JP2022144038A - Liquid discharge head and liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a liquid discharge head and a liquid discharge device with high workability.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge head according to one embodiment is equipped with a base, a piezoelectric body, a top plate, and an orifice plate. The base is configured by engineering ceramics. The piezoelectric body is arranged on one side in a first direction of the base, is configured by piezoelectric ceramics, and has a plurality of grooves configuring a pressure chamber. The top plate is arranged on one side in the first direction of the piezoelectric body and is configured by machinable ceramics. The orifice plate is oppositely disposed on an end surface on the one side in a second direction different from the first direction of the piezoelectric body and the top plate. The orifice plate has a nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber. An end portion on the orifice plate of the base is disposed at a position retracting from the orifice plate as compared with the end surfaces of the top plate and the piezoelectric body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The embodiments of the present invention relate to liquid ejection heads and liquid ejection apparatuses.

2. Description of the Related Art In a liquid ejection head such as a share-mode shared-wall type inkjet head, there is known a configuration in which a piezoelectric member having a plurality of grooves forming pressure chambers, a bottom plate and a top plate closing one of the grooves are laminated and joined to each other. ing. For example, in an ink jet head, an orifice plate is joined to an end face of a laminated body in which a piezoelectric member made of piezoelectric ceramics, a bottom plate, and a top plate are overlapped and joined. Since the bottom plate and the top plate form a joint surface to be joined to the orifice plate, it is necessary to form the same surface as the piezoelectric member that also forms the joint surface. Therefore, it is desirable that the processing characteristics of the bottom plate and the top plate and the piezoelectric member are close to each other. On the other hand, if the bottom plate is made of piezoelectric ceramics, it becomes difficult to ensure the required strength.

JP-A-63-247051

A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection head and a liquid ejection apparatus with good workability.

A liquid ejection head according to one embodiment includes a base, a piezoelectric body, a top plate, and an orifice plate. The base is composed of engineering ceramics. The piezoelectric body is arranged on one side of the base in the first direction, is made of piezoelectric ceramics, and has a plurality of grooves forming pressure chambers. The top plate is arranged on one side of the piezoelectric body in the first direction and is made of machinable ceramics. The orifice plate is arranged to face one end surface of the piezoelectric body and the top plate in a second direction different from the first direction. The orifice plate has nozzles communicating with the pressure chambers. The end of the base on the side of the orifice plate is arranged at a position further away from the orifice plate than the end faces of the top plate and the piezoelectric body.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the inkjet head according to the first embodiment, broken away; Sectional drawing of the same inkjet head. Explanatory drawing of the shape and operation|movement of the same inkjet head. Explanatory drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the same inkjet head. A table showing examples of machinable ceramics and coefficients of thermal expansion. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of the material of machinable ceramics, and the amount of warpage. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an inkjet printer according to a second embodiment using the same inkjet head; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of manufacturing an inkjet head according to another embodiment;

The configuration of an inkjet head 10 as a liquid ejection head according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. FIG. 1 is a partially broken perspective view of an inkjet head according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the inkjet head. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the shape and operation of the inkjet head. In each figure, for the sake of explanation, the configuration is shown enlarged, reduced, or omitted as appropriate. In the figure, X, Y and Z indicate three directions perpendicular to each other. For example, the Z-axis is along the first direction, the Y-axis is along the second direction, and the X-axis is along the third direction.

The inkjet head 10 of the present embodiment is, for example, a so-called share mode share wall type inkjet head.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the inkjet head 10 includes a base 20, a piezoelectric body 30, a top plate 40, a cover 50, and an orifice plate 60. FIG.

The base 20 is configured, for example, in a rectangular plate shape. A piezoelectric body 30 is arranged on one main surface of the base 20 in the first direction, which is the stacking direction. A wiring pattern is formed in a predetermined area on one main surface of the base 20 . As an example, a piezoelectric body 30 is arranged in a region 21 on one side of one main surface, and a wiring pattern is formed in a region 22 on the other side. A driving circuit is connected to the wiring pattern on the upper surface of the base 20 by FPC or the like. An ink port 23 through which ink can flow is formed at a predetermined location of the base 20 . The ink port 23 is a through hole penetrating the base 20 in the thickness direction along the first direction, and serves as an inlet for inflowing ink into the common chamber 39 or an outlet for discharging ink from the common chamber 39 .

As an example, the base 20 is configured to be larger than the piezoelectric body 30 in the longitudinal direction along the direction in which the nozzles 61 are arranged. A piezoelectric body 30 is arranged and bonded to a region on one side of the main surface of the base 20 in the stacking direction and in the second direction perpendicular to the alignment direction of the nozzles 61 and the stacking direction. On the end face 24 on one side in the second direction of the base 20, the portions where the piezoelectric bodies 30 are not arranged at both ends in the third direction, which is the direction in which the nozzles are arranged, are the third direction central part where the piezoelectric bodies 30 are arranged. protrudes to one side in the second direction. That is, in the end face 24 on one side in the second direction of the base 20, a predetermined center region including at least a portion where the piezoelectric body 30 is arranged is retracted to the other side in the second direction from both ends. . In addition, the end surface 24 on the one side in the second direction has a higher degree of latitude than the end surfaces on the one side in the second direction of the piezoelectric body 30 and the top plate 40 in a predetermined central region including at least the part where the piezoelectric body 30 is laminated. It retreats to the other side in the second direction. The end surfaces of both ends of the base 20 may be arranged on the same plane as the piezoelectric body 30 and the top plate 40 .

The base 20 is made of engineering ceramics. The base 20 is made of a material that is harder and more rigid than the piezoelectric member forming the piezoelectric body 30 . For example, the engineering ceramics forming the base 20 has a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the piezoelectric material forming the piezoelectric body 30 . As engineering ceramics constituting the base 20, for example, alumina, zirconia, mullite, cordierite, forsterite, steatite, or the like is used.

The piezoelectric body 30 is arranged on one side of the base 20 and is adhesively bonded to the base 20 with an adhesive layer. The piezoelectric body 30 is formed by stacking two piezoelectric members 31 and 32 having opposite polarization directions in the stacking direction, and bonding them together with an adhesive layer. For example, as the adhesive, a thermal adhesive that is cured by heat adhesion is used. The piezoelectric body 30 is formed into a predetermined shape and size by cutting, for example, and formed into a rectangular plate shape elongated in the third direction, which is the direction in which the nozzles 61 are arranged. The piezoelectric body 30 has a trapezoidal cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the third direction. One end surface of the piezoelectric body 30 in the second direction constitutes a joint surface facing the orifice plate 60 , and the side surface opposite to the joint surface, that is, the other end surface in the second direction is an extension of the groove 33 . A tapered surface that is slanted with respect to a second direction is configured. That is, one side surface of the piezoelectric body 30 has a tapered surface extending from the bottom surface of the groove 33 to the main surface of the base 20 . As a piezoelectric material forming the piezoelectric body 30, a piezoelectric ceramic material such as PZT (lead zirconate titanate) or lead-free KNN (sodium potassium niobate) is used.

Piezoelectric body 30 has a plurality of grooves 33 . The grooves 33 extend along the second direction of the piezoelectric body 30 and are arranged side by side in the third direction. Each groove 33 has an elongated shape whose longitudinal direction extends along the second direction. The groove 33 is a bottomed slit that opens to one end side in the second direction where the orifice plate 60 is arranged and one side in the first direction where the top plate 40 is arranged. A plurality of grooves 33 aligned in the third direction are formed parallel to each other.

The plurality of grooves 33 are composed of first grooves 331 and second grooves 332 arranged alternately. The first groove 331 constitutes the pressure chamber 37 communicating with the nozzle 61 and the common chamber 39 . The second groove 332 constitutes a closed dummy chamber 38 .

A wall-like portion formed between adjacent grooves 33 of the piezoelectric body 30 constitutes a laminated piezoelectric element 34 that serves as a driving portion of the pressure generating means. In the piezoelectric body 30, a plurality of laminated piezoelectric elements 34 and grooves 33 are arranged alternately in the first direction. The plurality of laminated piezoelectric elements 34 are connected to each other by the piezoelectric member 32 forming the bottom of the groove 33 . Each laminated piezoelectric element 34 is constructed by laminating a pair of piezoelectric element portions 341 and 342 whose polarization directions in the lamination direction are opposite to each other.

Electrodes 36 are formed on the inner surfaces of the pressure chambers 37 formed by the grooves 33 of the piezoelectric body 30 and on the inclined surfaces. The electrode 36 is led out from the inner surface of the groove 33 through the inclined surface portion and connected to the wiring pattern on the upper surface of the base 20 .

The electrodes 36 are formed by, for example, a vacuum deposition method, an electroless nickel plating method, or the like. The electrodes 36 may be formed simultaneously with the wiring pattern, for example, by a method such as a vacuum deposition method or an electroless plating method. The material of the electrodes 36 is composed of a conductive material such as nickel, gold or copper. The electrode 36 may be configured by laminating two or more types of conductive films.

The top plate 40 is configured, for example, as a rectangular plate member. The top plate 40 is arranged to face the surface of the piezoelectric body 30 on one side in the stacking direction, and closes the opening of the groove 33 on one side. The top plate 40 is made of machinable ceramics.

As will be described later, the end face of the top plate 40 on the orifice plate 60 side is cut and polished at the same time as the end face of the piezoelectric body 30 on the orifice plate 60 side so as to be flush with each other. The top plate 40 and the piezoelectric body 30 protrude from the base 20 to the orifice plate 60 side, that is, to one side in the second direction. In other words, the base 20 is retreated to the other side in the second direction so as to be further away from the orifice plate 60 than the piezoelectric structure 80 configured by stacking the top plate 40 and the piezoelectric body 30 . That is, in the inkjet head 10 , the end surface of the base 20 is arranged on the other side in the second direction with respect to the end surfaces of the piezoelectric body 30 and the top plate 40 . The end surface of the base 20 may or may not be perpendicular to the bottom surface of the base 20, and may or may not be parallel to the joint surface 81 composed of the piezoelectric body 30 and the top plate 40. may For example, the end face of the base 20 may be slanted or curved.

FIG. 5 is a table showing thermal expansion coefficients of major machinable ceramics. As shown in FIG. 5, Macerite HSP is 9.8×10 ⁻⁶ /K, Macor is 9.3×10 ⁻⁶ /K, Macerite SP is 9.2×10 ⁻⁶ /K, and Photovere is 7.8. × 10 ^-6 /K, 6.1 × 10 ^-6 /K for Photoace L, 5.8 × 10 ^-6 /K for Macerite ET, 4.5 × 10 ^-6 /K for Macerite BT, 4 for Macerite PN .2×10 ⁻⁶ /K.
For example, in this embodiment, the top plate 40 is made of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion between 4 and 10×10 ⁻⁶ /K. Specifically, as the machinable ceramics forming the top plate 40, Macerite, Macor, or Photoveil is used.

The top plate 40 is overlaid and bonded to the piezoelectric body 30 bonded to the base 20 . More preferably, machinable ceramics having a coefficient of thermal expansion between that of the engineering ceramics that compose the base 20 and that of the piezoelectric ceramics are used as the material that composes the top plate 40 . . For example, when the piezoelectric body 30 is PZT and the base 20 is alumina, a thermal expansion coefficient of 2×10 ⁻⁶ /K or more and 7.2×10 ⁻⁶ /K or less is selected.

In FIG. 6, the piezoelectric body 30 is PZT, the base 20 is made of alumina, the material of the top plate 40 is PZT, and two types of macerite (ET/SP) with different coefficients of thermal expansion are used. and the amount of warpage of an assembly thermally bonded at a temperature of around 120°C. As shown in FIG. 6, the coefficient of thermal expansion of alumina is 7.2×10 ⁻⁶ /K, the coefficient of thermal expansion of PZT is 2×10 ⁻⁶ /K, and the coefficient of thermal expansion of Macerite SP is 9.2×10 ^{− 6} /K, and the coefficient of thermal expansion of Macerite ET is 5.8×10 ⁻⁶ /K. When the top plate 40 is made of macerite ET, the amount of warpage is smaller than that of PZT and macerite SP. Since the amount of warpage differs depending on the materials of the piezoelectric body 30 and the base 20, the material of the top plate 40 may be appropriately selected, for example, a material that reduces the warpage of the assembly.

The cover 50 integrally includes a rectangular cover plate 51 facing one side of the top plate 40 in the stacking direction, and a cover frame 52 extending from the side edge of the cover plate 51 toward the base 20 . A cover plate 51 is arranged on the top plate 40 of the cover 50 , and an end portion of the cover frame 52 is joined to one side of the base 20 . The cover 50 covers a predetermined area of the base 20 where the piezoelectric body 30 is arranged, and constitutes a common chamber 39 on the side of the piezoelectric body 30 . The common chamber 39 communicates with the ink port 23 formed in the base 20 and the plurality of pressure chambers 37 of the piezoelectric body 30 .

The orifice plate 60 is configured in a rectangular plate shape with a thickness of about 10 to 100 μm. The orifice plate 60 is bonded to a bonding surface that is one side surface of the laminated structure composed of the piezoelectric body 30 and the top plate 40 . A plurality of nozzles 61 are formed through the orifice plate 60 in the thickness direction. The nozzles 61 are provided at positions corresponding to the plurality of pressure chambers 37 arranged every other one. That is, the orifice plate 60 has a nozzle 61 communicating with the pressure chamber 37 and closes the side opening of the dummy chamber 38 .

A predetermined gap is formed between the orifice plate 60 and the end surface of the base 20 .

4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams showing a method of manufacturing the inkjet head 10. FIG. Here, as an example, an example in which two piezoelectric structures 80 constituting two inkjet heads 10 are integrated and then divided into two will be shown. The method for manufacturing the inkjet head 10 according to the present embodiment includes piezoelectric body formation processing, adhesion processing, trapezoid processing, groove processing, electrode processing, and top plate adhesion processing.

First, two plate-shaped piezoelectric members preliminarily polarized in the plate thickness direction are laminated so that the polarization directions alternate, and the laminated body is cut into a desired width and length to obtain two piezoelectric bodies 30. An integrally continuous piezoelectric part 300 is formed (piezoelectric forming process).

As the piezoelectric bonding process, the piezoelectric parts 300 are attached to the base part 200, which is a plate-like member in which two bases 20 are continuous, with an adhesive or the like without gaps (Act 11). The base part 200 includes two plate-like bases 20 connected at both ends in the third direction, and a slit 201 extending longitudinally along the third direction and penetrating in the thickness direction at the center in the third direction. is formed. The slit 201 has a width that is twice the width of the step in the width direction, which is the second direction, and forms a step with the piezoelectric body 30 when the two bases 20 are divided in a later dividing step.

Subsequently, as trapezoid processing, the base part 200 is processed into a trapezoid so that the electrodes 36 can be pulled out (Act 12). Further, as the groove processing, a plurality of grooves 33 are formed in the surface of the base part 200 including the piezoelectric parts 300 by machining using a dicing saw, a slicer, or the like (Act 13).

Further, as an electrode processing process, conductive films such as electrodes 36 and wiring patterns are formed by a vacuum deposition method or the like (Act 13). After electrodes are formed by plating, unnecessary electrodes are removed by etching or laser patterning, and desired electrode wirings connecting the pressure chambers and the ends of the base are formed.

Subsequently, as a top plate bonding process, the top plate part 400 in which the two top plates 40 are integrally continuous is put on the upper surface of the piezoelectric part 300, and heat-bonded via an adhesive layer (Act 14).

After that, as a division process, the piezoelectric structure part 800 in which the base part 200, the piezoelectric body part 300, and the top plate part 400 are laminated and joined is divided into two by dicing to obtain two piezoelectric structures 80. is completed (Act 15). Note that the cut surface at the time of division becomes the nozzle joint surface 81 . The nozzle joint surface 81 is perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface of the base 20 serving as a reference. If the perpendicularity is insufficient only by cutting, or if the surface roughness is rough, the cut surface may be further polished (Act 16).

Each piezoelectric structure 80 configured as described above has a joint surface 81 formed by the end surfaces of the top plate 40 and the piezoelectric body 30 . In the piezoelectric structure 80, the end surface 24 of the base 20 is positioned farther from the position where the orifice plate 60 is arranged in the second direction than the joint surface 81 formed by the side surface of the top plate 40 and the piezoelectric body 30. placed. In other words, the joint surface 81 that joins the orifice plate 60 is formed by the side surfaces of the top plate 40 and the piezoelectric body 30 and does not include the surface of the base 20 .

Then, the orifice plate 60 is adhered and attached to the top plate 40 and the side surfaces of the piezoelectric body 30 . At this time, the nozzle 61 is arranged to face the first groove 331 forming the pressure chamber 37, and the second groove 332 forming the dummy chamber 38 is closed.

Further, the cover 50 is placed on one side of the piezoelectric structure 80 , and the end face of the cover frame 52 of the cover 50 is attached to the surface of the base 20 by bonding. As described above, the inkjet head 10 shown in FIG. 1 is completed.

In the ink-jet head 10 configured as described above, the pressure chamber is once opened from a stationary state to allow ink to flow in, and then the pressure chamber is contracted to pressurize and eject the ink. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, when the material is ejected from the nozzle 61, the drive circuit applies a drive voltage to the drive element through the wiring pattern formed on the base 20 to drive the nozzle. A potential difference is applied between the electrode 36 in the pressure chamber 37 and the electrodes 36 in the dummy chambers 38 on both sides. Then, the pair of piezoelectric element portions 341 and 342 of the laminated piezoelectric element 34 are deformed in opposite directions, and the driving element is bent and deformed by the deformation of both piezoelectric elements. As an example, first, the pressure chamber 37 to be driven is deformed in the direction of opening to make the inside of the pressure chamber 37 negative pressure, thereby introducing ink into the pressure chamber 37 (ink inflow). Subsequently, by deforming the pressure chamber 37 in a closing direction and pressurizing the inside of the pressure chamber 37 (ink pressurization), an ink droplet is ejected from the nozzle 61 and returned to the reference potential (ink column cutting).

According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide the inkjet head 10 with good workability. The wall of the pressure chamber, which serves as the joint surface of the orifice plate 60 having the nozzle 61, is composed of machinable ceramics and a piezoelectric material, so that it can be easily processed. It is possible to make them on the same side. That is, since the bonding surface is formed by the piezoelectric body 30 and the top plate 40 having similar processing characteristics, the processing conditions are simplified, and the orifice plate 60 can be accurately and without omission. In addition, by using a lead-free material for the base 20, it is possible to provide the inkjet head 10 suitable for the environment.

For example, among the three materials used in the present embodiment, alumina is very hard and the processing conditions are different. Therefore, when processed simultaneously, the processed surface becomes rough, and there are many chippings and burrs, making processing difficult. For example, materials with different workability are likely to cause steps during processing. In other words, the soft material escapes from the blade through the adhesive layer and returns to its original state after processing, and the soft material layer may protrude. Alternatively, a large amount of the soft material may be processed and the hard material layer may protrude. . For example, even if a polishing process is performed, a difference in level occurs due to a difference in the amount of polishing in the polishing process, and it is difficult to eliminate the difference in level. In this way, if there is a step on the bonding surface to which the orifice plate 60 is bonded, a gap is likely to occur when the orifice plate 60 is bonded. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, materials with similar processing characteristics are used for the top plate 40 and the piezoelectric body 30, and these parts form the bonding surface. can be joined without gaps. In addition, by retracting the end surface 24 of the base 20 from the joint surface 81, it is possible to remove restrictions on material selection related to workability of the base 20, and it becomes easier to ensure strength in selecting the material of the base 20. 10 can be made thinner and smaller.

Further, in the above embodiment, by using machinable ceramics, for example, and selecting a coefficient of thermal expansion between 4 and 10×10 ⁻⁶ /K, it is possible to prevent warpage and deformation after bonding. Therefore, even if a thermosetting adhesive is used, it is possible to prevent warping and deformation after joining, and it is easy to fix when cutting, which facilitates processing.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, by appropriately selecting the coefficient of thermal expansion of the machinable ceramics so that the warpage of the assembly is minimized, it becomes possible to adhere to the device during machining, etc., resulting in a configuration with higher machinability. can be realized. For example, by selecting a material for the top plate 40 with a coefficient of thermal expansion between that of the piezoelectric body 30 and that of the base 20, the warpage of the assembly can be reduced.

Further, in the manufacturing process, for example, in the case of a method of forming a step on the base after bonding, if there is a large amount of warpage, a large amount of PZT must be shaved in order to cut off the alumina due to the warpage. However, in the above-described embodiment, by adopting a configuration in which warpage is small, the amount of PZT that is cut off is reduced, and it is easy to secure the bonding surface of the orifice plate.

[Second embodiment]
An inkjet printer 100 as a liquid ejection device will be described below with reference to FIG. An inkjet printer 100 is a printer using the inkjet head 10 according to the first embodiment.

The inkjet printer 100 is a device that performs various processes such as image formation while conveying, for example, paper P, which is a print medium, along a predetermined conveying path. The inkjet recording apparatus 1 includes a housing 110, a paper feed cassette 111 as a paper supply section, a paper discharge tray 112 as a discharge section, a holding roller (drum) 113 as a support section, a conveying device 114, a reversing a device 118;

A housing 110 constitutes an outer shell of the inkjet printer 100 . The paper feed cassette 111 is provided inside the housing 110 . A paper discharge tray 112 is provided on the top of the housing 110 . A holding roller (drum) 113 holds the paper P on its outer surface and rotates. The transport device 114 transports the paper P along a predetermined transport path A formed from the paper feed cassette 111 to the paper discharge tray 112 through the outer periphery of the holding roller 113 . The reversing device 118 reverses the front and back surfaces of the paper P peeled off from the holding roller 113 and supplies it onto the surface of the holding roller 113 again.

The conveying device 114 includes a plurality of guide members 121 to 125 and a plurality of conveying rollers 126 to 131 provided along the conveying path A. As shown in FIG. As the transport rollers, a pickup roller, a paper feed roller pair, a registration roller pair, a separation roller pair, a transport roller pair, and a discharge roller pair are provided. These transport rollers 126 to 131 are driven by a transport motor to rotate, thereby transporting the paper P along the transport path A to the downstream side.

Sensors S and the like are arranged at various locations along the transport path A for monitoring the state of transport of the paper.

The holding roller 113 conveys the paper P by rotating while holding the paper P on its surface. The holding roller 113 supports the paper P, which is a print medium, at a position facing the inkjet head 10 . Here, the holding roller 113 rotates clockwise in FIG. 12 to convey the paper P clockwise along the outer circumference.

A holding device 115 , an image forming device 116 , a static removing device 117 , and a cleaning device 119 are provided in order from the upstream side to the downstream side on the outer peripheral portion of the holding roller 113 .

The holding device 115 includes a pressing roller 115a and a charging roller 115b. The pressing roller 115 a presses against the outer surface of the holding roller 113 . The charging roller 115 b generates (charges) an electrostatic force in the direction of attracting the sheet P to the outer surface of the holding roller 113 by being supplied with electric power. The sheet P is attracted to the holding roller 113 by this electrostatic force.

The image forming apparatus 116 includes four inkjet heads 10 corresponding to the four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, as the plurality of (four-color) inkjet heads 10 arranged facing the outer surface of the holding roller 113 . . The four inkjet heads 10 form an image on the paper P held on the outer surface of the holding roller 113 by ejecting ink onto the paper P from nozzles 61 provided at a predetermined pitch. As each inkjet head 10, the inkjet head 10 described in the first embodiment is used.

The static elimination peeling device 117 includes a static elimination roller for static elimination of the paper P and a peeling claw for peeling the paper P from the holding roller 113 .

The cleaning device 119 includes a cleaning member that cleans the holding roller 113 by rotating while in contact with the holding roller 113 .

The reversing device 118 reverses the paper P separated from the holding roller 113 and supplies it onto the surface of the holding roller 113 again. The reversing device 118 reverses the paper P by, for example, guiding and conveying the paper P along a predetermined reversing path that switches back the paper P in the front-rear direction.

In addition, the inkjet printer 100 includes a CPU (Central Control Unit) that is a controller, a ROM that stores various programs, a RAM that temporarily stores various variable data, image data, and the like. An I/F (interface) for inputting data from the outside and outputting data to the outside.

For example, when a user instructs the printer to print, the CPU of the inkjet printer 100 outputs a print signal to the inkjet head 10 to the drive circuit. As a result, the inkjet head 10 is driven and an image is formed on the paper P. FIG.

In the inkjet printer 100 configured as described above, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying constituent elements without departing from the scope of the present invention at the implementation stage.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, as a method of manufacturing the inkjet head 10, an example in which a slit forming a step is formed in advance in the base part 200 was shown, but the method is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the base part 200 may have no slits in advance and may be configured in a plate shape that is continuous over the entire length. In this case, after attaching the piezoelectric part 300 to the front side of the central portion in the second direction of the base part 200 , the back side of the base part 200 is polished to a predetermined width and depth, and the base part 200 and the piezoelectric part 300 are ground. By cutting a part, a groove 83 having a depth equal to or greater than the thickness of the base part 200 is formed. After that, by cutting the piezoelectric structure part 800 into two along a line C passing through the center of the width direction of the groove 83 , the piezoelectric structure 80 having a step where the end surface 24 of the base 20 retreats from the joint surface 81 . are formed.

For example, the specific configuration of the ink head 10, the shape of the flow path, the configuration and positional relationship of various parts including the base 20, the piezoelectric body 30, the top plate 40, the cover 50, and the orifice plate 60 are limited to the above example. It can be changed as appropriate. Also, the arrangement of the nozzles 61 and the pressure chambers 37 is not limited to the above. For example, the nozzles 61 may be arranged in two or more rows. Also, two or more dummy chambers 38 may be arranged between the plurality of pressure chambers 37 .

For example, the liquid to be ejected is not limited to ink for printing, and may be a device that ejects liquid containing conductive particles for forming a wiring pattern of a printed wiring board.

In the above-described embodiment, the inkjet head 10 is used in a liquid ejection device such as the inkjet recording device 1. However, the inkjet head 10 is not limited to this. It can also be used for other applications, and can be made smaller, lighter, and less expensive.

According to at least one of the embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a liquid ejection head and a liquid ejection apparatus with good workability.

Additionally, while several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 inkjet recording apparatus (liquid ejection apparatus) 10 inkjet head (liquid ejection head) 20 base 30 piezoelectric body 33 groove 331 first groove 332 second groove 34 Laminated piezoelectric element 37 Pressure chamber 38 Dummy chamber 39 Common chamber 40 Top plate 50 Cover 60 Orifice plate 61 Nozzle 80 Piezoelectric structure 81 Joint surface.

Claims (4)

A base made of engineering ceramics,
a piezoelectric body arranged on one side of the base in the first direction, made of piezoelectric ceramics, and having a plurality of grooves forming pressure chambers;
a top plate arranged on one side in the first direction of the piezoelectric body and made of machinable ceramics;
an orifice plate disposed opposite one end surface of the piezoelectric body and the top plate in a second direction different from the first direction, the orifice plate having a nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber;
with
The end of the base on the side of the orifice plate is arranged at a position further away from the orifice plate than the end faces of the top plate and the piezoelectric body. 2. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein the coefficient of thermal expansion of said machinable ceramics is between the coefficient of thermal expansion of said engineering ceramics and the coefficient of thermal expansion of said piezoelectric ceramics. the piezoelectric body includes at least one of PZT and KNN;
The machinable ceramics include at least one of Macerite, Macor, and Photoveil,
The engineering ceramics include at least one of alumina, zirconia, mullite, cordierite, forsterite, and steatite,
3. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1. a liquid ejection head according to any one of claims 1 to 3;
a support that supports a print medium at a position facing the liquid ejection head;
A liquid ejection device.

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