JP2001343754A - Aligner for printed circuit board material, and work feeding and discharging method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the floor space in the longitudinal direction of a machine bed of an aligner, and to improve workability in feeding and discharging stocks by an operator. SOLUTION: The aligner 1 is constituted to put racks 8 into and from transfer devices 5 and 6 from a direction orthogonal with a transfer direction, by which the floor length over the entire part of the aligner 1 may be shortened. Arrangement is made so that the racks 8 are supplied to the transfer positions 5 and 6 and may be taken out of the same, in the putting-in and out positions 7A and 7B which are both right and left sides on the same side with respect to the front of an exposure device body 2, where the operator exists, so that the distance at which the operator moves from the front to the putting-in and out positions 7A and 7B to and from the same is shortened, and workability is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus for exposing a printed circuit board to a required conductor pattern.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a manufacturing process of a printed wiring board,
The printed circuit board material is supplied to the exposure apparatus, and the supplied printed circuit board material is applied to the conductor foil of the substrate material via an exposure mask having the same exposure pattern as the required conductor pattern in the exposure apparatus body. The resist film is exposed to light and the resist film is subjected to an etching-resistant treatment and taken out of the exposure device. Thereafter, the conductor foil is etched to form a required conductor pattern. Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 3, such an exposure apparatus is arranged such that an exposure apparatus main body A for performing an exposure process using the above-described exposure mask is moved in one direction in a machine base longitudinal direction (transfer direction of a printed circuit board material). A transfer device B for supplying the printed circuit board material W is provided on the side (supply side), and a transfer device C for discharging the exposed printed circuit board material W is provided on the other side (discharge side). The supply device B is supplied with substrate stock means (substrate stocker) D1 which holds a large number of substrate materials W obliquely from the longitudinal outside of the machine base, and transfers the substrate material one by one from the stocker D1. Transfer to B and empty stock means D
1 is transferred from the transfer device B to the carriage E on the outside of the machine base in the longitudinal direction. The stocker D2, which receives the substrate materials W discharged horizontally after the exposure processing one by one from the transport device C and holds the substrate materials diagonally, is also provided to the transport device C on the discharge side by a bogie located outside the machine base in the machine longitudinal direction. The stocker D2 on the discharge side, which has been sent from above E to the transfer device C on the discharge side and has received a large number of substrate materials W, has been taken out to the carriage E which is attached to the outside of the machine base in the longitudinal direction.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned conventional exposure apparatus, a stocker for a substrate material is put in and taken out of the supply side and the discharge side from the outside in the machine base longitudinal direction.
Since such a stocker is transported on a transport trolley or the like as described above, a required work space where the transport trolley is arranged outside the machine longitudinal of the transport device is required,
There is a problem that the installation space in the longitudinal direction of the entire apparatus becomes large. In addition, since the supply position of the stocker (positioning position of the carriage), which is located outside the machine body in the longitudinal direction, is away from the operation surface side of the exposure apparatus body, the worker is positioned on the operation surface side. There is also a problem that it is troublesome to move from the state of being in the state to the abutment position. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to reduce the installation space of an exposure apparatus in the machine base longitudinal direction and improve the workability of stocker supply and discharge by an operator.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the exposure apparatus for printed circuit board material of the present invention, one side and the other side of the machine base with the exposure apparatus main body interposed therebetween are provided on the supply side and the discharge side of the printed circuit board material. In the exposure apparatus of the printed circuit board material of the type in which the transporting devices are respectively arranged and the transporting means of the printed circuit board material are separately transported and taken in and out of these transporting devices, each stocking device is provided to the transporting device corresponding to each stocking device. And is inserted and removed from a direction perpendicular to the machine base longitudinal direction (claim 1). On the operation surface side of the exposure apparatus main body, the transfer device and the machine base longitudinal position are overlapped with each other, and the position of each stock unit with respect to the transfer device is set (claim 2). The stock means is carried on a carrier, and the carrier is carried to the loading / unloading position (claim 3). The present invention also relates to a printed board material exposing apparatus in which a printed board material supply side and a discharge side transfer apparatus are respectively disposed on one side and the other side of a machine base length with an exposure apparatus main body interposed therebetween, and the conveyance apparatus is used for the conveyance apparatus. The printed circuit board material to be supplied and discharged to and from the transport device on both sides of the front surface of the exposure apparatus main body in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the substrate material.

[0005]

FIG. 1 is an overall plan view of an exposure apparatus 1 of the present invention. Although not shown, an exposure mask to which a mask film having an exposure pattern is adhered, an alignment table for holding a printed board material W and aligning the exposure substrate with the exposure mask, and printing through the exposure mask, which are not shown. An exposure lamp for exposing the etching resist film coated on the substrate material W is incorporated. The casing 3 of the exposure apparatus main body 2 has an opening / closing door 4 on the front side for exchanging the exposure mask, for example, and an operation panel for instructing the operation of the exposure apparatus main body 2 is provided on the front side. The operation surface is arranged.

One side (left side) of the exposure apparatus main body 2 in the longitudinal direction is a supply side of the printed circuit board material W. On the supply side, a supply-side transfer device (conveyor) 5 that transfers the substrate material W horizontally along the machine base length and sends it into the exposure apparatus main body 2 is arranged. On the other hand, on the other side in the longitudinal direction of the exposure apparatus main body 2 (the right side in FIG. 1), a discharge-side transfer device (conveyor) 6 for discharging the exposed printed circuit board material W to the outside of the machine base is arranged. ing. Each of the transfer devices 5 and 6 is located on the left and right sides of the operation surface (front) of the exposure apparatus main body 2 so that the transfer devices 5 and 6 overlap with the machine base longitudinal direction position.
Supply positions (in / out positions) 7A and 7B of the stock means for supplying the stock means are set.

[0007] The stock means is, for example, a rack 8 for holding a large number of printed circuit board materials W at an angle as shown in FIG. It is placed on a transport trolley 9 and transported. The rack 8 is used by being mounted on a table 5A of the corresponding transport device 5. The transport vehicle 9 is mounted on the supply position 7A, 7B of the stock means, and is transferred from the transport vehicle 9 onto the platform 5A of the corresponding transport device 5, 6. The transfer device 5 on the supply side is provided with a transfer unit (not shown) for transferring the printed circuit board materials W on the rack 8 mounted on the platform 5A of the transfer device 5 one by one to the transfer device 5. The transport device 6 on the discharge side includes the transport device 6.
There is provided a transfer means for transferring the exposed printed circuit board material W discharged in step 1 from the transport device 6 to the rack 8 one by one.

According to such a configuration, the worker P places the rack 8 stocking the printed circuit board material W on the transport trolley 9 from the previous process and transports the rack 8 to the supply position on the left side of the front of the exposure apparatus main body 2. 7A, the rack 8 is supplied onto the table 5A of the transfer device 5 at a position perpendicular to the transfer direction of the transfer device 5 at that position. After the supply, it returns to the front and instructs the operation of the exposure apparatus main body 2. Thereby, the transport device 5
Transfer the printed circuit board material W from the rack 8 one by one to the transfer device 5 horizontally, and the transfer device 5 sends the printed circuit board material W into the inside of the exposure apparatus main body 2. Further, when the operator instructs the operation of the exposure apparatus main body 2 from the front, when the discharge-side rack 8 is full, the worker transfers the empty conveyance to the discharge position 7B located immediately beside the operation command position (front). The carriage 9 is abutted, and the rack 8 on which the exposed printed circuit board material W is placed is taken out of the carrier device 6 in a direction perpendicular to the carrying direction. The rack 8 is supplied to and removed from the front of the exposure apparatus main body 2 on which the operator is located on the same side on both the left and right sides. The distance traveled becomes shorter,
Workability is improved.

[0009]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the rack is not supplied to the transfer apparatus from the serial direction in the transfer direction, the entire installation length of the exposure apparatus can be shortened. In addition, since the stock means is supplied to and removed from the transfer device at positions on the same side of the exposure apparatus main body where the operator is located and on the left and right sides thereof, the supply means can be supplied from the front. The distance that the worker moves to the discharge position is shortened, and workability is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an exposure apparatus of the present application.

FIG. 2 is a II view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a conventional device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Exposure apparatus 2 Exposure apparatus main body 5, 6 Transport apparatus 7A, 7B Supply position (in / out position) 8 Rack (stock means) 9 Carriage W W Printed circuit board material

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A transfer device for supplying and discharging a printed circuit board material is disposed on one side and the other side of the longitudinal length of a machine base with an exposure apparatus main body interposed therebetween. In an exposure apparatus for a printed circuit board material which is separately transported and taken in and out, each stock unit is taken in and out of a transport device corresponding to each stock unit in a direction perpendicular to the machine base longitudinal direction. Exposure equipment for printed circuit board materials. 2. The exposure of a printed circuit board material according to claim 1, wherein the transfer device and the machine base longitudinal position are overlapped with each other on the operation surface side of the exposure device main body, and a position where each stock unit is inserted into and removed from the transfer device is set. apparatus 3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said stock means is carried on a carrier, and said carrier is carried to said loading / unloading position. . 4. A printed board material exposure apparatus comprising a printed board material supply side and a delivery side delivery apparatus disposed on one side and the other side of the machine base longitudinally with respect to the exposure apparatus body, respectively. A work supply / discharge in an exposure apparatus, wherein a printed circuit board material to be conveyed is supplied to and discharged from a conveyance apparatus on both sides in front of an exposure apparatus main body in a direction intersecting a conveyance direction of the substrate material. Method.