JP2001171124A - Liquid jet recording head and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a liquid jet recording head capable of improving the print quality by suppressing the generation of droplet satellites, and a method of manufacturing the same. SOLUTION: A resin molded product 10A of a top plate constituting a liquid jet recording head is cut with a cutter 1 on a liquid flow channel groove forming surface 13 and a reference abutting surface 14, and with a cutter 2 on the surface of an ejection port of an orifice plate 12. Then, the orifice plate 12 is uniformly formed with high precision by eliminating the warpage caused by resin molding. At the time of this cutting, the discharge port surface 15 is formed by the inclined cutting surface of the cutter 2 so as to be inclined by the same angle α as the incident angle α of the laser beam L for laser processing the discharge port 17 later. 17 is formed perpendicular to the liquid discharge axis direction. Accordingly, since there is no angle difference between the edges of the ejection port, the main droplet of the droplet ejected from the ejection port and the satellite fly in the same direction, and the print quality can be improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a liquid jet recording head for performing recording by discharging droplets of a recording liquid or the like from a discharge port and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A liquid ejecting recording head used in a liquid ejecting recording apparatus or the like has a fine ejection port (orifice) for ejecting a recording liquid such as ink, a liquid passage communicating with the ejection port, and a liquid passage inside the liquid passage. A plurality of ejection energy generating elements positioned at the same position, applying a drive signal corresponding to recording information to the ejection energy generating element, and applying ejection energy to a recording liquid in a liquid flow path corresponding to the ejection energy generating element. Thus, the recording liquid is ejected from the ejection port as droplets to perform print recording, and a piezoelectric element, an electrothermal conversion element, or the like is used as an ejection energy generating element. When an electrothermal transducer is used as the ejection energy generating element, the electrothermal transducer generates heat when a drive signal corresponding to recording information is applied, heats the recording liquid in the liquid flow path, and causes film boiling. The recording liquid in the liquid flow path is ejected as droplets from the ejection port by the energy of the foaming.

A liquid jet recording head of this type has a substrate on which a plurality of ejection energy generating elements (for example, electrothermal conversion elements) are arranged at a predetermined interval with high precision and high density by an ultraprecision etching technique. (Heater board) and a plurality of fine discharge ports for discharging the recording liquid, and a plurality of liquid passage grooves respectively communicating with the respective discharge ports, and a grooved top plate formed by processing with precision processing means such as laser processing. The substrate is fabricated by combining and joining the substrate and the grooved top plate in a state where the ejection energy generating element and the liquid flow channel and the ejection port are accurately aligned.

In a liquid jet recording head, in order to improve the printing speed of a recording apparatus, it is desired to use a multi-nozzle by elongating the recording head. In order to cope with such an increase in length, a plurality of substrates on which a plurality of ejection energy generating elements are formed by the ultraprecision etching technique as described above are arranged in parallel on a base plate, and a plurality of ejection ports or a plurality of There has been proposed a long liquid jet recording head manufactured by joining a long grooved top plate having a liquid flow channel groove.

In the long liquid-jet recording head, it is difficult to directly form a thin orifice plate (ejection port forming member) over the entire area of the long grooved top plate by molding. Also, there is a problem that warpage occurs due to the influence of shrinkage during molding.
For this reason, by forming a molded product in which the orifice plate is formed with a thickened portion in advance and cutting the molded product with a cutting tool such as a rotary cutting tool (cutter),
An orifice plate that is uniform and has no warpage is formed by cutting and removing the portion where the meat is piled up. The cutting process for forming such a uniform and warp-free office plate is performed by a substrate abutting surface which abuts against a discharge port surface of the orifice plate and a substrate on the back side thereof, and a liquid forming a liquid flow channel. The orifice plate having a uniform thickness is formed by simultaneously cutting the flow channel forming surface.

An example of such a conventional method of manufacturing a top plate will be described with reference to FIG. 7. First, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the common liquid chamber 111 and the recording liquid receiving port 118 are provided in advance by resin molding such as injection molding, but the liquid channel groove (116) and the discharge port (117) are not formed. A top plate molded product 110A having a portion that is built up at a portion corresponding to the orifice plate 112 is manufactured. 7A and 7B, the hatched areas 121 and 122 of the top molded product 110A.
Is a portion to be cut by the cutting process. For the cutting of the cutting areas 121 and 122, a cutting tool as shown in FIG. 7B is used. That is,
Two disk-shaped rotary cutting tools (hereinafter, simply referred to as cutters) 101 and 102 attached to a spindle shaft 104 via a spacer 103 are used.
01 is a substrate abutting surface 1 for abutting against the substrate 30
14 (see FIG. 3C) and a liquid passage groove forming surface 113 (see FIG. 3C) in which a liquid passage groove (116) is to be formed later. The orifice plate 112 is provided so as to cut the discharge port surface 115 (see FIG. 3C), and the discharge port surface 115 of the orifice plate 112, the substrate abutment surface 114, and the liquid flow channel forming surface. 113 is two cutters 1
01 and 102 are simultaneously cut. At this time,
The discharge port surface 115 of the orifice plate 112 is formed perpendicular to the liquid channel groove forming surface 113, and the length of the liquid channel groove forming surface 113 in the liquid discharging direction is determined by the cutter 10.
1 is determined by the shape of the tip.

Discharge port surface 1 of orifice plate 112
15 and substrate contact surface 114 and liquid flow channel forming surface 11
After cutting No. 3, as shown in FIG. 7 (c),
The liquid channel groove 116 is formed on the liquid channel groove forming surface 113 by, for example, laser processing by irradiating a laser beam, and then the laser light L is irradiated to the orifice plate 112 from the rear end side of the liquid channel groove 116. The hole 11
7 are formed.

[0008]

However, the conventional 12
In a narrow liquid jet recording head such as 8 nozzles,
The orifice plate is formed by integral molding with other members of the top plate, and the discharge port surface of the orifice plate is pre-inclined. Is set to correspond to the angle of incidence of the light (ie, the perforation angle),
The laser-processed discharge port is configured to be substantially perpendicular to the liquid discharge axis direction.

However, in the long top plate manufactured as described above, it is difficult to directly form a thin orifice plate over the entire length of the long top plate by molding, and is affected by shrinkage during molding. Since there is a problem that warpage occurs, as shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C, a top plate molded product 110A having a shape in which the orifice plate 112 is formed with a thick wall in advance is manufactured. The orifice plate 112 which is uniform and has no warpage is formed by cutting the top molded product 110A with the cutters 101 and 102. Discharge port surface 1 of orifice plate 112 formed by such a cutting process
15 is perpendicular to the liquid passage groove forming surface 113 because it is formed by cutting at the same time as the liquid passage groove forming surface 113, and the laser 15 is used when forming the discharge port 117 by laser processing. Incident angle of light L (that is, hole opening angle) α
Is not set so as to correspond to the above, and is not perpendicular to the liquid discharge axis direction of the discharge port (orifice). That is, the laser processing of the discharge port 117 is performed by irradiating the orifice plate 112 with the laser beam L from the rear end side of the liquid flow channel 116 after forming the liquid flow channel 116. When the plate 112 is irradiated with the laser beam L vertically, the liquid flow channel 1
As shown in FIG. 7C, the laser beam L is applied to the liquid channel groove forming surface 113 at an incident angle α of about 10 ° in order to scrape the wall 16 and its wall. For this reason, the opening angle of the laser beam L (that is, the direction of the liquid discharge axis of the discharge port) is not perpendicular to the discharge port surface 115 of the orifice plate 112 but is formed at a certain angle.

Therefore, when print recording is performed using a liquid jet recording head incorporating a grooved top plate in which discharge ports are formed in this way, droplets discharged from the discharge ports are
At the moment of leaving the surface of the ejection port, each of the main droplet (main droplet forming an image) and the satellite (droplet smaller than the main droplet ejected after the ejection of the main droplet) due to the angle difference between the edges of the ejection port. Since the ejection angles are different, the jets fly in different directions, and as a result, inconvenience occurs in printing. In particular, when printing is performed at a distance from paper or when reciprocating printing is performed by carriage scanning or the like, satellites are conspicuous and cause printing defects such as uneven density.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned unsolved problems of the prior art, and is directed to a liquid jet recording head capable of improving the print quality by suppressing the generation of satellites of droplets. And a method for producing the same.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention comprises a substrate on which a plurality of discharge energy generating elements for applying discharge energy to a recording liquid are formed corresponding to liquid flow paths. A liquid flow channel forming surface in which a liquid flow channel corresponding to the liquid flow channel is formed, and a discharge port forming member in which a discharge port for discharging a recording liquid is formed in communication with the liquid flow channel. And the liquid flow channel forming surface and the discharge port forming member each have a top plate in which the liquid flow channel and the discharge port are formed by laser beam irradiation, and the substrate and the top plate In the liquid jet recording head in which the liquid flow path is formed by joining the liquid jet head, the discharge port surface of the discharge port forming member on the top plate is formed by cutting, so that the incident angle of the laser beam at the time of processing the discharge port. Inclined to be perpendicular to Characterized in that it is formed Te.

In the liquid jet recording head of the present invention,
The cutting process of the discharge port surface of the discharge port forming member, in a separate step from the processing of the liquid flow channel forming surface where the liquid flow channel is formed,
Alternatively, they can be performed simultaneously.

In the liquid jet recording head of the present invention,
Preferably, a plurality of the substrates are arranged in parallel, and the top plate is a long top plate having a length corresponding to the plurality of substrates.

Further, according to the method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head of the present invention, there are provided a substrate on which a plurality of ejection energy generating elements for applying ejection energy to recording liquid are formed corresponding to the liquid flow path, A liquid flow channel groove forming surface in which a liquid flow channel groove is formed, and a discharge port forming member integrally formed with a discharge port for discharging a recording liquid in communication with the liquid flow channel groove; A liquid jet recording head is formed such that the liquid flow path is formed by bonding a liquid flow path groove and a discharge port to the groove forming surface and the discharge port forming member, respectively, with a top plate processed and formed by irradiation of laser light. In the method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head to be assembled, the liquid passage groove forming surface of the top plate and the discharge port surface of the discharge port forming member are formed by cutting, and the discharge port surface of the discharge port forming member is formed by the cutting process. Vomit Wherein the cutting so as to be perpendicular to the incident angle of the laser beam during processing of the mouth.

In the method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention, a first cutting tool for cutting the liquid flow channel forming surface and a second cutting tool for cutting the discharge port surface of the discharge port forming member are provided. Using, the cutting surface of the second cutting tool is inclined by an angle corresponding to an incident angle of the laser beam at the time of processing the discharge port, and the discharge port surface of the discharge port forming member is cut by the cutting tool. Is preferred.

In the method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention, the first cutting tool cuts a surface of the discharge port forming member that abuts the substrate together with a cutting process of the liquid channel groove forming surface. Processing is preferred.

In the method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention, the first and second cutting tools are respectively attached to separate spindle shafts, and the first cutting tool on the liquid flow channel forming surface is provided. The cutting by the second cutting tool and the cutting by the second cutting tool on the surface of the discharge port of the discharge port forming member can be performed in different steps.
The cutting tool is mounted on the same spindle shaft, and performs cutting by the first cutting tool on the liquid flow channel forming surface and cutting by the second cutting tool on the discharge port surface of the discharge port forming member. Can be done simultaneously.

In the method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention, a first cutting tool for cutting the liquid flow channel forming surface attached to the same spindle shaft and a discharge port surface of the discharge port forming member are cut. A cutting surface of the first cutting tool is inclined outward with respect to an axis of the spindle shaft by an angle corresponding to an incident angle of laser light at the time of processing the discharge port. When cutting the liquid flow channel forming surface of the top plate and the discharge port surface of the discharge port forming member, the top plate is laser-processed with respect to the axis of the spindle shaft. It is preferable that the cutting process is performed at an angle corresponding to the incident angle of light.

[0020]

According to the liquid jet recording head and the method of manufacturing the same of the present invention, the surface of the discharge port of the orifice plate is inclined by cutting so as to be perpendicular to the angle of the hole formed by the irradiation of the discharge port with laser light. When the recording liquid is ejected from the ejection port and printing is performed, no angle difference occurs at the edge of the ejection port, so that the main droplet and the satellite of the droplet ejected from the ejection port are formed. It can be made to fly in the same direction, and the print quality can be improved. Furthermore, the warpage caused by the resin molding can be removed by cutting, which is the secondary processing after molding, and the discharge port surface of the discharge port forming member (orifice plate) can be formed uniformly and accurately. In particular, it is suitable for manufacturing a top plate member of a long liquid jet recording head.

[0021]

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

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of a method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view for explaining an aspect of processing an orifice plate and a liquid flow channel forming surface of a top plate based on one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is a typical expanded sectional view.

First, a top plate constituting the liquid jet recording head of the present invention will be described. A top plate molded product 10A as shown in FIG. 1A is formed by resin molding such as injection molding. The top plate molded product 10A has a function as a top plate (10) such as a common liquid chamber 11 and a recording liquid receiving port 18, and has a shape substantially similar to a top plate to be produced. The part to be formed is built up in consideration of the amount of warpage during molding, and the liquid flow channel forming surface (1) is formed.
The part to be 3) is also formed by building up the liquid passage groove (1).
6) and the discharge port (17) are not formed. The shaded regions 21 and 22 of the top plate molded product 10A are the overlaid portions and the portions to be cut by cutting, and by removing these hatched regions 21 and 22 by cutting, As shown in FIG. 1B, the discharge port surface 15 of the orifice plate 12 and the liquid channel groove forming surface 13
In addition, a substrate abutment surface 14 against which the element substrate abuts is formed, and a top plate 10 in which the liquid flow channel (16) and the discharge port (17) are not formed is obtained. By forming the liquid passage groove 16 and the discharge port 17 as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1B, the final grooved top plate 10 is obtained. In FIG. 1A, reference numeral 19 denotes a cylindrical support member made of stainless steel or the like embedded along the longitudinal direction of the grooved top plate 10, and is provided with a recording liquid receiving port 18.

For cutting the top plate molded product 10A, a disk-shaped cutter (rotary cutting tool) attached to each of the spindle shafts 4, 5 as shown in FIG.
1 and 2 are used, and the cutter 1 attached to the spindle shaft 4 cuts and removes the liquid channel groove forming surface and the overlaid area 21 of the orifice plate, and the liquid channel groove forming surface 13 and the orifice plate 12. The cutter 1 determines the length of the liquid passage groove forming surface 13 in the liquid discharge direction according to the shape of the outer peripheral portion thereof. And a cutting surface for cutting the substrate abutting surface 14 so as to be substantially perpendicular to the liquid channel groove forming surface 13. Spindle shaft 5
The cutter 2 attached to the orifice plate 1
2 is to cut and remove the overlaid area 22 of the orifice plate from the front side of the nozzle 2 to cut the discharge port surface 15 of the orifice plate 12. The cutter 2 has a conical cutting surface inclined at an angle α, and the discharge port surface 15 of the orifice plate 12 after the cutting process has an angle α with respect to a plane perpendicular to the liquid flow channel forming surface 13. It is inclined. Note that this angle α
Is applied to the orifice plate 12 after the cutting process by the cutters 1 and 2 by irradiating the laser beam L with the discharge port (1
7) is set to the same angle as the incident angle (perforation angle) of the laser beam L when laser processing is performed, and the discharge port surface 15 of the orifice plate 12 after the cutting processing is directed in the direction of the liquid discharge axis (Drilling angle of the hole). Further, the cutting surface (the cutting edge) of these cutters needs to have a cutting edge shape that does not damage the discharge function on the discharge port surface 15 of the orifice plate 12 and does not give a cutter mark. Considering durability, strength, etc., it is desirable to use a diamond blade.

At the time of cutting by the cutters 1 and 2, first, the cutter 1 cuts and removes the liquid channel groove forming surface and the overlaid area 21 of the orifice plate. Orifice plate 12
Is cut at the same time.
Thereafter, the overlaid area 22 on the front surface of the orifice plate 12 is cut and removed by the cutter 2 arranged opposite to the front surface of the orifice plate 12. Discharge port surface 1 of orifice plate 12 thus cut
The discharge port 5 is formed by a conical cutting surface inclined at an angle α of the cutter 2 at an angle α with respect to a plane perpendicular to the liquid channel groove forming surface 13, and is subsequently subjected to laser processing. Is formed so as to be perpendicular to the direction of the liquid ejection axis (a hole formed by the laser beam L having the incident angle α).

As described above, the overlaid areas 21 and 22 of the molded top plate 10A are cut and removed, and the orifice plate 1 is removed.
2. First, the liquid passage groove 16 is formed on the liquid passage groove formation surface 13 with respect to the top plate 10 (see FIG. 1B) on which the liquid passage groove formation surface 13 and the substrate abutment surface 14 are formed. Are laser-processed at predetermined intervals, and thereafter, the orifice plate 12 is perforated by irradiating the laser beam L from the rear end side of the liquid flow channel 16. Irradiation of the laser beam L at this time is performed so that the irradiated laser beam L does not scrape the liquid flow channel 16 or the groove wall as shown in FIG.
It is performed with an incident angle of an angle α with respect to the liquid channel groove forming surface 13. In the present embodiment, the inclination angle α of the cutter 2 is set to 10 °, and the discharge port surface 1 of the orifice plate 12 is set.
5 was formed at an angle of 10 °, and the laser beam L was processed at the same incident angle α of 10 ° for processing the discharge port.

Since the discharge port surface 15 of the orifice plate 12 processed as described above is previously inclined at an angle α (= 10 °) by cutting by the cutter 2, the discharge port surface 15 has an incident angle α (= 10 °). It is formed so as to be perpendicular to the direction of the liquid discharge axis of the discharge port 17 to be laser-processed with the laser light L. When printing is performed by ejecting the recording liquid from the ejection port using a liquid ejection recording head incorporating the top plate formed in this manner, there is no angle difference between the edges of the ejection port. The satellite and the main droplet of the droplet discharged from the nozzle can be caused to fly in the same direction, the generation of the satellite of the droplet can be suppressed, and the print quality can be improved. Further, good printing can be obtained even when reciprocating printing is performed by carriage scanning or the like.

The cutters 1 and 2 in this embodiment are mounted on different spindle shafts 4 and 5, respectively, and perform cutting by the cutters 1 and 2 separately. In particular, the orifice plate 12
By finely adjusting the position of the cutter 2 from the front surface of the orifice plate, the thickness of the orifice plate 12 (that is, the length of the discharge port 17) can be appropriately adjusted as shown by a dashed line in FIG. As a result, the orifice plate can be formed with an optimum thickness, and the performance of the liquid jet recording head can be further improved.

Next, another embodiment of the method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, two disk-shaped cutters 1a, 2a are attached to one spindle shaft 4a with a spacer 3a interposed therebetween.
This is different from the previous embodiment in that a top plate molded product 10A formed by resin is cut using a.

The cutter 1a has substantially the same shape as the cutter 1 in the above-described embodiment, and cuts and removes the liquid channel groove forming surface and the overlaid area 21a of the orifice plate to form the liquid channel groove. Surface 13 and orifice plate 1
The cutter 2a is for simultaneously processing the substrate contact surface 14 on the back surface side of the orifice plate 2.
2 is for cutting off the cut-out area 22 a of the orifice plate from the front side and cutting the discharge port surface 15 of the orifice plate 12. As shown in FIG. 2A, the cutter 2a has a cutting surface inclined at an angle α, and the discharge port surface 15 of the orifice plate 12 after the cutting is formed on the liquid channel groove forming surface 13a. Are formed at an angle α with respect to a plane perpendicular to. That is, the angle α is an angle corresponding to the incident angle (perforation angle) α of the laser beam L when the ejection opening (17) is laser-processed by irradiating the orifice plate 12 after the cutting process with the laser beam L. The discharge port surface 15 of the orifice plate 12 after the cutting by the cutter 2a is oriented in the direction of the liquid discharge axis of the discharge port (17) (the opening angle of the discharge port processed by the laser beam L having the incident angle α). And formed so as to be vertical. The gap between the cutters 1a and 2a is
The gap corresponding to the thickness of the portion to be left as the 0A orifice plate 12 is equal to that of the spacer 3a.
By changing the thickness of the cutter or by adjusting the thickness of the shank portion of the cutter.

With such cutters 1a and 2a, the overlaid cutting area 21a of the molded top plate 10A,
2a, the discharge port surface 15, the liquid flow channel forming surface 13 and the substrate abutment surface 14 of the orifice plate 12 are formed as shown in FIG. A plurality of liquid flow grooves 16 are laser-processed on the forming surface 13 at predetermined intervals, and a hole is formed by irradiating the orifice plate 12 with laser light L from the rear end side of the liquid flow grooves 16. The irradiation of the laser light L at this time is as follows.
The angle α with respect to the liquid channel groove forming surface 13 is set so that the irradiated laser beam L does not scrape the liquid channel groove 16 or the groove wall.
At an incident angle of Since the discharge port surface 15 of the orifice plate 12 processed in this manner is formed to be inclined by an angle α (= about 10 °) in advance by cutting with the cutter 2a, the incident angle α (= about 10 °) The laser beam L is formed so as to be perpendicular to the discharge axis of the discharge port 17 to be laser-processed. Thus, the discharge port 17
When printing is performed by ejecting the recording liquid from the ejection port 17 using a liquid ejection recording head incorporating the top plate 10 formed with a hole, there is no angle difference between the edges of the ejection port 17. The main droplet and the satellite can fly in the same direction, and the print quality can be improved. Further, even when reciprocating printing is performed by carriage scanning or the like, good printing can be obtained.

As described above, by using the two disk-shaped cutters 1a and 2a attached to the same spindle shaft 4a, the liquid channel groove forming surface 13, the substrate abutting surface 14, and the discharge port Orifice plate 12 inclined at an angle perpendicular to the drilling angle by laser processing
It is possible to cut and form the discharge port surface 15 at the same time, thereby improving the productivity and, at the same time, improving the performance of the recording head.

Next, still another embodiment of the method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, the overlaid area 21 of the top-plate molded product 10A formed by resin in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.
b, 22b, as shown in FIG.
Two disk-shaped cutters 1b and 2b attached to one spindle shaft 4b with a spacer 3b interposed therebetween are used. Cutter 1 arranged on the tip side of spindle shaft 4b
b cuts and removes the liquid channel groove forming surface and the overlaid region 21b of the orifice plate, and removes the liquid channel groove forming surface 13b.
And the substrate abutment surface 14 are simultaneously cut, and the shape of the cut surface is formed as shown in FIG. 3B. That is, the side surface m of the cutter 1b for cutting the substrate abutting surface 14 is
The portion n corresponding to the length of the liquid flow channel on the outer peripheral surface that cuts the liquid flow channel forming surface 13 is formed on a surface perpendicular to the rotation axis of b. Is inclined outwardly at an angle corresponding to the incident angle α of the laser beam when the discharge port is laser-processed with respect to the liquid passage groove forming surface 1.
3 is cut at an angle α from a plane perpendicular to the substrate abutting surface 14. On the other hand, the cutter 2b disposed on the base side of the spindle shaft 4b has a cutting surface perpendicular to the rotation axis of the spindle shaft 4b, and cuts and removes the overlaid area 22b of the top plate molded product 10A. In addition, the discharge port surface 15 of the orifice plate 12 is cut.

In cutting the top molded product 10A,
Cutting is performed by the cutters 1b and 2b in a state where the top plate molded product 10A is tilted with respect to the rotation axis of the cutters 1b and 2b by the angle α corresponding to the incident angle α of the laser beam for the above-described discharge port processing. . At this time, both cutters 1b, 2
b is the orifice plate 12 of the top molded body 10A.
The gap is appropriately adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the shank of the cutter or changing the thickness of the spacer 3b between the two cutters 1b and 2b. Can be set to

The cutters 1b, 2 constructed as described above
b, and the top plate molded product 10A is cut by inclining by an angle α so that the discharge port surface 15 of the orifice plate 12, the liquid flow channel forming surface 13, and the back surface of the orifice plate 12 are abutted. The face 14 can be cut simultaneously and the orifice plate 1
The second discharge port surface 15 is cut so as to be inclined at an angle α with respect to a plane perpendicular to the liquid channel groove forming surface 13.
Thereafter, when the discharge port is processed, a hole is formed by setting the incident angle of the laser beam to the angle α, so that the discharge port surface 15 of the orifice plate 12 is oriented in the direction of the liquid discharge axis of the discharge port (the laser beam L having the incident angle α). (Perforation angle of the discharge port to be processed). The liquid channel groove forming surface 13
Can be easily changed to any angle in accordance with the incident angle of the laser beam. In the present embodiment, the angle α is set to 10 °, the top plate molded product 10A is inclined by 10 °, and the angle is set by the cutters 1b and 2b. The cutting process was performed so that the cut surface of the cutter 1b inclined the liquid flow channel forming surface 13 by 10 °, and the hole was formed by setting the incident angle of the laser beam in the discharge port processing to 10 °. By doing so, the liquid discharge axis of the discharge port can be made perpendicular to the discharge port surface 15 of the orifice plate 12 without cutting the liquid flow channel groove and its groove wall by the irradiation of the laser beam for processing the discharge port. Thus, the performance of the recording head can be improved and the productivity can be improved.

As described in the above embodiments, the top plate 10
By cutting the discharge port surface 15 of the orifice plate 12, the liquid flow channel forming surface 13 and the substrate abutting surface 14, the liquid flow channel 16 and the discharge port 17 are formed by laser processing, respectively. The warpage caused by resin molding can be removed by cutting after molding (secondary processing), and the discharge port surface of the orifice plate can be formed uniformly and accurately.
Further, the surface of the discharge port of the orifice plate and the liquid discharge axis of the discharge port formed by laser beam drilling can be formed perpendicularly, and since there is no angle difference between the edges of the discharge port, the discharge from the discharge port is performed. The main droplet and the satellite can be caused to fly in the same direction, and the print quality can be improved.

Next, the configuration of a liquid jet recording head incorporating the long top plate 10 manufactured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 4 illustrating the structure of the long top plate 10, (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a bottom view, and (d) is XX of (b). It is a line sectional view. In the present embodiment, the density of the discharge ports is 360 dpi (2
360 pieces per 5.4 mm, or 70.5μ spacing
m), the number of discharge ports is 3008 (printing width 212 mm), and the substrate has a discharge energy generating element of 360 dpi.
A description will be given of a liquid jet recording head provided with 128 pieces at a density of.

As described above, the top plate 10 is formed by cutting the surface of the discharge port of the orifice plate 12, the surface on which the liquid flow channel is formed, and the surface against which the substrate abuts after molding with resin.
Then, a water-repellent coating is formed on the surface of the discharge port of the orifice plate 12 in order to prevent the discharge performance from deteriorating due to the periphery of the discharge port being wetted by a recording liquid such as ink. Thereafter, by digging the liquid flow channel forming surface by laser light irradiation, the liquid flow channel grooves 16 corresponding to the respective discharge energy generating elements of the substrate are formed. Laser processing by irradiation of this laser light uses a laser mask,
The processing can be performed by repeating the processing in units of 128 channels as in the case of the substrate. After the processing of the liquid flow channel 16, the orifice plate 12 is irradiated with laser light using a laser mask so that
The discharge port 17 is punched every 28 units. At this time,
The laser beam has an incident angle α of 10 from the rear side of the liquid channel groove 16.
Irradiate as °. Thus, the top plate 10 shown in FIG. 4 is finally completed.

The top plate 10 is provided for the liquid flow grooves 16 provided corresponding to the discharge energy generating elements formed on the substrate, and for discharging the recording liquid toward the recording medium corresponding to each liquid flow groove 16. The discharge ports 17 communicating with the liquid flow grooves 16, the common liquid chambers 11 communicating with the liquid flow grooves for supplying the recording liquid to the liquid flow grooves 16, and the common liquid chamber 11. The configuration is such that components such as a recording liquid receiving port 18 through which a recording liquid supplied from a recording liquid tank (not shown) flows are provided integrally. The top plate 10 has a length such that the top plate 10 almost covers the ejection energy generating element row provided with a plurality of substrates arranged side by side. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 19 denotes a support member for regulating the coefficient of thermal expansion of the top plate 10, which is provided in a resin along the longitudinal direction of the top plate 10 and has both ends provided with grooves. It protrudes from the main body of the top plate 10. The support member 19 is a cylindrical pipe made of the same stainless steel as the base plate, and a hole communicating with the liquid chamber 11 is previously processed, and both ends protruding from the main body of the grooved top plate 10 are supplied with recording liquid supply ports. The hole may be a recording liquid receiving port 18 communicating with the common liquid chamber 11. When the support member 19 is formed of a cylindrical body, a hole communicating with the common liquid chamber 11 is formed in the support member 19 in advance, and the recording liquid supply port and the common liquid chamber 11 are connected via the support member 19. Can communicate. The support member 1
9 is subjected to surface processing such as blasting and knurling, so that the support member 19 and the grooved top plate 1 are formed.
0 can improve the degree of adhesion to the resin.

As shown in FIG. 5, the discharge energy generating element 31 has a density of 360 dpi on the substrate 30 and has a density of 12 dpi.
In this embodiment, since the number of the liquid flow grooves 16 and the number of the discharge ports 17 is 3008, at least 3008 discharge energy generating elements 31 are required.
As shown in FIG. 5, by arranging a plurality of substrates 30 each having 128 discharge energy generating elements 31 on a straight line, a predetermined number of discharge energy generating elements were secured. The plurality of substrates 30 are arranged on the surface of a base plate 50 made of stainless steel, and are adhered and fixed with an adhesive applied with a predetermined thickness.

In this embodiment, the ejection energy generating element 3
As 1, an electrothermal conversion element that generates heat when energized according to a recording signal is used, and the ejection energy generating element 31 is formed on a substrate 30, which is a silicon substrate, using a semiconductor device manufacturing technique. When the discharge energy generating element 31 generates heat by energization, the recording liquid in the liquid flow path corresponding to the discharge energy generating element is heated and foams due to film boiling. The liquid is discharged as droplets from the discharge port. The ejection energy generating element 3
As 1, a member made of a piezoelectric element can be used.

The top plate 10 is provided on a plurality of substrates 30 arranged on the surface of the base plate 50 with the liquid flow grooves 16
And the ejection energy generating element 31 on the substrate 30 are positioned so as to have a predetermined positional relationship, and are connected to the base plate 50 side by a spring, an adhesive, or the like. As a method of this connection, as shown in FIG. 6, a method of mechanically pressing down with a spring 60 held by a spring holder 61, a method of fixing with another adhesive, a method of using these means in combination, and the like. Various methods are used.

As shown in FIG. 5, a wiring board 40 is adhered and adhered to the base plate 50 in the same manner as the substrate 30, and the signal / power supply pads 42 on the wiring board 40 are provided.
Is arranged so as to have a predetermined positional relationship with the power pad 32 on the substrate 30, the two pads 32 and 42 are connected to each other, and the wiring substrate 40 is supplied with a print signal and driving power from the outside. Connector 41 is attached.

The material of the top plate 10 is as follows.
In order to provide the liquid flow channel and the discharge port, a resin capable of accurately forming the groove and the discharge port is preferable, and it is preferable that the resin has excellent mechanical strength, dimensional stability, and 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.

[0048]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The orifice plate (discharge port forming member) is formed so that the discharge port surface is inclined by cutting so as to be perpendicular to the angle of the hole formed by the irradiation of the laser beam in the discharge port processing, so that the discharge is performed from the discharge port. The main droplet and the satellite can be caused to fly in the same direction, and the print quality can be improved. Furthermore, the warpage caused by the resin molding can be removed by cutting, which is the secondary processing after molding, and the discharge port surface of the orifice plate (discharge port forming member) can be formed uniformly and accurately. In particular, it is suitable for manufacturing a top plate member of a long liquid jet recording head.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view for explaining an embodiment of a method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention, wherein (a) shows an orifice plate of a top plate and a liquid flow channel according to an embodiment of the present invention; It is a schematic diagram illustrating a mode of cutting the forming surface,
(B) is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view of the cut top plate.

FIG. 2 is a view for explaining another embodiment of the method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention, wherein (a) shows an orifice plate of a top plate and a liquid flow based on another embodiment of the present invention; It is a schematic diagram illustrating a mode of cutting the road groove forming surface,
(B) is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view of the cut top plate.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining still another embodiment of the method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to the present invention, wherein (a) shows an orifice plate of a top plate and a liquid based on another embodiment of the present invention; It is the schematic which illustrates the aspect which cuts a flow path groove formation surface, and (b) is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the shape of the rotary cutting tool which cuts a liquid flow groove formation surface.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic views showing a configuration of a grooved top plate in the liquid jet recording head of the present invention, wherein FIG. 4A is a top view and FIG.
Is a front view, (c) is a bottom view, and (d) is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of (b).

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a configuration of a liquid jet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of a liquid jet recording head of the present invention.

7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating a method of manufacturing a top plate in a conventional liquid jet recording head, wherein FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of a molded top plate, and FIG. FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram illustrating a mode of cutting a surface, and FIG. 4C illustrates a relationship between an orifice plate and a discharge port processed by laser light irradiation after forming a liquid flow path groove in the cut top plate. It is a partial expanded sectional view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 1a, 1b Cutter (rotary cutting tool) 2, 2a, 2b Cutter (rotary cutting tool) 3a, 3b Spacer 4, 4a, 4b Spindle shaft 5 Spindle shaft 10 Top plate 10A Top plate molded product 11 Common liquid chamber 12 Orifice Plate (discharge port forming member) 13 Liquid channel groove forming surface 14 Substrate abutment surface 15 Discharge port surface 16 Liquid channel groove 17 Discharge port (orifice) 21, 21a, 21b Cutting area 22, 22a, 22b Cutting area 30 Substrate 31 ejection energy generating element 40 wiring board 50 base plate

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Koizumi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Kiyomi Aono 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inside (72) Inventor Yoshikazu Omata 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Takeshi Okazaki 3-30-2, Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. F-term (reference) 2C057 AF30 AF93 AG46 AN05 AP12 AP13 AP22 AP23 AP24 AP25 AP46 AP60 BA03 BA13

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A substrate in which a plurality of ejection energy generating elements for applying ejection energy to a recording liquid are formed corresponding to a liquid channel, and a liquid channel in which a liquid channel groove corresponding to the liquid channel is formed. A discharge port forming member for forming a discharge port for discharging a recording liquid in communication with the groove forming surface and the liquid flow path groove is integrally provided, and a liquid is formed on the liquid flow path forming surface and the discharge port forming member, respectively; In a liquid jet recording head, the flow channel and the discharge port have a top plate processed and formed by irradiation of laser light, and the liquid flow path is formed by joining the substrate and the top plate. The discharge port surface of the discharge port forming member on the top plate,
A liquid jet recording head formed by cutting so as to be inclined so as to be perpendicular to an incident angle of a laser beam when the discharge port is processed. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cutting of the surface of the discharge port of the discharge port forming member is performed in a separate step from the processing of the surface on which the liquid flow channel is formed. The liquid jet recording head according to the above. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cutting of the surface of the discharge port of the discharge port forming member is performed simultaneously with the processing of the liquid flow channel forming surface on which the liquid flow channel is formed. Liquid jet recording head. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the substrates are arranged in parallel, and the top plate is a long top plate having a length corresponding to the plurality of substrates. The liquid jet recording head according to the above. 5. A substrate in which a plurality of ejection energy generating elements for applying ejection energy to a recording liquid are formed corresponding to a liquid flow path, and a liquid flow path in which a liquid flow path groove corresponding to the liquid flow path is formed. A discharge port forming member for forming a discharge port for discharging a recording liquid in communication with the groove forming surface and the liquid flow path groove is integrally provided, and a liquid is formed on the liquid flow path forming surface and the discharge port forming member, respectively; The method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head, wherein the liquid jet recording head is assembled so that the liquid channel is formed by joining the channel groove and the discharge port to a top plate processed and formed by laser light irradiation, The liquid flow channel forming surface of the plate and the discharge port surface of the discharge port forming member are formed by cutting, and the discharge port surface of the discharge port forming member is set to the incident angle of the laser beam at the time of processing the discharge port. Perpendicular to A method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head, characterized in that cutting to so that. 6. A cutting surface of the second cutting tool using a first cutting tool for cutting the liquid flow channel forming surface and a second cutting tool for cutting the discharge port surface of the discharge port forming member. 6. The liquid jet according to claim 5, wherein the nozzle is inclined by an angle corresponding to an incident angle of the laser beam at the time of processing of the discharge port, and the discharge port surface of the discharge port forming member is cut by the cutting tool. Manufacturing method of recording head. 7. The cutting tool according to claim 6, wherein the first cutting tool cuts a surface of the discharge port forming member abutting on the substrate together with the cutting of the liquid flow channel forming surface. Of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head. 8. The first and second cutting tools are mounted on separate spindle shafts, respectively, for cutting the liquid flow channel forming surface with the first cutting tool and discharging the discharge port forming member. 8. The method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to claim 6, wherein the cutting of the outlet surface by the second cutting tool is performed in a separate step. 9. The first and second cutting tools are mounted on the same spindle shaft, and the first and second cutting tools cut the liquid flow channel forming surface and discharge ports of the discharge port forming member. 8. The method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head according to claim 6, wherein cutting of the front surface by the second cutting tool is performed simultaneously. 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein a first cutting tool for cutting the liquid flow channel forming surface attached to the same spindle shaft and a second cutting tool for cutting a discharge port surface of the discharge port forming member are used. A cutting surface of the first cutting tool is inclined outward with respect to an axis of the spindle shaft by an angle corresponding to an incident angle of a laser beam at the time of machining the discharge port, and the liquid flow path of the top plate At the time of cutting the groove forming surface and the discharge port surface of the discharge port forming member, the top plate is inclined with respect to the axis of the spindle shaft by an angle corresponding to the incident angle of the laser beam at the time of processing the discharge port. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein cutting is performed by cutting.