Liquid Discharge Head Recessed Gap for Sealing Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid discharge heads face difficulties in filling intervening spaces between closely aligned recording element substrates with a sealing member due to high flow resistance, leading to inefficient sealing and increased manufacturing time.
Innovation Solution
The design includes recessed portions on the recording element substrates with wider gaps on the back surface than on the energy generating element surface, allowing for easier flow of a sealing member into the intervening spaces, and a manufacturing method involving directional etching and dicing processes to form these recessed portions, reducing the need for thin needles and enhancing sealing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If recording element substrates are closely aligned to maintain high density of energy generating elements, then the gap between substrates becomes very narrow, but this causes high flow resistance that prevents effective filling with sealing member
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a recessed portion that creates a depth dimension (z-direction) in the substrate structure. This allows the gap to be narrow in the horizontal direction (maintaining high density) while providing vertical space for the sealing member to flow into and fill the gap effectively, thus resolving the contradiction between close alignment and ease of sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The recessed portion creates a local variation in the substrate structure, where the gap width changes from narrow at the surface (for high density) to wider at the recessed region (for easy filling). This local quality change allows different regions of the same gap to serve different functions: maintaining density at the element level while facilitating sealing member flow at the recessed level.
2Reliability
If needle is used to inject sealing member into narrow gaps, then sealing can be achieved, but manufacturing time increases and process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the gap by introducing a recessed portion. This transforms the gap from a uniformly narrow space to one with varying width, creating a wider opening at the recessed region that allows the sealing member to flow in more easily, thereby improving productivity while maintaining reliable sealing through the recessed structure.
3Ease of manufacture
If recessed portion is introduced to widen gap for easier sealing, then flow resistance decreases and sealing efficiency improves, but substrate structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The recessed portion effectively segments the substrate structure into different levels: the main substrate plane and the recessed region. This segmentation creates a stepped structure that facilitates sealing member flow while adding minimal overall complexity, as the recessed portion is a localized feature rather than a complete structural redesign.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid discharge head includes a plurality of recording element substrates each having an energy generating element configured to generate energy for discharging liquid from a discharge port, and a sealing member with which a surround of each of the plurality of recording element substrates is filled. Each of the plurality of recording element substrates includes a recessed portion formed on an end surface facing a neighboring recording element substrate, and in the recessed portion, a gap between neighboring recording element substrates is wider than a gap between element surfaces on which the energy generating element is provided.