WO2000030858A1 - Procede d'impression directe avec fonction de commande amelioree - Google Patents

Procede d'impression directe avec fonction de commande amelioree Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2000030858A1
WO2000030858A1 PCT/SE1998/002142 SE9802142W WO0030858A1 WO 2000030858 A1 WO2000030858 A1 WO 2000030858A1 SE 9802142 W SE9802142 W SE 9802142W WO 0030858 A1 WO0030858 A1 WO 0030858A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
printhead structure
apertures
conducting layer
forming
layer
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/SE1998/002142
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Bengt Bern
Anders Ingelhag
Karin Bergman
Original Assignee
Array Ab (Publ)
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Array Ab (Publ) filed Critical Array Ab (Publ)
Priority to AU20795/99A priority Critical patent/AU2079599A/en
Priority to PCT/SE1998/002142 priority patent/WO2000030858A1/fr
Publication of WO2000030858A1 publication Critical patent/WO2000030858A1/fr

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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
    • B41J2/385—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective supply of electric current or selective application of magnetism to a printing or impression-transfer material
    • B41J2/41—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective supply of electric current or selective application of magnetism to a printing or impression-transfer material for electrostatic printing
    • B41J2/415—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective supply of electric current or selective application of magnetism to a printing or impression-transfer material for electrostatic printing by passing charged particles through a hole or a slit
    • B41J2/4155—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective supply of electric current or selective application of magnetism to a printing or impression-transfer material for electrostatic printing by passing charged particles through a hole or a slit for direct electrostatic printing [DEP]

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the field of direct electrostatic printing, preferably performed in consecutive print cycles, where an apertured printhead structure is brought into cooperation with a toner particle source to modulate a stream of toner particles from the particle source through the apertured printhead structure.
  • the invention further relates to an apertured printhead structure.
  • DEP direct electrostatic printing
  • This form of printing differs from the above mentioned xerographic form in that toner is deposited in image configuration directly onto an image receiving medium.
  • the novel feature of DEP printing is to allow simultaneous field imaging and toner transport. Thus, a visible image is produced on an image- receiving medium directly from computer generated signals, without the need for those signals to be intermediately converted to another form of energy such as light energy, as is required in electrophotographic printing.
  • One intermittent phenomenon possibly associated with this printing device and printing technique is the occurrence on the printed surface of lighter stripes substantially in the direction of travel of the image-receiving medium. When present, these stripes substantially degrade the appearance of the printed image. The stripes are usually most pronounced when printing more solid black areas, but may be visible in all types of printouts, also less densely printed areas.
  • the present invention is advantageously applied to a direct electrostatic printing method, in which a stream of computer generated signals, defining an image information, is converted to a pattern of electrostatic fields on control electrodes arranged on a printhead structure.
  • the pattern selectively permits or restricts the transport of charged toner particles through the printhead structure, e.g. from a particle source toward a back electrode, and controls the deposition of the charged toner particles in an image configuration onto an image-receiving medium.
  • a main object of the invention is thus to provide an improved method for manufacturing a device for direct printing.
  • This objective is accomplished with a method for producing a printhead structure comprising laser forming the apertures and the control electrodes.
  • Laser forming allows considerably better tolerances and a smaller conductive pattern width on the printhead structure, compared to known methods of forming the electrode pattern and the aperture holes.
  • the control electrodes may be preformed using conventional etching techniques, but will get their final shape as a result of the laser working operation.
  • the printhead structure preferably forms a part of an image- recording device for recording an image on an image-receiving medium.
  • the image-recording device further comprises a toner particle source, a voltage source, and a back electrode.
  • the toner particle source provides electrically charged toner particles.
  • the printhead structure is intended to be arranged between the toner particle source and the image-receiving medium.
  • the image-receiving medium is intended to be arranged between the back electrode and the printhead structure.
  • the voltage source is connected to the toner particle source and the back electrode to create an electrical field for transporting toner particles from the toner particle source toward the image-receiving medium.
  • the printhead structure further comprises a first surface facing the toner particle source, a second surface facing the image-receiving medium, and control electrodes.
  • a plurality of apertures is arranged through the printhead structure from the first surface to the second surface.
  • the control electrodes enable a selective electrostatic opening or closing of the plurality of apertures. The transport of toner particles is thus permitted or restricted to regulate the amount of toner particles transported through the plurality of apertures in order to thereby enable the formation of a toner particle image on the image-receiving medium.
  • the method further advantageously comprises the following steps. Covering at least one of the first surface or the second surface with a first conducting layer. Etching a connecting lead pattern on the first conducting layer, thus forming an outline for the control electrodes. Performing the forming of the apertures in the printhead structure, and performing the forming of the control electrodes by removing selected areas of the first conductive layer. In this way, the conventional technique of wet etching is combined with the more precise technique of laser forming.
  • the method further comprises the following steps. Covering at least one of the first surface or the second surface with a first conducting layer. Etching a circuit pattern on the first conducting layer, thus forming feed lines for the control electrodes. Applying a second conducting layer onto areas of the first conducting layer, which areas are to constitute the control electrodes. The second conducting material layer should partly overlap the etched circuit pattern. Performing the forming of the apertures in the printhead structure, thereby also cutting through the second conducting layer where it covers the apertures. Performing the forming of the control electrodes by removing selected areas of the second conductive layer. Using this method, the actual electrode area of the printhead structure may be made of a relatively thin conducting layer, which is easier to laser form thus resulting in even better tolerances.
  • the second layer of conducting material is advantageously applied using a thin film technique to achieve the required thin conductive layer.
  • the first conducting layer is advantageously a layer of metal, preferably copper or aluminium.
  • the second conducting layer is advantageously a layer of metal, such as copper or aluminium, or a layer of semiconducting material .
  • the method may further advantageously comprise the step of applying a layer of an electrically insulating material to the first conductive layer after the step of forming the control electrodes.
  • a layer of an electrically insulating material to the first conductive layer after the step of forming the control electrodes.
  • the electrically insulating material layer is advantageously a layer of Parylene (TM) .
  • the step of forming the apertures is advantageously performed so that the resulting apertures have an oblong shape with a major axis and a minor axis.
  • the major axis is preferably substantially parallel to a travelling direction of the image-receiving medium.
  • the oblong shape of the apertures enables an even further close packing of apertures per length unit of each row of the printhead structure, thus increasing the print resolution of the printing device, whilst the problem of lighter lines mentioned earlier is mitigated by the apertures being relatively more narrow.
  • the orientation of the apertures optimises the print control and printing result .
  • a further objective of the invention is to still further increase the print resolution.
  • a method further comprising the step of etching a circuit pattern on a third conductive layer covering at least one of the first surface and the second surface.
  • the circuit pattern will constitute deflection electrodes for controlling the amount of deflection of the toner particles in a direction substantially perpendicular to the travelling direction of the image-receiving medium.
  • Another objective of the invention is to provide an improved device for direct printing as well as an improved printhead structure for direct printing devices. This is achieved as a result of using the methods according to the invention.
  • Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of an image recording device according to the invention
  • Fig. 2 is an elevational side view of a pair of apertures in a printhead structure according to the invention
  • Fig. 3 is a schematic top view of a pair of aperture rows in a printhead structure according to the invention
  • Fig. 4 is a schematic side view of a printhead structure and its geometrical relationship to the toner particle source, according to the invention
  • Fig. 5a is a schematic top view of a first aperture shape according to the invention.
  • Fig. 5b is a schematic top view of a second aperture shape according to the invention.
  • Fig. 5c is a schematic top view of a third aperture shape according to the invention.
  • Fig. 6 is a schematic elevational side view of an aperture according to the invention.
  • Fig. 7 is a schematic bottom view of the aperture in Fig. Fig. 8 is a schematic top view of a pair of apertures with the associated control electrode circuits and the required pattern geometry thereof,
  • Figs. 9a to 9d are schematic top views of a method of manufacturing apertures and control electrodes on a printhead structure, according to the invention.
  • Figs. 10a to lOf are schematic top views of another embodiment of a method of manufacturing apertures and control electrodes on a printhead structure, according to the invention.
  • Fig. 11 is a flow diagram showing a method of manufacturing apertures and control electrodes on a printhead structure, according to the invention, as described in Figs. 9a to 9d,
  • Fig. 12 is a flow diagram showing a method of manufacturing apertures and control electrodes on a printhead structure, according to the invention, as described in Figs. 10a to lOf,
  • Fig. 13 is a flow diagram showing a method of laser working a printhead structure, according to the invention.
  • Fig. 14 is a schematic top view of a method of manufacturing deflection electrodes on a printhead structure, according to the invention.
  • an image-recording device 100 for recording an image on an image receiving medium 200 comprises a toner particle source 110, for providing electrically charged toner particles, a voltage source 120, a printhead structure 130, and a back electrode 140.
  • the printhead structure 130 is arranged between the toner particle source 110 and the image-receiving medium 200.
  • the image-receiving medium 200 is arranged between the back electrode 140 and the printhead structure 130.
  • the image- receiving medium 200 may be a belt, a paper or a drum, depending upon the technique used to transfer the toner particle image.
  • the voltage source 120 is connected to the toner particle source 110 and the back electrode 140 to create an electrical field for transporting toner particles from the toner particle source toward the image-receiving medium.
  • the image-recording device 100 further typically comprises a housing (not shown) for protecting the device, control means (not shown) for regulating the printing process and an image-receiving medium feeding mechanism (not shown) for displacing the image-receiving medium 200 relative to the printhead structure 130.
  • the voltage source 120 is further connected to the printhead structure 130 to supply control voltages, which will be described in detail later.
  • a uniform electric field is produced between the back electrode 140 and the toner particle source 110, e.g. a developer sleeve coated with charged toner particles, thus attracting the toner particles toward the back electrode.
  • the printhead structure 130 is interposed in the electric field and utilised to produce a pattern of electrostatic fields.
  • a printhead structure 130 for use in direct electrostatic printing devices may take on many designs, for example a lattice of intersecting wires arranged in rows and columns, or a screen-shaped and apertured printed circuit.
  • the matrix is formed of a thin, flexible carrier of electrically insulating material, such as polyimid, provided with a plurality of apertures and overlaid with a printed circuit of control electrodes arranged adjacent the apertures, so that each aperture is surrounded by an individually addressable control electrode.
  • the apertures are generally aligned in several parallel rows where each row is displaced sideways compared to the adjacent rows. Each aperture thus corresponds to a specific addressable area of the print receiving medium, seen in a direction perpendicular to the travelling direction of the image-receiving medium.
  • the printhead structure 130 comprises a flexible carrier 400, a first surface 131 facing the toner particle source and a second surface 132 facing the image- receiving medium.
  • the printhead structure 130 further comprises a plurality of control electrodes 133 and a plurality of first apertures 134.
  • the first apertures 134 are arranged through the printhead structure, from the first surface 131 to the second surface 132.
  • the control electrodes 133 are used to selectively open or close each individual first aperture 134, to thus permit or restrict the transport of toner particles through the aperture.
  • the amount of toner particles transported through the plurality of first apertures 134 is controlled in order to thereby enable the formation of a toner particle image on the image receiving medium 200.
  • the particle stream is thus modulated by the voltage source, which applies an electric potential to selected individual control electrodes to create electrostatic fields, which thus either permit or restrict the toner particle transport through the apertures of the printhead structure.
  • the modulated stream of toner particles allowed to pass through the opened passages impinges upon the image receiving medium, such as paper, interposed between the printhead structure and the back electrode, to provide line- by-line scan printing to form a visible image.
  • the first apertures 134 may be arranged in one or more substantially straight rows across the printhead structure 130.
  • Each row has a longitudinal axis 137, which is substantially perpendicular to the travelling direction of the image-receiving medium.
  • the rows are furthermore substantially parallel to each other.
  • the first apertures 134 are advantageously arranged in one single substantially straight row (as shown in Fig. 2) for applications requiring a normal print resolution. This simplifies the adjustment of the printhead structure 130 visa-vis the toner particle source.
  • the first apertures 134 may be arranged in two, or more, substantially straight rows, as shown in Fig. 3.
  • a multiple row printhead structure is shown in Fig. 4.
  • the printhead structure has a first row 1 of apertures and a second row 2 of apertures.
  • the distance from the first row 1 to the toner particle source 110 is designated l K ⁇
  • the distance from the second row 2 to the toner particle source 110 is designated l ⁇ .
  • the distances l ⁇ ⁇ and l ⁇ 2 are between 30 and 50 ⁇ m.
  • the toner particle source has a radius R, which is large compared to the distances l ⁇ ⁇ and 1 K2 . According to the invention, because the oblong shape of the apertures enables them to be spaced closer together, a fewer number of aperture rows is needed to achieve a certain print resolution, compared to other printhead structures .
  • a consideration associated with printhead structures having multiple transverse rows of apertures is thus that the distance, known as l ⁇ , between each row of apertures and the surface of the toner supply, usually a rotating toner drum, should be substantially equal for each row of apertures. If the distance l ⁇ differs enough from row to row in the printhead, the effect is possible non-uniform printing and increased difficulty in regulating the printing.
  • the positioning of the, by comparison, large printhead structure relative to the toner supply becomes increasingly difficult when a printhead structure having more than two rows of apertures is used. It is thus advantageous to use a printhead structure having as few rows of apertures as possible.
  • the control electrode for each aperture is disposed around the aperture and encompasses an area greater than the aperture.
  • the control electrode has a release area, defined as the area in which toner is drawn from the toner carrier. Because the control electrode is disposed around the aperture, the release area is larger than the aperture area.
  • toner particle source toner particle source
  • This phenomenon can be referred to as "toner starvation”, and causes a degradation in the print uniformity because the printed dot image density will be dependent on which row of apertures is actually printing the individual dots.
  • the result of toner starvation is seen on the printed surface as lighter stripes substantially in the direction of travel of the image-receiving medium.
  • a minimum aperture 138 hole diameter 520 of approximately 100 ⁇ m can be safely drilled or laser cut and not cause toner clogging when used, i.e. toner particles staying in and obstructing the aperture opening.
  • Mass- produced etched circuit boards are limited to 30/30 dimensions, i.e. 30 ⁇ m of conductor pattern width 500 and 30 ⁇ m of space 530 between the conductor patterns.
  • the aperture 138 also requires an insulation area 510 between itself and any conductor (control electrode 133) to prevent spark-over therebetween or spark-over to the toner carrier.
  • the resulting pattern of an aperture 138 surrounded by a control electrode 133 will thus have the following typical minimum width dimensions: 30 ⁇ m of space 530 between conductors added to 30 ⁇ m of conductor pattern width 500 (control electrode 133) together with 15 ⁇ m of insulation area 510. Furthermore, 100 ⁇ m of aperture width 520 and a second 15 ⁇ m of insulation area 510 together with 30 ⁇ m of a further conductor pattern width 500, which adds up to 220 ⁇ m of total transverse space required on the carrier, per aperture 138.
  • the release areas of the apertures on the toner particle source will have to be limited in the transverse direction to the travel direction of the image-receiving medium. Simultaneously, the aperture dimension in the transverse direction has to be kept sufficiently large not to cause clogging of the aperture with toner particles.
  • the first apertures 134 advantageously have an oblong shape with a major axis 135 and a minor axis 136, as is shown in Fig. 2.
  • the major axis is advantageously substantially parallel to the travelling direction of the image-receiving medium.
  • the apertures 134, 134', 134" may have different cross- sectional shapes, as is shown in Figs. 5a to 5c, as long as the general shape is oblong.
  • the general shape of the control electrodes 133, 133', 133" corresponds to the shape of the apertures 134, 134', 134".
  • the first aperture 134 of a substantially oval shape may be employed (shown in Fig. 5a) .
  • a second aperture 134' of a substantially rectangular shape shown in Fig. 5b
  • a third aperture 134" of a substantially egg shaped cross-section shown in Fig. 5c), with the narrow end advantageously pointing in the travelling direction of the image receiving medium.
  • the printhead structure may further comprise deflection electrodes 150, connected to the voltage source.
  • the deflection electrodes 150 are used to control the amount of deflection of the toner particles, in a direction at an angle to the travelling direction of the image-receiving medium.
  • the actual angle value depends on the speed of the image-receiving medium, the dot printing speed and how many deflection dots that are to be printed when printing non-symmetrical print resolutions.
  • the angle will only vary depending on the number of dots that are to be printed.
  • the angle is between 5 and 85 degrees, preferably between 10 and 25 degrees and most preferably around 18 degrees .
  • the above described method of increasing the resolution capacity of a direct electrostatic printing printhead structure so called dot deflection control, consists of performing several development steps during each print cycle to increase print resolution.
  • a print cycle is, in this context, the printing of one row of dots on the image- receiving medium.
  • the symmetry of the electrostatic field is modified in a specific direction, thereby influencing the transport trajectories of toner particles toward the image-receiving medium. This allows several dots to be printed through each single aperture during the same print cycle, each deflection direction corresponding to a new dot location.
  • the electrostatic field is modified using dot deflection electrodes arranged on the carrier.
  • One limitation to lower the number of rows used is connected to the size of the apertures and electrode patterns of the printhead structure.
  • the manufacturing processes set these limitations to the aperture and electrode pattern dimensions.
  • certain minimum dimensions are required for the aperture dimensions and the electrode pattern width and its associated insulation space widths.
  • the traditional method of producing the above described printhead structures involves masking and etching a circuit board blank to form the electrode pattern. Thereafter, the apertures are drilled.
  • This technique has several limitations. One is the fineness of the pattern, which can be achieved, and another is the precision with which the pattern and the apertures may be formed. The finer the pattern required, the higher the precision will have to be, when placing the masks and when forming the apertures, in order to avoid mismatching the pattern and the aperture holes. Any mismatch would result in rejection of the part and thereby decreased yield of the production process.
  • the different steps of a method of manufacturing a printhead structure according to the invention are shown in Figs. 9a to 9d and Fig. 11.
  • the initial material used may be any standard flexible printed circuit board material (PCB) , such as a polyimid board.
  • a first board 170 is covered with a first conducting layer 310, for example a copper layer, either on one side or on both sides of the board.
  • Fig. 9a shows a part of the first board 170 after a first etching operation, wherein the first conducting layer 310 is etched to form connecting lead patterns 300.
  • Fig. 9b a part of the first board 170 is shown after the apertures 134 have been formed, using laser cutting, milling, drilling or a similar technique.
  • the final shaping of the control electrodes 133 is performed by laser cutting passages 320 in the first conducting layer between the apertures 134.
  • the laser is used for vaporising the unwanted substance of the printhead structure, either the conducting layer (forming electrodes) or the carrier itself (forming apertures) .
  • the same laser may be used for both operations, for example using different size masks for the opening of the laser.
  • two different lasers may be employed, each optimised for its particular operation, but this is more expensive than using one laser.
  • the fluence and wavelength of the laser light is advantageously optimised for any material that is to be vaporised.
  • the thermal load of the laser may be regulated depending upon the wanted precision of the cutting operation. If an excimer laser is used, the light will be pulsed, i.e. switched on-off-on-off and so on, to reach the desired thermal load.
  • a mask having a plurality of openings is advantageously used to work on several areas of the printhead structure simultaneously. Also, as shown in Fig. 13, several different masks having holes with different pitch are advantageously used to compensate for variations between individual printhead structures having pre-processed patterns, for example pre-formed outlines for control electrodes or deflection electrodes. Thus, a test is performed on the printhead structure before laser working, as to the actual distance between different pattern objects. A suitable mask is then selected which will shorten the actual time needed to perform the laser working operation.
  • Using a laser to cut apertures and electrode patterns has the advantage that smaller width cuts may be performed, compared to conventional etching techniques.
  • the minimum conducting pattern that can be achieved is around 15 ⁇ m, and the minimum non-conductive space that can be etched is around 25-30 ⁇ m.
  • a laser can cut patterns 10 ⁇ m in width.
  • Conventional drilling limits the aperture diameter to around 100 ⁇ m, a smaller diameter hole would cause clogging of the toner particles.
  • a laser can cut a hole with a cross-section dimension of approximately 60 ⁇ m, but with a maintained cross-sectional area, thus avoiding toner particle clogging in the aperture.
  • a very efficient insulating material may be applied onto the printhead structure.
  • a material having a high electrical breakdown voltage is required, such as ParyleneTM (having a breakdown strength of approximately 2.5 kV/5 ⁇ m) .
  • ParyleneTM having a breakdown strength of approximately 2.5 kV/5 ⁇ m
  • a very thin insulating layer 190 of this material is advantageously applied over the entire first board 170 or only over a printing area P as insulation for the electrodes, typically a layer approximately 5-7 ⁇ m thick.
  • ParyleneTM may advantageously be applied using a known atomary vacuum deposition method. In this way, the distance between the aperture and the electrodes can be minimised.
  • the distance between neighbouring electrodes may be 10 ⁇ m without the risk of electrical breakdown.
  • Such small structures are possible to accomplish using laser removal techniques.
  • a laser is used to create a surface pattern with very high precision.
  • the insulating layer is advantageously applied after the apertures 134, 134', 134" have been formed, making it possible to have the apertures the same size as the inside dimension of the electrode. This further decreases the circuit pattern width requirements for an aperture and its associated electrode (compare Fig. 8) . All the critical manufacturing processes are thus handled by laser machining, which results in a product having a closer aperture packing without increased errors during manufacturing and thus higher yield compared to traditional manufacturing processes.
  • the method further advantageously comprises the step of etching a circuit pattern on a third conductive layer (350) covering at least one of the first surface (131) and the second surface (132) .
  • the circuit pattern constitutes deflection electrodes (150) for controlling the amount of deflection of the toner particles in a direction at an angle to the travelling direction (A) of the image receiving medium (200) .
  • Figs. 10a to lOf and Fig. 12 Another method of manufacturing a printhead structure according to the invention is shown in Figs. 10a to lOf and Fig. 12.
  • the initial material used may be any flexible printed circuit board material (PCB) as described in connection with Figs. 9a to 9d.
  • Fig. 10a shows a part of such a second board 180 with a first conductive layer 310.
  • Fig. 10b shows a part of the second board 180 after a first etching operation, wherein the first conducting layer 310 (as described in connection with Figs. 9a to 9d) is etched to form separate connecting leads 330 surrounding a printing area on the board.
  • the printing area is designated P.
  • Fig. 10a shows a part of such a second board 180 with a first conductive layer 310.
  • Fig. 10b shows a part of the second board 180 after a first etching operation, wherein the first conducting layer 310 (as described in connection
  • a part of the second board 180 is shown after a second conducting layer 340 has been applied on the printing area P of the board.
  • the second conducting layer 340 may be applied using plasma vapour deposition (PVD, for example sputtering or evaporation) , chemical vapour deposition (CVD) , plasmaspraying, electrodeposition, chemical deposition or other techniques which result in the formation of a relatively thin conducting layer on the board.
  • PVD plasma vapour deposition
  • CVD chemical vapour deposition
  • plasmaspraying electrodeposition
  • electrodeposition chemical deposition or other techniques which result in the formation of a relatively thin conducting layer on the board.
  • the second conducting layer has a thickness of 0.1 to 0.3 ⁇ m.
  • Advantageous materials to use for forming the second conducting layer are metals, such as copper or aluminium, or a semi-conducting material.
  • the apertures 134 are formed, using laser cutting, drilling or a similar technique. After the apertures are formed, the final shaping of the control electrodes 133 is performed by laser cutting passages 320 in the second conducting layer 340 between the apertures 134, as shown in Fig. lOe.
  • a thin insulating layer 190 is advantageously applied over the entire second board or only over the printing area P, as shown in Fig. lOf in analogy with Fig. 9d.
  • a normal, simple and cheap etch process is used to form all the electrode parts outside the print zone of the printhead structure.
  • the first metal layer is left unetched or it is etched away and a second metal layer is applied, for example a thin layer of aluminium is sputtered onto the print zone.
  • the apertures are then preferably made with laser cutting techniques and the electrodes separated by removing the metal layer between them, by using laser cutting.
  • the connecting leads 330 are shown as double conductors from each aperture 134, but may be designed as only one conductor per aperture. The single conductor may then exit either all conductors towards the same direction on the printhead structure or every other conductor to alternating sides of the printhead structure.
  • the advantages of the invention are thus cheaper manufacture of the printhead structure because a cheaper traditional etching technique may be used for forming non-critical electrode patterns together with laser working for the high precision machining.
  • the yield is increased substantially compared to using only traditional higher precision etching technique, which in any case would not give the same high precision end result.
  • An elimination or radically reduced striping of the print is obtained due to minimised toner starvation.
  • the demands on the alignment of the printhead structure vis-a-vis the toner particle source are reduced when using a printhead structure having a single row of apertures or, possibly, two rows of apertures. This makes it possible to employ a simpler mechanical attachment of the printhead structure in the image-recording device.

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Abstract

La présente invention concerne un procédé de fabrication d'une structure (130) de tête d'imprimante faisant partie d'un dispositif d'enregistrement d'image (100) pour l'enregistrement d'une image sur un support récepteur d'image (200). Cette structure de tête d'imprimante comprend une première surface (131), une seconde surface (132) en face du support récepteur d'image et des électrodes de commande (133). Le procédé englobe les opérations suivantes: application sur au moins la première surface (131) ou au moins sur la seconde surface (132) d'une première couche conductrice (310); gravure sur cette première couche conductrice d'un motif de circuit (160) constituant les lignes d'alimentation des électrodes de commande (133); application d'une seconde couche conductrice (340) sur certaines parties de la première couche, parties qui formeront les électrodes de commande, de telle sorte que la seconde couche de matériau conducteur recouvre partiellement le motif gravé de circuit; réalisation d'ouvertures (134) dans la structure de tête d'imprimante (130), en coupant également dans la seconde couche là où elle recouvre l'emplacement des ouvertures; et enfin, formation des électrodes par retrait sélectif de certaines zones de la seconde couche conductrice.
PCT/SE1998/002142 1998-11-26 1998-11-26 Procede d'impression directe avec fonction de commande amelioree WO2000030858A1 (fr)

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Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU20795/99A AU2079599A (en) 1998-11-26 1998-11-26 Direct printing method with improved control function
PCT/SE1998/002142 WO2000030858A1 (fr) 1998-11-26 1998-11-26 Procede d'impression directe avec fonction de commande amelioree

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PCT/SE1998/002142 WO2000030858A1 (fr) 1998-11-26 1998-11-26 Procede d'impression directe avec fonction de commande amelioree

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Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2002049850A1 (fr) * 2000-12-21 2002-06-27 Array Ab Appareil et procede d'impression directe
WO2002049849A1 (fr) * 2000-12-21 2002-06-27 Array Ab Appareil et procede d'impression directe

Citations (2)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5256246A (en) * 1990-03-05 1993-10-26 Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Method for manufacturing aperture electrode for controlling toner supply operation
US5477251A (en) * 1993-09-28 1995-12-19 Mita Industrial Co, Ltd. Method of forming developer through-holes in a print head

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US5256246A (en) * 1990-03-05 1993-10-26 Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Method for manufacturing aperture electrode for controlling toner supply operation
US5477251A (en) * 1993-09-28 1995-12-19 Mita Industrial Co, Ltd. Method of forming developer through-holes in a print head

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2002049850A1 (fr) * 2000-12-21 2002-06-27 Array Ab Appareil et procede d'impression directe
WO2002049849A1 (fr) * 2000-12-21 2002-06-27 Array Ab Appareil et procede d'impression directe

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