Patent EP0309146B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0309146B1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Manufacture of nozzles for ink jet printers
Assignee: Xaar Ltd
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Filing: 1988-09-15
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Granted: 1993-01-13
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Expires: 2008-09-15
Abstract
Abstract A method of manufacturing one or more nozzles (13) for an ink jet printhead initially comprises bonding a nozzle plate (14) to the ink ejection end of the printhead (16). A mask (12) is then secured in contact with the nozzle plate (14), the mask having a plurality of apertures (15) each defining a respective nozzle exit. Laser radiation applied to the mask exposes the areas defined by the apertures to ablate the plate material between the nozzle exits on the external surface of the plate and corresponding nozzle inlets on the opposite surface of the plate. The assembly comprising the printhead (16), plate (14) and mask (12) is rocked during the exposure step to increase the area of the nozzle inlet relative to its outlet. Also, prior to the nozzle formation step, one or more ink troughs (22) may be provided for supplying an external source of ink for each nozzle. The ink troughs (22), which may be formed using laser ablation techniques similar to those used in the formation of the nozzles, facilitate a continuous, positive flow of ink through the nozzles.
Inventors
- 👤 Anthony David Paton
- 👤 Stephen Temple
- 👤 Alan John Michaelis
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 13:22
CPC Classifications
B; B23; B23K; B23K26/00; B23K26/02; B23K26/06; B23K26/064; B23K26/066; B23K26/0661; B23K26/18; B23K26/36; B23K26/38; B23K26/382; B23K26/389; B41; B41J; B41J2/00; B41J2/005; B41J2/01; B41J2/135; B41J2/16; B41J2/162; B41J2/1621; B41J2/1623; B41J2/1632; B41J2/1634; B23K2103/00; B23K2103/30; B23K2103/42; B23K2103/50
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
51 words
A method of making a nozzle plate for an ink jet printhead comprising directing a high energy beam at a plate and effecting relative rocking motion between said plate and said beam thereby to form a nozzle in said plate which tapers in a direction opposed to that of said beam.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of Claim 1, wherein said rocking step comprises effecting relative rocking motion about each of two mutually inclined axes so that said nozzle is formed with one end thereof of larger cross-section and with a predetermined shape.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of Claim 2 including disposing said axes mutually at right angles.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method of Claim 3, wherein said rocking step comprises effecting said rocking motion by holding said beam stationary and pivotally moving said plate in simple harmonic motion about said respective axes disposed in or substantially in a plane surface of said plate facing towards said beam,
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of Claim 4 including forming said plate with a polymer material.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of Claim 5 including employing an excimer laser as said high energy beam.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of Claim 4 including securing a masking means in overlying contact with said plate to limit incidence on said plate of said beam to locations at which said nozzles are to be formed.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of Claim 1, including providing said plate in a polymer material and, prior to forming said nozzle, mounting said plate on an ink jet printhead body so as to close an end of an ink channel in said body, said nozzle being formed to communicate with said channel.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of Claim 8, wherein said ink channel is a rectilinear channel, and including directing said beam at said plate along the axis of said channel to form said nozzle.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method of Claim 8 including limiting the incidence on said plate of said beam to a plurality of locations at each of which a respective nozzle is to be formed and effecting relative rocking motion between said beam and said plate so as to simultaneously form a plurality of nozzles of tapering form.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
67 words
The method of Claim 10 including spacing said locations in a row and effecting said relative rocking motion so that at the side of the nozzle plate at which said nozzles have the larger cross-sectional area, said nozzles are formed with a first dimension in the direction of the spacing of said nozzle axes and with a second dimension perpendicular to and greater than said first dimension.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of Claim 11 including rocking said plate so as to form said nozzles with the ends thereof of greater cross-sectional area being of substantially rectangular form.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
92 words
A method of making a nozzle plate for an ink jet printhead comprising directing a high energy beam at a plate to form a trough in said plate and, thereafter, directing said high energy beam at a location within said trough and effecting relative rocking motion between said plate and said beam thereby to form a nozzle in said trough which tapers in a direction opposed to that of said beam, the end of said nozzle opening into said trough being of smaller cross-sectional area than the opposite end of the nozzle.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of Claim 13 including employing first masking means to limit the incidence on said plate of said beam in forming said trough and employing second masking means to limit the incidence of said beam in forming said nozzles.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of Claim 14, wherein said rocking step comprises effecting said rocking motion by holding said beam stationary and pivotally moving said plate in simple harmonic motion about respective axes disposed in or substantially in a plane surface of said plate facing towards said beam.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of Claim 15 including providing said plate in a polymer material and, prior to forming said nozzle, mounting said plate on an ink jet printhead body so as to close an end of an ink channel in said body, said nozzle being formed to communicate with said channel.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
94 words
A method of making a nozzle plate for an ink jet printhead comprising directing a high energy beam at a plate of polymer material secured to an end of an array of ink channels of an ink jet printhead body, limiting the incidence on said plate of said beam to a plurality of locations so as to simultaneously form respective nozzles in communication with said channels and effecting relative rocking motion between said beam and said printhead so that each of said nozzles tapers inwardly in the direction opposed to that of said beam.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
109 words
A nozzle plate (14) for an ink jet printhead formed with a nozzle (13) therein having an inlet at one face of said plate and an outlet of smaller cross-sectional area than said inlet at a face of said plate opposite that in which said nozzle inlet is disposed, said nozzle further having a nozzle bore which converges from said inlet to said outlet, characterized in that said nozzle plate is formed from polymer and said nozzle bore is formed by a high energy beam directed at the face of said plate in which said outlet is disposed whilst effecting relative rocking motion between said plate and said beam.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
128 words
A nozzle plate as claimed in Claim 18 and in which said plate is formed with a row of nozzles therein having respective inlets disposed in a face of said plate which when said plate is located on said printhead faces said printhead, respective outlets which are of smaller cross-sectional area than said inlets and are disposed in a face of said plate opposite that in which said inlets are disposed and respective nozzle bores between said inlets and said outlets which converge each from the inlet to the outlet thereof, characterized in that said nozzle bores are formed by directing a high energy beam at said face of said plate in which said outlets are formed while effecting relative rocking motion between said beam and said plate.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
27 words
The nozzle plate as claimed in Claim 18 or Claim 19, characterized in that said nozzle or said nozzles each have an inlet of substantially rectangular cross-section.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
36 words
The nozzle plate as claimed in any of Claims 18 to 20, characterized in that the or each of said nozzle bores are formed by and have increased surface energy imparted thereto by an excimer laser.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
77 words
The nozzle plate as claimed in any one of Claims 18 to 21, characterized in that the inlet of the or each of said nozzles is of substantially rectangular shape and is formed by simple harmonic rocking motion of said plate relative to said beam about two mutually perpendicular axes, a first dimension of each of said inlets in the direction of the row of nozzles being less than a second dimension thereof perpendicular to said row.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
122 words
A drop-on-demand ink jet printhead comprising a printhead body (16) formed with an ink channel (20), a nozzle plate (14) secured to said body and a nozzle (13) formed in said nozzle plate and having an inlet in a face of said plate adjacent said body and an outlet of smaller cross-section than said inlet disposed in a face of said plate opposite the face in which said inlet is disposed, said nozzle further having a nozzle bore which converges from said inlet to said outlet, characterized in that said nozzle plate is formed from polymer and said nozzle bore is formed by directing a high energy beam at said plate and effecting relative rocking motion between said beam and said plate.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
138 words
A drop-on-demand ink jet printhead as claimed in Claim 23, comprising a printhead body (16), a nozzle plate (14) formed with a row of nozzles (13) secured to said body and an array of ink channels (20) in said body respectively communicating with said nozzles, each of said nozzles having an inlet in a face of said plate adjacent said body, an outlet of smaller cross-section than the inlet thereof in a face of said plate opposite the face in which said inlets are disposed and a nozzle bore which converges from the nozzle inlet to the nozzle outlet, characterised in that said bores are formed in said plate by directing a high energy beam at the face of said plate in which said outlets are disposed whilst effecting relative rocking motion between said plate and said beam.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
70 words
The printhead of Claim 23 or Claim 24, characterized in that the inlet of each of said nozzles is of substantially rectangular shape and is formed by simple harmonic rocking motion of said plate relative to said beam about two mutually perpendicular axes, a first dimension of each of said inlets in the direction of the row of nozzles being less than a second dimension thereof perpendicular to the row.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
36 words
The printhead as claimed in any one of Claims 23 to 25, characterized in that the or each of said nozzle bores is formed by and have increased surface energy imparted thereto by an excimer laser.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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