Method of milling repeatable exit holes in inkjet nozzles
AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
InventorsXinbing Liu, Chen-Hsiung Cheng, Dan Hogan, Nancy Edwards
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of laser milling an aperture in a workpiece for use with manufacturing ink-jet nozzles includes initially illuminating a surface of the workpiece with a laser beam at a point within an outer perimeter of a desired aperture and a distance away from the outer perimeter sufficient to substantially avoid initial ablation of the outer perimeter. The laser beam is driven substantially in the direction of the outer perimeter at a variable rate controlled to avoid deformation of the outer perimeter. Material of the workpiece is ablated in a pattern designed to substantially remove material within the outer perimeter, thereby forming the aperture.
Claims33
A method of laser milling an aperture in a workpiece for use with manufacturing ink-jet nozzles, comprising:
- initially illuminating a surface of the workpiece with a laser beam at a point within an outer perimeter of a desired aperture and a distance away from the outer perimeter sufficient to substantially avoid initial ablation of the outer perimeter;
- driving the laser beam substantially in the direction of the outer perimeter at a variable rate controlled to avoid deformation of the outer perimeter;
- and
- ablating material of the workpiece in a pattern designed to substantially remove material within the outer perimeter, thereby forming the aperture.
A method of removing a portion from a workpiece with a laser cutting tool, said portion having a pre-determined perimeter defining the outer boundary of said portion and a commensurate excision edge in said workpiece, said laser cutting tool providing a cutting beam having a spot size, said method comprising the steps of:
- determining a material ablation rate from said workpiece when incised by said cutting beam;
- defining a punch hole location within said portion and at a distance from said perimeter such that said material ablation rate and said spot size minimize distortion of said excision edge to less than a predetermined threshold value when said cutting beam cuts a pilot hole in said workpiece;
- defining a laser beam path having a distance from said perimeter such that said material ablation rate and said spot size minimize distortion of said excision edge to less than said predetermined threshold value when said cutting beam progressively incises said workpiece;
- defining a beam progression rate function for moving said cutting beam along said beam path as a function of the position of said beam respective to said perimeter such that said material ablation rate and said spot size minimize distortion of said excision edge to less than said predetermined threshold value as said cutting beam progressively incises said workpiece;
- and
- activating said laser tool to drill a punch hole at said punch hole location and to subsequently essentially continuously incise said workpiece along said beam path according to said progression rate function so that said portion is cut from said workpiece after said cutting beam has traversed said beam path.
A method of cutting a discharge aperture in the nozzle plate body of an inkjet nozzle with a laser cutting tool, said aperture having a pre-determined perimeter defining the location of the edge of said aperture in said nozzle plate body, said laser cutting tool providing a cutting beam having a spot size, said method comprising the steps of:
- determining a material ablation rate from said nozzle plate body when incised by said cutting beam;
- defining a punch hole location within said nozzle plate body and within said perimeter at a distance from said perimeter such that said material ablation rate and said spot size minimize distortion of said edge to less than a predetermined threshold value when said cutting beam cuts a pilot hole in said nozzle plate body;
- defining a laser beam path having a distance from said perimeter such that said material ablation rate and said spot size minimize distortion of said edge to less than said predetermined threshold value when said cutting beam progressively incises said nozzle plate body;
- defining a beam progression rate function for moving said cutting beam along said beam path as a function of the position of said beam respective to said perimeter such that said material ablation rate and said spot size minimize distortion of said edge to less than said predetermined threshold value as said cutting beam progressively incises said nozzle plate body;
- and
- activating said laser tool to drill a punch hole in said nozzle plate body at said punch hole location and to subsequently essentially continuously incise said nozzle plate body along said beam path according to said progression rate function so that said aperture is cut into said nozzle plate body after said cutting beam has traversed said beam path.
An inkjet nozzle produced by the process of cutting a discharge aperture in an inkjet nozzle nozzle plate body with a laser cutting tool, said aperture having a pre-determined perimeter defining the edge of said aperture in said nozzle plate body, said laser cutting tool providing a cutting beam having a spot size, said process comprising the steps of:
- determining a material ablation rate from said nozzle plate body when incised by said cutting beam;
- defining a punch hole location within said nozzle plate body at a distance from said perimeter such that said material ablation rate and said spot size minimize distortion of said edge to less than a predetermined threshold value when said cutting beam cuts a pilot hole in said nozzle plate body;
- defining a laser beam path having a distance from said perimeter such that said material ablation rate and said spot size minimize distortion of said edge to less than said predetermined threshold value when said cutting beam progressively incises said nozzle plate body;
- defining a beam progression rate function for moving said cutting beam along said beam path as a function of the position of said beam respective to said perimeter such that said material ablation rate and said spot size minimize distortion of said edge to less than said predetermined threshold value as said cutting beam progressively incises said nozzle plate body;
- and
- activating said laser tool to drill a punch hole in said nozzle plate body at said punch hole location and to subsequently essentially continuously incise said nozzle plate body along said beam path according to said progression rate function so that said portion is cut from said nozzle plate body after said cutting beam has traversed said beam path.
A computer-implemented laser cutting apparatus for removing a portion from a workpiece, said portion having a pre-determined perimeter defining the outer boundary of said portion and a commensurate excision edge in said workpiece, said laser cutting tool providing a cutting beam having a spot size, said apparatus comprising:
- computer executable logic determining a material ablation rate from said workpiece when incised by said cutting beam;
- computer executable logic defining a punch hole location within said portion and at a distance from said perimeter such that said material ablation rate and said spot size minimize distortion of said excision edge to less than a predetermined threshold value when said cutting beam cuts a pilot hole in said workpiece;
- computer executable logic defining a laser beam path having a distance from said perimeter such that said material ablation rate and said spot size minimize distortion of said excision edge to less than said predetermined threshold value when said cutting beam progressively incises said workpiece;
- computer executable logic defining a beam progression rate function for moving said cutting beam along said beam path as a function of the position of said beam respective to said perimeter such that said material ablation rate and said spot size minimize distortion of said excision edge to less than said predetermined threshold value as said cutting beam progressively incises said workpiece;
- and
- computer executable logic activating said laser tool to drill a punch hole at said punch hole location and to subsequently essentially continuously incise said workpiece along said beam path according to said progression rate function so that said portion is cut from said workpiece after said cutting beam has traversed said beam path, said computer executable logic activating said tool in data communication linkage with said computer executable logic defining said punch hole location, said computer executable logic defining said laser beam path, and said computer executable logic defining said beam progression rate function.
A computer-implemented laser cutting apparatus for removing a portion from a workpiece, said portion having a pre-determined perimeter defining the outer boundary of said portion and a commensurate excision edge to less than a predetermined threshold value in said workpiece, said laser cutting tool providing a cutting beam having a spot size, said apparatus comprising:
- means for determining a material ablation rate from said workpiece when incised by said cutting beam;
- means for defining a punch hole location within said portion and at a distance from said perimeter such that said material ablation rate and said spot size minimize distortion of said excision edge to less than a predetermined threshold value when said cutting beam cuts a pilot hole in said workpiece;
- means for defining a laser beam path having a distance from said perimeter such that said material ablation rate and said spot size minimize distortion of said excision edge to less than said predetermined threshold value respective when said cutting beam progressively incises said workpiece;
- means for defining a beam progression rate function for moving said cutting beam along said beam path as a function of the position of said beam respective to said perimeter such that said material ablation rate and said spot size minimize distortion of said excision edge to less than said predetermined threshold value as said cutting beam progressively incises said workpiece;
- and
- means for activating said laser tool to drill a punch hole at said punch hole location and to subsequently essentially continuously incise said workpiece along said beam path according to said progression rate function so that said portion is cut from said workpiece after said cutting beam has traversed said beam path, said means for activating in data communication with said punch hole location defining means, said laser beam path defining means, and said beam progression rate function defining means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.