WO1990004519A1 - Method for forming ink jet printer nozzle arrays - Google Patents
Method for forming ink jet printer nozzle arrays Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1990004519A1 WO1990004519A1 PCT/GB1989/001232 GB8901232W WO9004519A1 WO 1990004519 A1 WO1990004519 A1 WO 1990004519A1 GB 8901232 W GB8901232 W GB 8901232W WO 9004519 A1 WO9004519 A1 WO 9004519A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- foil
- ink jet
- nozzle plate
- nozzles
- aperture
- Prior art date
Links
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 21
- 238000003491 array Methods 0.000 title description 4
- 239000011888 foil Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 23
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 8
- 238000007641 inkjet printing Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 3
- 238000010894 electron beam technology Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000003466 welding Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 6
- 238000005260 corrosion Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000007797 corrosion Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000000576 coating method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005553 drilling Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000003628 erosive effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000001259 photo etching Methods 0.000 description 2
- 229910001220 stainless steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 239000010935 stainless steel Substances 0.000 description 2
- XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Silicon Chemical compound [Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000011248 coating agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000013078 crystal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910003460 diamond Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010432 diamond Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005323 electroforming Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005530 etching Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005304 joining Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003754 machining Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910021421 monocrystalline silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 150000004767 nitrides Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 238000005498 polishing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052594 sapphire Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010980 sapphire Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010703 silicon Substances 0.000 description 1
- 235000012431 wafers Nutrition 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/135—Nozzles
- B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
- B41J2/1621—Manufacturing processes
- B41J2/1632—Manufacturing processes machining
- B41J2/1634—Manufacturing processes machining laser machining
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
- B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
- B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
- B41J2/01—Ink jet
- B41J2/135—Nozzles
- B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
- B41J2/162—Manufacturing of the nozzle plates
Definitions
- Ink jet printer nozzles are conventionally manufactured by several methods.
- a third method involves electroforming individual nozzles and arrays but these are difficult to manufacture to the required tolerances and the plates which are produced are susceptable to both corrosion and erosion.
- a fourth method involves photoetching nozzles from single crystal silicon but this requires expensive silicon wafers and uses expensive photoetching techniques to manufacture the individual nozzles. The manufactured arrays require coating, usually with oxide or nitride coatings to protect them from erosion and corrosion.
- a fifth method involves drilling the nozzles by conventional means, such as electro-discharge machining or energy beam processes such as laser or electron beams. However the drilled nozzles must be formed in a web of material manufactured by an expensive precision forming process or in metal foil bonded to a nozzle plate and the bonding techniques which have been used lead to distortion of the nozzle web.
- a method of forming an array of ink jet printing nozzles comprises clamping a metal foil to a surface of a metal nozzle plate which will, in use, close an ink cavity, the foil covering an aperture in the nozzle plate and the clamping leaving free a strip of foil immediately around the aperture; welding the foil to the nozzle plate around the strip by impinging on the area to be welded a high energy beam of photons or electrons from a laser or electron beam gun; and subsequently forming an array of nozzles through the foil in alignment with the aperture.
- the metal of the foil and of the nozzle plate are preferably the same and the method offers improvements over previous joining techniques by not introducing a dissimilar material at the interface. This offers improvements in corrosion performance and decreased distortion of the nozzle web, thereby enabling holes to be drilled in the foil with improved properties of jet straightness and lower jet velocity variation along the array.
- the beam is preferably pulsed at a frequency in the range of 0.1 to 10Hz, producing pulses with energy in the range of 1.6 to 2.6 Joules.
- Figure 4 is a perspective exploded view corresponding to Figure 1; and.
- Figure 5 is a perspective view of the finished array.
- Figure 1 shows a stainless steel nozzle plate 6 with a cavity 7 coverging to a slit aperture 8; and a rectangular piece 9 of stainless steel foil of the order of 30mm long by 6mm wide, and 100 micron thick.
- the foil is welded to the plate over the slit 8 by first clamping it against the face of the plate by means of a clamping plate 10 having a central convergent aperture 11.
- the size of the convergent end of the aperature 11 is such that, as shown in Figure 2, the edge of the piece of foil 9 is gripped between the plates 6 and 10, leaving exposed in the opening 11 a strip of the foil around the slit 8.
- the foil is then welded to the face of the nozzle plate 6 by means of a laser which produces a spot weld having a diameter of the order of a few tenths of a millimeter.
- the laser beam is advanced around the slit 8 so that successive spot welds overlap one ano'ther to form a curved weld line 13 as shown in Figures 3 and 5.
- the clamping plate 10 is then removed and a row of nozzles 14 are then formed by conventional means through the foil in alignment with the slit 8.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Optics & Photonics (AREA)
- Particle Formation And Scattering Control In Inkjet Printers (AREA)
Abstract
An array of ink jet printing nozzles are formed by clamping a metal foil (9) over a slit leading from a cavity (7) in a nozzle plate (6) by means of a clamping plate (10) having an opening (11). The foil is welded to the nozzle plate (6) by means of a high energy beam to form a weld line around the slit. The foil is then perforated in alignment with the slit to produce the individual nozzles.
Description
DESCRIPTION
METHOD FOR FORMING INK JET PRINTER NOZZLE ARRAYS
Ink jet printer nozzles are conventionally manufactured by several methods. A first involves individual nozzle manufacture by ultrasonic drilling of a sapphire crystal, diamond polishing of the resulting bore and lapping the exit face to achieve the required staightness and mass flows. A second involves individual and multiple jet array manufacturing using glass capillaries manufactured by drawing or etching techniques. Both these methods have inherent problems. They use lapping as the final process in achieving nozzles of the required straightness and mass flows. This.can cause problems with chipping of the exit hole, resulting in jets not attaining the required straightness. Arrays assembled from individual nozzles are also very expensive to manufacture and difficult to align. A third method involves electroforming individual nozzles and arrays but these are difficult to manufacture to the required tolerances and the plates which are produced are susceptable to both corrosion and erosion. A fourth method involves photoetching nozzles from single crystal silicon but this requires expensive silicon wafers and uses expensive photoetching techniques to manufacture the individual nozzles. The manufactured arrays require coating, usually with oxide or nitride coatings to protect them from erosion and corrosion. A fifth method involves drilling the nozzles by conventional means, such as electro-discharge machining or energy beam processes such as laser or electron beams. However the drilled nozzles must be formed in a web of material manufactured by an expensive precision forming process or in metal foil bonded to a nozzle
plate and the bonding techniques which have been used lead to distortion of the nozzle web.
In accordance with the present invention, a method of forming an array of ink jet printing nozzles comprises clamping a metal foil to a surface of a metal nozzle plate which will, in use, close an ink cavity, the foil covering an aperture in the nozzle plate and the clamping leaving free a strip of foil immediately around the aperture; welding the foil to the nozzle plate around the strip by impinging on the area to be welded a high energy beam of photons or electrons from a laser or electron beam gun; and subsequently forming an array of nozzles through the foil in alignment with the aperture. The metal of the foil and of the nozzle plate are preferably the same and the method offers improvements over previous joining techniques by not introducing a dissimilar material at the interface. This offers improvements in corrosion performance and decreased distortion of the nozzle web, thereby enabling holes to be drilled in the foil with improved properties of jet straightness and lower jet velocity variation along the array.
The beam is preferably pulsed at a frequency in the range of 0.1 to 10Hz, producing pulses with energy in the range of 1.6 to 2.6 Joules.
An example of the production of a nozzle array, in accordance with the present invention, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 to 3 are central sections showing the successive stages of the process;
Figure 4 is a perspective exploded view corresponding to Figure 1; and.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the finished array.
Figure 1 shows a stainless steel nozzle plate 6 with a cavity 7 coverging to a slit aperture 8; and a
rectangular piece 9 of stainless steel foil of the order of 30mm long by 6mm wide, and 100 micron thick. The foil is welded to the plate over the slit 8 by first clamping it against the face of the plate by means of a clamping plate 10 having a central convergent aperture 11. The size of the convergent end of the aperature 11 is such that, as shown in Figure 2, the edge of the piece of foil 9 is gripped between the plates 6 and 10, leaving exposed in the opening 11 a strip of the foil around the slit 8. As suggested by the arrow 12 in Figure 2, the foil is then welded to the face of the nozzle plate 6 by means of a laser which produces a spot weld having a diameter of the order of a few tenths of a millimeter. The laser beam is advanced around the slit 8 so that successive spot welds overlap one ano'ther to form a curved weld line 13 as shown in Figures 3 and 5. The clamping plate 10 is then removed and a row of nozzles 14 are then formed by conventional means through the foil in alignment with the slit 8.
Claims
1. A method of forming an array of ink jet printing nozzles, the method comprising clamping a - metal foil (9) to a surface of a metal nozzle plate (6) which will, in use, close an ink cavity, the foil covering an aperture (8) in the nozzle plate and the clamping leaving free a strip of foil immediately around the aperture; welding the foil to the nozzle 0 plate around the strip by impinging on the area to be welded a high energy beam (12) of photons or electrons from a laser or electron beam gun; and subsequently forming an array of nozzles (14) through the foil in alignment with the aperture. 5
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the metal of the foil (9) and of the nozzle plate (6) are the same.
0 3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the beam is pulsed - at a frequency in the range of 0.1 to 10Hz, producing pulses with energy in the range of 1.6 to 2.6 Joules.
5
0
5
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8824283.9 | 1988-10-17 | ||
| GB888824283A GB8824283D0 (en) | 1988-10-17 | 1988-10-17 | Method for forming ink jet printer nozzle arrays |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| WO1990004519A1 true WO1990004519A1 (en) | 1990-05-03 |
Family
ID=10645314
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/GB1989/001232 WO1990004519A1 (en) | 1988-10-17 | 1989-10-17 | Method for forming ink jet printer nozzle arrays |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB8824283D0 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1990004519A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5352716A (en) * | 1992-12-16 | 1994-10-04 | Ecostar International, L.P. | Degradable synthetic polymeric compounds |
| EP1179614A3 (en) * | 2000-08-01 | 2003-01-02 | Hewlett-Packard Company | Mandrel for electroforming orifice plates |
Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS5651364A (en) * | 1979-09-29 | 1981-05-08 | Ricoh Co Ltd | Multi-nozzle plate in ink injection device |
| JPS5987164A (en) * | 1982-11-11 | 1984-05-19 | Ricoh Co Ltd | Ink jet head |
| JPS5987165A (en) * | 1982-11-11 | 1984-05-19 | Ricoh Co Ltd | Ink jet head |
| JPS6132761A (en) * | 1984-07-25 | 1986-02-15 | Nec Corp | Jet head |
-
1988
- 1988-10-17 GB GB888824283A patent/GB8824283D0/en active Pending
-
1989
- 1989-10-17 WO PCT/GB1989/001232 patent/WO1990004519A1/en unknown
Patent Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS5651364A (en) * | 1979-09-29 | 1981-05-08 | Ricoh Co Ltd | Multi-nozzle plate in ink injection device |
| JPS5987164A (en) * | 1982-11-11 | 1984-05-19 | Ricoh Co Ltd | Ink jet head |
| JPS5987165A (en) * | 1982-11-11 | 1984-05-19 | Ricoh Co Ltd | Ink jet head |
| JPS6132761A (en) * | 1984-07-25 | 1986-02-15 | Nec Corp | Jet head |
Non-Patent Citations (5)
| Title |
|---|
| NHK Laboratories Note. No. 307, 01 October 1984, Tokyo JP pages 1 - 9; MIYATA, YUKISHI et al: "Laser Machining and Some Applications" see the whole document * |
| PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN Vol. 10, No. 189 (M-494) (2245) 03 July 1986, & JP-A-61 032761 (Isao Kagatani) 15 February 1986, see the whole document * |
| PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN Vol. 5, No. 108 (M-78) (780) 14 July 1981, & JP-A-56 051364 (Haruhiko Nagayama) 08 May 1981, see the whole document * |
| PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN Vol. 8, No. 197 (M-324) (1634) 11 September 1984, & JP-A-59 087164 (Osamu Naruse) 19 May 1984, see the whole document * |
| PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN Vol. 8, No. 197 (M-324) (1634) 11 September 1984, & JP-A-59 087165 (Tamio Oohori) 19 May 1984, see the whole document * |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5352716A (en) * | 1992-12-16 | 1994-10-04 | Ecostar International, L.P. | Degradable synthetic polymeric compounds |
| EP1179614A3 (en) * | 2000-08-01 | 2003-01-02 | Hewlett-Packard Company | Mandrel for electroforming orifice plates |
| US6586112B1 (en) | 2000-08-01 | 2003-07-01 | Hewlett-Packard Company | Mandrel and orifice plates electroformed using the same |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB8824283D0 (en) | 1988-11-23 |
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