JP2003251811A - Ink jet printer head and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] Nozzle plate (1) in head unit (6)
The burr / burr 58 is prevented from protruding outside the outer surface of the nozzle plate 11 from the surface of the nozzle plate 11. SOLUTION: When a nozzle plate 11 in which nozzles 11a are formed in a row is adhesively fixed to a surface of a flow path structure formed of a laminated body of a manifold plate, a spacer plate and a base plate in a head unit 6,
A groove 56 is formed in the material plate 60 in advance according to the outer peripheral shape of the nozzle plate 11, and a step 57 is formed by laser processing along the bottom of the groove 56. The burrs and burrs 58 protrude, but the tips of the burrs and burrs 58 do not protrude beyond the surface of the nozzle plate 11.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a piezoelectric type ink jet printer head and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an on-demand type ink jet printer head of the prior art, an ink jet head unit (hereinafter simply referred to as a head unit) having nozzle rows arranged in a direction orthogonal to a printing direction has a plurality of ink jet head units. A nozzle plate with nozzles in rows,
An ink flow path forming body having a pressure chamber communicating with the nozzle, and a piezoelectric actuator arranged on the back side thereof selectively applies pressure to the ink contained in each pressure chamber to eject the ink from the nozzle. It was configured to eject ink.

In order to improve the printing accuracy of the ink jet printer head, it is necessary to precisely create the intervals between the nozzle rows composed of a plurality of nozzles and the hole diameters of the nozzles. The material plate made of synthetic resin such as polyimide having an area that can be formed is preliminarily provided with nozzles having a predetermined diameter and a predetermined diameter, and then the material plate is cut out according to the outer shape of each nozzle plate. By (cutting), a nozzle plate in which nozzles are precisely formed is separately manufactured, and the nozzle plate is attached to the ink flow path constituent member with an adhesive.

On the other hand, in this type of printer device, air bubbles accumulated in the ink flow path of the ink jet printer head are removed, and the nozzle portion is clogged due to non-use for a long period of time. A purging device is provided, and a wiper member is disposed adjacent to the purging device in order to remove ink dregs and dust adhering to the nozzle and its vicinity. This wiper member is formed in a spatula shape and wipes the nozzle opening surface as the carriage moves.

[0005]

However, when press working or laser working is performed at the time of cutting the outer shape of the nozzle plate, burrs and burrs are formed on the cutting edge so as to project in the plate thickness direction of the plate. Further, on the irradiation side of the laser light, burrs that cause carbonized slag of the synthetic resin material (material plate) to rise due to heat during the irradiation are usually generated. When the nozzle opening surface is being ejected when the ink is ejected from the nozzle, the wiping part of the wiper member is caught by the burrs and burrs, and the wiper member vibrates to clean the nozzle opening surface. However, there is a problem that the nozzle cannot be cleaned or the carbonized burr is peeled off by the wiper member and fits into the hole of the nozzle, resulting in nozzle clogging.

On the other hand, when the burrs and burrs are projected in the surface direction (adhesive surface side) of the ink flow path forming body, the nozzle plate and the ink flow path forming body are closely fixed to each other with an adhesive. However, there is a problem in that the burr and the burr interfere with each other, a gap is formed on the adhesive surface, and the ink leaks into the gap. In order to eliminate these inconveniences, a process of removing the burrs and burrs must be added after the process of separating the nozzle plate from the material plate, which is troublesome and the manufacturing cost is high. .

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and even if burrs and burrs are generated during the processing for forming the outer shape of the nozzle plate, these burrs and burrs are generated in the nozzle plate. It is a technical object to provide an inkjet printer head devised so as not to project from the surface and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned technical objects, an ink jet printer head according to a first aspect of the present invention is provided with a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzles arranged in rows on the front surface, An ink jet printer head comprising: a flow path forming body having a pressure chamber communicating with each nozzle, and selectively applying pressure to the ink contained in the pressure chamber to eject the ink from the nozzle.
At least one of the front and back surfaces of the nozzle plate is provided with a stepped portion that is recessed from the surface on the ink ejection side toward the side opposite to the ejection direction along the outer periphery of the nozzle plate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet printer head according to the first aspect, the step portion thins the outer peripheral portion of the nozzle plate,
It is characterized in that it is formed on both front and back surfaces.

The invention described in claim 3 is the same as claim 1
Alternatively, in the inkjet printer head described in Item 2, the nozzle plate is made of a synthetic resin material.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing an ink jet printer head, which comprises a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzles arranged in a row on the front surface, and a flow chamber having a pressure chamber communicating with each nozzle. In an inkjet printer head that includes a channel structure and ejects ink from the nozzle by selectively applying pressure to the ink contained in the pressure chamber, at least the surface on the ink ejection side of both the front and back surfaces of the material plate. A concave groove is formed along the outer peripheral shape of the nozzle plate, then the outer periphery of the nozzle plate is cut along the concave groove, and the nozzle plate is bonded to the flow path forming body. It is a thing.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the fourth aspect,
The groove is formed so as to face both the front and back surfaces of the material plate.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a color ink jet printer which is one of the embodiments of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a piezoelectric ink jet printer head with a nozzle side up, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view, FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a state where the head unit and the head holder are bonded and fixed, FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the head unit, FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of elements of the cavity unit, 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the head unit, FIGS. 10 and 11 are perspective views when the nozzle plate is cut from the material plate, and FIG. 12A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the concave groove between adjacent nozzle plates.
FIG. 7B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the outer peripheral portion of the separated nozzle plate.

The color ink jet printer 100 according to the present invention is for printing on an ink cartridge 61 filled with color inks of four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow and black, and a paper (recording medium) 62, for example. An inkjet printer head 63 including an inkjet head unit (hereinafter simply referred to as a head unit) 6, and a carriage 6 on which the ink cartridge 61 and the inkjet printer head 63 are mounted.
4, a drive unit 65 for reciprocating the carriage 64 in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the paper 62, a platen roller 66 extending in the reciprocating direction of the carriage 64 and facing the head unit 6, and a purging device. And 67.

The drive unit 65 is arranged at the lower end of the carriage 64 and extends in parallel with the platen roller 66, and a guide plate 72 arranged at the upper end of the carriage 64 and extends parallel to the carriage shaft 71. Two pulleys 73, 7 arranged between the carriage shaft 71 and the guide plate 72 and arranged at both ends of the carriage shaft 71.
4 and a timing belt 75 wound around the pulleys 73 and 74.

The carriage 64 joined to the timing belt 75 by the driving force from one pulley 73 that rotates according to the drive of the motor 76 is the carriage shaft 71.
It is supported by the guide plate 72 and can reciprocate linearly.

The paper 62 conveyed in the direction of the arrow from a paper supply unit (not shown) is introduced between the platen roller 66 and the head unit 6 and a predetermined printing is performed by the ink ejected from the head unit 6 as described later. Then, the sheet is ejected.

The purging device 67 is provided on the side of the platen roller 66 and is arranged so as to face the head unit 6 when the printer head 63 is in the reset position. The purging device 67 includes a purge cap 81 that abuts against an opening surface of a nozzle of the head unit 6 so as to cover a plurality of nozzles 11 a described later, and a pump 82.
And a cam 83 and an ink storage portion 84. When the printer head 63 is in the reset position, the defective ink containing bubbles or the like accumulated inside the head unit 6 is sucked by the pump 82 by the driving of the cam 83 so that the head unit 6 can be recovered. There is. The sucked defective ink is stored in the ink storage unit 84.
Stored in.

The platen roller 6 in the purging device 67
A wiper member 86 is arranged adjacent to the purging device 67 at a position on the 6 side. The wiper member 86 is formed of a rubber-like material in the shape of a spatula, and wipes the nozzle opening surface of the head unit 6 as the carriage 64 moves. When wiping the nozzle opening surface, the wiper member 86 projects upward, and when not wiping the nozzle opening surface, retracts downward.

The cap 85 covers the plurality of nozzles 11a of the head unit 6 mounted on the carriage 64 which is returned to the reset position when printing is completed in order to prevent the ink from drying.

The ink jet printer head 63 is shown in FIG.
2 and FIG. 3, a head holder 1 and two head units 6 and 6 arranged in parallel on the lower surface side of the bottom plate 5 thereof,
Opening windows 44a, 44a are formed in the lower plate 44b so that the nozzle rows on the surface of each head unit 6 are exposed, and a box-shaped protective cover fixed to the surface of the head units 6, 6 and the head holder 1. And 44.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the head holder 1 is an injection-molded product of a synthetic resin material such as polypropylene, polypropylene, etc., and is formed in a substantially box-like shape with an open upper surface (see FIG. 3). . The open portion has a mounting portion 3 to which four ink cartridges 61 as ink supply sources can be detachably mounted from above, and one side portion of the mounting portion 3 has the ink of each ink cartridge 61. Ink supply passages 4a, 4b, 4 which can be connected to a discharge part (not shown)
c and 4d are provided so as to communicate with the lower surface of the bottom plate 5 of the head holder 1 (see FIG. 3). A rubber packing (not shown) is arranged on the outer periphery of each ink supply passage 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d so that each ink cartridge 61 can be brought into close contact with the ink discharge portion.

The bottom plate 5 is for disposing the head unit 6, and is horizontally formed so as to project one step from the lower surface (the upper surface side in FIG. 4) of the head holder 1. On the lower surface side of the bottom plate 5, two support portions 8 for supporting two head units 6 which will be described later in parallel are formed. A plurality of adhesive pouring holes 9a, 9b for fixing the head unit 6 with the UV adhesive 7 are formed in each of the supporting portions 8 so as to penetrate toward the mounting portion 3 side. The plurality of adhesive injection holes 9a, 9
b is formed at a position where the long side portions of one head unit 6 are fixed at appropriate intervals. In the embodiment, the adhesive pouring hole 9a at a position where one side (long side) of the two supporting portions 8 and 8 adjoins each other is formed wide so as to straddle the back surfaces of the two head units 6 and 6 arranged in parallel. Has been done.

As shown in FIG. 4, the ink supply passages 4a, 4b, 4c, 4 are provided at one side of the support portions 8 as shown in FIG.
An opening 50 communicating with d is provided. A substantially annular fitting groove 46 is formed so as to surround the outer periphery of each opening 50. Then, in each of the fitting grooves 46, a ring-shaped packing 4 made of soft rubber or the like and having a good sealing property is provided.
7 is fitted.

When each head unit 6 is fixed to the lower surface of the bottom plate 5 with a UV adhesive 7 as described later, the tip of the packing 47 has an ink supply port 19a in the head unit 6 (see FIG. 6 and FIG. 6). (See FIG. 7), the contact portion with the ink supply port 19a is sealed and the ink leakage can be prevented.

Next, details of the head unit 6 and each of its components will be described. The head unit 6 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of metal plate laminated cavity units 10 are bonded to the cavity units 10 via an ink impermeable adhesive or adhesive sheet 41 (see FIG. 9). A plate-type piezoelectric actuator 20 to be laminated, and a flexible flat cable 40 that is superposed on the upper surface of the piezoelectric actuator 20 for electrical connection with an external device.

On the back side of the head unit 6 and on the upper surface of the ink supply port 19a formed at one end of the uppermost base plate 14, the ink supplied from the ink cartridge 61 above the ink supply port 19a. A filter 29 for removing dust is previously fixed with an adhesive (see FIGS. 6 and 7). When the cavity unit 10 is assembled to the head holder 1, the ink supply port 19a presses the periphery of the ink supply port 19a against the packing 47.

The cavity unit 10 is constructed as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. That is, a nozzle plate 11 having a plurality of nozzles arranged in a row, and two thin metal plates of a manifold plate 12, a spacer plate 13, and a base plate 14 as a flow path forming body having an ink flow path for the nozzle plate 11. In the embodiment, each plate 12, 12, 13, 14 as a flow path forming member is 42
% Nickel alloy steel plate, and has a thickness of about 50 μm to 150 μm. The nozzle plate 11 is made of synthetic resin such as polyimide and has a plate thickness of about 50 μm to 100 μm.

The nozzle plate 11 is bonded to the lower manifold plate 12, and a large number of through passages 17 communicating with the nozzles 11a are formed on both the upper and lower manifold plates 1.
2, 12 and the spacer plate 13 are provided in a zigzag arrangement in two rows along the first direction (long side direction) at a constant pitch. Ink passages 12a and 12b are formed in the two manifold plates 12 so as to extend along both sides of the row of the through holes 17. However, the ink passage 12b in the lower manifold plate 12 is formed so as to be opened only above the manifold plate 12 (see FIGS. 8 and 9). The ink passages 12a and 12b are hermetically sealed by stacking the spacer plate 13 on the upper manifold plate 12.

The base plate 14 has a large number of narrow pressure chambers 16 extending in a second direction (short side direction) orthogonal to a center line along the long side (first direction) thereof. Has been drilled. Then, by setting parallel longitudinal reference lines 14a and 14b on both left and right sides of the center line, the tip 16a of the pressure chamber 16 on the left side of the center line is located on the right longitudinal reference line 14a. On the contrary, the tip 16a of the pressure chamber 16 on the right side of the longitudinal center line is located on the left longitudinal reference line 14b, and the tips 16a of the left and right pressure chambers 16 are alternately arranged. The chambers 16 are alternately arranged so that every other chamber 16 extends in the opposite direction.

The tips 16a of the pressure chambers 16 are also staggered on the nozzle plate 11 in the staggered arrangement in the first direction, on the spacer plate 13 and on both manifold plates 12. They communicate with each other through through-holes 17, 17, 17 that are formed in an array. On the other hand, the other end 16b of each of the pressure chambers 16 is provided with a through hole 18 formed at both left and right side portions of the spacer plate 13 so that both manifold plates 1 are
2 communicates with the ink passages 12a and 12b.
The other end 16b of each pressure chamber 16 is formed so as to be opened only on the lower surface side of the base plate 14 as shown in FIGS.

As a result, the base plate 14
Also, the ink that has flowed into the ink passages 12a and 12b from the ink supply ports 19a and 19b provided at one end of the spacer plate 13 passes through the through holes 18 from the ink passages 12a and into the pressure chambers 16. From the inside of each pressure chamber 16 to the through passages 17, 17, 1
The nozzle 11a corresponding to the pressure chamber 16 passes through 7 (see FIGS. 8 and 9).

Next, the structure of the nozzle plate 11 will be described. As shown in FIG. 10 or 11, a material plate 60 made of a synthetic resin such as polyimide is provided with a groove corresponding to the outer peripheral edge of each nozzle plate 11. 56 is formed. The groove 56 is preferably formed on both the front and back surfaces of the material plate 60, but when it is one surface, the surface from which the ink is ejected from the nozzle 11a (the side opposite to the adhesive surface to the flow path forming member, FIG. In the upper side).
Each groove 56 has an excimer laser, an Nd: YAG laser,
It is formed by laser processing such as carbon dioxide laser or plasma processing. The width dimension of each groove 56 is 10 to 20 μm and the depth dimension is about 3 to 7 μm (see FIG. 12A). Further, the nozzle 11a described above is similarly drilled by laser processing at a predetermined position of the inner diameter portion of the outer shape of the nozzle plate 11 (in FIG. 12A, the ink ejection direction is the upper side).

After that, in order to separate the nozzle plates 11 from the material plate 60 one by one, the material plate 60 is cut along the bottom of the concave groove 56 by irradiation with a laser beam having a smaller diameter. 12B are separated, and step portions 57 are formed on the outer peripheries of the front and back surfaces of the nozzle plate 11, as shown in FIG. At the bottom edge (outer peripheral side edge) of the step portion 57, there is formed a burr / burr 58 having carbon slag accumulated by the laser processing, but the height dimension thereof is lower than the height dimension of the step portion 57, and the nozzle plate Outside of the front and back sides of 11, there is Bali Kaeri 5
8 does not project. Therefore, even if one surface of the nozzle plate 11 is bonded and fixed to the manifold plate 12, which is the outer surface of the flow path forming member, with an adhesive, the burr / burr 58 does not project on the adhesive surface and a gap is formed. Does not occur. Also, on the ink ejection side of the nozzle plate 11,
Above the surface of the nozzle plate 11, burr / burr 5
Since 8 does not project, there is no inconvenience such as the wiper member for ink wiping being caught. Note that FIG.
In the embodiment of FIGS. 12A and 12B, the concave groove 56 (step 57) is formed on both front and back sides of the nozzle plate 11, but the concave groove 5 is formed only on the ink ejection side of the nozzle plate 11.
6 (step 57) may be formed.

On the other hand, the piezoelectric actuator 20 has a structure similar to that described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-246744, and has a structure in which a plurality of piezoelectric sheets 21 are laminated. The lower piezoelectric sheet 21 and the odd-numbered piezoelectric sheets 21 counting upward from it
On the upper surface (wide surface) of each of the cavity units 10, a narrow individual electrode (not shown) is formed by printing at each location of each pressure chamber 16 in the cavity unit 10. A common electrode (not shown) common to the plurality of pressure chambers 16 is also formed by printing on the upper surface (wide surface) of the even-numbered piezoelectric sheet 21 from the bottom. In that case, the end faces of the individual electrodes and the common electrode are exposed at the long side edges of the piezoelectric sheets 21.

On the other hand, on the upper surface of the uppermost top sheet 23, as shown in FIG. 6, to electrically connect to each of the individual electrodes along the edge of the long side thereof. The surface electrode 30 and the surface electrode 31 for electrically connecting to the common electrode are formed by printing.

Then, the exposed portions of the individual electrodes at the same position in the vertical direction of the piezoelectric sheet 21 in the piezoelectric actuator 20 are connected to each other by the surface electrodes 30 on the top sheet 23.
A side electrode for connection is applied so as to be electrically connected to. Similarly, the side electrodes for connection are applied so that the exposed portions of the common electrodes of the piezoelectric sheet 21 are electrically connected to the surface electrodes 31 of the top sheet 23.

The plate-type piezoelectric actuator 20 having such a structure is used in the cavity unit 10 described above.
On the other hand, each individual electrode in the piezoelectric actuator 20 corresponds to each pressure chamber 1 in the cavity unit 10.
6 are laminated and fixed so as to correspond to each of them. Further, the flexible flat cable 40 is lap-bonded to the upper surface of the piezoelectric actuator 20, so that various wiring patterns (not shown) in the flexible flat cable 40 are connected to the surface electrodes 30, 31. Is electrically connected to (see FIG. 6).

In this structure, a voltage is applied between any of the individual electrodes of the piezoelectric actuator 20 and the common electrode to correspond to the individual electrode of the piezoelectric sheet 21 to which the voltage is applied. This is an active portion of the piezoelectric element in which a strain in the stacking direction is generated by the piezoelectric force at the portion. Due to the strain of the active portion, the internal volume of the pressure chamber 16 corresponding to each individual electrode is reduced, whereby the ink in the pressure chamber 16 is ejected in a droplet form from the nozzle 11a, and predetermined printing is performed. Done.

Next, the head unit 6 is attached to the head holder 1
A method of firmly fixing the above will be described. The adhesive used for this fixing is a photo-curing adhesive, for example, a viscous UV adhesive 7 such as a modified acrylic resin adhesive as an adhesive having a quick-curing property upon irradiation with ultraviolet rays.
As shown in FIG. 5, the two head units 6 and 6 and the protective cover 44, which are arranged in parallel, are simultaneously fixed to the bottom plate 5 of the head holder 1 with the UV adhesive 7, or the protective cover 44 is It may be fixed later.

Regarding the method of fixing the head unit 6 to the head holder 1, for example, two positioning holes 54a, 54a separated in the extension direction of the row of the nozzles 11a of the nozzle plate 11 are formed in advance (see FIG. 7). ).

The lower plate 44b of the protective cover 44 is set on the upper surface of the flat jig, and the two nozzle plates 11 are
Is an opening window 44 formed in the lower plate 44b of the protective cover 44.
a, 44a, and positioning holes 54a, 54a in each nozzle plate 11
Locating pin (not shown) protruding from the upper surface of the jig
Fit in. In this case, the lower plate 44b of the protective cover 44
Is preferably slightly thicker than the nozzle plate 11.

In this way, both head units 6, 6
The nozzles 11a are set so that the intervals between the rows are constant and parallel to each other. On top of them, head holder 1
The head units 6, 6 to correspond to the predetermined positions of the supporting portions 8, 8 and then the upper surface of the bottom plate 5, that is, the mounting portion 3
The UV adhesive 7 is poured from the side into the adhesive pouring holes 9a and 9b, and immediately thereafter, UV rays are irradiated from the upper surface of the bottom plate 5 toward the inside of the adhesive pouring holes 9a and 9b to rapidly cure the UV adhesive 7. Two head units 6, 6
The position of is fixed at once.

The front surface of each head unit 6 and the back surface of the lower plate 44b of the protective cover 44 may be preliminarily adhered and fixed by an adhesive (not shown), or only the protective cover 44 may be adhered and fixed later. You may. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, sealing agents 55a and 55b such as silicone are injected between the inner surface of the four sides of the box-shaped protective cover 44 and the stepped portion of the bottom plate 5 of the head holder 1 to seal them. At the time of printing,
Ink during the wiping by the wiper member 86 is prevented from entering the gap between the head unit 6 and the protective cover 44.

Incidentally, for example, by arranging the casting holes 9a and 9b in the vicinity of the four corners of the head unit 6 having a rectangular shape in plan view, the head unit 6 due to the contraction strain of the adhesive when the UV adhesive 7 is solidified. It is possible to minimize the positional deviation of. Head units 6 and 6 arranged in parallel
When the casting hole 9a is formed wide across the adjacent sides of, the UV adhesive 7 is filled in one casting hole 9a, and the two units 6 and 6 are solidified at one time by ultraviolet irradiation. This can contribute to the reduction of working time and the great improvement of manufacturing efficiency.

The number of the head units 6 to be arranged in parallel can be arbitrarily set to 1 to 4, and the cavity unit 10 in the head unit 6 may be made of a metal material or a ceramic material. Further, the driving means of the ink jet printer of the present invention may be of another type instead of the plate-shaped piezoelectric actuator 20 described above, and the ink may be generated by vibrating the diaphragm covering the back surface of the pressure chamber by static electricity. It may be configured to eject from the nozzle 11a.

[0047]

As described above, claim 1
The invention described in (1) comprises a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzles arranged in a row on the front surface, and a flow path forming body having pressure chambers communicating with the respective nozzles, which are housed in the pressure chambers. In an inkjet printer head that selectively applies pressure to ink to eject ink from the nozzles, a stepped portion that is recessed from at least the ink ejection side surface of the nozzle plate toward the opposite side to the ejection direction is formed. It is characterized in that it is provided along the outer periphery of the nozzle plate. In this way, since the outer peripheral edge of the nozzle plate is formed with a step portion that is recessed in the plate thickness direction and in the direction opposite to the ink ejection direction from the nozzle, the plate is cut at the bottom side of this step portion. Even if burrs and burrs are generated during processing, the burrs and burrs do not protrude above the surface (wide surface) of the nozzle plate, so even if you wipe them with a wiper later to clean the nozzle plate, The wiping part of the
It is possible to eliminate the inconvenience of the burrs coming off and fitting into the holes of the nozzle to cause ejection failure.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet printer head according to the first aspect, the step portion thins the outer peripheral portion of the nozzle plate,
It is characterized in that it is formed on both front and back surfaces. By forming the step on both the front and back surfaces of the nozzle plate in this way, even when the back surface of the nozzle plate is adhered and fixed to the flow path structure body with an adhesive, no gap is generated on the adhesion surface, and ink leakage does not occur. Can be eliminated.

The invention described in claim 3 is the same as claim 1
Alternatively, in the inkjet printer head described in Item 2, since the nozzle plate is made of a synthetic resin material, there is an effect that a working operation for forming the step portion of the outer peripheral edge becomes easy.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing an ink jet printer head, which comprises a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzles arranged in a row on the front surface, and a flow chamber having a pressure chamber communicating with each nozzle. In an inkjet printer head that includes a channel structure and ejects ink from the nozzle by selectively applying pressure to the ink contained in the pressure chamber, at least the surface on the ink ejection side of both the front and back surfaces of the material plate. A concave groove is formed along the outer peripheral shape of the nozzle plate, then the outer periphery of the nozzle plate is cut along the concave groove, and the nozzle plate is bonded to the flow path forming body. It is a thing. With such a manufacturing method, only the nozzle plate may be separately prepared in a step different from the step of forming the flow path forming body, and the nozzle plate may be bonded so as to correspond to the ink flow path of the flow path forming body. On the side where ink is ejected from the nozzle after bonding, burrs and burrs do not project outside the wide surface of the nozzle plate, so even if the wiper is used to clean the nozzle plate later, the wiping part of the wiper will remain. It is possible to eliminate the inconvenience of being caught by burrs and burrs, peeling off the burrs and burrs, and fitting into the nozzle holes to cause ejection failure.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet printer head according to the fourth aspect,
When the concave groove is formed so as to face both the front and back surfaces of the material plate, there is no gap in the bonding surface between the nozzle plate and the flow path forming body, so that ink leakage does not occur.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inkjet printer to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inkjet printer head with the nozzle side facing upward.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of components of the inkjet printer head.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of components of the inkjet printer head as viewed from above the head holder.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a main part.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a head unit.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of each component of the cavity unit.

FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a cavity unit.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged side sectional view of the head unit.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the first embodiment when a plurality of nozzle plates are cut out from a material plate.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a second embodiment when a plurality of nozzle plates are cut out from a material plate.

12A is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line XIIa-XIIa in FIG. 11, and FIG. 12B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the nozzle plate separated from the nozzle plate.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 head holder 5 bottom plate 6 head unit 7 UV adhesive 10 cavity unit 11 nozzle plate 11a nozzle 12 Manifold plate 13 Spacer plate 14 Base plate 20 Piezoelectric actuator 40 flexible cable 56 groove 57 steps 58 Bali Kaeri 60 material plate

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An ink housed in the pressure chamber, comprising: a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzles arranged in a row on the front surface; and a flow path forming body having a pressure chamber communicating with each nozzle. In an inkjet printer head that selectively applies pressure to the nozzles to eject ink, a stepped portion that is recessed from at least the ink ejection side surface of the front and back surfaces of the nozzle plate toward the opposite side to the ejection direction is formed. An inkjet printer head provided along the outer periphery of a nozzle plate. 2. The ink jet printer head according to claim 1, wherein the stepped portion is formed on both front and back surfaces so as to thin the outer peripheral portion of the nozzle plate. 3. The inkjet printer head according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle plate is made of a synthetic resin material. 4. An ink housed in the pressure chamber, comprising a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzles arranged in a row on the front surface, and a flow path forming body having a pressure chamber communicating with each nozzle. In an inkjet printer head that selectively applies pressure to the nozzles to eject ink, a concave groove is formed along the outer peripheral shape of the nozzle plate on at least the ink ejection side of the front and back surfaces of the material plate. Then, the outer periphery of the nozzle plate is cut out along the inside of the groove, and the nozzle plate is bonded to the flow path forming body. 5. The method of manufacturing an inkjet printer head according to claim 4, wherein the recessed groove is formed so as to face both front and back surfaces of the material plate.