JPH1178001A - Production method of ink-jet head and recording medium having its control program recorded therein - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To complete the electrode splitting process in a short time by shortening the scanning distance of a laser beam. SOLUTION: By radiating a laser beam 82 on a conductive layer formed on an actuator substrate 1 along a predetermined scanning pattern while scanning, a plurality of third processing grooves 44c, or the like are formed so as to split the conductive layer into a plurality of electrode patterns 43. In the electrode splitting process, after forming a third processing groove 44c by scanning with the laser beam 82, the third processing groove 44c closest to the other end part of the scanned third processing groove 44c is scanned from the closest end part with the laser beam 82.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an ink jet head for ejecting ink in ejection channels from nozzles by applying an electric signal to an electrode pattern, and a recording medium recording a control program therefor. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet recording apparatus has an ink jet head having a large number of nozzles for ejecting ink droplets so as to print characters and figures on paper. Ink jet heads usually eject ink from nozzles by applying pressure to the ink by deforming a piezoelectric material or locally heating and evaporating the ink in an ink passage communicating with the nozzle. It is configured as follows.

Conventionally, an ink jet head using a piezoelectric material has a plurality of grooves parallel to an upper surface of an actuator substrate made of a piezoelectric material, and a plurality of drive electrodes on the back surface. There is a type in which a voltage is selectively applied to an actuator electrode to deform a side wall between grooves. When manufacturing such an ink jet head, first, a plurality of grooves are formed in parallel on the upper surface of an actuator substrate made of a piezoelectric material, and then a conductive layer is formed on the entire surface of the actuator substrate including the inside of the grooves.
Then, by performing electrode division on the conductive layer of the groove, an actuator electrode made of a conductive layer is formed on the side wall of each groove, and the electrode is divided from the front end surface of the actuator substrate to the conductive layer on the back surface. Thereby, a plurality of electrode patterns connected to each actuator electrode are formed.
That is, the actuator substrate is mounted on the laser processing device,
By irradiating laser light toward the bottom of the groove and irradiating the laser light toward the front end surface and the back surface of the actuator substrate and scanning to remove the conductive layer, the actuator electrode is provided on the side wall of each groove and the actuator electrode is provided. A plurality of electrode patterns connected to each actuator electrode are formed on the back surface of the substrate or the like.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when an electrode pattern is formed on a back surface of an actuator substrate by a plurality of processing grooves 102 having the same length in the same direction, when one processing groove 102 is formed. All the processing grooves 102 are formed based on a scanning pattern in which a unit scan from a scanning start point A to a scanning end point B is repeated a plurality of times while moving in parallel. Thereafter, when the formation of the electrode pattern on the actuator substrate 101 is completed, the actuator substrate 101
The ink jet head is manufactured by joining the cover plate and the nozzle plate to each other, and connecting the nozzles of the nozzle plate to the ejection channels formed by the grooves and the cover plate.

[0005]

However, as in the above-described conventional technique, all the processing grooves 1 are formed in a scanning pattern in which a unit scan for forming one processing groove 102 is repeated a plurality of times.
When 02 is formed, the scanning pattern control program can be easily assembled, but the focal point 103a of the laser beam 103 is moved from the current scanning end point B of the processing groove 102 to the scanning start point A of the next processing groove 102. It becomes necessary. The movement from the scanning end point B to the scanning start point A is the scanning distance (scanning time) of the laser beam 103 from the scanning start point A of the first processing groove 102 to the scanning end point B of the last processing groove 102. And, as a result, there is a problem that productivity is lowered due to an increase in the processing time of the electrode dividing step.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing an ink jet head capable of shortening a scanning distance of a laser beam and completing an electrode dividing step in a short time, and a recording medium on which a control program is recorded. It is.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a light emitting device, comprising: irradiating a conductive layer formed on an actuator substrate with laser light while scanning it along a predetermined scanning pattern. A method for manufacturing an ink jet head, comprising: an electrode dividing step of forming a plurality of processing grooves and forming a plurality of electrode patterns made of the conductive layer electrically separated from each other on the actuator substrate, wherein the laser beam is scanned. Then, when a predetermined processing groove is formed, the laser light is scanned by a scanning pattern formed from the rear end in the scanning direction of the processing groove and the processing groove having the end closest thereto to the processing groove from the close end. It is characterized by: This makes it possible to minimize the scanning distance of the laser beam when all the processing grooves are formed, thereby reducing the scanning time compared to the conventional case where the processing grooves are formed from one direction, for example. The formation of the electrode pattern in the electrode dividing step can be completed in a short time, and the productivity can be improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the method of manufacturing an ink jet head according to the first aspect, wherein the laser beam is applied from a rear end of the processing groove in the scanning direction to an end of the next processing groove to be formed. Irradiation is performed while scanning continuously. Accordingly, it is not necessary to control the irradiation and stop of the laser light in accordance with the scanning position during the scanning of the laser light, so that easy control can be realized.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the ink-jet manufacturing method according to the first or second aspect, wherein the conductive layer is connected to the plurality of actuator electrodes disposed on the actuator substrate while being connected to the actuator substrate. And forming the conductive layer in the plurality of electrode patterns respectively corresponding to the actuator electrodes by the electrode dividing step, and connecting a wiring member to the plurality of electrode patterns. Thus, after forming a conductive layer in a state in which a plurality of actuator electrodes are connected at once, in an electrode dividing step, the conductive layer is divided into electrode patterns corresponding to the respective actuator electrodes. can do.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to the third aspect, the conductive layer is connected to the plurality of actuator electrodes at one end of the actuator substrate, and Light is scanned from one end of the actuator substrate to form a predetermined processing groove, and before reaching the other end of the actuator substrate, the scanning direction is reversed to form an adjacent processing groove toward one end of the actuator substrate. It is characterized by: Thereby, since the processing groove can be formed continuously, the electrode dividing step can be completed in a short time.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to the fourth aspect, the actuator electrode includes a plurality of driving electrodes and a common electrode, and the plurality of electrode patterns are A plurality of driving electrode patterns formed between the processing grooves and connected to the plurality of driving electrodes, and a common electrode pattern connected to a common electrode, the end of the plurality of parallel processing grooves. The plurality of drive-side electrode patterns and the common-side electrode pattern are separated from each other by scanning a laser beam substantially at right angles to the processing grooves continuously from the ends of the processing grooves. . Thus, the drive side electrode pattern and the common side electrode pattern are continuously scanned from the end of the endmost processing groove of the plurality of parallel processing grooves by scanning the laser beam at substantially right angles to the processing grooves. Since the electrodes are formed simultaneously, the electrode dividing step can be completed in a short time.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an ink jet head according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein a processing groove to be formed next from a rear end in the scanning direction of the processing groove. In the scanning path to the end of the laser beam, the irradiation of the laser light is prohibited. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the conductive component of the conductive layer scattered when the processing groove is formed from adhering and remaining in the surrounding processing groove, and to obtain high electric insulation.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the scanning pattern is formed by scanning a processing groove formed by scanning the laser beam. In the direction, when there is no end of the processing groove to be formed next, the scanning path is formed with a radius of curvature equal to or more than a predetermined radius of curvature so as to remove conductive components attached to the scanning path connecting the ends of the processing grooves. It is characterized in that it is set as a curve. Thereby, for example, if the scanning path connecting the ends of the processing groove is bent at a right angle, the conductive component scattered during the processing of the processing groove may not be removed when it adheres to the bent part and may remain, If the scanning path connecting the ends is set to a curve having a radius of curvature equal to or greater than the predetermined radius as described above, the conductive component attached to the processing groove can be removed as in the case of scanning in a straight line, and high electrical insulation can be obtained. be able to.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the scanning pattern includes a scanning start point of a laser beam outside the actuator substrate. It is characterized by having. As a result, assuming that the outside of the actuator substrate is the scanning start point of the laser beam, a large energy is locally applied as in the case of starting the irradiation of the laser beam inside the actuator substrate, so that the processing groove becomes uneven. Can be prevented.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of processing grooves are formed by irradiating a conductive layer formed on an actuator substrate with a laser beam while scanning the same along a predetermined scanning pattern, and a plurality of processing grooves are formed on the actuator substrate. In a manufacturing apparatus of an ink jet head for forming a plurality of electrode patterns composed of electrically conductive layers, a recording medium recording a control program for causing a computer to perform scanning control of the laser beam, wherein the control program comprises:
When scanning the laser beam to form a predetermined processing groove,
The manufacturing apparatus is controlled so as to scan the laser beam with a scanning pattern formed from a rear end portion in the scanning direction of the processing groove and an end portion closest to the processing groove from the close end portion. And This makes it possible to minimize the scanning distance of the laser beam when all the processing grooves are formed, thereby reducing the scanning time compared to the conventional case where the processing grooves are formed from one direction, for example. The formation of the electrode pattern can be completed in a short time to improve the productivity, and the formation of the processing groove by such an electrode pattern can be surely performed.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 3, the inkjet head according to the present embodiment includes an actuator substrate 1, a plate member 4, a nozzle plate 6, and a manifold member 7. Actuator substrate 1
Is formed by laminating a plurality of layers of piezoelectric materials made of a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic material, and the piezoelectric materials of the respective layers are arranged in mutually opposite directions (each in the thickness direction of the actuator substrate 1). Polarized. A plurality of grooves 14 and 15 are formed on the upper surface of the actuator substrate 1 by using a diamond blade or the like. An ejection groove 1 for ejecting ink from every other one of the plurality of grooves.
4, and every other groove between both ends and the injection groove 14 is a dummy groove 15. Note that a lead titanate (PT) ceramic material can be used as the piezoelectric material.

The injection groove 14 is formed at a predetermined depth from one end (left end in the drawing) 1b of the actuator substrate 1 to the other end (right end in the drawing) 1c. On the other hand, the dummy groove 15
Is formed so as to have a predetermined depth from one end to the vicinity of the other end of the actuator substrate 1, and the rear end of the dummy groove is raised and closed so as to be flush with the upper surface 1 a of the actuator substrate 1. Have been. A vertical groove 40 is formed at one end 1 b of the actuator substrate 1 at a position corresponding to the dummy groove 15. The injection grooves 14 and the dummy grooves 15 are alternately arranged in parallel with a partition wall 20 interposed therebetween, and the partition wall 20 is made of a plurality of layers of piezoelectric material polarized in mutually opposite directions.

A conductive layer of Ni or the like is formed on the inner surface, the other end surface 1c, and the back surface 1d of the ejection groove 14 and the dummy groove 15 in the actuator substrate 1 by vapor deposition or plating. Incidentally, one end surface 1b of the actuator substrate 1
In addition, the conductive layer has been removed from the upper surface 1a by grinding in a planar shape. On the bottom surface of the dummy groove 15, a first processed groove 44a obtained by linearly removing the conductive layer is formed from one end to a portion of the other upper surface 1a where the conductive layer is not provided. As a result, one actuator electrode 23 is formed on the inner surface of each ejection groove 14, and two independent actuator electrodes 22 are formed on the inner surface of each dummy groove 15. In the vertical groove 40 communicating with the dummy groove 15, a second processing groove 44b connected to the first processing groove 44a is formed. Also, the back surface 1 of the actuator substrate 1
At d, as shown in FIG. 4, a third processing groove 44c connected to the second processing groove 44b is formed along the groove direction of the dummy groove 15 from one end to the vicinity of the other end. Then, a pair of adjacent odd-numbered and even-numbered third machining grooves 44c, 44
The other end of the third machining groove 44c is connected to the other end of the third machining groove 44c by a fifth machining groove 44e.
The fourth processing groove 44d is formed so as to be orthogonal to.

Each of the processing grooves 44c-44e has a plurality of drive electrodes 43 formed in parallel on the back surface of the actuator substrate 1, and each drive electrode 43 has a dummy groove 15c as shown in FIG. Is electrically connected to the electrode 22 on one wall surface and the electrode 22 on the other wall surface of the dummy groove 15 adjacent to the injection groove 14. Further, a common ground electrode 46 is formed on the outer periphery of the drive electrode 43 row surrounded by the third to fifth processing grooves 44c to 44e, and the common ground electrode 46 is formed on the conductive layer on the other end surface of the actuator substrate 1. Is connected to the electrode 23 of the partition wall 20 facing the injection groove 14 via the.

A wiring member, that is, a flexible printed board 32 is connected to the back surface of the actuator substrate 1 on which the drive electrodes 43 are formed. A board-side drive electrode 64 and a board-side ground electrode 67 are formed on the flexible printed board 32 in correspondence with the drive electrode 43 and the common ground electrode 46. The substrate-side drive electrode 64 is connected to a drive control unit (not shown), and applies a drive voltage output from the drive control unit based on print data to each electrode 22 via the drive electrode 43. . That is, a pair of side walls 20 on both sides of the injection groove 14
The actuator electrodes 22, 22, and 23 on both sides are formed as a set, a driving voltage is applied using the pair of actuator electrodes 22, 22 as a driving electrode, and the actuator electrode 23 is grounded as a common grounding electrode. By creating an electric field perpendicular to the direction,
The pair of side walls 20 are deformed and the injection channels 10 described later are formed.
Applying pressure to the ink inside.

As shown in FIG. 3, a flat plate member 4 made of a ceramic material or a resin material is joined to the upper surface of the actuator substrate 1 constructed as described above in a liquid-tight manner by an epoxy-based adhesive. Have been. As a result, the ejection groove 14 of the actuator substrate 1 is covered with the plate member 4 to form an ejection channel 10 serving as an ink flow path with one end and the other end opened. In addition, the dummy groove 15 is provided in the plate member 4.
One end is opened and the other end is connected to the upper surface of the rear end of the actuator substrate 1 and the plate member 4.
To form a sealed non-injection channel 11.

A nozzle plate 6 is joined to one end of the actuator substrate 1 and the plate member 4 having the above-described ejection channel 10 and the non-ejection channel 11 by using the above-mentioned epoxy adhesive. The nozzle plate 6 is provided with nozzles 30 corresponding to the ejection channels 10 so as to eject ink droplets from the ejection channels 10. The nozzle plate 6 is formed of a plastic such as polyalkylene or (for example, ethylene) terephthalate, polyimide, polyetherimide, polyetherketone, polyethersulfone, polycarbonate, or cellulose acetate.

On the other hand, a manifold member 7 is joined to the other ends of the actuator substrate 1 and the plate member 4. An ink supply port 31 is formed in the center of the manifold member 7 so that ink is supplied from an ink tank (not shown). In addition, the manifold member 7 forms an ink supply path communicating with all the ejection channels 10.

The above-mentioned processing grooves 44a to 44e are formed by irradiating a laser beam with a laser beam machine such as a YAG laser beam to remove the conductive layer linearly. As shown in FIG. 1, the laser processing apparatus includes a laser oscillator 81 that emits a laser beam 82,
An X-axis galvanometer 84 having a reflecting mirror 83 for reflecting the laser beam and scanning in the X-axis direction; a Y-axis galvanometer 86 having a reflecting mirror 85 for reflecting the laser beam 82 and scanning in the Y-axis direction; And a condenser lens 87 for condensing the light 82.

Further, the laser processing apparatus includes a control signal line 9 connected to the laser oscillator 81 and the galvanometers 84 and 86.
And a laser control unit 56 connected via the control unit 0. The laser control device 56 comprises a so-called computer having a memory unit (not shown), a calculation unit, and an input / output unit. The memory unit stores a control program such as a scanning control routine for controlling the scanning of the laser beam 82, and also stores control data for giving various control parameters to the control program. When forming the third processing groove 44c, for example, the control program forms the third processing groove 44c having the closest end from the other end of the third processing groove 44c from the close end. The laser beam 82 is scanned so as to form a scanning pattern.

A method of manufacturing an ink jet head having the above configuration will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 3, the actuator substrate 1 is formed by slicing a flat plate made of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) into a band shape, and then the ejection grooves 14, the dummy grooves 15, and the vertical grooves 40 are formed. Form. Thereafter, a conductive layer of Ni or the like is formed on the entire surface of the actuator substrate 1 including the grooves 14, 15, 40 by vapor deposition or plating. Then, the conductive layer is removed by grinding the upper surface 1a of the actuator substrate 1 into a planar shape, and the conductive layers in the grooves 14 and 15 are made independent on the upper surface.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the actuator substrate 1 is mounted on a laser processing apparatus, and the electrode division of the conductive layer on the upper surface 1a side, one end surface 1b side, and the rear surface 1d side of the actuator substrate 1 is performed. Perform processing. For example, when the rear surface side of the actuator substrate 1 is divided and processed, the actuator substrate 1 is installed such that the rear surface of the actuator substrate 1 faces the condenser lens 87 as shown in FIG. Then, a third processing groove 4 formed at one end in the arrangement direction
4c as the first processing object,
The scanning start point S is determined on the extension of the third processing groove 44c in the groove direction and the external region of the actuator substrate 1.

Next, while the laser beam 82 emitted from the laser oscillator 81 is reflected toward the actuator substrate 1 by the reflecting mirrors 83 and 85, the focal point 89 of the laser beam 82 is positioned at the scanning start point S by the condenser lens 87. To condense light. Thereafter, the galvanometer 86 for the Y-axis is driven to rotate the reflecting mirror 85, and the laser beam 82 is scanned in the groove direction of the third processing groove 44c to scan the conductive layer from one end to the vicinity of the other end of the actuator substrate 1. The first third processed groove 44c is formed by linearly removing and dividing the electrode.

When the formation of the first third processing groove 44c is completed, the unprocessed third processing groove 44c adjacent to the third processing groove 44c is determined as a second processing target, and the second processing target is determined. The laser beam 82 is scanned by switching the scanning direction from the groove direction to the X-axis direction, that is, the downstream side in the arrangement direction, so that the focal point 89 moves toward the other end of the third processing groove 44c. The fifth processing groove 44e is formed by this scanning. When the focus 89 of the laser beam 82 reaches the other end of the second third processing groove 44c, the scanning direction is parallel to the scanning direction when the previous first third processing groove 44c was formed. By switching the scanning direction in the reverse direction, the second third processing groove 44c is formed. Thereafter, the focal point 8 of the laser beam 82 is shifted from one end of the second third processing groove 44c to the external region of the actuator substrate 1.
When 9 arrives, the scanning direction is switched to the downstream side in the arrangement direction so that the scanning direction is positioned on the extension of the third processing groove 44c to be processed next.

Then, the laser beam 82 is scanned while alternately switching the scanning direction between the groove direction and the arrangement direction at two places, that is, the other end of the third processing groove 44c and an extension of the one end side. By doing so, a plurality of thirds are arranged from one end side (upstream side) to the other end side (downstream side) in the arrangement direction.
The processing grooves 44c are sequentially formed in parallel. Thereafter, when forming the final third processing groove 44c, the scanning in the groove direction is terminated at one end side from the other end of the third processing groove 44c up to the previous time,
By switching the scanning direction to the upstream side in the arrangement direction, the fourth processing groove 44 substantially orthogonal to each third processing groove 44c is provided.
forming d. Then, the focal point 89 of the laser light 82 is
When reaching the scanning end position E that has passed through the third processing groove 44c, the scanning by the laser light 82 is ended.

Next, when, for example, the inside of the dummy groove 15 is to be divided into electrodes, the actuator substrate 1 is set such that the upper surface of the actuator substrate 1 faces the condenser lens 87 as shown in FIG. Then, after the dummy groove 15 existing at one end in the arrangement direction of the dummy grooves 15 is determined as the first processing target, the first dummy groove 15
And an external area of the actuator substrate 1 on the extension line in the groove direction is determined as the scanning start point S.

Next, after the focal point 89 of the laser beam 82 is positioned at the scanning start point S, the laser beam 82 is scanned in the groove direction of the dummy groove 15 to linearly remove the conductive layer along the bottom surface thereof. As a result, the first processed groove 44a is formed on the bottom surface of the first dummy groove 15, and the conductive layers on both sides of the dummy groove 15 are divided into independent electrodes 22,22.

When the laser beam 82 is scanned from the first dummy groove 15 to the upper surface of the other end of the actuator substrate 1, the unprocessed dummy groove 15 adjacent to the dummy groove 15 is then subjected to the second processing object. The laser light 8 is placed on an extension of the second dummy ink groove 15 in the groove direction.
The scanning direction of the laser light 82 is switched from the groove direction to the downstream side in the arrangement direction so that the two focal points 89 are located. When the laser light 82 crosses the injection groove 14, the laser light 8
Stop irradiation of 2.

When the laser beam 82 reaches an extension of the second dummy groove 15 in the groove direction, the scanning direction is switched in a direction parallel to and reverse to the scanning direction in the previous groove direction, thereby forming the second dummy groove 15. A first processing groove 44a is formed on the bottom surface of the groove 15. Thereafter, the scanning direction is switched to the downstream side in the arrangement direction on the extension line in the groove direction, and the laser light 82
When the focal point 89 reaches the extension of the third dummy groove 15, the first processed groove 44a is formed by the same operation as when the first dummy groove 15 is scanned.
Then, while repeating such operations, the laser light 82
Are scanned in the X and Y-axis directions, so that the first direction from the one end side (upstream side) to the other end side (downstream side) in the arrangement direction.
A processing groove 44a is formed on the bottom surface of each dummy groove 15 in order.
Also, on the bottom surface in the vertical groove 40, the second processing groove 44b
Are connected to the first and third processing grooves 44a and 44c, and are similarly formed. These third to fifth processing grooves 44c,
44d and 44e, a step of processing the first processing groove 44a, and a step of forming the second processing groove 44b
The order can be appropriately changed and executed.

When the first to fifth processing grooves 44a to 44e are formed in the above-mentioned division processing and the upper surface 1a and the one end surface 1b of the actuator substrate are ground (the grinding of the one end surface 1b will be described later), FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the conductive layer is formed as the electrodes 22 and 23 of the partition wall 20, and the drive electrode 43 and the common ground electrode 46 connected to each of the electrodes 22 and 23 are formed. Then, after gold plating is performed on these electrodes 22, 23, 43, and 46, a protective film is formed by a CVD method or the like so as to protect the electrodes 22, 23, 43, and 46 from ink.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, a plate member 4 is joined to the upper surface of the actuator substrate 1, and one end surfaces of the actuator substrate 1 and the plate member 4 are ground into a planar shape. The conductive layer and the like on one end face 1b of the substrate are removed. Then, the nozzle plate 6 is joined to one end face and the manifold member 7 is joined to the other end face so that the ejection channel 10 and the nozzle 30 correspond to each other. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4, the flexible printed circuit board 32 is brought into contact with the actuator substrate 1 so that the electrodes 64 and 67 of the flexible printed circuit board 32 and the electrodes 43 and 46 of the actuator substrate 1 coincide with each other. By attaching, an ink jet head is assembled. The electrodes 68 and 67 of the flexible printed circuit board 32 are each formed with a solder layer in advance so as to be melted by heating.

As described above, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet head according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the conductive layer formed on the actuator substrate 1 is irradiated with the laser beam 82 while scanning it along a predetermined scanning pattern. By doing so, a plurality of processing grooves (the first processing groove 44a and the third processing groove 44c
And the like, and an electrode dividing step of forming a plurality of electrode patterns made of conductive layers electrically separated from each other on the actuator substrate 1. In the electrode dividing step, when a predetermined processing groove is formed by scanning with the laser beam 82, the rear end of the processing groove in the scanning direction (for example, the third processing groove 44c).
(The other end of the third processing groove 44c adjacent to the third processing groove 44c) from the other end of the laser beam 82 in a scanning pattern formed from the adjacent end.
Is scanned. In the present embodiment, the case where parallel processing grooves are formed as in the case of forming the third processing groove 44c is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It can be applied to the case of forming.

Thus, the scanning distance of the laser beam 82 when all the processing grooves are formed can be minimized, so that the scanning distance can be reduced as compared with the conventional case where the processing grooves are formed from one direction, for example. By shortening the time, the formation of the electrode pattern can be completed in a short time and the productivity can be improved.

In this embodiment, when forming the third processing groove 44c, the laser beam 82 is continuously scanned from the rear end of the processing groove in the scanning direction to the end of the next processing groove to be formed. It irradiates while. Accordingly, it is not necessary to control the irradiation and stop of the laser light 82 corresponding to the scanning position during the scanning of the laser light 82, so that easy control can be realized.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the conductive layer on the back surface of the actuator substrate connected to the plurality of actuator electrodes (electrodes 22 and 23) arranged on the actuator substrate 1 is subjected to an electrode dividing step. ,
A plurality of electrode patterns (drive electrode 43, ground electrode 46) respectively corresponding to the actuator electrodes are formed, and the plurality of electrode patterns are
(Wiring material).

The above-mentioned conductive layer is connected to a plurality of actuator electrodes (electrodes 22 and 23) at one end of the actuator substrate 1, and scans the laser beam 82 from one end of the actuator substrate 1 to a predetermined processing groove. By forming the groove 44c and reversing the scanning direction before reaching the other end of the actuator substrate 1, the adjacent processing groove 44c is formed toward one end of the actuator substrate 1.

Further, the actuator electrode includes a plurality of driving electrodes (electrodes 23) and a common electrode (electrodes 22), and a plurality of electrode patterns are formed between the processing grooves 44c and connected to the plurality of driving electrodes 23. The plurality of drive-side electrode patterns 43 and the common-side electrode pattern 46 connected to the common-side electrode 22 are connected to each other. The plurality of driving electrode patterns 43 and the common electrode pattern 46 are separated by forming the fourth processing groove 44d by scanning the laser beam 82 at a right angle to the groove.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the scanning pattern has a configuration in which the scanning start point S of the laser light 82 is provided in an external region of the actuator substrate 1. As a result, when the outside of the actuator substrate 1 is set as the scanning start point S of the laser light 82, a large energy is locally applied as in the case where the irradiation of the laser light 82 is started in the internal region of the actuator substrate 1. The width of the processing groove partially varies, and each electrode pattern 43
Can be prevented. In particular, when the number of the ejection channels 10 is even, the number of the non-ejection channels 11 becomes an odd number. Therefore, by setting the scanning start point S of the first machining groove 44c in the external region of the actuator substrate 1, the final machining is performed. The fourth processing groove 44d can be formed continuously at a right angle from the groove 44c.

In this embodiment, the third processing groove 4
As in the case of forming the laser beam 4c, the laser beam 82 is continuously irradiated during the entire scanning path, but is not limited to this. That is, the scanning path from the rear end of the processing groove in the scanning direction (for example, the other end of the third processing groove 44c) to the end of the processing groove to be formed next (for example, the other end of the third processing groove 44c). , The irradiation of the laser beam 82 may be prohibited. In this case, when changing the scanning direction from the end of the processing groove to the next processing groove, at the bending point, the laser beam scanning is stopped for a moment, and the energy input amount by the laser light is reduced. It is engraved as a circle larger than the width of the processing groove. Therefore, the conductive component of the conductive layer may scatter around the bending point in a ring shape and may adhere to the already processed groove. When the scanning direction changes from the bending point, the conductive component remains in the processing groove before the scanning direction changes, and the insulation property is deteriorated. By doing so, the adhesion of the conductive component to the processed groove can be prevented, and high electrical insulation can be obtained.

In this embodiment, for example, when the scanning direction is switched between the groove direction and the arrangement direction, scanning is performed using a scanning pattern that is bent in a right angle direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, in the scanning direction of the processing groove 51 formed by the scanning of the laser beam 82,
When the end 51a of the processing groove 51 to be formed next does not exist, the end 51a of the processing groove 51, 51a.
The scanning path 52 may be configured to scan with a scanning pattern set to a curve having a radius of curvature equal to or greater than a predetermined radius of curvature so that the conductive component scattered for the above reason does not remain in the scanning path 52 connecting the two.

Thus, for example, when the scanning path 52 connecting the end portions 51a of the processing grooves 51, 51 is bent at a steep angle such as a right angle, when the conductive component adheres to the bent portion, it remains without being removed. However, if the scanning path 52 is set to a curve having a radius of curvature equal to or larger than a predetermined radius and a conductive component attached to the processing groove 51 is removed in the same manner as in the case of scanning in a straight line, high electrical insulation can be obtained. it can.

In the present embodiment, a control program for scanning the above-described scanning pattern with the laser beam 82 is stored in a memory section in the laser control device 56 of FIG. The memory unit includes a recording medium such as a semiconductor memory recording a manufacturing program of an inkjet head, a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk, and an optical disk.

The present invention is applicable not only to the ink jetting by deforming the side wall of the jetting groove 14 but also to the drive electrode 43 for supplying power to the ink jetting actuator in other types of heads. Can be.

[0049]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of processing grooves are formed by irradiating a conductive layer formed on an actuator substrate with a laser beam while scanning the same along a predetermined scanning pattern. A method of manufacturing an ink jet head having an electrode dividing step of forming a plurality of electrode patterns made of the conductive layer electrically separated from each other, wherein when forming a predetermined processing groove by scanning the laser light, The laser beam is scanned by a scanning pattern formed from the rear end of the processing groove in the scanning direction to the processing groove having the end closest thereto. This makes it possible to minimize the scanning distance of the laser beam when all the processing grooves are formed, thereby reducing the scanning time compared to the conventional case where the processing grooves are formed from one direction, for example. There is an effect that the formation of the electrode pattern in the electrode dividing step can be completed in a short time and the productivity can be improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the ink jet head manufacturing method according to the first aspect, wherein the laser beam is applied from a rear end in the scanning direction of the processing groove to an end of the next processing target groove. The irradiation is performed while scanning continuously.
Thus, there is no need to control the irradiation and stop of the laser light in accordance with the scanning position during the scanning of the laser light, so that there is an effect that easy control can be realized.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the ink-jet manufacturing method according to the first or second aspect, wherein the conductive layer is connected to the plurality of actuator electrodes disposed on the actuator substrate while being connected to the actuator substrate. The conductive layer is formed in the plurality of electrode patterns respectively corresponding to the actuator electrodes by the electrode dividing step, and a wiring member is connected to the plurality of electrode patterns. In this way, after the conductive layers connected to the plurality of actuator electrodes are collectively formed, in the electrode dividing step, the conductive layers are divided into electrode patterns corresponding to the respective actuator substrates. It has the effect that it can be done.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to the third aspect, the conductive layer is connected to the plurality of actuator electrodes at one end of the actuator substrate, and Light is scanned from one end of the actuator substrate to form a predetermined processing groove, and before reaching the other end of the actuator substrate, the scanning direction is reversed to form an adjacent processing groove toward one end of the actuator substrate. Configuration. Thereby, since the processing groove can be formed continuously, there is an effect that the electrode dividing step can be completed in a short time.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to the fourth aspect, the actuator electrode includes a plurality of driving electrodes and a common electrode, and the plurality of electrode patterns are A plurality of driving electrode patterns formed between the processing grooves and connected to the plurality of driving electrodes, and a common electrode pattern connected to a common electrode, the end of the plurality of parallel processing grooves. The plurality of drive-side electrode patterns and the common-side electrode pattern are separated from each other by scanning a laser beam substantially at right angles to the processing grooves continuously from the ends of the processing grooves. Thus, the drive side electrode pattern and the common side electrode pattern are continuously scanned from the end of the endmost processing groove of the plurality of parallel processing grooves by scanning the laser beam at substantially right angles to the processing grooves. Since they are formed at the same time, there is an effect that the electrode dividing step can be completed in a short time.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the method of manufacturing an ink jet head according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein a processing groove to be formed next from a rear end of the processing groove in the scanning direction. In the scanning path to the end of the laser beam, the laser light irradiation is prohibited. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the conductive component of the conductive layer scattered when the processing groove is formed from adhering and remaining in the surrounding processing groove, and to obtain high electric insulation.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the scanning pattern is formed by scanning a processing groove formed by scanning with the laser beam. In the direction, when there is no end of the processing groove to be formed next, the scanning path is formed with a radius of curvature equal to or more than a predetermined radius of curvature so as to remove conductive components attached to the scanning path connecting the ends of the processing grooves. This is the configuration in which the curve is set. Thereby, for example, if the scanning path connecting the ends of the processing grooves is bent at a right angle, when the conductive component adheres to the bent portion, it may not be removed and may remain,
It is said that high electrical insulation can be obtained by setting a scanning path connecting the ends to a curve having a radius of curvature equal to or greater than a predetermined radius of curvature and removing a conductive component attached to a processing groove as in the case of linear scanning. It works.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet head according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the scanning pattern includes a scanning start point of a laser beam outside the actuator substrate. It is a configuration to have. As a result, when the outside of the actuator substrate is set as the scanning start point of the laser beam, a large energy is locally applied as in the case where the irradiation of the laser beam is started inside the actuator substrate, so that the processed groove is uneven. This has the effect of preventing the problem of being machined into a shape.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of processing grooves are formed by irradiating a conductive layer formed on an actuator substrate with a laser beam while scanning the same along a predetermined scanning pattern. In a manufacturing apparatus of an ink jet head for forming a plurality of electrode patterns composed of electrically conductive layers, a recording medium recording a control program for causing a computer to perform scanning control of the laser beam, wherein the control program comprises:
When scanning the laser beam to form a predetermined processing groove,
The manufacturing apparatus is controlled so that the laser beam is scanned by a scanning pattern formed from a rear end of the processing groove in the scanning direction to an end closest to the processing groove and an end closest to the processing groove. . This makes it possible to minimize the scanning distance of the laser beam when all the processing grooves are formed, thereby reducing the scanning time compared to the conventional case where the processing grooves are formed from one direction, for example. It is possible to improve the productivity by completing the formation of the electrode pattern in a short time, and it is possible to reliably form the processing groove using the electrode pattern.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the rear surface side of an actuator substrate is divided into electrodes.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where an upper surface side of an actuator substrate is divided into electrodes.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the inkjet head.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the inkjet head.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a scanning pattern.

FIG. 6 illustrates a conventional example, and is an explanatory view showing a state in which the rear surface side of an actuator substrate is divided into electrodes.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 actuator substrate 4 plate member 6 nozzle plate 7 manifold member 10 ejection channel 11 non-ejection channel 14 ejection groove 15 dummy groove 20 partition wall 22 electrode 30 nozzle 31 ink supply port 32 flexible printed circuit board 43 drive electrode 44a to 44e first to fifth Processing groove 51 Processing groove 52 Scan path 56 Laser controller 81 Laser oscillator 82 Laser light 84 Galvanometer for X-axis 86 Galvanometer for Y-axis 87 Condenser lens

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of processing grooves are formed by irradiating a conductive layer formed on an actuator substrate with a laser beam while scanning along a predetermined scanning pattern, and a plurality of processing grooves are formed on the actuator substrate. A method for manufacturing an ink jet head having an electrode dividing step of forming a plurality of electrode patterns made of a conductive layer, wherein a predetermined processing groove is formed by scanning the laser beam.
A method for manufacturing an ink jet head, comprising: scanning a processing groove having an end closest to the processing groove rear end from the rear end in the scanning direction with a scanning pattern formed from the close end. 2. The inkjet according to claim 1, wherein the laser beam is irradiated while scanning continuously from the rear end of the processing groove in the scanning direction to the end of the processing groove to be formed next. Head manufacturing method. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the conductive layer is formed on the actuator substrate in a state where the conductive layer is connected to a plurality of actuator electrodes disposed on the actuator substrate. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of electrode patterns are formed, and a wiring member is connected to the plurality of electrode patterns. 4. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the conductive layer is connected to the plurality of actuator electrodes at one end of the actuator substrate, and scans the laser beam from one end of the actuator substrate to form a predetermined processing groove. 4. The method of manufacturing an ink jet head according to claim 3, wherein, before reaching the other end of the substrate, the scanning direction is reversed and an adjacent processing groove is formed toward one end of the actuator substrate. 5. The actuator electrode includes a plurality of drive-side electrodes and a common-side electrode, and the plurality of electrode patterns are formed between the processing grooves and connected to the plurality of drive-side electrodes. An electrode pattern and a common-side electrode pattern connected to the common-side electrode, continuous from the end of the endmost processing groove of the plurality of parallel processing grooves, substantially perpendicular to the processing grooves; 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of driving electrode patterns and the common electrode pattern are separated by scanning with a laser beam. 6. The laser beam irradiation is prohibited in a scanning path from a rear end of the processing groove in the scanning direction to an end of a processing groove to be formed next.
6. The method for manufacturing an ink-jet head according to any one of items 5 to 5. 7. The scanning pattern is such that, when there is no end of a processing groove to be formed next in the scanning direction of the processing groove formed by the scanning of the laser beam, the ends of these processing grooves are separated from each other. 2. The scanning path according to claim 1, wherein the scanning path is set to a curve having a radius of curvature equal to or greater than a predetermined radius so as to remove conductive components attached to the scanning path.
6. The method for manufacturing an ink-jet head according to any one of items 5 to 5. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the scanning pattern has a laser light scanning start point outside the actuator substrate. 9. A plurality of processing grooves are formed by irradiating a conductive layer formed on an actuator substrate with a laser beam while scanning it along a predetermined scanning pattern, and the plurality of processing grooves are electrically separated from each other on the actuator substrate. In a manufacturing apparatus of an inkjet head for forming a plurality of electrode patterns made of a conductive layer, a recording medium recording a control program for causing a computer to perform scanning control of the laser light, wherein the program scans the laser light. When a predetermined processing groove is formed, a laser beam is scanned by a scanning pattern formed from the rear end in the scanning direction of the processing groove and the processing groove having the closest end to the processing groove. A recording medium recording a control program for controlling the manufacturing apparatus.