Patent Grant
7699445
This application claims priority under 35 USC 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-242462, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a structure, a method of manufacturing the structure, and a liquid droplet discharge apparatus, and more particularly to a structure such as an inkjet recording head configured by as a result of a recording head unit that discharges ink droplets from nozzles to record an image on a recording medium being retained on a base plate, a method of manufacturing the structure, and a liquid droplet discharge apparatus applied to an inkjet recording apparatus or the like disposed with a structure comprising an inkjet recording head.
2. Related Art
In conventional partial width array (PWA) inkjet recording apparatus that reciprocally scan a head, there has been a limit on increasing the number of nozzles because when the number of nozzles is increased for high-speed printing, the mass of the head also increases and the burden on the head scanning mechanism becomes larger. Further, this becomes disadvantageous for increasing speed because an excessive scanning distance arises when inverting reciprocal scanning.
As a method of addressing these issues, a non-scanning type full width array (FWA) inkjet line head corresponding to the width of the recording medium is already known where numerous nozzles are disposed at a pitch that is the same as the resolution in the width direction of-the-recording medium. Yet when a line head disposed with numerous nozzles is manufactured as an integral head, there are problems in that the yield drops and expensive manufacturing equipment such as a large diameter silicon process apparatus, for example, becomes necessary.
Thus, technology has been disclosed where plural head units having a relatively small number of nozzles are connected in a line to increase the length of the head.
This technology has a system where the element base plate, which has the lowest yield of the constituent parts, is divided into units and manufactured, so that it becomes necessary to mutually position/fix the adjacent units with high precision.
When, for example, the recording head units are positioned/fixed to a long base plate using an adhesive or positioned/fixed to a spacer member configured such that it is attachable to and detachable from a long base plate, productivity becomes an issue when a room temperature-curing adhesive is used because it takes a long time for the curing. Positional displacement, which occurs due to differences in thermal expansion, becomes an issue when a thermosetting adhesive is used because the coefficients of thermal expansion of the constituent members are different.
In contrast, when a light-curing adhesive is used, the amount of time required for curing can be shortened over that of a room temperature-curing adhesive, and positional displacement resulting from differences in the thermal expansion of the constituent members occurring during high-temperature heating such as encountered with a thermosetting adhesive is also suppressed. Thus, a light-curing adhesive is suited to a structure configured as a result of bonding/fixing such a unit to a base plate or a spacer member. Further, in order to achieve more high-precision positioning/fixing using a light-curing adhesive, it becomes important to reduce as much as possible temperature rise and temperature fluctuation accompanying light irradiation and to suppress stress resulting from contraction when the adhesive is cured.
However, particularly in a line head where plural recording head units having nozzles formed in a matrix are positioned/fixed and arranged with high precision, sometimes units having a special planar shape (a substantially parallelogram shape) are used as a matter of convenience, such as in terms of the volume occupied by the line head portion in relation to apparatus size and the nozzle arrangement. In the case of such units having a special shape, there is a demand for improvement because sometimes the effect of heat at the time of light irradiation causes the amount of displacement of the unit portions (nozzles) to change depending on the irradiation position and irradiation energy.
Further, in the case of a line head where plural recording head units are arranged, it is preferable to surface-bond the recording head units and the base plate or spacer member retaining the recording head units in order to obtain high bonding strength at the bonding/fixing portions between the base plate or spacer member and the recording head units. However, because it is necessary to align the nozzle surfaces of the recording head units, a large gap must be disposed in the bonding/fixing portions such that it can absorb the height tolerance (variations in height between the recording head units) of the recording head units using the nozzle surfaces as a reference. For this reason, the amount of adhesive in this gap increases, it becomes easier for positional displacement and slanting of the recording head units resulting from contraction when the adhesive is cured and for variations in the displacement amounts between the recording head units to occur, which become a problem in terms of positioning/fixing the plural recording head units with high precision.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a structure including a base plate and a formation unit, wherein the formation unit is bonded and fixed to and retained on the base plate by a first adhesive, and the first adhesive is disposed in the vicinities of end portions of a peripheral edge of a bonding surface of the formation unit.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the following figures, wherein:
An inkjet recording head that is a structure and an inkjet recording apparatus disposed with the inkjet recording head pertaining to embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in
The paper supplying section 12 includes a stocker 24, in which plural sheets of the paper P are stacked and stocked, and a conveyance device 26, which conveys the paper P one sheet at a time from the stocker 24 to the registration adjusting section 14.
The registration adjusting section 14 includes a loop forming portion 28 and a guide member 29 that controls the orientation of the paper P. When the paper P is fed to the registration adjusting section 14 from the paper supplying section 12, the paper P passes through the loop forming portion 28 and the guide member 29, whereby paper skew is corrected using the back of the paper P, the conveyance timing is controlled, and the paper P is fed to the recording section 20.
In the recording section 20, the recording head section 16 and the maintenance section 18 are disposed such that they face each other vertically, and a paper conveyance path, on which the paper P fed from the registration adjusting section 14 is conveyed, is configured between the recording head section 16 and the maintenance section 18. The recording head section 16 includes plural inkjet recording heads (head bars) 30 that are arranged at predetermined intervals along the paper conveyance path. Plural pairs of star wheels 17 and conveyance rolls 19 that face each other vertically are disposed at the upstream sides and the downstream sides of the inkjet recording heads 30 on the paper conveyance path.
The paper P is nipped by the star wheels 17 and the conveyance rolls 19 and continuously (without stopping) conveyed on the paper conveyance path, and ink droplets are discharged onto the paper P from the inkjet recording heads 30 of the recording head section 16, whereby an image is recorded on the paper P. Then, in the discharge section 22, the paper P on which the image has been recorded by the recording section 20 is conveyed by a paper discharge belt 23 and stored in a tray 25.
The maintenance section 18 includes plural maintenance devices 21 that are disposed facing the plural inkjet recording heads 30. The maintenance devices 21 include caps CP (see
The inkjet recording apparatus 10 is configured as described above. Next, the inkjet recording heads 30 loaded in the inkjet recording apparatus 10 will be described in detail.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The spacer members 42 are attached to the undersurface of the long base plate 40. The spacer members 42 are formed by a transparent resin material and configured in tabular shapes. As shown in
Further, in the present exemplary embodiment, a case is described where two spacer members 42 are used for each recording head unit 32, but the invention may also be configured such that, as shown in
As shown in
An individual supply path 50A is formed in the liquid relay member 50. The individual supply path 50A is disposed on the side of the liquid relay member 50 facing the spacer member 42, is communicated with the ink supply unit 44, and supplies ink to the nozzles 54.
The recording head unit 32 is disposed on the side opposite from the long base plate 40, with the spacer member 42 sandwiched between the recording head unit 32 and the long base plate 40. When seen from the nozzle surface 52A side, the end side portions of the spacer member 42 and the recording head unit 32 at the outer side of the long base plate 40 have substantially the same shape. The recording head unit 32 is bonded/fixed to the spacer member 42 at both end side portions along the paper width direction Y, that is, at both end side portions along the longitudinal direction of the recording head unit 32. In the present exemplary embodiment, the bonding/fixing of the recording head unit 32 to the spacer member 42 is conducted with UV-curing adhesive U. The adhesive U is applied to predetermined places between the recording head unit 32 and the spacer member 42, as will be described in detail later.
A gap G substantially equal to the thickness of the adhesive U is configured between the recording head unit 32 and the spacer member 42. By adjusting the size of this gap G, the heights of the nozzle surfaces 52A of the plural recording head units 32 can be aligned.
As shown in
Next, the method of manufacturing the inkjet recording head 30 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to
First, as shown in
Next, as shown in
Next, as shown in
Next, curing (bonding/fixing) is conducted by irradiating the adhesive U with UV light while the distance between the bonding-use lowering arm SA and the positioning stage ST is maintained in the aforementioned state. Then, as shown in
According to this manufacturing method, the spacer members 42 are attached to the long base plate 40 with screws, but because they are attached to the long base plate 40 before the recording head units 32 are bonded, some displacement of the spacer members 42 does not affect the alignment of the recording head units 32. Additionally, because the adhesive U is used to bond the recording head units 32 to the spacer members 42 that have already been attached to the long base plate 42, the recording head units 32 can be bonded/fixed to the spacer members 42 in a state where the recording head units 32 are aligned on the positioning stage ST, and the recording head units 32 can be bonded/fixed to the spacer members 42 with the recording head units 32 being precisely aligned in comparison to a case where the long base plate 40 and the recording head units 32 are directly screwed together.
In the above-described manufacturing method, all of the recording head units 32 necessary to configure the long base plate 40 were arranged and bonded/fixed to the spacer members 42 at once, but it is not invariably necessary for the recording head units 32 to be bonded/fixed to the spacer members 42 at once. For example, as shown in
Next, the operation of the inkjet recording apparatus 10 of the present exemplary embodiment will be described.
When a print job is inputted to the inkjet recording apparatus 10 and printing (image recording) is started, one sheet of the paper P is picked up from the stocker 24 and conveyed by the conveyance device 21 to the recording section 20.
In the inkjet recording heads 30, the individual supply paths 50 of the recording head units 32 are already injected (filled) with ink via supply ports from the ink tanks. At this time, meniscuses, where the surfaces of the ink are slightly recessed, are formed at the ends (discharge ports) of the nozzles 54.
While the paper P is conveyed at a predetermined conveyance speed, ink droplets are selectively discharged from the plural nozzles 54 of the recording head units 32, whereby an image based on image data is recorded on the paper P.
When maintenance is to be done to the recording head units 32, as shown in
In the inkjet recording head 30 of the present embodiment, because the spacer members 42 and the recording head units 32 are bonded at end side portions T pressed by the caps CP at the time of maintenance, the force applied by the pressing can be appropriately received at the bonding portions, and deformation and the like of the inkjet recording heads 30 can be prevented.
Further, in the inkjet recording head 30, as shown in
Further, in the present exemplary embodiment, the width of the long base plate 40 in the paper feeding direction is made narrower than the width of the recording head units 32, but as shown in
Further, because the spacer members 42 of the present exemplary embodiment are made of transparent resin, the UV light emitted toward the adhesive U is transmitted through the spacer members 42 and all of the adhesive U is irradiated with the UV light, as shown in
Next, the places where the adhesive U is applied in the method of manufacturing the inkjet recording head 30 will be described.
The inkjet recording head 32 of the present embodiment has a rectangular parallelopiped shape (see
Then, the plural recording head units 32, to whose bonding surfaces 32A the adhesive U has been applied at four places, are bonded/fixed to the spacer members 42 by the manufacturing method described above in a state where the recording head units 32 are arranged in one row along the paper width direction Y, as shown in
As described above, in the inkjet recording head 30, the bonding surfaces 32A of the recording head units 32 are rectangular, the adhesive U is applied to four places in the vicinities of the end portions of the peripheral edges of the bonding surfaces 32A, and the plural recording head units 32 are bonded/fixed to the spacer members 42 using the adhesive U, whereby a structure is formed where the plural recording head units 32 are retained on the long base plate 40 via the spacer members 42. Thus, the bonding strength of the recording head units 32 is ensured, the adhesive amount is reduced, positional displacement of the positioned recording head units 32 accompanying contraction when the adhesive U is cured, positional displacement of the recording head units 32 with respect to the long base plate 40, and slanting of the nozzle surfaces 52A are suppressed, and the recording head units 32 can be positioned/fixed with high precision.
As will be understood from
Further, in the present embodiment, by using a UV-curing (light-curing) adhesive, thermal expansion/contraction of the recording head units 32 that occurs during high-temperature heating when a thermosetting adhesive is used and positional displacement resulting from differences in thermal expansion between the recording head units 32 and the spacer members 42 and the long base plate 40 are suppressed, and the adhesive can be rapidly cured by irradiating the adhesive with UV light. Thus, the amount of time required for the curing can be reduced and productivity can be improved in comparison to a room temperature-curing adhesive.
Further, in the present exemplary embodiment, the recording head units 32 are bonded/fixed to the spacer members 42, which are configured such that they are attachable to and detachable from the long base plate 42, and the recording head units 32 are retained on the long base plate 40. Thus, even when trouble arises in just one of the recording head units 32 during the manufacturing process or when the inkjet recording apparatus 10 is in use, the recording head unit 32 in which the trouble has arisen can be easily removed and replaced with a new recording head unit 32 by loosening the screws 46 fixing the long base plate 40 and the spacer members 42.
A second exemplary embodiment of the invention will now be described. The second embodiment relates to an inkjet recording head 60 configured as a result of special planar shaped recording head units having nozzles formed in a matrix being bonded/fixed to a long base plate. Below, the configuration of the inkjet recording head 60 of the second exemplary embodiment disposed with these special shaped recording head units, and the places where the adhesive is applied at the time of manufacture, will be described.
As shown in
The spacer members 43, which are detachably attached to the undersurface of the long base plate 41 with screws 46, are made of transparent resin and formed in tabular shapes. As shown in
The recording head units 62 of the present embodiment, which are bonded/fixed to the undersides of the spacer members 43 using the adhesive U, have substantially parallelogram shapes when seen in plan view (the center portions in the paper feeding direction X have parallelogram shapes), include nozzles 64 that discharge ink and are formed in a matrix in the center portions of nozzles surfaces 63, and are disposed such that they span the distances between the pairs of diagonally disposed spacer members 43. Further, the width of the long base plate 41 in the paper feeding direction X is made narrower than the width of the recording head units 62 in the same direction, such that the entire inkjet recording head 60 is compactly configured.
The inkjet recording head 60 of the present exemplary embodiment is configured as described above and is manufactured by a manufacturing method that is the same as that of the first exemplary embodiment.
In the manufacturing process, as mentioned above, the UV-curing adhesive U for bonding/fixing the recording head units 62 to the spacer members 43 is applied, but in the present exemplary embodiment, as shown in
Then, the plural recording head units 62, to whose bonding surfaces 62A the adhesive U has been applied at four places, are bonded/fixed to the spacer members 43 by the manufacturing method described above in a state where the recording head units 62 are arranged in one row along the paper width direction Y, as shown in
As described above, in the inkjet recording head 60 of the present exemplary embodiment disposed with the special shaped recording head units 62, the adhesive U is applied to four places in the vicinities of the end portions of the peripheral edge of the bonding surfaces 62A of the recording head units 62, and the plural recording head units 62 are bonded/fixed to the spacer members 43 using the adhesive U, whereby the bonding strength of the recording head units 62 is ensured, the adhesive amount is reduced, positional displacement of the positioned recording head units 62 accompanying contraction when the adhesive U is cured, positional displacement of the recording head units 62 with respect to the long base plate 41, and slanting of the nozzle surfaces 63 are suppressed. Particularly with these special shaped recording head units 62, it becomes easy for the displacement amount of the unit portions (nozzles 64) to change depending on the irradiation position and irradiation energy due to thermal affects when the adhesive U is irradiated with UV light, but such drawbacks are improved and the recording head units 62 can be positioned/fixed with high precision.
Further, similar to the first exemplary embodiment, the effect of suppressing positional displacement resulting from using a light-curing (UV-curing) adhesive, the effect of improving productivity, and the effect of improving the ease with which the recording head units can be replaced as a result of the recording head units 62 being configured such that they can be attached to and detached from the long base plate 41 together with the spacer members 43 are obtained.
Next, third to fifth exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described. In the third to fifth exemplary embodiments, the patterns of the adhesive applied to the bonding surfaces are changed from those of recording head units 32 in the first exemplary embodiment and recording head units 62 in the second exemplary embodiment, and these adhesive patterns will be described below.
In the third exemplary embodiment, as shown in
Further, as shown in
Thus, in the present exemplary embodiment, the applied amount of the adhesive U is reduced by forming the adhesive U in dots (dot application), and the effect of suppressing positional displacement of the recording head units 32 and 62 accompanying contraction when the adhesive U is cured resulting from shape asymmetry and slanted of the nozzle surfaces is raised by the synergetic effect with the planar shape of each dot being substantially circular.
In the fourth exemplary embodiment, as shown in
In this manner, in the present embodiment, substantially numerous dots of the adhesive U are disposed along at least two sides including the peripheries of the end portions (corner portions 32B and 62B) of the peripheral edge of the bonding surfaces 32A and 62A. Thus, bonding strength that is high in comparison to that of the applied patterns of the third exemplary embodiment, for example, is obtained, and positional displacement of the recording head units 32 and 62 can be suppressed by reducing the amount of the adhesive U and shortening the distances between the adhesive dots.
In the fifth exemplary embodiment, as shown in
As shown in
In this manner, in the present exemplary embodiment, by disposing the adhesive U at point-symmetrical positions with respect to the centers of gravity (G1 and G2) of the recording head units 32 and 62, that is, by forming patterns distributed substantially equivalently around the centers of gravity, positional displacement of the units can be suppressed while ensuring high bonding strength. In particular, even with the large recording head unit 62 where the nozzles 64 are arranged in a matrix, positional displacement can be effectively suppressed by the adhesive patterns.
Next, a sixth exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present exemplary embodiment, the bonding/fixing portions are reinforced by disposing a room temperature-curing adhesive on the bonding surfaces of the recording head units 32 and 62 in addition to the UV-curing adhesive. The patterns of these two types of adhesives will be described below.
As shown in
As shown in
In the modification shown in
In the modification shown in
In regard to the application of these two types of adhesives U and V, in the above-described manufacturing method, the adhesive U is applied before the bonding step, then the adhesive V is applied to the vicinities of the adhesive U on the bonding surfaces 32A and 62A such that the adhesive V does not destroy the application patterns of the adhesive U, and then the bonding step is conducted after the application step.
In this manner, in the present embodiment, the bonding strength (fixing strength) is raised because the main fixing portions comprising the UV-curing adhesive U are reinforced by the reinforcing portions comprising the room temperature-curing adhesive V at the bonding/fixing portions where the long base plates 40 and 41 and the recording head units 32 and 62 are bonded/fixed.
Further, by using a room temperature-curing adhesive as the adhesive used for the reinforcement, reinforcement can be conducted where positional displacement of the recording head units 32 and 62 accompanying thermal strain of the adhesive V is suppressed.
Further, in the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the application of the two types of adhesives U and V to the bonding surfaces 32A and 62A of the recording head units 32 and 62 is completed before the long base plates 40 and 41 and the recording head units 32 and 62 are bonded. Thus, when the alignment bonding device is used, it suffices to set in the device the recording head units 32 and 62, to which the adhesives U and V have already been applied in a prior step, and the long base plates 40 and 41 in the device, bond them, and cure the UV-curing adhesive U. Consequently, the amount of time occupied by the device, from when the adhesives are applied to when the long base plates and recording head units are bonded/fixed, is shortened so that productivity is improved and equipment expenditures can be reduced.
Next, seventh to eleventh exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described. The seventh to eleventh exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to curing in the adhesive curing step in the method of manufacturing the recording head unit 62 of the second exemplary embodiment. The curing in this manufacturing method will be described below.
In the seventh exemplary embodiment, as shown in
With respect to the recording head unit 62 disposed with this adhesive pattern, in the manufacturing method of the present exemplary embodiment, the adhesive U with the above-described pattern is applied to the bonding surface 62A in the adhesive applying step, and the long base plate 41 (spacer members 43) and the recording head unit 62 are bonded in the bonding step. Then, in the adhesive curing step, first, as shown in
Thus, positional displacement of the recording head unit 62 in the direction (paper width direction Y) connecting the end portions of the side portions 62C of the bonding surface 62A is suppressed, and positional displacement can be effectively suppressed.
In the eighth exemplary embodiment, as shown in
With respect to the recording head unit 62 disposed with this adhesive pattern, in the manufacturing method of the present exemplary embodiment, the adhesive U of the above-described pattern is applied to the bonding surface 62A in the adhesive applying step, and the long base plate 41 (spacer members 43) and the recording head unit 62 are bonded in the bonding step. Thereafter, in the adhesive curing step, two groups UH of the adhesive dots disposed at substantially point-symmetrical positions with respect to the center of gravity G2 of the recording head unit 62 are cured. Here, as shown in
The ninth exemplary embodiment is a modification of the curing with respect to the adhesive patterns of the eighth exemplary embodiment.
In the manufacturing method of the present exemplary embodiment, as shown in
In this manner, in the present embodiment, by first curing the adhesive dots in the groups UC disposed at two places at substantially point-symmetrical positions around the center of gravity G2 of the recording head unit 62 to substantially simultaneously cure the adhesive dots, positional displacement of the recording head unit 62 accompanying the curing of the adhesive patterns, and particularly positional displacement of the recording head unit 62 in the rotational direction around the center of gravity G2, can be suppressed. Moreover, by similarly curing the remaining (uncured) groups (UD and UE) at two places each at substantially point-symmetrical positions with respect to the center of gravity G2 to sequentially cure the adhesive dots, positional displacement in the rotational direction centered around the center of gravity G2 of the recording head unit 62 accompanying curing of the uncured adhesive can be effectively suppressed.
The tenth exemplary embodiment is also a modification of the curing with respect to the adhesive patterns of the eighth exemplary embodiment.
In the manufacturing method of the present exemplary embodiment, as shown in
In this manner, in the present exemplary embodiment, by first curing the adhesive dots in the groups UF that are disposed in the vicinities of the end portions (corner portions 62B) of the peripheral edge of the bonding surface 62A of the recording head unit 62 and are disposed at four places at substantially point-symmetrical positions centered on the center of gravity G2 of the recording head unit 62 to substantially simultaneously cure the adhesive dots, positional displacement in the direction (paper width direction Y) connecting the end portions of the side portions 62C of the bonding surface 62A and the directional orthogonal thereto (paper feeding direction X) and positional displacement in the rotational direction around the center of gravity G2 can both be effectively suppressed.
The eleventh exemplary embodiment is a modification where reinforcement of the bonding/fixing portions resulting from the room temperature-curing adhesive described in the sixth exemplary embodiment is conducted with respect to a combination of the adhesive patterns of the eighth exemplary embodiment and the curing in the tenth exemplary embodiment.
In the present exemplary embodiment, as shown in
In this manner, with respect to the recording head unit 62 disposed with the two types of adhesive, in the manufacturing method of the present exemplary embodiment, in the adhesive applying step, the adhesive U having the above-described patterns is applied to the bonding surface 62A, then the adhesive V is applied such that it does not destroy the applied patterns of the adhesive U (see
Thus, in the present exemplary embodiment, by curing the adhesive U using the curing described in the tenth exemplary embodiment in the alignment device, positional displacement of the recording head unit 62 in the X-Y directions and the rotational direction is suppressed, the bonding/fixing portions are reinforced by the room temperature-curing adhesive V, and the bonding strength is raised.
Further, in this manufacturing method, the application of the adhesives U and V to the bonding surface 62A is completed before the spacer member 43 attached to the long base plate 41 and the recording head unit 62 are bonded. For this reason, in the bonding step, it suffices to set in the alignment device the recording head unit 62 to which the adhesives U and V have already been applied in a prior step and the long base plate 41 to which the spacer member 43 is attached, bond these in the device, and cure the adhesive U. Thus, the amount of time occupied by the device, from when the adhesives are applied to when the long base plates and recording head units are bonded/fixed, is shortened so that productivity is improved and equipment expenditures can be reduced.
Next, a twelfth exemplary embodiment of the invention will be described. The twelfth embodiment is a modification where the bonding/fixing portions are reinforced by applying a room temperature-curing adhesive with a method different from that of the eleventh exemplary embodiment to a combination of the adhesive patterns of the eighth exemplary embodiment and the curing of the tenth exemplary embodiment.
In the manufacturing method of the present exemplary embodiment, as shown in
In this manner, in the present exemplary embodiment, the bonding/fixing portions are reinforced by applying the room temperature-curing adhesive V to the bonding surface 62A after the long base plate 41 (spacer member 43) and the recording head unit 62 have been bonded/fixed using the UV-curing adhesive U. In this case, after the bonding step and the adhesive U curing step using the alignment bonding device, the inkjet recording head 60 is removed from the device so that the adhesive V can be applied. For this reason, even with this manufacturing method, the amount of time occupied by the device from the bonding/fixing to the reinforcement can be shortened or eliminated so that effects such as improving productivity and reducing equipment expenditures are obtained. Further, in this case, because the adhesive V is applied, there are no affects such as the cured adhesive U becoming deformed, so that the adhesive U can be applied without consideration of the applied positions and shapes with respect to the adhesive V. Thus, the degree of freedom of the applied patterns of the adhesive U is raised, and applied patterns having the effect of suppressing positional displacement corresponding to the center of gravity and bonding surface shape of the recording head unit 62 can be selected.
Next, a thirteenth exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described. The thirteenth exemplary embodiment relates to an inkjet recording head 70 that is configured as a result of the recording head unit 32 described in the first exemplary embodiment where the nozzles 54 are formed in a line being directly bonded/fixed to a long base plate without a spacer member. The inkjet recording head 70 of the thirteenth exemplary embodiment will be described below.
As shown in
Additionally, the recording head units 32 are directly bonded/fixed to and retained on the long base plate 40 by the adhesive U (see
In this manner, in the inkjet recording head 70 of the present exemplary embodiment where the recording head units 32 are directly bonded/fixed to and retained on the long base plate 40, the bonding strength of the recording head units 32 is ensured, the adhesive amount is reduced, positional displacement of the positioned recording head units 32 accompanying curing contraction of the adhesive U, positional displacement of the recording head units 32 with respect to the long base plate 40 and slanting of the nozzle surfaces 52A are suppressed, and the recording head units 32 can be positioned/fixed with high precision by the manufacturing methods described in the first to twelfth exemplary embodiments.
The present invention has been described in detail above on the basis of the first to thirteenth exemplary embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these exemplary embodiments and can be variously implemented within the scope of the invention.
In the preceding exemplary embodiments, an example was described where at least four of the inkjet recording heads 30 were disposed in correspondence to the respective colors of yellow, magenta, cyan and black in order to record a full-color image, but the inkjet recording head of the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the present invention can also be applied to an exemplary embodiment where the respective colors of yellow, magenta, cyan and black are made to correspond, per row of plural recording head units arranged in the paper width direction Y, to plural recording head units 32 two-dimensionally arranged in the paper width direction Y and the paper feeding direction X with respect to a single long base plate 40, so that recording head units 32C, 32M, 32Y and 32K are configured (see
Further, in the preceding exemplary embodiments, an example of a full width array head corresponding to the paper width was described, but the inkjet recording head of the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to a partial width array (PWA) apparatus including a main scanning function and a sub-scanning function.
In addition, in the inkjet recording apparatus 10 of the preceding exemplary embodiments, ink droplets were selectively discharged on the basis of image data from the inkjet recording heads 30, 60 and 70 of the respective colors of yellow, magenta, cyan and black such that a full-color image was recorded on the paper P, but the inkjet recording in the present invention is not limited to recording characters and images on paper.
That is, the recording medium is not limited to paper, and the liquid that is discharged is not limited to ink. The inkjet recording head (liquid droplet discharge head) pertaining to the present invention can be applied to all industrially used liquid droplet discharge (ejection) apparatus, such as discharging ink onto polymer film or glass to create display-use color filters or discharging molten solder onto a substrate to form bumps for mounting parts.
A first aspect of the present invention provides a structure comprising a base plate and a formation unit, wherein the formation unit is bonded and fixed to and retained on the base plate by a first adhesive, and the first adhesive is disposed in the vicinities of end portions of a peripheral edge of a bonding surface of the formation unit.
A second aspect of the present invention provides a structure comprising a base plate, a spacer member configured such that it is attachable to and detachable from the base plate, and a formation unit, wherein the formation unit is bonded and fixed to the spacer member such that the formation unit is retained on the base plate via the spacer member, and a first adhesive is disposed in the vicinities of end portions of a peripheral edge of a bonding surface of the formation unit.
In the present invention, when the bonding surface of the formation unit has a polygonal shape or a shape including corner portions when seen in plan view, for example, the structure is formed by disposing the first adhesive in the vicinities of the end portions of each side or the end portions of the peripheral edge serving as the corner portions and using the first adhesive to bond/fix the formation unit to the base plate or the spacer member detachably attached to the base plate. Thus, bonding strength can be ensured and the amount of the adhesive can be reduced in comparison to when the adhesive is disposed in a wide region such as the entire surface of the bonding surface or the entire periphery of the peripheral edge or when the adhesive is disposed in the center portion of the bonding surface, for example, and positional displacement and slanting of the formation unit with respect to the base plate accompanying contraction when the adhesive is cured is suppressed.
Further, in the structure of the second aspect, the formation unit is bonded/fixed to the spacer member configured such that it can be attached to and detached form the base plate, and the formation unit is retained on the base plate. Thus, the formation unit can be attached to and detached from the base plate together with the spacer member, and the formation unit can be replaced.
In the first or second aspect of the present invention, the first adhesive may be formed in dots, with the planar shape of each dot being substantially circular.
In the present invention, the applied amount of the adhesive is reduced by forming the first adhesive in dots (dot application), and the effect of suppressing positional displacement and slanting of the formation unit accompanying contraction when the adhesive is cured resulting from shape asymmetry is raised by the synergetic effect with the planar shape of each dot being substantially circular.
The first adhesive may be disposed on at least two sides, including the vicinities of the end portions, of the peripheral edge of the bonding surface and may be formed in substantially numerous dots.
In the present invention, high bonding strength is obtained by forming the first adhesive in numerous dots, and positional displacement of the formation unit can be suppressed by reducing the amount of the adhesive and shortening the distance between the adhesive dots.
The first adhesive may be disposed at substantially point-symmetrical positions with respect to the center of gravity of the formation unit.
In the present invention, even if the formation unit has a complicated shape or is a large formation unit like a recording head unit including nozzles arranged in a matrix, positional displacement of the formation unit can be suppressed by disposing the first adhesive at substantially point-symmetrical positions with respect to the center of gravity of the formation unit, that is, by forming patterns distributed substantially equivalently around the center of gravity of the formation unit.
The first adhesive may comprise a light-curing adhesive.
In the present invention, by using a light-curing adhesive for the first adhesive, positional displacement resulting from thermal expansion/contraction of the formation unit occurring during high-temperature heating when using thermosetting adhesive and differences in thermal expansion between the formation unit and the base plate or spacer member is suppressed, and when the adhesive is a light-curing adhesive that is cured by being irradiated with light, the amount of time necessary for the curing can be shortened in comparison to a room temperature-curing adhesive and productivity can be improved.
A second adhesive may be disposed in the vicinity of the first adhesive on the bonding surface, and bonding/fixing portions of the base plate and the formation unit may be configured by main fixed portions resulting from the first adhesive and reinforcement portions resulting from the second adhesive.
In the present invention, the bonding strength (fixing strength) is raised in the bonding/fixing portions where the base plate and the formation unit are bonded/fixed because the main fixing portions comprising the first adhesive are reinforced by the reinforcement portions comprising the second adhesive. Further, the bonding strength, which drops in accompaniment with a reduction in the amount of the first adhesive, can also be reinforced by the second adhesive.
The second adhesive may comprise a room temperature-curing adhesive comprising a material different from that of the first adhesive.
In the present invention, reinforcement can be conducted where positional displacement of the formation unit accompanying thermal strain of the second adhesive is suppressed by using a room temperature-curing adhesive for the second adhesive when the first adhesive comprises a thermosetting or light-curing adhesive, for example.
The formation unit may comprise a liquid droplet discharge head unit that discharges liquid droplets from nozzles.
In the present invention, positional displacement of the liquid droplet discharge head (positional displacement from the position of the pre-positioned liquid droplet discharge head) with respect to the base plate or the spacer member is suppressed and the liquid droplet discharge head can be positioned/fixed with high precision in a structure where a liquid droplet discharge head that discharges liquid droplets from nozzles is bonded/fixed to and retained on a base plate or a spacer member.
In the structure, the base plate that retains the liquid droplet discharge head unit or retains the liquid droplet discharge head unit via a spacer member may comprise a long base plate, and a liquid droplet discharge head may comprise a long liquid droplet discharge head disposed with plural liquid droplet discharge head units retained on the long base plate.
In the present invention, positional displacement of the liquid droplet discharge head units with respect to the long base plate or the spacer members is suppressed and the liquid droplet discharge head units can be positioned/fixed with high precision in a structure comprising a long liquid droplet discharge head where plural liquid droplet discharge head units are retained on a long base plate or retained on a long base plate via a spacer member.
A third aspect of the invention provides a method of manufacturing a structure that comprises a base plate and a formation unit, with the formation unit being bonded/fixed to and retained on the base plate by a first adhesive disposed in the vicinities of end portions of a peripheral edge of a bonding surface of the formation unit, the method comprising: a first adhesive applying step of applying the first adhesive to the vicinities of the end portions at plural places on the peripheral edge of the bonding surface of the formation unit; after the first adhesive applying step, a bonding step of bonding the formation unit and the base plate or the spacer member attached to the base plate; and after the bonding step, a first adhesive curing step of first curing at least two places of the first adhesive applied to the vicinities of the end portions at plural places on the bonding surface of the formation unit to substantially simultaneously cure the at least two places and bond/fix the formation unit and the base plate or the spacer member.
In the present invention, the first adhesive is applied at least to the vicinities of the end portions at plural places on the peripheral edge of the joint surface of the formation unit in the first adhesive applying step, the formation unit and the base plate or the spacer member attached to the base plate are bonded in the bonding step, and at least two places of the first adhesive applied to the vicinities of the end portions at the plural places are first cured in the first adhesive curing step to substantially simultaneously cure the at least two places and bond/fix the formation unit and the base plate or the spacer member. Thus, positional displacement of the formation unit in the direction connecting the end portions of the bonding surface where the first adhesive has been substantially simultaneously cured is suppressed, and positional displacement of the entire formation unit can be effectively suppressed.
In the structure manufacturing method of the third aspect, in the first adhesive curing step, the first adhesive disposed in two places at substantially point-symmetrical positions with respect to the center of gravity of the formation unit may be cured.
In the present invention, by first curing the first adhesive disposed at two places at substantially point-symmetrical positions around the center of gravity of the formation unit to substantially simultaneously cure the adhesive at the at least two places, positional displacement of the formation unit accompanying the curing of the adhesive, and particularly positional displacement in the rotational direction centered on the center of gravity of the formation unit, can be suppressed.
The structure manufacturing method may further comprise: after the first adhesive curing step, a second adhesive curing step of curing the uncured first adhesive by curing the adhesive at two places each at substantially point-symmetrical positions with respect to the center of gravity of the formation unit to sequentially cure the first adhesive.
In the present invention, the uncured adhesive is sequentially cured by curing, at two predetermined places each (that is, at two places each at substantially point-symmetrical positions with respect to the center of gravity of the formation unit), similar to the second adhesive curing step, the first adhesive that is uncured without being cured in the first adhesive curing step where the first adhesive disposed at the predetermined two places was first cured. In this manner, positional displacement of the formation unit accompanying the curing of the uncured adhesive, and particularly positional displacement in the rotational direction centered on the center of gravity of the formation unit, can be effectively suppressed by similarly sequentially curing the uncured adhesive at two predetermined places each, even after the first adhesive curing step.
The structure manufacturing method may further comprise: before the bonding step, a second adhesive applying step of applying a second adhesive to the vicinity of the first adhesive on the bonding surface such that the second adhesive does not destroy the applied state of the first adhesive, wherein the bonding step is conducted after the second adhesive applying step.
In the present invention, the application of the first and second adhesives to the bonding surface of the formation unit is completed before the formation unit and the base plate or the spacer member attached to the base plate are bonded. When an alignment bonding device or the like is used which bonds the formation unit and the base plate or the spacer member in a state where their relative positions are maintained with high precision, for example, it suffices simply to set in the device the formation unit to which the first and second adhesives have already been applied in a prior step and the base plate or the spacer member to which the base plate is attached, bond them in the device, and cure the first adhesive. Thus, the amount of time occupied by the device from the adhesive application to the bonding/fixing is shortened so that productivity is improved and equipment expenditures can be reduced.
The structure manufacturing method may further comprise: after the first adhesive curing step, a second adhesive applying step of applying a second adhesive to the vicinity of the first adhesive on the bonding surface.
In the present invention, by applying the second adhesive to the bonding surface of the formation unit (between the formation unit and the base plate or the spacer member) after using the first adhesive to bond/fix the formation unit and the base plate or the spacer member attached to the base plate, the bonding/fixing portions are reinforced by the second adhesive. Here also, when the formation unit and the base plate or spacer member attached to the base plate are bonded using an alignment bonding device or the like, the structure can be removed from the device to apply the second adhesive after the bonding step using the device. For this reason, the amount of time occupied by the device from the bonding to the reinforcement can be shortened, and effects such as improving productivity and reducing equipment expenditures are obtained. Further, in this case, because the second adhesive is applied there are no affects such as the cured first adhesive becomes deformed. Thus, the first adhesive can be applied without consideration of the applied positions and shape with respect to the second adhesive. Thus, the degree of freedom of the application patterns of the first adhesive is raised, and application patterns having the effect of suppressing positional displacement corresponding to the position of the center of gravity of the formation unit and the shape of the bonding surface can be selected.
A fourth aspect of the invention provides a liquid droplet discharge apparatus disposed with the structure of the first or second aspects. Further, in the liquid droplet discharge apparatus of the fourth aspect of the invention, the structure is manufactured by the manufacturing method of the third aspect.
In the present invention, a liquid droplet discharge apparatus is obtained which is disposed with a structure where a liquid droplet discharge head unit is positioned/fixed with high precision to a base plate (long base plate) or a base plate via a spacer member.
According to the structure, method of manufacturing the structure, and liquid droplet discharge apparatus of the present invention, positional displacement of a formation unit that is bonded/fixed to and retained on a base plate or a spacer member configured such that is attachable to and detachable from the base plate using an adhesive is suppressed, and the formation unit can be positioned/fixed with high precision.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-242462 | Aug 2005 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20010017639 | Noguchi et al. | Aug 2001 | A1 |
| 20020001021 | Tachibana | Jan 2002 | A1 |
| 20070254151 | Colucci | Nov 2007 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 10-181004 | Jul 1998 | JP |
| 2001-199074 | Jul 2001 | JP |
| 2003-266710 | Sep 2003 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20070046738 A1 | Mar 2007 | US |
