CN110843341B

CN110843341B - Conveyance stage and inkjet device using the same

Info

Publication number: CN110843341B
Application number: CN201910669349.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 末益智志; 井上隆史
Original assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-08-21
Filing date: 2019-07-23
Publication date: 2021-06-04
Anticipated expiration: 2039-07-23
Also published as: JP6771160B2; CN110843341A; JP2020028832A

Abstract

The invention provides a conveying table and an ink jet device using the conveying table, wherein the conveying table can restrain the size of a base station of an area processed by a processing part to a required minimum limit and ensure the movement precision in a processing range. The conveyance table includes: a base portion including a first split stage of the same material, a second split stage disposed adjacent to the first split stage along a first scanning direction, and extending along the first scanning direction; a guide member disposed on the base portion; a carrying table moving along the guide; a bearing portion which is arranged between the guide and the conveying workbench and supports the conveying workbench to freely move along the guide; a driving part which moves the conveying workbench. The upper surface of the guide is curved in a direction protruding downward in the vertical direction from the first region toward the second region.

Description

Conveyance stage and inkjet device using the same

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a conveyance stage and an ink jet apparatus using the conveyance stage. The present invention particularly relates to a large-sized conveyance stage and an ink jet apparatus using the large-sized conveyance stage.

Background

In recent years, a method of manufacturing an apparatus using an inkjet device has been attracting attention. The inkjet device includes a plurality of nozzles for ejecting droplets, and the droplets are ejected from the nozzles while controlling the positional relationship between the nozzles and the print target, thereby applying the droplets to the print target.

As one of such ink jet devices, there is known an ink jet device including a plurality of module heads (in other words, droplet discharge heads having a plurality of discharge ports) called line heads arranged in parallel in a width direction of a printing object. By arranging the line heads in parallel in the sub-scanning direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction in the same horizontal plane, ink can be applied to a wide printing object at a time in one conveyance step.

Further, by mounting a plurality of line heads arranged in parallel in the sub-scanning direction in the main scanning direction, a plurality of types of ink of different colors, for example, can be applied to the printing object at once during one conveyance step.

According to this configuration, for example, even a large printing object having a size of G4 (680mm × 880mm) or more can be coated with a plurality of kinds of ink at a time in one conveyance step, and therefore, the tact time for coating ink on the printing object can be reduced, and the drying conditions and the like after coating ink can be easily made uniform, and therefore, there is an advantage in the printing process such as the ability to uniformly control the ink film thickness.

However, in recent years, in order to improve productivity, the size of the printing object has been further increased. When the printing object is large, the transport distance is increased by that much, and the guide that moves in the main scanning direction while mounting the printing object is also inevitably required to be long. Therefore, a problem arises that the machining and the manufacturing cannot be performed with a required accuracy by one member. Similarly, the required size of the base supporting the guide also becomes large, and there arises a problem that processing and manufacturing cannot be performed with one member. Even if the processing and manufacturing can be performed by one member, if the size becomes large, the purchase cost becomes very high, and the transportation becomes impossible due to the traffic law of each country, and the like, and therefore, the size of each member is reduced.

In other words, it is preferable to use a stone member in which a guide and a base having high flatness are easily processed with high precision and which has little thermal deformation. However, in these days, the size of the printing object is further increased, and the difficulty in purchasing large stone members is increased from the viewpoint of resource exhaustion. Therefore, even if purchasing and processing can be performed, this is a major drawback from the viewpoint of cost and purchasing deadline. Further, since the weight of the apparatus becomes heavy, it is considered that a workshop in which the apparatus is installed needs to be reinforced, and the cost is further increased.

Therefore, a method has been disclosed in which the guide rail and the mount supporting the guide rail are each formed of a plurality of members, and a positioning reference surface is provided so that the guide rail and the mount supporting the guide rail can be coupled to each other (for example, patent document 1).

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 7-124831

However, according to the above method, when the conveying table is required to perform scanning with high traveling accuracy without generating vibration, it is difficult to ensure flatness in the height direction of the plurality of bases supporting the guide rail, and due to this influence, it is difficult to ensure flatness in the height direction of the guide rail, which leads to deterioration in traveling accuracy. In addition, due to this influence, the following problems arise: a step is likely to occur at a joint portion connecting the plurality of guide rails, and the conveying table is likely to vibrate when passing through the joint portion.

Therefore, in a device such as an ink jet device in which a transport table is intended to travel with high accuracy without generating vibration, for example, there arises a problem that the positions of adhesion of ink ejected from an ink jet head are not uniform due to vibration of the transport table or the like, and there arises a problem that a high-resolution printing object cannot be produced.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a transport table that can ensure movement accuracy within a processing range while suppressing the size of a base in a region where processing is performed by a processing unit to a required minimum, and an inkjet apparatus using the transport table.

Means for solving the problems

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a carrier table including:

a base portion including a first split base made of the same material and a second split base arranged adjacent to the first split base along a first scanning direction, the base portion extending along the first scanning direction;

a guide that is disposed on the base portion so as to extend in the first scanning direction and that has a plurality of guide members;

a carrying table that moves along the guide;

a bearing portion that is disposed between the guide and the conveying table and supports the conveying table to be movable along the guide; and

a driving unit which is connected to the conveying table and moves the conveying table,

when a region above the first split base in the first scanning direction of the guide is set as a first region and a region other than the first region in the first scanning direction of the guide, which is supported by the second split base, is set as a second region, the upper surface of the guide is curved in a direction protruding downward in the vertical direction along a direction from the first region toward the second region.

Effects of the invention

According to the aspect of the present invention, the size of the base in the region to be processed by the processing unit can be minimized, and the movement accuracy in the processing range can be ensured.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is a schematic view of the inkjet device in a plan view in the embodiment.

Fig. 1B is a schematic view of the ink jet apparatus when viewed from the front.

Fig. 2A is a schematic view showing the configuration of a bearing portion of the ink jet apparatus.

Fig. 2B is a comparative diagram showing the arrangement of the bearing portion.

Fig. 2C is an explanatory diagram illustrating the configuration of the rotary bearing portion.

Fig. 3A is a schematic view of the inkjet apparatus when viewed from the side.

Fig. 3B is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between the inkjet device base and the guide.

Fig. 4A is a schematic view showing a positional relationship among the base, the guide, the conveying table, and the line head in a state where the reference base is disposed on the auxiliary base in the embodiment.

Fig. 4B is a schematic view showing a positional relationship among the base, the guide, the conveying table, and the line head in a state where the reference base is disposed on the height adjustment portion in the embodiment.

Fig. 5A is a comparative diagram showing the positional relationship among the base, the guide, the conveying table, and the line head in a state where the reference base is disposed on the auxiliary base in the comparative example.

Fig. 5B is a comparative diagram showing the positional relationship among the base, the guide, the conveying table, and the line head in a state where the reference base is disposed on the height adjustment portion in the comparative example.

Fig. 6A is a schematic view showing a curve of the conveying table in a case where an inflection point of the guide is present below the conveying table in the vertical direction.

Fig. 6B is a schematic view showing a curve of the conveying table in a case where there is no inflection point of the guide downward in the vertical direction of the conveying table.

Fig. 7A is a graph showing the analysis result of the reaction force applied to the bearing portion in the state where the guide is bent upward.

Fig. 7B is a comparative graph showing the analysis result of the reaction force applied to the bearing portion in the state where the guide is bent downward.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view schematically showing the amount of deflection of the guide when the conveyance table moves to the front end of the guide.

Fig. 9A is a schematic view showing a state in which the guide is kept in a curved state protruding downward when the conveyance table moves to the vicinity of the front end of the guide in the embodiment.

Fig. 9B is a schematic view showing a state in which the guide is straight when the conveying table moves to the vicinity of the leading end of the guide in the comparative example.

Fig. 9C is a schematic view showing a state in which the guide is deformed into a curved shape protruding upward when the conveying table moves to the vicinity of the front end of the guide in the comparative example.

Fig. 10 is a schematic view showing a case where the conveying table is assumed to be a rigid body with respect to the conveying table positioned on the curved guide in the comparative example.

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the maximum deflection amount when simply supporting both ends of the conveying table in the main scanning direction.

Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of the height adjusting portion.

Description of the reference numerals

1 an abutment portion; 1a main reference base; 1b an auxiliary base station; 1c a reference base station; 2, a guide piece; 2A deformed guide; 2a, 2b rail-shaped divided guide members; 2c a rail-shaped guide member; 3, carrying the workbench; a 3x straight line; 4, a rack; a 5 line head; 6 printing the object; 7a frame; 8a height adjusting part; 8a height adjusting part for supporting the guide piece; 9a driving part; 10 an ink jet device; 11 gap; 12. 12a to 12e bearing portions; 12A bearing portion supported on the upper surface of the guide 2; 12B are supported by the side surfaces of the guide 2; 13a rotary bearing portion; 14, seaming; 15 inflection point of the bent guide; 18a wedge mechanism; 20 a carrying table; 21, the ground; 22 space; 41 a main scanning direction; 42 sub-scanning direction; 43 in the up-down direction; a, a first area; b a second region.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(embodiment mode 1)

Fig. 1A is a plan view showing an ink jet device 10 according to embodiment 1 from a direction of a principal surface of an object to be printed 6. The overall state of the inkjet device 10 will be described with reference to fig. 1A.

As shown in fig. 1A, the inkjet device 10 includes at least a conveyance table 20, a gantry-shaped stage 4 as an example of a support member, and a line head 5 as an example of a print head.

The conveyance table 20 includes at least a base 1, a guide 2, a conveyance table 3, a bearing 12, and a drive unit 9.

The base portion 1 is formed of a rectangular parallelepiped having a long rectangular planar shape in the main scanning direction (for example, an example of the first scanning direction) 41.

The gantry 4 has a door-like shape in a front view, and the gantry 4 is fixed to a predetermined position of the base portion 1, for example, to an intermediate position of the base portion 1 so as to extend in a width direction of the base portion 1 in a plan view.

The guide 2 is fixed to the upper surface of the base 1 along the longitudinal direction of the base 1, i.e., the main scanning direction 41. For example, the guide 2 is formed of a rectangular parallelepiped member having a rectangular cross section in a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction 41. The guide 2 is composed of at least 1, but preferably a plurality of rail-shaped guide members 2c, and the rail-shaped guide members 2c are arranged on the base portion 1 so as to extend in the first scanning direction 41, and connect the plurality of divided

guide members

2a, 2 b.

The rectangular conveyance table 3 can be conveyed in the main scanning direction 41 of the base portion 1 by the guide 2 while the lower surface thereof is guided by the guide 2. The object 6 to be printed, such as a substrate, can be held on the upper surface of the conveyance table 3. The transfer table 3 is along the guide 2 and has a bending rigidity lower than that of the guide 2.

The line head 5 is supported by a stand 4 connected to the base 1. The line head 5 ejects ink toward the conveyance table 3 in accordance with the timing at which the conveyance table 3 passes below the line head 5 in the main scanning direction 41. That is, while the conveyance table 3 moves below the line head 5 from the left side to the right side in fig. 1A along the main scanning direction 41, ink is ejected from the line head 5, and the ink is applied to the application area of the printing object 6 held on the upper surface of the conveyance table 3.

In the present configuration, as shown in fig. 1A, the line heads 5 are configured such that 2 types of line heads 5 are respectively arranged on both surfaces of the stage 4 (that is, on the right and left sides of the stage 4 in fig. 1A), but only 1 line head 5 may be arranged on the stage 4, or 2 stages 4 may be arranged, and a total of 4 line heads 5 may be arranged on both surfaces of each stage 4. The number, arrangement, and other configurations of the line heads 5 may be determined according to the processing to be performed on the print target 6 by using the line heads 5.

In the following description, a direction in which the printing object 6 is conveyed is referred to as a main scanning direction 41, a direction which is in the same horizontal plane as the main scanning direction 41 and is orthogonal to the main scanning direction 41 is referred to as a sub-scanning direction (for example, an example of a second scanning direction) 42, and a main surface direction of the printing object 6, that is, a generally vertical direction is referred to as a vertical direction 43 (see fig. 1B).

Since the conveyance table 3 is driven in the main scanning direction 41, at least one or more driving units 9 are disposed on the base unit 1 in the main scanning direction 41, and the conveyance table 3 can be driven to convey the conveyance table 3 in the main scanning direction 41 by coupling the driving units 9 to the conveyance table 3. In fig. 1A and 1B, 2 driving units 9 are arranged in the vicinity of both ends in the width direction of the base unit 1 along the main scanning direction 41 as an example of the driving unit 9. Each of the driving units 9 may be a linear motor, or may be a ball screw connected to a rotary motor, and the linear motor easily formed in a long structure is adopted in the configuration of the present embodiment.

Fig. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the inkjet device 10 as viewed from a cross-section taken along line Y-Y of fig. 1A.

As shown in fig. 1B, the guide 2 is fixed to the base portion 1. The base portion 1 is provided via the frame portion 7 that holds the base portion 1 so as not to be directly affected by unevenness, i.e., unevenness, etc., of the ground 21.

It is preferable that the space between the frame portion 7 and the floor 21 and the space between the frame portion 7 and the base portion 1 be supported by a plurality of height adjusting portions 8 that can independently adjust the height direction. With this configuration, the upper surface of the base portion 1 of the ink jet device 10 can be adjusted in height by using the plurality of height adjusting portions 8 so as to obtain the flatness of the upper surface of the base portion 1, according to the floor surface 21 on which the base portion 1 is provided.

The base unit 1 may be directly held via the height adjusting unit 8 without using the frame unit 7.

The height adjusting portion 8 is, for example, a so-called leveling block, and as shown in fig. 12, the height adjusting portion 8 may be configured by: in the case of using the wedge mechanism 18, the wedge 18d is pushed and pulled between the

blocks

18a and 18b on the mounting table 18e in the lateral direction by forward and reverse rotation of the bolt 18c attached in the lateral direction, and the heights of the

blocks

18a and 18b are varied.

At least one bearing portion 12 is connected between the guide 2 and the conveying table 3. Specifically, for example, a bearing 12 is disposed on the conveying table 3 between the upper surface of the guide 2 and the lower surface of the conveying table 3, and the conveying table 3 is supported slidably on the guide 2 via the bearing 12.

The bearing 12 may be configured by one or both of a bearing 12A and a bearing 12B, the bearing 12A being supported on the upper surface of the guide 2 or both of the upper surface of the guide 2 and the lower surface of the conveying table 3 to support the weight of the conveying table 3 and prevent the rotation of the conveying table 3 in the rotation direction (pitch direction) about the sub-scanning direction 42, and the bearing 12B being supported on the side surface of the guide 2 to prevent the meandering of the conveying table 3 in the horizontal direction and the rotation in the rotation direction (roll direction) about the vertical direction.

The bearing portion 12 may be disposed only above the guide 2, and may be slidably supported by the guide 2 so as to support the weight of the conveying table 3 and prevent the rotation of the conveying table 3 in the pitch direction. In the present structure, the following structure is adopted: a bearing portion 12 slidably supported on the upper surface of the guide 2 to support the weight of the conveying table 3 and prevent the rotation of the conveying table 3 in the pitch direction; the bearing portions 12 are slidably supported on both side surfaces of the guide 2 in the sub-scanning direction 42 to prevent the horizontal meandering and rolling-direction rotation of the conveyance table 3, which will be described later in detail.

In order to realize high-precision and low-vibration conveyance, it is preferable to use a hydrostatic bearing as the bearing portion 12, in which a gas such as air is ejected from the bearing portion 12 toward the guide 2, so that the bearing portion 12 and the guide 2 face each other in a non-contact state. When the bearing portion 12 is a hydrostatic bearing, a pad that is self-throttling or small-hole throttling may be used, or a groove may be cut in the back surface of the conveyance table 3 to form a front-surface throttling. In this structure, a porous throttle pad is used to reduce vibration.

When the bearing portion 12 is a hydrostatic bearing, the bearing rigidity changes according to the amount of floating from the guide 2 caused by the air ejected from the bearing portion 12, and therefore, the bearing rigidity is preferably designed to be the maximum amount of floating. In the present configuration, the target floating amount is, for example, 10 μm in which the rigidity of the bearing portion 12 is the highest.

Fig. 2A is a view of the conveyance table 3 viewed from the Z-Z direction in fig. 1B. Fig. 2A shows a configuration of the bearing portion 12 in this configuration. Although not actually shown in the cross-sectional view, the guide member 2c is virtually shown by a broken line for convenience of description.

In this configuration, a bearing portion 12A is provided which is slidably supported on the upper surface of the guide member 2c to support the weight of the conveying table 3 and prevent rotation in the pitch direction. The guide member 2c has bearing portions 12B for supporting both side surfaces thereof to prevent the horizontal meandering and rolling rotation of the conveyance table 3.

The total pressure-receiving area of the bearing portions 12A is determined according to the load capacity of the bearing portions 12A and the weight of the conveying table 3, but as shown in fig. 2B, the bearing portions 12A may be arranged so as to be concentrated at both ends of the conveying table 3 in the main scanning direction. By adopting the configuration of fig. 2B, the rigidity of the conveyance table 3 in the pitch direction can be improved. However, in the configuration of fig. 2B, when the size of the conveyance table 3 is large, there is a problem that the conveyance table 3 is likely to be bent in a space where the bearing portion 12 is not present, and therefore, it is preferable to use the configuration in a case where it is desired to increase the rigidity of the rotation of the conveyance table 3 about the sub-scanning direction 42 as an axis and in a case where it is desired to suppress the bending of the conveyance table 3.

In this configuration, the conveyance table 3 is formed of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped having a dimension in the main scanning direction 41 of 3.2m, a dimension in the sub scanning direction 42 of 3.2m, and a thickness of about 120mm, for example, and the conveyance table 3 itself is likely to be bent when there are few support points by the bearing portions 12A. Therefore, in order to suppress the deflection of the conveyance table 3, as an example, the bearings 12A having a square shape in plan view with the pressure receiving surface of 120mm square are received at a plurality of points (for example, 5 points) in the main scanning direction 41 of each guide member 2c in each guide member 2 c. Similarly, the conveyance table 3 is configured to be supported at a plurality of points (for example, 3 points) in the sub-scanning direction 42 in order to suppress deflection of the conveyance table. That is, as shown in fig. 2A, the bearing units 12A are arranged in 5 rows in the main scanning direction 41, 3 rows in the sub-scanning direction 42, and 15 in total are arranged on the rear surface of the conveyance table 3.

For example, the width of the upper surface of the guide member 2c in the sub-scanning direction 42 is 150mm in accordance with the arrangement of the bearing portions 12A, and the guide members 2c are arranged in 3 rows at equal intervals in the sub-scanning direction 42. That is, by configuring to arrange the guide members 2c in 3 or more rows at intervals in the sub-scanning direction 42, the interval supported by the bearing 12 can be narrowed compared to a structure in which the guide members 2c are arranged in 2 rows at intervals in a general use, and the deflection of the conveyance table 3 can be suppressed. As will be described later, in this configuration, since the thickness of the conveying table 3 is made smaller than the thickness of the conveying table 3 that is generally used, the bending rigidity is small, and the conveying table 3 is likely to be bent, the configuration in which at least 3 or more guide members 2c are arranged in the sub-scanning direction 42 is effective.

The bearing 12B is also configured to increase the pressure receiving area facing the side surface of the guide member 2c, and when the bearing 12B is disposed at both ends of the conveyance table 3 in the main scanning direction 41 in a concentrated manner, the rigidity in the rolling direction can be increased. However, when the pressure receiving area of the bearing portion 12B opposed to the side surface of the guide member 2c is increased, there arises a problem that the height of the guide member 2c is required by that amount, and the weight and size of the apparatus are increased.

In the present configuration, the bearing 12B having a square pressure receiving surface in a plan view of 90mm square is configured to support both side surfaces of the guide member 2c only in the center of the conveying table 3, as an example. In accordance with the arrangement of the bearing portion 12B, the height of the guide member 2c is set to 120mm, for example.

In the present configuration, the drive unit 9 is disposed in 2 rows near both ends of the conveyance table 3 in the sub-scanning direction 42, and two-axis drive is performed. Further, the control structure in which the position in the roll direction can be corrected by finely moving the two shafts during the travel and the stop is provided, and the illustration thereof is omitted. With this configuration, the horizontal meandering and the rolling rotation of the conveyance table 3 are suppressed.

In the above configuration, it is preferable to provide the rotary bearing portion 13 at the center of the conveying table 3 so as to prevent the bearing portion 12B of the hydrostatic bearing, which is originally opposed to the guide member 2c in a non-contact state, from coming into contact with the guide member 2c due to the driving force of the driving portion 9. As shown in fig. 2C, the rotation bearing portion 13 includes a rotation bearing support portion 13a and a rotation bearing body portion 13b, the rotation bearing support portion 13a is disposed on the lower surface of the central portion of the conveying table 3 and is formed of an annular bearing member, and the rotation bearing body portion 13b is disposed between the rotation bearing support portion 13a disposed on the lower surface of the central portion of the conveying table 3 and the bearing portion 12A and has a U-shaped vertical cross section. The conveyance table 3 can freely rotate around the rotation axis of the rotation bearing support portion 13a with respect to the rotation bearing main body portion 13b by the rotation bearing support portion 13 a. With this configuration, even if the conveyance table 3 slightly rotates with respect to the guide 2 due to the deviation of the two intersecting axes, the rotation can be absorbed by the rotary bearing 13, and the bearing 12 can be unaffected.

It is preferable that the driving unit 9 has a self-position grasping function such as a linear scale, and when the self-position grasping function such as a linear scale is likely to expand or contract due to a temperature change, the self-position is corrected while comparing the result of the laser measurement of each linear scale value with a normal value.

Next, the structure of the base portion 1 and the guide 2 will be mainly described with reference to fig. 3A and 3B.

Fig. 3A is a cross-sectional view as viewed from the X-X line of fig. 1A. As shown in fig. 3A, the base portion 1 is located at a predetermined position in the main scanning direction 41 of the guide 2, for example, at the center portion. The base 1 includes at least a main reference base 1a and a sub-base 1b, and preferably includes the main reference base 1a, the sub-base 1b, and at least one or more sub-reference bases 1 c. As an example, in fig. 3A, the auxiliary base 1b is disposed adjacent to the main reference base 1a on both sides of the main reference base 1a in the main scanning direction 41. A reference base 1c is disposed on each auxiliary base 1 b.

The main reference base 1a is made of the same material. The auxiliary base 1b is formed of a material different from that of the main reference base 1a, and is arranged to be coupled to both ends of the main reference base 1a in the main scanning direction 41. The reference base 1c is made of the same material as the main reference base 1a, and is disposed on the end portion side of the auxiliary base 1b opposite to the main reference base 1a, so as to be separated from the main reference base 1 without coming into contact with the main reference base 1 a.

In the present configuration, the main reference base 1a and the reference base 1c are each made of a stone material, for example. Granite is used as an example of the stone material. For example, the auxiliary base 1b is made of a steel material that is an iron-based material, and the iron-based material has a larger thermal expansion coefficient than the stone material, so that thermal deformation is likely to occur, and it is difficult to obtain machining accuracy. The main reference base 1a and the reference base 1c are each formed of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and a desired hollow portion is provided for the purpose of reducing the weight, while the auxiliary base 1b has a frame structure.

When the auxiliary base 1b is also made of a stone material as in the case of the main reference base 1a and the reference base 1c, high-precision machining and adjustment are easy, but the weight and cost increase. In this configuration, as will be described later, the accuracy is not important in the auxiliary base 1b, and therefore, as an example, the main reference base 1a and the reference base 1c are made of a stone material, and the auxiliary base 1b is made of a ferrous material. As an example, the guide 2 requiring flatness is also made of a stone material.

The auxiliary base 1b is configured to indirectly support the guide 2 via the height adjusting portion 8a, and the guide 2 is not directly supported on the upper surface of the auxiliary base 1 b. In this configuration, the upper surface of the guide 2 on the auxiliary base 1b does not need to have a high flatness compared to the upper surface of the guide 2 on the upper portion of the main reference base 1a, and the guide 2 is formed into a desired curved shape, which will be described later. Therefore, the guide 2 is discontinuously supported in the main scanning direction 41 via the height adjusting portion 8a on the upper portion of the auxiliary base 1b, and the guide 2 is configured to be easily adjusted to a desired curved shape. The height adjusting portion 8a is the same as the height adjusting portion 8 shown in fig. 12.

The guide 2 may be directly supported on the upper surface of the auxiliary base 1b without the height adjustment portion 8 a. In the following description, the height adjustment portion 8a may be described as a part of the members constituting the auxiliary base 1 b.

Since the constituent materials are different from each other, the thermal expansion coefficient of the auxiliary base 1b is larger than that of the guide 2. Therefore, if the auxiliary base 1b and the guide 2 are fixed by screws or the like so as to be immovable and completely constrained, the guide 2 may be deformed by thermal expansion of the auxiliary base 1 b. Therefore, it is preferable that the auxiliary base 1b and the guide 2 perform sliding restraint capable of relative movement while supporting only the weight of the guide 2, rather than performing complete restraint in which the auxiliary base 1b and the guide 2 are fixed so as not to be relatively movable using screws or the like. That is, instead of fastening the auxiliary base 1b and the guide 2 with screws or the like and constraining them in all directions, for example, the height adjusting portion 8a is constrained to the auxiliary base 1b with screws in all directions of 3 directions of the main scanning direction 41, the sub-scanning direction 42, and the vertical direction 43 orthogonal to each other in all directions, and the guide 2 is in a state of being relatively movable along the main scanning direction 41 by supporting the self weight of the guide 2 only by the height adjusting portion 8a without using screws or the like above the height adjusting portion 8a, and further, the contact surfaces of the height adjusting portion 8a and the guide 2 are in a state of being slidable with each other.

With this configuration, even when the auxiliary base 1b expands and contracts due to a change in ambient temperature, the auxiliary base 1b and the guide 2 can move relative to each other, and therefore, the guide 2 is prevented from being deformed, and the load applied to the guide 2 from the auxiliary base 1b side can be reduced. It is to be noted that, although it is also considered that the flatness of the upper surface of the guide 2 is deteriorated due to the expansion and contraction of the auxiliary base 1b, the flatness of the upper surface of the guide 2 is not important in the upper portion of the auxiliary base 1b as described later, and thus the above-described configuration is configured. The height adjustment unit 8a may have a passive rotation mechanism. With this configuration, even when the angle of the facing surfaces of the auxiliary base 1b and the guide 2 changes due to the thermal deformation of the auxiliary base 1b, the angle of the facing surfaces of the auxiliary base 1b and the guide 2 changes and follows the angle by the passive rotation mechanism, and thus the guide 2 is less likely to be deformed.

On the other hand, since the main reference base 1a and the guide 2 are made of the same stone material, there is a possibility that deformation may occur due to thermal deformation, and in order to firmly fasten the guide 2 to the main reference base 1a whose plane surface is ensured to be highly accurate and also to maintain the flatness of the guide 2 to be highly accurate, the main reference base 1a and the guide 2 are fastened via screws, for example. In order to prevent meandering of the guide 2 in the sub-scanning direction 42 and to facilitate adjustment in the height direction (i.e., the vertical direction), the quasi-reference base 1c and the guide 2 are fastened to each other with screws, for example.

Fig. 3B is a plan view showing the base 1 and the guide 2 from the main surface direction of the printing object 6, that is, a view when viewed from below in the vertical direction.

The guide 2 is disposed so as to straddle the main reference base 1a and the reference base 1c along the main scanning direction 41, and the weight of the guide 2 is supported by the main reference base 1a and the reference base 1 c. For example, the guide 2 may be configured by a plurality of rail-shaped guide members 2c parallel to each other, and the guide members 2c may extend along the main scanning direction 41 so as to straddle the main reference base 1a and the reference base 1 c. The guide 2 is also supported by the auxiliary base 1b in an auxiliary manner via the quasi-reference base 1c and the height adjusting portion 8 a. The auxiliary base 1b and the guide 2 are not directly in contact with each other, and the guide 2 may be directly supported by only the main reference base 1a and the reference base 1c as the base 1.

In the following description, as shown in fig. 3B, a region above the main reference base 1a in the vertical direction is referred to as a first region a, and a region other than the first region a, that is, a region above the reference base 1c or the auxiliary base 1B or both in the vertical direction is referred to as a second region B.

In the present configuration, the guide 2 is formed of the guide members 2c arranged in 3 rows at intervals in the sub-scanning direction 42 and parallel to each other. The height of the upper surface of the 3 rows of guide members 2c is preferably as uniform as possible at least in the first area a. With this configuration, rotation in the rotation direction (roll direction) about the main scanning direction 41 can be suppressed. In this case, if the main reference base 1a and the sub base 1b are configured only, the difficulty of adjusting the height of the upper surface of the 3-row guide member 2c to the same level increases.

Therefore, in the present configuration, the reference base 1c is provided at a position separated from the main reference base 1 a. As an example, the length of the main scanning direction 41 of the main reference base 1a is 4m, the length of the main scanning direction 41 of the base 1 including the main reference bases 1a to 1c is 13m, and the length of the main scanning direction 41 of the base 1c is 0.3 m.

When the height of the guide member 2c can be adjusted only by the main reference base 1a and the sub base 1b, the guide member 2c may be supported mainly by the main reference base 1a and the sub base 1b without using the reference base 1 c.

In the above description, the quasi-reference base 1c is included in the auxiliary base 1b, and the quasi-reference base 1c and the auxiliary base 1b are combined to be regarded as the auxiliary base 1 b.

It should be noted that each guide member 2c is preferably formed by one member in the main scanning direction 41, but if the size of the print target is large, for example, G8 (i.e., 2200mm × 2400mm) or more, it is difficult to purchase and process the material because the guide member 2c is long. Therefore, it is preferable to use a plurality of rail-shaped divided

guide members

2a and 2b as the guide member 2c, connected along the main scanning direction 41.

In this configuration, the required length of the guide member 2c is 12.5m, for example, and since it is difficult to perform processing with one member, each of the 3 guide members 2c is constituted by two divided

guide members

2a and 2b in the main scanning direction 41.

At this time, a seam 14 that divides the

guide members

2a, 2b is generated, and preferably the seam 14 is located in the first region a. With this configuration, it is possible to make it difficult to form a step at the joint 14. That is, since the

guide members

2a and 2b are processed to have substantially the same height by simultaneous processing, whether or not a step is likely to occur in the joint 14 is greatly affected by the flatness of the base 1 receiving the

guide members

2a and 2 b. In the first region a, the base 1 has high flatness, and therefore, a step is less likely to occur.

It is preferable that the position coordinates in the main scanning direction 41 of the plurality of joints 14 are arranged at different positions from each other. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the plurality of bearings 12 from passing through the joint 14 along the main scanning direction 41 at the same time, and to suppress vibration of the conveyance table 3.

The joint 14 is formed by filling the gap in the main scanning direction 41 with a seal material having a lower longitudinal elastic coefficient than the material of the guide 2, and the seal material is preferably disposed at a position lower than the upper surface of the guide member 2c in the joint 14. With this configuration, the air ejected from bearing portion 12 leaks from the gap at joint 14, and joint 14 can be prevented from becoming a vibration source of conveying table 3. Wax is used as an example of the sealing member.

Fig. 4A to 5B are schematic views showing positional relationships among the base 1, the guide 2, the conveying table 3, and the line head 5. Fig. 4A and 4B show the present embodiment, and fig. 5A and 5B show a comparative example. The difference between the two is that the guide 2 is configured to be curved so as to be convex downward in the vertical direction in fig. 4A and 4B, whereas the guide 2 is configured to be curved so as to be convex upward in the vertical direction in fig. 5A and 5B. In fig. 4A and 5A, the lower portion of the quasi-reference base 1c is supported by the auxiliary base 1B, and in fig. 4B and 5B, the lower portion of the quasi-reference base 1c is supported by the height adjusting portion 8 so as to penetrate through the auxiliary base 1B without being supported by the auxiliary base 1B.

As described above, the main reference base 1a and the reference base 1c are made of a stone material, and the auxiliary base 1b is made of an iron-based material, which is likely to be thermally deformed due to a larger thermal expansion coefficient than the stone material and is difficult to obtain machining accuracy. Therefore, even if the flatness of the upper surface of the guide 2 can be made to obtain high accuracy in the first area a, it is difficult to obtain the flatness of the upper surface of the guide 2 in the second area B in the same manner. In addition, in the second region B, the auxiliary base 1B is easily deformed by a change in the ambient temperature, and thus it is also difficult to obtain the flatness of the upper surface of the guide 2 in the second region B as in the first region a. That is, the height Tr of the upper surface of the guide 2 in the second region B is easily generated₂Height Tr from the upper surface of the guide 2 in the first area a₁Difference of height Δ Tr (═ Tr)₂-Tr₁). Therefore, for example, the following states are achieved: as shown in fig. 4A and 4B, the guide 2 is curved in a direction protruding downward, and as shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the guide 2 is curved in a direction protruding upward, or both are present in a mixed manner.

However, in the present configuration, the bending rigidity value in the pitch direction of the conveying table 3 is made smaller than the bending rigidity value in the pitch direction of the guide 2, and the conveying table 3 is configured to be deformed along the guide 2. With this configuration, even if the guide 2 is bent in the second region B, the conveyance table 3 can ensure flatness of the upper surface of the guide 2 in the first region a, which is the range in which the lower portion of the line head 5 is disposed.

That is, the deflection amount of the conveying table 3 is configured to be larger when the inflection point 15 of the guide 2 is present, which is bent downward in the vertical direction of the conveying table 3, than when the inflection point 15 of the guide 2 is not present, which is bent downward in the vertical direction of the conveying table 3.

As shown in fig. 6A, when the conveying table 3 supported on the curved guide 2 via the bearing 12 is viewed in a cross section including the axes in the main scanning direction 41 and the vertical direction, the deflection amount is represented by a straight line 3x connecting both ends of the conveying table 3 in the main scanning direction 41, and the maximum length from the straight line 3x to the upper surface of the conveying table 3 is represented by the deflection amount Δ T. As shown in fig. 6A, since the bending rigidity value in the pitch direction of the conveying table 3 is smaller than the bending rigidity value in the pitch direction of the guide 2, when there is an inflection point 15 of the guide 2 that bends downward in the vertical direction of the conveying table 3, the conveying table 3 bends, and the deflection amount Δ T increases. However, as shown in fig. 6B, when there is no inflection point 15 of the guide 2 bent downward in the vertical direction of the conveying table 3, although a slight deflection occurs in a portion where the bearing 12 is not present, the deflection amount Δ T is equal to Δ T when there is an inflection point 15 of the guide 2 bent downward in the vertical direction of the conveying table 3₁Is relatively very small. Note that, for ease of understanding, the deflection amount Δ T is exaggeratedly illustrated in fig. 6B.

With this configuration, even if the guide 2 is curved in the second region B, the upper surface of the conveying table 3 can maintain high-precision flatness because the conveying table 3 has a shape along the upper surface of the guide 2 in the first region a, which is the range in which the lower portion of the line head 5 is disposed. Therefore, the accuracy of the auxiliary base 1B in the second region B is not important, and it is important to machine and adjust the main reference base 1a to a high accuracy. Therefore, for the purpose of weight reduction and cost reduction, for example, the main reference base 1a is made of a stone material that is easy to be processed with high precision, and the auxiliary base 1b is made of an iron-based material that is easy to weight reduction and cost reduction, and as described above, the flatness of the upper surface of the conveyance table 3 can be maintained with high precision in the first region a.

As shown in fig. 4A and 4B, the line head 5 is preferably disposed in the first region a. With this configuration, the ink can be ejected from the line head 5 toward the conveyance table 3 whose upper surface maintains a highly accurate flatness, and the ink can be accurately ejected toward the target position of the printing object on the conveyance table 3.

In the present configuration, the line head 5 is fixed to the stage 4, but the line head 5 may be fixed to, for example, a boom without being fixed to the stage 4, and a space 22 through which the conveyance table 3 passes may be provided between the guide 2 and the line head 5.

The line head 5 is an example of a processing unit, and a processing unit that performs a predetermined process other than printing may be used instead of the line head 5.

As shown in fig. 4A, the quasi-reference base 1c may be provided on the upper portion of the auxiliary base 1B, and as shown in fig. 4B or 5B, the quasi-reference base 1c may be provided directly on the height adjusting portion 8 through the auxiliary base 1B. With the latter configuration, the alignment reference base 1c can be easily machined and adjusted with high accuracy, but the weight and cost increase accordingly. In the present configuration, as shown in fig. 4A and 5A, the reference base 1c is provided above the auxiliary base 1 b.

As described above, in the present structure, the guide 2 can be bent, but the bending direction and the bending amount are preferably within appropriate ranges.

Hereinafter, a bending direction of the guide 2 and an appropriate range of the bending amount thereof will be described with reference to fig. 7A to 9C を.

Note that the amount of bending of the guide 2 is in accordance with the height Tr of the upper surface of the guide 2 in the first region a₁And a height Tr of an upper surface of the guide 2 in the second region B₂The maximum value Δ Tr of the step (c) is determined (see fig. 4A and 4B). Therefore, the amount of bending of the guide 2 can be set to a desired value by designing the maximum value Δ Tr of the level difference to a desired value.

Fig. 7A and 7B show the results of the following reaction forces applied to the bearing portion 12 analyzed by the finite element method: in the guide 2 curved so that one end portion of the guide 2 is located at a position ± 100 μm higher or lower than the central portion of the guide 2, for example, when a portion of the conveying table 3 corresponding to a half of the length along the main scanning direction 41 is located in the first region a and a portion corresponding to the remaining half is located in the second region B, a reaction force applied to the bearing 12 is generated.

In a state where the reaction force applied to the bearing 12 is not uniform, for example, in a state where the reaction force is concentrated on one bearing 12, the floating amount of the bearing 12 is changed in a direction of decreasing, and the conveying table 3 is vibrated. The reason for this will be explained below.

As described above, since the bending rigidity value in the pitch direction of the conveyance table 3 is smaller than the bending rigidity value in the pitch direction of the guide 2, the conveyance table 3 is deformed substantially along the guide 2 without interposing a member between the guide 2 and the conveyance table 3. However, since the bearing 12 is interposed between the guide 2 and the conveying table 3, if the reaction force applied to the bearing 12 is not uniform, the floating amount of each bearing 12 changes, and the balance of forces is maintained. Therefore, the floating amount in each bearing 12 dynamically changes, and vibration of the conveyance table 3 is caused. Therefore, in a state where the conveyance table 3 is deformed along the guide 2, it is preferable that the reaction force applied to the bearing portion 12 is uniform.

As shown in fig. 7A, when the guide 2 is warped upward in the vertical direction toward the front end (e.g., the right end in fig. 7A) of the main scanning direction 41, that is, when the guide 2 is bent in a direction protruding downward in the vertical direction, the reaction force applied to the 5 first to fifth bearing portions 12a to 12e is the largest in the second bearing portion 12b and the smallest in the third bearing portion 12c, and the difference therebetween is about 5%.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 7B as a comparative example, when the guide 2 hangs down in the vertical direction toward the front end (for example, the right end in fig. 7A) in the main scanning direction 41, that is, when the guide 2 is bent in a direction protruding upward in the vertical direction, the reaction force applied to the 5 first to fifth bearing portions 12a to 12e is the largest in the third bearing portion 12c and the smallest in the second bearing portion 12B, and the difference therebetween is about 10%. That is, in the case of fig. 7B in which the upper surface of the guide 2 is curved in the upward projecting direction, the deviation of the reaction force increases by 2 times or more as compared with the case of fig. 7A in which the upper surface of the guide 2 is curved in the downward projecting direction.

The reason for this is that, when the upper surface of the guide 2 is curved in a downwardly convex direction, the conveyance table 3 is in the following state: the conveying table 3 is first supported by 2 points at both ends in the main scanning direction 41, and a portion of the conveying table 3 having its own weight suspended by its own weight at its center is supported by the other bearing portions 12. On the other hand, when the guide 2 is curved in the upward convex direction, the conveying table 3 is first supported by the 1 st point of the inflection point 15 of the guide 2 curved to be convex upward, and the load is likely to concentrate on the bearing portion 12 near the inflection point 15.

As described above, the present inventors have found that, when the guide 2 is bent in a direction protruding downward in the vertical direction, the load applied to the bearing portion 12 is more balanced than when the guide 2 is bent in a direction protruding upward in the vertical direction, and vibration of the conveying table 3 is less likely to occur.

Therefore, it is preferable that the guide 2 is disposed on the base portion 1 so that the guide 2 is curved in a direction convex downward in a direction from the first region a toward the second region B by setting a maximum value of the upper surface coordinate of the guide 2 in the second region B to be larger than a maximum value of the upper surface coordinate of the guide 2 in the first region a in a coordinate axis in a positive direction in a direction vertically upward from the upper surface of the guide 2 in the first region a.

Next, an appropriate value of the bending amount of the guide 2 will be described.

As described above, the guide 2 is preferably curved in the downwardly convex direction, but when the conveying table 3 moves to the vicinity of the front end of the guide 2, the guide 2 is deformed in a direction in which the curve in the downwardly convex direction is canceled, that is, in a downwardly sagging direction.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the following situation: when the conveying table 3 moves to the vicinity of the front end (e.g., the right end in fig. 8) of the guide 2, the front end (e.g., the right end in fig. 8) of the guide 2 hangs down by a height Δ Tb due to the influence of the self-weight of the conveying table 3, and is deformed into a guide 2A shown by a broken line. That is, for example, as shown by the solid line in fig. 8, when the guide 2 is curved in the downward projecting direction, when the conveying table 3 moves to the vicinity of the front end of the guide 2, the front end portion (for example, the right end portion in fig. 8) of the guide 2 is deformed in a direction to cancel out the curve in the downward projecting direction.

Fig. 9A to 9C are schematic diagrams showing the following cases: when the conveying table 3 moves to the vicinity of the front end (e.g., the right end in fig. 9A to 9C) of the guide 2, the front end (e.g., the right end in fig. 8) of the guide 2 is deformed by the influence of the self weight of the conveying table 3. Fig. 9A is the present embodiment, and fig. 9B and 9C are comparative examples.

As shown in fig. 9A as the present embodiment, when the amount of deflection of the guide 2 when the conveying table 3 moves to the front end of the guide 2 is smaller than the difference between the maximum value of the height of the upper surface of the guide 2 in the first region a and the maximum value of the height of the upper surface of the guide 2 in the second region B, the guide 2 is kept in a state of being bent in a downwardly convex direction.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 9B as a comparative example, when the deflection amount when the conveying table 3 moves to the tip of the guide 2 is equal to the difference between the maximum value of the height of the upper surface of the guide 2 in the first region a and the maximum value of the height of the upper surface of the guide 2 in the second region B, the deflection of the guide 2 is cancelled, and the guide 2 becomes straight along the main scanning direction 41.

As shown in fig. 9C, which is a comparative example, when the amount of deflection when the conveying table 3 moves to the front end of the guide 2 is larger than the difference between the maximum value of the height of the upper surface of the guide 2 in the first region a and the maximum value of the height of the upper surface of the guide 2 in the second region B, the guide 2 is bent in a direction convex upward.

Comparing the states of fig. 9A to 9C, as shown in fig. 9B, when the conveying table 3 moves to the front end portion of the guide 2, it is desirable that the guide 2 be in a straight state, but it is extremely difficult to adjust the maximum value of the difference in level between the height of the upper surface of the guide 2 in the first region a and the height of the upper surface of the guide 2 in the second region B to the same value as the amount of deflection when the conveying table 3 moves to the front end of the guide 2. If the adjustment is slightly erroneous, the state shown in fig. 9C may be obtained, and the deviation of the reaction force applied to the bearing portion 12 may increase.

Therefore, it is preferable that the state shown in fig. 9A be reliably formed, and it is preferable that the guides 2 be arranged on the base portion 1 so that the difference between the maximum value of the height of the upper surfaces of the guides 2 in the first region a and the maximum value of the height of the upper surfaces of the guides 2 in the second region B is larger than the value of the amount of deflection when the conveying table 3 moves to the tip end of the guides 2 in the coordinate axis in which the direction vertically upward from the upper surfaces of the guides 2 in the first region a is the positive direction. With this configuration, even when the conveyance table 3 moves to the front end of the guide 2, the guide 2 can be kept in a state of being bent in a direction protruding downward.

Similarly, the auxiliary base 1b uses an iron-based material which is easily thermally deformed due to its larger thermal expansion coefficient than the material of the stone. Therefore, considering that the height of the upper surface of the reference base 1c changes due to a change in the ambient temperature, it is preferable to determine the difference between the maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guide 2 in the first area a and the maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guide 2 in the second area B so that the guide 2 does not change from a state of being bent in the downwardly convex direction to a state of being bent in the upwardly convex direction even if the ambient temperature changes.

Similarly, in view of both the amount of deflection when the conveying table 3 moves to the tip of the guide 2 and the amount of deformation in which the height of the upper surface of the reference base 1c changes due to a change in the ambient temperature, it is preferable to determine the difference between the maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guide 2 in the first region a and the maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guide 2 in the second region B so that the guide 2 does not change from a state of being bent in the downward projecting direction to a state of being bent in the upward projecting direction.

The maximum difference between the height of the upper surface of the guide 2 in the first area a and the height of the upper surface of the guide 2 in the second area B is an initial value indicating a state where the conveyance table 3 is not on the guide 2. Note that, when the center of the conveying table 3 in the main scanning direction 41 is located at the center of the first area a in the main scanning direction 41, the height difference is substantially the same as the initial value, and therefore, the height difference in a state where the center of the conveying table 3 in the main scanning direction 41 is located at the center of the first area a in the main scanning direction 41 can be considered to be the maximum value.

If the amount of bending of the guide 2 is too large, the conveyance table 3 does not follow the guide 2, and it is difficult to ensure flatness of the upper surface of the conveyance table 3 even in the first region a.

Fig. 10 as a comparative example is a schematic diagram showing the following states: when the conveying table 3 positioned on the curved guide 2 is assumed to be a rigid body, the conveying table 3 is supported by the guide 2 under its own weight. Fig. 10 is an extreme example, and when the maximum deflection amount when simply supporting both ends of the conveying table 3 is smaller than the deflection amount of the guide 2, as shown in fig. 10, a gap 11 is generated between the conveying table 3 and the guide 2 in the vicinity of the center of the conveying table 3. That is, the conveyance table 3 is in a state of floating from the guide 2. In this state, the conveyance table 3 does not follow the guide 2, and therefore, the object of the present configuration that the flatness of the upper surface of the conveyance table 3 can be ensured in the first region a even if the guide 2 is bent in the second region B cannot be achieved.

Therefore, it is preferable to set the bending amount of the guide 2 to a value smaller than the maximum bending amount when simply supporting both ends of the conveying table 3.

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the maximum deflection amount Δ Tt when simply supporting both ends of the conveying table 3 in the main scanning direction 41. That is, the difference between the maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guides 2 in the first region a and the maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guides 2 in the second region B (i.e., the maximum value Δ Tr of the height difference in fig. 4A and 4B) is preferably set to a value smaller than the maximum deflection amount Δ Tt when simply supporting both ends of the conveying table 3 in the main scanning direction 41.

That is, it is preferable that the guides 2 be arranged on the base 1 such that, in a coordinate axis in which a direction vertically upward from the upper surfaces of the guides 2 in the first region a is a positive direction, a difference between a maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guides 2 in the first region a and a maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guides 2 in the second region B is smaller than a maximum deflection amount when simply supporting both ends of the conveying table 3 in the main scanning direction 41.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the guide 2 is preferably curved in a direction protruding downward in a direction from the first region a toward the second region B. Further, the guides 2 are preferably arranged on the base 1 so that the bending amount, that is, the difference between the maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guides 2 in the first region a and the maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guides 2 in the second region B (that is, the maximum value Δ Tr of the height difference in fig. 4A and 4B) in the coordinate axis in which the direction vertically upward from the upper surface of the guides 2 in the first region a is the positive direction, is set to a value larger than the bending amount when the transport table 3 moves to the front end of the guides 2 (that is, Δ Tb in fig. 8) and smaller than the maximum bending amount when the transport table 3 simply supports both ends (that is, Δ Tt in fig. 11).

In this configuration, for example, the deflection amount when the conveying table 3 moves to the front end of the guide 2 is about 20 μm, and the maximum deflection amount when the conveying table 3 is simply supported at both ends is about 400 μm. Therefore, in this example, the difference between the maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guide 2 in the first region a and the maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guide 2 in the second region B is set to 100 μm in consideration of the easiness of processing and adjustment.

It is preferable that the difference between the maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guide 2 in the first area a and the maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guide 2 in the second area B is small within the above range, but if the difference is small, the difficulty in processing and adjustment increases, and the cost and the adjustment time increase. Therefore, it is preferable to determine the difference between the maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guide 2 in the first area a and the maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guide 2 in the second area B as a value that is not difficult to machine and adjust in the above range. For example, the difference between the maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guide 2 in the first region a and the maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guide 2 in the second region B is set to 50 μm to 100 μm.

With the above configuration, the size of the main reference base, which is preferably made of a material that facilitates high-precision processing, such as a stone material, among the members constituting the base 1, can be minimized, and the printing object 6 can be conveyed with high precision within the range of the travel precision required for the process treatment by ink jet. Therefore, problems relating to weight, cost, transportation, and the like can be eliminated.

The present invention is not limited to the ink jet apparatus 10, and the same effect as that obtained when the present invention is applied to an apparatus for performing a certain process on a large-sized object to be processed can be obtained by applying the present invention to the ink jet apparatus.

Therefore, according to the above embodiment, the size of the main reference base 1a of the first area a on which a predetermined process is performed by the processing unit such as the print head 5 can be minimized, and the movement accuracy within the processing range can be ensured.

That is, in the long and highly accurate conveyance-required conveyance stage 20, the influence of the steps resulting from dividing the base 1 into the plurality of

bases

1a, 1b, 1c including the main reference base 1a made of the same material such as a stone material can be reduced significantly, and the size can be reduced, so that the cost of the apparatus can be reduced, the procurement can be facilitated, and the weight can be reduced. Therefore, for example, the cost of the inkjet device 10 that can apply ink from the print head 5 to a large-sized printing object with high accuracy in one transportation can be reduced, and thus the production efficiency of the printing object 6 can be improved.

In addition, any of the various embodiments or modifications described above can be appropriately combined to provide the respective effects. In addition, combinations of the embodiments with each other or with the embodiments, and combinations of the features in different embodiments or with each other can be realized.

Industrial applicability

The conveyance stage according to the above aspect of the present invention and the inkjet apparatus using the conveyance stage are effective in an apparatus for applying ink or the like to a large-sized printing object, and can be applied to an apparatus for efficiently applying a material such as ink to a large-sized printing object in printing of a light emitting body, a hole transport layer, and an electron transport layer of an organic EL, printing of a color filter, or the like.

Claims

1. A carrier table, comprising:

a carrying table that moves along the guide;

2. The carrier table according to claim 1,

the deflection amount of the conveying table is configured to be larger when the conveying table is arranged at a position where there is no inflection point of the guide bent downward in the vertical direction of the conveying table than when the conveying table is arranged at a position where there is no inflection point of the guide bent downward in the vertical direction of the conveying table.

3. The carrier table according to claim 1 or 2,

in a coordinate axis in which a direction vertically upward from the upper surface of the guide in the first region is a positive direction, when a difference between a maximum value of upper surface coordinates of the guide in the second region and a maximum value of upper surface coordinates of the guide in the first region is Δ Tr, and a deflection amount of the guide when the transport table is moved to an end of the guide in the first scanning direction is Δ Tb,

the guide is disposed on the base portion so as to satisfy the formula Δ Tr > Δ Tb.

4. The carrier table according to claim 1 or 2,

in a coordinate axis in which a direction vertically upward from the upper surface of the guide in the first region is a positive direction, when a difference between a maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guide in the second region and a maximum value of the upper surface coordinates of the guide in the first region is Δ Tr and a maximum deflection amount when simply supporting both ends of the transport table in the first scanning direction is Δ Tt,

the guide is disposed on the base portion so as to satisfy the formula Δ Tt > Δ Tr.

5. The carrier table according to claim 1 or 2,

the first submount is made of a stone material, and the second submount is made of an iron-based material.

6. The carrier table according to claim 1 or 2,

the conveying table has a processing unit for performing a predetermined process on the object to be processed on the conveying table and is disposed with a space for the conveying table to pass through between the processing unit and the guide,

the processing position of the processing unit is included in the first region.

7. The carrier table according to claim 1 or 2,

when a direction orthogonal to the first scanning direction of the transport table is set as a second scanning direction, at least 3 or more guides are arranged at intervals at positions having mutually different coordinates in the second scanning direction.

8. The carrier table according to claim 1 or 2,

seams where ends of the plurality of guide members face each other in the first scanning direction are located in a region of the first region.

9. The carrier table according to claim 1 or 2,

the conveying table further includes a height adjusting portion having a plurality of height-adjustable portions arranged between the guide in the second region and the second split base,

the thermal expansion coefficient of a material having the largest occupied volume among at least 1 or more materials constituting the second split base is larger than that of a material constituting the first split base, and the guide in the second region is discontinuously supported by the height adjusting portion by sliding constraint in which the facing surfaces are slidable with respect to each other.

10. An ink jet apparatus having:

the carrier table of claim 6; and

at least one print head configured to eject ink onto the printing object on the transport table, the processing unit being supported by a support member extending over the guide member,

the print head is disposed within the first region.