Flow Path Member Groove Design for Adhesive Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flow path members in liquid discharge heads face issues with adhesive flowing into the flow path, which reduces substrate rigidity and can lead to breakage, and existing solutions like clearance grooves are not effective in accommodating excess adhesive without compromising substrate strength.
Innovation Solution
A flow path member design featuring a groove with varying depths, where a deep portion accommodates excess adhesive and a shallow portion minimizes rigidity reduction, ensuring substrate strength by forming the groove in a ring shape around the flow paths with a deep portion for excess adhesive and a shallow portion to prevent stress concentration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If a clearance groove is formed in the substrate to accommodate excess adhesive, then adhesive flow into the flow path is suppressed, but the rigidity of the substrate is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The groove is designed with non-uniform depth, having a first portion with a first depth and a second portion with a second depth that is shallower than the first depth. This local variation in groove depth allows the groove to accommodate excess adhesive in the deeper first portion while the shallower second portion maintains substrate rigidity, thereby resolving the contradiction between adhesive containment and structural strength.
2Strength
If a separation portion is provided to ensure substrate rigidity, then substrate strength is maintained, but the adhesive may flow into the flow path by passing the separation portion
Solution Approach 1:
The groove is divided into multiple portions with different depths - a first portion with greater depth and a second portion with lesser depth. This segmentation of the groove structure allows it to perform dual functions: the deeper first portion effectively traps adhesive while the shallower second portion maintains substrate integrity, preventing adhesive from bypassing to reach the flow path.
Data Source
AI summary
A flow path member includes a first substrate having a first surface that has a flow path, and includes a second substrate having a second surface opposing the first surface. In the flow path member in which the first and second substrates are joined together with adhesive provided between the first and second surfaces, a groove is formed in at least one of the first and second surfaces. When the first substrate is viewed from a direction orthogonal to the first surface, the flow path is disposed on a groove inner side. The groove has a first portion having a first depth and a second portion having a second depth shallower than the first depth. The second portion is that portion of the groove existing inside a region surrounded by an outer edge of the first surface and extension lines of two sides that form a flow path corner.