nozzle

Abstract

A tip part (201) comprises: a tip surface (SE) provided with a first opening (OQ); and an inner surface (SN) forming a first tip hollow portion (HE). The first tip hollow portion (HE) extends along a hollow central axis (AX). In a cross-sectional view parallel to the hollow central axis (AX), a first tapered part (TP1) of the inner surface (SN) has a width that decreases toward the first opening (OQ). A second tapered part (TP2) of the inner surface (SN) is disposed between the first tapered part (TP1) and the tip surface (SE), and has a width that decreases toward the first tapered part (TP1) and a length that is smaller than the length of the first tapered part (TP1). The first tapered part (TP1) includes a flat portion (TP1f) and a protruding portion (TP1p) that is located between the flat portion (TP1f) and the second tapered part (TP2). The protruding portion (TP1p) protrudes toward the hollow central axis (AX) from a virtual straight line (LV1) including the flat portion (TP1f).

Description

Nozzle

[0001] The present invention relates to a nozzle.

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-85914 (Patent Document 1) discloses a nozzle for adhering electronic components, which discharges an adhesive when adhering the electronic components to a mounting substrate or the like. The nozzle has a main body portion, a tip portion connected to the tip of the main body portion, an internal space provided inside the main body portion to which the adhesive is supplied, and a discharge through-hole provided inside the tip portion and communicating with the internal space. The discharge through-hole communicates with the internal space and has an injection inlet into which the adhesive from the internal space is injected and a discharge outlet for discharging the adhesive to the outside. By connecting the main body portion and the tip portion, the internal space and the discharge through-hole communicate with each other, and by this communication, the adhesive supplied to the internal space is discharged from the discharge outlet through the discharge through-hole from the injection inlet. The diameter of the discharge outlet is 50 μm or less. The tip portion protrudes ahead of the main body portion. The main body portion and the tip portion are formed of cemented carbide. The adhesive supplied to the internal space is injected into the injection inlet under a discharge pressure, passes through the discharge through-hole, and is discharged from the discharge outlet.

[0003] The above-mentioned main body portion and tip portion may be formed of a sintered body of metal powder. The discharge through-hole may be provided when the main body portion and the tip portion are formed of a sintered body of metal powder, or the discharge through-hole may be formed in the sintered body by drilling or the like. The discharge through-hole may have a shape that gradually becomes narrower toward the discharge outlet. It is claimed in the publication that such a shape can realize a discharge through-hole with a very fine diameter. The inner surface of the above-mentioned discharge through-hole may be subjected to a surface treatment for reducing friction. It is claimed in the publication that such a surface treatment can prevent the adhesive from clogging in the discharge through-hole.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-85914

[0005] The tip of the nozzle described above has a tip surface facing the direction in which the adhesive is dispensed. Dispensing through-holes penetrate the tip of the nozzle and reach the tip surface, and discharge outlets are located at all points on the tip surface where the dispensing through-holes extend. Stress tends to concentrate at the corners formed by the tip surface and the inner surface of the dispensing through-holes when the adhesive is dispensed. This stress concentration can cause minute damage to the tip. In particular, if the dispensing through-holes gradually narrow towards the discharge outlets in order to form minute discharge outlets, the angle between the tip surface and the inner surface of the dispensing through-holes becomes acute, which tends to reduce the strength of the corners. In this case, the above-mentioned damage is more likely to occur.

[0006] More generally, the hollow section penetrates the tip of the nozzle and reaches the tip surface, with openings located throughout the hollow section of the tip surface. Stress tends to concentrate at the corners formed by the tip surface and the inner surface of the hollow section as the fluid moves through the hollow section. This stress concentration can cause microscopic damage to the tip. In particular, if the hollow section gradually narrows towards the opening to form a microscopic opening, the angle between the tip surface and the inner surface of the hollow section becomes acute, which tends to reduce the strength of the corner. In this case, the aforementioned damage is more likely to occur.

[0007] Furthermore, the portion near the tip of the nozzle often needs to be formed with finer dimensions compared to other parts. Therefore, the portion near the tip, not just the corners mentioned above, is prone to damage due to stress concentration.

[0008] The following embodiments were conceived to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one of their objectives is to provide a nozzle that can provide a fine opening on the tip surface of the nozzle while mitigating stress concentration near the tip of the nozzle.

[0009] Embodiment 1 comprises a main body portion extending in the axial direction and having at least one main body hollow portion including a first main body hollow portion, and a tip portion connected to the main body portion in the axial direction, wherein the tip portion comprises a tip surface facing in the axial direction and having at least one opening including a first opening, an outer surface connected to the tip surface, and an inner surface forming at least one tip hollow portion including a first tip hollow portion having an effective diameter smaller than the maximum effective diameter of the first main body hollow portion, wherein the first tip hollow portion extends along the hollow central axis extending in the axial direction on the inside of the outer surface, and the first opening of the tip surface and the The first main body hollow portion is connected to each other, and in a cross-sectional view parallel to the hollow central axis, the inner surface of the first tip hollow portion comprises a first tapered portion having a width that narrows toward the first opening, and a second tapered portion located between the first tapered portion and the tip surface, having a width that narrows toward the first tapered portion and a length that is smaller than the length of the first tapered portion in the axial direction, and the first tapered portion has a flat portion and a protruding portion located between the flat portion and the second tapered portion, and protruding toward the hollow central axis from a virtual straight line including the flat portion.

[0010] Embodiment 2 is the nozzle according to Embodiment 1, wherein the flat portion of the first tapered portion has a first opening angle in the axial direction, and the protruding portion of the first tapered portion includes a position in the axial direction having a second opening angle greater than the first opening angle in the axial direction.

[0011] Embodiment 3 is the nozzle according to Embodiment 1 or 2, wherein at least a portion of the second tapered portion is located between the virtual straight line and the hollow central axis.

[0012] Embodiment 4 is a nozzle according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 3, wherein the protruding portion of the first tapered section protrudes from the imaginary straight line by a dimension of 3 μm or more and 30 μm or less.

[0013] Embodiment 5 is a nozzle according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 4, wherein at least one protrusion having an end that forms part of the tip surface is provided on the outer surface of the tip.

[0014] Embodiment 6 is the nozzle according to Embodiment 5, wherein the main body extends along the central axis of the main body which extends in the axial direction, the at least one protrusion includes two protrusions, and the tip surface has point symmetry with respect to the central axis of the main body.

[0015] Embodiment 7 is a nozzle according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 6, wherein the first opening on the tip surface has a polygonal shape.

[0016] Embodiment 8 is the nozzle described in Embodiment 7, wherein the polygonal shape of the first opening on the tip surface is quadrilateral.

[0017] Embodiment 9 is a nozzle according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 8, wherein the second tapered portion has a convex surface.

[0018] Embodiment 10 is a nozzle according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 9, wherein the length of the second tapered portion of the first tip hollow portion is 3 μm or more and 100 μm or less.

[0019] Embodiment 11 is the nozzle described in Embodiment 10, wherein, in a cross-sectional view parallel to the hollow central axis, the thickness of the tip portion along a straight line perpendicular to the axial direction and passing between the first tapered portion and the second tapered portion is 0.1 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less.

[0020] Embodiment 12 is the nozzle according to Embodiment 1, wherein the first tapered portion of the tip surface of the tip portion includes a first position and a second position between the first position and the second tapered portion in the axial direction, the first tapered portion has a first opening angle in the axial direction at the first position and a second opening angle in the axial direction at the second position, the second opening angle being larger than the first opening angle.

[0021] Embodiment 13 is a nozzle according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 12, wherein the surface roughness of the tip surface is smaller than the surface roughness of the inner surface of the first tip hollow portion.

[0022] Embodiment 14 is the nozzle described in Embodiment 13, wherein the surface roughness of the tip surface is 30% or less of the surface roughness of the inner surface of the first tip hollow portion.

[0023] Embodiment 15 is the nozzle described in Embodiment 13 or 14, wherein the tip surface is a polishing surface.

[0024] Embodiment 16 is a nozzle according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 15, wherein the main body and the tip are made of a ceramic material, and the particle size of the ceramic material in the tip is smaller than the particle size of the ceramic material in the main body.

[0025] According to Embodiment 1, firstly, the inner surface of the first tip hollow portion has a second tapered portion having an inverse tapered shape, in addition to a first tapered portion having a width that narrows toward the first opening. This makes it possible to increase the angle of the corner formed by the inner surface of the first tip hollow portion and the tip surface. Therefore, the sharpness of the corner is reduced. Therefore, stress concentration at the corner can be reduced. Furthermore, the protruding portion of the first tapered portion can further reduce stress concentration near the tip of the nozzle. Secondly, the first tapered portion having a width that narrows toward the first opening contributes to reducing the size of the opening, and the second tapered portion having an inverse tapered shape contributes to increasing the size of the opening. Since the length of the second tapered portion in the axial direction is smaller than the length of the first tapered portion, it is easy to obtain a greater effect of reducing the size than of increasing the size, thereby making it possible to reduce the size of the opening to a sufficiently fine degree. From the above, it is possible to provide a fine opening on the tip surface of the nozzle tip while reducing stress concentration near the tip of the nozzle.

[0026] According to embodiment 2, the second opening angle is larger than the first opening angle. This allows for a larger opening angle at a position closer to the opening. Therefore, the mechanical strength of the nozzle can be further increased.

[0027] According to embodiment 3, at least a portion of the second tapered portion is located between the virtual straight line and the hollow central axis. This makes it possible to increase the strength near the tip of the nozzle.

[0028] According to embodiment 4, the protruding portion of the first tapered section protrudes from the imaginary straight line by a dimension of 3 μm to 30 μm. This makes it possible to more reliably obtain the effect of the protruding portion.

[0029] According to embodiment 5, at least one protrusion having an end that forms part of the tip surface is provided on the outer surface of the tip. This makes it possible to apply a design to the nozzle that reduces stress applied to other parts by concentrating the stress in the nozzle on the protrusion.

[0030] According to embodiment 6, two protrusions are provided on the outer surface of the tip, each having an end that forms part of the tip surface, and the tip surface has point symmetry with respect to the central axis of the main body. This allows for more effective utilization of the stress-relieving effect of the protrusions.

[0031] According to embodiment 7, the first opening on the tip surface has a polygonal shape. This allows the fluid to be discharged or sucked in a polygonal shape.

[0032] According to embodiment 8, the polygonal shape of the first opening on the tip surface is a square. This allows the fluid to be discharged or sucked in a square shape.

[0033] According to embodiment 9, the second tapered portion has a convex surface. This further reduces the sharpness of the corner formed by the inner surface of the first tip hollow portion and the tip surface. Therefore, stress concentration at the corner can be further reduced.

[0034] According to embodiment 10, the length of the second tapered portion of the first tip hollow portion is 3 μm or more and 100 μm or less. This makes it possible to suppress the enlargement of the opening size caused by the second tapered portion.

[0035] According to embodiment 11, in a cross-sectional view parallel to the hollow central axis, the thickness of the tip portion along a straight line perpendicular to the axial direction and passing between the first tapered portion and the second tapered portion is 0.1 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. This makes it possible to reduce the dimensions of the tip portion.

[0036] According to embodiment 12, the second opening angle at the second position is larger than the first opening angle at the first position. This allows the nozzle wall thickness to be increased at positions closer to the opening without increasing the outer diameter of the nozzle. Thus, the mechanical strength of the nozzle can be increased.

[0037] According to embodiment 13, the surface roughness of the tip surface is smaller than the surface roughness of the inner surface of the first tip hollow portion. This makes it possible to reduce the wettability of the tip surface to the fluid handled by the nozzle compared to the wettability of the inner surface of the first tip hollow portion. This makes it possible to prevent the fluid from excessively adhering to the tip surface of the nozzle around the opening of the tip portion.

[0038] According to embodiment 14, the surface roughness of the tip surface is 30% or less of the surface roughness of the inner surface of the first tip hollow portion. This enhances the effect of avoiding excessive fluid adhesion on the tip surface of the nozzle around the opening of the tip portion.

[0039] According to embodiment 15, the tip surface is a polished surface. This makes it possible to reduce the surface roughness of the tip surface by polishing. Therefore, the wettability of the tip surface can be suppressed.

[0040] According to embodiment 16, the main body and the tip are made of ceramic material. This makes it possible to obtain a nozzle with excellent heat resistance and mechanical strength, and a fine structure without requiring excessive processing steps. Furthermore, the particle size of the ceramic material in the tip is smaller than that of the ceramic material in the main body. This makes it possible to make the particle size of the tip even finer. Therefore, the mechanical strength of the tip can be increased. Here, the tip has smaller dimensions compared to the main body. Therefore, the mechanical strength of the tip tends to be less than that of the main body. This lack of mechanical strength can be compensated for by making the particle size of the tip finer as described above.

[0041] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the nozzle in Embodiment 1. Figure 2 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the tip surface of the nozzle in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the tip of the nozzle in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the tip of the nozzle in Figure 1. Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing one step of the method for manufacturing the nozzle in Embodiment 1. Figure 6 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the tip of the nozzle in Embodiment 2. Figure 7 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the tip surface of the nozzle in Embodiment 3. Figure 8 is a schematic partial side view showing the configuration of the nozzle in Embodiment 4. Figure 9 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the tip surface of the nozzle in Figure 8. Figure 10 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the tip surface of the nozzle in a modified example of Embodiment 4. Figure 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the nozzle in Embodiment 5. Figure 12 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the tip surface of the nozzle in Figure 11. Figure 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the nozzle in Embodiment 6. Figure 14 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the nozzle tip surface in a modified example of Embodiment 5 or 6. Figure 15 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the nozzle tip surface in another modified example of Embodiment 5 or 6. Figure 16 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the nozzle tip surface in yet another modified example of Embodiment 5 or 6. Figure 17 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the nozzle tip in Embodiment 7. Figure 18 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the nozzle tip in Embodiment 8. Figure 19 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the nozzle tip in Embodiment 9.

[0042] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system may be shown in the drawings to facilitate understanding of the relative directional relationships between them.

[0043] <Embodiment 1> (Configuration) FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the nozzle 1001 in the present Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the tip surface SE of the nozzle 1001. The nozzle 1001 is for discharging or sucking a fluid. The fluid is, for example, an adhesive that is liquid at room temperature before curing, or a metal material (e.g., solder) that is solid at room temperature but becomes a melt when heated.

[0044] The nozzle 1001 has a main body portion 101 and a tip portion 201. In the present Embodiment 1, the main body portion 101 and the tip portion 201 are constituted by a ceramic member 710. In other words, the main body portion 101 and the tip portion 201 are made of a ceramic material. Thus, the ceramic member 710 has a main body portion 711 constituting the main body portion 101 and a tip portion 712 constituting the tip portion 201. The ceramic member 710 is a single sintered body, and its interior is continuously sintered.

[0045] The ceramic member 710 may contain 99.9 wt% or more of alumina. The porosity of this alumina may be 5% or less. The particle size of the ceramic member 710 is preferably 0.1 μm or more and 10 μm or less. The particle size of the ceramic member 710 in the tip portion 201 may be smaller than the particle size of the ceramic member 710 in the main body portion 101. In other words, in the ceramic member 710, the particle size of the tip portion 712 may be smaller than the particle size of the main body portion 711, for example, 4% or more smaller than the particle size of the main body portion 711. The ceramic member 710 may have a tendency for the particle size to gradually decrease in the axial direction Z (downward in FIG. 1).

[0046] In the following, a case where the main body part 101 and the tip part 201 are constituted by the ceramic member 710 will be described in detail. However, as a modification, only one of the main body part 101 and the tip part 201, rather than both, may be constituted by the ceramic member 710. Therefore, at least one of the main body part 101 and the tip part 201 may be constituted by the ceramic member 710. A part or all of the main body part 101 and the tip part 201 may be constituted by a material different from ceramics.

[0047] The main body part 101 extends in the axial direction Z. Specifically, it has a cylindrical shape extending in the axial direction Z. The axial direction Z is the plus Z direction in the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system and is downward in FIG. 1. The main body part 101 has an inner surface SM. The inner surface SM forms at least one main body hollow part. In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, it forms a single main body hollow part HM (first main body hollow part). The main body part 101 may have a main body central axis AW parallel to the axial direction Z. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the shape of the main body part 101 is approximately a cylindrical shape provided with a main body hollow part HM having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical shape. The main body part 101 has an outer surface SF that forms a part of the outer surface of the nozzle, and the main body hollow part HM extends inside the outer surface SF. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the outer surface SF has an approximately cylindrical shape. The main body part 101 also has a surface SU, and the main body hollow part HM reaches the surface SU. As a result, an opening OP is provided in the surface SU.

[0048] The tip part 201 is connected to the main body part 101 in the axial direction Z. As a result, a nozzle 1001 extending in the axial direction Z is constituted, and the length of the nozzle 1001 in the axial direction Z is, for example, 5 mm or more and 20 mm or less. The tip part 201 has a tip surface SE, an outer surface SG, and an inner surface SN. The tip surface SE faces the axial direction Z and faces downward in FIG. 1. The tip surface SE may be a flat surface perpendicular to the axial direction Z. The outer edge of the tip surface SE has a circular shape in FIG. 2.

[0049] The tip surface SE is provided with at least one opening, and in this embodiment 1, an opening OQ (first opening) is provided. When the nozzle 1001 is for discharging fluid, the fluid supplied from opening OP is discharged from opening OQ. In this case, opening OQ is the fluid discharge port. In Figure 2, opening OQ has a circular shape. The diameter of the outer edge of the tip surface SE (more generally, the maximum dimension of the outer edge of the tip surface) is, for example, 0.1 mm or more and 5 mm or less.

[0050] The outer surface SG is connected to the tip surface SE. The outer surface SG may be an inclined surface with respect to the flat surface that is the tip surface SE. The aforementioned surface SU may be the surface opposite to the tip surface SE, and in the example shown in Figure 1, it is a flat surface perpendicular to the axial direction Z.

[0051] The inner surface SN forms at least one tip hollow section, and in this embodiment 1, it forms a single tip hollow section HE (first tip hollow section) as shown in Figure 1. The inner surface SN of the tip section 201 may be directly connected to the inner surface SM of the main body section 101. The tip hollow section HE has an effective diameter smaller than the maximum effective diameter of the main body hollow section HM. "Effective diameter" means the diameter of the circle corresponding to the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axial direction Z. Therefore, if the cross-sections of the tip hollow section HE and the main body hollow section HM are circular in shape, the tip hollow section HE has a diameter smaller than the maximum diameter of the main body hollow section HM. When comparing these effective diameters, the effective diameter at the boundary between the tip hollow section HE and the main body hollow section HM is ignored. The tip hollow section HE extends inside the outer surface SG along the hollow central axis AX that extends in the axial direction Z. Figure 1, and Figures 3 and 4 (described later), show cross-sectional views parallel to the hollow central axis AX. The tip hollow section HE connects the opening OQ of the tip surface SE to the main body hollow section HM.

[0052] The surface roughness of the tip surface SE is preferably less than the surface roughness of the inner surface SN of the tip hollow portion HE, and more preferably 30% or less of the surface roughness of the inner surface SN. However, since it is technically difficult to reduce the surface roughness of the tip surface SE to an extreme degree, the surface roughness of the tip surface SE may be 3% or more of the surface roughness of the inner surface SN. For example, the surface roughness of the tip surface SE is 0.005 μm or more and 0.3 μm or less. For example, the surface roughness of the inner surface SN is 0.1 μm or more and 0.4 μm or less. In order to reduce the surface roughness of the tip surface SE in this way, the tip surface SE may be a polished surface. Specifically, the tip surface SE may be a polished surface of ceramics, while the inner surface SN may be an as-fired surface of ceramics. The polished surface is a surface obtained by polishing the as-fired surface. The surface roughness may be adjusted by coating, as will be described in detail in Embodiments 7 to 9 below.

[0053] Depending on the application of the nozzle 1001, high light transmittance may be required. In particular, high transmittance of short-wavelength infrared rays (for example, infrared rays having wavelengths of 1000 nm to 2500 nm) is useful, for example, in infrared heating applications. Accordingly, the ceramic member 710 may have a transmittance of 60% or more of short-wavelength infrared rays per 0.5 mm thickness. As a result, the tip portion 201 and the main body portion 101, which are made of the ceramic member 710, can have a transmittance of 60% or more of short-wavelength infrared rays per 0.5 mm thickness. In a modified example in which one of the tip portion 201 and the main body portion 101 is made of the ceramic member 710, that one can have a transmittance of 60% or more of short-wavelength infrared rays per 0.5 mm thickness.

[0054] The above-mentioned transmittance can be obtained, for example, by a ceramic material containing 99.9% by weight or more of alumina and having a porosity of 5% or less. At the tip portion 201, the shortest distance between the outer surface SG and the inner surface SN may be 0.1 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less. When the space between the outer surface SG and the inner surface SN is thin in this way, the attenuation of light between them is suppressed. When high light transmittance is required at the tip portion 201 in this way, the particle size is preferably 0.1 μm or more and 35 μm or less.

[0055] Figure 3 is a schematic enlarged view showing the configuration of the tip portion 201 (Figure 1), and Figure 4 is a further enlarged view thereof. Referring to Figure 3, in a cross-sectional view, the inner surface SN of the tip hollow portion HE has a first tapered portion TP1 and a second tapered portion TP2 positioned between the first tapered portion TP1 and the tip surface SE. The first tapered portion TP1 has a width that narrows toward the opening OQ. The second tapered portion TP2 has a width that narrows toward the first tapered portion TP1. In the axial direction Z, the second tapered portion TP2 has a length LN that is smaller than the length of the first tapered portion TP1. The length LN is, for example, 3 μm or more and 100 μm or less.

[0056] Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the straight line BDT is a hypothetical straight line perpendicular to the axial direction Z and passing between the first tapered portion TP1 and the second tapered portion TP2. The first tapered portion TP1 and the second tapered portion TP2 may be directly connected to each other, in which case the straight line BDT passes through the boundary point between the first tapered portion TP1 and the second tapered portion TP2. The thickness TN of the tip portion 201 along the straight line BDT may be 0.1 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. The straight line BDS (Figure 4) passes through the intersection point of the inner surface SN (Figure 3) and the straight line BDT (Figure 4), and the boundary point between the inner surface SN and the tip surface SE. Referring to Figure 4, the second tapered portion TP2 has a convex surface. In other words, the surface of the second tapered portion TP2 protrudes from the straight line BDS toward the opening OQ, as indicated by the arrow PR. The radius of curvature of this convex shape may be between 0.005 mm and 0.05 mm.

[0057] (Manufacturing Method) Referring to Figure 5, an example of a manufacturing method for the ceramic member 710 as the nozzle 1001 will be described.

[0058] When molds MD1, MD2, and MD3 are combined, a space is formed that includes a portion corresponding to the shape of the ceramic member 710. Mold MD1 has an inner surface for forming the outer surface SF of the main body 101 and the outer surface SG of the tip portion 201. Mold MD2 has an outer surface for forming the inner surface SM of the main body 101 and the inner surface SN of the tip portion 201. A release agent LB is applied to at least the portion of the outer surface of mold MD2 where the second tapered portion TP2 will be formed. The release agent LB may mainly consist of organic components, such as oil, wax, silicone, or fluorine-based materials. The combination of molds MD1 and MD2 forms a space having an opening corresponding to the tip surface SE. Mold MD3, which is combined with these, has a through hole that leads to this opening.

[0059] A slurry is prepared in which ceramic powder, to be used as the raw material for the ceramic member 710, is dispersed in a solvent. Dispersants and gelling agents may be added to this slurry. The slurry is injected through the through hole of mold MD3 into the space formed by molds MD1 and MD2, as indicated by arrow JC. This step is preferably performed so that the opening formed by the combination of molds MD1 and MD2 faces in the opposite direction to the direction of gravity. In other words, it is preferable that the minus Z direction in Figure 5 is the direction of gravity. This makes it possible to give the ceramic member 710 (Figure 1) a tendency for the particle size to gradually decrease in the axial direction Z.

[0060] The injected slurry hardens, forming a hardened body having approximately the same shape as the ceramic member 710. This hardening may be performed by chemically reacting the gelling agent in the slurry to gel the slurry. The hardened body is separated from the molds MD1 to MD3. The release agent LB from the mold MD2 is transferred to this hardened body. The ceramic member 710 is obtained by firing the hardened body. In the areas of the hardened body where the release agent LB has been transferred, the substantial density of the ceramic material decreases. Therefore, firing shrinkage is greater in these areas. Accordingly, the second tapered portion TP2 is formed. The range of firing shrinkage can be adjusted by the area to which the release agent LB is applied. The degree of firing shrinkage can be adjusted by the amount of release agent LB applied. After firing, the tip surface SE of the ceramic member 710 may be polished as needed.

[0061] As described above, in order to separate the hardened body from molds MD1 to MD3, it is necessary to pull mold MD2 out of the hardened body in the minus Z direction in Figure 5. If a mold tapered portion having a width that decreases toward the minus Z direction is provided at the tip of mold MD2 in order to form the second tapered portion TP2, it is likely that the widest part of the mold tapered portion will have difficulty passing through the hollow part of the hardened body. Therefore, as a method for forming the second tapered portion TP2, it is preferable to apply the technique using the mold release agent LB as described above.

[0062] Note that the molds for manufacturing the nozzle 1001 are not limited to the molds MD1 to MD3 shown in Figure 5. As a modification, a through hole may be provided in mold MD1 that reaches the position where the tip portion 201 of the nozzle 1001 is formed, and slurry may be injected from this through hole into the space between mold MD1 and mold MD2. In this case, mold MD3 may be omitted. As another modification, mold MD3 may be omitted, and slurry may be injected into the space between mold MD1 and mold MD2 from the upper side in Figure 5 (the side where the opening OP of the nozzle 1001 will be formed).

[0063] Furthermore, in the above manufacturing method using molds MD1 to MD3 (Figure 5), the inner surface SM and inner surface SN are formed by mold MD2, and there is no need to perform any finishing treatment on the inner surface SM and inner surface SN thereafter. The method for forming the inner surface SM and inner surface SN is not limited to this method. For example, the hollow portion corresponding to the main body hollow portion HM and the tip hollow portion HE may be roughly formed by a rod-shaped mold similar to mold MD2, and then the inner surface SM and inner surface SN may be formed by machining this hollow portion. Alternatively, only the latter of the inner surface SM and inner surface SN may be formed by machining. The machining for forming the inner surface SN may be cutting and / or polishing to form the second tapered portion TP2 shown in Figure 4, or the first tapered portion TP1 and the second tapered portion TP2 shown in Figure 6.

[0064] (Method for Measuring the Particle Size of Ceramic Components) An example of a method for measuring the particle size of ceramic components is described below. First, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image is acquired. The magnification is selected from a range of approximately 1,000x to 10,000x so that about 10 particles are contained on one side of the image. For each particle in the image, the diameter of the circle corresponding to its area is considered to be the particle size of that particle. This yields a histogram of the particle size distribution of the particles in the image. The particle size at which the cumulative frequency in the histogram reaches 50% is considered to be the particle size of the ceramic component. Note that the above image analysis can be performed using commercially available image analysis software.

[0065] (Effects) According to this embodiment 1, firstly, the inner surface SN of the hollow tip HE has a second tapered portion TP2 having the opposite tapered shape, in addition to a first tapered portion TP1 having a width that narrows toward the opening OQ. This makes it possible to increase the angle of the corner formed by the inner surface SN of the hollow tip HE and the tip surface SE. Specifically, referring to Figure 4, if the second tapered portion TP2 were not present, the corner between the first tapered portion TP1 and the tip surface SE would be acute, whereas the corner between the second tapered portion TP2 and the tip surface SE would be obtuse. Therefore, the sharpness of the corner is mitigated. Furthermore, because the second tapered portion TP2 has a convex surface (see arrow PR in Figure 4), the sharpness of the corner is further mitigated. Due to these features, stress concentration at the corner can be reduced. Secondly, the first tapered portion TP1, which has a width that decreases toward the opening OQ, contributes to reducing the size of the opening OQ, while the second tapered portion TP2, which has an inverse tapered shape, contributes to increasing the size of the opening OQ. Since the length LN of the second tapered portion TP2 in the axial direction Z is smaller than the length of the first tapered portion TP1, it is easy to obtain a greater effect of reducing the size than of increasing the size, thereby making it possible to reduce the size of the opening OQ to a sufficiently fine degree. From the above, it is possible to provide a fine opening OQ on the tip surface SE of the tip portion 201 of the nozzle 1001, while mitigating stress concentration at the corner formed by the tip surface SE of the tip portion 201 and the inner surface SN of the hollow tip portion HE of the tip portion 201.

[0066] The length LN of the second tapered portion TP2 of the tip hollow portion HE may be 3 μm or more and 100 μm or less. This makes it possible to suppress the dimensional enlargement of the opening OQ caused by the second tapered portion TP2.

[0067] Referring to Figure 4, the thickness TN of the tip portion 201 along the straight line BDT perpendicular to the axial direction Z and passing between the first tapered portion TP1 and the second tapered portion TP2 may be 0.1 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. This makes it possible to reduce the dimensions of the tip portion 201 in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the Z direction).

[0068] The surface roughness of the tip surface SE may be less than the surface roughness of the inner surface SN of the tip hollow portion HE. This allows the wettability of the tip surface SE to the fluid handled by the nozzle 1001 to be lower than that of the inner surface SN of the tip hollow portion HE. This prevents the fluid from excessively adhering to the tip surface SE of the tip portion 201 around the opening OQ of the tip portion 201 of the nozzle 1001.

[0069] The surface roughness of the tip surface SE may be 30% or less of the surface roughness of the inner surface SN of the tip hollow portion HE. This enhances the effect of avoiding excessive fluid adhesion on the tip surface SE of the tip portion 201 around the opening OQ of the tip portion 201 of the nozzle 1001.

[0070] The tip surface SE may be a polished surface. This allows the surface roughness of the tip surface SE to be reduced by polishing. Therefore, the wettability of the tip surface SE can be suppressed.

[0071] The main body 101 and the tip 201 are made of ceramic material 710. This makes it possible to obtain a nozzle 1001 with excellent heat resistance and mechanical strength, and with a fine structure without requiring excessive processing steps.

[0072] The particle size of the ceramic component 710 is preferably 0.1 μm or more and 10 μm or less. If the particle size is less than 0.1 μm, the density of the ceramic tends to be low, and therefore the mechanical strength tends to be low. In contrast, if the particle size is 0.1 μm or more, the mechanical strength can be increased. If the particle size is greater than 10 μm, there are fewer grain boundaries formed in the ceramic, so the effect of the grain boundaries in distributing stress is small. Therefore, the thermal shock resistance tends to be low. In contrast, if the particle size is 10 μm or less, the thermal shock resistance can be increased.

[0073] The particle size of the ceramic member 710 in the tip portion 201 may be smaller than that of the ceramic member 710 in the main body portion 101. This allows for finer particle size in the tip portion 201. Therefore, the mechanical strength of the tip portion 201 can be increased. Here, the tip portion 201 has smaller dimensions (e.g., outer dimensions and / or wall thickness dimensions) compared to the main body portion 101. Therefore, the mechanical strength of the tip portion 201 tends to be insufficient compared to the main body portion 101. This deficiency in mechanical strength can be compensated for by making the particle size of the tip portion 201 finer, as described above.

[0074] At least the tip portion 201 of the nozzle 1001 may be made of a ceramic member 710, which may have a short-wavelength infrared transmittance of 60% or more per 0.5 mm thickness. This allows the internal state of the nozzle to be accurately observed by a device equipped with a short-wavelength infrared detector placed outside the nozzle. Therefore, the location where the fluid is distributed within the nozzle can be accurately recognized. Based on the location where the fluid is distributed within the nozzle, the amount of fluid in the nozzle can also be determined. The shortest distance between the outer surface SG and the inner surface SN of the tip portion 201 may be 0.1 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less. This makes it easier to ensure sufficient light intensity in applications where light transmission between the outer surface SG and the inner surface SN of the tip portion 201 is required. The ceramic member 710 in the tip portion 201 may contain 99.9% by weight or more of alumina and have a porosity of 5% or less. This makes it possible to form a tip portion 201 with high light transmittance while using a ceramic member 710.

[0075] The high light transmittance of the tip portion 201 of the nozzle 1001 can be useful in a variety of applications. For example, it is useful in applications that require heating a fluid with laser light including short-wavelength infrared light. The laser light for this heating may be incident from outside the nozzle 1001 onto the outer surface SG. The light incident on the outer surface SG may pass through the inner surface SN to the tip hollow portion HE, and heat the fluid inside the tip hollow portion HE. Along with this, or instead, the light incident on the outer surface SG may heat a substance facing the opening OQ and / or the tip surface SE (in Figure 1, some substance located directly below the opening OQ and / or the tip surface SE (not shown)). For example, in applications where a solid is melted and aspirated by heating with laser light, the solid hidden in the nozzle 1001 can be efficiently heated by incidenting the laser light through the nozzle 1001 with low loss. Furthermore, the molten material drawn into the nozzle 1001 can be sufficiently heated by laser light irradiated from outside the nozzle 1001. For example, if the solid material is solder provided on an electronic component, the laser light can be incident with low loss through the nozzle 1001 onto the solder located in a place hidden by the nozzle 1001, when the solder and the tip surface SE are facing each other at close range or in contact with each other. As a result, the solder that has been melted and drawn into the nozzle 1001 is transported through the tip hollow section HE and the main body hollow section HM. Re-solidification of the solder during this transport can be prevented by the efficient incidence of laser light from outside to inside the nozzle 1001.

[0076] Furthermore, at least the main body portion 101 of the nozzle 1001 may be made of a ceramic member 710, and this ceramic member 710 may have a short-wavelength infrared transmittance of 60% or more per 0.5 mm thickness. This allows the internal state of the nozzle to be accurately observed by a device equipped with a short-wavelength infrared detector placed outside the nozzle. Therefore, the location where the fluid is distributed inside the nozzle can be accurately recognized. Based on the location where the fluid is distributed inside the nozzle, the amount of fluid inside the nozzle can also be determined. The shortest distance between the outer surface SF and the inner surface SM of the main body portion 101 may be 0.1 mm or more and 0.5 mm or less. This makes it easier to ensure sufficient light intensity in applications where light transmission between the outer surface SF and the inner surface SM of the main body portion 101 is required. In the main body portion 101, the ceramic member 710 may contain 99.9% by weight or more of alumina and have a porosity of 5% or less. This makes it possible to form a main body portion 101 with high light transmittance while using a ceramic member 710.

[0077] In the embodiments 7 to 9 described later (Figures 17 to 19), a configuration in which a coating film is applied to the ceramic member 710 is described. The above-mentioned light-related effects can be similarly obtained if the coating film is provided outside the optical path. Furthermore, even if the coating film is provided on the optical path, since the coating film is usually thin, roughly the same effects can be obtained.

[0078] The shapes of the hollow section HM of the main body and the hollow section HE of the tip are formed by the mold into which the slurry is injected, according to the manufacturing method described above. Therefore, there is no need to perform mechanical processing on the fired body to obtain these shapes. Thus, the occurrence of microcracks in the fired body due to mechanical processing is avoided. Microcracks tend to be the starting point for solid matter generated from the fluid passing through the nozzle to accumulate on the hollow section HM of the main body and the hollow section HE of the tip. Therefore, having fewer microcracks is advantageous in keeping the hollow section HM of the main body and the hollow section HE of the tip cleaner.

[0079] <Embodiment 2> (Configuration) Figure 6 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the tip portion 202 of the nozzle in Embodiment 2, and shows a cross-sectional view parallel to the hollow central axis AX. The nozzle in Embodiment 2 has a tip portion 202 instead of a tip portion 201 (Figures 3 and 4). The other configurations are substantially the same as those of Embodiment 1 described above. The method for manufacturing the nozzle having the tip portion 202 is substantially the same as that described in Embodiment 1, and the configuration of Embodiment 2 is obtained when there is a large sintering shrinkage in the vicinity of the second tapered portion TP2 of the first tapered portion TP1. This sintering shrinkage may be adjusted by adjusting the release agent LB as described above. Alternatively, the shape of the mold MD2 (Figure 5) may be adjusted so that the configuration of Embodiment 2 is obtained.

[0080] The first tapered portion TP1 of the tip surface SE of the tip portion 202 includes a first position PS1 and a second position PS2 between the first position PS1 and the second tapered portion TP2 in the axial direction Z. The first tapered portion TP1 has a first opening angle α in the axial direction Z at the first position PS1 and a second opening angle β in the axial direction Z at the second position PS2. The second opening angle β is greater than the first opening angle α. The opening angle is the angle formed by extending a virtual straight line from a specific position in the axial direction Z on each of the pair of inner surfaces of the tapered portion that appear in the cross-sectional view, using the inclination of the taper at that position. In other words, the opening angle is the angle formed by the intersection of a pair of virtual straight lines corresponding to the pair of inner surfaces. Here, the opening angle is the angle defined when the intersection point of the pair of virtual straight lines is located outside the nozzle. Specifically, the opening angle is defined when the intersection of the pair of virtual lines described above is located away from the nozzle opening OQ in the direction that the nozzle tip surface SE faces (in Figure 6, this is located below the opening OQ). Conversely, if the intersection is located inside the nozzle, the opening angle is not defined.

[0081] The first tapered portion TP1 may have a flat portion TP1f and a protruding portion TP1p located between the flat portion TP1f and the second tapered portion TP2. The protruding portion TP1p protrudes from a virtual straight line LV1 including the flat portion TP1f toward the hollow central axis AX. The flat portion TP1f may have a first opening angle α in the axial direction Z. The protruding portion TP1p includes a position PS2 in the axial direction Z having a second opening angle β greater than the first opening angle α in the axial direction Z. At least a part of the second tapered portion TP2 is located between the virtual straight line LV1 and the hollow central axis AX. The protruding portion TP1p may protrude from the virtual straight line LV1 by a dimension of 3 μm or more and 30 μm or less.

[0082] (Effect) According to this second embodiment, the second opening angle β at the second position PS2 is larger than the first opening angle α at the first position PS1. Therefore, at a position closer to the opening OQ, the thickness of the nozzle (the thickness between the outer surface SG and the inner surface SN) can be increased without increasing the outer diameter of the nozzle. Thus, the mechanical strength of the nozzle can be increased.

[0083] The first tapered portion TP1 has a protruding portion TP1p that extends from a virtual straight line LV1 which includes a flat portion TP1f. In other words, at least a part of the second tapered portion TP2 may be located between the virtual straight line LV1 and the hollow central axis AX. The protruding portion TP1p makes it easier to secure the thickness of the nozzle at the tip of the nozzle. This increases the strength near the tip of the nozzle. It also reduces stress concentration near the tip of the nozzle. To obtain this effect more reliably, the protruding portion TP1p may protrude from the virtual straight line LV1 by a dimension of 3 μm to 30 μm. At the same time, the mechanical strength of the nozzle can be further increased by having a second opening angle β that is larger than the first opening angle α.

[0084] The protruding portion TP1p may have a surface having a second opening angle β. Since this surface is one in which the second opening angle β can be defined, it is an inclined surface, not a surface perpendicular to the hollow central axis AX. Specifically, this inclined surface causes the fluid to tend to converge toward the intersection of the pair of virtual straight lines LV2 in Figure 6. Since this intersection is located outside the nozzle, the inclined surface does not significantly obstruct the fluid flow from the inside to the outside of the nozzle. Therefore, the damage to the inclined surface caused by the fluid flow is small. Thus, the mechanical strength of the nozzle can be increased. If the protruding portion TP1p were to have a vertical surface (or a surface close to it) instead of the inclined surface described above, the vertical surface would significantly obstruct the fluid flow. Therefore, the damage to the vertical surface caused by the fluid flow would be large. Therefore, it is preferable that the protruding portion TP1p does not include a vertical surface, and it is more preferable that it be an inclined surface in which an opening angle can be defined over its entire length.

[0085] <Embodiment 3> Figure 7 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the nozzle tip surface SE4 in this embodiment 3. The opening OQq of the tip surface SE4 has a polygonal shape, and this polygonal shape may be a quadrilateral as shown in Figure 7. The outer edge of the tip surface SE may also have a polygonal shape, and this polygonal shape may be a quadrilateral as shown in Figure 7. As a modification, the outer edge of the tip surface SE may have a non-polygonal shape such as a circular shape. Note that the other configurations are substantially the same as those of Embodiments 1 or 2 described above, so their explanation will not be repeated.

[0086] According to this third embodiment, the opening OQq of the tip surface SE has a polygonal shape, for example, a square shape. This allows the fluid to be discharged or sucked in that polygonal shape. For example, when discharging adhesive from a nozzle for the purpose of applying adhesive to a substrate in order to mount a chip component having a square shape onto the substrate, it is easier to apply the adhesive to the substrate in accordance with the shape of the chip if the opening of the nozzle as the discharge port also has a square shape. Therefore, the area in which adhesive is applied to places where it is not needed can be reduced. In addition, since the area in which adhesive is applied can be reduced to almost the minimum, the size of the nozzle can also be reduced.

[0087] <Embodiment 4> (Configuration) Figure 8 is a schematic partial side view showing the configuration of the nozzle 1011 having the tip portion 211 in this embodiment 4. Figure 9 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the tip surface SEp of the tip portion 211 (Figure 8).

[0088] On the outer surface SG of the tip portion 211, there is provided at least one protrusion PP having an end (the lower end in Figure 8) that forms part of the tip surface SEp. In the configuration shown in Figures 8 and 9, there are two protrusions PP. The protrusions PP extend along the outer surface SG and preferably reach the tip surface SEp. In other words, the protrusions PP extend towards the main body portion 101 along the outer surface SG, preferably from the edge of the tip surface SEp. The protrusions PP do not necessarily need to reach the tip surface SEp and may be located away from it. Also, as shown in Figure 8, the protrusions PP may reach the main body portion 101, but they do not necessarily need to reach the main body portion 101 and may be located away from it. The direction of extension of the protrusions PP on the outer surface SG may have a component in the axial direction Z. More specifically, the direction of extension may be the direction in which the axial direction Z is projected onto the outer surface SG. The height of the protruding PP portion may be between 0.1 μm and 10 μm from the reference height. This reference height is explained below.

[0089] In Figure 9, the height of the protrusion PP is the maximum dimension to which the protrusion PP rises in a direction perpendicular to the dashed line representing the reference height. In Figure 9, since the outer edge of the tip surface SEp is approximately circular, the dashed line is a virtual line assuming that the tip surface SEp is circular. In the modified example described later (Figure 10), when the tip surface is approximately square, the dashed line may be a virtual line assuming that the tip surface is square. The height of the protrusion PP at positions other than the tip surface SEp in the axial direction Z may be defined by determining the reference height in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the axial direction Z in a similar manner to the above.

[0090] As described in Embodiment 1, the main body portion 101 of the nozzle 1011 extends along the main body central axis AW (Figure 1). Referring to Figure 9, the tip surface SEp may have point symmetry with respect to the main body central axis AW.

[0091] (Effect) According to this embodiment 4, it is possible to apply a design to the nozzle that reduces stress applied to other parts by concentrating stress on at least one protruding PP. Therefore, the reliability of the nozzle can be improved.

[0092] In particular, as shown in Figure 9, when two protrusions PP are provided instead of one, the tip surface SEp can be designed to have point symmetry with respect to the main body's central axis AW. In this case, the stress-relieving effect of the protrusions PP can be utilized more effectively.

[0093] (Modified Version) Figure 10 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the nozzle tip surface SEp4 in a modified version of Embodiment 4. In this modified version, the convex portion PP corresponds to the configuration applied to the tip surface SE4 (Figure 7: Embodiment 3). In the configuration shown in Figure 10, the shape of the tip surface SEp4 is a rectangular shape with two convex portions PP added to it. Specifically, convex portions PP are arranged at each of a pair of opposing corners of the rectangular shape.

[0094] The corners of a quadrilateral are often further from the edge of the opening OQ than the rest of the quadrilateral (in other words, the middle of the sides). That is, the thickness between the opening OQ and the corner (the dimension in the XY plane in Figure 10) is often greater than the thickness between the opening OQ and the rest of the nozzle. In this case, the area near the corner of the nozzle has relatively high mechanical strength, so even if stress concentration occurs due to the protruding PP, fracture caused by it is unlikely. On the other hand, by reducing the stress in other parts with relatively low mechanical strength, fracture of those parts due to stress is prevented.

[0095] As a variation, the protrusions PP may be provided in the middle of the sides of the rectangular shape, in consideration of the overall design of the nozzle. Such protrusions may be provided, for example, on each of a pair of opposing sides, in which case two protrusions PP are provided. Alternatively, the protrusions PP may be provided on each side of the rectangular shape, in which case four protrusions PP are provided.

[0096] <Embodiment 5> Figure 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the nozzle 1021 in this embodiment 5. Figure 12 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the tip surface SEw of the nozzle 1021. The nozzle 1021 has a main body portion 111 and a tip portion 221, and the tip portion 221 has a tip surface SEw. The tip surface SEw has a plurality of openings, and in this embodiment 5, as shown in Figure 12, it has three openings: a first opening OQ1, a second opening OQ2, and a third opening OQ3.

[0097] The tip portion 221 has multiple tip hollow portions. In this embodiment 5, corresponding to the three openings OQ1 to OQ3, it has three tip hollow portions: a first tip hollow portion HE1 along the hollow central axis AX1, a second tip hollow portion HE2 along the hollow central axis AX2, and a third tip hollow portion HE3 along the hollow central axis AX3. The hollow central axes AX1 to AX3 extend in the axial direction Z, similar to the hollow central axis AX (Figure 1: Embodiment 1).

[0098] The main body portion 111 has multiple hollow body portions. In this embodiment 5, corresponding to the three tip hollow portions, it has three hollow body portions: a first hollow body portion HM1 along the hollow central axis AW1, a second hollow body portion HM2 along the hollow central axis AW2, and a third hollow body portion HM3 along the hollow central axis AW3. The hollow central axes AW1 to AW3 extend in the axial direction Z.

[0099] The first tip hollow section HE1 connects the first opening OQ1 and the first main body hollow section HM1. The second tip hollow section HE2 connects the second opening OQ2 and the second main body hollow section HM2. The third tip hollow section HE3 connects the third opening OQ3 and the third main body hollow section HM3. In this way, multiple tip hollow sections and multiple main body hollow sections are connected on a one-to-one basis.

[0100] The first hollow section HM1 of the main body connects the first opening OP1 and the first hollow section HE1 at the tip. The second hollow section HM2 of the main body connects the second opening OP2 and the second hollow section HE2 at the tip. The third hollow section HM3 of the main body connects the third opening OP3 and the third hollow section HE3 at the tip. The first opening OP1, the second opening OP2, and the third opening OP3 are openings provided in the main body, similar to the opening OP (Figure 1).

[0101] In Figure 11, for the sake of simplifying the diagram, each of the tip hollow sections HE1 to HE3 is depicted with a uniform width (dimension in the X direction of Figure 11). However, each of the tip hollow sections HE1 to HE3 has a first tapered section TP1 and a second tapered section TP2, as detailed in Embodiment 1 or 2 described above.

[0102] According to this embodiment 5, a plurality of internal paths that penetrate the nozzle 1021 can be provided within the nozzle 1021 for passing fluid through. Specifically, a first internal path can be provided that connects the first opening OQ1 and the first opening OP1, a second internal path can be provided that connects the second opening OQ2 and the second opening OP2, and a third internal path can be provided that connects the third opening OQ3 and the third opening OP3.

[0103] When multiple openings OQ1 to OQ3 are provided, it is often difficult in design to ensure a large wall thickness at the tip portion 221 in the region surrounding each opening. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the stress applied to that region, and this embodiment 5 can achieve that.

[0104] A typical application of the nozzle 1021 is to discharge a fluid onto or from an object. By aligning the longitudinal direction of the object with the direction in which the openings OQ1 to OQ3 are aligned (the X direction in Figure 12), the fluid on the object (discharge or suction) can be processed efficiently and uniformly.

[0105] <Embodiment 6> (Configuration) Figure 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the nozzle 1031 in Embodiment 6. In the nozzle 1031, the tip portion 221 (Figure 11: Embodiment 5) is combined with the main body portion 101 (Figure 1: Embodiment 1) instead of the main body portion 111 (Figure 11: Embodiment 5). The first tip hollow portion HE1, the second tip hollow portion HE2, and the third tip hollow portion HE3 (Figure 13) each connect the first opening OQ1, the second opening OQ2, and the third opening OQ3 (Figure 12) to the main body hollow portion HM1. As the other configurations are substantially the same as those of Embodiment 5 described above, the same reference numerals are used for the same or corresponding elements, and their descriptions are not repeated.

[0106] (Effects) According to this embodiment 6, an internal path can be provided in the nozzle 1031 that branches from the first hollow body HM to the first to third openings OQ1 to OQ3. When the nozzle 1031 is used to discharge fluid, by introducing the fluid into the hollow body HM as a single flow path, the fluid can be discharged from the multiple openings OQ1 to OQ3. When the nozzle 1031 is used to suck up fluid, the fluid sucked up from the multiple openings OQ1 to OQ3 can be discharged from the hollow body HM as a single flow path.

[0107] Furthermore, when multiple openings are provided, it is often difficult from a design perspective to ensure sufficient wall thickness at the tip in the region surrounding each opening. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the stress applied to that region, and this embodiment 6 can achieve that.

[0108] Furthermore, similar to the case of Embodiment 5 described above, the fluid processing (fluid discharge or suction) on the object to which the fluid is discharged or sucked can be performed efficiently and uniformly.

[0109] (Modified Version) Figure 14 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the nozzle tip surface SEw4 in a modified version of Embodiment 5 or 6. In this modified version, two rectangular openings OQ1 and OQ2 are used instead of the three circular openings OQ1 to OQ3 (Figure 12).

[0110] Figure 15 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the nozzle tip surface SEpw in a modified example of Embodiment 5 or 6. The tip surface SEpw has a configuration in which the convex portion PP described in Embodiment 4 above is added to the configuration shown in tip surface SEw (Figure 12). The tip surface SEpw may also have point symmetry around the main body central axis AW, similar to the tip surface SEp4 (Figure 10: Embodiment 4).

[0111] As shown in Figure 15, the multiple openings OQ1 to OQ3 may be aligned along the reference axis AR. In this case, the protrusions PP may be separated from each other by the reference axis AR. More specifically, the tip surfaces SEpw reached by a pair of protrusions PP may have a shape that is symmetrical with respect to the reference axis AR.

[0112] As a variation, the pair of protrusions PP may be provided at least one of the two ends of the reference axis AR, where the reference axis AR reaches the outer surface SG (in Figure 15). In this case, the portion where the nozzle thickness is thin between the opening OQ1 or opening OQ3 and the outer surface SG can be reinforced by the protrusions PP.

[0113] Figure 16 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the nozzle tip surface SEpw4 in yet another modification of Embodiment 5 or 6. The tip surface SEpw4 has a configuration in which the convex portion PP described in Embodiment 4 above is added to the configuration shown in tip surface SEw4 (Figure 14). The tip surface SEpw4 may also have point symmetry around the main body central axis AW, similar to the tip surface SEp4 (Figure 10: Embodiment 4).

[0114] As a variation, in the quadrilateral shape of the tip surface SEpw4 shown in Figure 16, the protrusions PP may be positioned away from the corners and on at least one of the sides. For example, protrusions PP may be positioned on each of a pair of opposing sides, in which case there are two protrusions PP. Alternatively, protrusions PP may be positioned on each side, in which case there are four protrusions PP.

[0115] Furthermore, the shape of the tip surface is not limited to the quadrilateral shape shown in Figure 16, but may be a polygonal shape such as a hexagon or an octagon. In a polygonal shape, the convex portion PP may be placed at any corner or edge, and preferably, it is arranged point-symmetrically with respect to the main body's central axis AW.

[0116] <Embodiment 7> Figure 17 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the nozzle tip 231 in Embodiment 7. The nozzle tip 231 in Embodiment 7 has a configuration in which a coating film 751 is added to the tip 201 (Figure 3: Embodiment 1). Thus, the tip 231 is composed of a ceramic member 710 and a coating film 751 that partially covers the ceramic member 710. The coating film 751 may also cover the main body 101 (Figure 1: Embodiment 1), but it is not necessarily required to cover it. As described above, the nozzle having a main body 101 (Figure 1: Embodiment 1) and a tip 231 (Figure 17) is composed of a ceramic member 710 and a coating film 751 that partially covers the ceramic member 710. The material of the coating film 751 may be different from the material of the ceramic member 710, and may be a non-ceramic material. Specifically, the coating film 751 is preferably made of a material that does not have grain boundaries, for example, glass or diamond-like carbon (DLC).

[0117] An example of a method for forming the coating film 751 is described below. First, the raw material paste is introduced into the hollow tip HE. Next, the ceramic member 710 is rotated around the hollow tip HE, thereby applying centrifugal force to the raw material paste. As a result, a film made of the raw material paste is formed on the inner surface SN. Next, the coating film 761 is formed by heat-treating this film.

[0118] The inner surface SN of the hollow tip HE is made of a coating film 751, and the tip surface SE is made of a ceramic member 710. In this embodiment 7, in order to obtain a wettability lower than that of the inner surface SN made of the coating film 751, it is preferable that the tip surface SE is a polished surface rather than a fired surface. The surface of the ceramic member 710 covered with the coating film 751 may be a fired surface. The surface roughness of the inner surface SN made of the coating film 751 may be lower than the surface roughness of the fired surface.

[0119] According to this fifth embodiment, the nozzle having a main body portion 101 (Figure 1: Embodiment 1) and a tip portion 231 is composed of a ceramic member 710 and a coating film 751 that partially covers the ceramic member 710. The coating film 751 allows for appropriate control of the surface properties of the nozzle, thereby preventing excessive adhesion of fluid.

[0120] Furthermore, the inner surface SN of the hollow tip HE is made of a coating film 751, and the tip surface SE is made of a ceramic member 710. This allows the inner surface SN, which is prone to wear due to the fluid flowing through the nozzle, to be protected by the coating film 751, and the coating of the tip surface SE, which is not subjected to fluid flow, can be omitted. Thus, the lifespan of the nozzle can be extended while keeping the complexity of the nozzle structure down.

[0121] Furthermore, a film similar to the coating film 751 can be applied not only to Embodiment 1 but also to Embodiments 2 to 6.

[0122] <Embodiment 8> Figure 18 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the nozzle tip portion 232 in Embodiment 8. In Embodiment 8, a coating film 752 is used instead of a coating film 751 (Figure 17: Embodiment 7). The inner surface SN of the hollow tip portion HE is made of the fired surface of the ceramic member 710, and the tip surface SE is made of the coating film 752. The tip surface SE made of the coating film 752 has a lower wettability than the inner surface SN made of the fired surface of the ceramic member 710. The coating film 752 may be formed for the purpose of suppressing the wettability of the tip surface SE, or, instead of that purpose, for the purpose of protecting the tip surface SE.

[0123] Regarding the configuration other than that described above, it is substantially the same as the configuration of Embodiment 7 described above, so the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are not repeated. A film similar to the coating film 752 can be applied not only to Embodiment 1 but also to Embodiments 2 to 6.

[0124] <Embodiment 9> Figure 19 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the tip portion 233 of the nozzle in Embodiment 9. In Embodiment 9, a coating film 755 is used instead of the coating film 751 (Figure 17: Embodiment 7). In other words, the nozzle having a main body portion 101 (Figure 1: Embodiment 1) and a tip portion 233 (Figure 19) is composed of a ceramic member 710 and a coating film 755. The coating film 755 covers the ceramic member 710 so as to form both the tip surface SE and the inner surface SN.

[0125] According to this embodiment 9, firstly, similar to embodiment 17 described above, the inner surface SN, which is susceptible to damage from the fluid flowing through the nozzle, can be protected by coating the tip surface SE. Secondly, the surface properties of the tip surface SE can be adjusted by coating the tip surface SE with the coating film 755. In particular, when the surface of the ceramic member 710 facing the axial direction Z is a fired surface rather than a polished surface, as shown in Figure 17, when the inner surface SN is coated with the coating film 751, the wettability of the tip surface SE tends to be higher than that of the inner surface SN. In that case, the fluid tends to adhere excessively to the tip surface SE of the tip portion 201 around the opening OQ. According to this embodiment 9, such a phenomenon can be avoided.

[0126] Furthermore, the coating film 755 can be applied not only to Embodiment 1 but also to Embodiments 2 to 6.

[0127] In embodiments 7 to 9, the coating film may extend to the inner surface of the nozzle body, but it is not necessarily required to do so. In other words, the coating film may be provided only at the tip of the nozzle.

[0128] The embodiments and modifications described above may be freely combined with each other. Although the invention has been described in detail, the above description is illustrative in all embodiments and does not limit the invention thereto. It is understood that countless modifications not illustrated can be envisioned without falling outside the scope of the invention.

[0129] 101, 111: Main body 201, 202, 211, 221, 231-233: Tip 710: Ceramic component 711: Main body part 712: Tip 751, 752, 755: Coating film 1001, 1011, 1021, 1031: Nozzle AW: Main body central axis AW1-AW3: Hollow central axis AX, AX1-AX3: Hollow central axis HE: Tip hollow part (first tip hollow part) HE1: First tip hollow part HE2: Second tip hollow part HE3: Third tip hollow part HM: Main body hollow part (first main body hollow part) HM1: First main body hollow part HM2: Second main body hollow part HM3: Third main body hollow part LB: Release agent MD1-MD3: Mold OQ, OQq: Opening (First opening) OQ1: First opening OQ2: Second opening OQ3: Third opening PP: Protrusion PS1: First position PS2: Second position SE, SE4, Sep, Sep4, Sepw, Sepw4, SEw, SEw4: Tip surface SG: Outer surface SN: Inner surface TP1: First tapered portion TP1f: Flat portion TP1p: Protruding portion TP2: Second tapered portion

Claims

1. A main body portion extending in the axial direction and having at least one main body hollow portion including a first main body hollow portion; a tip portion connected to the main body portion in the axial direction, wherein the tip portion comprises: a tip surface facing in the axial direction and having at least one opening including a first opening; an outer surface connected to the tip surface; and an inner surface forming at least one tip hollow portion including a first tip hollow portion having an effective diameter smaller than the maximum effective diameter of the first main body hollow portion, wherein the first tip hollow portion extends inside the outer surface along the hollow central axis extending in the axial direction, connecting the first opening of the tip surface and the first main body hollow portion to each other, and in a cross-sectional view parallel to the hollow central axis, the inner surface of the first tip hollow portion has a first tapered portion having a width that decreases toward the first opening, A nozzle comprising: a first tapered portion and a tip surface, the second tapered portion having a width that narrows toward the first tapered portion and a length that is smaller than the length of the first tapered portion in the axial direction, wherein the first tapered portion has a flat portion and a protruding portion located between the flat portion and the second tapered portion, and protruding toward the hollow central axis from a virtual straight line including the flat portion.

2. A nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the flat portion of the first tapered portion has a first opening angle in the axial direction, and the protruding portion of the first tapered portion includes a position in the axial direction having a second opening angle greater than the first opening angle in the axial direction.

3. The nozzle according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the second tapered portion is located between the imaginary straight line and the hollow central axis.

4. A nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the protruding portion of the first tapered portion protrudes from the imaginary straight line by a dimension of 3 μm or more and 30 μm or less.

5. A nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one protrusion having an end that forms part of the tip surface is provided on the outer surface of the tip.

6. The nozzle according to claim 5, wherein the main body extends along a central axis of the main body that extends in the axial direction, the at least one protrusion includes two protrusions, and the tip surface has point symmetry with respect to the central axis of the main body.

7. A nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first opening on the tip surface has a polygonal shape.

8. A nozzle according to claim 7, wherein the polygonal shape of the first opening on the tip surface is quadrilateral.

9. A nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second tapered portion has a convex surface.

10. A nozzle according to claim 9, wherein the length of the second tapered portion of the first tip hollow portion is 3 μm or more and 100 μm or less.

11. A nozzle according to claim 10, wherein, in a cross-sectional view parallel to the hollow central axis, the thickness of the tip portion along a straight line perpendicular to the axial direction and passing between the first tapered portion and the second tapered portion is 0.1 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less.

12. A nozzle according to claim 1, wherein the first tapered portion of the tip surface of the tip portion includes a first position and a second position between the first position and the second tapered portion in the axial direction, the first tapered portion has a first opening angle in the axial direction at the first position and a second opening angle in the axial direction at the second position, the second opening angle being greater than the first opening angle.

13. A nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the surface roughness of the tip surface is less than the surface roughness of the inner surface of the first tip hollow portion.

14. A nozzle according to claim 13, wherein the surface roughness of the tip surface is 30% or less of the surface roughness of the inner surface of the first tip hollow portion.

15. A nozzle according to claim 14, wherein the tip surface is a polishing surface.

16. A nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the main body and the tip are made of a ceramic material, and the particle size of the ceramic material at the tip is smaller than the particle size of the ceramic material at the main body.

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