Granted Patent B2

US 7,423,073 · App. 10/995,806 · Granted Sep 9, 2008

Abstract

Claims (29)

1. An radiation curable resin composition, comprising:

(a) about 5 to about 50 weight percent of a difunctional polymeric compound;

(b) about 1 to about 10 weight percent of a photoinitiator;

(c) about 1 to about 10 weight percent of a flexibilizer agent, wherein the flexibilizer agent has a molecular weight ranging from about 400 to about 10,000; and

(d) about 30 to about 90 weight percent of a non-photoreactive solvent, wherein the weight percents are based on the total weight of the resin composition;

wherein the flexibilizer agent is selected from the group consisting of: polypropylene gycol based polyols, polytetramethylene ether glycol, poly(oxypropylene) glycol, polybutadiene glycol, polyethylene adipate glycol, polyethylene propylene adipate glycol, polybutadiene adipate glycol, o-pththalate-1,6-hexanediol polyester polyol, diethylene glycol initiated caprolactone, trimethylol propane initiated caprolactone, neopentyl glycol initiated caprolactone, 1,4-butanediol initiated caprolactone, 1-6-hexanediol initiated caprolactone, polyethylene adipate glycol, polybutylene adipate glycol, diethylene glycol initiated caprolactone, and mixtures thereof.

2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the flexibilizer agent is reacted on terminating groups of the difunctional polymeric compound.

3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the flexibilizer agent is added as an additive to the composition.

4. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising from about 0.5 to about 20 weight percent of a multifunctional second crosslinking polymeric compound.

5. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the difunctional polymeric compound comprises an epoxy compound.

6. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising a silane having a functional group capable of reacting with at least one member selected from (a) or (b).

7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the photoinitiator is capable of generating a cation.

8. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the photoinitiator is capable of generating a free radical.

9. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the flexibilizer agent comprises epoxydized hydroxyl terminated polybutadine resin.

10. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition has a molecular weight ranging from about 500 to about 10,000.

11. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the flexibilizer agent comprises polypropylene glycol based polyols.

12. The composition of claim 4 , wherein the multifunctional crosslinking compound comprises a multifunctional crosslinking epoxy compound.

13. An ink jet print head having ink passage ways connected to an ink discharging outlet provided on a substrate, the passage ways being formed by subjecting a layer of a radiation curable resin composition to exposure of radiation in a pattern to form a cured region of the resin composition and removing the uncured resin composition region from the layer, the radiation curable resin composition comprising:

(a) about 5 to about 50 weight percent of a difunctional polymeric compound;(b) about 1 to about 10 weight percent of a photoinitiator;

(c) about 1 to about 10 weight percent of a flexibilizer agent, wherein the flexibilizer agent has a molecular weight ranging from about 400 to about 10,000 and wherein the flexibilizer agent is selected from the group consisting of: polypropylene glycol based polyols, polytetramethylene ether glycol, poly(oxypropylene) glycol, polybutadiene glycol, polyethylene adipate glycol, polyethylene propylene adipate glycol, polybutadiene adipate glycol, o-pththalate- 1,6-hexanediol polyester polyol, diethylene glycol initiated caprolactone, trimethylol propane initiated caprolactone, neopentyl glycol initiated caprolactone, 1,4-butanediol initiated caprolactone, 1-6-hexanediol initiated caprolactone, polyethylene adipate glycol, polybutylene adipate glycol, diethylene glycol initiated caprolactone, and mixtures thereof; and

(d) about 30 to about 90 weight percent of a non photoreactive solvent, wherein the weight percents are based on the total weight of the resin composition.

14. An ink jet printer, comprising:

a printer frame;

a print head having ink passage ways for ejecting ink, wherein the ink passage ways are formed by subjecting a layer of a radiation curable resin composition to exposure of radiation in a pattern to form a cured region of the resin composition and removing the uncured resin composition region from the layer, the radiation curable resin composition comprising:

(a) about 5 to about 50 weight percent of a difunctional polymeric compound;

(b) about 1 to about 10 weight percent of a photoinitiator;

(c) about 1 to about 10 weight percent of a flexibilizer agent, wherein the flexibilizer agent has a molecular weight ranging from about 400 to about 10,000 and wherein the flexibilizer agent is selected from the group consisting of: polypropylene glycol based polyols, polytetramethylene ether glycol, poly(oxypropylene) glycol, polybutadiene glycol, polyethylene adipate glycol, polyethylene propylene adipate glycol, polybutadiene adipate glycol, o-pththalate- 1,6-hexanediol polyester polyol, diethylene glycol initiated caprolactone, trimethylol propane initiated caprolactone, neopentyl glycol initiated caprolactone, 1,4-butanediol initiated caprolactone, 1-6-hexanediol initiated caprolactone, polyethylene adipate glycol, polybutylene adipate glycol, diethylene glycol initiated caprolactone, and mixtures thereof; and

(d) about 30 to about 90 weight percent of a non photoreactive solvent, wherein the weight percents are based on the total weight of the resin composition;

a print head carrier assembly including a carriage for carrying the print head, the print head carrier assembly being mounted to the printer frame, the print head carrier assembly effecting a reciprocating movement of the print head through a printing zone during a printing operation.

Assignments (8)