A thermal head includes a substrate; a plurality of heat generating portions; a common electrode disposed on the substrate and electrically connected to the plurality of heat generating portions; a plurality of individual electrodes disposed on the substrate and each electrically connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of heat generating portions; a first insulation layer disposed on the heat generating portions, a part of the common electrode, and a part of the individual electrodes; a second insulation layer located adjacent to the first insulation layer and disposed on a part of the individual electrodes; and a static removing layer disposed on the first insulation layer and grounded. The static removing layer includes a first portion disposed on an upper surface of the first insulation layer and a second portion electrically connected to the first portion and disposed on an upper surface of the second insulation layer.

A method for introducing a reflective, refractive, and/or diffractive variable and/or non-variable image to a substrate by use of thermal transfer printing includes simultaneously transferring a defined portion of each of a protective coating layer, an image layer, and an adhesive layer from a carrier film of a transfer ribbon to the substrate by applying heat to the transfer ribbon. The defined portions of the image layer and the protective coating layer are adhered to the substrate using the adhesive layer. Subsequent to transferring the protective coating layer, the image layer, and the adhesive layer, durability is provided to the image layer by cross-linking the protective coating layer that is over the image layer by exposing the protective coating layer to a radiation source after the defined portions of the protective coating layer, the image layer, and the adhesive layer are transferred from the carrier film.

Disclosed is an assembly line for processing products. The line includes, on one hand, a plurality of consecutive stations for processing the products and, on the other hand, a moving unit for moving the products between the stations within the line, in particular from an upstream station in which the products have just been processed, to a downstream station in which the products must later be processed. The moving unit essentially includes at least one self-contained, self-supported, movable carriage moving on the ground and having the products resting thereon during the movement thereof within the line. Also disclosed is a corresponding implementation method and to a corresponding use of the carriages.

A thermal head of the present disclosure includes a substrate 7, a heat generating unit 9, an electrode, a covering layer 27, and a covering member 29. The heat generating unit 9 is positioned above the substrate 7. The electrode is positioned above the substrate and connected to the heat generating unit 9. The covering layer 27 covers at least a part of the electrode when viewed in plan. The covering member 29 is positioned on the covering layer 27. The covering layer 27 has an upper surface 27a and a lateral surface 27b that is positioned on a side of the heat generating unit 9. An arithmetic-average surface roughness Ra of the lateral surface 27b is higher than an arithmetic-average surface roughness Ra of the upper surface 27a.

According to one embodiment, a thermal print head includes a heat sink; a head substrate placed on the heat sink and having a plurality of heat generating elements arranged in a primary scanning direction; a circuit board placed on the heat sink so as to be adjacent to the head substrate in an auxiliary scanning direction and provided with a connection circuit; and a control element electrically connected to the heat generating element via a first bonding wire and electrically connected to the connection circuit via a second bonding wire, in which at least one of the first bonding wire and the second bonding wire includes any of a copper wire, a copper alloy wire, and a wire mainly made of copper and coated with a metal different from copper.

A method of manufacturing a thermal print head structure includes the following steps. A glaze layer, a heating resistor layer, an electrode layer and a photoresist layer are sequentially coated on a substrate, in which the photoresist layer has an arc ridge portion in accordance with the formation of the glaze layer. The arc ridge portion of the photoresist layer is partially removed such that a sunken portion is formed on the arc ridge portion. The photoresist layer is fully thinned to remove a bottom of the sunken portion, so that a local position of the electrode layer is revealed. The local position of the electrode layer is etched so that the heating resistor layer is partially revealed outwardly. The photoresist layer is removed from the electrode layer. A protective layer is formed on the electrode layer, the heating resistor layer, and the substrate.

Certain embodiments provide a thermal print head including: a first heat storage layer formed on a substrate; a heat generator formed on the first heat storage layer; an electrode formed from the first heat storage layer to the substrate and electrically connected to the heat generator; and a barrier layer that covers the electrode and is formed by a CVD method.

A thermal head of the present disclosure includes a substrate 7, a heat generating unit 9, an electrode, a covering layer 27, and a covering member 29. The heat generating unit 9 is positioned above the substrate 7. The electrode is positioned above the substrate and connected to the heat generating unit 9. The covering layer 27 covers at least a part of the electrode when viewed in plan. The covering member 29 is positioned on the covering layer 27. The covering layer 27 has an upper surface 27a and a lateral surface 27b that is positioned on a side of the heat generating unit 9. An arithmetic-average surface roughness Ra of the lateral surface 27b is higher than an arithmetic-average surface roughness Ra of the upper surface 27a.

A thermal head includes a substrate, a glaze layer, and a reinforced conductor layer. The glaze includes a first glaze and a second glaze. The first glaze extends in a predetermined direction on the surface of the substrate. The second glaze is spaced part from the first glaze to one side in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction on the surface of the substrate. The reinforced conductor layer includes a lateral side part. The lateral side part extends on the surface of the substrate from the first glaze side to the second glaze side and is partially located on the second glaze. An edge part on the first glaze side in the second glaze includes a cutout portion cut out toward the one side in the direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction. The lateral side part passes through the cutout portion.

According to one embodiment, a thermal print head includes a heat sink, a head substrate having a plurality of heat generating elements placed on the heat sink and disposed in a primary scanning direction, a circuit board placed on the heat sink so as to be adjacent to the head substrate in an auxiliary scanning direction and provided with a connection circuit, and a control element electrically connected to the heat generating element via a first bonding wire and electrically connected to the connection circuit via a second bonding wire, wherein a plurality of first bonding wires is disposed in parallel in the primary scanning direction, and among the first bonding wires, the first bonding wire having a length of at least 2 mm or more is a metal wire having a Young's modulus greater than that of gold.