A is for stopping the recording head 2 at a predetermined position even if the lead screw 6 rotates. The circumferential groove 9A is provided at a position where the ejection port surface 81 of the recording head 2 is stopped at a position facing the capping portion 20 while the clutch gear 24 transmits the rotational driving force of the lead screw 6. ing.

Inside the hollow cylindrical conveying roller 17, an ink absorber 28 filled in a thin cylindrical covering member 27 is arranged. In addition, the discharge port surface 81 is capped by the capping unit 20, and the pump mechanism 21 is capped by the transmission mechanism unit 22.
When is driven, ink is ejected from the ejection port 82. Then, the discharged ink is sent from the pump unit 21 to the discharged ink pipe 23, passes through the discharged ink pipe 23, and is absorbed inside the ink absorber 28.

The ink absorber 28 is formed of a porous member having excellent ink absorbency such as sponge or resin foam. The covering member 27 is formed of a plastic material such as polyethylene or EVA. The covering member 27 is located inside the conveying roller 17, the end portion on the first side plate 18 side is fixed to one portion of the pump unit 21, and the other end portion is fixed to the second side plate 19. Has been done. Further, the ink discharge pipe 23 connected to the pump unit 21 is inserted into the ink absorber 28 by a proper length through the central portion of the covering member 27.

The recovery device in the ink jet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes the wiping unit 30 in addition to the capping section 20 and the pump unit 21. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing the wiping unit 30 and its holding mechanism. In FIG. 3, the wiping unit 30 is attached to the tip of the ink carrier holder 40. The ink carrier holder 40 is attached to the apparatus main body so as to be rotatable about an axis 41, and the ink carrier holder 40
When the wiping unit 30 (specifically, its blade) is rotated, the ejection port surface 8 of the recording head 2 is rotated.
It is configured to wipe off foreign matter such as ink and paper dust attached to the sheet 1. Further, an ink absorber 42 for receiving the ink dripping from the wiping unit 30 is mounted at a position below the wiping unit 30 of the carrier holder 40.

FIG. 4 shows the first wiping unit 30.
It is an exploded perspective view of an example. In FIG. 4, the wiping unit 30 includes a blade 31, a blade holder 32, and a blade cap 33. The blade 31 made of a plate-like rubber-like elastic body is provided between the blade holder 32 and the blade cap 33. The clamping pressure is maintained. The blade holder 32 and the blade cap 33 are plastic molded products, and the blade holder 32 is formed with snap fitting claws 34, 34, and the blade cap 33 is engaged with the claws 34, 34 (snap fitting). A hook 35 for
35 is formed. By engaging the claws 34, 34 with the hooking portions 35, 35, the blade 31 is positioned between the blade holder 32 and the blade cap 33 and held under pressure.

According to the wiping unit 30 shown in FIG. 4, the blade holder 32 and the blade cap 33 for sandwiching and holding the blade 31 from both sides and the blade cap 33 are snap-fitted to each other. was gotten. First, no special capital investment for fixing such as welding is necessary. Secondly, since there is no change in the bonding force due to the environment such as temperature and humidity such as welding, it is possible to stabilize the quality and improve the reliability.
Thirdly, since it is not necessary to make a hole in the blade 31 for inserting a welding rod, the blade 31 can be formed into a simple flat plate shape, and the blade 31 can be easily machined and its rigidity can be improved. be able to. Fourth, it is possible to disassemble and reassemble the unit that has been installed once, which facilitates maintenance and inspection.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the blade holder 32. In FIG. 5, a protrusion 37 for preventing the blade from pulling out is formed on a part of the contact surface 36 of the blade holder 32 with the blade 31. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment of FIG. 4 in that the protrusion 37 is formed, but in other respects it has substantially the same configuration.
According to the second embodiment of FIG. 5, in addition to the same effect as in the case of the first embodiment described above, the effect that the pulling force of the blade 31 can be further improved is obtained.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of the blade holder 32. In FIG. 6, the contact surface 38 of the blade holder 32 with the blade 31 is the blade 3
It is roughened to increase the coefficient of friction with 1. In the illustrated example, the contact surface 38 is roughened by forming linear streaks (convex streaks or concave streaks) intersecting each other at a predetermined pitch, but this forms a large number of minute protrusions. , May be roughened by other methods. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment of FIG. 4 in that the contact surface 38 is a rough surface, but in other respects it has substantially the same configuration. According to the third embodiment of FIG. 6, in addition to the same effect as in the case of the first embodiment described above, the effect that the pulling force of the blade 31 can be further improved is obtained.

In the above embodiment, the case of the serial type recording apparatus in which the recording head 2 is mounted on the carriage 4 has been described as an example, but in the present invention, the whole or a part of the width of the recording material is set. The present invention can be similarly applied to a recording apparatus using a line type recording head having a covering length, and the same effect can be obtained. Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment,
Although the case of recording with one recording head 2 has been illustrated, the present invention is a color ink jet recording apparatus using a plurality of recording heads for recording with different colors, or a plurality of recording heads for recording with ink of the same color but different density. The present invention can be widely applied regardless of the number of recording heads and recording colors, such as an inkjet recording device for gradation recording using the same, and similar effects can be obtained.

Furthermore, the present invention uses the replaceable ink jet cartridge 1 in which the recording head 2 and the ink tank 3 are integrated as described above, and the recording head and the ink tank are separately provided and connected by a tube or the like. The same can be applied regardless of the arrangement of the recording head and the ink tank, and similar effects can be achieved.

The present invention can be applied to an ink jet recording apparatus using a recording means (recording head) using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element, but among others, thermal energy is used. In this way, an excellent effect is brought about in an ink jet recording apparatus of the type that ejects ink. This is because such a system can achieve high density recording and high definition recording.

Regarding the typical structure and principle thereof, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740.
This is preferably done using the basic principles disclosed in 796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type, but particularly in the case of the on-demand type, a liquid (ink) is used.
By applying at least one drive signal to the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path in which is stored, which corresponds to the recorded information and causes a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling. , Generates heat energy in the electrothermal converter to cause film boiling on the heat acting surface of the recording means (recording head), and as a result, bubbles can be formed in the liquid (ink) in a one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal. So effective.

Due to the growth and contraction of the bubbles, the liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection openings to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make the driving signal into a pulse shape because bubbles can be grown and contracted immediately and appropriately, and thus a liquid (ink) with excellent responsiveness can be ejected. As this pulse-shaped drive signal, US Pat.
Those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,633,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Incidentally, US Pat. No. 43131 of the invention relating to the rate of temperature rise of the heat acting surface.
If the conditions described in the specification of No. 24 are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the constitution of the recording head, in addition to the combination constitution of the discharge port, the liquid passage and the electrothermal converter (the linear liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications. US Pat. No. 4,558,333, US Pat. No. 4,558,333, which discloses a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.
A configuration using the specification of No. 459600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 123670/1984 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of the electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy. The present invention is also effective as a structure based on Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 138461/1984, which discloses a structure in which the discharge section is associated with the discharge section. That is, according to the present invention, recording can be reliably and efficiently performed regardless of the form of the recording head.

Further, as described above, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording material (recording medium) which can be recorded by the recording apparatus. . As such a recording head,
Either a structure that satisfies the length by combining a plurality of recording heads or a structure as one recording head integrally formed may be used. In addition, even with the serial type as in the above example, the recording head fixed to the device main body,
Alternatively, a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be electrically connected to the device body and supply ink from the device body when mounted on the device body, or an ink tank is integrally provided on the recording head itself. The present invention is also effective when the cartridge type recording head described above is used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means or preliminary auxiliary means to the recording head provided as a constitution of the recording apparatus in the present invention because the effect of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, in addition to the above-mentioned capping means, cleaning means, and suction recovery means for the recording head, a pressure-type recovery means, an electrothermal converter, or a heating other than this. It is also effective to perform stable recording by performing a preliminary heating means using an element or a combination thereof and a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection different from recording.

As described above, regarding the type and number of recording heads mounted, for example, only one is provided corresponding to a single color ink, or a plurality of recording heads having different recording colors and densities are provided. A plurality of inks may be provided corresponding to the ink. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but may be either the recording head is integrally configured or a combination of a plurality of recording heads may be used. The present invention is extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of color colors or full colors by color mixing.

In addition, in the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the ink is described as a liquid, but it is an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that softens or liquefies at room temperature, or an ink jet. In the method, the temperature of the ink itself is generally adjusted within a range of 30 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower to control the temperature of the ink so that the viscosity of the ink is within a stable ejection range. It may be in a liquid form. in addition,
Whether the temperature rise due to thermal energy is positively used as the energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or the ink that solidifies in the standing state is used for the purpose of preventing ink evaporation In any case, the ink is liquefied by applying the thermal energy according to the recording signal and the liquid ink is ejected,
The present invention is also applicable to the case of using an ink which has a property of being liquefied only by thermal energy, such as one which starts to solidify when it reaches the recording medium.

The ink in such a case is disclosed in JP-A-54-54.
As described in JP-A-56847 or JP-A-60-71260, a form in which the electrothermal converter is opposed to a liquid sheet or a solid material held in the recesses or through holes of the porous sheet. May be In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, as a form of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, in addition to the one used as an image output terminal of information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a facsimile apparatus having a transmitting / receiving function. And the like may be used.

[0041]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the invention of claim 1, in the ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from the recording means to the recording material,
Since the method of holding the blade for wiping and cleaning the ejection port surface of the recording means has a wiping unit that is a plastic snap fit, it is possible to improve the pulling strength of the blade in the wiping unit without the need for capital investment. There is provided an inkjet recording apparatus capable of improving the quality of the above and reducing the cost of the wiping unit.

According to the inventions of claims 2 and 3,
In addition to the above-mentioned configuration, a configuration is provided in which a protrusion for preventing blade pull-out is provided on a part of the contact surface of the plastic member holding the blade with the blade, or the contact surface of the plastic member holding the blade with the blade However, since the structure is roughened in order to increase the friction coefficient, in addition to the above effects, an effect that the pulling-out strength of the blade is further improved is obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a configuration example of an inkjet recording apparatus suitable for applying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of an ink ejection portion of the recording means in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a mounting structure of the wiping unit in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a first embodiment of the wiping unit in FIG.

5 is a perspective view showing a blade holder of a second embodiment of the wiping unit in FIG. 1. FIG.

6 is a perspective view showing a blade holder of a third embodiment of the wiping unit in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a wiping unit of a conventional inkjet recording apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Inkjet Cartridge 2 Recording Means (Recording Head) 3 Ink Tank 4 Carriage 5 Chassis 6 Lead Screw 9 Lead Groove 10 Protrusion 12 Drive Motor 15 Drive Belt 16 Recording Material 17 Conveying Roller 20 Capping Section 21 Pump Unit 22 Transmission Mechanism Section 24 Clutch Gear 26 Timing gear 30 Wiping unit 31 Blade 32 Blade holder 33 Blade cap 34 Snap-fitting claw 35 Hooking portion 36 Blade contact surface 37 Protrusion 38 Blade contact surface (rough surface) 81 Discharge port surface 82 Discharge port 84 Liquid path 85 Electrothermal converter

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. In an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting ink from a recording means to a recording material, a wiping method of holding a blade for wiping and cleaning a discharge port surface of the recording means is a plastic snap fit. An ink jet recording apparatus having a unit. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a protrusion for preventing blade pull-out is provided on a part of a contact surface of the plastic member holding the blade with the blade. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a contact surface of the plastic member holding the blade with the blade is roughened to increase a friction coefficient. 4. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording means is an inkjet recording means including an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy used for ejecting ink. 5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the recording means ejects the ink from the ejection port by utilizing film boiling generated in the ink by the thermal energy generated by the electrothermal converter. .