Liquid Ejecting Head Dual-Adhesive Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid ejecting heads face difficulties in regenerating and reusing head chips due to adhesive interference, which hinders efficient liquid-tight adhesion and leads to challenges in replacing or reusing head chips within the liquid ejecting apparatus.
Innovation Solution
The liquid ejecting head employs a dual-adhesive system with a first adhesive for the chip-side flow path and a second adhesive for the common flow path, utilizing closed regions and detachable members to ensure proper alignment and sealing, allowing for the regeneration and reuse of head chips by avoiding adhesive residue issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a single adhesive is used to join the head chip to the flow path structure, then the structure is simple and manufacturing is easy, but adhesive residue interferes with liquid-tight adhesion during regeneration and reuse
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive application area is divided into two distinct regions: a first adhesive application area for joining the head chip to the flow path structure, and a second adhesive application area for closing the common flow path. This segmentation prevents adhesive residue from interfering with liquid-tight adhesion during regeneration while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the flow path structure are assigned different adhesive application characteristics. The first adhesive application area is optimized for head chip joining with appropriate adhesion strength, while the second adhesive application area is designed to seal the common flow path without leaving residue that would interfere with future liquid-tight connections.
2Reliability
If adhesive is applied around the inlet of the head chip, then liquid-tight coupling is achieved, but adhesive residue prevents regeneration and reuse of the head chip
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive application is segmented into two distinct areas: the first adhesive application area for liquid-tight coupling of the head chip inlet to the flow path outlet, and the second adhesive application area for sealing the common flow path. This ensures that adhesive is applied only where necessary for sealing, leaving the head chip inlet area clean for regeneration.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful effect of adhesive residue is eliminated by extracting the adhesive application from the head chip inlet region. Instead, adhesive is applied only in the first adhesive application area that joins the head chip to the flow path structure, and in the second adhesive application area that seals the common flow path, leaving the inlet area free of residue for future regeneration.
3Device complexity
If the common flow path is left open, then assembly is simple, but adhesive residue from sealing operations interferes with future head chip replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive application is divided into two separate areas: the first adhesive application area for joining the head chip to the flow path structure, and the second adhesive application area specifically for sealing the common flow path. This segmentation allows the common flow path to be sealed without applying adhesive near the head chip inlet, preventing interference with future replacement operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The second adhesive application area is locally positioned to seal the common flow path opening without encroaching on the head chip inlet region. This local quality control ensures that adhesive is applied only where needed for sealing, maintaining assembly simplicity while enabling future head chip replacement.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a liquid ejecting head including a head chip and a flow path structure to which the head chip is joined by a first-adhesive and a second-adhesive, in which the flow path structure has a common flow path, a first-selection-flow-path coupled to the common flow path and liquid-tightly coupled to the chip-side flow path of the head chip by the first-adhesive, and a second-selection-flow-path coupled to the common flow path, an outer surface of the flow path structure includes a closed region surrounding an opening of the second-selection-flow-path at a distance from the opening when viewed in a stacking direction of the head chip and the flow path structure, and the head chip adheres to the flow path structure via the second-adhesive in the closed region so that the second-selection-flow-path is closed.