JPS59145157A - Protection of ink jet recording head - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make the repetitive use possible, by pushing the protection component composed of the elastic omponent supported by a frame body and of the sheet inactive for ink against the effusion surface of ink in the protection cap of injection nozzle tip. CONSTITUTION:The head protection component 10 is, in a piling manner, set to the inactive sheet 20 composed of unburnt Teflon green tape on the like so set as to cover all the ink injection surface 3 of recording head 1 and the legs 12 of main body 11 are click-fit to the locking holes 5 of head cover 4 and assembled. Because the elastic component 14 assembled to the main body 11 is set to the recording head 1 by being deformed within its elastic range under this condition, the sheet 20 closely adheres to the ink injection surface 3, forced thereto by pressure being balanced with the four legs 12 and surely keeps the airtight and water-tight thereof. Thus, the handling is simplified and even its repetitive use does not reduce its protective performance.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in a camp for protecting the tip of an ejection nozzle of a recording head for an inkjet recording apparatus.

The conventional ink jet printer forms an image by ejecting ink from each ejection port of a plurality of channels according to an image signal. The ink channels and ink ejection ports that form the fine ink droplets are also extremely fine, with a diameter of about 30 to 100 microns. Therefore, great care and protection are required when handling the ink ejection nozzle portion, particularly the ink ejection port.

1d in the manufacturing process of inkjet recording devices.

In a recording head that is filled with ink and is on standby or at rest in preparation for subsequent work, acidic precipitation occurs due to the evaporation of evaporative components in the ink composition, such as water, that is, as the ink dries, and the ink jets or ink The channels are blocked by precipitated solids. Removal of solidified substances formed in ink channels (flow paths), especially ink jet ports, is extremely difficult, and sometimes leads to the disposal of expensive recording heads. In order to avoid this, when the recording head is to be stopped, the ink is completely drained out, a non-evaporable liquid such as ethylene glycol liquid is filled, and the recording head is placed on standby. It was a very time-consuming process to fill the batteries and prepare them for use.

Furthermore, air bubbles that enter and form in the recording head can impede the functionality of the inkjet printer. The air bubbles enter the recording head from the ink ejection ports due to fluctuations in air pressure and temperature. Most of them are formed by air. If the air bubbles have stopped entering the fine ink jet nozzles, they can be removed by running them a little, but if they have entered the internal pressure chambers or ink reservoirs, There is no good solution other than replacing all the ink, which is also a very time-consuming task.

As a means to prevent these problems, as mentioned above, the ink ejection surface of the recording head during standby or rest is covered with a sheet that has low air permeability, is chemically stable, and does not impair the water repellency of the ink and the ink ejection surface. A method has been proposed in which the recording head and the sheet are tied together with a comb hand after being coated with a comb.

In this method, the elastic action of the rubber band is used to tightly contact and press the ink ejecting surface of the gutter onto the entire print sheet, thereby preventing ink evaporation and air bubbles from entering as described above. If the rubber band is improperly installed, the pressing force of the sheet against the ink jetting port may become uneven, causing ink leakage, or the rubber band may not be in complete contact with the ink jetting surface, creating an air gap. may form and cause the ink to solidify. Further, the rubber band becomes fatigued and cannot be used repeatedly, and the rubber band may come off during handling, so the workability is not necessarily good.

Purpose of the Invention The purpose of the present invention is to prevent both the precipitation of solidified matter and the generation of air bubbles due to drying of ink, protect the water repellency of the ink jetting surface, and prevent dust from adhering to the surface of the ink. An object of the present invention is to provide a protection method for maintaining a usable recording head.

Structure of the Invention The present invention constitutes a protection function for the ink jetting surface by a protective member that is repeatedly attached and detached in the manufacturing process of the recording head. This is achieved by an inkjet recording head protection method characterized by pressing a head protection member made of an elastic member supported by the frame and a sheet inert to ink pressed by the elastic member. Ru.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention is shown in perspective views in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In the figure, 1 indicates a recording head unit, and 2 indicates a recording head. The recording head 2 is equipped with and incorporates an ink replenishment tank, a common ink chamber, a pressure chamber, an ink replenishment signal, and image signal transmission circuit wiring (not shown). Reference numeral 3 denotes an ink ejection surface, on which ink ejection ports are arranged as many as the number of channels, and faces the recording surface. Ink ejection surface 3
This is a water-repellent treatment, such as silicone rubber, to improve the cleanliness of ink droplets. 4 is a head cover integrally formed from two pieces that protects the recording head 2;
The recording head 2 is fitted and fixed inside, and the two bodies are bonded together.

An outwardly facing gap between the recording head 2 and the head cover 4 is filled with silicone rubber and bonded, and the recording head unit 1 is configured as an airtight integral unit.

On the other hand, reference numeral 10 denotes a head protection member according to the present invention, and an integral body 11 made of synthetic resin such as ABS is provided with four legs 12 having hook-shaped protrusions at four corners thereof. There is. Each of the waist legs 12 can be slightly bent outward by external force, and when the external force is removed, the legs 12 are configured to quickly and automatically return to their original shape due to their elasticity. Further, an elastic member 14 is attached to a recess provided on the inner surface of the main body 11, and two claws 1 formed on a part of the main body 11 are attached.
3, it is integrated with the main body 11.

The 10 head protection members as described above are attached to the main body in addition to an inert sheet made of unburned Teflon tape or the like, which is attached to cover the entire surface of the ink ejection surface 3 of the recording head unit 1. The 11 legs n are click-fitted into the lock holes 5 provided at the head force <-4, respectively, and are installed as shown in FIG. In this state, the elastic member 14 attached to the main body 1
is deformed within its elastic range and is attached to the recording head unit 1, so that the sheet 20 is in close contact with the ink jetting surface 3 and is evenly pressed by the four legs 12. Because of this, extremely reliable airtightness and watertightness can be maintained. In addition, the pressing force remains constant even when used repeatedly by inexperienced workers, and it does not fall off when handled easily, and since it is connected by clicking, it is easy to attach and detach, making it a great problem for workers. It is.

As for the characteristics that the sheet) 2f) should have, first of all, in order to seal the ink ejection surface 3 and the ink ejection ports arranged on the surface 3, it must be flexible without air permeability. It must be physically stable and do not impair the water repellency of the ink or the ink jetting surface. Furthermore, it is necessary that aging be minimal due to high or low temperatures, since it is disadvantageous if the above-mentioned properties are lost due to aging and the aging product becomes a chemically active substance. Considering these points, it is desirable that C) 20 be made of unfired Teflon raw tape! .

Furthermore, as the characteristics that the elastic member 14 should have, as in the case of the sheet material, a highly durable material that is chemically stable and has little variation in hardness and elastic range due to temperature is suitable, such as urethane rubber, Examples include silicone rubber, fluorine rubber, etc., and the hardness thereof is preferably in the range of 3o to 3o, and as an example, in the case of hardness I, it is 0.9 to 2.7k.
It is preferable to have a thickness that deforms and compresses by 10 to 30% when pressurized at g/crl.

Effects of the Invention According to the method for protecting an inkjet recording head using a protection member of the present invention, the ink jetting surface is kept in close contact with the sheet by a constant and uniform pressing force over the entire surface of the ink jetting surface. It has become possible to almost completely prevent ink evaporation and bubble intrusion. Furthermore, the protective member is easy to handle and does not deteriorate in function even after repeated use, so it is useful as a method for protecting inkjet recording heads.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a method of protecting an inkjet recording head using the protection member of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an external view of the head equipped with the protection member. 1... To record 2... Recording head 2... Ink ejection surface 4... Head cover 5...
Lock hole 10...Head pupil retaining member 11...
...Protection member main body 12...Legs
13...Claw 14...Elastic part bending
Canada: Teflon sheet agent Yoshimi Kuwahara

Claims (1)

[Claims] A head protection member consisting of a frame, an elastic member supported by the frame, and a sheet inert to ink pressed by the elastic member is pressed against the ink ejection surface of the inkjet recording head. How to protect inkjet recording heads.