JPH10250084A - Manufacture of ink jet recording head - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet recording head of a low cost for maintaining satisfactory high printing quality of ink passability for a long period by providing excellent water repellence of a nozzle surface of the head. SOLUTION: A third plate 17 having an oxide film formed on a silicon surface formed with a nozzle hole 16 is coated with water repellent and oil repellent film 18 by a vacuum deposition process. Then, it is dipped in solution containing coupling compound of next composition, and dried to form a coupling compound layer 19. Or, a rear side of the plate 17 is irradiated with an oxygen plasma, a water repellent and oil repellent film at the rear side of the plate 17 and in the hole 16 is hydrophilized and made lipophilic, the plate 17 is dipped in solution containing coupling compound of next composition, and dried to form a coupling layer.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head having a nozzle surface used in an ink jet recording apparatus having excellent water and oil repellency and a passage through which ink has hydrophilic and lipophilic properties.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Ink jet recording heads are made of materials such as glass, metal and resin.

When an aqueous or oil-based ink is used in an ink-jet recording head, if the water repellency of the nozzle surface is insufficient, ink droplets are likely to adhere, thereby impairing the straightness of the ejected ink droplets and causing printing. Recording may not be possible due to troubles such as disorder.

Since the constituent materials of the ink jet recording head are easily wetted by the ink, the surface of the nozzle from which the ink is ejected is subjected to a water / oil repellent treatment in order to eliminate the adhesion of aqueous or oily ink. As disclosed in JP-A-143586 from page 2, right column, line 39 to page 3, left column, line 21, a method of attaching a water-repellent and oil-repellent material to the nozzle surface by vacuum vapor deposition to make the nozzle water-repellent. was suggested.

However, in these water- and oil-repellent treatments, a water- and oil-repellent film is applied to the inside of the nozzle, so that there is a problem that the passage of ink inside the nozzle is deteriorated.

Therefore, as disclosed in the left column, line 1 to line 26 of page 2 of JP-A-6-171081,
A method for removing the water- and oil-repellent film inside the nozzle by ultraviolet light or plasma was proposed.

[0007]

However, in the prior art method of decomposing a water-repellent and oil-repellent film with ultraviolet light and plasma, the ink permeability varies from product to product or from water-repellent materials for the following reasons. There was a problem that oiliness was reduced.

<Reason> (1) The water-repellent and oil-repellent film that has been decomposed and removed adheres again inside the nozzle.

(2) To remove the re-adhered water- and oil-repellent film,
When the decomposition and removal treatment was performed for a long time, the water- and oil-repellent film on the nozzle surface was damaged by the heat generated by the substrate, and the water- and oil-repellent performance was reduced.

Further, the plasma processing method has a problem that investment in a vacuum apparatus is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems and provides a low-cost ink jet recording head which has excellent water repellency on the nozzle surface of the ink jet recording head and can maintain high print quality for a long period of time. The purpose is to provide manufacturing technology.

[0012]

The method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to the present invention is directed to a method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head used in an ink jet recording apparatus, wherein the water repellent and oil repellent film is formed on the nozzle surface. The method is characterized by including a step of immersing the nozzle-hole-processed plate on which the water-and-oil-repellent film is formed in a coupling compound-containing solution.

Further, the invention is characterized in that the coupling compound is either a silane coupling compound or a titanium coupling compound.

In the method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to the present invention, the water- and oil-repellent film formed on the back side and inside of the nozzle is immersed in a coupling aqueous solution, thereby chemically adsorbing the water- and oil-repellent film to the ink-permeable film. It is an improvement. The coupling compound includes a silane coupling compound and a titanium coupling compound.

The nozzle surface of the ink jet head that has been subjected to this treatment exhibits hydrophilic lipophilicity due to the influence of the coupling compound. However, the inkjet head is always rubbed with rubber or felt in order to remove contaminants adhering to the nozzle surface from the environment.
The coupling compound on the nozzle surface is removed by this operation, and the water / oil repellency is restored.

[0016]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink jet recording head according to an embodiment of the present invention. As described above, the ink jet recording head forms the ink supply unit 3, the pressure chamber 4 for discharging the ink by vibration of PZT or the like, and the flow path 5 through which the ink passes by laminating the first plate 1 and the second plate 2. , And a third plate 7 having nozzle holes 6 formed in the vertical direction. Then, a water / oil repellent film is applied to the surface of the third plate 7.
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the third plate 17 in each step in this embodiment in which a water- and oil-repellent film 18 is applied to a third plate 17 in which an oxide film is formed on the silicon surface of FIG. is there. The present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

First, a third plate 17 in which an oxide film is formed on the silicon surface on which the nozzle holes 16 are formed as shown in FIG.
Was subjected to ultrasonic cleaning using an alkaline solvent. Then, the water- and oil-repellent material of "Parak Coat" manufactured by Tokyo R & D Laboratories is applied to the third plate 17 by a vacuum deposition method as shown in FIG.
The water / oil repellent film 18 was applied as described above.

Subsequently, the substrate was immersed in a solution containing a silane coupling compound having the following composition, and dried to form a silane coupling compound layer 19 as shown in FIG.

<Silane Coupling Solution Composition> Material: Toray Dow Corning Silicone Product Name “SH6020” Concentration: 0.2% by Weight Solvent: Pure Water Immersion Time: 10 minutes Finally, the third plate 17 and the second plate The plates were joined to complete an ink jet recording head. In addition, the ink contact angle of the flow path through which the ink of the present example passed was hydrophilic lipophilicity of 20 degrees.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 3 shows an ink jet recording head structure similar to that of Embodiment 1 and a third plate for each step in this embodiment in which a water- and oil-repellent film 25 is applied to a third plate 27 made of silicon. It is sectional drawing. The present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

First, a water- and oil-repellent material of "Parak Coat" manufactured by Tokyo R & D Laboratories is applied to a third plate 27 made of silicon in which the nozzle holes 26 are machined as shown in FIG. Vacuum evaporation was performed on the surface of No. 27, and a water / oil repellent film 25 was applied as shown in FIG.

Subsequently, oxygen plasma 29 is irradiated from the back side 28 of the third plate 27 for 6 minutes to remove the water- and oil-repellent film inside the back side 28 of the third plate 27 and the nozzle holes 26 as shown in FIG. It became hydrophilic and lipophilic.

Subsequently, the third plate 27 was immersed in a solution containing a silane coupling compound having the following composition and dried to form a silane coupling layer 30.

<Silane Coupling Solution Composition> Material: “SH6020” (trade name, manufactured by Dow Corning Toray Silicone) Concentration: 0.2% by weight Solvent: Isopropyl alcohol Immersion time: 10 minutes It was joined to a plate to complete an ink jet recording head. In addition, the ink contact angle of the flow path through which the ink of the present example passed was hydrophilic lipophilicity of 20 degrees.

(Embodiment 3) An ink jet recording head having a water- and oil-repellent film formed on a nozzle surface is coupled with a coupling material by:
Ajinomoto Titanium Coupling Compound Product name “Plenact KR46B”, n-propyl alcohol as solvent,
Titanate concentration of 0.2 weight percent, treatment time 20
Soak for a minute and let dry. In addition, the ink contact angle of the flow path through which the ink of the present example passed was 15 degrees hydrophilic-lipophilic.

(Comparative Example 1) FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the ink jet recording head structure shown in FIG. 1 in which a water-repellent and oil-repellent film 38 is applied to a third plate 37 having an oxide film formed on a silicon surface. It is sectional drawing of three plate 37.
The comparative example will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the third plate 37 having the nozzle holes 36 as shown in FIG. 4A was ultrasonically cleaned using an alkaline solvent. Then, a water- and oil-repellent film 38 was applied to the third plate 37 by a vacuum deposition method as shown in FIG. 4B.

Finally, the third plate 37 is transferred to the second plate.
Were joined to complete an ink jet recording head. In addition, the ink contact angle of the flow path through which the ink of this comparative example passed was 60-degree water / oil repellency.

(Comparative Example 2) FIG. 5 is a view showing a process in the present embodiment in which a water-repellent and oil-repellent film 48 is applied to a third plate 47 having an oxide film formed on a silicon surface in the ink jet recording head structure of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the 3rd plate 47.
The comparative example will be described with reference to FIG.

First, a water- and oil-repellent material of "Parak Coat" manufactured by Tokyo R & D Laboratories is applied to a third plate 47 made of silicon in which the nozzle holes 46 are machined as shown in FIG. Vacuum evaporation was performed on the surface of the substrate 47, and a water / oil repellent film 45 was applied as shown in FIG.

Subsequently, oxygen plasma 49 under the following conditions is irradiated from the back side 48 of the third plate 47 for 6 minutes, and FIG.
The back side 48 of the third plate 47 and the nozzle hole 46
The water / oil repellent film inside was removed.

Finally, the third plate 47 was joined to the second plate to complete the ink jet recording head. The ink contact angle of the flow path through which the ink of this comparative example passed was 40 degrees.

As described above, Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Example 1
Each of 10,000 inkjet recording heads of Comparative Example 2 and Comparative Example 2 was manufactured, and an ink passage test was performed. Table 1 shows the results of the test (failure rate).

[0035]

[Table 1]

As described above, the ink-jet recording heads of Examples 1 to 3 had good ink passage properties and achieved a yield of 100%. However, the ink jet recording heads of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 had a problem that the ink passage property was poor and the yield was low.

In addition, the ink jet recording head of the embodiment rubs with rubber and felt immediately before ejection.
The water / oil repellency of the nozzle surface was restored, and the straightness of the ink could be ensured for a long period of time.

This embodiment describes only a part of the present invention, and the same effect was obtained even when another water / oil repellent was used and the concentration, solvent and treatment time of the coupling compound were different. .

Further, the material of the third plate is not limited to the silicon-based material, and the same effect as that of the present embodiment is realized by using a metal material such as stainless steel or a resin material such as polysulfone.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention, an ink jet head having a water / oil repellent film formed on a nozzle surface or a plate having a nozzle hole formed with a water / oil repellent film formed on a nozzle surface is converted into a solution containing a coupling compound. Because it was soaked
The water- and oil-repellent film inside the nozzle hole penetrated by the formation of the water- and oil-repellent film became hydrophilic and lipophilic by the adsorption of the coupling compound. As a result, the ink permeability was improved, and the effect of improving the printing quality was realized with low capital investment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink jet recording head according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a third plate in each step in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a third plate in each step in a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a third plate in each step in Comparative Example 1.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a third plate in each step in Comparative Example 2.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st plate 2 2nd plate 3 Ink supply part 4 Pressure chamber 5 Flow path 6 Nozzle hole 7 Third plate 16 Nozzle hole 17 Third plate 18 Water / oil repellent film 19 Silane coupling layer 25 Water / oil repellent film 26 Nozzle Hole 27 Third plate 28 Back side of third plate 29 Oxygen plasma 30 Silane coupling layer 36 Nozzle hole 37 Third plate 38 Water / oil repellent film 45 Water / oil repellent film 46 Nozzle hole 47 Third plate 48 Back side of third plate 49 Oxygen plasma

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head for use in an ink jet recording apparatus, comprising the steps of: forming an ink jet head having a water / oil repellent film formed on a nozzle surface, or a plate having a nozzle hole formed with a water / oil repellent film on a nozzle surface; A method for producing an ink jet recording head, comprising a step of immersing the substrate in a ring compound-containing solution. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coupling compound is one of a silane coupling compound and a titanium coupling compound.