Lexmark International, Inc.

Kin-Ming Kwan

Ganesh Vinayak Phatak

James Paul Drummond

David T Shadwick

Jon Brock Whitney

Jonathan H Laurer

Audrey Dale Rodgers

In a system for laser welding work pieces along a collapsing weld interface, methods and apparatus include providing welding pads and/or stop projections on either or both of the work pieces to control the manner or amount of collapse. Preferably, the stop projections exist a separation distance from the weld interface while the welding pads exist at and form a portion of the weld interface. Buffers are taught between the weld interface and stop projection. The work pieces may comprise inkjet printhead lids and bodies. In another aspect, the invention teaches methods of laser welding inkjet printhead lids and bodies according to whether the inkjet printhead body embodies a mono or color ink body type and especially includes selective control of one or more laser light sources to illuminate the inkjet printhead lid in a specific pattern of light.

Laser welding methods and structures and control therefor including welded inkjet printheads

Methods for measuring laser light transmissivity of a specific position in a work piece prior to the work piece undergoing laser welding at the specific position with a laser beam having a specific welding wavelength. To obtain a baseline measurement reading, a laser light source projects a laser beam at the welding wavelength directly into a detector. Thereafter, the work piece becomes suspended between the laser light source and detector whereby an output of the detector now corresponds to a work piece measurement reading. Differences between the two readings reveal whether the work piece will yield a satisfactory weld at the specific position when later welded by a laser beam at the welding wavelength. Preferred work pieces include inkjet printhead lids and bodies.

Measuring laser light transmissivity in a to-be-welded region of a work piece

An inkjet printhead lid has a light opacity component and a laser light transparent component molded together in two shots in an injection molding chamber. The laser light transparency component has a periphery that extends beyond a periphery of the light opacity component on substantially all sides thereof. An inkjet printhead body laser welds to the laser light transparency component in an area between the peripheries of the two lid components. Inkjet printers for containing the printhead are also disclosed. In the molding chamber, two sources of injection molding materials inject a first and then a second mold to mold the two lid components together. One of the two sources of injection molding materials has laser light transparency characteristics while the other has light opacity characteristics. Mechanical interlocking features may also exist in both of the two lid components.

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Lexington, KY, United States of America

Kin-Ming Kwan