JP2000301728A - Manufacture of ink jet printer head - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently form an ink pressure chamber, an ink channel, or the like, with high accuracy while suppressing generation of a stretching recess on the bottom. SOLUTION: An ink channel 6, an ink channel 5, or the like, of blind hole structure is made through laser machining by projecting a laser beam from a laser unit to a head member 2 mounted on the machining table of a machining system. Laser machining is carried out under a state where the laser beam and the head member 2 turn relatively on coaxial circles of specified diameters through oscillatory operation of the laser beam projecting section of the laser unit or the machining table.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a head device provided in an ink jet printer, and more particularly, to a method in which a medium flow path and / or a medium pressure chamber for supplying ink or a diluent to a nozzle hole is precisely formed on a head member. To a method for forming the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art On-demand type ink jet printers have been put into practical use as small and inexpensive printers capable of dramatically improving the resolution and image quality of recorded images and the like. On-demand type inkjet printers discharge ink droplets from nozzles of a head device according to a control signal,
This is made to fly on a recording medium such as paper or film to record an image or the like. An on-demand type ink jet printer uses a piezoelectric method in which ink is pressurized by displacement of a piezo element and a bubble jet that uses the pressure of bubbles generated by heating and evaporating ink in a nozzle by a heating element as a method of flying ink droplets. Method is adopted.

[0003] As for printers, in offices,
Creation of documents and the like using a computer called desktop publishing has become popular, and there is an increasing demand for printing not only characters and figures but also color natural images such as photographs with characters and figures. There is a great demand for printers for creating New Year's cards and greeting cards even in personal use. 2. Description of the Related Art In a printer, in order to print out a high-quality natural image, gradation expression by halftone display is important.
In the above-described recording methods based on the piezoelectric method and the bubble jet method, since the ink density cannot be changed in principle immediately before ejection, it is difficult to express the halftone density in dot units on the recording medium. It is.

[0004] In the on-demand type ink jet printer, various methods have been proposed so far to simulate the gradation expression of a recorded image. For example, as a first method, there has been proposed a method in which the voltage or pulse width applied to a piezo element or a heating element is modulated to control the size of a droplet to be ejected, and the diameter of a print dot is made variable to express gradation. I have. However, the first method has a limitation on the minimum droplet diameter because the ink is not ejected if the voltage or the pulse width is excessively reduced, and is not suitable particularly for low-density gradation expression.

[0005] As a second method, one pixel is composed of a plurality of matrices, for example, one pixel is composed of a 4.times.4 dot matrix with a constant dot diameter, and a gradation is obtained by a so-called dither method in a unit of this matrix. It is a way to express. The second method enables expression of 17 gradations. However, in the second method, when printing is performed at the same dot density as the first method described above, the resolution is reduced to 1 /
4 and there is a problem that the roughness is conspicuous and a natural image cannot be sufficiently expressed. In the second method, when image processing is performed precisely in order to solve such a problem, the control circuit and the like become complicated and the arithmetic processing speed is reduced, that is, the printout time is lengthened. Occurs.

The present applicant has proposed a method for solving the above-mentioned problem of the conventional on-demand type printer in principle, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-201024, entitled "Inkjet Printer Head and Inkjet Printer". An inkjet printer head and an inkjet printer (hereinafter, referred to as a carrier jet type printer) are provided. A carrier jet type printer mixes ink and a diluent, which is a transparent medium, at a predetermined mixing ratio based on a control signal or the like immediately before ejection to form a diluted ink, and immediately ejects the diluted ink from a nozzle onto a recording medium. Print out images and so on by flying. Carrier jet printers express the gradation freely for each dot on a recording medium by controlling the density of each ink droplet ejected by mixing a diluent at a predetermined mixing ratio. Is possible. Therefore, the carrier jet type printer can print out a natural image rich in intermediate gradations with high accuracy without deteriorating the resolution.

A conventional ink jet printer is provided with, for example, a head device 100 shown in FIG.
The head device 100 includes a head plate 101, a vibration plate 102, and a stacked piezo element 103. The head plate 101 is formed of, for example, a resin material, a metal material, a ceramic material, or the like, and has an ink pressure chamber 104, an ink flow path 105, a nozzle hole 106, an ink supply flow path 107, an ink storage chamber (not shown), and the like. ing. The ink pressure chamber 104 is formed of a concave portion that opens on one main surface 101a of the head plate 101,
An ink flow path 105 having an opening at one end and a slightly smaller diameter is communicated with the bottom 104a. Ink channel 105
Has a nozzle hole 1 having one end opened at its bottom 105a.
06 is communicated. The other end of the nozzle hole 106 penetrates the head plate 101 and opens on the other main surface 101b.

The head device 100 includes a head plate 10
On the other hand, the diaphragm 102 is joined to the main surface 101a so as to close the ink pressure chamber 104. The head device 100 corresponds to the diaphragm 1 corresponding to the ink pressure chamber 104.
The piezo element 103 is bonded to the element 02. Head device 10
0 indicates that when a driving voltage supplied from the control unit based on an image signal or the like is applied to the piezo element 103, a longitudinal vibration action is generated in the piezo element 103, and a volume fluctuation occurs in the ink pressure chamber 104. Cause. Head device 100
This causes the ink to be pushed out of the ink pressure chamber 104 into the ink flow path 105 and ejected from the nozzle hole 106.

[0009]

In the head device 100, in order to form the above-mentioned parts on the head plate 101, an appropriate precision processing method according to the material, for example, electroforming, pressing, etching, etc. , Electrical discharge machining,
Injection molding, laser processing, etc. are performed. Laser processing is a method in which the local area of a material is heated instantaneously to evaporate it by heat, and there is no restriction on atmospheric conditions, non-contact processing, and no special noise or dust measures are required. And various advantages such as easy control. Excimer laser processing is generally employed for laser processing, and an excimer laser emitted from a laser device is irradiated on the head plate 101 via a mask having a predetermined shape.

The ink pressure chamber 104 or the ink flow path 10
5 are the bottoms 104a, 105a respectively as described above.
Are formed in the head plate 101 with high precision by excimer laser processing as recesses having blind holes. By the way, the ink pressure chamber 104 or the ink flow path 1
Due to the characteristics of excimer laser processing in which processing proceeds at the outer peripheral portion of the laser spot, the outer peripheral portion of the bottom portion 105a is sagged as shown in FIGS. Is done. Accordingly, the ink pressure chamber 104 or the ink flow path 105 is formed such that each of the bottoms 104a and 105a has an arcuate surface having a sharp outer peripheral edge. The overhanging recesses 108 and 109 are substantially proportional to the depth dimension of the ink pressure chamber 104 and the ink flow path 105, and the greater the processing depth, the greater the depth dimension.

The head device 100 includes an ink pressure chamber 104.
When the ink is supplied to the ink passage 105 or the ink flow path 105, air bubbles easily accumulate in the overhanging concave portions 108 and 109. For this reason, in the head device 100, when the piezo element 103 oscillates and discharges ink from the nozzle holes 106 according to the volume fluctuation in the ink pressure chamber 104, a decrease in the discharge force or a decrease in the discharge amount occurs. I do. As a result, the head device 100 has a problem that printout accuracy of an image or the like is deteriorated. In the head device 100, it is considered that bubbles accumulated in the overhanging recesses 108 and 109 are removed by, for example, performing a pressing operation from the ink reservoir chamber side or a suction operation from the nozzle hole 106 side. It was difficult to remove it.

On the other hand, in a carrier jet type printer, a natural image rich in intermediate gradations is printed out with high precision by printing out an image or the like with a dilute ink liquid obtained by mixing an ink and a diluting liquid as described above. It is possible. For this purpose, the carrier jet type printer needs to discharge the ink or the diluting liquid with high precision, and the above-mentioned reduction in the discharge force and the discharge amount due to the bubbles accumulated in the overhanging recesses 108 and 109 pose a serious problem.

According to the present invention, there is provided a head device for an ink jet printer in which ink or a diluting liquid is discharged with high accuracy by suppressing the above-mentioned overhanging concave portion when forming an ink pressure chamber or an ink flow path. It has been proposed for the purpose of providing a manufacturing method.

[0014]

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a head device for an ink jet printer which achieves the above-mentioned object, wherein a head member positioned and mounted on a processing table of a processing table apparatus is formed in a predetermined shape. By irradiating the laser emitted from the laser device through the mask of,
Laser processing is performed on a slightly larger diameter ink flow path, ink pressure chamber, and the like, which are communicated with the ink supply section having a blind hole structure in the head member. The method of manufacturing the head device includes the above-described ink flow path and ink pressure chamber in a state where at least one of the laser emitting unit and the processing table of the laser device performs a vibration operation in the same plane with the center axis fixed. To form.

According to the method of manufacturing a head device for an ink jet printer according to the present invention, the laser emitted from the laser device is coaxially circular having a predetermined diameter due to the oscillation operation of the laser emitting portion or the processing table of the processing table device. By applying the ink flow path and the ink pressure chamber to the head member while rotating on the circumference, the processing of the ink flow path and the ink pressure chamber to be processed at the outer peripheral edge portion at the bottom thereof is suppressed, and It is formed to have a flat surface. Therefore, according to the method of manufacturing a head device for an ink jet printer, the ink flow path and the ink pressure chamber are formed with a high-precision shape that suppresses the occurrence of a protruding recess at the outer peripheral edge portion at the bottom thereof. The generation of air bubbles is suppressed,
A head device that ejects ink and a diluting liquid with high accuracy is manufactured.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The head device 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is mounted on a general inkjet printer, and has a basic configuration including a head plate 2, a diaphragm 3, and a stacked piezo element 4. The ink 10 is ejected from the nozzle holes 7 formed in the head plate 2. The head device 1
A diaphragm is joined to the head plate 2 and a piezo element 4 is joined to a predetermined position of the diaphragm 3 and held by a holder member (not shown) to constitute a head portion.

The head plate 2 is formed of, for example, a plastic material such as polyetherimide or polyethylene terephthalate having chemical resistance to ink and mechanical properties. Of course, the head plate 2 can also be formed of a material such as a metal plate such as nickel or stainless steel, or a ceramic plate such as glass or silicon. Head plate 2
Specifically, using a polyetherimide plate having a thickness of 0.5 mm as a material, and performing a laser processing, a precise ink pressure chamber 5 and an ink flow path 6 described in detail later.
Alternatively, a nozzle hole 7 is formed. Head plate 2
The ink supply chamber 8 is located beside the ink pressure chamber 5.
Are formed, and an ink supply passage 9 communicating with the ink supply chamber 8 and the ink pressure chamber 5 is formed.

The ink pressure chamber 5 is formed by a recess having a substantially elliptical shape, which is recessed on one main surface 2a of the head plate 2. Specifically, the major dimension of the ink pressure chamber 5 is 0.9 mm, the minor axis dimension is 0.4 mm, and the depth dimension is 0.1 mm. The ink pressure chamber 5 is a bottomed hole formed in the head plate 2 and forms a so-called blind hole structure.

In the head plate 2, an ink flow path 6 in the height direction is formed so as to communicate with one end of the bottom 5a of the ink pressure chamber 5. The ink passage 6 is a bottomed circular hole having an inner diameter of 0.2 mm and a depth of 0.35 mm, and forms a so-called blind hole structure. The head plate 2 has a nozzle hole 7 having an inner diameter of 0.03 mm penetrating from the bottom 6a of the ink flow path 6 to the other main surface 2b. The nozzle hole 7 is not limited to a circular hole, and may have an appropriate shape such as an elliptical shape, a triangular shape, or a crescent shape.

The head plate 2 is provided with an ink pressure chamber 5 and an ink flow path 6 by excimer laser processing as described later.
Alternatively, although the nozzle hole 7 is formed, the inner peripheral wall of each part is tapered by about 2 ° due to its processing characteristics. The head plate 2 has a blind hole structure in which the ink pressure chamber 5 and the ink flow path 6 are closed. However, by excimer laser processing according to a method described later, each of the bottoms 5a, 6 is formed.
a is formed with a highly accurate flat surface in which the occurrence of the overhanging concave portion is suppressed.

The head plate 2 constructed as described above
The diaphragm 3 is joined to the main surface 2a such that the ink pressure chamber 5 and the ink supply chamber 8 are closed. Diaphragm 3
Is formed of an appropriate material having chemical resistance, for example, a polyimide resin film. The diaphragm 3
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the portion along the opening edge of the ink pressure chamber 5 is made thin to improve the vibration characteristics. The distal end of the piezo element 4 is joined to the vibration plate 3 at a position corresponding to the above-described ink pressure chamber 5.

Although the details of the piezo element 4 are omitted, piezoelectric ceramics and electrode materials are alternately laminated, and a strain displacement operation occurs by applying a voltage. As the piezo element, an element that generates a displacement operation that extends in the longitudinal direction with respect to an applied voltage or an element that generates a displacement operation that contracts is used. As a matter of course, a piezo element that generates a displacement operation in a direction orthogonal to the applied voltage may be used.

The head device 1 may employ an actuator such as a heating element, an electromagnetic conversion element, or an electrostriction element instead of the piezo element 4 as the driving means of the vibration plate 3. Further, the head device 1 may house these driving elements in the ink pressure chamber 5.

In the head device 1 configured as described above, when a driving voltage supplied from the control unit based on an image signal or the like is applied to the piezo element 4, the piezo element 4 is distorted in the longitudinal direction. An operation occurs and the diaphragm 3 is driven. The head device 1 causes a fluctuation in volume in the ink pressure chamber 5 due to the vibration operation of the vibration plate 3, and pushes the ink 10 inside into the ink flow path 6. The head device 100 thereby discharges the ink 10 from the nozzle holes 7 to print out an image or the like on a recording medium. In the head device 1, the ink 10 is replenished and supplied from the ink supply chamber 8 into the ink pressure chamber 5.

Each part of the above-described head plate 2 is formed by a so-called mask image method using the excimer laser device 11 shown in FIG. Excimer laser device 11
Emits an excimer laser 13 having a high power density from the laser emitting unit 12 and performs a predetermined ablation process on the head plate material 14. Excimer laser device 1
1 is to emit a desired excimer laser 13 by appropriately adjusting the transmission frequency and the number of pulses in accordance with the depth dimension of the head plate material 14 with respect to the processing portion. In the excimer laser device 11, a mask mechanism 15 whose details are omitted in the optical system of the excimer laser 13 is disposed. The excimer laser 1 is opened in the mask mechanism 15 so as to have a shape corresponding to each part such as the ink pressure chamber 5 described above.
A mask member 16 in which a mask hole for transmitting 3 is formed is attached.

The mask member 16 is formed by performing high-precision mask holes by etching a copper plate or a stainless steel plate or by electroforming nickel or the like. The mask member 16 is made of the head plate material 14.
The size of the opening of the mask hole is appropriately set in accordance with the size of each part to be formed and the reduction ratio of the optical system of the excimer laser 13. The excimer laser device 11 has a reduction ratio of an optical system of, for example, 4.5.

The excimer laser device 11 includes a mask changer (not shown) for numerically controlling the above-described mask mechanism 15. The excimer laser device 11 controls the mask mechanism 15 by the mask changer so that a predetermined mask hole corresponding to a predetermined portion to be processed is located in the optical path of the excimer laser 13.

The head plate blank 14 is formed by
While being positioned and mounted on the, laser processing is performed on a predetermined portion by the excimer laser device 11 described above. Although the processing table device 17 is not described in detail, the processing table 18 on which the head plate material 14 is placed can be adjusted and moved with respect to the horizontal plane, that is, the x-axis and the y-axis, and the position in the height direction. That is, it is configured to be adjustable and movable also with respect to the z-axis. The processing table device 17 adjusts a processing position with respect to the head plate material 14 by adjusting and moving the processing table 18 in the x-axis or the y-axis, and adjusts and moves the excimer laser 13 on the head plate material 14 by adjusting and moving in the z-axis. Adjust the spot.

In the excimer laser processing performed by irradiating an excimer laser 13 to a processing portion of the head plate material 14 positioned on the processing table 18, the head plate material 14 and the excimer laser 13 have a relatively predetermined diameter. This is performed by moving while moving at a predetermined speed on the circle having the circle. In the excimer laser processing, specifically, when processing the ink pressure chamber 5, an excimer laser 13 having a frequency of 100 Hz and a pulse number of 230 shots is emitted from the excimer laser device 11, and the excimer laser 13 and the head plate material 14 Are relatively 24 μm in diameter, 30
It is performed by moving at a circling speed of mm / min. In the excimer laser processing, when processing the ink flow path 6, the excimer laser device
Excimer laser 13 with 0 Hz and 575 shots pulse
The excimer laser 13 and the head plate material 14 are relatively 30 μm in diameter and 30 mm / min.
It is made to move with the orbital speed of.

The excimer laser device 11 is configured so that, for example, the main body or the laser emitting unit 12 is oscillated by a driving mechanism (not shown) in order to perform the above-described excimer laser processing. The excimer laser device 11 is configured such that the excimer laser 13 emitted from the laser
The head plate material 14 fixed while being positioned on the processing table 18 is irradiated while performing the above-described operation so that predetermined excimer laser processing is performed.

In the present invention, the excimer laser device 1
One side may be a fixed side and the processing table device 17 side may be configured as a movable part. The processing table device 17 is configured such that the processing table 18 is vibrated by a drive mechanism (not shown) in order to perform the above-described excimer laser processing. The processing table device 17 fixes the head plate material 14 on the processing table 18 in a state where it is positioned, and the processing table 18 is vibrated by the drive mechanism at the above-described rotation speed. The excimer laser 13 emitted from the laser emitting unit 12 of the excimer laser device 11 is irradiated on the head plate material 14 to the processing table device 17 to perform predetermined excimer laser processing while performing the above-described vibration operation. To do.

Further, in the present invention, the laser emitting section 12 of the excimer laser device 11 and the processing table 18 of the processing table apparatus 17 are configured as movable sections, and these are configured to relatively perform the above-described vibration operation. May be. In addition, the excimer laser device 11 and the processing table device 17 may be configured such that a portion other than the laser emission unit 12 and the processing table 18 is configured as a movable unit to perform the above-described vibration operation. The excimer laser device 11 may control, for example, the excimer laser 13 emitted from the laser emitting unit 12 to perform the above-described oscillation operation.

The present invention is also used when manufacturing the head device 20 provided in the carrier jet type printer (hereinafter simply referred to as an ink jet printer) shown in FIGS. The ink jet printer discharges ink 21 from a fixed amount side of a head device 20, which will be described in detail later, and discharges a diluting liquid 22 from a discharging side.
3 is flying on a recording material such as a recording paper to record an image or the like. The head device 20 includes a pair of piezo elements 24 as ejection means for the ink 21 or the diluting liquid 22, as described later.
25, but may be used in a bubble jet printer that supplies a fixed amount of the ink 21 or the diluent 23 by a so-called bubble jet method.

The head device 20 has a head plate 26 in which a fixed amount nozzle hole (ink nozzle hole) 27 and a discharge side nozzle hole (diluent nozzle hole) 28 are formed independently. In the head device 20, the head plate 26 has a chemical resistance to the ink 21 and the diluent 22 as well as the head device 1 according to the first embodiment described above, and a thickness dimension having mechanical characteristics of 0. .5m
m of polyetherimide.
The head plate 26 can also be formed of a material such as another plastic material, a metal plate such as nickel or stainless steel, or a ceramic plate such as glass or silicon. Of course, the head device 20 is provided with the ink 21 and the diluent 22 by a so-called bubble jet method.
May be used in a bubble jet printer that supplies a fixed amount of the liquid.

As shown in FIG. 4, the head plate material is subjected to excimer laser processing to form an ink pressure chamber 2 having an opening on one main surface 26a.
9 are formed, and an ink flow path 30 communicating with the ink pressure chamber 29 and the ink nozzle hole 27 is formed. In the head plate 26, an ink supply chamber 31 is formed which is located on the side of the ink pressure chamber 29 and opens on the one main surface 26a, and an ink supply chamber communicating with the ink supply chamber 31 and the ink pressure chamber 29 is formed. A channel 32 is formed. As will be described in detail later, the ink nozzle hole 27 is formed as an inclined through hole that is opened in the other main surface 26b of the head plate 26 and that is inclined at 30 ° with respect to the vertical direction together with the ink flow path 30.

The head plate 26 is formed with a diluent pressure chamber 33 which is opened on one main surface 26a by performing excimer laser processing on the head plate material. A diluent flow path 34 communicating with the hole 28 is formed. The head plate 26 is formed with a diluent supply chamber 35 which is located on the side of the diluent pressure chamber 33 and opens on one main surface 26a. A communicating diluent supply channel 36 is formed. The diluent nozzle hole 28 has a head plate 2
6, and is formed as a vertical hole together with the diluent flow path 34.

The head plate 26 is formed by excimer laser processing similar to the method described in detail in the first embodiment. Head plate 26
For example, after the supply portion side of the diluent 22 is formed, the process portion on the supply portion side of the ink liquid 21 is formed. In other words, the head plate 26 is configured such that the excimer laser 13 emitted from the excimer laser device 11 is provided on the main surface of the mask mechanism 15 having a predetermined mask member 16 in a state where the material is positioned and mounted on the processing table device 17 described above. The diluent pressure chamber 33 and the diluent supply chamber 35 which are opened adjacent to each other by being irradiated with the liquid are formed.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the diluent pressure chamber 33 is formed on the main surface of the head plate material with an elliptical concave portion, a so-called blind hole structure. The diluent pressure chamber 33 irradiates the material with the excimer laser 13 having a frequency of 100 Hz and a pulse number of 230 shots emitted from the excimer laser device 11 and excimer laser 1.
3 and the material are relatively 24 μm in diameter and 30 mm / min
It is processed in a state where it is oscillated at a revolving speed of.
The diluent pressure chamber 33 is formed with a high-precision flat surface by suppressing the occurrence of a projecting recess on the outer peripheral edge of the bottom portion 33a by such excimer laser processing.

The diluent flow path 34 having a predetermined depth is formed in the head plate 26 at one end of the bottom 33a of the diluent pressure chamber 33 formed by the above-described process. That is, the excimer laser 13 is provided on the head plate 26 via a mask mechanism 15 replaced with a predetermined mask member 16 at a predetermined position on the bottom 33a of the diluent pressure chamber 33.
Is irradiated, the diluent flow path 34 having a predetermined depth is recessed. The diluent flow path 34 irradiates an excimer laser 13 having a frequency of 100 Hz and a pulse number of 575 shots emitted from the excimer laser device 11 to a predetermined position of the bottom 33 a of the diluent pressure chamber 33, 14 is relatively 30 in diameter
The workpiece is machined in a state of being vibrated at a circling speed of 30 μm at a speed of 30 μm. The diluent flow path 34 is formed by such excimer laser processing as having a high-precision flat surface in which the bottom 34a protrudes to the outer peripheral edge and the occurrence of a concave portion is suppressed.

The excimer laser 13 is applied to the head plate 26 by irradiating the bottom 34 a of the diluent flow path 34 formed by the above-described process through the mask mechanism 15 replaced with a predetermined mask member 16. Then, a diluent nozzle hole 28 penetrating the material is formed. Since the diluent nozzle hole 28 is a through-hole, it is not necessary to perform excimer laser processing while relatively oscillating the excimer laser 13 and the material 14 as described above. The diluent nozzle hole 28 has a function of discharging the diluent 22, and its discharge port has a point-symmetrical shape. The diluting liquid nozzle hole 28 has a circular discharge port for ease of design and manufacture, but may be formed in a square shape, for example.

The head plate 26 is provided with the diluent 2 described above.
When the processing on the supply section side of No. 2 is performed, the processing on the supply section side of the ink liquid 21 is performed. In the head plate 26,
The main surface of the material is irradiated with an excimer laser 13 emitted from the excimer laser device 11 through a mask mechanism 15 having a predetermined mask member 16 so that the ink pressure chamber is adjacent to the diluent pressure chamber 33 described above. 29 and an ink supply chamber 31 are formed. The ink pressure chamber 29 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, an elliptical concave portion, a so-called blind hole structure, is formed on the main surface of the head plate material. The ink pressure chamber 29 irradiates the material with an excimer laser 13 having a frequency of 100 Hz and a pulse number of 230 shots emitted from the excimer laser device 11, and the excimer laser 13 and the material have a relative diameter of 24 μm.
It is processed in a state where it is vibrated at a revolving speed of 30 mm / min. By the excimer laser processing, the ink pressure chamber 29 is formed with a high-precision flat surface by suppressing the occurrence of a projecting concave portion on the outer peripheral edge of the bottom portion 29a. The ink pressure chamber 29 and the ink supply chamber 31 may be performed at the same time as the above-described processing on the supply side of the diluent 22.

When the processing of the ink pressure chamber 29 described above is completed, the head plate 26 moves the processing table 1 of the processing table apparatus 17.
The tilting operation of 8 causes the main surface of the material to be inclined by 30 ° with respect to the horizontal direction. In this state, the ink flow path 30 having a predetermined depth is provided at one end of the bottom portion 29 a of the ink pressure chamber 29 in the head plate 26.
Is recessed. That is, the head plate 26 is irradiated with the excimer laser 13 at a predetermined position of the bottom 29 a of the ink pressure chamber 29 via the mask mechanism 15 replaced with the predetermined mask member 16, so that the head plate 26 is 30 ° with respect to the horizontal plane. The ink flow path 30 is formed as an inclined blind hole having a predetermined inclined depth.

The ink flow path 30 is provided in the excimer laser device 1
An excimer laser 13 having a frequency of 100 Hz and a pulse number of 660 shots emitted from 1 is irradiated on a predetermined position of the bottom 29a of the ink pressure chamber 29, and the excimer laser 13 and the material 14 are relatively 30 μm in diameter and 30 μm in diameter.
It is processed in a state where it is vibrated at a revolving speed of mm / min. The ink flow path 30 is formed by the excimer laser processing with a high-precision flat surface in which the bottom 30a protrudes to the outer peripheral edge and the occurrence of the concave portion is suppressed.

The excimer laser 13 is applied to the head plate 26 by irradiating the bottom 30a of the ink flow path 30 formed by the above-described process via the mask mechanism 15 replaced with a predetermined mask member 16. An ink nozzle hole 27 penetrating the material is formed. Since the ink nozzle hole 28 is a through hole, it is not necessary to form the ink nozzle hole 28 by performing excimer laser processing while relatively oscillating the excimer laser 13 and the material 14 as described above. The ink nozzle hole 27 has a high degree of freedom in its shape, and is formed not only in a circular shape but also in an appropriate shape such as an elliptical shape, a triangular shape, or a crescent shape.

In the head plate 26, as shown in FIG. 6, as described above, the other main surface 26b is provided with an ink nozzle hole 27 inclined at 30 ° and a discharge port of a diluent nozzle hole 28 perpendicular to each other. Each is opened in close proximity. The head plate 26 discharges the ink 21 from the ink nozzle holes 27 and discharges the diluent 22 from the diluent nozzle holes 28 to generate the dilute ink 23 on the main surface 26b, as described in detail later. Head plate 26
The ink 21, the diluting liquid 22, or the diluting liquid 2 around the discharge port of the ink nozzle hole 27 or the diluting nozzle hole 28
3 to prevent the wetting of the diluted ink liquid 23 and improve the stability of the discharge of the diluted ink 23 and the accuracy of the discharge direction.
b has been subjected to a water-repellent treatment.

The head plate 2 configured as described above
6, a diaphragm 37 is joined to one main surface 26a so as to close the ink pressure chamber 29 and the diluent pressure chamber 33. The diaphragm 37 is formed of an appropriate material having chemical resistance, for example, a polyimide resin film. As shown in FIG. 4, the vibration plate 37 has a thin portion along the opening edges of the ink pressure chamber 29 and the diluent pressure chamber 33 to improve the vibration characteristics. The vibration plate 37 has piezo elements 24 and 25 at positions corresponding to the above-described ink pressure chamber 29 and the diluent pressure chamber 33, respectively.
Are joined together.

Although the details of the piezo elements 24 and 25 are omitted, piezoelectric ceramics and electrode materials are alternately laminated, and a strain displacement operation occurs when a voltage is applied. As the piezo elements 24 and 25, those generating a displacement operation extending in the longitudinal direction with respect to an applied voltage and those generating a contraction displacement operation are used. As a matter of course, a piezo element that generates a displacement operation in a direction orthogonal to the applied voltage may be used.

Although not shown, the head device 20 includes the ink supply unit and the diluent supply unit having the above-described configuration.
The ink nozzle holes 27 and the diluent nozzle holes 28 of each set are formed adjacent to each other. When printing out a color image, the head device 20 forms a head assembly with four heads corresponding to four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, and a large number of these head assemblies are arranged on a line. To print out the color record image.

The head device 20 configured as described above
When a driving voltage supplied from the control unit based on an image signal or the like is applied to the piezo elements 24 and 25, the piezo elements 24 and 25 are driven to generate a strain displacement operation in the longitudinal direction. The diaphragm 37 is driven. The head device 20 discharges the ink 21 and the diluting liquid 22 from the ink nozzle holes 27 and the diluting liquid nozzle holes 28 due to the volume fluctuations in the ink pressure chamber 29 and the diluting liquid pressure chamber 33 due to the vibration operation of the vibration plate 37. Let it. Head device 20
Prints out an image or the like by flying a diluted ink liquid 23 obtained by mixing the ink 21 and the diluent liquid 22 at a predetermined concentration onto a recording medium.

The head device 20 prints out an image or the like with the diluted ink 23 having a predetermined density by a series of operations shown in FIG. 9 in detail. In the head device 20, in the standby state as shown in FIG.
The ink flow path 30 and the diluent flow path 34 due to the capillary pressure
, The ink 21 and the diluent 22 are supplied into the ink nozzle holes 27 and the diluent nozzle holes 28, respectively. The ink 21 and the diluent 22 are respectively supplied to the ink meniscus 21 a and the diluent meniscus 22 at the discharge ports of the ink nozzle holes 27 and the diluent nozzle holes 28.
a.

In the head device 20, the driving voltage from the control unit is applied to the piezo element 24 on the ink supply unit side based on the image signal and the like, so that the ink pressure chamber 29 is controlled.
As shown in FIG. 3B, a fixed amount of ink 21 is supplied from the ink nozzle hole 27 to the head plate 26.
On the main surface 26b. Ink nozzle hole 27
As described above, the discharge port is opened close to the diluent nozzle hole 28 and is configured as a 30 ° inclined hole, so that a fixed amount of the ink 21 is directed toward the discharge port of the diluent nozzle hole 28. To discharge.

In the head device 20, the ink 21
Is connected to the diluent meniscus 22a formed at the discharge port of the diluent nozzle hole 28 by surface tension as shown in FIG. In the head plate 26, a portion 23 a wet by the diluted ink 23 is generated around the ink nozzle holes 27 and the diluent nozzle holes 28.

In the head device 20, since the volume fluctuation in the ink pressure chamber 29 is restored to the initial state by the application of the voltage to the piezo element 24 on the ink supply section side, the ink meniscus 21a gradually becomes the ink nozzle hole. It begins to be drawn into 27. Head device 20
In (2), when a drive voltage from the control unit is applied to the piezo element 25 on the diluent supply unit side based on an image signal or the like, a volume change occurs in the diluent pressure chamber 33, and the state shown in FIG. Through the diluent nozzle hole 28 as shown in FIG.
Is pushed out onto the main surface 26b of the head plate 26.
The ink pressure chamber 29 is replenished with the ink 21 from the ink supply chamber 31 when the volume change is restored to the initial state.

In the head device 20, as the diluent 22 is further discharged from the diluent nozzle hole 28, the ink meniscus 21a is drawn into the ink nozzle hole 27 as shown by a broken line in FIG. . Head device 20
In (2), when the voltage application to the piezo element 25 on the diluting liquid supply unit side is cut off, the volume fluctuation in the diluting liquid pressure chamber 33 is restored to the initial state, so that the dilution is performed as indicated by the broken line in FIG. The liquid meniscus 22a is gradually drawn into the diluent nozzle hole 28, and the dilute ink 23 gradually moves away from the discharge port. The diluent 22 is replenished and supplied to the diluent pressure chamber 33 from the diluent supply chamber 35 when the volume fluctuation is restored to the initial state.

The diluted ink liquid 23 has a predetermined mixing ratio of the ink 21 and the diluent liquid 22, is torn off from the diluent liquid 22, and flies toward the recording medium as shown in FIG. The diluted ink liquid 23 lands on a recording medium to record an image or the like. On the other hand, the ink 21 gradually protrudes from the state of being drawn into the ink nozzle hole 27 to the ejection port by the capillary pressure, and forms the ink meniscus 21a again at the ejection port as shown in FIG.
The ink meniscus 21a has an ink nozzle hole 2
A slight vibration occurs at the discharge port 7 due to inertia.

The diluent 22 gradually protrudes from the state of being drawn into the diluent nozzle hole 28 by the capillary pressure to the discharge port as shown in FIG. 7I, and forms the diluent meniscus 22a again at the discharge port. I do. The diluting liquid meniscus 22a also slightly vibrates at the discharge port of the diluting liquid nozzle hole 28 due to inertia. In the head device 20, after the above-described operation, the ink 21 and the diluting liquid 22 are supplied to the ink meniscus 21a and the diluting liquid 21 at the discharge ports of the ink nozzle holes 27 and the diluting liquid nozzle holes 28, respectively, as shown in FIG. It returns to the initial state where the liquid meniscus 22a has been formed, and enters a standby state until the next printing operation. In the head device 20, a predetermined image or the like is recorded on a recording medium by repeating the above-described operation of discharging the diluted ink liquid 23.

The above-described series of operations of the head device 20 is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. The operation of the head device 20 is based on its timing and state, for example, the shape of the diluted ink 23, the filling operation, and the like. It changes depending on physical factors such as the viscosity and surface tension of the ink 21 and the diluent 22, and operating conditions such as the ejection frequency.

In the head device 20, the ink 21 is contained in the diluted ink liquid 23 by adjusting the amount and time of increase of the discharge pressure for discharging the ink 21, that is, the voltage value or pulse width of the voltage pulse applied to the piezo element 24. The mixing ratio of the diluent 22, that is, the ink concentration is adjusted. The head device 20 can change the density for each dot, and by forming a large number of these dots,
The gradation expression of the halftone becomes possible, and the natural image by the gradation expression with high accuracy is printed out.

The head device 20 is subjected to excimer laser processing in a state where the excimer laser 13 and the head plate 26 are oscillated in the same plane with their center axes fixed relative to each other as described above. An ink pressure chamber 29 and an ink flow path 30 having a structure or a diluent pressure chamber 33 and a diluent flow path 34 are formed. The head device 20 is provided with the ink pressure chamber 29 and the ink channel 30 or the diluent pressure chamber 33 and the diluent channel 34 by the excimer laser processing.
However, the occurrence of overhanging concave portions at the outer peripheral edges of the respective bottom portions is suppressed, so that they are formed with high precision.

Therefore, the head device 20 is provided with the ink 2
1 and the diluent 22, these ink pressure chambers 2
No bubbles are generated in the ink 21 or the diluent 22 in the ink channel 9 or the diluent pressure chamber 33 or the diluent flow channel 34. The head device 20 suppresses the clogging of the ink nozzle hole 27 and the diluent nozzle hole 28 due to air bubbles, and also discharges the ink 21 and the diluent 22 precisely, thereby recording a high-precision image or the like. Become.
Further, in the head device 20, the replenishment of the nozzle holes 27 and the diluent nozzle holes 28 is easily performed, and the troublesome and difficult work of removing bubbles is not required, and the handling is simplified.

Incidentally, in the head device, in order to smoothly discharge the ink from the nozzle holes, the nozzle holes are formed by so-called contour processing as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-318744, "Method of Manufacturing Inkjet Head". Have been proposed. That is, in the head device 40 of the prior application, as shown in FIG. 10, a through-hole forming a nozzle hole 42 is formed in a base plate 41 by laser processing, and a non-through hole around the nozzle hole 42 is formed. By processing the hole 43, a nozzle orifice 44 having an arbitrary curved profile is formed. The head device 40 communicates with the nozzle hole 42 so that the central axis is coincident and the stop hole 43 having a gradually decreasing inner diameter is formed in multiple stages, so that the nozzle volume is increased and the behavior of the ink meniscus is stabilized. Become like

However, in such a head device 40, when each stop hole 43 is formed, as shown in FIG. There's a problem. Therefore, in the head device 40, the depth of each stop hole 43 is made shallow, in other words, by forming the stop holes 43 in multiple stages, it is possible to reduce the generation amount of the projecting recess 45. Head device 40
In such a case, there is a problem that the processing time is lengthened by such measures.

In order to solve the above problem, FIG.
The head device 50 shown in FIG. 3 has the same basic process as forming a through hole constituting the nozzle hole 52 in the base plate 51 by laser processing and processing a blind hole 53 which is a non-through hole around the nozzle hole 52. However, when forming each blind hole 53, the above-mentioned excimer laser processing is performed. That is, the head device 5
No. 0 indicates that each blind hole 53 is formed by performing excimer laser processing on the excimer laser 13 and the head plate 51 in a state of performing relative in-plane vibration operations of 20 μm in diameter and 30 mm / min in the same plane.

The head device 50 is subjected to such excimer laser processing so that each blind hole 5 is formed as shown in FIG.
3 is formed with high precision in which the occurrence of the overhanging concave portion is suppressed. Therefore, in the head device 50, the nozzle orifice 54 having a smooth profile is formed without increasing the number of steps of the blind hole 53, in other words, the processing time is reduced.

[0065]

As described above in detail, according to the method of manufacturing a head device for an ink jet printer according to the present invention, a laser beam emitted from a laser device is applied to a head member mounted on a processing stage. When laser processing the ink flow path, ink pressure chamber, etc. of the blind hole structure, the vibration operation of orbiting the concentric circle having a relatively predetermined diameter by the vibration operation of the laser emitting unit or the processing stage. Since the ink flow path and the ink pressure chamber and the like are formed in the same state, the ink flow path, the ink pressure chamber, and the like are formed so as to exhibit a highly accurate flat surface in which the occurrence of the projecting concave portion in the outer peripheral edge portion at the bottom is suppressed. . Therefore, according to the method of manufacturing a head device for an ink jet printer, by forming the ink flow path, the ink pressure chamber, and the like with a smooth shape, it is possible to suppress the generation of air bubbles therein. In addition, a head device that discharges ink or a diluting liquid with high accuracy and records an image or the like with high accuracy is manufactured at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a head device for an ink jet printer to which the present invention is applied, as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of the head device as viewed from a side.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a schematic configuration of an excimer laser processing apparatus for performing excimer laser processing on a head plate provided in the head apparatus and a processing table apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a head device for an on-demand type inkjet printer to which the present invention is applied, as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a main part of the head device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of openings of ink nozzle holes and diluent nozzle holes formed in a head plate provided in the head device.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of an essential part for explaining a configuration of a supply section of the diluent.

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part illustrating a configuration of an ink supply unit.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a discharging operation of the diluted ink liquid.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a nozzle hole formed by performing contour processing.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of a nozzle hole formed by performing contour processing according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a conventional head device for an ink jet printer.

FIG. 13 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part illustrating a configuration of an ink flow path and a nozzle hole portion of the head device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 head device, 2 head plate, 3 diaphragm, 4
Piezo element, 5 ink pressure chamber, 6 ink flow path, 7
Nozzle holes, 8 ink supply chambers, 9 ink supply channels,
Reference Signs List 10 ink, 11 excimer laser device, 12 laser emitting portion, 13 excimer laser, 14 head plate material, 15 mask mechanism, 16 mask member, 17 processing table device, 18 processing table, 20 head device, 21 ink, 22 diluent, 23 diluted ink solution, 24, 25
Piezo element, 26 head plate, 27 ink nozzle hole, 28 diluent nozzle hole 22, 29 ink pressure chamber, 30 ink flow path, 31 ink supply chamber, 32 ink supply flow path, 33 diluent pressure chamber, 34 diluent flow Channel, 35 diluent supply chamber, 36 diluent supply flow path, 37
Diaphragm

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A laser beam emitted from a laser device through a mask having a predetermined shape is applied to a head member positioned and mounted on a processing table of a processing table apparatus, whereby a blind hole is formed in the head member. The ink pressure chamber and the ink flow path and the like which are communicated with the nozzle holes are formed so as to communicate with the ink supply unit having the structure. At least one of the laser emitting unit and the processing table of the laser device has a fixed central axis. A method of manufacturing a head device for an ink jet printer, wherein the ink pressure chamber, the ink flow path, and the like are formed in a state where an in-plane vibration operation is performed. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the laser device is an excimer laser device. 3. The ink pressure chamber, the ink flow path, and the like, have a small-diameter ink nozzle hole that is open at one main surface of the head member and penetrates the other main surface at the bottom, and is provided with an ink supply unit. An ink pressure chamber which is communicated with a somewhat large-diameter ink flow path and / or which is opened on one main surface of the head member and is closed by a diaphragm and supplies ink to the ink flow path. The method for manufacturing a head device for an ink jet printer according to claim 1. 4. The ink pressure chamber, the ink flow path, etc., have a small diameter discharge medium nozzle hole which is opened at one main surface of the head member and penetrates the other main surface at the bottom portion. And a discharge medium pressure chamber that opens to one main surface of the head member and is closed by a diaphragm and supplies a discharge medium to the discharge medium flow path. And / or a small-diameter fixed-medium nozzle hole that is open on one main surface of the head member and penetrates the bottom surface on the other main surface in close proximity to the discharge medium nozzle and communicates with the fixed-medium supply unit. A quantitation medium flow chamber having a slightly larger diameter and / or a quantitation medium pressure chamber that is open on one main surface of the head member and is closed by a diaphragm and supplies a quantitation medium to the quantitation medium flow path; 2. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the mixed medium is caused to fly by discharging the discharge medium from the discharge medium nozzle in a state where the fixed medium is exuded from the fixed medium nozzle to the discharge medium nozzle side. A method for manufacturing a printer head device. 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the quantifying medium is an ink or a diluting liquid, and the ejection medium is a diluting liquid or an ink.