Liquid Discharge Head Groove Adhesive Trapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
In liquid discharge apparatuses, the excess adhesive often protrudes from the interstices between the flow passage substrate, sealing member, and actuator substrate, causing positional adjustment difficulties and potential adhesive invasion into cracks in the piezoelectric layer, leading to short circuits.
Innovation Solution
A liquid discharge head design featuring a flow passage substrate with grooves to trap excess adhesive, where the sealing member is adhered to the substrate with a distinct non-adhesion area and grooves extending from the adhesion area to the non-adhesion area, and intersecting grooves to effectively catch and redirect surplus adhesive, preventing it from adhering to other components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sealing member is adhered to the flow passage substrate and a piezoelectric layer is adhered to the sealing member, then liquid invasion into cracks is prevented, but the total amount of adhesive increases causing surplus adhesive to protrude and adhere to other members
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful surplus adhesive is extracted and isolated from the assembly area by introducing grooves that collect and contain the excess adhesive, preventing it from adhering to the pressurizing apparatus and other members during assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The grooves act as intermediary structures between the adhesion areas, providing a designated path and collection zone for surplus adhesive, thereby mediating the adhesive flow to prevent harmful adhesion to other components
2Object-generated harmful factors
If a groove is provided on the surface of the flow passage substrate to trap surplus adhesive, then adhesive adhesion to other members is suppressed, but the groove configuration must be precise to function effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The groove structure is segmented into multiple components: a first groove extending from the adhesion area, and a second groove intersecting with it. This segmentation creates a multi-directional trapping system that is more tolerant to manufacturing variations than a single complex groove
Solution Approach 2:
The groove system is designed in two dimensions with intersecting directions, creating a network that captures adhesive from multiple flow paths. This dimensional approach provides redundancy that reduces sensitivity to precise groove positioning and configuration
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design effectively suppresses ink invasion into cracks in the piezoelectric layer and ensures appropriate trapping of excess adhesive, preventing adhesive-related issues during assembly and operation.
Implementation Method 1
a sealing member which is adhered to the surface via an adhesive and configured to seal the pressure chambers; and an actuator substrate which has a piezoelectric layer and a plurality of individual electrodes, the piezoelectric layer being adhered to a surface of the sealing member on a side opposite to the flow passage substrate via an adhesive
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid discharge head includes a flow passage substrate which is formed with individual flow passages, the individual flow passages including nozzles and pressure chambers communicated with the nozzles respectively, the pressure chambers being open on a surface of the flow passage substrate; a sealing member which is adhered to the surface via an adhesive and which seals the pressure chambers; and an actuator substrate which has a piezoelectric layer adhered to a surface of the sealing member on a side opposite to the flow passage substrate via an adhesive and individual electrodes formed on a side opposite to the sealing member with respect to the piezoelectric layer. The sealing member is composed of a material different from a material of the piezoelectric layer; and the surface has an adhesion area to which the sealing member is adhered and a non-adhesion area to which the sealing member is not adhered.