JPH11320885A - Ink jet recording head, its production and ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink jet recording head having a top plate member enhanced in the processing accuracy in the arranging direction of ink channels and an ink emitting direction even in such a case that, for example, 200 or more emitting orifices are provided. SOLUTION: In an ink jet recording head, the surface of the orifice plate 403 in a grooved top plate is subjected to cutting processing by a first cutter 1 and the abutted surface with a heater board, an ink channel groove forming surface and an ink channel end forming surface are subjected to cutting processing by a second cutter. These cutting processings are simultaneously performed. Built-up parts 401, 402 shown by oblique lines are parts cut by cutting processing and, by cutting off the built-up parts 401, 402, one having emitting orifices or ink channel grooves not formed thereto is obtained. The resin injection part at a time of the molding of a molded body 460 is provided to at least one of the built-up parts 401, 402. Therefore, a mark of a resin injection part (gate mark) is removed by cutting processing.

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 head for recording by discharging a recording liquid from a discharge port, a method for manufacturing the same, and an ink jet recording apparatus using the ink jet recording head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet recording method is a method in which recording is performed by discharging droplets (ink) from a fine discharge port onto a recording medium. Since it is a non-impact recording method, there is no fear of noise. It has the advantages that plain paper can be used, high-speed, high-definition recording is possible, and that color recording is enabled by using a plurality of color inks. In a recording apparatus (inkjet recording apparatus) using an inkjet recording method, generally,
An inkjet recording head (IJC) is used in which an ejection port from which ink is ejected and an ejection energy generating element for giving ejection energy to the ink are integrated. FIG.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of a conventional inkjet recording head.

[0003] The heater board 910 includes a silicon substrate,
Electrothermal transducers (discharge heaters) arranged in a row on a silicon substrate and electrical wiring of aluminum or the like for supplying power thereto are formed by a film forming technique. A wiring board 920 for the heater board 910 is provided,
Wiring corresponding to the wiring of the heater board 910 (for example, connected by wire bonding)
A pad 921 located at one end of the wiring and receiving an electric signal from a main unit (not shown), and a signal / power supply pad 922 located at the other end of the wiring and serving as an electrical connection portion with the heater board are provided. Is provided.

[0004] An ink receiving port 942 for receiving ink supplied from an ink tank and introducing it into a common liquid chamber described later, and an orifice plate 940 having a plurality of discharge ports corresponding to each ink flow path are integrally formed by injection molding or the like. Thus, a grooved top plate 945 is configured. This grooved top plate 945
Are provided with a partition for partitioning a plurality of ink flow paths, a common liquid chamber for storing ink for supplying ink to each ink flow path, and the like. Groove top plate 9
At 45, the ink flow path is formed as a groove. Examples of these integrally molded materials include polysulfone.

[0005] On the back side of the wiring board 920, the wiring board 9
A support 930 that supports the surface 20 in a plane is disposed.
The support 930 is made of, for example, metal and serves as a bottom plate of the inkjet unit.

The heater board 910 and the support 930
The grooved top plate 945 is fixed to the pressing spring 950 by pressing force. The pressing spring 950 generates a pressing force with a U-shape, and the pressing force uniformly presses the arrangement direction of the grooves as the ink flow paths. That is, the presser spring 950 has its legs 951 passing through the holes 931 of the support 930 and engaging with the back side of the support 930, thereby holding the heater board 910 and the grooved top plate 945 in a sandwiched state. By engaging, the pressing spring 95
The heater board 910 and the grooved top plate 945 are pressed and fixed to each other by the concentrated urging force of 0 and the front droop portion 952. In addition,
The attachment of the wiring board 920 to the support 930 is performed by sticking with an adhesive 932 or the like.

[0007] By joining the grooved top plate 945 and the heater board 910 in this manner, an ink flow path is finally completed by the groove of the grooved top plate 945 and the heater board 910. The end of the heater board 910 is vertically abutted on the surface on the back side of the orifice plate 940, whereby the grooved top plate 945 and the heater board 91 are heated.
There is no gap between the zero point.

[0008]

However, in the above-described ink jet recording head, when a large number of discharge ports are provided (for example, 200 or more), the grooved top plate is formed of resin. When manufactured by processing, there is a problem that warpage occurs due to the influence of shrinkage during molding. In the warp, the warp in the component mounting direction (vertical direction in the drawing) can be suppressed to a level that does not affect the function by pressing the top plate with a pressing spring that is a pressing member that presses the heater board. . However, since there is no pressing member, the warpage in the ink ejection direction or the ink flow path arrangement direction remains as it is during molding, which causes ejection failure or ink leakage. For example, unevenness on the front side (discharge port side) surface of the orifice plate causes a discharge failure. Irregularities on the back surface of the orifice plate (the surface against which the heater board abuts) and the surface on which the ink flow channel is formed will form a gap between the grooved top plate and the heater board, causing ink leakage and the like. . Therefore, the warp in the ink ejection direction and the ink flow path arrangement direction is
Cannot be tolerated.

It is conceivable to adjust the shape of the mold in order to suppress such warpage. In that case, however, a large number of correction data are added, and the mold is manufactured while performing trial casting. In addition, there is a problem that the period and cost for manufacturing the mold are increased and the product cost is not reduced.

[0010] Ink ejection characteristics are also affected by the length of the ink flow path. Although the length of the ink flow path is determined by the distance between the orifice plate and the common liquid chamber, it is difficult to strictly control the distance when manufacturing the grooved top plate by molding resin. As a result, the variation in the length of the ink flow path for each ink flow path or each top plate with a groove becomes large, and stable ejection characteristics may not be obtained.

Further, in the case of a large resin molded top plate having more than 200 discharge ports, the position of the resin injection portion (gate) into the molded article has a great influence on the ease of molding.
In addition, depending on the position of the gate, the trace of the gate may be an obstacle in assembling in a later process.

An object of the present invention is to provide a top plate member (a grooved top plate) with improved processing accuracy in the ink flow direction and the ink discharge direction even when a large number (for example, 200 or more) of ink discharge ports are provided. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording head having the above method, a method for manufacturing the same, and an ink jet recording apparatus using the ink jet recording head.

[0013]

According to the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording head comprising: a substrate provided with an ejection energy generating element for applying ejection energy to ink corresponding to an ink flow path; and a groove corresponding to the ink flow path. A top plate member integrally formed with an orifice plate provided with a discharge port through which ink is discharged in communication with one end of the groove, and by joining the substrate and the top plate member, In the ink jet recording head, an ink flow path is formed, and an end surface of the substrate abuts at the time of the joining and an abutting surface facing a direction different from the joining direction is formed on the top plate member. The plate member includes the abutting surface, an ink flow channel groove forming surface in which the groove is formed, an ink flow channel end forming surface serving as the other end of the groove, and the orifice. And over bets surface, characterized in that it is formed by co-cutting.

In the ink jet recording head of the present invention configured as described above, the warpage caused by the molding of the top plate member is removed by cutting, which is the secondary processing after molding, and the surface of the orifice plate (discharge port surface). And an orifice plate having a uniform thickness can be formed by simultaneously cutting the ink passage groove forming surface on the back side thereof, so that a large number of ink ejection ports (for example, 2
(00 or more) can be manufactured simply and at low cost. Moreover,
Since the surface of the orifice plate and the surface on which the ink flow channel is formed are simultaneously cut, the surface on which the ink flow channel is formed, which is the other end of the groove that forms the ink flow channel, is also processed simultaneously. , And the ink ejection characteristics become stable.

In the ink jet recording head of the present invention, the top plate member is desirably made of resin from the viewpoint of ease of molding. In this case, by providing the resin injection portion at the time of molding the top plate member at a portion to be cut by the simultaneous cutting process, traces of the resin injection portion, so-called gate traces, are removed by the cutting process. The gate trace does not become an obstacle at the time of joining with the gate.

When a plurality of discharge ports are provided, a support member for controlling the coefficient of thermal expansion of the top plate member is provided in order to reduce the influence of the difference in thermal expansion between the top plate member and other members. It is desirable to provide the inside of the top plate member along the arrangement direction of the discharge ports. The support member is typically a rod-shaped or tubular member, and the surface may be knurled or the like to improve the adhesion to the top plate member. As the material, a rigid material such as a metal having a desired coefficient of thermal expansion is used.

In the present invention, various devices can be used as the ejection energy generating element, but it is preferable to use an electrothermal converter that generates heat energy for ink ejection. When an electrothermal transducer is used, it is preferable that ink be ejected from a discharge port by utilizing film boiling generated in the ink by thermal energy applied by the electrothermal transducer.

According to the method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head of the present invention, a substrate provided with an ejection energy generating element for applying ejection energy to ink is provided in correspondence with an ink flow path, a groove corresponding to the ink flow path, and a groove formed in the groove. A top plate member integrally formed with an orifice plate provided with a discharge port through which ink is discharged in communication with one end, and the ink flow path is formed by joining the substrate and the top plate member. Wherein, at the time of the joining, an end surface of the substrate abuts and an abutment surface facing a direction different from the joining direction is formed on the top plate member. A first step of forming a molded body corresponding to the general shape of the plate member, the abutting surface, and an ink channel groove shape in which the groove is formed with respect to the molded body Has a face, and an ink flow path end forming surface as the other end of the groove and a surface of the orifice plate, and a second step of forming a perturbed by cutting.

In the method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head of the present invention, the abutment surface, the surface of the orifice plate, the ink flow channel groove forming surface, and the ink flow channel end forming surface are formed by simultaneous cutting. The effect of the warpage can be easily removed, and the lengths of the orifice plate and the ink channel can be formed with high precision. In addition, when each of the above-mentioned surfaces is individually cut, the positioning of the work and the like become complicated work, and the workability is reduced and it is difficult to maintain the accuracy.

As a method for simultaneous cutting, there is a method using first and second rotary cutting tools mounted on the same spindle shaft. In this method, the surface of the orifice plate is formed by face milling with the first rotary cutting tool, and the abutment surface is formed by face milling with the second rotary cutting tool, and the flat milling of the second rotary cutting tool is performed. The shaving forms the ink flow path groove forming surface and the ink flow path end forming surface. Further, even when a first rotary cutting tool attached to a first spindle axis and a second rotary cutting tool attached to a second spindle axis orthogonal to the first spindle axis are used, Cutting can be performed. In this case, the surface of the orifice plate is formed by flat milling with the first rotary cutting tool, and the abutment surface is formed by face milling with the second rotary cutting tool, and the flat surface of the second rotary cutting tool is formed. By milling, an ink passage groove forming surface and an ink passage end forming surface are formed.

An ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention includes the ink jet recording head according to the present invention, and signal supply means for supplying a signal for driving an ejection energy generating element to the ink jet recording head.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment FIGS. 1 and 2 are views for explaining a method of processing a top plate with a groove (top plate member) according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an orifice plate, an ink flow channel groove forming surface, and an ink flow channel end forming surface are simultaneously processed. FIG. 2 is an orifice plate, an ink flow channel groove forming surface, an ink flow channel end forming surface. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the process is performed simultaneously.

Here, a case of manufacturing a grooved top plate similar to the grooved top plate 945 in the conventional ink jet recording head shown in FIG. 13 will be described. A molded body 460 to which a function as a grooved top plate such as a common liquid chamber or an ink supply port is added in advance by resin injection molding. The molded body 460 has the same shape as the grooved top plate to be manufactured, but includes the overlaid portions 401 and 402 where the positions to be the orifice plates are overlaid in consideration of the amount of warpage during molding. In. Further, the formed body 460 is not formed with the discharge port and the ink flow channel groove.

The overlaid portion 40 shown by hatching in FIGS.
Reference numerals 1 and 402 denote portions to be cut by cutting. By removing the overlaid portions 401 and 402 by cutting, a state in which the ejection ports and the ink channel grooves are not formed can be obtained. In addition, the resin injection part when molding the molded body 460 is provided on at least one of the built-up parts 401 and 402. Therefore, the trace (gate trace) of the resin injection portion is removed by this cutting. In the present embodiment, the resin injection portion is provided on the build-up portion 401 on the front surface side of the orifice plate in consideration of the ease of the flow of the injected resin in the mold and the ease of removal of the gate trace by cutting. I have.

Further, by subjecting this state to processing to form a discharge port and an ink flow path groove, a final grooved top plate can be obtained. A state in which the orifice plate is formed but the ejection port and the ink flow path groove are not formed is referred to as a top plate in correspondence with the final grooved top plate.

In this cutting, the same spindle shaft 4 is used.
Two disk-shaped cutters 1 and 2 attached to (FIG. 2)
Is used. The gap between the cutters 1 and 2 is
An interval corresponding to the thickness of a portion to be left as the orifice plate 403 among the 60s. The interval of this gap is
By adjusting the thickness of the shank portion of the cutter or by changing the thickness of the spacer 3 (FIG. 2) between the two cutters 1 and 2 and attached to the spindle shaft 4.
It can be set appropriately.

The two cutters 1 and 2 and the gap spacer 3 are fastened and fixed to a spindle shaft 4 of a cutting machine (slicer) via a flange (not shown). Here, the cutter 1 arranged on the root side of the spindle shaft 4 is
This is for forming the surface of the orifice plate 403 of the grooved top plate. The overlaid portion 401 and the gate mark of the molded body 460 are cut off, and the surface of the orifice plate 403 is not scratched or cut so as to impair the discharge function. It is necessary to have a sharp edge shape. On the other hand, the cutter 2 on the tip end side of the spindle shaft 4 is for simultaneously forming the ink flow channel groove forming surface, the ink flow channel end forming surface, and the heater board joining surface (butting surface) of the grooved top plate. The surface roughness of the finished surface is on the order of submicron, and the corner 404 of the contact portion of the edge of the heater board is formed sharply over the entire width, and there is no C-plane or R-plane.
It is necessary to satisfy a condition that a straightness of 5 μm or less per 0 mm is secured. Since the cutter 1 is used to form the entire front surface of the orifice plate 403, whereas the cutter 2 is used to form the rear surface on the upper half side of the orifice plate 403, the outer diameter of the cutter 2 is It is necessary to be smaller than 1 and to be able to perform high-precision machining on the cutting edge surface. In FIG. 1, arrows indicate the moving direction of the molded body 460 as a workpiece during the above-described cutting.

In view of these points, the present inventors consider that the cutter 1 on the root side of the spindle shaft 4 has a cutting thickness of 0.2 to 0.2 as a cutter having a low cutting resistance and a good finished state of the machined surface. 3mm, outer diameter φ54 ~ φ60mm, 48 blades
A high-speed steel three-way milling cutter (for example, manufactured by Hitachi Tool Co., Ltd.) having up to 52 sheets and a back taper of 1 to 3 degrees was selected. In addition, for the purpose of extending the life of the cutter, a cemented carbide cutter made of tungsten carbide or one obtained by performing a surface treatment of titanium carbide on the above-mentioned three-piece milling cutter can be used.

The cutter 2 on the tip end of the spindle shaft 4
As the material, a diamond circular saw (for example, manufactured by Osaka Diamond Industrial Co., Ltd.) in which a single crystal diamond was embedded and polished in the material of the cutting edge was selected. The cutter 2 is a side blade milling cutter having a stepped outer periphery as shown in an enlarged view of FIG.
The width W of the outer peripheral surface of the small diameter portion of the cutter 2 is equal to the length of the ink flow path, and this surface becomes a processing surface 21 for processing the ink flow path groove forming surface. The height H of the step is equal to the height of the ink flow path, and this surface is a processing surface 22 for processing the ink flow path end forming surface which is the end opposite to the end of the ink flow path on the orifice plate side. Becomes The side surface of the cutter 2 facing the cutter 1 is used for processing the abutting surface.
The machined surface 23 has a back taper and does not have the C surface or the R surface described above.

In the present embodiment, the width W of the outer peripheral surface of the small diameter portion of the cutter 2 is set to 0.35 mm, and the height H of the step is set to 0.1 mm.
The value is set to 1 mm, but these values may be appropriately set according to the characteristics of the ink jet recording head. The outer diameter of the cutter 2 is smaller than that of the cutter 1 from φ52 to φ54.
mm, and combined with the cutter 1, the cutter 2 can be machined on the cutting edge without cutting off. In addition, as the material of the cutting edge of the cutter 2,
Sintered artificial diamonds and cemented carbides can be used.

The spacer 3 is formed by, for example, performing an etching process on a stainless steel plate. The thickness of the spacer 3, that is, the thickness 403 of the orifice plate
Takes into account the strength of the orifice plate 403 as a plate-like member and the attenuation of the laser beam intensity in the resin when forming a discharge port by making a hole in the orifice plate 403 using an excimer laser in the next step, 20 μm-5
It is preferable to determine within the range of 0 μm.

After the selection of the cutters 1 and 2 and the formation of the spacers 3, the cutters 1, 2 and the spacers 3 are fastened and fixed to the spindle shaft 4 of the slicer via a flange (not shown). . Here, it is important that a device (slicer) capable of sufficiently exhibiting the accuracy of the initial cutter has a very small vibration and a high-speed rotation by incorporating a hydrostatic air bearing into the spindle. By using a dicing machine (manufactured by Tokyo Seimitsu) used for processing silicon wafers and ceramics for semiconductor devices, the present inventors rotate the radial thrust vibration after the two cutters 1 and 2 are attached. It could be suppressed to 1 μm or less at several 10,000 rpm.

With the above-described processing system or tool, the processing of the orifice plate forming surface of the grooved top plate, the ink flow channel groove forming surface, the ink flow channel end forming surface, and the heater board joint surface is simultaneously performed. It became possible. As a result of this processing, the variation in the thickness of the orifice plate 403 in one top plate is ± 0.5 μm / 100 mm or less, and no C-plane or R-plane is formed at the corner 404 of the heater board abutting surface. Thus, it is possible to form a grooved top plate having a straightness of 5 μm or less / 100 mm in the ink discharge direction (Y direction). Further, since the length of the ink flow path is determined by processing the end face of the ink flow path, the variation in the length of the ink flow path is ±
It was 0.5 μm / 100 mm or less.

Further, in this top plate, the processed surface roughness of each surface is not more than Rmax 0.2 μm, and it is possible to secure a good surface having no influence on the discharge function. Further, if the processing speed is within the range of 30 to 180 mm / min, the cutter mark is not particularly conspicuous and the thickness is 20 mm.
It is possible to form a μm orifice plate. In addition, since the gate mark of the molded body 460 for forming the grooved top plate is also cut and removed when forming the orifice plate,
It is possible to manufacture a top plate which is not affected by the unevenness of the gate trace at the time of a later step such as bonding with a substrate described later.

The molded body 460 for forming the grooved top plate warps due to resin shrinkage or the like during molding. When fixing the molded body 460 to the work stage of the slicer, the ink ejection direction (Y direction) is changed. By performing the cutting process by fixing the formed body 460 in the vertical direction (Z direction) in the drawing only by abutting for positioning, the warpage in the ink ejection direction is canceled after the cutting process, and the function of the ink jet recording head is reduced. The straightness (warpage) of 5 μm / 100 mm without any influence is suppressed.

On the other hand, in the Z direction, when the fixed top plate is released, it returns to the original warp. However, as described above, in an actual ink jet recording head, a pressing member (pressing spring) which exerts a pressing force in the Z direction is used. ), The grooved top plate is brought into close contact with the heater board, so that the warpage in the Z direction does not cause any problem as long as the surface roughness of the surface joined to the heater board has the required accuracy. . However, as for the ink jet recording head, if the pressing member is simple, it is possible to minimize the size and rigidity of the whole head as a whole, so it is necessary to restrict the warpage in the Z direction from the configuration of the whole head. Therefore, the allowable limit of the warpage in the Z direction is desirably 50 μm / 100 mm or less.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of an ink jet recording head using a grooved top plate obtained by performing the above-described cutting and further providing a discharge port and an ink flow channel. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of main components of the ink jet recording head. Here, an ink jet recording head in which the density of ink ejection ports is 360 dpi (360 per 25.4 mm, that is, the interval is 70.5 μm), and the number of ink ejection ports is 3008 (print width 212 mm) will be described.

Since there are 3008 ink ejection ports, at least 3008 ejection energy generating elements are required. Here, a plurality of heater boards (substrates) 100 each having 128 ejection energy generating elements 101 are prepared. By arranging them in a straight line, a predetermined number of ejection energy generating elements are ensured. Each of the heater boards 100 includes a discharge energy generating element 1
128 are provided at predetermined positions at a density of 360 dpi, and further, a pad for supplying a signal for driving the ejection energy generating element 101 at an arbitrary timing by an external electric signal, a power for driving, and the like. 102
have. Each heater board 100 is arranged on the surface of a support (base plate) 300 made of an aluminum alloy, and is fixedly adhered with an adhesive.

FIG. 5 shows that the heater board 1
FIG. 10 is a detailed view showing a state where 00 is arranged, and shows a part of the support 300 in a cross section. The support 300 is provided with a through hole 303 that opens at a position where the heater board 100 is mounted.
The support 30 is positioned and held at a predetermined location
The adhesive 301 is fixed by filling the through-hole 303 with an adhesive 301 from the back surface of the substrate. At this time, between two adjacent heater boards 100, a discharge energy generating element on one heater board and closest to the other heater board, and a discharge energy generating element on the other heater board and closest to one heater board The pitch between the energy generating elements is the same as the pitch P (= 70.5 μm) of the ejection energy generating elements 101 on each heater board 100. Therefore, even if 20 or more heater boards 100 are provided, the entire heater board 100
The ejection energy generating elements 101 are arranged at the same pitch P.

As the discharge energy generating element 101, specifically, an electrothermal converter that generates heat when energized according to a recording signal is used. Discharge energy generating element 1
01 is formed on the heater board 100 which is a silicon substrate by using a semiconductor device manufacturing technique. And
When the discharge energy generating element 101 generates heat by energization, the ink in the ink flow path corresponding to the discharge energy generating element is heated and foams, and the ink in the ink flow path is discharged from the discharge port by the energy of the foaming. It will be ejected as a drop. This foaming is preferably due to film boiling. As the ejection energy generating element 101, an element composed of a piezoelectric element can be used.

Returning to FIG. 4, the wiring substrate 200 is also adhered to the support 300. The wiring board 200 is for supplying a signal and power to each heater board 100, and includes a pad 102 on the heater board 100 and a signal / power supply pad 2 provided on the wiring board 200.
02 in a predetermined positional relationship with the wiring board 200.
Is located. Heater board 10 of wiring board 200
A connector 201 to which a print signal or drive power is externally supplied is provided at an end other than the zero side.

Next, the grooved top plate 400 will be described. First, the orifice plate surface (discharge port surface), the ink flow channel groove forming surface, the ink flow channel end forming surface, and the heater board bonding surface (butting surface) after being molded with resin by the above-described method.
Are simultaneously cut to form a top plate. Then, an ink-repellent coating is formed on the surface of the orifice plate in order to prevent the ejection performance from being deteriorated due to the orifice peripheral edge portion being wetted by the ink.
Thereafter, the ink flow channel groove forming surface is dug by the excimer laser from the boundary with the heater board joining surface to the ink flow channel end forming surface, so that the heater board 10 is formed.
An ink flow channel corresponding to each of the ejection energy generating elements 101 is formed. The processing by the laser beam is performed by using a mask and repeating the processing in units of 128 channels in the same manner as the unit of the heater board. After the processing of the ink flow channel, from the back surface of the orifice plate at one end of each ink flow channel, a discharge port (orifice) is formed by a laser beam using a mask in 128 units in the same manner as the ink flow channel.
Drilling. Thus, the grooved top plate 400 is finally completed.

As shown in FIG. 6, the grooved top plate 400
The ink flow paths 412 provided corresponding to the discharge energy generating elements 101 provided on the heater board 100, and communicate with the ink flow paths 412 corresponding to the respective ink flow paths 412 for discharging ink toward the recording medium. Orifice (ejection port) 413, a liquid chamber 411 communicating with each ink flow path to supply ink to each ink flow path 412,
A component such as an ink supply port 414 through which ink supplied from an ink tank (not shown) flows into the liquid chamber 411 is integrally provided. Naturally, the grooved top plate 400 has a length that can substantially cover the ejection energy generating element array provided with the plurality of heater boards 100 arranged side by side. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the grooved top plate 400 is
2 (FIG. 6) and the ejection energy generating elements on the heater board 100 arranged on the support 300 are connected to the support 300 so that the positional relationship is a predetermined positional relationship.
As a method for this connection, as shown in FIG.
There are various methods, such as a method of mechanically pressing with a spring holder 510 holding the spring 500, a method of fixing with an adhesive, and a method of using these methods together. Further, after fixing the grooved top plate 400 with the spring 500, an ink supply pipe 550 for supplying ink to the grooved top plate 400 is inserted into elbow portions 416 provided at both ends of the grooved top plate 400 to support the grooved top plate 400. It is fixed to the body 300 by bonding or thermal caulking. Thereafter, the holes at both ends of the grooved top plate 400 are closed with plugs or the like, and each fitting portion is sealed with a sealant to complete the head. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship among the support 300, the heater board 100, and the grooved top plate 400.

As a material for forming the grooved top plate 400,
In order to provide ink flow grooves and discharge ports, a resin capable of accurately forming grooves is preferable, and furthermore, mechanical strength, dimensional stability,
It is desirable that the ink has excellent ink resistance. As such a material, for example, an epoxy resin, an acrylic resin, a diglycol dialkyl carbonate resin, an unsaturated polyester resin, a polyurethane resin, a polyimide resin, a melamine resin, a phenol resin, a urea resin, and the like are preferable. Resins such as phones are desirable from the viewpoint of moldability and liquid resistance.

As shown in FIG. 6D, a support member 415 for regulating the coefficient of thermal expansion of the grooved top plate 400 and suppressing warpage during molding is provided on the grooved top plate 400. It is provided in the resin of the grooved top plate 400 along the longitudinal direction of the top plate 400, that is, the ink flow path arrangement direction. Here, the support member 415 is a stainless steel pipe or a bar with both ends dug, and both ends are buried in the main body of the grooved top plate 400 to serve as ink supply ports. In addition, a plurality of ink supply ports 414 communicating with the liquid chamber 411 are formed in the support member 415 in advance, so that the support member 415, that is, the inside of the pipe and the liquid chamber communicate with each other. As a method of embedding the support member 415 in the main body of the grooved top plate 400, there is a so-called insert molding method of embedding metal or the like at the time of resin molding.

Next, the ink jet recording head will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. As described above, the orifice and liquid flow are applied to a plurality of heater boards in which ejection energy generating elements are built and placed on a support made of glass, silicon, ceramics, metal, etc. with high precision. By joining the grooved top plate in which the path is formed, an ink flow path is formed, and an ink jet recording head is manufactured. FIG.
1 schematically shows an ink jet cartridge to which such an ink jet recording head is applied. This ink jet cartridge is detachably attached to the ink jet recording apparatus main body, and has the same ink jet recording head 8 as described above.
50 and an ink tank 851 capable of storing ink to be supplied to the ink jet recording head are integrally formed.

FIG. 9 is a schematic schematic explanatory view of a so-called full-line type ink jet recording head having a width corresponding to the recording width of a recording medium and an ink jet recording apparatus using the ink jet recording head. The full line type ink jet recording head is
Due to its nature, the number of discharge ports is large, and the effect of the present invention is most remarkably exhibited.

In this recording apparatus, the full-line ink jet recording head 600 is arranged to face a recording medium 800 such as paper or cloth conveyed by a recording medium conveying roller 700. Then, while conveying the recording medium 800, the full-line type ink jet recording head 600
Then, the ink is ejected toward the recording medium 800 in accordance with the recording signal to record on the long recording medium 800. In the case of the present invention, since an ink jet recording head is manufactured by arranging a plurality of heater boards provided with ejection energy generating elements, a long ink jet recording head such as a full line recording head can be easily manufactured.

FIG. 10 shows an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with a small cartridge type ink jet recording head. In this recording apparatus, an ink jet recording head cartridge 1000 is used in which an ink tank unit 1001 and an ink jet recording head unit 1002 are integrated and can be attached to and detached from a recording apparatus main body. Inkjet recording head cartridge 1000
Is a carriage 1010 that can reciprocate in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure.
Mounted on top. A conveyance roller for conveying the recording medium 800, a motor 1003 as a drive source for driving the carriage 1010, and a carriage shaft 1004 for transmitting power from the drive source to the carriage 1010.
Etc. are provided. Further, a signal supply unit (not shown) for supplying a signal for discharging ink to the inkjet recording head unit 1002 is provided.

As described above, in the ink jet recording apparatus using the ink jet recording head according to the present invention, the case where only one ink jet recording head for discharging a single color ink is mounted, the present invention is not limited to this. Absent. That is, it is natural that the ink jet recording head of the present invention is used for a color recording apparatus in which a plurality of ink jet recording heads respectively corresponding to a plurality of color inks are mounted. In addition, in the embodiments described above, the ink is described as a liquid, but an ink that solidifies at room temperature or below and that softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used, or an ink jet system In general, the temperature of the ink itself is controlled in the range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in the stable ejection range. A thing may be used. In addition, ink that solidifies in a standing state and liquefies by heating may be used.

<< Second Embodiment >> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 are diagrams illustrating a method of processing a top plate with a groove according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which an orifice plate, an ink liquid flow channel forming surface, and an ink flow channel end forming surface are simultaneously processed. FIG. 12 is an orifice plate, an ink liquid flow channel forming surface, and an ink flow channel end forming surface. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the process is performed simultaneously.

In the orifice plate, the influence of the warpage in the ink ejection direction is remarkable in the vicinity of the ejection port. Therefore, only the periphery of the discharge port can be recessed and processed into an accurate shape, and other portions can be left uncut to secure the strength of the entire orifice plate. This embodiment is an effective means in such a case, that is, when the strength of the entire plate is required and only the area around the orifice is to be recessed.

The cutters 11 and 12 are fastened and fixed to two spindle shafts arranged at right angles via flanges (not shown). The cutter 12 has a cutting direction similar to that of the cutter 2 of the above-described first embodiment, and is formed of an ink passage groove forming surface, an ink passage end forming surface, and a heater board joining surface (abutting surface). Used for processing. On the other hand, the cutter 11 has a rotation axis (vertical direction in the drawing) perpendicular to the rotation axis of the cutter 1 of the above-described first embodiment. It can be recessed in a straight line parallel to the arrangement direction.
As the cutters 11 and 12 both require finishing accuracy of the machined surface at the cutting edge, a diamond circular saw in which single crystal diamond is embedded and polished at the cutting edge is used as in the cutter 2 of the first embodiment. It is desirable. In FIG. 11, arrows indicate the moving direction of the molded body that is a workpiece during the above-described cutting. In the present embodiment, it is possible to make the orifice plate discharge port processing portion extremely thin by increasing the depth of the digging with the cutter 11, and the thickness of this portion is 10
An orifice plate of 〜20 μm can be obtained. In addition, by adding an R-curved surface or a C-chamfer to the cutting edge of the cutter 11, the shape of the dug portion can be matched. That is, it is possible to form the orifice plate so that when the dirt adhering to the discharge port surface of the ink jet recording head is wiped with a rubber blade or the like of the printer, unwiped residue hardly occurs.

In the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the spindles on which the cutters 11 and 12 are mounted are two axes and are arranged at right angles. Therefore, it is not possible to use a commercially available general-purpose machine. Although it is not possible, the system can be completed as a relatively simple system simply by adding one spindle shaft to a general slicer or dicing machine. The top plate cut as above is
Through the same manufacturing process as in the first embodiment, an ink jet recording head is completed.

The typical configuration and principle of the ink jet type recording head and recording apparatus according to the present invention are based on the basic principle disclosed in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740,796. It is preferable to use this method. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, the electric heat disposed corresponding to the sheet or liquid path holding the liquid (ink) is used. By applying to the converter at least one drive signal that provides a rapid temperature rise above nucleate boiling corresponding to the recorded information,
This is effective because heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, and as a result, air bubbles in the liquid (ink) can be formed integrally with the drive signal. By discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble, at least one droplet is formed. If this drive signal is pulse-shaped, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately,
In particular, liquid (ink) discharge with excellent responsiveness can be achieved,
More preferred. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. In addition, U.S. Pat.
If the conditions described in the specification of JP-A No. 4 are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination of the discharge port, the liquid path, and the electrothermal converter (linear liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications, U.S. Pat.No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat.
The configuration using the specification of No. 00 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an opening that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy is discharged. JP-A-59-13846 that discloses a configuration corresponding to a part
The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on the first publication.

Further, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification is used. Either a configuration that satisfies the length or a configuration as a single recording head that is integrally formed may be used, but the present invention can more effectively exert the above-described effects. In addition, a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be electrically connected to the device main body and supplied with ink from the device main body when attached to the device main body, or the ink tank is integrated with the recording head itself The present invention is also effective when a cartridge-type recording head provided in a fixed manner is used.

It is preferable to add recovery means for the printhead, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like, which are provided as components of the printing apparatus of the present invention, since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If you list these specifically,
A capping unit, a cleaning unit, a pressurizing or suctioning unit, a preheating unit using an electrothermal transducer or a heating element other than these, or a combination thereof, and a preliminary ejection for performing a different ejection from recording to the recording head. Performing the mode is also effective for performing stable recording.

Further, 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 a single recording head or a combination of a plurality of recording heads. The present invention is also very effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of full colors by color mixture.

When the alloy material according to the present invention is used, resistance to cavitation impact, resistance to erosion due to cavitation, electrochemical stability, chemical stability, oxidation resistance, melting resistance, heat resistance, thermal shock resistance ,
An ink jet head and an ink jet head device including an electrothermal transducer having a heating resistor excellent in mechanical durability and the like can be obtained. In particular, it is possible to obtain an ink jet head and an ink jet device in which the heat generating portion of the heat generating resistor is in direct contact with the ink in the ink path. In the ink jet head and the ink jet device having this configuration, the heat energy generated from the heat generating portion of the heating resistor can be directly applied to the ink, so that the efficiency of heat transfer to the ink is good. Therefore, the power consumption by the heating resistor can be kept low, and the temperature rise of the ink-jet head (temperature change of the ink-jet head) can be remarkably reduced, so that the image density change due to the temperature change of the ink-jet head is avoided. be able to. Further, it is possible to obtain better responsiveness to the ejection signal applied to the heating resistor.

Furthermore, in the heating resistor according to the present invention, a desired specific resistance can be obtained with good controllability and with a very small variation in resistance value in one ink jet head.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an ink jet head and an ink jet apparatus which can discharge ink much more stably as compared with the related art and have excellent durability.

The ink-jet head and the ink-jet apparatus having the above-mentioned good characteristics are very suitable for high-speed recording and high-quality images due to the use of multiple ejection ports.

In the embodiment of the present invention described above,
Although the ink is described as a liquid, it is an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower, and is softened or liquid at room temperature, or in the above-described inkjet, the temperature of the ink itself is controlled within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less. Generally, the temperature is controlled so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range, so that the ink may be in a liquid state when the use recording signal is applied. In addition, the temperature rise due to heat energy is positively prevented by using it as energy for changing the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or an ink that is solidified in a standing state for the purpose of preventing evaporation of the ink is used. In any case, heat energy is applied to the ink by liquefying and ejecting it as an ink liquid by applying the thermal energy according to the recording signal, or by starting to solidify when reaching the recording medium. The use of an ink that liquefies for the first time is also applicable to the present invention. In such a case, the ink, as described in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-71260, is held in a liquid state or a solid state in a porous sheet concave portion or through hole, It is good also as a form which opposes an electrothermal transducer. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

[0066]

As described above, according to the present invention, the orifice plate surface of the top plate member, the ink flow channel groove forming surface, the ink flow channel end forming surface, and the heater board joining surface (butting surface) are simultaneously cut. The following effects can be obtained by the formation.

By removing the warp in the ink discharge direction caused by molding by cutting, a long top plate member having a high straightness (5 μm or less / 100 mm) can be obtained.

The surface roughness and waviness of the ink channel groove forming surface are removed by cutting, and a surface having a uniform surface roughness (0.2 μm or less) is obtained.

Since the length of the ink flow path is almost uniform over the entire area, an ink jet recording head having stable ejection characteristics for each ink flow path can be obtained.

The edge of the corner of the heater board abutting surface is sharply finished. Since simultaneous processing is performed, alignment errors that occur in individual processing are eliminated, and a stable top plate member for a long ink jet recording head with high ejection performance can be obtained.

In the case where the top plate member is formed by resin molding, the resin injection portion of the top plate member is provided in a portion to be removed by cutting, so that no gate mark remains and the top plate member does not affect the subsequent processes. A member can be obtained. Further, when a plurality of discharge ports are provided, a support member for controlling the thermal expansion coefficient of the top plate member is provided in the top plate member along the direction in which the discharge ports are provided, so that the top plate is provided. The effect of the difference in thermal expansion between the member and another member can be reduced.

According to the present invention, an ink jet recording head having a large number of, for example, 200 or more, typically thousands of ejection ports can be easily formed. Therefore, the present invention has a particularly remarkable effect when applied to a full-line type ink jet recording head having a length corresponding to the recording width of the recording medium.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an orifice plate and an ink channel groove forming surface are simultaneously processed in a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing that an orifice plate and an ink channel groove forming surface are simultaneously processed in the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a configuration of an ink jet recording head according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of main components of the inkjet recording head according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a detailed view showing a state where a heater board is arranged.

6 (a) is a top view of the grooved top plate, (b) is a front view of the grooved top plate, (c) is a bottom view of the grooved top plate, and (d) is a view of FIG. 6 (b). It is XX sectional drawing.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship among a support, a heater board, and a grooved top plate.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an ink jet cartridge to which the ink jet recording head of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a conceptual configuration of a full-line type ink jet recording head and an ink jet recording apparatus using the ink jet recording head.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus equipped with an inkjet cartridge to which the inkjet recording head of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which an orifice plate and an ink channel groove forming surface are simultaneously processed in the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing that an orifice plate and an ink channel groove forming surface are simultaneously processed in a second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a configuration of a main part of a conventional inkjet recording head.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2, 11, 12 Cutter 3 Spacer 4 Spindle shaft 100 Heater board 101 Discharge energy generating element 102 Pad 200 Wiring board 201 Connector 202 Signal / power supply pad 300 Support 301 Adhesive 403 Orifice plate 411 Liquid chamber 412 Ink flow path 413 Discharge port 414 Ink supply port 415 Support member 460 Molded body 500 Spring 501 Spring holder 600 Full line inkjet recording head 700 Recording medium transport roller 800 Recording medium 850 Inkjet recording head 851 Ink tank 1000 Inkjet recording head cartridge 1010 Carriage

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Yoshikazu Omata, 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Kiyomi Aono 3-30-2, Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Kia Within Non Corporation (72) Inventor Yuki Tajima 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Corporation

Claims (13)

[Claims] An ink is ejected by communicating with a substrate provided with an ejection energy generating element for applying ejection energy to ink corresponding to an ink flow path, a groove corresponding to the ink flow path, and one end of the groove. A top plate member integrally formed with an orifice plate provided with a discharge port, and the ink flow path is formed by joining the substrate and the top plate member. In an ink jet recording head in which an end surface of a substrate abuts and an abutting surface directed in a direction different from the joining direction is formed on the top plate member, the top plate member includes the abutting surface, An ink flow path groove forming surface in which a groove is formed, an ink flow path end forming surface serving as the other end of the groove, and a surface of the orifice plate are formed by simultaneous cutting. An ink jet recording head is characterized and. 2. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the top plate member is formed by resin molding. 3. The resin injection section during molding of the top plate member,
The ink jet recording head according to claim 2, wherein the ink jet recording head is provided at a portion cut by the simultaneous cutting. 4. A plurality of discharge ports are provided, and a support member for controlling a coefficient of thermal expansion of the top plate member is provided in the top plate member along a direction in which the discharge ports are provided. The inkjet recording head according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein 5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge energy generating element is an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy for ink discharge.
5. The ink jet recording head according to any one of items 4 to 4. 6. The ink jet recording head according to claim 5, wherein the ink is ejected from the ejection port using film boiling generated in the ink by thermal energy applied by the electrothermal transducer. 7. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is a full line type recording head having a length corresponding to a recording width of a recording medium. 8. A substrate provided with a discharge energy generating element for providing discharge energy to ink corresponding to an ink flow path, a groove corresponding to the ink flow path, and one end of the groove for discharging ink. A top plate member integrally formed with an orifice plate provided with a discharge port, and the ink flow path is formed by joining the substrate and the top plate member. In a method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head, wherein an end surface of a substrate abuts and an abutting surface facing a direction different from the joining direction is formed on the top plate member, a molding corresponding to a general shape of the top plate member is provided. A first step of forming a body, an abutting surface, an ink flow channel groove forming surface on which the groove is formed, and an ink flow channel end forming surface serving as the other end of the groove with respect to the molded body. , Said a surface of the orifice plate, the second step in the method of manufacturing the ink jet recording head and having a formed simultaneously by cutting. 9. The orifice plate, wherein the second step is performed using first and second rotary cutting tools mounted on the same spindle shaft, and the face milling is performed by the first rotary cutting tool. Are formed, the abutment surface is formed by face milling of the second rotary cutting tool, and the ink flow channel forming surface and the ink flow channel are formed by flat milling of the second rotary cutting tool. The method according to claim 8, wherein an end forming surface is formed. 10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the second step is performed by a first rotary cutting tool attached to a first spindle axis and a second rotary cutting tool attached to a second spindle axis orthogonal to the first spindle axis. The surface of the orifice plate is formed by flat milling with the first rotary cutting tool and the abutment surface is formed by face milling of the second rotary cutting tool. 9. The method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to claim 8, wherein the ink flow path groove forming surface and the ink flow path end forming surface are formed by flat milling of the second rotary cutting tool. 11. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: the ink jet recording head according to claim 1; and a signal supply unit that supplies a signal for driving the ejection energy generating element to the ink jet recording head. . 12. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a mounting means for mounting said ink jet recording head. 13. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a moving unit that relatively moves the recording medium and the placing unit.