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US 5,659,346 AGranted
Simplified ink jet head
AssigneeSpectra, Inc.
InventorsEdward R. Moynihan, David W. Gailus, Robert G. Palifka, Paul A. Hoisington
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AssigneeSpectra, Inc.
InventorsEdward R. Moynihan, David W. Gailus, Robert G. Palifka, Paul A. Hoisington
Estimating the term…
In the embodiments of the simplified ink jet head described in the specification, a carbon plate is formed with orifice passages extending through the plate, pressure chambers on one side of the plate, flow-through passages on the other side of the plate and ink supply passages, and a piezoelectric plate having a conductive coating on the exposed side is affixed to the pressure chamber side of the carbon plate by a thin layer of epoxy adhesive. The conductive coating on the piezoelectric plate is photo-etched to produce an electrode pattern corresponding to the pattern of the pressure chambers in the carbon plate, and an orifice plate is affixed by a thin layer of epoxy adhesive to the opposite surface of the carbon plate with orifices aligned with the orifice passages in the carbon plate. Since the carbon plate is conductive, it can be used, if desired, as an electrode on the opposite side of the piezoelectric plate and, since it is porous, it can provide a communication path between a vacuum source and an air-permeable, ink-impermeable layer on the ink passages to remove dissolved air from the ink in the passages. In one alternative embodiment, the orifice passages are formed in an edge of the plate and, in another alternative embodiment, a large plate is provided on one surface with a number of adjacent piezoelectric plates.
An ink jet head comprising an orifice plate having orifices through which ink is selectively ejected, a carbon plate formed with orifice passages leading to the orifices in the orifice plate and formed on one side with pressure chambers communicating with the orifice passages and formed with ink supply passages leading to the pressure chambers, and a piezoelectric plate having one side affixed to the side of the carbon plate in which the pressure chambers are formed and provided on an opposite side with an electrode pattern corresponding to the pattern of pressure chambers in the carbon plate.
A method for making an ink jet head comprising the steps of providing a carbon plate, forming the carbon plate with a plurality of orifice passages, with a plurality of pressure chambers communicating with the orifice passages, respectively, and with an ink supply passage leading to the pressure chambers, affixing a piezoelectric plate having a pattern of actuating electrodes to one side of the carbon plate so that the pattern of actuating electrodes is positioned adjacent to corresponding pressure chambers, and affixing an orifice plate having ink jet orifices to the carbon plate so that the orifices are aligned with the orifice passages in the carbon plate.
A method for making an ink jet head comprising the steps of providing a carbon plate having a pattern of pressure chambers formed therein, affixing a piezoelectric plate having an exposed conductive surface to a surface of the plate having a pattern of pressure chambers formed therein and photo-etching the conductive coating on the piezoelectric plate to produce an electrode pattern conforming to the pattern of pressure chambers in the adjacent plate to which the piezoelectric plate is affixed.
A method of forming a plurality of ink jet head components comprising the steps of forming a plurality of patterns of orifice passages, pressure chambers and ink supply passages at a plurality of locations in a carbon plate, applying a plurality of piezoelectric plates having conductive coatings on the exposed surfaces thereof to one surface of the carbon plate, and photo-etching the conductive coatings on the piezoelectric plates to produce patterns of electrodes corresponding to the patterns of pressure chambers formed in the carbon plate.
A method for making an ink jet head comprising the steps of providing a porous carbon plate, forming a pattern of orifice passages, pressure chambers and ink supply passages in the porous carbon plate and coating the passages in the plate with an air-permeable, ink-impermeable layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.