JP2008093525A - Washing apparatus and washing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a washing apparatus not complicated in the structure of its work attaching jig or shower and capable of uniformly washing a workpiece, and a washing method. <P>SOLUTION: The washing apparatus 1 is equipped with a washing tank 37 for immersing the workpiece 44 in a washing liquid to wash the same, an ultrasonic washing means 60 provided to the washing tank 37, the attaching jig 10 for feeding the workpiece 44 attached thereto in the washing tank 37 or feeding the same out of the washing tank 37 and a shower means 70 arranged in opposed relation to one or a plurality of the workpieces 44 attached to the attaching jig 10. The shower means 70 has a shower surface 72 provided with a plurality of washing liquid jet orifices and the area of the shower surface 72 is made equal to or larger than the area of the region to be washed of the workpiece 44. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method, and more specifically, cleaning that can clean electronic parts, precision parts, metal parts, printed wiring boards, glass substrates and other various objects to be cleaned (workpieces) without cleaning unevenness. The present invention relates to an apparatus and a cleaning method.

  Cleaning equipment for cleaning electronic parts, precision parts, metal parts, printed wiring boards, glass substrates and other various objects to be cleaned (hereinafter referred to as “workpieces”) performs shower cleaning and ultrasonic cleaning. Is common. Ultrasonic cleaning is a substantial cleaning means for a workpiece immersed in a cleaning liquid. Usually, a jig equipped with a plurality of workpieces (hereinafter referred to as “mounting jig”) is a cleaning tank equipped with an ultrasonic vibrator. So-called batch cleaning, in which cleaning is performed inside, is performed.

  On the other hand, shower cleaning prevents the occurrence of cleaning spots on the workpiece surface when or after the workpiece ultrasonically cleaned in the cleaning solution is taken out from the washing tank, or floats floating on the cleaning solution surface are reappeared on the workpiece. In many cases, it is performed for the purpose of preventing adhesion or washing away the reattached suspended matter. The shower apparatus for performing such shower cleaning is fixed above the cleaning tank or fixedly provided in the shower cleaning dedicated tank depending on the purpose.

Patent Document 1 listed below proposes a cleaning apparatus that includes both ultrasonic cleaning and shower cleaning for the purpose of preventing the occurrence of cleaning spots when polycrystalline silicon is subjected to acid cleaning.
JP 2005-288333 A JP 2005-74319 A

  For workpieces that require precision cleaning, such as electronic parts, optical parts, glass substrates, etc., it is desirable to avoid slight cleaning unevenness, but in the case of precision small parts, mounting from the viewpoint of improving the efficiency of cleaning work It is desirable to attach a large number of workpieces to the jig and wash them simultaneously. However, since such a mounting jig has a complicated shape, there is a problem that liquid drainage is poor when it is lifted from the cleaning tank, and liquid consumption increases due to liquid take-out, and uneven cleaning and reattachment of floating substances are likely to occur. There is.

  In the conventional cleaning device, the shower device is fixed above the cleaning tank or fixed in the shower cleaning dedicated tank. When it was lifted from the shower, it was not possible to perform shower cleaning immediately, and cleaning unevenness and reattachment of floating substances were likely to occur.

  In addition, in the conventional cleaning apparatus, a large number of workpieces are often attached to the mounting jig. In this case, there is a problem that the method of applying ultrasonic waves differs depending on the position where the workpieces are attached, and cleaning unevenness occurs.

  Further, as described in, for example, Patent Document 2, a work inlet / outlet is provided in the upper part, a cleaning tank for storing the cleaning solvent is provided in the lower part, a cooling region located in the middle part, and the cooling region and the solvent in the cleaning tank In a cleaning apparatus having a tank body having a vapor treatment area positioned between the liquid surface, the workpiece that has been lifted upward after being washed in the washing solvent is washed with the washing solvent vapor in the vapor treatment area. Then, it is further cooled and dried in the cooling region above it. At this time, in the cooling region, the cleaning solvent vapor is cooled and condensed to lower the vapor pressure of the cleaning solvent vapor, and the cleaning solvent droplets condensed on the surface of the workpiece are vaporized to be dried. There is a problem that unevenness of cleaning such as cleaning spots and redeposits upon lifting from the cleaning tank remain on the work surface after drying.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and the object thereof is not a complicated structure of a work mounting jig or a shower structure, and a cleaning apparatus capable of cleaning a work without uneven cleaning, and It is to provide a cleaning method.

  In order to solve the above problems, the cleaning apparatus of the present invention includes a cleaning tank for immersing a workpiece in a cleaning solution for cleaning, an ultrasonic cleaning means provided in the cleaning tank, and a workpiece attached to the cleaning tank. An attachment jig to be carried out, and shower means disposed opposite to the workpiece attached to the attachment jig, the shower means having a shower surface provided with a plurality of cleaning liquid ejection holes, The area is formed to be equal to or larger than the area of the region to be cleaned of the workpiece.

  According to the present invention, since the shower means is disposed opposite to the work attached to the mounting jig, unlike the conventional shower means, the shower cleaning can be performed immediately when the mounting jig is pulled up from the cleaning liquid. As a result, uneven cleaning and reattachment of suspended matter can be prevented. Further, the shower means has a shower surface provided with a plurality of cleaning liquid ejection holes, and the area of the shower surface is formed to be equal to or larger than the area of the region to be cleaned of the workpiece. During ultrasonic cleaning, in either case of shower cleaning when lifting the workpiece after stopping ultrasonic cleaning or shower cleaning after lifting the workpiece out of the cleaning tank, one or more workpieces attached to the mounting jig Can be washed evenly. As a result, the structure of the work mounting jig and the shower structure are not complicated, and the work can be cleaned without uneven cleaning.

  As a preferable aspect of the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the cleaning apparatus further includes a workpiece moving means for moving the mounting jig in the vertical direction that is the loading / unloading direction of the workpiece, and a shower moving means for moving the shower means in the vertical direction. Yes.

  According to this invention, since the work moving means and the shower moving means are further provided, when the mounting jig is moved in the vertical direction that is the work loading / unloading direction, the shower means can also be moved in the vertical direction. For example, if the shower means is moved in the same way when lifting the workpiece from the cleaning tank to the outside of the cleaning tank, it is possible to prevent re-adherence of floating substances floating on the surface of the cleaning liquid, as well as complex shaped workpieces and mounting jigs. Even when the mounting jig is used, shower cleaning can be performed immediately when the mounting jig is lifted from the cleaning liquid, and it becomes possible to prevent cleaning unevenness, reattachment of suspended matter, and the like.

  As a preferable aspect of the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the mounting jig includes first and second support plates arranged back to back, a connecting portion for connecting the first and second support plates, and a connecting portion. The shower means has a shower member disposed oppositely across the work held by the first and second support plates.

  According to this invention, since the work is held on each of the two support plates arranged back to back, and the shower member is disposed so as to sandwich the work held on each support plate, it is attached to the two support plates. Can be washed under the same conditions. As a result, it is possible to perform efficient cleaning that can simultaneously clean many workpieces. In addition, since the two support plates constituting the attachment jig can have the same shape, the parts can be shared.

  As a preferred aspect of the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the upper end surface of the component of the mounting jig is chamfered or formed with a gently curved surface.

  According to the present invention, since the upper end surface of the component of the mounting jig is chamfered or formed with a gently curved surface, liquid drainage is good when the mounting jig is pulled out of the cleaning tank, and as a result, the liquid is taken out. It is possible to prevent an increase in the amount of liquid consumption and cleaning unevenness and reattachment of suspended matters. In addition, as a structural member, there exist the said support plate, a connection part, the junction part of a suspension shaft, and a connection part.

  As a preferred aspect of the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the mounting jig is used for cleaning a plate-shaped workpiece, and a support plate that supports the workpiece, and a workpiece falling horizontally extending from the lower end of the support plate And a holding member which is established on the surface of the support plate and holds the workpiece in parallel to the support plate. According to this invention, it can be preferably used for cleaning plate-shaped workpieces.

  In the cleaning apparatus, the support plate has a plurality of slits extending in a width direction perpendicular to the vertical direction that is the loading and unloading direction of the workpiece by the mounting jig, and the holding member is a size of the workpiece to be mounted. It is preferable to be detachably engaged with the slits at a plurality of positions at positions corresponding to the height. According to the present invention, since the holding member can be detachably locked at an arbitrary position corresponding to the size of the plate-like workpiece, it can be preferably used for the work of washing a variety of small lot workpieces.

  In the cleaning apparatus, the holding member includes a spacer portion that keeps the distance between the workpiece and the support plate constant, and a locking portion that keeps the distance to the spacer at or above the thickness of the workpiece. It is preferable that a holding portion for holding the workpiece is provided between the spacer portion and the locking portion. According to this invention, since the work and the support plate are separated by the spacer member, it is possible to minimize the removal of the cleaning liquid remaining between the work and the support plate.

  Moreover, in the said washing | cleaning apparatus, it is preferable that the said shelf part is a nail | claw shape provided in the width direction of the said support plate with the predetermined space | interval. According to the present invention, since the shelf is claw-shaped and spaced apart from each other, the carry-out of the cleaning liquid can be reduced as much as possible.

  As a preferred embodiment of the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the shower means is suspended and held by at least two liquid feeding pipes for supplying the cleaning liquid. According to the present invention, if a rigid member such as stainless steel is used as the shower means, for example, as the liquid feeding pipe, the shower surface can be disposed to face the position without blurring. As a result, since the interval between the workpieces can be made constant, one or a plurality of workpieces attached to the attachment jig can be uniformly and uniformly washed.

  In order to solve the above problems, the cleaning method of the present invention includes a cleaning tank in which a work is immersed in a cleaning liquid, ultrasonic cleaning means provided in the cleaning tank, and a work attached to the cleaning tank. A mounting jig to be carried out, shower means disposed opposite to a work attached to the mounting jig, work moving means for moving the mounting jig in a vertical direction which is a work loading / unloading direction, and the shower means to the vertical direction A shower moving means for moving in a direction, the shower means having a shower surface provided with a plurality of cleaning liquid ejection holes, and the area of the shower surface is equal to or larger than the area of the region to be cleaned of the workpiece. A cleaning method performed by a formed cleaning apparatus, wherein an ultrasonic cleaning step of cleaning a workpiece by the ultrasonic cleaning means, and at the same time as the ultrasonic cleaning step Then the, and having a, a first shower washing the workpiece by the shower head in the cleaning tank.

  According to the present invention, the ultrasonic cleaning step of cleaning the workpiece by the ultrasonic cleaning means and the first shower step of cleaning the workpiece by the shower means in the cleaning tank simultaneously with or after the ultrasonic cleaning step are provided. Therefore, the 1 or several workpiece | work attached to the attachment jig can be wash | cleaned uniformly uniformly. As a result, the structure of the work mounting jig and the shower structure are not complicated, and the work can be cleaned without uneven cleaning. Further, according to the present invention, since the work moving means and the shower moving means are provided, when the mounting jig is moved in the vertical direction, which is the work loading / unloading direction, the shower means can also be moved in the vertical direction. If, for example, the shower means is moved in the same way when the workpiece is pulled out of the cleaning bath from the inside of the cleaning bath, it is possible to prevent re-adhesion of floating substances floating on the surface of the cleaning liquid, and to install and mount a workpiece having a complicated shape. Even when a jig is used, it is possible to immediately perform shower cleaning when the mounting jig is lifted from the cleaning liquid, and it is possible to prevent cleaning unevenness, reattachment of floating substances, and the like.

  As a preferred aspect of the cleaning method of the present invention, a lifting step of pulling up the attachment jig to which a workpiece is attached and the shower means simultaneously upward of the cleaning tank by the workpiece moving means and the shower moving means, and the lifting A second shower cleaning step of cleaning the workpiece by the shower means simultaneously with or after the step. According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent uneven cleaning and reattachment of suspended matter.

  As a preferred aspect of the cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the first and / or second showering step includes a swinging step of swinging one or both of the shower means and the mounting jig in the vertical direction. . According to the present invention, since the rocking process as described above is included, the cleaning conditions can be arbitrarily set.

  According to the cleaning apparatus and the cleaning method of the present invention, since the shower cleaning can be performed immediately when the mounting jig is pulled up from the cleaning liquid, cleaning unevenness and reattachment of floating substances can be prevented. In addition, during ultrasonic cleaning in the cleaning tank, both the shower cleaning when lifting the workpiece after stopping the ultrasonic cleaning and the shower cleaning after lifting the workpiece out of the cleaning bath are attached to the mounting jig. One or a plurality of workpieces can be uniformly and uniformly washed. As a result, the structure of the work mounting jig and the shower structure are not complicated, and the work can be cleaned without uneven cleaning.

  Since the cleaning apparatus and the cleaning method of the present invention can prevent uneven cleaning and reattachment of suspended matters, they can be preferably applied particularly to cleaning of electronic parts, optical parts, glass substrates and other precision parts and precision materials.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the cleaning apparatus and the cleaning method of the present invention are not limited to the following description and drawings as long as they have the technical features.

(Cleaning device)
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing an example of the cleaning apparatus of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning apparatus 1 of the present invention has a cleaning tank 37 that immerses and cleans a work 44 in a cleaning liquid 46, an ultrasonic cleaning means 60 provided in the cleaning tank 37, and a work 44 attached thereto. The attachment jig 10 carried in and out of the cleaning tank 37 and the shower means 70 arranged to face the workpiece 44 attached to the attachment jig 10 are provided. The shower means 70 has a shower surface 72 provided with a plurality of cleaning liquid ejection holes 71, and the area S1 of the shower surface 72 is the same as or larger than the area S2 of the region to be cleaned 45 of the workpiece 44. Largely formed. In the example of FIG. 1, the cleaning apparatus 1 includes a cleaning tank 37 and an overflow tank 38, but the cleaning apparatus 1 of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be in various forms. It can be applied to a cleaning device. Hereinafter, the shower means 70, the attachment jig 10, and other components constituting the cleaning device 1 of the present invention will be described in order.

(Shower means)
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the shower means. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shower unit 70 includes at least a shower member 73 disposed to face the workpiece 44 attached to the attachment jig 10. In the example of FIG. 2, the shower means 70 is connected to a shower member 73 having a shower surface 72 on the side facing the workpiece, and an upper end surface of the shower member 73 with a connection member 75 to supply cleaning liquid to the shower member 73. A liquid supply pipe 74 and a liquid branch pipe 76 that supports the liquid supply pipe 74 and branches the cleaning liquid are provided, and the cleaning liquid is supplied to the liquid branch pipe 76 through a pipe 77. In the illustrated example, since the work 44 is provided on the mounting jig 10 so as to face each other, two shower members 73 are provided so as to face each work 44. However, in the case of one work 44, One shower member 73 may be provided so as to face it.

  The shower member 73 shown in FIG. 2 is a box-shaped hollow member made of a metal material such as stainless steel, for example, and a plurality of cleaning liquid ejection holes 71 are provided on the shower surface 72 at predetermined intervals. The interval between the cleaning ejection holes 71 is not particularly limited, and can be formed, for example, at intervals of 5 mm to 15 mm vertically and horizontally. The cleaning ejection hole 71 can be formed, for example, by opening a hole having a predetermined diameter on the wall surface of a hollow hollow member. As the diameter of the cleaning ejection hole 71, for example, a diameter of about 0.5 mm to 1 mm can be exemplified, and the diameter is usually formed in the same size in each part of the shower surface 72, but the ejection amount from the cleaning ejection hole 71 In consideration of the above, the diameter of the cleaning ejection hole 71 may be regularly changed for each portion of the shower surface 72.

  The area S1 of the shower surface 72 is the length between both ends of the cleaning ejection holes 71 formed in the longitudinal direction Y of the shower surface 72 and the length between both ends of the cleaning ejection holes 71 formed in the lateral direction X of the shower surface 72. The area S1 of the shower surface 72 is preferably formed to be equal to or larger than the area S2 of the region to be cleaned 45 of the workpiece 44. The area S2 of the cleaned region 45 of the workpiece 44 is the area when the workpiece 44 is a plate-like substrate, and the range in which the component is attached to the mounting jig 10 when the workpiece 44 is a component. Area. In the present invention, since the size of the shower surface 72 is as described above, for example, during the ultrasonic cleaning in the cleaning tank 37, the shower cleaning when lifting the work 44 after stopping the ultrasonic cleaning, and the work In any case of shower cleaning after lifting 44 out of the cleaning tank 37, one or a plurality of workpieces 44 attached to the workpiece 44 can be uniformly and uniformly cleaned. As a result, the structure of the mounting jig 10 for the work 44 and the structure of the shower means 70 are not complicated, and the work 44 can be cleaned without uneven cleaning.

  The liquid feed pipe 74 is a hollow pipe made of metal such as stainless steel for supplying the cleaning liquid, and is connected to the upper end surface of the shower member 73 via a connection member 75. The shower member 73 is suspended and held by at least two liquid feed pipes 74. The shower member 73 is suspended and fixed by a metallic liquid feed pipe 74 having rigidity.

  The liquid feed pipe 74 is connected to a liquid branch pipe 76 on the liquid supply side, and the liquid branch pipe 76 has a structure that supports the liquid feed pipe 74 and branches the cleaning liquid. Further, the cleaning liquid is supplied to the liquid branch pipe 76 through a pipe 77. The effective branching of the cleaning liquid can be adjusted by the diameter of the tube through which the cleaning liquid passes. As an example, when the inner diameter of the pipe 77 is 6 mm, for example, 1/2 of the cross-sectional area is a pipe having an inner diameter of about 4 mm, so that the cleaning liquid is effective by making the inner diameter of the flow path in the liquid branch pipe 76 4 mm. Can be branched. Further, if the inner diameter of the pipe on the further upstream side of the pipe 77 is 8 mm, the sectional area is about twice the inner diameter 6 mm of the two pipes 77 shown in FIG. 2, so that the cleaning liquid can be effectively branched. .

  The shower means 70 is preferably coated with a Teflon (registered trademark) surface or coated with a Teflon (registered trademark) tube for the purpose of improving the heat insulation of the steam cleaning region 102. For example, there is a method in which a pipe with an outer diameter of 6 mm / an inner diameter of 4 mm is used for the liquid feed pipe 74 and a Teflon (registered trademark) tube with an outer diameter of 8 mm / inner diameter of 6 mm is covered on the outer periphery. Further, it may be covered with a heat insulating material other than Teflon (registered trademark), but in that case, resistance to the cleaning liquid is required.

(Mounting jig)
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of the mounting jig, where (A) is a plan view and (B) is a front view. As shown in FIG. 1, the attachment jig 10 is a jig that is carried into and out of the cleaning tank 37 with the work 44 attached thereto, and is disposed at a position facing the shower surface 72 of the shower means 70. In the example of FIGS. 1 and 2, the support plate 11 that supports the workpiece 44 is provided between the two shower members 73 so as to face the shower surface 72.

  The attachment jig 10 shown in FIG. 3 is for cleaning the plate-like workpiece 44, and is connected to a connecting portion 12 that connects the first and second support plates 11, 11 arranged back to back, and a connecting portion 12. And a suspension shaft 13 connected to the portion 12. In the example of FIG. 3, the shelf 14 that extends horizontally from the lower end of the support plate 11 to prevent the plate-like workpiece 44 from falling and the work plate 44 that is established on the surface of the support plate 11 are supported on the support plate 11. And a holding member 19 that is held in parallel with the holding member 19. A fixing plate 16 for fixing the support plate 11 to the connecting portion 12 is provided below the support plate 11. As shown in FIG. 3B, the support plate 11 and the connecting portion 12 are connected by screws 17 or the like. It is fixed. Further, the suspension shaft 13 is connected to the center of the connecting portion 12, but the connecting portion 12 and the suspension shaft 13 are connected by welding or screwing from below.

  One support plate 11 may be provided on the mounting jig 10, but it is preferable that two support plates 11 are provided back to back as illustrated. The size of the support plate 11 corresponds to the area S2 of the region to be cleaned 45 of the workpiece 44, is equal to or less than the area S1 of the shower surface 72 described above, and the cleaning liquid ejected from the shower surface 72 is supported by the support plate. 11 is preferably formed in such a size that it can be applied evenly to the work 44 supported by the motor 11. As shown in FIG. 3B, the support plate 11 is formed with a plurality of slits 18 extending in the width direction X perpendicular to the vertical direction Y, which is the direction in which the work 44 is carried in and out. The slit 18 detachably holds the holding member 19 that holds the work 44 and is formed as a horizontally long hole that penetrates the plate-like support plate 11. Although the arrangement of the slits 18 is not particularly limited, it is usually preferable that the slits 18 are aligned vertically and horizontally at a predetermined pitch as illustrated. By forming a large number of such slits vertically and horizontally, the holding member 19 can be locked at a position corresponding to the dimension of the workpiece 44. For example, even if the workpiece 44 is a multi-product small lot having different sizes. It can be held with good workability.

  The connecting portion 12 is a member that fixes the support plate 11 to the back surface, and a fixing plate 16 provided below the support plate 11 is fixed by screwing or the like. A suspension shaft 13 is connected to the center of the connecting portion 12 by welding or screwing from below. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the central structure 15 of the connecting portion 12 to which the suspension shaft 13 is connected. As shown in FIG. 4, the central structure 15 of the connecting portion 12 has a mountain shape with the central portion at the top and the inclined surfaces 20 on both sides, but the mounting jig 10 is lifted from the cleaning bath 37 to the outside of the bath. In this case, the shape may not necessarily be the above-described shape as long as it is easy to run out of liquid, and may be a curved shape. In addition, since it is preferable that the attachment jig 10 has a shape that can easily be drained when it is pulled out of the washing tank 37, the upper end surface of each component member constituting the attachment jig 10 is chamfered. Or it is desirable that it is formed with a gentle curved surface.

  5 and 6 show how the workpiece is held by the mounting jig. FIG. 5 is an example of a form in which the plate-like workpiece 44 is held by the mounting jig 10 </ b> A having the shelf 14, (A) is a side view, and (B) is a front view thereof. Moreover, FIG. 6 is an example of the form which hold | maintains the plate-shaped workpiece | work 44 with the attachment jig | tool 10B which does not have the shelf part 14, (A) is a side view, (B) is the front view. The shelf 14 shown in FIG. 5 has a claw shape provided at a predetermined interval in the width direction of the support plate 11 (see FIG. 3B), and acts to support the lower end of the workpiece 44. To do. At this time, the holding member 19 acts so as to sandwich the plate-like workpiece 44 from both side surfaces, and is locked by the slit 18 at that position.

  On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the shelf 14 as shown in FIG. 5 is not provided on the support plate 11, but the two holding members 19, 19 on the upper side sandwich the plate-like workpiece 44 from both sides, The two holding members 19, 19 on the lower side receive the plate-like workpiece 44 on the upper surface. The workpiece 44 is held by the mounting jig 10 in such a holding form. In addition, even if it is a case where the support plate 11 which has the shelf part 14 as shown in FIG. 5 is used, you may hold | maintain the workpiece | work 44 with the holding | maintenance form shown in FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a holding member. As shown in FIG. 7, the holding member 19 includes a spacer portion L that keeps the distance G between the workpiece 44 and the support plate 11 constant, and a locking portion N that keeps the distance to the spacer L at or above the thickness of the workpiece. And a holding portion M that holds the workpiece 44 between the spacer portion L and the locking portion N. As a specific structure, it is composed of a bolt-like member 21, a nut-like member 23, and a washer-like spacer member 22, and the spacer portion L, the locking portion N, and the holding member are held by these members. Part M is configured. As an example, when the thickness of the workpiece 44 is about 0.5 mm, the width of the holding portion M is preferably more than 0.5 mm in consideration of the clearance, and the workpiece 44 and the support plate 11 are also included. It is preferable that the thickness of the spacer member 22 that defines the gap G is about 2 mm. By doing so, since the work 44 and the support plate 11 are separated by the spacer member 22, it is possible to minimize the removal of the cleaning liquid remaining between the work 44 and the support plate 11.

  The workpiece 44 is inserted into the holding member 19 established in the mounting jig 10 so as to slide from above, and is held by the holding member 19 as shown in FIGS. Specifically, the workpiece 44 inserted so as to be slid from above is held by a holding portion M between the locking portion N of the bolt-shaped member 21 and the spacer portion L.

(Movement mechanism)
Next, the moving mechanism of the attachment jig and the shower means will be described. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a moving mechanism of the mounting jig and the shower means, FIG. 9 is a plan view of the moving mechanism shown in FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is a shower means shown in FIG. FIG. The cleaning apparatus 1 of the present invention includes a workpiece moving means 90 that moves the mounting jig 10 in the up-down direction Q, which is the loading / unloading direction of the workpiece 44, and a shower moving means 81 that moves the shower means 70 in the up-down direction Q. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the workpiece moving means 90 includes a driving device (not shown) and a lifting arm 91, and a hanging member 92 for hanging the workpiece mounting jig 10 is attached to the lifting arm 91. Yes. The plate 93 on the upper part of the suspension member 92 is provided with a long hole through which the suspension member 92 can be slid in the direction of arrow P. By fixing the suspension member 92 at a predetermined position in the elongated hole, for example, the mounting jig 10 can be positioned at a position where the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic cleaning means are most effectively applied. Note that examples of the driving device include a motor and a timing belt.

  The shower moving means 81 is a device that moves the shower means 70 shown in FIG. 2 in the vertical direction Q. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the shower means 70 extends from the drive apparatus 78 and the shower means 70. And a support plate 82 for fixing. The shower means 70 is fixed to the support plate 82, and the shower means 70 moves up and down when the drive device 78 moves the support plate 82 up and down. As shown in FIG. 9, the support plates 82 are arranged at both ends in the direction in which the support plate 89 that supports the liquid branch pipe 76 extends, and a long hole 83 that can finely adjust the position of the support plate 89 is provided. Have. The support plate 89 that supports the liquid branch pipe 76 and the support plate 82 connected to the driving device 78 are fixed by fastening members 84 such as screws, bolts, and nuts. As shown in FIG. 12 described later, the cleaning liquid supplied to the shower means 70 is supplied from the overflow tank 38, the circulation pump 41, the cooling device 40, the filter 42, the pipe 80, the liquid branch pipe 79, the pipe 77, the liquid. The branch pipe 76 is passed through in that order to reach the liquid feed pipe 74, and the work 44 is shower-washed by being ejected from a washing ejection hole 71 provided in the shower surface 72.

  By the shower moving means 81, the shower means 70 can be moved up and down integrally. Examples of the driving device 78 include a motor and a timing belt. The piping paths shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 are the same as those described with reference to FIG.

  According to the cleaning apparatus 1 of the present invention described above, shower cleaning can be performed immediately when the mounting jig 10 is pulled up from the cleaning liquid, so that cleaning unevenness and reattachment of floating substances can be prevented. Further, during the ultrasonic cleaning in the cleaning tank 37, both the shower cleaning when the work 44 is pulled up after the ultrasonic cleaning is stopped and the shower cleaning after the work is pulled out of the cleaning tank are used. It is possible to evenly and uniformly clean one or a plurality of workpieces 44 attached to the. As a result, the structure of the mounting jig 10 of the workpiece 44 and the shower structure are not complicated, and the workpiece can be cleaned without unevenness of cleaning, and particularly cleaning of electronic components, optical components, glass substrates and other precision components and precision materials. Can be preferably applied.

(Cleaning method)
FIG. 11 is a process diagram showing an example of the cleaning method of the present invention. The cleaning method of the present invention is performed by using the above-described cleaning apparatus 1, and as shown in FIG. 11, at least an ultrasonic cleaning step (FIG. 11 ( B)) and a first shower process (see FIGS. 11B and 11C) for cleaning the workpiece 44 by the shower means 70 in the cleaning tank 37 simultaneously with or after the ultrasonic cleaning process. have. In addition, the example of FIG. 11 is an example at the time of making the shower means 70 into one and attaching the plate-shaped workpiece | work 44 which opposes the shower means 70 to the attachment jig 10 for simplification of description. .

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11A, the attachment jig 10 to which the work 44 has been attached in advance is lowered into the cleaning tank 37 in which the cleaning solvent 46 is circulated by the shower means 70. When the mounting jig 10 is lowered, the shower means 70 may be operated, but in the illustrated example, the shower means 70 is stopped. Then, after the mounting jig 10 is lowered to a predetermined position above the ultrasonic cleaning means 60, shower cleaning is performed while performing ultrasonic cleaning, as shown in FIG. At this time, you may wash | clean, swinging one or both of the attachment jig | tool 10 and the shower means 70 to an up-down direction. Further, the swing may be performed by synchronizing the mounting jig 10 and the shower means 70 or may be performed asynchronously. If an arbitrary swinging operation is selected from these swinging operations, the cleaning conditions can be arbitrarily set.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 11 (C), the ultrasonic cleaning means 60 is stopped to perform only shower cleaning, and then the mounting jig 10 is pulled out of the cleaning tank 37 as shown in FIG. 11 (D). . The mounting jig 10 is preferably pulled up while performing shower cleaning, and may be stopped at an arbitrary timing when the lifting is completed. In this example, only the mounting jig 10 is pulled up. However, the mounting jig 10 and the shower means 70 may be pulled upward at the same time as performing the shower cleaning, or the mounting jig 10 and the shower unit 70 may be lifted up. You may perform shower washing | cleaning, after pulling up the washing tank 37 to the upper direction of the washing tank 37 simultaneously or shifting timing. In the present invention, the shower cleaning on the cleaning layer 37 is referred to as a second shower cleaning process. However, such a second shower cleaning process can prevent reattachment of floating substances floating on the surface of the cleaning liquid when the mounting jig 10 is pulled up. Alternatively, since the reattachment can be removed by washing, uneven cleaning, reattachment of suspended matter, and the like can be prevented.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 11 (E), the mounting jig 10 is further raised and dried in the drying region, and as shown in FIG. 11 (F), the mounting jig 10 is further lifted and removed from the cleaning apparatus 1. Take out.

  According to such a cleaning method of the present invention, one or a plurality of workpieces 44 attached to the mounting jig 10 can be uniformly and uniformly cleaned by the ultrasonic cleaning process and the shower cleaning process. As a result, the structure of the work mounting jig and the shower structure are not complicated, and the work can be cleaned without uneven cleaning. Furthermore, for example, when the work is lifted out of the washing tank to the outside of the washing tank, the shower means can be moved in the same manner, so that reattachment of floating substances floating on the surface of the washing liquid can be prevented, and complex shaped works and Even when the mounting jig is used, shower cleaning can be performed immediately when the mounting jig is pulled up from the cleaning liquid, and it becomes possible to prevent cleaning unevenness and reattachment of floating substances.

(Washing tank structure)
The gist of the present invention is as described above. Hereinafter, the structure of the cleaning apparatus will be described in more detail. The contents already described above are omitted. FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a cleaning apparatus having the cleaning tank 11.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the cleaning apparatus 1 is a tank for cleaning the workpiece 44 using a liquid and vapor cleaning solvent 46, and a cleaning tank 37 for immersing the workpiece 44 in the cleaning solvent 46 and cleaning it with ultrasonic waves. (Liquid cleaning region 101), a steam cleaning region 102 for steam cleaning the workpiece 44, and a cooling region 103 for cooling and drying the workpiece 44. Although the cleaning apparatus 1 is provided with a pipe 54 for supplying the steam generated in the steam generation tank 52 to the steam cleaning region 102, the pipe form is not particularly limited.

  The liquid cleaning region 101 (cleaning tank 37) is a region that is provided in the lower portion of the cleaning device 1 and cleans the workpiece 44 with the liquid cleaning solvent 46. The liquid cleaning region 101 has a capacity sufficient to immerse the mounting jig 10 on which one or more workpieces 44 are mounted in the cleaning solvent 46. Ultrasonic cleaning means 60 may be provided at the bottom. The ultrasonic cleaning means 60 is specifically an ultrasonic vibrator, and can be operated as necessary to improve the cleaning efficiency of the workpiece 44. Moreover, you may provide the temperature control means for performing temperature control. For example, when the ultrasonic cleaning means 60 is operated, the temperature of the cleaning solvent 46 rises. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, a predetermined number of coolers 62 (for example, Peltier elements) for keeping the temperature constant are provided. It may be provided. Various types of coolers 62 can be used. For example, a combination of a Peltier element and a cooling fan motor can be used.

  The liquid cleaning region 101 can be composed of a cleaning tank 37 that stores a certain amount of cleaning solvent 46 and an overflow tank 38 that receives the cleaning solvent 46 that has overflowed from the cleaning tank 37. For example, when the washing tank 37 has a quadrangular shape as shown in FIG. 12, the overflow tank 38 may be provided on the four sides or on one side, and is not particularly limited. By adopting such a structure, the cleaning solvent 46 in the cleaning tank 37 can always be a constant amount, and only the excess amount of the cleaning solvent 46 overflows into the overflow tank 38, so the liquid in the cleaning tank 37 is cleaned. As a result, a stable liquid cleaning can be achieved. Reference numeral 39 </ b> A is a liquid level gauge of the cleaning tank 37, and reference numeral 39 </ b> B is a liquid level gauge of the overflow tank 38.

  The cleaning solvent 46 that overflows the cleaning tank 37 and flows into the overflow tank 38 may be circulated to the cleaning apparatus 1 via the cooling apparatus 40. Examples of the cooling device 40 at this time include a heat exchanger. Further, the circulation of the overflowed cleaning solvent 46 can be returned to the liquid cleaning region 101 again via the circulation pump 41 and the filter 42. With this configuration, the degree of freedom in cleaning the workpiece 44 can be improved.

  In particular, by connecting the circulation path to the shower means 70 described above, the cleaning efficiency for the workpiece 44 mounted on the mounting jig 10 in the cleaning tank 37 can be improved. Further, if the shower cleaning is performed using the cleaning solvent 46 cooled by the cooling device 40, the steam is easily condensed on the surface of the work 44 when it is pulled up to the steam cleaning region 102, so that efficient steam cleaning becomes possible. There is an advantage. Further, when the workpiece 44 is pulled up from the liquid cleaning region 101 to the vapor cleaning region 102, shower cleaning can be performed at the same time. By doing so, it is possible to prevent reattachment of floating substances floating on the surface of the cleaning liquid.

  The steam cleaning region 102 is a region that is provided in an intermediate portion of the cleaning apparatus 1 and cleans the workpiece 44 with the cleaning solvent vapor 48. Similarly to the liquid cleaning region 101, the steam cleaning region 102 has a capacity sufficient to expose the mounting jig 10 on which one or more workpieces 44 are mounted to the cleaning solvent vapor 48 atmosphere. In the steam cleaning region 102, the cleaning solvent vapor 48 is supplied in contact with the workpiece 44 in a saturated state. The steam 48 is steam that has been raised in the first pipe 54 by the steam generated in the steam generation tank 52. The vapor 48 thus supplied contacts the surface of the work 44 and condenses, whereby the work 44 is cleaned.

  As shown in FIG. 12, heating means such as a heater 30 is preferably provided on the wall surface 31 (the inner wall surface or the outer wall surface of the intermediate portion of the cleaning apparatus 1) of the steam cleaning region 102. By providing such a heating means, it is possible to suppress the vapor 48 of the cleaning solvent from condensing and liquefying on the wall surface 31, so that the steam cleaning can be performed in a stable state.

  Further, it is preferable to provide a heat insulating member 36 on the wall surface near the boundary between the liquid cleaning region 101 and the vapor cleaning region 102. By providing the heat insulating member 36 on the wall surface in the vicinity of the boundary, temperature interference between the high temperature of the steam cleaning region wall surface and the low temperature of the liquid cleaning region wall surface can be made difficult. Cleaning can be realized. In addition, it is preferable to provide the heat insulating member 35 also on the wall surface near the boundary between the steam cleaning region 102 and the cooling region 103.

  The cooling region 103 is a region that is provided in the upper part of the cleaning apparatus 1 and cools and liquefies the cleaning solvent vapor. The cooling region 103 only needs to have a height and size such that vapor that cannot be liquefied does not escape from the work loading / unloading port 114 into the work environment, and the height and size are based on the capacity of the entire cleaning apparatus 1. Designed. Specifically, in the present embodiment, it is preferable to ensure a free board ratio of the height H of the cooling region 103 to the short side L of the opening of 1.5 or more.

  In the cooling region 103, the steam is cooled and liquefied by the cooled inner wall surface. Such liquefaction lowers the vapor pressure in the cooling region 103 and vaporizes the droplets condensed on the surface of the work 44, and as a result, the work 44 is dried.

  The cleaning solvent liquefied in the cooling region 103 can be recovered by the recovery means 124. The vapor 48 is liquefied on the inner wall surface of the cooling region 103 and flows down the inner wall surface. The collecting means 124 only needs to be provided so as to receive the cleaning solvent flowing down the inner wall surface. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, it is preferable to form a tray 50 along the inner wall surface. By this receiving tray 50, the cleaning solvent liquefied in the cooling region 103 can be recovered. The recovered cleaning solvent 46 is sent to the water separation tank 28 arranged separately from the cleaning device 1 through the pipe 126. The water separation tank 28 is provided with separation means for separating water from the cleaning solvent 46 recovered by the recovery means 124. Separation means is not particularly limited. For example, when an organic solvent having a specific gravity greater than that of water is used as a cleaning solvent, it is possible to wash with water that causes stains by a simple method of providing a partition plate 29 that partitions the center of the water tank. The solvent 46 can be separated. By providing the recovery means 124 and the water separation layer 28, it is possible to prevent the cleaning solvent containing water from being mixed with the cleaning solvent in the liquid cleaning region. As a result, the cleaning of the workpiece 44 in the liquid cleaning region 101 can be performed in a stable state.

  The steam generation tank 52 is a tank that generates steam by heating the cleaning solvent 46 with a heating means such as a heater 53, and a liquid level gauge 39 </ b> C may be provided on the side wall of the steam generation tank 52.

  Examples of the cleaning solvent 46 include various solvents such as fluorine-based solvents such as HFC (hydro-fluoro-carbon) and HFE (hydro-fluoro-ether), and bromine-based solvents. By using such a cleaning apparatus 1, it is possible to reduce the consumption of the cleaning solvent and more effectively perform the steam cleaning and drying of the workpiece. For example, in a clean room or the like, electronic parts, precision parts, metal parts, A printed wiring board, a glass substrate and other various objects to be cleaned (workpieces) can be cleaned extremely efficiently and at low cost.

It is a schematic front view which shows an example of the washing | cleaning apparatus of this invention. It is a typical perspective view which shows an example of a shower means. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of an attachment jig, (A) is a top view, (B) is a front view. It is sectional drawing which shows the center structure of the connection part to which a suspension shaft is connected. It is an example of the form which hold | maintains a plate-shaped workpiece | work with the attachment jig which has a shelf part. It is an example of the form which hold | maintains a plate-shaped workpiece | work with the attachment jig which does not have a shelf part. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a holding member. It is a typical block diagram which shows the moving mechanism of an attachment jig and a shower means. It is a top view of the moving mechanism shown in FIG. It is a side view of the shower means shown in FIG. It is process drawing which shows an example of the washing | cleaning method of this invention. It is a typical block diagram which shows an example of the washing | cleaning apparatus which has a washing tank.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cleaning apparatus 10, 10A, 10B Mounting jig 11 Support plate 12 Connection part 13 Hanging shaft 14 Shelf part 15 Central structure 16 Fixing plate 17 Screw 18 Slit 19 Holding member 20 Inclined surface 21 Bolt-shaped member 22 Washer-like spacer member 23 Nut-shaped member 28 Water separation tank 37 Cleaning tank 38 Overflow tank 40 Cooling device 41 Circulating pump 42 Filter 44 Work 46 Cleaning solvent 48 Steam 52 Steam generating tank 53 Heater 54 Piping 60 Ultrasonic cleaning means 62 Cooler 64 Cooler 70 Shower means 71 Cleaning liquid ejection hole 72 Shower surface 73 Shower member 74 Liquid feed pipe 75 Connection member 76 Liquid branch pipe 77 Pipe 78 Drive device 79 Liquid branch pipe 80 Pipe 81 Shower moving means 82 Support plate 83 Elongated hole 84 Fastening member 89 Support plate 90 Workpiece Moving means 91 Lowering arm 92 Suspension member 93 Plate 101 Liquid cleaning area 102 Steam cleaning area 103 Steam cleaning cooling 114 Workpiece loading / unloading port 115 Heat dissipating fan motor G Distance between work and support plate L Spacer part M Holding part N Locking part S1 Shower Surface area S2 Area of workpiece to be cleaned Q Vertical direction X Width direction Y Vertical direction

Claims (12)

A cleaning tank for immersing the workpiece in a cleaning liquid and cleaning, an ultrasonic cleaning means provided in the cleaning tank, a mounting jig for carrying in and out of the cleaning tank with the workpiece mounted thereon, and a workpiece attached to the mounting jig And shower means disposed opposite to each other,
The shower means has a shower surface provided with a plurality of cleaning liquid ejection holes, and the area of the shower surface is the same as or larger than the area of the region to be cleaned of the workpiece. apparatus.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a workpiece moving unit that moves the mounting jig in a vertical direction that is a loading / unloading direction of a workpiece; and a shower moving unit that moves the shower unit in the vertical direction. The mounting jig includes first and second support plates arranged back to back, a connecting portion for connecting the first and second support plates, and a suspension shaft connected to the connecting portion,
The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the shower unit includes a shower member disposed to face the work held by the first and second support plates.   The cleaning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an upper end surface of the constituent member of the attachment jig is formed by chamfering or a gently curved surface.   The mounting jig is used for cleaning a plate-shaped workpiece, and includes a support plate that supports the workpiece, a shelf that extends horizontally from a lower end of the support plate to prevent the workpiece from falling, and the support plate. The cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a holding member that is established on the surface of the substrate and holds the workpiece in parallel with the support plate. The support plate has a plurality of slits extending in a width direction perpendicular to the up-down direction which is a loading / unloading direction of the workpiece by the mounting jig,
The cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein the holding member is detachably engaged with the slits at a plurality of positions at positions corresponding to the size of the workpiece to be attached.   The holding member includes a spacer portion that keeps the distance between the workpiece and the support plate constant, a latch portion that keeps the distance to the spacer at an interval greater than the thickness of the workpiece, and the spacer portion and the latch The cleaning apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a holding portion that holds the workpiece between the two portions.   The said shelf part is a washing | cleaning apparatus in any one of Claims 5-7 which consists of a nail | claw shape provided in the width direction of the said support plate with the predetermined space | interval.   The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the shower means is suspended and held by at least two liquid feeding pipes that supply the cleaning liquid. A cleaning tank for immersing the workpiece in a cleaning liquid and cleaning, an ultrasonic cleaning means provided in the cleaning tank, a mounting jig for carrying in and out of the cleaning tank with the workpiece mounted thereon, and a workpiece attached to the mounting jig Shower means arranged opposite to the workpiece, workpiece moving means for moving the mounting jig in the vertical direction that is the work loading / unloading direction, and shower moving means for moving the shower means in the vertical direction, the shower means Is a cleaning method performed by a cleaning apparatus having a shower surface provided with a plurality of cleaning liquid ejection holes and the area of the shower surface being equal to or larger than the area of the workpiece to be cleaned,
An ultrasonic cleaning step of cleaning the workpiece by the ultrasonic cleaning means;
A cleaning method comprising: a first shower step of cleaning the workpiece by the shower means in the cleaning tank simultaneously with or after the ultrasonic cleaning step. A lifting step of simultaneously pulling up the attachment jig and the shower means to which the work is attached, by the work moving means and the shower moving means, upward of the cleaning tank,
The cleaning method according to claim 10, further comprising a second shower cleaning step of cleaning the workpiece by the shower means simultaneously with or after the pulling step.   The cleaning method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the first and / or second showering step includes a swinging step of swinging one or both of the shower means and the mounting jig in the vertical direction.

Images