An actuator unit for a laminated ink jet recording head includes: a first cover member for forming a vibrating member having piezoelectric vibrators on a surface thereof; a spacer for forming pressure generating chambers with a surface thereof sealed by the first cover member; a second cover member having ink jetting outlets and ink flowing inlets, each ink jetting outlet causing the corresponding pressure generating chamber to communicate with a corresponding nozzle opening of a flow path unit at one end of the pressure generating chamber, each ink flowing inlet causing the corresponding pressure generating chamber to communicate with a common ink chamber of the flow path unit at the other end of the pressure generating chamber. The actuator unit is prepared by laminating and fixing the first cover member, the spacer and the second cover member. A pitch at which the pressure generating chambers are arranged is set to a value equal to or smaller than a pitch at which the nozzle openings are arranged; widths of partition walls on outermost ends of pressure generating chambers located on the outermost ends are set to a value equal to or greater than a width of a partition wall defining adjacent pressure generating chambers and equal to or smaller than 1/2 of the nozzle opening arrangement pitch. An increase in the distance between the adjacent pressure generating chambers at the contact line between two actuator units is set to within a range of values substantially equal to the width of the partition wall.
A method of manufacturing an ink-jet recording head includes an individual electrode having an individual electrode main body formed at a position corresponding to an ink chamber and an individual electrode lead-out part for supplying power, a piezoelectric element formed to contact the individual electrode, and a diaphragm formed to contact the piezoelectric element. The individual electrode lead-out part is connected to the individual electrode main body from a position offset from a face including an electrode face of the individual electrode main body, and the piezoelectric element is formed into a shape corresponding to the individual electrode main body.
An ink-jet recording head which is operative to efficiently remove air bubbles from the pressure generating chambers and efficiently supply ink to the pressure generating chambers. First pressure generating chambers and second pressure generating chambers which communicate with a reservoir through first ink supply ports and second ink supply ports, and communicate with each other through ink supplying passages, are formed on both sides of a passage forming substrate. The first ink supply ports are formed on one side of the passage forming substrate that contains a discharge orifice, and the second ink supply ports are formed on the other side of the passage forming substrate that faces an elastic plate. A flow resistance of each of the second ink supply ports is larger than that of each of the first ink supply ports, whereby ink also flows into the second pressure generating chambers located closer to a nozzle plate through the ink supplying passages. With such a structure, air bubbles remaining in the first pressure generating chambers, which are formed on the surface of the ink passage forming substrate that faces a piezoelectric transducing element, easily move to the second pressure generating chambers located closer to the discharge orifice which serves as an ink discharging port, and can readily be discharged out of the recording head at the time of maintenance.
Plates having a predetermined pattern are provided in each frame, side by side, at certain intervals along the longitudinal direction of the frame. A plurality of positioning holes, into which pins are inserted, are formed in each frame. A retainer portion is provided so as to extend from the inner periphery of each positioning hole and is plastically deformed when a pin is inserted thereinto. By inserting a pin into each positioning hole while a plurality of frames are stacked, the outer periphery of the pin contacts the retainer portion of each positioning hole. The retainer portion is deformed to correct misalignment among a plurality of plates.
A printhead having a monolithic semiconductor body with an upper face and a lower face. The body defines a fluid path including a pumping chamber, a nozzle flow path, and a nozzle opening. The nozzle opening is defined in the lower face of the body and the nozzle flow path includes an accelerator region. A piezoelectric actuator is associated with the pumping chamber. The actuator includes a piezoelectric layer having a thickness of about 50 micron or less.
Ink jet printheads and printhead components are described. One printhead includes a flow path and a piezoelectric actuator. The flow path includes a pumping region and the piezoelectric actuator is associated with the pumping region. The actuator has a pre-fired piezoelectric layer with a thickness of about 50 microns or less. A bonding layer fixes the pre-fired piezoelectric layer relative to the flow path.
