Alignment jig, manufacturing method thereof, and method of manufacturing liquid-jet head unit

• US 7,832,086 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Owaki, Hiroshige, Igarashi, Yoshihiro, Inaoka, Yasuo, Yanagisawa, Isao
• Primary Examiner(s): Tugbang; A. Dexter
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANGWIN, DAVID PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US11/441,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20060265851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 298/901, 297/59, 297/60
• US Class Current: 29/759
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14233 of film type, deformed by bending and disposed on a diaphragm
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14241 having a cover around the piezoelectric thin film element
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49401 Fluid pattern dispersing device making, e.g., ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4984 Retaining clearance for motion between assembled parts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49895 Associating parts by use of aligning means [e.g., use of a drift pin or a "fixture"]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53261 Means to align and advance work part
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53265 with work-holder for assembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53435 including assembly pallet

Abstract

An alignment jig including:

• • a base jig which is used when aligning and bonding a nozzle plate which is provided with nozzle orifices ejecting liquid of a liquid-jet head with/to a fixing member holding a nozzle plate side of the plurality of liquid-jet heads, and which is provided with an optical system on a bottom plane thereof;
  • a mask having transparency, one plane of which is bonded to a plane of the base jig opposite to the optical system, and the other plane of which is provided with a reference mark for being aligned with an alignment mark provided for the nozzle plate; and
  • a spacer jig which is bonded to a plane of the mask where the reference mark of the mask is provided, and which holds the fixing member.

Claims

1. An alignment jig comprising:

a base jig, a mask being directly bonded on the base jig, a spacer jig being directly bonded on the mask,

wherein an optical system is provided at an opposite side of the mask with respect to the base jig,

wherein the mask is made of glass, and a plane of a spacer jig side of the mask being provided with a reference mark for being aligned with an alignment mark to overlap the alignment mark, the alignment mark being provided on a nozzle plate which is provided with nozzle orifices for ejecting liquid of a liquid-jet head,

wherein the spacer jig is configured to hold a fixing member that abuts and holds a portion of a surface of the nozzle plate where the ejected liquid is output through the nozzle orifices, and

wherein the alignment jig is used for aligning the nozzle plate of the liquid-jet head with the fixing member.

2. The alignment jig according to claim 1, wherein the base jig is bonded to the mask with a wax interposed therebetween, as well as the mask is bonded to the spacer jig with a wax interposed therebetween.

3. The alignment jig according to claim 2, wherein the wax is photo-setting and thermosoftening.

4. The alignment jig according to claim 1, wherein a bonding region of the mask and the base jig is a peripheral portion along a periphery of the mask.

5. The alignment jig according to claim 4, wherein a groove portion is provided in the bonding region of the base jig.

6. The alignment jig according to claim 1, wherein a suction unit which suctions the fixing member is connected to the spacer jig.

7. The alignment jig according to claim 1, wherein the spacer jig has an area smaller than that of the mask.

8. The alignment jig according to claim 1, wherein a pressing unit for pressing the liquid-jet head against the fixing member side is provided.

9. The alignment jig according to claim 8, wherein the pressing unit includes:

a pressing pin;

an energizing unit which energizes the pressing pin toward the liquid-jet head side; and

a pressing top which presses the liquid-jet head while uniformly propagating a pressing force of the pressing pin over the liquid-jet head.

10. The alignment jig according to claim 1, wherein the optical system, which checks relative positions of the reference mark and the alignment mark, is provided on a side of the base jig opposite to the mask.

11. The alignment jig according to claim 1, wherein the base jig is disposed under the mask over which the space jig is disposed, the base jig comprising a plurality of holes penetrating a thickness direction of the base jig, the holes being configured to allow to check alignment of the reference mark and the alignment mark through the mask.