Stacked Nozzle Plates for Inkjet Printing Head Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inkjet printing processes for display devices face issues with nozzle clogging, leading to reduced reproducibility and increased maintenance costs due to the difficulty in ensuring the straightness of ink ejection and the need for frequent maintenance to remove blots or clogs in the nozzles.
Innovation Solution
The design of an inkjet printing apparatus with stacked nozzle plates, where each nozzle plate has a water-repellent layer and an adhesive layer, allowing for easy detachment and replacement of defective plates, thereby extending the replacement cycle and improving production efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single nozzle plate is used in the inkjet printing apparatus, then the structure is simple, but the nozzle is easily clogged which degrades reproducibility and requires frequent maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The single nozzle plate is divided into multiple nozzle plates (first nozzle plate, second nozzle plate, etc.) that are stacked in sequence. Each nozzle plate has through holes that align to form complete nozzles. This segmentation allows individual plates to be replaced when clogged, improving reliability without requiring replacement of the entire head unit.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple nozzle plates are nested stacked on top of each other, with each plate containing through holes that align with plates below. The adhesive layers bond the plates together while allowing fluid communication through the stacked structure, creating a nested configuration that enables selective replacement.
2Manufacturing precision
If the entire head unit is replaced when nozzle clogging occurs, then printing quality is maintained, but production efficiency is reduced due to long replacement time
Solution Approach 1:
The head unit is segmented into multiple replaceable nozzle plates rather than being a single monolithic component. When clogging occurs, only the specific defective nozzle plate needs to be replaced, not the entire head unit. This significantly reduces replacement time and maintains production efficiency while ensuring print quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The design enables selective discarding of only the clogged nozzle plate while recovering and retaining the functional nozzle plates. This partial replacement approach maintains printing quality by ensuring at least some functional nozzles remain operational while minimizing downtime and resource waste.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If multiple nozzle plates are stacked, then maintenance frequency is reduced, but the adhesive bonding strength must be sufficient to maintain structural integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle plate assembly uses composite material construction with adhesive layers bonding multiple nozzle plates together. The adhesive strength is specifically engineered to be greater than the strength of the water repellent layer, creating a composite structure where the adhesive joint is the strongest connection point, ensuring structural integrity while allowing controlled separation for maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the nozzle plate assembly have different properties: the adhesive layers are designed with high bonding strength at specific interfaces, while the water repellent layers have controlled adhesion properties. This local differentiation of material properties ensures both structural integrity during operation and ease of separation during maintenance.
4Manufacturing precision
If a water repellent layer is applied on the nozzle plates, then ink ejection straightness is improved, but the adhesive layer must maintain stronger bonding than the water repellent layer
Solution Approach 1:
The water repellent layer is applied locally on specific surfaces of the nozzle plates where ink contact occurs, improving ink ejection straightness by preventing unwanted adhesion. Meanwhile, the adhesive layers are positioned at different locations with controlled bonding strengths, ensuring that the adhesive bonds are stronger than the water repellent layer adhesion, allowing selective separation when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The nozzle plate structure uses composite material layers with hierarchically controlled adhesion strengths. The water repellent layer provides surface properties for improved ink ejection, while the adhesive layers provide structural bonding with deliberately higher strength to ensure integrity during operation but allow controlled separation for maintenance.
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 solution enhances the production efficiency by shortening the replacement time of the head unit and reducing maintenance costs, ensuring consistent ink ejection and improved print quality.
Implementation Method 1
A water repellent layer may be disposed on a bottom surface of each of the plurality of nozzle plates
Implementation Method 2
An adhesive layer may be disposed between the water repellent layer and the plurality of nozzle plates
Data Source
AI summary
An inkjet printing apparatus includes: a passage plate in which a head chamber is disposed; and a plurality of nozzle plates disposed below the passage plate, the plurality of nozzle plates comprising a nozzle that is in fluid connection with the head chamber. The plurality of nozzle plates are stacked on each other, and the nozzle of the plurality of nozzle plates comprises a plurality of through holes passing through the plurality of nozzle plates and overlapping each other.