JPH07195684A - Ink jet printing bar that can be stacked with high accuracy and its production - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To form a multicolor ink jet printer by providing a thermal ink jet print bar of a full breadth which can be highly accurately stacked with another equal print bar. CONSTITUTION: A spacer 27 of a highly accurate size is inserted in a hole in a structural body bar 20 and joined together with a sub unit 22 to the hole. A print bar 14 of a full breadth securely holds a space of print bars and is stacked with use of the spacer to be in touch with a spacer of another print bar to eliminate a camber of any print bar caused by an internal stress while the print bar is manufactured.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a full width array.
More about inkjet printbars from
Full-width array thermal inkjet printbar made from fully functional subunits that can be stacked with high precision (bundle) to form multiple full-width array printbars suitable for multi-color printers. Regarding

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the read and / or write bar industry, a relatively short, end-to-end RIS / ROS subunit to page-width raster input scan (RIS) and raster output scan ( RO
It is well known to assemble S) bars. Once assembled, the page width RIS / ROS bar or read or write bar array has the required length and number of image processing elements to scan or write entire rows of information at a time with high image resolution. The subunit is used to generate an image in response to an image signal or pixel input, or an image reading array that includes a series of image sensing elements to convert a row of an image into electronic signals or pixels. It has either an array of light producing elements or an image writing array containing other elements.

Fabricating page-width silicon devices from subunits, such as thermal ink jet printheads with etched silicon structures that are aligned and bonded to a silicon substrate with heating elements and addressing electrodes. Imposes an economically difficult manufacturing process. The reason is due to the close tolerances required of the abutting edges of the parallel subunits that are assembled to produce the pagewidth device. Furthermore, once such arrays are manufactured to a small tolerance, they must be aligned within the printer and / or with respect to additional arrays within the printer. For example, in a multicolor printing system with multiple single color inkjet printbars, the individual printbars must be aligned to produce the desired spacing of each colored ink dot deposited on the output sheet. .

If the drop ejecting nozzles of the bars are not properly aligned, then the second color drops from the second bar will not line up with the first color drops from the first bar, resulting in a final image. Does not mix properly. This is a common problem when multiple pagewidth printbars or arrays are assembled from subunits, respectively, and used in the field of read and / or write bars. This is a pagewidth multi-color inkjet printhead assembled from subunits in which droplets from one printhead must be aligned within a given tolerance with droplets from one or more other printheads. It is especially problematic when

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a full width thermal inkjet printbar that can be stacked with other identical printbars with high precision to form a multicolor inkjet printer. is there.

Another object of the present invention is to establish and maintain printbar-to-printbar spacing using high precision spacers that are permanently affixed to the printbars during manufacture.

[0007]

Means and Actions for Solving the Problems In the present invention,
A plurality of thermal inkjet printhead subunits are positioned on the alignment fixture so that they abut upside down. The structure bar, which is pre-applied with epoxy adhesive, is positioned so that it is in contact with the upside down printhead subunit. The structure bar has at least two through holes. That is, there are at least one hole at each end of the bar, preferably two holes at each end and one hole at the center of the bar. The alignment fixture has a reference surface within the recess and the hole in the structure bar is aligned with the recess reference surface. Highly dimensioned spacers are inserted through the holes in the structure bar onto the reference surface of the recess. Epoxy glue is applied to the spacers at the interface of the holes in the structure bar, and the spacers and subunits are bonded to the structure bar at exactly the same time. While the subunit is aligned to the alignment fixture with high precision, the subunit is coplanar (coplanar), but removal of the structure bar with the bonded subunits and spacers results in the structure bar. The printbar deflects slightly due to internal stresses within. Once the spacers have been pressed against a reference surface in the printer, or with other spacers in other full width printbars stacked on top, the printbars return to their original flatness and alignment, respectively. . That is, the flatness and alignment of the printbar will be substantially the same as the flatness and alignment that the printbar had when it was still on the alignment fixture.

The invention described in claim 1 is an ink jet print bar capable of stacking with high precision, wherein both end portions are
A structure bar having an edge and a plane between the both ends, the structure bar having a predetermined number of through holes adjacent to the end and perpendicular to the plane, and the structure bar. A linear array of printhead subunits end-to-end abuttingly disposed on and adhered to the structure bar surface adjacent the edge of the structure bar surface. A sub-unit having a nozzle communicating with the sub-unit, a printed wiring board mounted on the surface of the structure bar and electrically connected to the sub-unit, aligned with the sub-unit inlet, and hermetically sealed thereto. At least one ink manifold fastened to the structure bar having an outlet, and having a shaft axially installed in the hole of the structure bar. An elongated spacer adhered to a hole, having at least one flat end surface, wherein one spacer is installed in the hole of each structure bar so that the print bar has a flat reference surface. A spacer mounted in the printer such that the subunits are coplanar when a predetermined force is applied axially to the spacer.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a stackable inkjet printbar, the method comprising:
(A) providing on top an alignment fixture for abutting the ends of a plurality of inkjet printhead subunits, said alignment fixture having a flat surface having a plurality of recesses having a bottom therein; And (b) placing a plurality of printhead sub-units one at a time on the surface of the alignment fixture, with a linear edge-to-edge alignment of the recesses in place on the surface of the alignment fixture. An abutting arrangement, each subunit having an inlet communicating with a plurality of nozzles; (c) both ends;
(D) a structure bar having an edge, a plane between the ends, and a predetermined number of holes penetrating the structure bar, the holes being substantially perpendicular to the surface of the structure bar; Applying a strip of adhesive on the surface of the structure bar adjacent to the edge of the structure bar; (e) arranging the structure bar on a linear array of the abutting subunits, the strip of adhesive being Contacting each of the units and aligning the holes in the structure bars with recesses in the alignment fixture recesses; (f) placing spacers with a predetermined shape and length on each structure bar. Inserting into the alignment recess in the hole and in the alignment fixture, one end of the spacer resting on the bottom of the recess, and (g) applying adhesive between the hole and spacer in the structure bar. When,
(H) The adhesive between the subunit and the hole of the structure bar,
Allowing the subunits and spacers to adhere to and retain the structure bar, (i) removing the structure bar from the alignment fixture, (j)
Curing the adhesive in an oven to permanently affix the subunits and spacers to the structure bar; (k)
Attaching the printed wiring board to the structure bar parallel and adjacent to the linear array of abutting subunits; (l) electrically connecting the printed wiring board to the subunits; and (m) a structure. Installing at least one ink manifold with a plurality of outlets on the body bar, the outlets of the manifolds being aligned with the inlets of the printhead subunits and hermetically sealed.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 is a schematic isometric view of a page width type multicolor thermal inkjet printer 10.
Generally, the printer has two or more stationary printbars 14 having a length equal to or greater than the length of the paper 18. In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a multicolor pagewidth printer has four stationary printbars, one stacked on top of another printbar, one of which is directly below it. It has been partially removed as shown. The nozzles 16 (shown only in FIGS. 4 and 5) of each printbar are aligned with each other. The paper moves continuously through the pagewidth printbar in the direction of arrow 36, ie, normal to the printbar length and at a constant rate during the printing process. See US Pat. No. 4,829,324 for an example of pagewidth printing.

As will be described later, the print bar 14 faces the recording medium or paper 18 and faces the printer 10.
Positioned accurately within. The printbar comprises a glass structure bar 20 onto which a linear array of printhead subunits 22 is deposited in a abutting manner. The surface of the printhead that faces the recording medium, such as paper, contains a linear array of nozzles and is positioned in parallel and close proximity to the paper. The printhead subunit surface containing the nozzles is commonly referred to as the front surface 23 (see FIGS. 2, 4 and 5). Also, at the position behind the abutted subunit array, the printed wiring board (PW
B) 24 is fixed to the structure bar. The PWB 24 interfaces with individual heating elements (not shown) located in the ink channels (not shown) upstream of each nozzle 16 in the front face 23 of the subunit 22. It contains the circuits needed to drive. P
The WB 24 is connected to individual contacts (contact points) included in the subunit by a wire bond 21. The data required to drive the individual heating elements of the printhead subunits is supplied from an external system by a standard printer interface, modified and / or buffered by control logic (not shown) within the printer, It is transmitted to the print head via a ribbon cable 26 and a pin type connector 28.

Ink is supplied to the individual nozzles 16 of FIG. 4 via internal grooves (not shown). Nozzle 16
Is the inlet 2 on the upper surface of the printhead subunit 22
5 (shown in FIG. 2). Further description of such an arrangement may be found in US Pat. No. 4,829,324.
And US Pat. No. 5,198,054. Ink is sequentially supplied to the inlet by an ink manifold 30 which is supplied from an ink reservoir (not shown) via an ink supply hose 32. Alternatively, the ink is supplied to the printhead subunit nozzles 16 (via inlet 25) by any known reservoir / manifold or cartridge technology suitable for intimately mating the inlet and outlet of the upper surface of subunit 22. To be done. Placement or alignment pads 34 are also affixed to the surface of the structure bar, which are used to accurately position the array within printer 10 as disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,192,959. The placement of the pagewidth printheads 14 is particularly important for accurately positioning the abutment printhead subunits that include each array. The relative position of the arrays is especially important in printers that use more than a single pagewidth printhead than a single pagewidth printhead. While such printers are capable of producing multi-colored output, accurate placement of ink drops from each printhead with respect to each other is required to obtain the desired output quality.

As will be described in more detail below, a precision sized spacer 27 is inserted into a hole 29 (see FIG. 3) in the structure bar 20 and the spacer 27 is joined to the hole with the subunit 22. . Full width printbars establish spacers between printbars and use spacers to keep spacers in contact with each other so that any printbar warpage due to internal stresses created during printbar manufacturing can be eliminated. Are stacked like so.

Still referring to FIG. 1, when the ink droplets are ejected from the front surface of the subunit 22 and produce an output image 38 on the paper 18, the paper 18 in sheet form.
Are sent in the direction of arrow 36. The paper is fed by a conventional paper feed mechanism (not shown) and maintained in close proximity to the front of the printhead by any known means, such as one or more paper guides 40. The distance between the front of the printhead subunit with nozzles 16 and the surface of the paper sheet is
Generally referred to as the z direction, it is important for controlling the position and size of ink droplets ejected from individual nozzles. Moreover, the spacing between two parallel and adjacent pagewidth printbars 14 must be maintained within a small tolerance.

As an example of the small tolerances required for multicolor, 300 spot per inch (spi) printers, the spacing between printhead subunit arrays in the y direction is in the range of about ± 50 μm. Should be maintained within. That is, the spacing separating parallel linear arrays of inkjet nozzles is controlled to be within the established tolerance of about ± 50 μm. 60
For a similar system operating at 0 spi, the acceptable range of distance separating the printheads is about half, or ± 2
It is 5 μm. In order to enable high-speed processing of paper,
For a single color printer that uses both printheads simultaneously for the same output color, the tolerance of the 300 spi system should be maintained within about ± 12 μm. Also regarding the vertical alignment of inkjet nozzles corresponding to adjacent arrays in the x-direction,
Similar tolerances must be met. In other words, the end nozzles of two parallel and adjacent pagewidth printhead subunits of a 300 spi color printer are approximately ± 50 μm in vertical alignment with respect to each other.
Should be within the range of.

The printer 10 also includes a rigid frame member 42.
Including a reference point 66 (FIG. 2) for receiving the alignment pad 34 and holding the pagewidth printhead 14 and a spacer reference surface 43 (FIG. 5) for alignment during printer operation. Provides a mechanism like. The frame and the mounting mechanism incorporated into the frame have some associated dimensional tolerances, thus producing a page-width or full-width printbar and associated alignment pad 34 for tighter tolerances. It is even more important to do so. Finally, the previously described components of printer 10 are generally surrounded by upper cover 44 and lower cover 46, respectively. The upper cover 44 has an elongated opening 45 at the center of its upper surface so that the sheet 18 can be ejected from the printer.

Referring to FIG. 2, a full width print bar 1
An enlarged plan view of one of the four is shown. The print bar is established on the rigid structure bar 20. Structure bar 2
Along the front edge 19 of 0, the linear array of inkjet printhead subunits 22 is oriented with the exposed ink nozzles (not shown) facing outward, ie, in the orientation shown at the bottom edge in the z direction of the drawing. Positioned.
The array of inkjet printhead subunits is permanently affixed to the structure bar by a thin layer of epoxy material sandwiched between the subunit and the structure bar.
Behind this array of subunits is a structure bar 20
There is a PWB 24 bonded to the. Alternatively,
The PWB 24 may be removably fastened to the structure bar with clips or other suitable fastening mechanism. PWB24
2 is shown in FIG. 2 with a male (male) type pin connector 62 suitable for use with the connector 28 of FIG. Next, a pair of ink manifolds 30, or optionally a single manifold, is disposed over the top surface of printhead subunit 22 and a portion of PWB 24.
The ink manifolds have outlets (not shown) on the underside of the manifolds that allow ink to flow from the aligned outlets into the printhead subunit inlet 25 on the upper surface of the printhead subunit. In operation, a hose 32 connected to a coupler 64 supplies ink to the manifold, the ink coming from a relatively large reservoir (not shown).
Supplied in the printer.

The pagewidth printbar also includes a pair of registration pads 34 for positioning the printhead within the printer. In one embodiment, the alignment pad is provided by a pair of functional or non-functional sub-units that are attached to both outer edges of the substrate at about the same time and in a similar manner as the printing sub-units. . By utilizing a non-functional sub-unit, ideally a sub-unit generated from the same silicon wafer as the functional printhead sub-unit, the alignment pad is used to produce a full width array print. Indicates the dimensions and allowable range of the head subunit. The alignment reference point 66 is a locator (locato).
r) integrally formed on 68, the locator 68 is fixedly connected to the frame 42 (FIG. 1) of the printer 10 and contacts the front surface of both pads 34 and one end of one pad 34. A locator 68 extends from or is machined into the frame 42 and has an alignment reference point 66.
To provide a rigid mount. Furthermore, the alignment reference point 6
The position of 6 must be maintained precisely to ensure proper placement of the printhead in the z-direction with respect to each other and with respect to the surface of the sheet 18 (FIG. 1). Once the pagewidth printbar is installed in the printer, the alignment pad 34 and the alignment reference point 66 are both in the z and x directions and the printhead with respect to the surface of the paper sheet passing through the array of printhead subunits 22. Acts to control position. This action effectively controls the distance that the ink drop must travel when it is ejected from the nozzles of the printhead subunit. Each structure bar 20 has at least two spacers 27 mounted in holes 29 at its ends, preferably one at each end with a central hole with each spacer 27 therein.
It has a pair of holes 29. The purpose of the spacer will be described in more detail below with respect to FIGS. Manifold 3
0 has a pair of hemispherical notches 33 that provide clearance for spacers in the center of the structure bar.

Referring to FIG. 3, which illustrates the pagewidth printhead assembly of the present invention, the alignment fixture 1
00 is first used to precisely position subunits 22 relative to each other in a manner similar to that disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,198,054. The alignment fixture 100 includes a flat rigid base plate 102 with a raised reference member 104 on the upper surface of the plate 102. The reference member 104 is also one of the reference members.
A series of tabs 106, 108 and 1 extending from one side
Have 10. Tabs 106, 108 and 110 provide a surface against which the subunits can abut. As shown, the plurality of subunits 22 are abutted between the tabs 108 and 110 along the central portion of the reference edge 114. Alignment pad 3 which may also be a non-functional subunit
4 is positioned against outer tabs 106 and 110.

The printbar assembly is first constructed with orthogonal edges 114 of the datum member 104 and the tab 106.
And an outer alignment or placement pad 34 is placed to abut each of each. Alignment pad 3
4 is an upside down orientation with respect to the motion orientation
Placed on the surface of. Non-functional printhead subunits can be used as pads. Once in place, the pad 34 can be temporarily maintained in place by applying a vacuum to the underside of the subunit. A vacuum orifice 118 is below each subunit, as shown at the opposite end of plate 102, and a negative pressure source (not shown) for all or optional subunits depending on the subunit criteria. ) Can be connected to. Generally, vacuum forces are used to hold the subunits in their respective positions during placement of the next subunit of the array and prior to alignment and bonding of the structure bar 20 to the subunits.

Continuing with the assembly, then the first printhead subunit 22 is placed upside down to abut the tab 108 and the reference member 104 along edges 120 and 114 that are orthogonal to each other. Also, the subunit can be held in place by selectively applying a negative pressure to the underside of the subunit. Similarly, the additional subunit 22 is placed upside down so as to abut the edge 114 and the exposed end of the previously placed subunit. The second subunit is US Pat.
Appropriate tolerances are checked (checked) according to the procedure disclosed in No. 8,054 and replaced with another subunit if necessary until the second printhead subunit meets the required measurements. . This process is repeated until subunit 124, the last subunit in the array, is in place. Second alignment pad 34 is then provided to abut the edges 128 and 114 of tab 110 and reference member 104, respectively.

In one embodiment of the invention, the full width printbar 14 is abutted end-to-end with a fully functional printhead subunit 22 disposed upside down on the alignment fixture 100. Can be assembled.
Each sub-unit has a plurality of droplet ejection nozzles 16 linearly arranged at equal intervals. At least one supply (manufacture) of substantially identical, fully functional, relatively long printhead subunits having opposite ends used to abut each printhead subunit is provided. The distance between the ends of each printhead subunit is within a given distance plus or minus a given tolerance, so the distance between adjacent end nozzles in two separately abutted printhead subunits is , The same spacing as the nozzles in the printhead subunit plus or minus within a predetermined tolerance. At least one supply of relatively functional, relatively short printhead subunits is provided. These relatively short printhead subunits are relatively long printhead subunits except that the distance between the two ends is slightly less than the distance between the two ends of the longer printhead subunit by a predetermined amount. Substantially the same as the unit. A first printhead subunit from either supply is mounted. A printhead subunit from the same supply as the first printhead subunit
Alignment fitting 100 in abutting relationship connecting the ends
Mounted one at a time on top. Location
The distance from the point to the alignment point, preferably the edge 116 of the tab 106 of the alignment fixture to the last nozzle of the most recently mounted printhead subunit, is the next printhead subunit mounted. Be monitored before. Only printhead subunits from the same supply as the first printhead subunit are used until the distance separating the registration point and the registration point exceeds an acceptable predetermined range. Any situation where the distance exceeds that range is rectified by replacing the most recently mounted printhead subunit or by choosing the next mounted printhead subunit from another supply of subunits. It The end-to-end abutting of the subunits on the fixture, followed by measuring the distance from the position point to the last nozzle of the most recently mounted printhead subunit, causes the pagewidth printhead 14 to finish. Sub-unit 124, and continues until it is within the desired overall size range.

Once all the subunits 22 and alignment pads 34 have been placed along the reference edge member 104, a thin bead or layer of epoxy adhesive causes the structure bar 20 to contact the subunits 22. It is applied to the surface of the structure bar prior to alignment and placement. Because the adhesive is applied to the underside of the structure bar 20 near the edge 132, when placed in contact with the subunit, the adhesive will contact the top facing the surface of the subunit. Alternatively, the adhesive may be wet on top of the subunit. After the adhesive is applied, the structure bar 20 is contacted with the subunit 20. Using thixotropic die bond epoxy, the subunits are well integrated into the structural bar 20 to prevent migration.
"Tacked".

Once the structure bar 20 is aligned and adhered to the subunits 22, a precision manufactured long elongated spacer 27 with a shaft (not shown) is
It is inserted axially into the hole 29 in the structure bar. The alignment fixture 100 has a reference surface 43 on the bottom of the recess 72. The recess 72 is arranged at a predetermined position aligned with the hole 29 of the structure bar, so that one end of the spacer 27 is on the reference surface 43. Once the spacers are in place, the epoxy adhesive, which may be the same as the adhesive used to bond the structure bar 20 to the abutted subunits 22, may be, for example, a syringe. It is applied to the interface between the holes 29 of the structure bar and the spacers 27. Once the adhesive adheres the subunits and spacers to the structure bar, the vacuum applied to the chip is released and the structure bar is removed with the adhered subunits and pacers. When removed from the alignment fixture, the epoxy adhesive of the subunits and spacers cures in the oven to permanently secure the subunits 22 to the structure bar 20 and to secure the spacers to the structure bar. To be done. The substrate is then flipped over to complete the printhead assembly with the remaining components, PWB 24 and ink manifold 30, as shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates the structure bar 20, with a linear array of abutting printhead subunits 22 positioned upside down in the alignment fixture 100 and spacers 27 in holes 29 in the structure bar. Has been inserted into. The fiducial member 104 and the alignment pad 34 help to identify the important spacers 27 necessary for the proper functioning of the print bar 14 when the print bar 14 is finally installed in the inkjet printer 10 shown in FIG. Removed to explain. Although the spacers 27 are cylindrical in the preferred embodiment, they are
Is at least a reference surface 43 provided in a recess in the mounting base plate 102 of the alignment fixture 100.
It can have any shape as long as it has one end surface parallel to. Reference plane 43 in recess 72 of alignment fixture
The end of the spacer opposite the one end that is parallel to and has a plane in contact with the reference plane 43 can also be parallel to its opposite end, as shown by the solid line, or at the dashed line and number 31. It may be rounded as identified and shown.
The front view of FIG. 4 shows the front of the subunit 22 upside down. As previously indicated, the PWB 24 is bonded to the structure bar as soon as the epoxy adhesive has set and the subunits, alignment pads and spacers have been permanently bonded to the structure bar. As best shown in FIG. 2, the contact pads and terminals on the subunits and PWB are electrically connected by connection 21. Finally, one manifold 30 for each half of the printbar 14, or optionally a single manifold across the printer, is aligned with the inlet 25 of the subunit 22 and glued so that the manifold The outlet (not shown) is aligned with and hermetically sealed to the inlet of the subunit. As shown in FIG. 5, the first print bar 14 is attached to the printer 10 by a fixed spacer 27 on the reference surface 43 in the recess 74 of the frame member 42.

When the structure bar bonded to the subunits and spacers is removed from the alignment fixture 100 where the subunits were all coplanar, internal stresses in the structure bar cause the printbar to deflect slightly. .
This sled interferes with the printbar-to-printbar alignment required for multi-color, full-width printing. If the structure bar were pressed against a plane with subunits in between, the subunits would again be coplanar.
On the other hand, this is not possible due to the ink manifold 30 being glued to the top of the subunits, so it is not common to use reference planes to co-planar the subunits on the structure bar. Absent. Therefore, the ends of the precisely sized spacers 27 glued into the through holes 29 in the structure bar 20 of the print bar 14 provide the requisite surface separated from the structure bar, subunits and manifold. To do. In FIG. 5, these reference planes on the ends of the spacers are shown schematically pressed against the reference planes 43 in the printer frame member 42, which causes the printbar to move to the structure. We obtain the same co-planar that we had when the bar and subunit were mounted in the alignment fixture. The second and subsequent printbars are installed in the printer and the spacers of those printbars make contact with the spacers of the previously installed printbars. The spacer end surface functions similarly to the recessed reference surface 43 in the printer frame member, allowing the desired coplanar subunits to be obtained for the same internal stress of the printbar. The four printbars installed in the printer are shown schematically in a front view seen through the surface of the paper 18 (see FIG. 1). The top of the spacer of the top print bar is clamped under a certain pressure.
Retained by (not shown), all of the printbars are coplanar with the subunits, overcoming the internal stresses that slightly deflect the structure bar 20 when the spacers are not under pressure.

[0027]

The present invention provides a full-width thermal inkjet printbar that can be accurately stacked with other identical printbars to form a multi-color inkjet printer.

The present invention further allows the use of high precision spacers that are permanently affixed to the printbars during manufacture to establish and maintain printbar to printbar spacing.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic, partially isometric view of a multi-color full width inkjet printer having a plurality of stacked full width inkjet printbars of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing one of a plurality of full width print bars.

FIG. 3 is an exploded isometric view of a full width printbar assembled on an alignment fixture.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of a full width array of printhead subunits abutted upside down on an alignment fixture.

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of several fully assembled full width printbars stacked on a reference surface of an inkjet printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Inkjet Printer 14 Print Bar 20 Structure Bar 22 Subunit 24 PWB 27 Spacer 30 Manifold 42 Frame Member 43 Reference Surface 100 Alignment Fixture

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical indication location B41J 25/34 B41J 3/04 103 B 25/28 Z (72) Inventor William F. Folger United States New York 14580 Webster Newbury Lane 764

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A high precision stackable inkjet printbar, comprising: a structure bar having both ends, an edge, and a plane between the ends, the structure bar being adjacent to the edge and the plane. And a structure bar having a predetermined number of through holes perpendicular to the structure bar, the structure bar being arranged in abutting contact with each other on the structure bar surface adjacent to the edge of the structure bar, and the structure. A linear array printhead subunit bonded onto a bar surface, the subunit having a nozzle in communication with an ink inlet; mounted on the structure bar surface and electrically connected to the subunit. Printed circuit board and at least one affixed to the structure bar having an outlet aligned with the subunit inlet and hermetically sealed thereto. An elongated spacer having an axis, axially installed in the hole of the structure bar and adhered to the hole, the spacer having at least one flat end surface; Since one spacer is installed in the hole of the structure bar,
A high precision stackable inkjet printbar comprising: the printbar mounted in a printer with a flat reference surface, the spacer being coplanar when a predetermined force is axially applied to the spacer. 2. A method of manufacturing a stackable inkjet printbar, comprising: providing on (a) an alignment fixture for abutting end-to-end of a plurality of inkjet printhead subunits; The alignment fixture has a flat surface having a plurality of recesses with a bottom therein, the recesses being placed in predetermined positions on the surface of the alignment fixture, and (b) a plurality of printhead subunits. One at a time in a linear end-to-end abutting arrangement on the surface of the alignment fixture, each of said subunits having an inlet in communication with a plurality of nozzles; (c) both ends; A step of providing an edge, a plane between the ends, and a predetermined number of holes penetrating the structure bar, the holes being substantially perpendicular to the surface of the structure bar; Adhering a strip of adhesive on the surface of the structure bar adjacent to the edge of the structure bar, and (e) placing the structure bar on a linear array of the abutting subunits and adhering the strip of adhesive. An agent is in contact with each of the subunits and the holes in the structure bar are aligned with the recesses in the alignment fixture recesses; and (f) each spacer having a predetermined shape and length. Inserting into the alignment recess in the hole in the structure bar and into the alignment recess in the alignment fixture so that one end of the spacer rests on the bottom of the recess; and (g) adhesive between the hole in the structure bar and the spacer. And (h) the adhesive between the subunit and the hole in the structure bar
Allowing the subunits and spacers to adhere and hold onto the structure bar; (i) removing the structure bar from the alignment fixture; (j) curing the adhesive in an oven to Permanently affixing the units and spacers to the structure bar; (k) attaching the printed wiring board to the structure bar parallel and adjacent to the linear array of abutting subunits; (l) Electrically connecting the printed wiring board to the subunit, and (m) at least one having a plurality of outlets on the structure bar.
Installing three ink manifolds, the outlets of the manifolds being aligned with the inlets of the printhead subunits and hermetically sealed, the method of manufacturing a stackable inkjet printbar.