Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6334661
-
Patent Number
6,334,661
-
Date Filed
Friday, July 2, 199925 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, January 1, 200222 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 347 18
- 347 20
- 347 40
- 347 45
- 347 46
- 347 47
- 347 56
- 347 86
- 347 87
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
This present invention is embodied in a printing system and method for inducing shrinkage-tensioning of a flexible nozzle member of a printhead portion of an inkjet printer with an adhesive and novel arrangement. The printing system of the present invention includes a nozzle member securely coupled to a printhead body with an adhesive arrangement that allows shrinkage-induce tensioning of the nozzle member. The adhesive arrangement includes having an adhesive located between a top portion of the printhead body and the flexible nozzle member. The top portion has a mechanical structure such that it induces tensioning of the flexible nozzle member during thermal expansion of the adhesive. Namely, the adhesive arrangement of the printing system of the present invention is capable of efficiently tensioning, and thus, flattening the flexible nozzle member during the adhesion process of the nozzle member. As a result, trajectory errors of ejected ink droplets from the nozzles are reduced.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to inkjet and other types of printers and more particularly, to a printing system and method for inducing tensioning of a flexible nozzle member of a printhead portion of an inkjet printer with an adhesive.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Inkjet printers are commonplace in the computer field. These printers are described by W. J. Lloyd and H. T. Taub in “Ink Jet Devices,” Chapter 13 of
Output Hardcopy Devices
(Ed. R. C. Durbeck and S. Sherr, San Diego: Academic Press, 1988) and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,490,728 and 4,313,684. Inkjet printers produce high quality print, are compact and portable, and print quickly and quietly because only ink strikes a printing medium, such as paper.
An inkjet printer produces a printed image by printing a pattern of individual dots at particular locations of an array defined for the printing medium. The locations are conveniently visualized as being small dots in a rectilinear array. The locations are sometimes “dot locations”, “dot positions”, or pixels”. Thus, the printing operation can be viewed as the filling of a pattern of dot locations with dots of ink.
Inkjet printers print dots by ejecting very small drops of ink onto the print medium and typically include a movable carriage that supports one or more print cartridges each having a printhead with a nozzle member having ink ejecting nozzles. The carriage traverses over the surface of the print medium. An ink supply, such as an ink reservoir, supplies ink to the nozzles. The nozzles are controlled to eject drops of ink at appropriate times pursuant to command of a microcomputer or other controller. The timing of the application of the ink drops is intended to correspond to the pattern of pixels of the image being printed.
In general, the small drops of ink are ejected from the nozzles through orifices by rapidly heating a small volume of ink located in vaporization chambers with small electric heaters, such as small thin film resistors. The small thin film resistors are usually located adjacent the vaporization chambers. Heating the ink causes the ink to vaporize and be ejected from the orifices. Specifically, for one dot of ink, an electrical current from an external power supply is passed through a selected thin film resistor of a selected vaporization chamber. The resistor is then heated for superheating a thin layer of ink located within the selected vaporization chamber, causing explosive vaporization, and, consequently, a droplet of ink is ejected from the nozzle and onto a print media. One very important factor in assuring high print quality is the accuracy of the trajectory of the ejected droplet since this affects where it lands upon the print media. The accuracy of this trajectory is mostly dependent upon the particular geometry of the nozzle.
One challenge in controlling the nozzle geometry and hence trajectory of the droplets is to regulate bending and/or buckling of the nozzle member, otherwise known as “dimpling” of the nozzle member. Dimpling of the nozzle member causes the nozzles to be skewed, which leads to imprecise nozzle geometry. Dimpling tends to be induced during print cartridge manufacturing, which includes cartridge assembly processes such as adhesively bonding the printhead to the cartridge. More specifically, dimpling can be caused by inadvertent bending and/or buckling of the nozzle member due to structural thermal expansions and contractions occurring when the nozzle member is adhesively sealed to the print cartridge. For example, during the heat, cure and cool process when the nozzle member is adhered to the cartridge, the cartridge experiences thermal expansions and contractions. These thermal expansions and contractions cause the nozzle member to buckle, bend and deform, thereby skewing the nozzles.
Since dimpling of the nozzle member skews the nozzles, it tends to adversely affect nozzle geometry, thereby causing nozzle trajectory errors. A measure of this bending of the nozzle member is referred to as the “nozzle camber angle” (NCA), which is proportional to the bending of the nozzle member from an ideal flat state. Poor nozzle camber angles (NCAs) causes ink drop trajectory errors and uncontrolled ink drop directionality. In other words, when the printhead assembly is scanned across a recording medium, the NCA-induced ink drop trajectory errors will affect the location of printed dots and, thus, affect the quality of printing. Also, the bending of the nozzle member can restrict ink flow into nozzles, thus limiting the refill speed and hence the maximum droplet ejection frequency. This is turn limits printer speed. Therefore, what is needed is a nozzle member that has incurred limited bending or deformation during manufacturing of the print cartridge and to be as flat as possible. What is also needed is a printing system incorporating a device that reduces dimpling of a nozzle member during manufacture of a printhead portion of an inkjet printer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To overcome the limitations in the prior art described above, and to overcome other limitations that will become apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, the present invention is embodied in a printing system and method for inducing tensioning of a flexible nozzle member of a printhead portion of an inkjet printer with an adhesive and novel arrangement.
The printing system of the present invention includes a printhead assembly and an ink supply for printing ink on print media. The printhead assembly includes a printhead body having ink channels and a nozzle member having plural nozzles coupled to respective ink channels. The nozzle member is preferably flexible and is securely coupled to the printhead body with an adhesive arrangement that induces tensioning of the nozzle member. The adhesive arrangement includes having an adhesive layer located between a top portion of the printhead body and the flexible nozzle member. The top portion has a mechanical structure suitable to induce tensioning of the flexible nozzle member during thermal expansion (heating and curing) of the adhesive when the adhesive layer is located between the mechanical structure and the nozzle member. Namely, the adhesive arrangement of the printing system of the present invention is capable of efficiently tensioning, and thus, flattening the flexible nozzle member during the adhesion process (which includes heating and curing the adhesive) of the nozzle member. As a result, trajectory errors of ejected ink droplets from the nozzles are reduced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention can be further understood by reference to the following description and attached drawings that illustrate the preferred embodiment. Other features and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
FlG.
1
shows a block diagram of an overall printing system incorporating the preset invention.
FIG. 2
is an exemplary printer that incorporates the invention and is shown for illustrative purposes only.
FIG. 3
shows for illustrative purposes only a perspective view of an exemplary print cartridge incorporating the present invention.
FIG. 4
is a schematic cross-sectional view taken through section line
4
—
4
of
FIG. 3
showing the adhesive arrangement of the print cartridge of
FIGS. 1 and 3
.
FIG. 5
is a schematic cross-sectional view taken through section line
4
—
4
of
FIG. 3
showing another adhesive arrangement of the print cartridge of
FIGS. 1 and 3
.
FIG. 6
is a schematic cross-sectional view taken through section line
4
—
4
of
FIG. 3
showing another adhesive arrangement of the print cartridge of
FIGS. 1 and 3
.
FIG. 7
is a schematic cross-sectional view taken through section line
4
—
4
of
FIG. 3
showing another adhesive arrangement of the print cartridge of FIGS.
1
and
3
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the following description of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration a specific example in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
General Overview:
FIG. 1
shows a block diagram of an overall printing system incorporating the present invention. The printing system
100
of the present invention includes a printhead assembly
110
, an ink supply
112
and print media
114
. The printhead assembly
110
includes a printhead body
116
, a flexible nozzle member
118
with orifices or nozzles
120
fluidically coupled to associated ink channels
121
. The printhead body
116
is securely coupled to the nozzle member
118
with an adhesive arrangement
122
for inducing tensioning of the flexible nozzle member
118
. The induced tension helps create a flatter flexible nozzle member
118
during the adhesion process, which typically includes heating and curing the adhesive. As a result, trajectory errors of ejected ink droplets from the nozzles are reduced.
During a printing operation, ink is provided from the ink supply
112
to an interior portion (such as an ink reservoir) of the printhead body
116
. The interior portion of the printhead body
116
provides ink to the ink channels
121
for allowing ejection of ink through adjacent nozzles
120
. Namely, the printhead assembly
110
receives commands from a processor (not shown) to print ink and form a desired pattern for generating text and images on the print media
114
. Print quality of the desired pattern is dependent on accurate placement of the ink droplets on the print media
114
.
One way to increase print quality is to improve the accuracy and precision of ink droplet placement. This can be achieved by limiting the skew of the nozzles by minimizing nozzle camber angles (NCA). In one embodiment, the present invention is embodied in a printhead body
116
with an adhesive arrangement
122
defined by an adhesive layer being located between a top portion of the printhead body
116
and the flexible nozzle member
118
. The top portion is mechanically structured so that it induces tensioning of the flexible nozzle member during adhesion of the nozzle member
118
to the printhead body
116
when the adhesive layer is located between the mechanical structure and the nozzle member
118
. The mechanical structure can be any physical structure or geometrical arrangement that induces the above tensioning. Consequently, skewing of the nozzles is reduced and NCA is improved, and thus, trajectory errors for the ejected ink droplets from the nozzles
120
are reduced.
Exemplary Printing System:
FIG. 2
is an exemplary high-speed printer that incorporates the invention and is shown for illustrative purposes only. Generally, printer
200
includes a tray
222
for holding print media
114
(shown in FIG.
1
). When a printing operation is initiated, print media
114
, such as a sheet of paper, is fed into printer
200
from tray
222
preferably using a sheet feeder
226
. The sheet then brought around in a U direction and travels in an opposite direction toward output tray
228
. Other paper paths, such as a straight paper path, can also be used. The sheet is stopped in a print zone
230
, and a scanning carriage
234
, supporting one or more print cartridges
236
, is then scanned across the sheet for printing a swath of ink thereon. After a single scan or multiple scans, the sheet is then incrementally shifted using, for example, a stepper motor and feed rollers to a next position within the print zone
230
. Carriage
234
again scans across the sheet for printing a next swath of ink. The process repeats until the entire sheet has been printed, at which point it is ejected into output tray
228
.
The present invention is equally applicable to alternative printing systems (not shown) such as those incorporating grit wheel or drum technology to support and move the print media
114
relative to the printhead assembly
110
. With a grit wheel design, a grit wheel and pinch roller move the media back and forth along one axis while a carriage carrying one or more printheads scans past the media along an orthogonal axis. With a drum printer design, the media is mounted to a rotating drum that is rotated along one axis while a carriage carrying one or more printheads scans past the media along an orthogonal axis. In either the drum or grit wheel designs, the scanning is typically not done in a back and forth manner as is the case for the system depicted in FIG.
2
.
The print cartridges
236
may be removeably mounted or permanently mounted to the scanning carriage
234
. Also, the print cartridges
236
can have self-contained ink reservoirs in the body of the printhead (shown in
FIG. 3
) as the ink supply
112
(shown in FIG.
1
). The self-contained ink reservoirs can be refilled with ink for reusing the print cartridges
236
. Alternatively, the print cartridges
236
can be each fluidically coupled, via a flexible conduit
240
, to one of a plurality of fixed or removable ink containers
242
acting as the ink supply
112
(shown in FIG.
1
). As a further alternative, ink supplies
112
can be one or more ink containers separate or separable from print cartridges
236
and removeably mountable to carriage
234
.
FIG. 3
shows for illustrative purposes only a perspective view of an exemplary printhead assembly
300
(an example of the printhead assembly
110
of
FIG. 1
) incorporating the present invention. A detailed description of the present invention follows with reference to a typical printhead assembly used with a typical printer, such as printer
200
of FIG.
2
. However, the present invention can be incorporated in any printhead and printer configuration.
Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
along with
FIG. 3
, the printhead assembly
300
is comprised of a thermal head assembly
302
and a printhead body
304
. The thermal head assembly
302
can be a flexible material commonly referred to as a Tape Automated Bonding (TAB) assembly. The thermal head assembly
302
contains a flexible nozzle member
306
and interconnect contact pads
308
and is secured to the printhead assembly
300
. The thermal head assembly
302
can be secured to the print cartridge
300
with suitable adhesives. An integrated circuit chip (not shown) provides feedback to the printer
200
regarding certain parameters of printhead assembly
300
. The contact pads
308
align with and electrically contact electrodes (not shown) on carriage
234
. The nozzle member
306
preferably contains plural parallel rows of offset nozzles
310
through the thermal head assembly
306
created by, for example, laser ablation. It should be noted that other nozzle arrangements can be used, such as non-offset parallel rows of nozzles.
Component Details:
FIG. 4
is a cross-sectional schematic taken through section line
4
—
4
of
FIG. 3
of the inkjet print cartridge
300
utilizing the present invention. A detailed description of the present invention follows with reference to a typical printhead used with print cartridge
300
. However, the present invention can be incorporated in any printhead configuration. Also, the elements of
FIG. 4
are not to scale and are exaggerated for simplification.
Referring to
FIGS. 1-3
along with
FIG. 4
, as discussed above, conductors (not shown) are formed on the back of thermal head assembly
302
and terminate in contact pads
308
for contacting electrodes on carriage
234
. The other ends of the conductors are bonded to the printhead
302
via terminals or electrodes (not shown) of a substrate
410
. The substrate
410
has ink ejection elements
416
formed thereon and electrically coupled to the conductors. The integrated circuit chip provides the ink ejection elements
416
with operational electrical signals.
An ink ejection or vaporization chamber
418
is adjacent each ink ejection element
416
, as shown in
FIG. 4
, so that each ink ejection element
416
is located generally behind a single orifice or nozzle
420
of the nozzle member
306
. The nozzles
420
are shown in
FIG. 4
to be located near an edge of the substrate
410
for illustrative purposes only. The nozzles
420
can be located in other areas of the nozzle member
306
, such as centered between an edge of the substrate
410
and an interior side of the body
304
. Each ink ejection element
416
acts as ohmic heater when selectively energized by one or more pulses applied sequentially or simultaneously to one or more of the contact pads
308
via the integrated circuit. The ink ejection elements
416
may be heater resistors or piezoelectric elements. The orifices
420
may be of any size, number, and pattern, and the various figures are designed to simply and clearly show the features of the invention. The relative dimensions of the various features have been greatly adjusted for the sake of clarity.
The printhead body
304
is defined by a headland portion
426
located proximate to the back surface of the nozzle member
306
and includes an inner raised support
430
. An adhesive layer
432
is located between the back surface of the nozzle member
306
and a top surface
434
of the inner raised support
430
to securely affix the nozzle member
306
to the headland
426
. The inner raised support
430
preferably includes an overflow slot
436
for receiving excess adhesive (i.e., adhesive overflow during fabrication of the printhead). The adhesive layer
432
forms an adhesive seal between the nozzle member
306
of the thermal head assembly
302
and the headland
426
. Some adhesives that can be used include hot-melt, silicone, UV curable adhesive, and mixtures thereof. Further, a patterned adhesive film may be positioned on the headland
426
, as well as a dispensed bead of adhesive.
Referring to
FIGS. 1-4
, during a printing operation, ink stored in an ink reservoir
424
defined by the printhead body
304
generally flows around the edges of the substrate
410
and into the vaporization chambers
418
. Energization signals are sent to the ink ejection elements
416
and are produced from the electrical connection between the print cartridges
236
and the printer
200
. Upon energization of the ink ejection elements
416
, a thin layer of adjacent ink is superheated to provide explosive vaporization and, consequently, cause a droplet of ink to be ejected through the orifice or nozzle
420
. The vaporization chamber
418
is then refilled by capillary action. This process enables selective deposition of ink on print media
114
to thereby generate text and images.
During typical fabrication of the printhead assembly
300
and adhesion of the nozzle member
306
to the headland
426
, dimpling is usually formed in the nozzle member
306
and thermal head assembly
302
. Dimpling is caused by inadvertent bending or deformation of the flexible nozzle member
306
and thermal head assembly
302
. Bending and deformation can be caused by disproportionate thermal expansion and contraction of the headland
426
as compared to the thermal expansion and contraction of the flexible nozzle member
306
. In other words, since the flexible nozzle member
306
and the headland
426
are typically made of different materials, their respective coefficients of thermal expansion and contraction are different so they deform disproportionately.
Thermal expansion, bending or deformation of the flexible nozzle member
306
occurs when a dispersed (non-localized) heat source, such as hot air, is applied to the flexible nozzle member
306
to initiate curing of the adhesive
432
. Thermal contraction, bending or deformation of the flexible nozzle member
306
occurs when cooling is applied to the flexible nozzle member
306
to finalize curing of the adhesive and to seal the flexible nozzle member
306
to the headland
426
. This bending or deformation causes dimpling of the nozzle member
306
, which results in skewed nozzles
420
, thereby causing trajectory errors for the ejected ink droplets from the nozzles
420
. Consequently, when the printhead assembly
300
is scanned across the print media during printing, the ink trajectory errors will affect the location of the ejected ink and reduce the quality of printing.
In one embodiment, the headland
426
of the present invention includes an integrated heat transfer device
440
for reducing thermal expansion of the printhead body
304
. The integrated heat transfer device
440
can be any suitable device for reducing the thermal expansion of the headland
426
by reducing the temperature of the bulk volume of the headland
426
during exposure to heat, such as when the adhesive is heated to initiate curing. For example, as shown in
FIG. 4
, the heat transfer device
440
can be an aperture or cutaway portion of the headland
426
. The aperture or cutaway
440
reduces the cross sectional area of the headland
426
, thereby minimizing heat transfer from the curing adhesive
432
to the printhead body
304
and headland
426
. As a result, dimpling is reduced because thermal expansion of the headland
426
is reduced during exposure to heat when the nozzle member
306
is adhesively sealed to the headland
426
.
Specifically, this can be accomplished, for example, by having the integrated heat transfer device
440
, such an aperture or cutaway, located in close proximity to the bottom portion
450
of the inner raised support
430
. This reduces a cross sectional portion of the headland
426
, thereby reducing heat transfer to a top portion of the headland
426
and thus, limiting thermal expansion of the headland
426
. For instance, the aperture or cutaway
440
can be located near the overflow slot
436
and between the bottom portion
450
, as shown in FIG.
4
.
FIG. 5
is a schematic cross-sectional view taken through section line
4
—
4
of
FIG. 3
showing another heat transfer device of the print cartridge of
FIGS. 1 and 3
and a controlled heating process. In another embodiment, an integrated heat transfer device
445
is a cutaway of the bottom portion
450
of the inner raised support
430
to form a slotted portion
510
for reducing heat transfer to a top portion
452
of the headland
426
, as shown in FIG.
5
.
In another embodiment, the headland
426
of the present invention includes an adhesive arrangement
447
that induces tensioning of the flexible nozzle member
306
during the adhesion process. This induced tension helps create a flatter flexible nozzle member
306
. The adhesive arrangement
447
can be any suitable arrangement, such as an adhesive layer located on a sloped surface or strategic geometrical configuration, that induces tension in the flexible nozzle member
306
in order to flatten the flexible nozzle member
306
during the adhesion process.
For example, as shown in
FIG. 4
, the adhesive arrangement
447
can be defined by an adhesive bead or layer
432
formed between the flexible nozzle member
306
and a top sloped or angled surface
434
. During the adhesion process, the adhesive shrinks toward the center of the adhesive in directions defined by vector components
460
,
462
. The components
460
,
462
show the shrinkage direction of adhesive, and thus, the tension direction of the flexible nozzle member
306
induced by the adhesive arrangement
447
. As a result, dimpling is reduced because the flexible nozzle member
306
is tensioned, and thus, flattened, when it is adhesively sealed to the headland
426
.
FIG. 6
is a schematic cross-sectional view taken through section line
4
—
4
of
FIG. 3
showing another adhesive arrangement of the printhead of
FIGS. 1 and 3
. In another embodiment, an adhesive arrangement
506
includes a top sloped or angled surface
508
and a z-stop
510
adjacent the overflow slot
436
and the top angled surface
508
, suitable to cause the adhesive to shrink in a direction that tensions the nozzle member, as shown in FIG.
5
. Similar to the embodiment of
FIG. 4
, the adhesive bead or layer
432
is formed between the flexible nozzle member
306
and the top angled surface
508
and shrinks in the same manner as depicted in
FIG. 4
to thereby tension the flexible nozzle member
306
. The z-stop
510
is preferably a guide post for height referencing or keeping the nozzle member
306
at a desired height by allowing it to rest on top of the z-stop
510
. The z-stop
510
improves height control and uniformity, reduces the thickness of the adhesive
432
and allows for maximum spacing between the adhesive
432
and the substrate
410
for further increasing the flatness of the nozzle member
306
.
Further, a controlled process can be used to heat and cure the adhesive
432
for regulating the amount of heat applied to the printhead body
304
by localizing the application of the heat, as shown in FIG.
6
. Regulating the amount of heat applied to the printhead body
304
helps control the thermal expansion of the headland
426
. In particular, hot gimbaled rails
520
can be placed in direct contact with the nozzle member
306
at a contact area
522
to conductively heat and cure the adhesive
432
. The contact area
522
is preferably located directly above the adhesive
432
between the nozzle member
306
and the headland
426
. Since the rails
520
only contact the nozzle member
306
, heat can be applied to a regulated area, such as the contact area
522
, with controlled amounts of temperature. For instance, a minimum required amount of heat to cure the adhesive
432
can be applied to a controlled area
460
directly above the adhesive
432
.
In addition, an insulator device
530
can be used to insulate other areas from the heat. Namely, an insulated gimbal locating device
530
can be placed in direct contact with the nozzle member
306
at a contact area
532
to insulate certain areas. The contact area
532
is preferably located in direct contact with the headland
426
of the printhead body
304
to reduce the bulk temperature of the body
304
when the body is exposed to the heat. Since the insulated gimbal locating device
530
directly contacts a portion of the headland
426
, the temperature of the headland
426
near the contact area
532
can be regulated. As a result of this localized heating method, only a small portion of the headland
426
is heated, thereby efficiently controlling and reducing thermal expansion of the headland
426
, which reduces bending, deformation and dimpling of the thermal head assembly
302
. Consequently, trajectory errors of ejected ink droplets from the nozzles
420
are reduced. It should be noted that the above embodiments could also be performed in combination to further reduce thermal expansion of the printhead body.
In another embodiment, precise tensioning and shaping of the nozzle member
306
can be achieved during the adhesive process with the configuration
700
shown in FIG.
7
.
FIG. 7
is a schematic cross-sectional view taken through section line
4
—
4
of
FIG. 3
showing another adhesive arrangement of the print cartridge of
FIGS. 1 and 3
. Namely, the configuration
700
includes clamps
704
and temperature controlled cure horns
720
for tensioning the nozzle member during the adhesion process (only one clamp, one cure horn and one side of the nozzle member are shown in
FIG. 7
for simplicity).
During the adhesion process, the clamps
704
are compressed onto each outer side
710
of the nozzle member
306
with a force P
2
. The temperature controlled cure horns
720
are compressed onto the nozzle member
306
over an area
722
proximate an adhesive layer
724
with force P
1
. The cure horns
720
apply heat to the area
722
proximate the adhesive layer
724
for curing the adhesive layer
724
while the nozzle member
306
is held in this controlled state. Force P
1
is set to provide the desired amount of nozzle member
306
tensioning and hold down force and P
2
is set at a sufficient level for securely holding the nozzle member
306
during the process. Due to possible inherent tension amplification effects, force P
2
may be higher than P
1
.
The compressive forces P
1
and P
2
causes the nozzle member
306
to be tensioned over a z-stop rail
510
, which forces the nozzle member
306
to conform to the profile of the rail
510
over the length of the nozzle member
306
. Also, this tension tends to remove excess flexible material of the nozzle member
306
over the vaporization channel
418
that would normally cause bending or buckling. As a result, the nozzle member
306
will tend to be as flat as the rail
510
, thereby minimizing the NCA variation.
The foregoing has described the principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the present invention. However, the invention should not be construed as being limited to the particular embodiments discussed. As an example, the above-described inventions can be used in conjunction with inkjet printers that are not of the thermal type, as well as inkjet printers that are of the thermal type. Thus, the above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and it should be appreciated that variations may be made in those embodiments by workers skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.
Claims
- 1. A printing system comprising:an inkjet printhead having a nozzle member and a body; a secure layer disposed between the nozzle member and an inner surface integrally formed within the body, wherein the secure layer couples the nozzle member to the body; and an angled surface located adjacent to the inner surface for receiving the secure layer and causing the secure layer to shrink in a direction that tensions the nozzle member.
- 2. The printing system of claim 1, wherein the secure layer is an adhesive layer.
- 3. The printing system of claim 2, wherein the inner surface is defined by a surface suitable to cause the adhesive layer to shrink in a direction that tensions the nozzle member.
- 4. The printing system of claim 2, further comprising a controlled heater that applies a controlled amount of heat to a localized area of the body, wherein the controlled heater regulates a bulk temperature of the body during exposure to the heat.
- 5. The printing system of claim 4, wherein the controlled heater is a conductive heater.
- 6. The printing system of claim 4, wherein the conductive heater is hot gimbaled rails applied to the nozzle member directly above the adhesive layer and a portion of the body for heating and curing the adhesive.
- 7. The printing system of claim 4, further comprising an insulating gimbal device in direct contact with the body to reduce the bulk temperature of the body when the body is exposed to heat.
- 8. The printing system of claim 2, further comprising a substrate attached to the nozzle member and having a front surface and an opposing back surface and ink ejection elements being formed on the front surface.
- 9. The printing system of claim 1, further comprising an ink supply for providing ink to the printhead.
- 10. The printing system of claim 9, wherein the ink supply is a removeably mounted ink container.
- 11. The printing system of claim 1, further comprising a carriage supporting the printhead over a print media.
- 12. The printing system of claim 1, further comprising a heat transfer device integrally formed with the body to reduce thermal expansion of the body when the body is exposed to heat.
- 13. A printing method, comprising:securing an inner surface of a body to a nozzle member; creating an angled surface located adjacent to the inner surface; providing a secure layer between the nozzle member and the inner surface and the angled surface for causing the secure layer to shrink in a direction that induces tensioning of the nozzle member; and providing ink from an ink supply to the inkjet printhead to enable the inkjet printhead to print the ink.
- 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising refilling the ink supply.
- 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the inner surface is defined by a wall that keeps the nozzle member at a desired height by allowing it to rest on top of the wall.
- 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the wall has a z-stop configuration that improves height control and reduces a thickness of the adhesive to increase the flatness of the nozzle member.
- 17. An method for fabricating an inkjet printhead supported by a body, comprising:providing an adhesive between a nozzle member and a portion of the body; inducing tensioning of the nozzle member by securing an inner surface of the body to the nozzle member and applying a first compressive force to a predefined portion of the nozzle member proximate to the adhesive and a second compressive force to securely hold the nozzle member during application of the first compressive force, wherein the nozzle member is precisely tensioned and shaped; applying a controlled amount of conductive heat to a localized area of the body to regulate a bulk temperature of the body during exposure to the heat.
- 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the conductive heat is applied by hot gimbaled rails in direct contact with the nozzle member directly above the adhesive and the portion of the body for heating and curing the adhesive.
- 19. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing an insulating gimbal device in direct contact with the body to regulate the bulk temperature of the body when the body is exposed to the heat.
- 20. The method of claim 17, further comprising integrally forming an angled surface within the body to induce tensioning of the nozzle member.
- 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising a raised surface that keeps the nozzle member at a desired height by allowing it to rest on top of the raised surface.
- 22. The method of claim 17, further comprising integrally forming a heat transfer device defined by an aperture in the body to reduce thermal expansion of the body when the body is exposed to heat.
- 23. The method of claim 17, further comprising conforming the shape of the nozzle member by providing a rail underneath the predefined portion the nozzle member.
- 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the cure horns apply heat to the predefined portion to cure the adhesive while the nozzle member is held in the controlled state.
- 25. The method of claim 17, wherein the first force is applied by temperature controlled cure horns and the second force is applied by clamps.
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