JP2009220945A - Conveyance apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conveyance apparatus that keeps a tension applied to a work W constant and securely conveys a work without adding foreign matter to the a pattern formation surface of the work. <P>SOLUTION: The conveyance apparatus conveys a lengthy work whose first surface is coated with photosensitizing agent and is provided with: a supply reel (2) around which the lengthy work (W) is wrapped; an exposure part (20) for exposing the photosensitizing agent of the work fed from the supply reel; a winding reel (5) for winding the work exposed at the exposure part (20); and a conveyance auxiliary means for conveying the work in contact with any face except the first face of the work (W). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport device for transporting a tape-shaped workpiece from a supply side to a processing stage and transporting the workpiece processed at the processing stage to a winding side.

  Generally, the base material of an electronic circuit board (printed circuit board) used for various small electric devices such as mobile phones and mobile devices is light, thin and short, and can be handled with a thick plate material in the manufacturing process. It is difficult to handle with a long tape (hereinafter referred to as “work”) in a thin high-precision film state. In such a workpiece, the material actually used was conventionally about 0.1 mm thick, but in recent years it has spurred the trend of thinning to 0.05 mm or less and around 0.03 mm, Furthermore, recently, not only the thickness but also a tape-like work having a thin circuit width of 150 to 250 mm has been used.

When manufacturing an electronic circuit board from such a tape-shaped workpiece, there is a problem related to workpiece conveyance. As a conveyance mechanism that solves this problem, a horizontal conveyance type conveyance that conveys the workpiece in a horizontal state The mechanism is known (Patent Document 1). In addition, since electronic circuits have become finer, deflection and foreign matter in the exposure stage have become important problems. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a so-called air dancer mechanism that adjusts the tension of a workpiece in order to feed and stabilize the workpiece without applying extra tension to the exposure stage. Further, Patent Document 2 or Patent Document 3 discloses a transport mechanism that transports a workpiece in the vertical direction with the exposure stage vertical in order to prevent the dust in the air from adhering to the workpiece and the mask and increase the resolution. is doing.
Japanese Patent No. 2836787 JP 2005-326550 A JP 2007-314347 A

  The conventional conveyance mechanism has the following problems. For example, in the transport mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 2, the mask, the optical system, and the workpiece can be smoothly aligned with each other by holding them with pressing rollers that sandwich both surfaces of the workpiece at positions before and after the exposure stage. There is a problem that a load more than necessary is applied to the workpiece by sandwiching both sides.

  Further, in Patent Document 3, the surface coated with the photosensitive material, that is, the surface irradiated with the exposure light comes into contact with the take-up reel rotating portion, and the photosensitive material is exposed to contamination, partial damage, and the like. There was a risk of adverse effects.

  Therefore, in the transfer device for transferring the work, the tension generated by the transfer from the supply reel to the processing stage and the transfer from the processing stage to the take-up reel is kept constant, and the drawing resolution etc. Therefore, it is required to ensure the cleanliness of the workpiece so as not to attach dust that deteriorates the quality of the workpiece and to convey the workpiece reliably. In the present invention, in particular, in the conveyance from the processing stage to the take-up reel, it is necessary to reliably convey the work without keeping the tension applied to the work constant and adhering dust to the pattern forming surface of the work.

  The present invention provides a transport device that reliably transports a workpiece without maintaining a constant tension applied to the workpiece and without causing foreign matter such as dust to adhere to the pattern forming surface of the workpiece.

The conveyance device according to the first aspect conveys a long workpiece having a first surface coated with a photosensitive material. The transport device includes a supply reel around which a long workpiece is wound, a photosensitive processing unit that exposes a photosensitive material of the workpiece sent from the supply reel, and a winding that winds up the workpiece that has been exposed to the photosensitive processing unit. A take-up reel, and a conveyance assisting means for conveying the work in contact with a portion other than the first surface of the work from the supply reel to the take-up reel.
With this configuration, the transport device does not damage the first surface on which the photosensitive material is applied.

In the transport apparatus according to the second aspect, the transport assisting unit feeds the workpiece in the vertical direction in the photosensitive processing unit.
With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the possibility of foreign matter adhering to the workpiece.

The photosensitive processing unit of the transport device according to the third aspect exposes the electronic circuit board to the photosensitive material.
This transport apparatus is particularly suitable for the production of a flexible flexible substrate.

The transport assisting means of the transport device of the fourth aspect includes a first transport assisting means provided in a transport path from the supply reel to the photosensitive processing section, and a first transport path provided in the transport path from the photosensitive processing section to the take-up reel. 2 It includes a conveyance auxiliary means.
In the case where a workpiece is accurately fed to the exposure processing unit one frame at a time, the first conveyance assisting means is provided on a conveyance path from the supply reel to the photosensitive processing unit and a conveyance path from the photosensitive processing unit to the take-up reel. It is preferable to arrange the second conveyance assisting means.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the first transport assisting unit adjusts the tension between the supply reel and the photosensitive processing unit by blowing air from above the work and the weight of the work. The second conveyance assisting unit is disposed on the opposite side of the photosensitive processing unit with the take-up reel as a center, and is arranged between the supply reel and the photosensitive processing unit by air blown from above the workpiece and the weight of the workpiece. There is a second tension adjusting means for adjusting the tension.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the first transport auxiliary means adjusts the tension between the supply reel and the photosensitive processing unit by the air blown from above the work and the weight of the work. The second conveyance assisting means is provided on the opposite side of the photosensitive processing section with the take-up reel as a center and presses the second surface opposite to the first surface of the workpiece toward the ceiling. Have.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the first transport auxiliary means adjusts the tension between the supply reel and the photosensitive processing unit by the air blown from above the work and the weight of the work. The second conveyance assisting unit includes a tension adjusting unit, and is disposed between the take-up reel and the photosensitive processing unit, and includes a unit that pressurizes the second surface opposite to the first surface of the workpiece toward the ground.

  The transport apparatus according to the present invention can transport a workpiece from the supply reel through the processing stage to the take-up reel without touching the surface on which the photosensitive material is applied. In addition, since the conveyance device does not come into contact with the conveyance assisting means such as a guide roller on the surface of the workpiece where the photosensitive material is applied, foreign materials are not mixed into the photosensitive material, and deformation of the photosensitive material, alteration due to friction, There is no fear. For this reason, the photosensitive material can be expected to have a good reaction, and hence a good pattern can be formed.

<< First Embodiment >>
Below, the workpiece | work exposure conveyance apparatus 100 which is embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a workpiece exposure / conveyance apparatus 100 including an exposure unit 10 and a conveyance unit CV, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the conveyance unit CV. Hereinafter, the exposure unit 10 and the transport unit CV of the workpiece exposure transport apparatus 100 will be described.

<Configuration of exposure unit 10>
As shown in FIG. 1, the exposure unit 10 exposes the pattern of the mask MK one block at a time to the workpiece W conveyed by the conveyance unit CV frame by frame. The exposure unit 10 is arranged with a light source system 11 such as a mercury lamp, a mask holding frame 12 holding a mask MK arranged on the optical axis of the light source system 11, and a predetermined distance from the mask holding frame 12. Projection optical system 13.

  The mask holding frame 12 is a support frame that holds the mask MK in a vertical state, and is disposed so as to face the projection optical system 13. The mask holding frame 12 has a drive mechanism for moving the mask MK in the vertical direction orthogonal to the incident optical axis of the projection optical system 13. On the mask MK, an electronic circuit pattern for one block to be projected onto the film-like workpiece W, an alignment mark, and the like are drawn.

  The projection optical system 13 includes an incident-side convex lens 13a and an emitting-side convex lens 13b provided so that the optical axes of incident light and outgoing light coincide with the lens center. As this projection optical system 13, for example, a Dyson optical system or a reduction projection optical system is used, and the circuit pattern of the mask MK is transmitted through the incident side convex lens 13a and the output side convex lens 13b and then emitted from the output side convex lens 13b. The workpiece W is irradiated.

  The photosensitive processing unit 20 aligns the exposure stage 21 arranged on the optical path of the irradiation light sent from the projection optical system 13 and the alignment mark (not shown) of the workpiece W and the mask MK prior to exposure. A camera 22 for observing a mark (not shown) is provided.

  The exposure stage 21 of the photosensitive processing unit 20 is connected to a vacuum pump pipe (not shown), and is configured to suck and fix the film-like workpiece W. In the exposure stage 21, the film-like workpiece W is transported block by block, and exposure is performed after the alignment between the film-like workpiece W and the mask MK is completed. The exposure stage 21 in the vertical direction prevents foreign matter from adhering to the workpiece W, and the mask MK also faces in the vertical direction, so that the possibility of foreign matter adhering to the mask MK is reduced.

  The camera 22 includes a half mirror, a CCD, and the like in order to observe the alignment mark of the film-like workpiece W and the alignment mark of the mask MK. The camera 22 is retracted at the time of exposure and is arranged at a position off the optical path.

<Configuration of transport unit CV>
Next, the configuration of the transport unit CV will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the conveyance unit CV includes a workpiece supply system 30 as a first conveyance auxiliary unit provided in a conveyance path from the supply reel 2 to the photosensitive processing unit 20, and a photosensitive workpiece CV. A work take-up system 40 is provided as a second conveyance auxiliary means from the processing unit 20 to the take-up reel 5. The workpiece supply system 30 includes a supply reel 2 for workpieces W, supply guide rollers 31 (31 a and 31 b), and a first transport roller 32. The workpiece winding system 40 according to the present embodiment includes a second transport roller 42, winding guide rollers 41 (41 a, 41 b, 41 c, 41 d), and a winding reel 5.

  Between the supply reel 2 and the first transport roller 32, the work W is transported substantially obliquely downward with the surface on which the photosensitive material is applied facing the ceiling direction (+ Z direction). . The workpiece W is conveyed vertically downward between the first conveyance roller 32 and the second conveyance roller 42. The workpiece W is conveyed in a substantially horizontal direction between the second conveyance roller 42 and the winding guide roller 41a. The workpiece W is conveyed vertically upward between the winding guide roller 41a and the winding guide roller 41b.

  The supply reel 2 is arranged at a position higher than the supply guide roller 31a on the downstream side in the transport direction. For example, the supply reel 2 has a winding portion with a diameter of 750 mm, and has flange portions (not shown) on the left and right edges. The supply guide roller 31a is disposed obliquely below the supply reel 2, is disposed at a height that is the same as or slightly higher than the supply guide roller 31b, and is disposed above the opening of the first tension adjusting means 33. ing. The first tension adjusting means 33 is provided at a position where the work W hanging between the supply guide roller 31a and the supply guide roller 31b can be stored.

  The first tension adjusting means 33 is a means that is disposed between the supply reel 2 and the first transport roller 32 and applies tension to the work W supplied from the supply reel 2 to absorb slack of the work W. In the first tension adjusting means 33, the workpiece W fed from the supply reel 2 is conveyed between the supply reel 2 and the supply guide roller 31a and between the supply guide roller 31b and the first conveyance roller 32. At times, the tension is adjusted by slacking in a U shape by its own weight so that excessive load and slack do not occur. Further, the first tension adjusting means 33 forms a rectangular parallelepiped space in which the workpiece W can be conveyed by combining a plurality of cylindrical rollers 39 in parallel so as to be substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction of the workpiece W slacked in a U-shape. ing. That is, since the first tension adjusting means 33 contacts the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical roller 39 when the work W moves in the width direction (X direction), the movement of the work W in the width direction can be restricted. In addition, a first blower nozzle N1 for blowing compressed air or blower by a blower downward is provided approximately in the middle between the supply guide roller 31a and the supply guide roller 31b. Since the work W in the first tension adjusting means 33 is applied with the necessary tension by the air volume of the first blower nozzle N1, the work W is stably conveyed without vibrating up and down during the conveyance.

  The supply guide roller 31b is disposed at a position equivalent to or slightly lower than the supply guide roller 31a, and is disposed at a position higher than the first conveyance roller 32. The first transport roller 32 and the second transport roller 42 are arranged in a substantially straight line in the vertical direction. The work W passing through the first transport roller 32 is transported obliquely downward from the supply guide roller 31b, is further wound around the first transport roller 32, and is turned toward the exposure stage 21 in the vertical direction. To the second transport roller 42. The first transport roller 32 and the second transport roller 42 transport the workpiece W frame by frame. The driving and structure of the first transport roller 32 and the second transport roller 42 will be described in detail later.

  The exposure stage 21 is disposed at an intermediate position between the first transport roller 32 and the second transport roller 42. The exposure stage 21 has a suction mechanism (not shown) and sucks the workpiece W one frame at a time during exposure. On the photosensitive material applied to one surface of the workpiece W, the pattern of the mask MK is exposed through the projection optical system 13. The exposed workpiece W reaches the second conveyance roller 42, and is conveyed substantially horizontally between the winding guide rollers 41a, and is conveyed vertically upward between the winding guide rollers 41b.

  When the center of the take-up reel 5 is set to the origin “0” of the YZ coordinate, the work take-up system 40 is provided with a take-up guide roller 41 and a second tension adjusting means 43 in the −Y region, and these means are passed through. Then, the work W is wound around the take-up reel 5 and collected. Note that the take-up reel 5 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 2 when a drive shaft (not shown) is driven by a motor or the like.

  The workpiece W that has passed through the second conveying roller 42 maintains the surface on which the photosensitive material is applied in the ground direction, moves substantially horizontally to the −Y region, and reaches the winding guide roller 41a. The winding guide roller 41a changes the traveling direction vertically upward (+ Z direction). Further, the conveying direction of the workpiece W is changed by the winding guide roller 41b in the + Z direction, and the tension applied to the workpiece W is adjusted by the second tension adjusting means 43.

  The second tension adjusting means 43 accommodates the workpiece W between the winding guide roller 41c and the winding guide roller 41d. The second tension adjusting unit 43 is a unit that absorbs slackness of the work W between the second transport roller 42 and the take-up reel 5. A winding guide roller 41 c is disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction of the second tension adjusting means 43, and a winding guide roller 41 d is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction of the second tension adjusting means 43. The second tension adjusting unit 43 has the same configuration as the first tension adjusting unit 33, for example. That is, the second tension adjusting means 43 forms a rectangular parallelepiped space in which the workpiece W can be conveyed by combining a plurality of cylindrical rollers 49 in parallel so as to be substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction of the workpiece W slacked in a U-shape. is doing. In addition, a second blower nozzle N2 is installed above the center of the winding guide roller 41c and the winding guide roller 41d. The workpiece W fed from the take-up guide roller 41c is put into the second tension adjusting means 43, and tension is applied in a U-shape in the rectangular parallelepiped space by the weight of the workpiece W and the blowing from the second blowing nozzle N2. It is applied and conveyed toward the take-up guide roller 41d.

  The conveyance unit CV is not in contact with the surface of the workpiece W coated with the photosensitive material between the supply reel 2 and the take-up reel 5. That is, the surface of the workpiece W on which the photosensitive material is applied is conveyed without contacting the first conveyance assisting means (work supply system 30) and the second conveyance assisting means (work winding system 40).

  The supply guide roller 31 and the take-up guide roller 41 used in the present embodiment are auxiliary rollers that freely rotate with the same structure and guide the next roller so that the workpiece W does not shift. The supply guide roller 31 and the take-up guide roller 41 may be provided with flanges so that the workpiece W does not shift in the width direction, but are basically unnecessary. This is because the movement of the workpiece W in the width direction is restricted by the cylindrical roller 39 of the first tension adjusting means 33 and the cylindrical roller 49 of the second tension adjusting means 43. Even when the workpiece W moves in the width direction, the surface on which the photosensitive material of the workpiece W is applied only by the end surface of the workpiece W being in contact with the cylindrical roller 39 or the cylindrical roller 49 is the supply guide roller 31 and the cylinder. The roller 39, the take-up guide roller 41 or the cylindrical roller 49 are not touched.

<Conveyor roller structure>
Next, the first transport roller 32 and the second transport roller 42 installed above and below the exposure stage 21 will be described. FIG. 3A is an enlarged configuration diagram showing the first conveying roller 32 of FIG. FIG.3 (b) is AA sectional drawing of (a).
The first transport roller 32 and the second transport roller 42 have the same configuration, and only the mounting positions are different above and below the exposure stage 21. Therefore, the first conveying roller 32 will be described as a representative.

  The first transport roller 32 shown in FIG. 3A is a roller for transporting the workpiece W from the supply guide roller 31b toward the exposure stage 21, and the first transport roller 32 is intermittently driven to rotate by the motor M2. The workpiece W is conveyed one frame at a time. As shown in FIG. 3B, the first transport roller 32 has a suction hole 34 that sucks the work W onto the roller surface 37 of the first transport roller 32, and sucks the work W through the suction hole 34. The suction pipe 35 is connected. Therefore, the surface W (NE) opposite to the surface W (EX) on which the photosensitive material of the workpiece W is applied is adsorbed by the adsorption holes 34 on the roller surface 37. The workpiece W is conveyed by the rotation amount by the rotation of the first conveying roller 32, and the workpiece W and the roller surface 37 do not idle.

  The first conveying roller 32 is a hollow rotating body that is fixed to the rotating shaft 36 rotated by the motor M2 and conveys the workpiece W, and has a bobbin shape having flange portions 38 at both ends in the axial direction. In the first conveying roller 32, at least a roller surface 37 around which the work W is wound is formed of a synthetic resin such as a soft resin having a buffering property so that the fine vibration of the work W is easily absorbed. A large number of suction holes 34 are formed in the roller surface 37. The roller surface 37 may be stainless steel or other metal.

  The first conveying roller 32 includes a motor M2 for rotating the first conveying roller 32, a motor M2 and a motor shaft M2a, and a rotating shaft 36 that forms a suction pipe 35 connected to the motor shaft M2a. ing. The suction pipe 35 includes an intake passage 35a and an exhaust pipe 35b connected to a suction pump (not shown).

  The rotation shaft 36 transmits the rotation of the motor M2 to the first conveyance roller 32 to connect the role of the shaft that rotates the first conveyance roller 32 and the air in the first conveyance roller 32 to a suction pump (not shown). It is a member that fulfills the role of piping for the purpose. The rotary shaft 36 has a motor shaft M2a connected to one end and an exhaust pipe 35b of the suction pipe 35 provided to the other end. The rotary shaft 36 has a suction port 35c that sucks air in the first conveying roller 32 in the center, and a discharge port 35d for discharging air to the exhaust pipe 35b at the end of the intake passage 35a. It is provided and is hollow from the suction port 35c to the discharge port 35d.

  A motor M2 shown in FIG. 3 rotates the first conveyance roller 32 in order to intermittently convey the workpiece W wound around the first conveyance roller 32. The motor M2 is electrically connected to the control device and its rotation is controlled.

  The suction pipe 35 sucks the work W wound around the roller surface 37 of the first transport roller 32 by the suction force of a suction pump (not shown) and makes the work W adhere to the roller surface 37. The suction pipe 35 sucks the workpiece W from the suction hole 34 through the suction passage 35a and sucks the workpiece W into close contact with the roller surface 37 by sucking it from the exhaust pipe 35b. The first transport roller 32 includes the resin roller surface 37 and the suction pipe 35 as described above, and can smoothly transport the workpiece W while adsorbing the work W to the roller surface 37 with negative air pressure. In FIG. 3, a cover CV is provided at a portion not in contact with the workpiece W so that negative pressure is easily applied to the workpiece W. By providing this cover CV, the workpiece W can be sucked even by weak vacuum suction. When the cover CV is not provided, it is necessary to increase the suction force.

<Flowchart of transport mechanism>
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the workpiece exposure / conveyance apparatus 100 of the present embodiment.
In step S <b> 1, a work W that is a new material before processing is set on the supply reel 2. The workpiece W is wound around the workpiece supply system 30 and the workpiece winding system 40 as shown in FIG. In the first tension adjusting means 33 and the second tension adjusting means 43, the workpiece W is set in a rectangular parallelepiped space in a U-shape.

  In step S2, the exposure unit 10 and the transport unit CV are activated. The mercury lamp of the light source system 11 is turned on when power is supplied, but light from the mercury lamp is blocked by a shutter mechanism (not shown). Further, the suction pump (not shown) is also driven so that the roller surfaces 37 of the first transport roller 32 and the second transport roller 42 attract the work W, and the blower nozzle N1 and the second tension of the first tension adjusting means 33. The blowing of static air by compressed air or a blower is started from the blowing nozzle N2 of the adjusting means 43.

  In step S3, the conveyance driving motor M2 disposed on the first conveyance roller 32 and the second conveyance roller 42 is driven, and the workpiece W is blocked by one block by the supply reel 2, the first conveyance roller 32, and the second conveyance roller 42. Supplied one by one. The supply reel 2 is pulled out by rotating a motor (not shown) provided on the supply reel 2. The workpiece W is sent obliquely downward from the supply reel 2 and is received so as to be wound around the supply guide roller 31a with its own weight.

  In step S4, the workpiece W fed into the rectangular space of the first tension adjusting means 33 by its own weight is conveyed to the supply guide roller 31b. The workpiece W entering the first tension adjusting means 33 is conveyed to the supply guide roller 31b while maintaining an appropriate tension by the weight of the workpiece W and the blowing nozzle N1.

  In step S <b> 5, the motor M <b> 2 rotates in a state where the workpiece W is attracted to the roller surface 37 by the suction hole 34. That is, the first transport roller 32 and the second transport roller 42 change the direction of one frame of the work W in the vertically downward direction and transport it.

  In step S6, the work W for one frame is attracted by the exposure stage 21 and subjected to exposure processing. The exposure stage 21 picks up and stops one frame of the workpiece W, and the camera 22 moved between the projection optical system 13 and the exposure stage 21 displays an alignment mark (not shown) displayed on the exposed portion of the workpiece W. The alignment mark (not shown) of the mask MK is imaged.

  In step S7, it is determined whether or not the amount of positional deviation between the alignment mark on the workpiece W and the alignment mark on the mask MK is equal to or less than a threshold value. If the positional deviation amount is equal to or smaller than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S9. If the positional deviation amount is larger than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S8.

  In step S8, the mask MK is moved by the driving mechanism of the support means that supports the mask MK so that the positional deviation amount becomes smaller than the threshold value. And it progresses to step S7 again.

  In step S9, since the positions of the workpiece W and the mask MK are adjusted, the shutter mechanism (not shown) is opened, and the exposure light from the light source system 11 irradiates the surface coated with the photosensitive material of the workpiece W, and the mask MK. The pattern is transferred to the workpiece W.

  In step S <b> 10, the exposed workpiece W is conveyed to the second tension adjusting unit 43 via the winding guide roller 41. That is, the workpiece W that has passed through the exposure stage 21 is pulled in the vertical downward direction along with the driving of the first conveyance roller 32 and the second conveyance roller 42, the conveyance direction is changed to a substantially horizontal direction (−Y direction), and winding is performed. The direction is changed vertically upward (+ Z direction) via the guide roller 41a. Further, the work W changes its direction in the substantially horizontal direction (+ Y direction) via the take-up guide roller 41 b, is transmitted through the take-up guide roller 41 c, and is sent to the second tension adjusting means 43.

  In step S <b> 11, the workpiece W whose tension is adjusted by the second tension adjusting unit 43 receives the workpiece W from the second tension adjusting unit 43 by the winding guide roller 41 d and is collected by the winding reel 5.

  In this way, the present transport mechanism can adjust the feed amount of the workpiece W in the vertical direction on the exposure stage 21 by the first transport roller 32 and the second transport roller 42, and the supply reel 2 to the take-up reel 5. In the conveyance up to, the tension applied to the workpiece W can be kept constant, and the pattern forming surface of the workpiece W can be wound without touching at all.

<< Second Embodiment >>
In the present embodiment, a first modification 43A of the second tension adjusting means 43 is shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the work supply system 30 of the first transport assisting means shown in the first embodiment is the same, and is omitted, and only the work winding system 40 of the second transport assisting means is shown. Similarly to FIG. 2, the center of the take-up roller 5 is the “0” point of the YZ coordinate, and the same reference numerals have the same structure or function.

  After the workpiece W of this embodiment has passed through the exposure stage 21 (see FIG. 2), the surface of the roller is sucked by the suction holes 34 (see FIG. 3) of the second conveying roller 42 of the workpiece winding system 40, as in the first embodiment. The sheet is attracted to 37 and the conveyance direction is changed in the -Y direction and substantially in the horizontal direction, and the conveyance direction is changed to the ceiling direction (+ Z direction) by the winding guide roller 41a at the position advanced to the -Y region. Then, the conveying direction of the workpiece W is changed to the horizontal or slightly below the horizontal and to the + Y direction by the winding guide roller 41b positioned above the winding guide roller 41a.

  The workpiece W whose conveyance direction has been changed to the + Y direction by the winding guide roller 41b is sent to the winding roller 5 via the winding guide roller 41c. The winding guide roller 41c is supported at its central axis by a shock absorber 44, and a load applied to the ground direction (−Z direction) due to the tension of the workpiece W applied to the axis of the winding guide roller 41c when the workpiece W is conveyed. And the workpiece W is conveyed toward the take-up roller 5. The winding guide roller 41c with the shock absorber 44 is a first modification 43A of the second tension adjusting means 43 of the second embodiment. The take-up reel 5 of this embodiment rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 5 when a drive shaft (not shown) is driven by a motor or the like. The take-up reel 5 collects the film-like work W conveyed from the work supply system 30 by taking up.

  The shock absorber 44, which is a well-known technique, is a device in which a spring and grease are incorporated in a cylinder, and is a device that absorbs vibrations and shocks using the viscosity of the spring and grease. In this embodiment, the tension generated when the winding roller 5 winds the workpiece W can be adjusted by changing the load of the workpiece W in the vertical direction (Z-axis) by installing the shock absorber 44. .

  The workpiece W of this embodiment has no member that contacts the surface of the workpiece W coated with the photosensitive material between the supply reel 2 and the take-up reel 5. That is, the surface of the workpiece W on which the photosensitive material is applied is conveyed without contacting the first conveyance assisting means (work supply system 30) and the second conveyance assisting means (work winding system 40).

<< Third Embodiment >>
The third embodiment is an embodiment in which the second conveyance auxiliary means is saved. FIG. 6A is a view showing a second modification 43B of the second tension adjusting means 43. FIG. Also in this embodiment, since the workpiece supply system 30 of the first conveyance auxiliary means shown in the first embodiment is the same, it is omitted and only the workpiece winding system 40 of the second conveyance auxiliary means is shown. Similarly to FIG. 2, the center of the take-up roller 5 is the “0” point of the YZ coordinate, and the same reference numbers have the same structure or function.

  The workpiece W whose conveyance direction has been changed to the -Y direction by the second conveyance roller 42 is wound around the winding roller 5 via the winding guide roller 41a and the winding guide roller 41b. The central axis of the take-up guide roller 41a is supported by a shock absorber 44 similar to that shown in the second embodiment. By using the winding guide roller 41a with the shock absorber 44, a second modification 43B of the second tension adjusting means 43 of the present embodiment is obtained. The second modification 43B can adjust the tension of the workpiece W in the ground direction (−Z direction).

  As in the second embodiment, the take-up reel 5 of the third embodiment rotates clockwise when the drive shaft is driven by a motor or the like. The take-up reel 5 collects the film-like work W conveyed from the work supply system 30 by taking up.

  In the third embodiment, compared with the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the workpiece W can be transported to the −Y region without protruding, and therefore the size of the device (installation space) equivalent to that of the conventional device. ).

  FIG. 6B is a view showing a third modified example 43C of the second tension adjusting means 43. The lever 45 with a spring applies pressure to the workpiece W in the ground direction (−Z direction) to adjust the tension when the workpiece W is conveyed. Note that the lever fulcrum may be above the workpiece W to be conveyed, on the winding roller 5 side.

  The work W of the third embodiment also has no member that contacts the surface of the work W coated with the photosensitive material between the supply reel 2 and the take-up reel 5. That is, the surface of the workpiece W on which the photosensitive material is applied is conveyed without contacting the first conveyance assisting means (work supply system 30) and the second conveyance assisting means (work winding system 40).

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the example which concerns. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be devised within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally interpreted as belonging to the technical scope of the present invention. .

1 is an overall perspective view of a workpiece exposure / conveyance apparatus 100. FIG. 3 is a side view of a conveyance unit CV of the workpiece exposure conveyance apparatus 100. FIG. (A) is the side view to which the 1st conveyance roller 32 was expanded. (B) is AA sectional drawing of (a). 3 is a flowchart of the workpiece exposure / conveyance apparatus 100. FIG. 6 is a diagram in which a shock absorber 44 is used for the second tension adjusting means 43. (A) is a figure which shows the 2nd modification 43B of the 2nd tension adjustment means 43, and is the figure which aimed at space saving. (B) is a figure which shows the 3rd modification 43C of the 2nd tension adjustment means 43, and is the figure which aimed at space saving.

Explanation of symbols

2 Supply reel 5 Take-up reel 10 Exposure unit 11 Light source system 12 Mask holding frame 13 Projection optical system 13a Incident side convex lens 13b Emission side convex lens 20 Photosensitive processing unit 21 Exposure stage 22 Camera 30 Work supply system 31 Supply guide roller 32 First transport Roller 33 First tension adjusting region 34 Suction hole 35 Suction pipe 35a Intake passage, 35b Exhaust pipe, 35c Suction port, 35d Discharge port 36 Rotating shaft 37 Roller surface 39 Cylindrical roller 40 Work take-up system 41 Take-up guide roller 42 First 2 conveying roller 43 second tension adjusting means 44 shock absorber 45 lever 100 with spring work exposure conveying device CV conveying unit N1 first blowing nozzle, N2 second blowing nozzle M2 motor MK mask W workpiece (W (EX) photosensitive material is Applied pattern surface, W (NE) photosensitive material applied The side that is not)

Claims (7)

A transport device for transporting a long workpiece having a photosensitive material coated on a first surface,
A supply reel around which the long workpiece is wound;
A photosensitive processing section for exposing the photosensitive material of the workpiece sent from the supply reel;
A take-up reel that winds up the workpiece that has been exposed to the photosensitive processing section;
From the supply reel to the take-up reel, conveyance auxiliary means that conveys the workpiece in contact with a portion other than the first surface of the workpiece;
A conveying device comprising:   The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport assist unit feeds the workpiece in a vertical direction in the photosensitive processing unit.   The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the photosensitive processing unit exposes an electronic circuit board to the photosensitive material.   The conveyance auxiliary means includes a first conveyance auxiliary means provided in a conveyance path from the supply reel to the photosensitive processing section, and a second conveyance auxiliary provided in a conveyance path from the photosensitive processing section to the take-up reel. The conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising means. The first conveyance assisting unit includes a first tension adjusting unit that adjusts a tension between the supply reel and the photosensitive processing unit by blowing air from above the workpiece and the weight of the workpiece.
The second conveyance assisting unit is disposed on the opposite side of the photosensitive processing unit with the take-up reel as a center, and the supply reel and the photosensitive processing unit of the photosensitive processing unit are blown from above the workpiece and by the weight of the workpiece. The transport apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a second tension adjusting unit that adjusts a tension between the two. The first conveyance assisting unit includes a first tension adjusting unit that adjusts a tension between the supply reel and the photosensitive processing unit by blowing air from above the workpiece and the weight of the workpiece.
The second conveyance assisting means is disposed on the opposite side of the photosensitive processing unit with the take-up reel as a center and has means for pressing the second surface opposite to the first surface of the workpiece toward the ceiling. The conveying apparatus according to claim 4. The first conveyance assisting unit includes a first tension adjusting unit that adjusts a tension between the supply reel and the photosensitive processing unit by blowing air from above the workpiece and the weight of the workpiece.
The second conveyance assisting means is disposed between the take-up reel and the photosensitive processing unit, and has means for pressing the second surface opposite to the first surface of the workpiece toward the ground. The transport apparatus according to claim 4.

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