JP2007021760A - Forming apparatus of thin film - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a forming apparatus for a thin film which enables reduction of a production risk of an ink jetting system and improvement of reliability and certainty and enables formation of the thin film excellent in appearance. <P>SOLUTION: The forming apparatus of the thin film comprises: a printing roll which is supported rotatably by a support frame of a base and has a resin letterpress or resin intaglio made of a soft resin; a nozzle means which is provided above the printing roll and jets ink to a prescribed area of the resin letterpress or the resin intaglio; and a printing table which is provided on the base and carries a printing object. The printing table and the printing roll are movable relatively between a printing position B where they come into contact with each other and a printing object setting position A and a carrying-out position C where they are apart from each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a thin film forming apparatus capable of reducing the production risk of an ink jet method, improving reliability and reliability, and forming a thin film having an excellent appearance.

  As a thin film forming apparatus that prints a functional thin film that requires the use of a low-viscosity printing ink such as a liquid crystal alignment film on a rigid plate such as a glass plate, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a large number of ink cells. An intaglio roll 100, an ink supply device 200 that fills the ink cells with ink, a blade-like or roll-like doctor 203 that scrapes off excess ink and holds a certain amount of ink in the ink cells, and ink of the intaglio roll 100 A flexographic system generally comprising a printing roll 3 having a convex portion to which ink is transferred, a printing table 5 for fixing a printing medium 6 to which ink of the printing roll 3 is transferred, and a driving device for driving these synchronously. Is disclosed (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

  By the way, since the cost per liquid crystal panel is determined by how many panels can be cut from one mother glass, as shown in Table 1, the mother glass for liquid crystal panels is increasing in size year by year.

  However, in the thin film forming apparatus, the printing roll and the intaglio roll become large according to the size of the substrate 6 to be printed, but when printing on a large glass substrate of the fifth generation or higher, the intaglio roll 100 having this size is used. The amount of ink that spills from both ends of the doctor 203 when the excess ink is scraped off by the doctor, that is, the so-called liquid dripping 205 (see FIG. 10) is not halfway, and the use efficiency of expensive ink decreases. . In addition, an intaglio roll of this size is expensive to manufacture, and there is a risk that the merit cannot be fully utilized even if the folded mother glass is enlarged. When the amount of ink supplied to the printing roll 3 is changed, the intaglio roll must be replaced, and the setup time for the replacement becomes long.

Therefore, in recent years, as described in Patent Document 2, inkjet thin film formation in which a functional thin film is formed by ejecting ink from an inkjet head 4 toward a printing medium 6 conveyed by a printing table 5. An apparatus may be used (see FIG. 8).
Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-11630 JP 2004-305988 A

  However, as shown in FIG. 9, the inkjet head 4 has a large number of nozzles 42 arranged in parallel on the lower surface. However, due to the volatilization of the solvent, the ink is solidified in the nozzle or the nozzle port, and the nozzle 42 is clogged even at one location. In such a case, the amount of ink ejected from the nozzle 42 is different, and the thin film pattern formed on the printing medium 6 is a defective product in which pin poles are generated. Although various countermeasures against injection failure are described in Patent Document 2, it is still not perfect, and there is still a risk of clogging of the nozzle 42.

  Further, even when the nozzle 42 is ejected without clogging, it is difficult to smooth the coating film surface of the thin film pattern formed on the substrate 6 by the ink ejecting method, resulting in coating spots, The LCD screen looks like spots.

  Therefore, the present invention eliminates the above-described drawbacks, reduces the production risk of the ink jetting method, can improve reliability and certainty, and can form a thin film excellent in appearance. An object is to provide a forming apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, a thin film forming apparatus of the present invention is rotatably supported by a support frame of a base, and has a printing roll having a soft resin relief plate or resin lithographic plate on the roll surface, and above the printing roll. Provided with a nozzle means for ejecting ink to a predetermined area of the resin relief plate or the resin lithographic plate, and a printing table provided on the base for mounting a printing medium, the printing table and the printing The roll is configured to be relatively movable between a printing position B where both are in contact with each other and a printing medium placement position A and an unloading position C where they are separated from each other.

  The nozzle means is configured to be an ink jet system.

  The nozzle means is configured to be a spray system.

  Further, the spray type nozzle means is configured to suck and eject ink from the tank under a negative pressure.

  Further, the nozzle means is configured to be movable along the axial direction of the printing roll.

  Moreover, it comprised so that the mask which has an opening part might interpose between the said nozzle means and the said printing roll.

  Since this invention consists of an above-described structure, it has the following effects.

  That is, in the ink jetting method, even if some of the nozzles are clogged due to solidification of the ink and the nozzles are clogged, the printing substrate is slightly bent while the resin relief printing plate or the resin flat plate is slightly bent through the printing roll. The pinhole is filled by the fluidity of the ink. In addition, the roughness of the coating film surface caused by the ink jetting is also smoothed (leveled) and the coating spots are smoothed when the resin relief printing plate or the resin flat plate is brought into contact with the surface of the printing medium through the printing roll while being slightly bent. The Therefore, the production risk of the method of ejecting ink can be reduced, the reliability and certainty can be improved, and a thin film excellent in appearance can be formed.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention, and the nozzle means is an ink jet system. Reference numeral 1 denotes a base, 2 denotes a support frame, 3 denotes a printing roll, 4 denotes an inkjet head, 5 denotes a printing table, and 6 denotes a substrate to be printed.

  A support frame 2 is formed at the center of a base 1 made of a rectangular base, and a printing roll 3 is rotatably supported on the support frame 2. In addition, an inkjet head 4 is disposed above the printing roll 3. A printing table 5 is arranged on the upper surface of the base.

  The inkjet head 4 has a head body 41 as shown in FIG. The head body 41 is formed of a cylindrical body, and the lower surface opening is closed by a flexible plate 44. The flexible plate 44 is further covered with a nozzle plate 43, and a liquid chamber 45 is formed between the nozzle plate 43 and the flexible plate 44.

  A liquid supply hole 46 communicating with the liquid chamber 45 is formed at one end of the head body 41. From the liquid supply holes 46, ink for forming a functional thin film such as a liquid crystal alignment film or a color resist is supplied until the liquid chamber 45 is filled. For example, in the case of a liquid crystal alignment film, the ink has a viscosity of about several tens to 100 c.p.s. and is made of a mixture of a synthetic resin or a resin precursor and a solvent.

  At the center of the nozzle plate 43 in the width direction, a large number of nozzles 42 are formed in a zigzag pattern along a direction substantially orthogonal to the rotation direction of the printing roll 3 (see FIG. 9B). A large number of piezoelectric vibrators 47 are fixed on the upper surface of the flexible plate 44 so as to face each nozzle 42. These piezoelectric vibrators 47 are connected to a drive unit 48 in the head main body 41, and when a drive voltage is applied from the drive unit 48, the flexible plate 44 is vibrated to eject ink from the nozzles 42. .

  The printing roll 3 has a drum portion fixed to the rotating shaft, and the drum portion is made of a soft resin relief printing plate made of rubber such as butyl rubber, synthetic resin such as nylon resin, or photosensitive rubber or photosensitive resin. 3a or resin lithographic plate 3b is provided, and ink is ejected from the inkjet head 4 onto the surface of the rotating printing roll 3. A printing roll drive motor 31 is connected to one end of the rotation shaft of the printing roll 3.

  On the other hand, the printing table 5 is placed on the base 1. On the upper surface of the base 1, a printing position B below the support frame, a printing object placement position A separated from the support frame lower part to the printing object carry-in side, and an unloading position separated from the support frame lower part to the printing object carry-out side. Guide rails 51 and 51 are fixed to both sides between C, respectively. The printing table 5 moves between the positions A, B, and C along the guide rails 51 and 51 on the base 1. The printing table 3 has a plate-like printing medium 6 placed on its upper surface, determines the position of the printing medium 6 and holds it. A ball screw 52 is rotatably provided along the longitudinal direction at the center of the upper surface of the base 1 and is connected to the printing table 5, and a printing medium drive motor 53 is connected to one end of the ball screw 52 to drive the drive. By driving the motor 53, the ball screw 52 is rotated forward and backward to move the printing table 5 back and forth on the base 1 along the guide rails 51 and 51. The printing medium 6 contacts the printing roll 3 at the printing position B of the printing table 5, and the ink of the printing roll 3 is transferred onto the printing medium 6 to be printed.

  The printing roll drive motor 31 and the printing medium driving motor 53 are controlled by a control device to control the rotation of the printing roll 3 and the movement of the printing medium 6. That is, when a control signal is output from the main control unit to the command pulse output device, command pulses are output from the command pulse output device to the position units of the drive motors 31 and 53, and from there as operation signals. Commands are output to the servo amplifiers of the drive motors 31 and 53 (not shown). In the printing roll side servo amplifier, the printing roll drive motor 31 is driven based on the operation signal to rotate the printing roll 3 by a predetermined angle, and the rotational speed and rotation speed of the motor 31 are detected by a resolver (not shown). The detection result is fed back to the position unit and servo amplifier. On the other hand, the printing medium drive motor 53 is driven by the operation signal output to the printing medium side servo amplifier, the ball screw 52 is rotated to move the printing medium 6 to a predetermined position on the base 1, and the motor The number of rotations and the rotation speed of 53 are detected by a resolver (not shown), and the detection result is also fed back to the position unit and servo amplifier. Each position unit appropriately corrects the output of the next operation signal based on the fed back value.

  According to the above configuration, the printing roll 3 is rotated by the rotation driving of the printing roll drive motor 31 as shown in FIG.

  When a predetermined area on the surface of the printing roll 3 reaches the front of the nozzle 42 of the inkjet head 4, a driving voltage is applied to the piezoelectric vibrator 47, and the flexible plate 44 is vibrated by the expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric vibrator 47. Thereby, the solution in the liquid chamber 45 is pressurized, and ink is ejected from the nozzle 42 toward the printing roll 3. Thereafter, when the printing roll 3 rotates, a predetermined area on the roll surface passes in front of the ink jet head 4, and when the ink is sprayed and applied to the entire area of the printing roll 3, the driving of the piezoelectric vibrator 47 is stopped.

  Next, after the ink is sprayed and applied to the entire area of the printing roll 3, when the printing pattern 3 on the roll surface (see FIGS. 3 and 4) comes to face the base 1 side by the rotation of the printing roll 3, Under the control of the control device, the printing body drive motor 53 is driven to rotate the ball screw 52, and the printing table 5 on which the printing body 6 is placed on the base 1 is moved from the printing body placement position A to the printing position B. To move. Next, after positioning the coating pattern 7 on the surface of the printing roll 3 and the printing medium 6, the printing roll driving motor 31 and the printing medium driving motor 53 are driven in synchronization to rotate the printing roll 3 while rotating the printing roll 3. The printing body 6 is moved to the carry-out position C side, the resin relief plate 3a or the resin flat plate 3b of the printing roll 3 is slightly bent and brought into contact with the surface of the printing body 6, and the ink of the printing roll 3 is placed on the printing body 6 Transfer.

  Subsequently, when ink is printed on the printing medium 6, the ball screw 52 is rotated by driving the printing medium driving motor 53 to position the printing table 5 at the discharge position C, and the printing medium 6 is moved from above the printing table 5. Carry out to the next process. At this time, after the printing table 5 is moved, the printing roll 3 is rotated by driving the printing roll driving motor 31 to newly spray and apply ink to the printing roll 3 to prepare for the next printing. The print table 5 from which the ball screw 52 is rotated by driving 53 and the print medium 6 is discharged is moved from the discharge position C to the print medium placement position A, and the next print medium 6 is placed on the print table 5. Put.

Therefore, according to the above embodiment, even when the substrate to be printed is a large glass substrate of the fifth generation or higher, the ink is not measured using the intaglio roll, that is, after the ink cells on the surface of the intaglio roll are filled with ink. Do not scrape excess ink with a doctor,
A predetermined amount of ink is ejected onto the surface of the printing roll 3 from a plurality of nozzle means (inkjet heads 4) provided above the printing roll. That is, no dripping occurs due to scraping by the doctor, and the use efficiency of expensive ink is improved. Further, in the nozzle means (inkjet head 4), it is possible to easily change the ink supply amount to the printing roll 3, that is, change the film thickness of the thin film pattern only by inputting the data of the recipe (production conditions). Compared to the case of changing by exchanging, the setup time and cost are not required.

  In addition, according to the above-described embodiment, even if the ink is solidified and sticks in the nozzle or the nozzle opening, and some of the nozzles are clogged, the printing is performed while slightly bending the resin relief plate or the resin flat plate through the printing roll. When contacted with the surface of the body, the pinhole is filled by the fluidity of the ink. In addition, the roughness of the coating film surface caused by the ink jetting is also smoothed (leveled) and the coating spots are smoothed when the resin relief printing plate or the resin flat plate is brought into contact with the surface of the printing medium through the printing roll while being slightly bent. The Therefore, the production risk of the method of ejecting ink can be reduced, the reliability and certainty can be improved, and a thin film excellent in appearance can be formed.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can implement with another various aspect. For example, the mechanism for moving the printing table 5 between the printing medium placement position A, the printing position B, and the unloading position C is not limited to the ball screw 52 or the like, but a known mechanism such as a rack and pinion mechanism. Can be used. The control device is not limited to a servo unit, and controls both drive motors 31 and 53 using a stepping motor, or is not limited to a device using an electrical signal. 3 rotation and movement of the printing medium 6 may be synchronously controlled.

  Further, in the present invention, the printing table 5 and the printing roll 3 are relatively movable between the printing position B where they are in contact with each other and the printing medium placement position A and the unloading position C where they are separated from each other. There is no limitation to the manner in which the printing table 5 moves as described above. That is, the printing table 5 can be fixed and the support frame that supports the printing roll 3 can be moved by a known driving means.

  The nozzle means may be a spray system.

  Although there are various types of spray-type nozzle means in a word, for example, disclosed in JP2003-135999, JP2003-136011, JP2003-320280, etc. A plurality or a large number of nozzles 80 for sucking and ejecting ink from the tank under negative pressure can be used. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the ink supply system includes an ink tank 81, a nozzle 80, and a positive pressure supply unit 83.

  The ink tank 81 contains various types of ink 82 to be applied to an industrial film-forming object, etc., and is formed in a container shape of a predetermined size and can be sealed with a lid on the upper surface. It is said that. Then, a negative pressure space S is formed in the ink tank 81 as the liquid level of the ink 82 contained therein is lowered. A pipeline 88 for supplying ink 82 into the ink tank 81 is connected to the upper surface of the ink tank 81. In the middle of the pipeline 88, an opening / closing valve 89 is provided.

  For example, an ink supply pipe 85 is connected to the bottom surface of the ink tank 81, and a nozzle 80 is connected to the tip of the ink supply pipe 85. An open / close valve 89 that opens and closes the supply path to the nozzle 80 is also provided in the middle of the ink supply pipe 85. The nozzle 80 ejects the ink 82 by sucking the ink 82 supplied from the ink tank 81 through the ink supply pipe 85 by negative pressure by the supply of high-pressure gas from the outside. The tip of the ink supply pipe 85 is connected to the side surface, and the high-pressure gas supply pipe 84 is connected to the axial center of the nozzle 80. Reference numeral 87 denotes a compressor provided at the rear end of the high-pressure gas supply pipe 84.

  FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing an example of a specific structure of the nozzle in FIG. 12A is a longitudinal sectional view including a surface to which the ink supply pipe 85 is connected, and FIG. 12B is a longitudinal sectional view orthogonal to the section of FIG. 12A. In FIG. 12A, an ink feed port 801 is formed on the side surface of the nozzle 80, and the tip of the ink supply pipe 85 is connected to the ink feed port 801. A high-pressure gas inlet 802 is formed at the rear end of the axial center of the nozzle 80, and the tip of the high-pressure gas supply pipe 84 is connected to the high-pressure gas inlet 802.

  In this state, the high-pressure gas sent through the high-pressure gas supply pipe 84 by the operation of the compressor 87 shown in FIG. 11 flows into the axial center portion in the nozzle 802 from the high-pressure gas inlet 802 shown in FIG. Then, high-speed injection is made through the primary gas outlet 807 having a small diameter and enters the internal mixing chamber 803. At this time, a negative pressure is generated by the principle of the venturi tube at the position of the ink inlet 801 to which the ink supply pipe 85 shown in FIG. 11 is connected, and the ink 82 from the ink supply pipe 85 is sucked into the internal mixing chamber 803. . The high-speed gas ejected from the primary gas ejection port 807 crushes the ink 82 sucked from the ink delivery port 801 and is mixed with the ink 82 in the widened internal mixing chamber 803, reducing the flow velocity and ejecting the nozzle tip. Injected from the outlet 804.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12B, the high-pressure gas that has flowed into the nozzle 80 from the high-pressure gas inlet 802 passes through the secondary gas passage 806 formed outside the axial center in the nozzle 80. The nozzle 20 reaches a secondary gas ejection groove 805 formed in a spiral shape at the tip of the nozzle 20 and is ejected as a high-speed swirling flow. At this time, the ink 82 ejected from the ejection port 804 is crushed and atomized while being secondarily mixed and ejected forward. In addition, although the example of the nozzle 20 which generate | occur | produces and injects a swirl flow was shown in FIG. 12, it is not restricted to this, The normal nozzle which does not generate | occur | produce a swirl flow may be used.

  The positive pressure supply means 83 supplies positive pressure gas having an arbitrary pressure to the negative pressure space S formed in the ink tank 81, and has an inert gas of 1 to 2 atmospheres at the base end. For example, it consists of a pipeline connected to a nitrogen gas cylinder for supplying nitrogen gas (N2). A pressure controller 86 is provided between the positive pressure supply unit 83 and the ink tank 81. The pressure controller 86 serves as a pressure control means for adjusting the pressure of the positive pressure gas supplied to the ink tank 81, and controls the pressure of the nitrogen gas supplied from the nitrogen gas cylinder. An open / close valve 89 that opens and closes a positive pressure supply path to the ink tank 81 is provided in the middle of the pipeline as the positive pressure supply means 83.

  The positive pressure supply means 83 supplies positive pressure gas to the ink tank 81, and the pressure controller 86 adjusts the pressure of the positive pressure gas, thereby controlling the supply flow rate of the chemical liquid to the nozzle 80. ing.

  The nozzle means may be movable along the axial direction of the printing roll 3. That is, the nozzle means is connected to a nozzle drive mechanism section (not shown), and the nozzle means can be reciprocated in the X direction by operating the nozzle drive mechanism section. By moving the nozzle means along the axial direction of the rotating printing roll 3, the printing roll 3 can be formed by only one or a plurality of nozzles 42, 80 without arranging a large number of nozzles 42, 80 as described above. A thin film pattern can be formed throughout. Further, since the number of nozzles 42 and 80 is small, cleaning and maintenance are easy.

  A mask having an opening may be interposed between the nozzle means and the printing roll. In this configuration, since the ink ejected from the nozzle means is supplied to the printing roll 3 through the opening of the mask, the ink is selectively applied to the application region on the printing roll 3 facing the opening, Ink is reliably prevented from being applied to areas other than the application area. Therefore, a thin film pattern having an accurate shape can be formed even when the spray-type nozzle means or the nozzle means is moved along the axial direction of the printing roll 3. Note that the opening of the mask may be moved on the movement path of the nozzle.

It is a perspective view which shows one Example of the thin film forming apparatus of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the printing mechanism in the thin film forming apparatus of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the application pattern formed in the printing roll of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the printing mechanism in the thin film forming apparatus of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the application pattern formed in the printing roll of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the conventional flexo-type thin film formation apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the printing mechanism in the thin film formation apparatus of the flexo system of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the printing mechanism in the thin film forming apparatus of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows a cross section and a nozzle surface about the general structure of an inkjet head. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode of the liquid dripping in the thin film forming apparatus of the flexo system of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the nozzle means of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the specific structure of the nozzle in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Base 2 Support frame 3 Printing roll 3a Resin relief 3b Resin flat plate 31 Printing roll drive motor 4 Inkjet head 41 Head main body 42 Nozzle 43 Nozzle plate 44 Flexible plate 45 Liquid chamber 46 Supply hole 47 Piezoelectric vibrator 48 Drive part 5 Printing Table 51 Guide rail 52 Ball screw 53 Printed body drive motor 6 Printed body 7 Application pattern 80 Nozzle 801 Ink inlet 802 High-pressure gas inlet 803 Internal mixing chamber 804 Jet outlet 805 Secondary gas ejection groove 806 Secondary gas passage 807 Primary Gas outlet 81 Tank 82 Ink 83 Positive pressure supply means 84 High pressure gas supply pipe 85 Ink supply pipe 86 Pressure controller 87 Compressor 88 Pipeline 89 Open / close valve S Negative pressure space 100 Intaglio roll 200 Ink supply device 201 Rail 202 Ink nozzle 203 Doctor 204 Doctor blade A Printed material placement position B Printing position C Unloading position

Claims (6)

A printing roll that is rotatably supported by a support frame of the base and has a soft resin relief plate or resin planographic plate on the roll surface;
Nozzle means provided above the printing roll, and jets ink to a predetermined area of the resin relief plate or the resin lithographic plate;
A printing table provided on the base and on which a substrate to be printed is placed;
A thin film characterized in that the printing table and the printing roll are relatively movable between a printing position B where they are in contact with each other and a printing medium placement position A and an unloading position C where they are separated from each other. Forming equipment. 2. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle means is an ink jet system. 2. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle means is a spray system. 4. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the spray type nozzle means sucks and ejects ink from the tank under negative pressure. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle means is movable along the axial direction of the printing roll. The thin film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a mask having an opening is interposed between the nozzle means and the printing roll.

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