Patent ID: 6457222
Filing Date: 2002-10-01
Classification: B41J,Y10T

Abstract:
A method of manufacturing an ink jet print head which has one or more nozzle rows, each nozzle row including a plurality of nozzles, the ink jet print head having a diaphragm that forms at least a part of a wall defining a pressure chamber storing ink for each nozzle, a wall portion that defines a remaining part of the wall defining the pressure chamber for each nozzle, that defines an ink channel for supplying ink to the pressure chamber, and that defines an orifice for ejecting ink droplets from the pressure chamber, a piezoelectric element, provided for each nozzle, to allow, in response to electric signals, the diaphragm to generate a pressure variation within the corresponding pressure chamber, thereby causing an ink droplet to be ejected from the pressure chamber through the corresponding orifice, and a base plate, on which all the piezoelectric elements, the wall portion, and the diaphragm are mounted, the method comprising the steps of:arranging, while referring to a first reference position that is defined on a base plate, one or more original piezoelectric element bars, in one or more rows, on a surface of the base plate, and bonding the one or more, original piezoelectric element bars on the surface of the base plate, the number of the one or more rows corresponding to the number of one or more nozzle rows to be mounted in the ink jet print head, the one or more original piezoelectric element bars being oriented with their lengthwise directions corresponding to an extending direction of each nozzle row and being arranged in their widthwise directions to provide the one or more rows, each row being comprised from at least one original piezoelectric element bar, each original piezoelectric element bar having a top surface for being connected to the diaphragm a pair of side surfaces, on which a pair of external electrodes being attached, and a bottom surface, at which the subject original piezoelectric element bar is bonded with the base plate; subjecting each original piezoelectric element bar, which is fixed on the base plate, to a corner cutting process by cutting at least one of two corners of the original piezoelectric element bar, while referring to a second reference position that is defined on the base plate, the two corners being defined between its pair of side surfaces and its top surface; and subjecting, after the corner-cutting process, each original piezoelectric element bar, which is fixed to the base plate, to a dividing process by dividing each original piezoeleotric element bar, along its lengthwise direction, into a plurality of individual piezoelectric elements, while referring to a third reference position on the base plate, the number of the individual piezoelectric elements corresponding to the number of nozzles to be provided in each row.