Alignment jig and alignment apparatus for liquid-jet head and method for producing liquid-jet head

• US 8,069,564 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2007
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Yanagisawa, Isao, Inaoka, Yasuo, Okamuro, Takuma
• Primary Examiner(s): ANGWIN, DAVID PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US11/852,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20080062218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,548 Days
• Field of Search: 298/901, 297/59, 297/60
• US Class Current: 29/890.1
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14362 Assembling elements of heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/19 Assembling head units
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/34 Bodily-changeable print heads or carriages
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/393 Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine ; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49401 Fluid pattern dispersing device making, e.g., ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53261 Means to align and advance work part
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53265 with work-holder for assembly

Abstract

An alignment jig for a liquid-jet head, which is used when positioning and joining a nozzle plate and a fixing member, the nozzle plate having nozzle orifices for jetting a liquid of the liquid-jet head and an alignment mark for alignment, the fixing member being adapted to hold a plurality of the liquid-jet heads, the alignment jig comprising a mask which is a transparent member provided with a reference mark for alignment with the alignment mark, the reference mark being formed within the mask.

Claims

1. A method for producing a liquid-jet head unit including a plurality of liquid-jet heads and a fixing member, each of the liquid-jet heads having a nozzle plate which includes nozzle orifices for jetting a liquid through an ejection surface, comprising the steps of:

holding the liquid-jet heads on a fixing member at the ejection surface of the liquid-jet heads;

holding the fixing member with a mask in direct contact with the fixing member, the mask being a transparent member provided with a reference marks for alignment with an alignment marks provided on each of the nozzle plates, the reference marks being formed within the transparent member;

aligning the alignment marks with the reference marks; and

bonding the nozzle plates of the plurality of liquid-jet heads and the fixing member by an adhesive agent.

2. The method for producing a liquid-jet head unit according to claim 1, wherein

the mask has a mask body, and a protective plate stuck to a surface of the mask body facing the liquid-jet heads,

the reference marks are formed at a boundary between the mask body and the protective plate, the boundary serving as a joining surface, and

the fixing member is held by the protective plate in direct contact with the fixing member.

3. The method for producing a liquid-jet head unit according to claim 1, wherein

the mask has a mask body, and a protective plate stuck to a surface of the mask body facing the liquid-jet heads,

the reference marks are formed on a surface of the mask body facing the liquid-jet heads, or on a surface of the protective plate facing the mask body,

a predetermined space is present between the reference marks and the alignment marks, and

the fixing member is held by the protective plate in direct contact with the fixing member.

4. The method for producing a liquid-jet head unit according to claim 2, wherein

the protective plate has a smaller area in a plane direction than an area of the mask body, and is stuck to a region of the mask body which overlaps the reference marks.

5. The method for producing a liquid-jet head unit according to claim 1, wherein

the protective plate has a smaller area in a plane direction than an area of the mask body, and is stuck to the mask body in a region opposed to the reference marks.

6. The method for producing a liquid-jet head unit according to claim 1, wherein

the mask comprises a mask body having the reference marks formed inside.

7. The method for producing a liquid-jet head unit according to claim 6, wherein

the mask body has a protrusion formed in a region where the reference marks are formed, the protrusion protruding toward the liquid-jet heads.