METHOD OF MANUFACTURING INKJET PRINTHEAD

• US 20190308409A1
• Filed: 06/19/2019
• Published: 10/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Inventors: Thelander, Jason, Burke, David, Thomas, Andrew, Fielder, Simon, Gimona, Michele, Woffenden, Albert
• Granted Patent: US 10,525,701 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04528 aiming at warming up the head
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14 Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1433 Structure of nozzle plates
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/155 for line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1635 dividing the wafer into individual chips
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1637 molding
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1642 thin film formation by CVD [chemical vapor deposition]
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/175 Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/19 for removing air bubbles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14362 Assembling elements of heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14419 Manifold
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14491 Electrical connection
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/08 dealing with thermal variations, e.g. cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/19 Assembling head units
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/20 Modules
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/34 Bodily-changeable print heads or carriages
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/02 Framework
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/13 Cases or covers

Abstract

A method of forming an inkjet printhead. The method includes the steps of: providing a metal alloy shim having a plurality of shim apertures; nitriding a surface of the shim; bonding the shim to a rigid elongate manifold having ink supply channels, such that each shim aperture is in fluid communication with a respective ink supply channel; and bonding printhead chips to the shim, thereby forming the inkjet printhead.

Claims

1. A method of forming an inkjet printhead, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a metal alloy shim having a plurality of shim apertures;

nitriding a surface of the shim;

bonding the shim to a rigid elongate manifold having one or more ink supply channels, such that each shim aperture is in fluid communication with a respective ink supply channel; and

bonding one or more printhead chips to the shim, thereby forming the inkjet printhead.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the shim is comprised of a metal alloy having a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of 5 ppm/°

C. or less.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the shim is comprised of an alloy of iron and at least one other metal selected from the group consisting of:

nickel, cobalt and chromium.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the shim is comprised of Invar 36.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the manifold is a one-piece structure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the manifold is comprised of a same metal alloy as the shim.

7. The method of claim 6 comprising the further step of nitriding the manifold.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the shim has a thickness in the range of 100 to 1000 microns.