In an inkjet head, ink is pressurized by a piezoelectric element and ink droplets are ejected from nozzles in a nozzle plate. Ink repellent layer or an oil repellent layer is added to the surface of the nozzle plate so that ink does not adhere to the surface. An oil repellent layer is formed by, for example, depositing a fluorine-based compound on the surface of the nozzle plate substrate by a coating method or a vapor phase deposition.
In addition to the oil repellant layer, a wiping blade may be added to remove ink on that surface of the nozzle plate that faces a recording medium so that the inkjet head is cleaned. However, the ink repellency of the nozzle plate surface may deteriorate due to cleaning with the wiping blade.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds