JP2007333300A - Micro-part manufacturing device and manufacturing method, and liquid spray head manufactured thereby - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a micro-part manufacturing device capable of being set in a general interior environment or a less clean space, and capable of improving the quality of an article to be treated by preventing adhesion of dust, etc. to the article to be treated when the article is carried in the general environment. <P>SOLUTION: A loading module 2 to carry in a sealed storage container 9 in which the article to be treated is stored, a container washing module 3, a container opening module 4, a treatment module 5 and a container sealing module 6 are configured as independent closed spaces, and the internal space of each module is decontaminated and cleaned to be a locally cleaned space. The sealed storage container 9 is sealed with a lid 12 by the vacuum suction to prevent entrance of external atmosphere into the storage container, so that adhesion of dust, etc. to the article to be treated stored in the container can be securely prevented. The container washing module 3 removes the attached dust, etc. by blowing the cleaned atmosphere to the exterior of the sealed storage container 9. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is a fine component for performing various processing / assembly processing work that dislikes dust in the atmosphere, such as a fine component such as a semiconductor, a liquid crystal, an optical disc, a plasma display or an ink jet printer head, or an electronic component mounting process on an electric circuit board. The present invention relates to the improvement of the cleanliness of a clean space and the quality of parts, products, and the like, and the liquid discharge head manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus, the manufacturing method, and the liquid discharge head manufactured thereby.

  A clean space with very little dust, etc. because it dislikes dust in the surrounding atmosphere when manufacturing and assembling fine parts such as recording heads used in semiconductors and inkjet printers, and mounting electronic parts on electrical circuit boards. We are processing and assembling in a clean room.

  In order to reduce dust generated in the conventional general clean room, as shown in FIG. 9, an air shower room 61 and a changing room 63 are provided on the entrance side of the clean room 60 in which various manufacturing apparatuses are provided. After changing into clean clothes in the changing room 62, the worker who was in the space 63 of the room dropped dust, etc. adhering to the clean clothes in the air shower room 61 and entered the clean room 60 to perform various manufactures using the manufacturing equipment. Do. In the clean room 60, clean air is maintained in a room by circulating clean air with a fan embedded in the ceiling and a HEPA filter 64 and circulating it. Such a clean room 60 has problems such as a huge investment required for construction, a large operation and maintenance cost of the clean room 60, and poor workability.

  In order to solve such a problem, Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and Patent Document 3 disclose local cleaning apparatuses that locally clean only the atmosphere of components and products. As shown in FIG. 10, the local cleaning device 70 disclosed in Patent Document 1 distinguishes the inside of the device from the general environment by a cabinet 71 of the device and sends the atmosphere in the device to the filter 73 by the fan 72. 73, a clean atmosphere is created, and this clean atmosphere is rectified by the dispersion plate 74 through the upper space of the apparatus and sent to the work space 75, so that the work space 75 is always kept clean. Further, in order to prevent the dust in the general environment from entering and to maintain a stable atmosphere in the work space 75 by making the inside of the apparatus positive pressure, the cleaning through the cleaning filter 77 from the gas supply pipe 76 is performed. Is supplying gas.

  Each local cleaning device shown in Patent Document 2 is provided with an air lock mechanism in the carry-in / out section of the object to be processed. When the object to be processed is carried into the local cleaning device, the air lock mechanism evacuates the atmosphere in the mechanism. When exhausting or purging the gas to make the atmosphere without the air lock mechanism the same as that of the local cleaning device, then carrying the object into the local cleaning device through the air lock mechanism and discharging the object from the local cleaning device In addition, the air lock mechanism is evacuated or purged with the atmosphere inside the mechanism to make the atmosphere without the air lock mechanism the same as the local cleaning device, and then the object to be processed is discharged through the air lock mechanism. When carrying in and discharging from the local cleaning device, the atmosphere of the general environment having dust or the like is prevented from entering the local cleaning device.

As shown in the front view of FIG. 11 (a) and the side sectional view of FIG. 11 (b), an assembly apparatus for fine parts having a local cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 3 includes a plurality of parts required for assembling the fine parts. The components that divide the process and perform predetermined processing and processing in each process are modules 80a to 80d that are independent from each other, and a plurality of modules 80a to 80d are continuously arranged, and the modules 80a to 80d are adjacent to each other. The clean booth is covered with a shielding plate or the like so as to be separated from the outside air and adjacent modules except for the work opening necessary for transferring parts between modules and taking in and out the tray. A predetermined amount of clean air is constantly supplied to the modules 80a to 80d by a clean unit 81 including a filter and a blower fan, and internal air is forced to the outside by an exhaust fan 82 provided below the modules 80a to 80d. The modules 80a to 80d are discharged to be cleaned. By dividing the plurality of processes into modules 80a to 80d in this way, the volume of each module 80a to 80d can be minimized, and the air supply amount and the exhaust amount of each module 80a to 80d are optimized. Thus, a good downflow airflow can be easily formed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-264575 JP 2001-298068 A JP 2005-81453 A

  When a plurality of processes are performed on an object to be processed by the local cleaning device shown in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2, the processing object is sequentially moved between the local cleaning apparatuses to perform processing. The object to be processed is exposed from the clean environment to the general environment during the movement, and unnecessary substances such as dust adhere to it, resulting in a decrease in processing quality. Further, dust or the like adhering to the object to be processed enters the local cleaning device, and the cleanliness of the atmosphere in the device is lowered.

  In the apparatus for assembling fine parts shown in Patent Document 3, each module that forms an independent clean space is connected by a clean booth, so that an object to be processed moving between modules is not exposed to the general environment. However, when the assembly equipment is installed in a general indoor environment or in a low clean space, unnecessary substances such as dust in the installation space adhere to the work when the work is carried in and out of the assembly equipment. As a result, the processing quality is significantly reduced.

  Also, a clean unit for forming a clean space in the module will have a significantly reduced service life due to clogging of the high performance filter when used in a dusty space such as a general environment or a low clean space. Therefore, it is necessary to replace frequently, and the maintenance cost of equipment increases.

  In order to eliminate these shortcomings, it is necessary to install and use local cleaning equipment and assembly equipment in a space that has been cleaned to some extent, for example, in a clean room with a cleanness of about class 10000. It is difficult to do so, and construction costs and maintenance costs become enormous.

  The present invention eliminates such problems, can be installed in a general indoor environment or a low cleanliness space, prevents dust from adhering to an object to be processed during transportation in the general environment, and has a processing atmosphere. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for manufacturing a fine part capable of preventing the deterioration of cleanliness and improving the quality of an object to be processed, and a liquid discharge head manufactured thereby.

  The apparatus for manufacturing fine parts according to the present invention carries in an enclosed storage container that accommodates workpieces necessary for processing and assembly and isolates it from dust in a general environment or a low cleanliness space, and carries in the enclosed storage. A container cleaning means for removing dust and the like attached to the exterior portion of the container in the external environment, and a sealed mechanism of the sealed storage container from which dust or the like has been removed is opened, and the processing target stored in the sealed storage container A container opening means for taking out an object, a processing means for performing various processes of processing and assembling of the object to be processed, and a container sealing means for storing the processed object to be processed in the hermetically-sealed storage container, sealing it and discharging it. The module that forms an independent closed space, the module that constitutes the container cleaning means, the container opening means, the processing means, and the container sealing means, the atmosphere of the internal space is cleaned by decontamination control, Characterized in that it connects the serial each module in the order of steps.

  The sealed storage container has a plurality of suction ports at positions facing a lid that can be freely opened and closed, and each suction port is a communication hole formed inside the container body. Is connected to a check valve provided at an end portion of the container body via a vacuum, and the communication hole is vacuum-sucked through the check valve so that the lid is adsorbed to the container body and sealed. desirable.

  Further, the modules constituting the container cleaning means, the container opening means, the processing means, and the container sealing means have two systems of an internal atmosphere circulation system and an external atmosphere introduction system.

  Further, the modules constituting the container cleaning means, the container opening means, the processing means, and the container sealing means have a shielding mechanism for blocking air inflow / outflow between adjacent modules.

  The module constituting the container cleaning means is circulated with a high cleaning unit provided in a ventilation duct having a plurality of cleaning air blowing ports, and a medium cleaning unit provided on the outside air intake side of the ventilation duct. It has an air volume adjustment valve, an outside air intake adjustment valve, and an exhaust fan, and adjusts the opening degree of the circulating air volume adjustment valve and the outside air intake adjustment valve to adjust the air volume of outside air intake and the air volume circulating inside. Adjusting the exhaust air volume of the exhaust fan to take the external atmosphere into the ventilation duct and blowing the cleaned atmosphere by circulating the internal atmosphere to the exterior of the sealed storage container from the plurality of cleaned air blowing ports Remove dust, etc. adhering to the exterior.

  The modules constituting the container opening means, the processing means, and the container sealing means are a high cleaning unit provided at the ceiling outlet of the ventilation duct and a medium cleaning unit provided on the outside air intake side of the ventilation duct. And a circulating air volume adjusting valve provided in the ventilation duct, an outside air intake adjusting valve and an exhaust fan, and adjusting the opening degree of the circulating air volume adjusting valve and the outside air intake adjusting valve. Adjust the air volume and the air volume circulating inside and adjust the exhaust air volume of the exhaust fan to take the external atmosphere into the ventilation duct and treat the cleaned atmosphere by circulating the internal atmosphere from the ceiling outlet of the ventilation duct Keep it clean by blowing into the space.

  Further, the module constituting the container opening means, the processing means, and the container sealing means is configured to remove the outside air from the amount of air discharged to the outside by the exhaust fan while keeping the total air volume blown from the high cleaning unit constant. Control so that the air volume of the external atmosphere taken in by the load adjustment valve exceeds.

  The pressure of the module constituting the container opening means is kept higher than the pressure of the module constituting the container cleaning means.

  The module constituting the container opening means has means for opening the check valve of the sealed storage container to release the adsorbing force of the lid on the container body, and the module constituting the container sealing means Includes means for opening the check valve of the hermetic storage container and performing vacuum suction.

  The method for manufacturing fine parts according to the present invention cleans the workpieces stored in a sealed storage container that stores the workpieces required for processing and assembly and isolates them from dust in the general environment or low cleanliness space. A fine part manufacturing method for processing and assembling in a sealed atmosphere, wherein dust or the like adhered to the sealed storage container by spraying a purified atmosphere on the sealed storage container storing the object to be processed It is characterized by being removed and then transported to a cleaned atmosphere, and the object to be processed stored in the sealed storage container is taken out in the cleaned atmosphere.

  The liquid discharge head according to the present invention is formed by joining a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzles for discharging droplets and a flow path plate having a liquid chamber corresponding to the nozzle of the nozzle plate by the method for manufacturing a fine component. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, a container loading means, a container cleaning means, a container opening means, a processing means, and a container sealing means for carrying a container containing an object to be processed are constituted by modules that form mutually independent closed spaces. By controlling the internal space of the product to be decontaminated and purifying it as a locally cleaned space, it is possible to stably maintain the cleanliness of the space where the object is processed and to improve the quality of various parts and products. Can be manufactured. In addition, the worker is freed from a special work environment called a clean room and can work in a general environment, so that workability and work efficiency can be remarkably improved. Furthermore, the huge investment accompanying the construction of the conventional clean room can be reduced, and the manufacturing costs of various parts and products can be greatly reduced.

  In addition, by using a sealed storage container for storing and transporting the object to be processed, it is not necessary to expose the object to be exposed to the indoor general environment or low clean environment. Dust contained in the indoor general environment or low clean environment Can be carried into the module that constitutes the container opening means, the processing means and the container sealing means, thereby improving the quality of each treatment. Can be made.

  By sealing the lid by vacuum suction, this sealed storage container can prevent the outside atmosphere from entering and reliably prevent dust and the like from adhering to the stored object. Further, by releasing the negative pressure sucking the lid, the lid can be easily opened, and workability can be improved.

  In addition, the modules constituting the container cleaning means, the container opening means, the processing means, and the container sealing means are made into two systems of the atmosphere circulation system in the apparatus and the atmosphere introduction system outside the apparatus, thereby adjusting the amount of air taken from outside the apparatus. The pressure can be kept appropriate.

  In addition, the air supply / exhaust volume of each module is optimized by shutting off the air inflow / outflow between adjacent modules constituting the container cleaning means, container opening means, processing means and container sealing means. And a good air flow can be easily formed. Furthermore, maintenance of each module can be performed in a state where the cleanliness of other modules is maintained, so that workability can be improved and dust or the like adheres to an in-process workpiece in another module. Can be prevented.

  The module constituting the container cleaning means includes a high cleaning unit provided in a ventilation duct having a plurality of cleaning air blowing ports, a medium cleaning unit provided on the outside air intake side of the ventilation duct, and a circulating air volume. It has an adjustment valve, an outside air intake adjustment valve, and an exhaust fan, and adjusts the opening of the circulating air volume adjustment valve and the outside air intake adjustment valve to adjust the air volume of outside air intake and the air volume circulating inside, and the exhaust fan The exhaust atmosphere is adjusted and the external atmosphere is taken into the ventilation duct and the internal atmosphere is circulated and cleaned, and the cleaned atmosphere is sprayed from the plurality of cleaning air spray ports onto the exterior of the sealed storage container and adhered to the exterior By removing the dust etc., the dust etc. adhering to the exterior part of the sealed storage container can be surely removed, and the dust etc. adhering to the sealed storage container enters the other module. It can be prevented.

  Furthermore, the modules constituting the container opening means, the processing means, and the container sealing means are a high cleaning unit provided at the ceiling outlet of the ventilation duct, a medium cleaning unit provided on the outside air intake side of the ventilation duct, It has a circulating air volume adjusting valve, an outside air intake adjusting valve and an exhaust fan provided in the ventilation duct, and adjusts the opening of the circulating air volume adjusting valve and the outside air intake adjusting valve to circulate the outside air intake air volume and the inside. The inside of the module is controlled by adjusting the air volume of the exhaust fan and adjusting the exhaust air volume of the exhaust fan so that the outside atmosphere is taken into the ventilation duct and the inside atmosphere is circulated and cleaned to blow into the treatment space from the ceiling duct outlet. Can be maintained at a predetermined cleanliness.

  In addition, since the external atmosphere passes through the medium cleaning unit and then is sent to the high cleaning unit, it is possible to prevent clogging of the high performance filter included in the high cleaning unit and to improve maintenance workability.

  The module constituting the container opening means, the processing means, and the container sealing means has an external air intake adjustment valve that takes in the air volume discharged from the exhaust fan while keeping the total air volume blown out from the high cleaning unit constant. The internal pressure can be maintained at a positive pressure by controlling the air volume of the atmosphere to exceed, and a predetermined cleanliness can be reliably maintained.

  Further, when the pressure of the module constituting the container opening means is kept higher than the pressure of the module constituting the container washing means, the container washing means is used when the sealed storage container is transported from the container washing means to the container washing means. Can be reliably prevented from flowing into the container cleaning means.

  By forming a liquid discharge head by joining a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzles for discharging droplets and a flow path plate having a liquid chamber corresponding to the nozzles of the nozzle plate with this fine component manufacturing apparatus, A liquid discharge head having stable discharge characteristics with quality can be stably manufactured.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a fine component manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. The fine component manufacturing apparatus 1 is composed of modules that are independent from each other for each process such as predetermined processing and assembly, and includes input modules 2a and 2b, container cleaning modules 3a and 3b, container opening modules 4a and 4b, and a plurality of processing modules. 5a, 5b, 5c, a container sealing module 6 and a discharge module 7, and a shield mechanism 8 constituted by a mechanical shutter or an air curtain or the like is provided at a carry-in / discharge port between the modules in order to block air inflow / outflow. Is provided. The input modules 2a and 2b carry in a sealed storage container 9 that stores parts and the like necessary for processing and assembly and isolates them from dust in a general environment or a low cleanliness space. The container cleaning modules 3a and 3b remove dust and the like adhering to the exterior portion of the carried-in sealed storage container 9 in the external environment. The container opening modules 4a and 4b open the sealing mechanism of the sealed storage container 9 from which dust and the like have been removed, take out the components stored in the sealed storage container 8, and transport them to the next process. Each processing module 5a, 5b, 5c processes and assembles parts for each predetermined process. The container sealing module 6 stores processed and processed parts in a sealed storage container 9 and seals it. The discharge module 7 discharges a sealed storage container 9 storing processed and processed parts.

  A sealed storage container 9 for storing parts to be carried into the manufacturing apparatus 1 and processed parts is shown in a plan view in FIG. 2A, a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2B, and a line BB in FIG. As shown in the cross-sectional view, a container 11 for storing a workpiece 10 such as a plurality of parts, and a hinge or the like for preventing dust from the external environment from adhering to the workpiece 10 stored in the container 11. A free sealing lid 12 is provided. A plurality of suction ports 14 are provided on the outer peripheral portion of the processing object storage portion 13 of the container 11 at positions facing the lid 12, and each suction port 14 passes through a communication hole 15 formed inside the container 11. It is provided at the end of the container 11 and is connected to a check valve 18 that presses a valve element 17 against a valve seat by a spring 16.

  When the workpiece 10 is stored in the sealed storage container 9, the workpiece 10 is stored in the container 11 in the clean atmosphere in which the workpiece 10 is created, and the workpiece storage section 13 of the container 11 is covered. As shown in FIG. 3, the suction adapter 19 connected to the vacuum suction means is attached to the check valve 18, and the valve body 17 that is pressed against the valve seat by the spring 16 is installed inside. And the check valve 18 is opened. In this state, vacuum suction is performed by the vacuum suction means to reduce the communication hole 15 to a negative pressure, and the lid 12 is sucked by the suction force acting on the suction port 14 to bring the lid 12 into close contact with the container 11. When the suction adapter 19 is removed from the check valve 18 after sealing the container 11 with the lid 12, the valve body 17 is pressed against the valve seat by the spring 16, and the check valve 18 is closed to cause a negative pressure in the communication hole 15. And the sealing of the container 11 by the lid 12 is maintained. Thus, since the lid 12 is vacuum-sucked to seal the container 11, the container 11 can be reliably sealed, and the external atmosphere remains inside the sealed storage container 9 even when the sealed storage container 9 is moved to the general environment. It is possible to prevent dust and the like from adhering to the object to be processed 10 which is stored by preventing entry into the container. When releasing the sealing of the storage container 11, the valve body 17 of the check valve 18 is pushed by a vacuum breaking adapter to break the vacuum inside the communication hole 15 and release the suction force acting on the suction port 14. . Therefore, the lid 12 of the storage container 11 can be easily opened.

  As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 4, the container cleaning modules 3a and 3b have a shielding structure in which the outside air and the adjacent input modules 2a and 2b and the container opening modules 4a and 4b are separated by the module cabinet 20, A high cleaning unit 23 provided in a ventilation duct 22 having a cleaning air blowing port 21, a medium cleaning unit 24 provided on the outside air intake side of the ventilation duct 22, a circulating air volume adjustment valve 25, and an outside air intake adjustment valve. 26, an exhaust fan 27, and a container transport device 28, and constitutes a local cleaning device. As shown in the configuration diagram (a) of FIG. 5, the high cleaning unit 23 includes a pre-filter 29, a fan 30, and a high-performance filter (HEPA filter) 31 that can remove fine dust, and a current plate 32. As shown in FIG. 5B, the middle cleaning unit 24 includes a prefilter 29, a fan 30, a middle performance filter 33, and a rectifying plate 32. Then, the opening degree of the circulating air volume adjusting valve 25 and the outside air intake adjusting valve 26 is adjusted to adjust the air volume of the outside air intake and the air volume circulating inside, and the exhaust air volume of the exhaust fan 27 is adjusted to adjust the external atmosphere to the ventilation duct. The internal atmosphere is circulated while being taken into 22. Dust and the like are removed from the external atmosphere of the installation space taken in from the outside air intake adjustment valve 26 by the medium cleaning unit 24 and sent to the ventilation duct 21. The external atmosphere sent to the ventilation duct 21 via the medium cleaning unit 24 and the internal circulation atmosphere sent from the circulating air volume adjusting valve 25 are cleaned by the high cleaning unit 23 and blown out from the plurality of cleaning air blowing ports 21. In addition, the atmosphere of the processing space 34 provided with the container transport device 28 is cleaned, and dust or the like attached to the exterior of the sealed storage container 9 transported by the container transport device 28 is removed. Part of the removed dust and the like is discharged to the outside by the exhaust fan 27, and the dust and the like contained in the circulating internal atmosphere is captured and removed by the high-performance filter 31 of the high cleaning unit 23 to be cleaned.

  The container opening modules 4a and 4b, the processing modules 5a, 5b and 5c, and the container sealing module 6 are configured by a local cleaning device 35 shown in the configuration diagram of FIG. The local cleaning device 35 is provided in the high cleaning unit 23 provided at the ceiling outlet of the ventilation duct 36, the medium cleaning unit 24 provided on the outside air intake side of the ventilation duct 36, and the ventilation duct 36. It has a cooling device 37, a circulating air volume adjusting valve 25, an outside air intake adjusting valve 26, an exhaust fan 27 and various processing devices 38. Then, the opening degree of the circulating air volume adjusting valve 25 and the outside air intake adjusting valve 26 is adjusted to adjust the air volume of the outside air intake and the air volume circulating inside, and the exhaust air volume of the exhaust fan 27 is adjusted to adjust the external atmosphere to the ventilation duct. 36, the internal atmosphere is circulated. Dust and the like are removed from the external atmosphere taken in from the outside air intake adjustment valve 26 by the medium cleaning unit 24 and sent to the ventilation duct 36. A processing space in which the external atmosphere sent to the ventilation duct 36 via the intermediate cleaning unit 24 and the internal circulating atmosphere sent from the circulating air volume adjusting valve 25 are cleaned by the high cleaning unit 23 and provided with various processing devices 38. The atmosphere of the processing space 39 is partly discharged to the outside by the exhaust fan 27 by this blowing, and most of the atmosphere is circulated by the circulating air volume adjusting valve 25 to improve the cleanliness of the atmosphere of the processing space 39, for example, class 100 Less than or equal to

  The processing space 30 of the local cleaning device 35 is maintained at a positive pressure that is about 20 Pa higher than the pressure of the external atmosphere. The air speed of the purified internal circulation atmosphere blown out in the vertical direction from the high cleaning unit 23 into the processing space 30 is about 0.25 to 0.5 m / sec, and the processing space 30 is corrected from the outside air intake adjustment valve 26. It is about 10% of the total air volume blown from the high cleaning unit 23 for maintaining the pressure and supplying air to the worker. Further, the pressure in the processing space of the container opening modules 4a and 4b constituted by the local cleaning device 35 is maintained, for example, about 5 to 10 Pa higher than the pressure of the container cleaning modules 3a and 3b, and the atmosphere of the container cleaning modules 3a and 3b is maintained. It is designed not to flow. In order to maintain the positive pressure and the differential pressure of the local cleaning device 35, the outside air intake regulating valve 26 is more than the amount of air discharged to the outside by the exhaust fan 27 while keeping the total air volume blown from the high cleaning unit 23 constant. The air volume of the external atmosphere to be taken in is controlled appropriately so as to exceed.

  A case will be described in which a recording head used in an inkjet image forming apparatus is assembled as a fine part in the manufacturing apparatus 1. The recording head 40 includes a liquid chamber unit 41 and a drive unit 42 as shown in the block diagram of FIG. The liquid chamber unit 41 includes a nozzle plate 43, a flow path plate 44 and a vibration plate 45. The nozzle plate 41 has a plurality of nozzles 46 for discharging ink droplets, as shown in the plan view (a) of FIG. As shown in FIG. 8B, the flow path plate 44 has a liquid chamber 47 corresponding to the nozzle 46 of the nozzle plate 44, and the vibration plate 45 has a vibration portion corresponding to each liquid chamber 47. The vibration is transmitted to each liquid chamber 47. The nozzle plate 43, the flow path plate 44, and the vibration plate 45 are joined by an adhesive 48, respectively. The drive unit 42 has a drive unit 50a and a column unit 50b having a plurality of piezoelectric elements on a substrate 49 alternately. The drive unit 50a and the column unit 50b are attached to the substrate 49 with an adhesive 48 at a predetermined interval. It is joined.

  When the recording head 40 forms an image on a recording sheet, ink is supplied to the liquid chamber 47 of the liquid chamber unit 41 by the ink supply mechanism. When the piezoelectric element driving unit 50a of the drive unit 42 is selectively driven in this state, the vibration plate 45 of the liquid chamber unit 41 vibrates and ejects ink droplets from the nozzles 46. In order to control the ink ejected from each nozzle 46 with high accuracy and form a high quality image, the nozzle plate 43, the flow path plate 44 and the vibration plate 45 constituting the liquid chamber unit 41 are respectively set with high accuracy. While aligning and joining, it is necessary to align and join the liquid chamber unit 41 and the drive unit 42 with high accuracy.

  In order to align and join the nozzle plate 43, the flow path plate 44, and the vibration plate 45 with high accuracy, the nozzle plate 43 has position detection reference marks 51 at both ends as shown in FIG. Are formed by through holes, and position detection reference marks 52 are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of both ends of the flow path plate 44, respectively. In addition, position detection reference marks 53 made of through holes are also formed at both ends of the diaphragm 45. The position detection reference mark 51 of the nozzle plate 43 and the position detection reference mark 53 of the vibration plate 45 are arranged so that their centers coincide with the position detection reference mark 52 of the flow path plate 44, and the position detection reference mark 51 and 53 are formed larger in diameter than the reference mark 52 for position detection.

  When positioning the nozzle plate 43 and the flow path plate 44 for joining, as shown in FIG. 8C, the position detection reference marks 51 and the flow path plate 44 formed at both ends of the nozzle plate 43. The position detection reference marks 54 provided at both ends of the position detection are respectively detected, and the center positions of the position detection reference marks 51 and 52 are calculated by image processing so that the center of the position detection reference marks 51 and 52 coincides. The position error of the nozzle plate 43 or the flow path plate 44 is corrected to complete the alignment (position correction) between the nozzle plate 43 and the flow path plate 44. Thereafter, the nozzle plate 43 and the flow path plate 44 are joined with an adhesive 48. When the nozzle plate 43 and the flow path plate 44 are joined in this manner, the position detection reference mark 52 of the flow path plate 44 is included in the position detection reference mark 51 of the nozzle plate 33 as shown in FIG. Are aligned with high accuracy. Further, the flow path plate 44 and the vibration plate 45 are similarly aligned and joined.

  The nozzle plate 43, the flow path plate 44, and the vibration plate 45 are produced in a clean atmosphere, and the produced nozzle plate 43, the flow path plate 44, and the vibration plate 45 are respectively stored in the sealed storage container 9 in the clean atmosphere. The lid 12 of the sealed storage container 9 is closed, the suction adapter 19 connected to the vacuum suction means is attached to the check valve 18 of the sealed storage container 9, and vacuum suction is performed by the vacuum suction means to cover the container 11 with the lid 12. Adhere to and seal. Thereafter, the suction adapter 19 is removed from the check valve 18 and the check valve 18 is closed to keep the lid 12 sealed. Since the nozzle plate 43, the flow path plate 44, and the vibration plate 45 are sealed in the sealed storage container 9 in this way, the nozzle plate 43, the flow path plate 44, and the vibration plate 45 are not exposed to the indoor general environment or a low clean environment. In other words, it is possible to prevent the dust contained in the indoor general environment or the low clean environment from adhering to the nozzle plate 43, the flow path plate 44 and the vibration plate 45.

  When the nozzle plate 43 and the flow path plate 44 are assembled by the manufacturing apparatus 1, the input module 2 a is charged with the sealed storage container 9 a that stores the flow path plate 44, and the sealed type that stores the nozzle plate 43 from the input module 2 b. The storage container 9b is charged. The processing module 5a performs the coating process of the adhesive 48 on the flow path plate 44, the processing module 5b performs the coating process of the UV agent on the flow path plate 44, and the processing module 5c includes the nozzle plate 43 and the flow path plate. 44 is bonded.

  When the nozzle plate 43 and the flow path plate 44 are assembled by the manufacturing apparatus 1, the sealed storage container 9a in which the plurality of flow path plates 44 are stored is supplied to the input module 2a in a general indoor environment or a low clean environment. The sealed storage container 9a supplied to the charging module 2a is transferred to the container cleaning module 3a by the container transport device 28. At this time, the shielding mechanism 8 between the charging module 2a and the container cleaning module 3a is opened, and the shielding mechanism 8 between the container cleaning module 3a and the container opening module 4a is shielded. When the closed storage container 9a is completely transferred to the container cleaning module 3a, the shielding mechanism 8 between the charging module 2a and the container cleaning module 3a is shielded and isolated from the outside air. Dust that adheres to the exterior of the sealed storage container 9a in the external environment of the apparatus by spraying purified air from the plurality of cleaned air spray ports 21 onto the sealed storage container 9a transferred by the container cleaning module 3a. Etc. are removed.

  After removing dust and the like adhering to the exterior of the sealed storage container 9a for a predetermined time, the sealed storage container 9a is transferred to the container opening module 4a. Even when the shielding mechanism 8 between the container cleaning module 3a and the container opening module 4a is opened when the hermetic storage container 9a is transferred to the container opening module 4a, the pressure in the processing space of the container opening module 4a remains the container cleaning module. Since the pressure in the container cleaning module 3a is kept higher than the pressure of the container 3a, the container cleaning module 3a prevents the atmosphere in the container cleaning module 3a from flowing into the container opening module 4a and the container cleaning module 3a removes dust and the like. The cleanliness of the open module 4a can be maintained.

  The container opening module 4a pushes the valve body 17 of the check valve 18 of the sealed storage container 9a to the vacuum in the sealed storage container 9a by using the vacuum breaking adapter of the atmospheric release mechanism. After the destruction, the lid 12 of the sealed container 9a is opened by the actuator. Thereafter, the flow path plate 44 accommodated in the hermetically sealed container 9a is transferred to the processing module 5a by the transfer device. This transport device is composed of a vacuum suction chuck portion that grips the flow path plate 44, a pitch feed mechanism for sequentially taking out the hermetic storage container 9a, an elevating mechanism, and a turning mechanism.

  The processing stage 5a includes a coating table, a channel plate positioning mechanism, a coating unit, a channel plate gripping mechanism, a table moving mechanism, and a transfer unit. The supplied flow path plate 44 is placed on the application table, the position in two directions XY is determined by the flow path plate positioning mechanism, and the flow path plate is sucked and held by the vacuum suction mechanism built in the application table. The application unit employs, for example, a flexographic printing method in which a predetermined amount of adhesive 48 is transferred to a relief plate and then the relief plate is pressed and applied to the surface of the flow path plate 44. The flow path plate 44 positioned at a predetermined position is moved to the coating unit by the table moving mechanism, and is pressed against the relief plate of the coating unit to apply the adhesive 48. Thereafter, the transfer unit grips the flow path plate placed on the application table and transfers it to the processing module 5b.

  The processing module 5b includes a coating table on which the flow path plate 44 is placed, a positioning mechanism for positioning the flow path plate 44 at a predetermined position, a coating nozzle for discharging the UV agent, a coating unit for discharging the UV agent from the coating nozzle, A coating controller that controls the amount of UV agent discharged from the coating nozzle, a flow path plate gripping mechanism, a table moving mechanism, and a transfer unit are included. The supplied flow path plate 44 is placed on the application table, positions in two directions XY are determined by a positioning mechanism, and the flow path plate 44 is adsorbed and held by a vacuum suction mechanism built in the application table. The coating unit discharges a predetermined amount of UV agent determined in advance by a coating controller from the coating nozzle, moves the coating nozzle by a predetermined amount in the XY2 direction, and applies the coating to a predetermined position on the surface of the flow path plate 44 at a plurality of locations. For example, a dispensing dispenser by air pressure control is adopted as the coating method. The transfer unit is composed of a single-axis feed mechanism and a lifting mechanism for transporting from the vacuum suction chuck portion for gripping the flow path plate 44 placed on the coating table to the next process position. The flow path plate 44 having the adhesive 48 and the UV agent applied on the surface is transferred onto the flow path plate stage of the processing module 5c in the next process by the transfer unit.

  On the other hand, the sealed storage container 9 in which the plurality of nozzle plates 43 are stored is supplied to the input module 2b in a general indoor environment or a low clean environment. The sealed storage container 9b supplied to the charging module 2b is transferred to the container cleaning module 3b by the container transport device 28. At this time, the shielding mechanism 8 between the charging module 2b and the container cleaning module 3b is opened, and the shielding mechanism 8 between the container cleaning module 3b and the container opening module 4b is shielded. When the closed storage container 9b is transferred to the container cleaning module 3b, the shielding mechanism 8 between the charging module 2b and the container cleaning module 3b is shielded and isolated from the outside air. Dust that adheres to the exterior of the sealed storage container 9b in an external environment of the apparatus by spraying purified air from the plurality of cleaned air blowing ports 21 onto the sealed storage container 9b transferred by the container cleaning module 3b. Etc. are removed. After removing dust and the like adhering to the exterior of the sealed storage container 9b for a predetermined time, the sealed storage container 9b is transferred to the container opening module 4b.

  After the container opening module 4b breaks the vacuum in the transferred sealed storage container 9b, the lid 12 of the sealed storage container 9b is opened, and the stored nozzle plate 43 is transferred to the processing module 5c by the transport device.

  The processing module 5c includes a joining table having a joining upper table and a joining lower table, a flow path plate positioning mechanism, a joining table position adjusting mechanism, a joining table pressurizing mechanism, an image processing device, a UV exposure device, a nozzle plate temporary placement table, and a nozzle plate. It is composed of a positioning mechanism, a nozzle plate delivery mechanism, a transfer unit, and a photographing device for detecting a reference mark for position detection. Then, the flow path plate 44 transferred from the processing module 5b is gripped by gripping means such as vacuum suction and transferred to the upper table, and the position of the flow path plate 44 in the XY2 direction is determined by the flow path plate positioning mechanism. The nozzle plate 43 transferred from the container opening module 4b is positioned on the nozzle plate temporary placement table by the nozzle plate positioning mechanism in the XY2 direction, and then transferred to the bonding upper table by the nozzle plate delivery mechanism. The upper joining table sucks and holds the transferred nozzle plate 43 by a vacuum suction mechanism, turns 180 degrees, and moves above the joining upper table on which the flow path plate 44 is placed. Thereafter, the position detection reference mark 51 provided on the nozzle plate 43 is detected by the two imaging devices, the center of the position detection reference mark 51 is calculated by the image processing device, and the target coordinates for adjusting the joining position of the nozzle plate 43 are detected. Get. Subsequently, the position detection reference mark 52 of the flow path plate 44 on the joined lower table is detected, and similarly the target coordinates for adjusting the joining position of the flow path plate 44 are obtained. The position of the nozzle plate 43 and the flow path plate 44 is adjusted by moving the bonding table by the bonding table position adjusting mechanism so that the target coordinates of the bonding position adjustment of the nozzle plate 43 and the flow path plate 44 coincide with each other. The nozzle plate 43 and the flow path plate 44 are pressed and joined at a predetermined pressure by the pressure mechanism. Further, the UV agent is cured by irradiating the UV agent with ultraviolet rays for a predetermined time. The joined nozzle plate 43 and flow path plate 44 are transferred to the container sealing module 6 by a transfer unit having a vacuum suction chuck and stored in the sealed storage container 9c.

  The container sealing module 6 closes the lid 12 of the sealed storage container 9c by an actuator when a predetermined number of joined nozzle plates 43 and flow path plates 44 are stored in the sealed storage container 9c.

  The container sealing module 6 attaches the suction adapter 19 connected to the vacuum suction means to the check valve 18 of the sealed storage container 9c, and vacuum-sucks the container 12 by the vacuum suction means. Thereafter, the suction adapter 19 is removed from the check valve 18 and the check valve 18 is closed to keep the lid 12 sealed. The sealed storage container 9c in which the joined nozzle plate 43 and flow path plate 44 are stored is transported to the discharge module 7 by the transport device. At this time, the shielding mechanism 8 between the processing module 5c and the container sealing module 6 is opened while the shielding mechanism 8 between the container sealing module 6 and the discharge module 7 is opened, and the sealed storage container 9c is discharged. 7, the shielding mechanism 8 between the container sealing module 6 and the discharge module 7 is shut off to clean the atmosphere of the container sealing module 6.

  The sealed storage container 9c transported to the discharge module 7 is transported to the manufacturing apparatus 1 for assembling the flow path plate 44 and the vibration plate 45 as the next process.

  In the above description, the case where the recording head is assembled in the edge shooter method in which the shape from the ink flow path to the discharge port is linear has been described, but the recording head is also manufactured in the side shooter method in which the direction of the ink flow path and the direction of the discharge port are different. The device 1 can be similarly assembled.

  In the above description, the lid 12 of the sealed container 9 is sealed by vacuum suction. However, the lid 12 may be sealed by magnetic suction using, for example, a magnet chuck.

  Furthermore, the manufacturing apparatus 1 can be used to perform various processes and assemblies such as the manufacture of fine components such as semiconductors and the mounting of electronic components on electric circuit boards.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the manufacturing apparatus of the fine components of this invention. It is a block diagram of the airtight storage container of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the check valve and suction adapter which were provided in the airtight storage container. It is a block diagram of a container washing | cleaning module. It is a block diagram of a high cleaning unit and a medium cleaning unit. It is a block diagram of the local cleaning module which comprises a container opening module, a processing module, and a container sealing module. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a recording head. It is a top view which shows the structure of a nozzle plate and a flow-path plate. It is a block diagram of the conventional clean room. It is a block diagram of the conventional local cleaning module. It is a block diagram of the assembly apparatus of the fine components which has the conventional local cleaning module.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1; Fine-part manufacturing apparatus, 2; Input module, 3; Container washing module,
4; container opening module, 5; processing module, 6; container sealing module,
7; discharge module, 8; shielding mechanism, 9; sealed container, 10;
11; container, 12; lid, 13; workpiece storage section, 14; suction port, 15; communication hole,
16; Spring, 17; Valve body, 18; Check valve, 19; Suction adapter,
20; Module cabinet, 21; Clean air blowing port, 22; Ventilation duct,
23; High cleaning unit, 24; Medium cleaning unit, 25; Circulating air flow regulating valve,
26; outside air intake adjustment valve, 27; exhaust fan, 28; container transfer device,
19; Pre-filter, 30; Fan, 31; High-performance filter (HEPA filter),
32; Current plate, 33; Medium performance filter, 35; Local cleaning device, 36; Ventilation duct,
37; cooling device, 38; processing device, 39; processing space, 40; recording head,
41; liquid chamber unit, 42; drive unit, 43; nozzle plate, 44; flow path plate,
45; Diaphragm 46; Nozzle 47; Liquid chamber 48; Adhesive 49; Substrate
50a; drive unit, 51, 52, 53; reference mark for position detection.

Claims (12)

A sealed storage container that stores the workpieces required for processing and assembly and isolates it from dust in the general environment or low cleanliness space is carried in, and adheres to the exterior of the sealed storage container that is loaded in the external environment A container cleaning means for removing dust and the like, a container opening means for opening the sealing mechanism of the sealed storage container from which dust or the like has been removed, and for taking out an object stored in the sealed storage container; A module that forms a closed space that is independent from each other, a processing means for performing various processes of processing and assembling of objects, and a container sealing means for storing the processed object to be processed in the hermetically-sealed storage container, sealing it, and discharging it. Configure
The module constituting the container cleaning means, the container opening means, the processing means, and the container sealing means is characterized in that the atmosphere in the internal space is cleaned by decontamination control, and the modules are connected in the order of processes. Manufacturing equipment for fine parts.   The sealed storage container has a plurality of suction ports at positions facing a lid that can be freely opened and closed, and each suction port is a communication hole formed inside the container body. And being connected to a check valve provided at an end of the container main body via a vacuum, the communication hole is vacuum-sucked through the check valve, and the lid is adsorbed to the container main body to be sealed. The manufacturing apparatus of the fine component of 1.   3. The fine component according to claim 1, wherein the module constituting the container cleaning unit, the container opening unit, the processing unit, and the container sealing unit has two systems of an internal atmosphere circulation system and an external atmosphere introduction system. Manufacturing equipment.   The module which comprises the said container washing | cleaning means, the said container opening means, the said processing means, and the said container sealing means has a shielding mechanism which interrupts | blocks the air inflow / outflow between adjacent modules. Manufacturing equipment for fine parts. The module constituting the container cleaning means includes a high cleaning unit provided in a ventilation duct having a plurality of cleaning air blowing ports, a medium cleaning unit provided on the outside air intake side of the ventilation duct, and a circulating air volume adjustment. A valve, an outside air intake adjustment valve and an exhaust fan;
Adjusting the opening degree of the circulating air volume adjusting valve and the outside air intake adjusting valve to adjust the air volume of the outside air intake and the air volume circulating inside, and adjusting the exhaust air volume of the exhaust fan to adjust the external atmosphere to the ventilation duct The dust or the like adhering to the exterior part is removed by spraying the atmosphere that is circulated through the interior atmosphere while being taken in to the exterior part of the sealed storage container from the plurality of purified air spray ports. 4. The apparatus for producing fine parts according to any one of 4 above. The modules constituting the container opening means, the processing means, and the container sealing means are a high cleaning unit provided at the ceiling outlet of the ventilation duct and a medium cleaning unit provided on the outside air intake side of the ventilation duct. And a circulation air volume adjustment valve provided in the ventilation duct, an outside air intake adjustment valve and an exhaust fan,
Adjusting the opening of the circulating air volume adjusting valve and the outside air intake adjusting valve to adjust the air volume of the outside air intake and the air volume circulating inside, and the exhaust air volume of the exhaust fan to adjust the external atmosphere to the ventilation duct The apparatus for manufacturing a fine part according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an atmosphere cleaned by circulating an internal atmosphere while being taken in is blown out from a ceiling outlet of the ventilation duct to a processing space.   The module constituting the container opening means, the processing means, and the container sealing means is configured to adjust the intake of outside air from the amount of air discharged to the outside by the exhaust fan while keeping the total amount of air blown from the high cleaning unit constant. The apparatus for manufacturing a fine part according to claim 6, wherein the air volume of the external atmosphere taken in by the valve is controlled to exceed.   The apparatus for manufacturing a fine part according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the pressure of the module constituting the container opening means is maintained higher than the pressure of the module constituting the container cleaning means.   9. The fine module according to claim 2, wherein the module constituting the container opening means includes means for opening a check valve of the sealed storage container to release the adsorption force of the lid to the container body. Parts manufacturing equipment.   10. The apparatus for manufacturing a fine part according to claim 2, wherein the module constituting the container sealing means includes means for opening a check valve of the sealed storage container and performing vacuum suction. Processing and assembly of processed objects stored in a sealed container that stores processed objects necessary for processing and assembly and isolates them from dust in the general environment or low cleanliness space in a clean atmosphere A method of manufacturing a fine part,
The cleaned storage container containing the object to be processed is sprayed with a cleaned atmosphere to remove dust and the like adhering to the sealed storage container and then transferred to the cleaned atmosphere, A method for producing a fine part, comprising: taking out an object to be processed housed in the hermetically sealed container.   A nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzles for discharging droplets and a flow path plate having a liquid chamber corresponding to the nozzles of the nozzle plate formed by joining the fine component manufacturing method according to claim 11. Characteristic liquid discharge head.

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