JP2010266685A - Device and method for applying paste - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain the reduction of weight of an entire device including a rack by making a substrate holding mechanism small in size and light in weight against upsizing of a substrate. <P>SOLUTION: In the substrate holding mechanism 8 which is installed in the rack 1 (Fig.1) and on which the substrate is placed, a plurality of substrate placing members 32a to 32e having such constitution that plate type suction plates 34a to 34e are placed on U-shaped members 33a to 33e are arranged at equal intervals in an X-axis direction, and a plurality of coupling members 35a to 35d arranged at equal intervals orthogonally to the substrate placing members 32a to 32e are coupled with the lower surface sides of the substrate placing members 32a to 32e, then the substrate placing members 32a to 32e and the coupling members 35a to 35d form a table in the shape of parallel crosses. Upper surfaces of suction plates 34a to 34e are provided with suction holes, and form substrate placing surfaces. The substrate holding mechanism 8 turns in a θ axial direction by a plurality of cross roller bearings 36 and 36a, and moves in X and Y directions by an orthogonal bearing 37. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a paste coating apparatus and a coating method for applying a paste or dropping liquid crystal on a substrate in a flat panel manufacturing process.

  As a substrate holding mechanism of a conventional paste coating apparatus, an X-axis table is provided on the stand of the apparatus, and a Y-axis table movable in the X-axis direction is provided on the X-axis table. A θ-axis table movable in the Y-axis direction and rotatable (that is, movable in the θ-axis direction) is provided, and an adsorption table for adsorbing and fixing the substrate is provided on the θ-axis table. The thing of a structure is proposed (for example, refer patent document 1).

  In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the substrate adsorbed on the adsorption table has a predetermined position with respect to the nozzle of the application head unit that discharges paste so that each side thereof is parallel to the X and Y axes. The position and orientation are adjusted by an X, Y axis table or θ axis table so as to be related, and a paste or the like is discharged to a predetermined position on the substrate. These X, Y axis table and θ axis table are Driven by a servo motor controlled by a control device.

  Also, the coating head unit is provided and has a gantry (gate frame). The gantry is moved with respect to the substrate, and the coating head unit is further moved on the gantry so that the coating head unit is attached to the substrate. A paste coating apparatus having a structure adapted to move is also proposed (for example, see Patent Document 2).

  More specifically, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, two gantry units that can move in the X-axis direction are installed on a frame of the apparatus, and the horizontal beams of these gantry units are placed on the Y-axis. The gantry is driven in the X-axis direction and the coating head part is driven in the Y-axis direction, so that the nozzle of the coating head part becomes a substrate. It can be moved to any position above. Here, the gantry itself is driven in the X-axis direction on the gantry by the linear motor, and the coating head part is also moved along the gantry by the linear motor. The substrate is sucked and held on a θ-axis table provided on the gantry, and the orientation of the substrate is adjusted by rotating the θ-axis table. This θ-axis table is composed of parts obtained by processing a normal metal lump, and is provided with means for adsorbing the substrate.

Japanese Patent No. 7-275770 Japanese Patent No. 3701882

  In the field of flat panels such as LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), the size of the glass substrate for forming the panel is rapidly increasing, and along with this, paste for creating such a flat panel. The coating apparatus has also been increased in size, and the table as a substrate holding mechanism on which a glass substrate having a structure obtained by processing a metal lump as described above is too large to increase its mass, and it is enormous to drive it. Time is required, and there is a problem that the frame of the apparatus that supports the table is also increased in size and weight.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a paste coating apparatus and a coating method capable of solving such problems, realizing a reduction in the weight of the substrate holding mechanism with respect to an increase in the size of the substrate, and realizing a reduction in the weight of the entire apparatus including the gantry. It is to provide.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a paste coating apparatus and a coating method capable of reducing the installation space without reducing coating accuracy while taking measures against dust even during operation. .

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is provided with one or a plurality of application heads movably provided with a paste storage cylinder 6 filled with a paste and a nozzle outlet for discharging the paste from the paste storage cylinder. The gantry is installed on the gantry, the gantry moves relative to the substrate mounted on the substrate mounting table installed on the gantry, and the paste application device causes the paste to be ejected from the nozzle ejection port onto the substrate, The substrate mounting table is a table having a structure in which a plurality of first members provided with a plurality of suction holes and a plurality of second members are combined orthogonally to form a cross-beam shape,
An XYθ axis moving mechanism for adjusting the position and posture of the substrate placed on the substrate placement table by moving and rotating the substrate placement table is provided.

  The paste coating apparatus according to the present invention has a gantry on which a gantry provided with one or a plurality of coating heads movably provided with a paste storage cylinder filled with paste and a nozzle discharge port for discharging the paste from the paste storage cylinder is mounted on the gantry. Is a paste application device that moves a gantry relative to a substrate mounted on a substrate mounting table installed on a gantry and discharges paste onto the substrate from a nozzle discharge port. A θ-axis moving mechanism comprising a cross roller bearing for positioning in the rotation direction in the θ-axis direction is provided at the center, and the substrate mounting table is a combination of a plurality of first members and a plurality of second members orthogonal to each other. The table has a cross-shaped structure, and the first and second members are orthogonal to each other at an orthogonal bearing for positioning the substrate mounting table in the X and Y axis directions and in the θ direction. It is characterized in the provision of the XYθ axis moving mechanism consisting of a cross roller bearing for rolling direction positioning.

  The paste coating apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the gantry and a portion that is installed on the gantry side and supports a mechanism for moving the gantry can be separated outside the substrate mounting table.

  The paste coating apparatus according to the present invention includes means for moving a substrate mounting table on which a substrate is mounted to the outside of a range where paste can be applied by one or a plurality of coating heads provided in the gantry. To do.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is provided with one or a plurality of application heads movably provided with a paste storage cylinder filled with a paste and a nozzle outlet for discharging the paste from the paste storage cylinder. A paste application method in which a gantry is installed on a gantry, the gantry moves relative to a substrate mounted on a substrate mounting table installed on the gantry, and a paste is ejected onto the substrate from a nozzle ejection port. The mounting table is a table having a structure in which a plurality of first members and a plurality of second members are orthogonally combined to form a cross beam, and rotates in the θ-axis direction at the center of the substrate mounting table XY θ axis movement consisting of orthogonal bearing and cross roller bearing at a position other than the central part of the substrate mounting table, with a θ axis movement mechanism consisting of a cross roller bearing for positioning in the direction The substrate mounting table is positioned in the X and Y axis directions by orthogonal bearings provided at positions where the first and second members are orthogonal, and the first and second members are provided at orthogonal positions. The substrate mounting table is positioned in the rotation direction in the θ-axis direction by the cross roller bearing.

  In addition, the paste application method according to the present invention is characterized in that the gantry can be separated from a portion that is installed on the gantry side and supports a mechanism that moves the gantry.

  Further, the paste application method according to the present invention is characterized in that the substrate mounting table on which the substrate is mounted can be moved to the outside of the paste application range by the application head provided in the gantry. .

  According to the present invention, even if the substrate to be handled becomes large, the table on which the substrate is mounted can be reduced in weight, and the base on which the table is installed can also be reduced in weight, thereby reducing the overall weight of the apparatus. You can plan.

  In addition, as the table becomes lighter, the driving force of the table can be reduced, the moving speed of the table for alignment of the substrate can be increased, the processing time of the substrate can be shortened, and the processing efficiency can be improved. Can be achieved.

  Furthermore, as the table and the stand are reduced in weight, it is possible to assemble and adjust the apparatus in a short time, thereby improving work efficiency.

  Furthermore, since the control parts, the motor main body, the transmission mechanism, etc. of the table drive unit need only have a small capacity, they can be made compact and economical.

  Furthermore, since a large number of cavities appear in the table and its driving unit, it is easy to perform operations such as maintenance and assembly, and the work efficiency can be improved.

1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a paste coating apparatus and method according to the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows one specific example of the application | coating head part in FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a specific example of a main control system in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a specific example of a sub control system in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1. 2 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the overall operation of the first exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows one specific example of the state which removed the gantry of the paste coating device shown in FIG. 1 from the base. It is a perspective view which shows the other specific example of the state which removed the gantry of the paste coating device shown in FIG. 1 from the base. It is a perspective view which expands and shows a part of one specific example of the board | substrate holding mechanism in FIG. It is a figure which shows one specific example of the suction plate in FIG. It is a cross-sectional view along the parting line AA of the suction plate shown in FIG.

  The present invention comprises a gate-type frame (gantry) cross beam provided with a Y-axis direction moving mechanism of a coating head that linearly guides one or a plurality of coating heads having nozzles.

  As glass substrates increase year by year, the X-, Y-, and θ-axis tables on which such glass substrates are mounted are becoming larger and their weight is steadily increasing. The increase in the size of the table further increases the size of the motor that is the driving source, the size of the bearing such as the ball screw and the guide, and the size of the power transmission mechanism, and the size of many related mechanical components. Furthermore, not only the mechanism system, such as the capacity of the motor driver and the wiring scale, but also the substrate drive unit including the control system is increased.

  In addition, when the substrate driving unit is increased in size, there is a problem that the weight increases. When transporting equipment from the manufacturer to the installation site, etc., a freight vehicle is used, but there is a problem that the load weight does not fit within the limit. There is also a problem of requiring a vehicle. In addition, as the weight of the device increases, it is necessary to reinforce the floor surface state of the device installation location, and when reinforcing the floor surface rigidity in the clean room, this particularly increases the cost. There is a problem.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a table with a cross-girder structure as a whole by connecting a plurality of hollow members having spaces inside arranged in parallel to each other with a plurality of connecting members orthogonal to these. As a result, the weight of the substrate driving unit can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a paste coating apparatus and method according to the present invention viewed substantially in the X-axis direction, wherein 1 is a frame, 1a and 1b are side surfaces of the frame, and 2a and 2b are gantry (gate-type frames). 3a and 3b are transverse beams, 4a and 4b are transverse beam side support members, 5a and 5b are gantry side support members, 6a and 6b are X axis direction moving mechanisms, 7 is a magnet plate, 8 is a substrate holding mechanism, and 9 is a head installation. 10 is a coating head section, 11 is a Y axis direction moving mechanism including a linear rail, 12 is a Z axis servo motor, 13 is a Z axis moving table support bracket, 14 is a Z axis moving table, and 15 is a glass substrate. is there.

  In FIG. 1, in order to avoid complication of the drawing, only the portions appearing on the drawing are denoted by reference numerals, and the remaining portions are not denoted by reference numerals. The first embodiment relates to a paste application apparatus and method for drawing a paste pattern (seal material pattern) on a substrate surface, but is also applicable to a dropping apparatus for dropping liquid crystal on a substrate. Needless to say, you can.

  In FIG. 1, a substrate holding mechanism 8 is provided on the gantry 1, and a glass substrate 15 that has been transported (hereinafter simply referred to as a substrate 15) is mounted on the substrate holding mechanism 8. The substrate holding mechanism 8 can move the mounted substrate 15 in the X and Y axis directions or rotate (move in the θ axis direction). Is fine-tuned.

  Below the both sides of the substrate holding mechanism 8 on the gantry 1, X-axis direction moving mechanisms 6 a and 6 b are provided along the sides on both sides of the gantry 1 along the X-axis direction. Each of these X-axis direction moving mechanisms 6a and 6b forms, for example, a linear motor here, and its magnet plate 7 is installed in the X-axis direction. Two gantry 2a, 2b is mounted on these X-axis direction moving mechanisms 6a, 6b, and can be moved in the X-axis direction by these X-axis direction moving mechanisms 6a, 6b. Magnets provided on opposite sides in the width direction in order to reduce the width of the gantry 1 in the Y-axis direction (hereinafter referred to as the width) as small as possible with respect to the maximum width substrate 15 to be used. The plate 7 is installed in the vicinity of the side surfaces (that is, the left and right side surfaces) 1a and 1b in the X-axis direction of the gantry 1.

  Here, the gantry 2b on the front side of the drawing will be described. The gantry 2b includes a horizontal beam 3b that is long in the Y-axis direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction, and legs that are provided at both ends of the horizontal beam 3b and support the horizontal beam 2b. Frame side support members 4a and 4b, and these side beam side support members 4a and 4b are movably provided on the X-axis direction moving mechanisms 6a and 6b, respectively. It is attached to 5b.

  The lateral beam 3b of the gantry 2b is longer than the width of the gantry 11 in the Y-axis direction. For this reason, both ends of the lateral beam 3b protrude from the side surfaces parallel to the X axis of the gantry 1, that is, the gantry side surfaces 1a and 1b. For this reason, the transverse beam side support members 4a and 4b provided on the lower surfaces of both ends of the transverse beam 3b also protrude from the gantry side surfaces 1a and 1b on both sides of the gantry 11, respectively. Thus, the gantry 2b has a shape in which the cross beam 3b holds the substrate holding mechanism 8 between the cross beam side support members 4a and 4b and the gantry side support members 5a and 5b.

  The other gantry 2a has the same configuration as that of the gantry 2b.

  One or a plurality of coating head portions 10 are provided on the head installation surfaces 9 of the lateral beams 3a and 3b of the gantry 2a and 2b facing each other. In FIG. 1, since the head installation surface 9 of the opposite gantry 2a is shown facing the front side, the head installation surface 9 of the gantry 2a will be described below.

  On the head installation surface 9 of the gantry 2a, linear rails of the Y-axis direction moving mechanism 11 are provided side by side along the longitudinal direction of the surface (that is, the Y-axis direction). The application head unit 10 is attached (here, only one application head unit 10 is provided with a reference numeral). Each of the coating head units 10 is provided with a linear motor of a Y-axis direction moving mechanism 11 configured with a linear rail. The linear motor moves the coating head unit 10 along the linear rail in the Y-axis direction. Move.

  The base of each coating head unit 10 is provided with the linear motor of the Y-axis direction moving mechanism 11 on the back surface side (head installation surface 9 side) as described above, and the Z-axis servo motor on the surface side thereof. A Z-axis moving table support bracket 13 having 12 is provided, and a Z-axis moving table 14 for moving the coating head unit 10 up and down by the Z-axis servo motor 12 is provided. As will be described later, a paste storage cylinder (syringe), a nozzle support provided with a nozzle, a distance meter, a lens barrel equipped with an illumination light source, an image recognition camera, and the like are attached to the Z-axis moving table 14.

  The above configuration is the same for the head installation surface of the front gantry 2b. With this configuration, each coating head unit 10 is driven in the Y-axis direction on the substrate 15 placed on the substrate holding mechanism 8 by the Y-axis direction moving mechanism 11, and is further moved by the X-axis direction moving mechanisms 6 a and 6 b. By driving the gantry 2a, 2b in the X-axis direction, each coating head unit 10 is similarly driven in the X-axis direction, and a plurality of paste patterns having the same shape are simultaneously drawn on the substrate 15.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a waist portion of one specific example of the application head unit 10 in FIG. 1, wherein 16 is a nozzle support, 17 is a paste storage cylinder, 18 is a nozzle, and 19 is a distance meter.

  In the drawing, a nozzle support 16 and a distance meter 19 provided with a paste storage cylinder 17 and a nozzle 18 are provided on a Z-axis movement table 14 (FIG. 1).

  The distance meter 19 measures the distance from the tip of the nozzle 18 to the surface (upper surface) of the substrate 15 mounted on the substrate holding mechanism 8 (FIG. 1) by a non-contact type triangulation method. That is, a light emitting element is provided in the housing of the distance meter 19, and the laser light emitted from the light emitting element is reflected by the measurement point S on the substrate 15, and is received by the light receiving element provided in the housing. It is measured according to the light receiving position. Further, the laser beam measurement point S on the substrate 15 and the position directly below the nozzle 18 are shifted by a slight distance ΔX and ΔY on the substrate 15. Since the difference in surface roughness is negligible, there is almost no difference between the measurement result of the distance meter 19 and the distance from the tip of the nozzle 18 to the surface (upper surface) of the substrate 15. Therefore, by controlling the Z-axis moving table 14 based on the measurement result of the distance meter 19, the distance from the tip of the nozzle 18 to the surface (upper surface) of the substrate 15 is adjusted according to the unevenness (swell) of the surface of the substrate 15. The distance (interval) can be kept constant.

  In this way, the distance (interval) from the tip of the nozzle 18 to the surface (upper surface) of the substrate 15 is kept constant, and the amount of paste discharged from the nozzle 18 per unit time is kept constant. Thus, the paste pattern applied and drawn on the substrate 15 has a uniform width and thickness.

  Although not shown, the lens barrel and the image recognition camera having a light source capable of illumination are used for parallel adjustment and interval adjustment of the nozzles 18 as well as alignment of the substrate 15 and shape recognition of the paste pattern, etc. Therefore, it is provided to face the substrate.

  Returning to FIG. 1, this embodiment includes a control unit that controls the above-described units. That is, a main control unit that controls a linear motor that drives each mechanism and a motor that moves the table is provided inside the gantry 1. A sub-control unit is connected to the main control unit via a cable. The sub-control unit controls the Z-axis servo motor 12 that drives the Z-axis movement table 14.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the main control unit and a specific example of the control. 20a is a main control unit, 20aa is a microcomputer, 20ab is a motor controller, 20ac is an image recognition device, and 20ad is an external interface. , 20ae is a data communication bus, 20b is a sub-control unit, 21 is a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, 22 is a hard disk, 23 is a monitor, 24 is a keyboard, 25 is a regulator, 26 is a valve unit, and 27a is a gantry move Y-axis linear motor driver, 27b is an X-axis linear motor driver for moving the coating head, 27c is a θ-axis motor driver for rotating the table, and 28 is a communication cable.

  In the figure, a main control unit 20a includes a microcomputer 20aa, a Y-axis linear motor driver (hereinafter abbreviated as a Y-axis driver) 27a for moving a coating head unit that drives the Y-axis direction moving mechanism 11 (FIG. 1), Gantry moving X-axis linear motor driver (hereinafter abbreviated as X-axis driver) 27b for driving the X-axis direction moving mechanisms 6a and 6b (FIG. 1), and a substrate holding mechanism 8 on which the substrate 15 is mounted (FIG. 1) Motor controller 20ab for controlling a table rotation θ-axis motor driver (hereinafter abbreviated as “θ-axis driver”) 27c for driving in the θ-axis direction, and an image processing device 20ac for processing a video signal obtained by an image recognition camera (not shown). And communication with the regulator 25 and the valve unit 26 for controlling the paste coating operation of the sub-control unit 20b and the coating head unit 10 (FIG. 1). Nau incorporates an external interface 20ad, and these microcomputers 20aa and the motor controller 20ab and the image processing apparatus 20ac and the external interface 20ad is connected to each other via a data communication bus 20ae. Here, the sub-control unit 20b is connected to the external interface 20ad via the communication cable 28.

  The main control unit 20a is connected to a USB memory 21, a hard disk 22, which is an external storage device, a monitor 23, a keyboard 24, and the like. Data input from the keyboard 24 is displayed on the monitor 23 and stored in a storage medium such as the hard disk 22 or the USB memory 21.

  Although not shown, the microcomputer 20aa stores a ROM that stores a main calculation unit and a processing program for performing coating drawing, which will be described later, processing results in the main calculation unit, and input data from the external interface 20ad and motor controller 20ab. And an input / output unit for exchanging data with the external interface 20ad and the motor controller 20ab.

  A linear motor as the Y-axis direction moving mechanism 11 of each coating head unit 10 driven by the Y-axis driver 27a, and an X-axis direction moving mechanism 6a of the gantry 2a, 2b (FIG. 1) driven by the X-axis driver 27b, The linear motor 6b is provided with a linear scale for detecting the positions of the coating heads 10 and the gantry 2a and 2b, and supplies the detection results to the Y-axis driver 27a and the X-axis driver 27b, respectively. Position control of the unit 10 in the Y-axis direction and the X-axis direction is performed. Similarly, the rotation drive motor of the substrate holding mechanism 8 (FIG. 1) driven by the θ-axis driver 27c has a built-in encoder for detecting the rotation amount of the substrate 15, and the detection result is represented by the θ-axis. The direction of the substrate 15 is controlled by supplying it to the driver 27c.

  4 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the sub-control unit 20b in FIG. 3, in which 20ba is a microcomputer, 20bb is a motor controller, 20bc is an external interface, 20bd is a data communication bus, and 29 is a Z-axis motor driver. Therefore, parts corresponding to those in the previous drawings are given the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  In the figure, the sub-control unit 20b incorporates an external interface 20bc for inputting height data obtained by the microcomputer 20ba, the motor controller 20bb, and the distance meter 19 (FIG. 2) and transmitting signals to the main control unit 20a. These are connected to each other via a data communication bus 20bd. Although not shown, the microcomputer 20ba includes a ROM that stores a processing program for controlling the height of the nozzle 18 (FIG. 2) from the surface of the substrate 15 at the time of coating and drawing, which will be described later, from the surface of the substrate 15. It includes a RAM for storing processing results in the arithmetic unit and input data from the external interface 20bc and the motor controller 20bb, an input / output unit for exchanging data with the external interface 20bc and the motor controller 20bb, and the like. The Z-axis motor driver 29 controlled by the motor controller 20bb is provided for each coating head unit 10 (FIG. 1) and drives the Z-axis servo motor 12 (FIG. 1). The motor 12 incorporates an encoder that detects the amount of rotation, and the detection result is returned to the Z-axis motor driver 29 to control the height position of the nozzle 18.

  Each motor (linear motor, Z-axis servo motor, θ-axis servo motor) is input from the keyboard 24 (FIG. 3) under the control of the main control unit 20a and the sub-control unit 20b in cooperation with the microcomputer 20aa. By moving and rotating based on the data stored in the RAM, the X-axis direction moving mechanisms 6a and 6b move the gantry 2a and 2b by an arbitrary distance in the X-axis direction, and the nozzle 18 (FIG. 2). Is moved by an arbitrary distance in the Y-axis direction by the Y-axis direction moving mechanism 11 of the coating head unit 10 provided on the horizontal beams 2a and 2b via the Z-axis moving table 14 (FIG. 1) that moves up and down. During the movement, the paste is continuously pressed with the pressure set in the paste storage cylinder 17 (FIG. 2), and the paste is discharged from the discharge port at the tip of the nozzle 18, and a desired paste pattern is applied to the substrate 15. It is drawn.

  While the nozzle 18 is moving horizontally in the Y-axis direction, the distance meter 19 measures the distance between the nozzle 18 and the surface of the substrate 15, and the nozzle 18 moves in the Z-axis so as to always maintain a constant distance. It is controlled by the vertical movement of the table 14.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the overall operation of the embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the figure, when the paste applying apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is turned on (step S100), initial setting of the apparatus is first executed (step S101). In this initial setting step, in FIG. 1, the gantry 2a, 2b is moved in the X-axis direction by driving the linear motor of the Y-axis direction moving mechanism 11 and the X-axis direction moving mechanisms 6a, 6b and the Z-axis moving table 14. The application head unit 10 is moved in the Y-axis direction to be positioned at a predetermined reference position, and the position of the nozzle 18 (FIG. 2) is the position at which the paste discharge port starts applying the paste (that is, starting the paste application). In addition to being set to a predetermined origin position, paste pattern data, substrate position data, and paste discharge end position data are set.

  Such data is input by the keyboard 24 (FIG. 3), and the input data is stored in the RAM built in the microcomputer 20aa (FIG. 3) as described above.

  When this initial setting step (step S101) is completed, the substrate 15 is then mounted and held on the substrate holding mechanism 8 (FIG. 1) (step S102).

  Subsequently, substrate preliminary positioning processing (step S103) is performed. In this process, the positioning mark of the substrate 15 mounted on the substrate holding mechanism 8 is photographed by an image recognition camera, the center of gravity position of the positioning mark is obtained from the video signal by image processing, and the θ axis direction of the substrate 15 in the θ-axis direction is obtained. The inclination is detected, and the Y-axis driver 27a, the X-axis driver 27b, and the θ-axis driver 27c (FIG. 3) are driven accordingly to move the coating head unit 10 in the X and Y-axis directions. Correct the tilt. Thus, the substrate preliminary positioning process (step S103) is completed.

  Next, paste pattern drawing processing (step S104) is performed. In this process, first, the paste discharge port of the nozzle 18 is moved to the application start position of the substrate 15 to precisely position the nozzle. Next, the Z-axis driver 29 (FIG. 4) is operated to set the height of each nozzle 18 to the paste pattern drawing height. Each nozzle 18 is lowered by the initial moving distance based on the initial moving distance data of the nozzle. Subsequently, the surface height of the substrate 15 is measured by the distance meter 19 to check whether or not the tip of the nozzle 18 is set to a height at which the paste pattern is drawn, and when the drawing height cannot be set. The nozzle 18 is lowered by a minute distance, the surface measurement of the substrate 15 and the minute distance lowering operation of the nozzle 18 are repeated, and the tip of the nozzle 18 is set to the paste pattern coating drawing height.

  When the above processing is completed, the X-axis direction moving mechanisms 6a and 6b and the Y-axis direction movement are then performed based on the paste pattern data stored in the RAM of the microcomputer 20aa (FIG. 3) and the inclination correction in the θ-axis direction. The linear motor of the mechanism 11 is driven, so that the paste discharge port of the nozzle 18 faces the substrate 15 and the nozzle 18 moves in the X and Y axis directions with respect to the substrate 15 in accordance with the paste pattern data. While moving, the gas is pressurized with the pressure set in each paste storage cylinder 17 (FIG. 2), and the discharge of the paste from the paste discharge port of the nozzle 18 is started. Thereby, application of the paste pattern to the substrate 15 is started.

  Along with this, as described above, the microcomputer 20ba of the sub-control unit 20b acquires measured data of the distance between the paste discharge port of the nozzle 18 and the surface of the substrate 15 from the distance meter 19, By measuring the undulation of the surface of the substrate 15 and driving the Z-axis servo motor 12 according to the measured value, the set height of the nozzle 18 from the surface of the substrate 15 is maintained constant. Thereby, a paste pattern can be apply | coated with a desired application amount.

  As described above, drawing of the paste pattern proceeds. If the paste discharge port of the nozzle 18 is the end of the drawing pattern determined by the paste pattern data on the substrate 15, Returning to the measurement process of the surface waviness of the substrate again, the above-described coating drawing is repeated until the paste pattern to be formed reaches the end of the drawing pattern.

  When the drawing pattern end is reached, the Z-axis servo motor 12 is driven to raise the nozzle 18, and the paste pattern drawing step (step S104) is completed.

  Next, the process proceeds to a substrate discharge process (step S105), and the substrate 15 is released from the substrate holding mechanism 8 shown in FIG.

  Then, it is determined whether or not all the above processes have been performed on all the target substrates 15 (step S106). When the same paste pattern is formed on a plurality of substrates, the substrate mounting process (step S102) is performed. ) Are repeated, and when a series of processes are completed for all the substrates (“Yes” in step S106), all the operations are completed (step S107).

  Returning to FIG. 1, the Y-axis direction moving mechanism 11 provided on the head installation surface 9 of the gantry 2a, 2b exceeds the range necessary for the plurality of coating head units 10 to draw a paste pattern on the substrate. It extends in the Y-axis direction. As a result, the coating head unit 10 can move to a position off the substrate 15. Operations such as maintenance of each coating head unit 10 and attachment / removal of the paste storage cylinder 17 are performed at a location deviated from the substrate 15.

  For this reason, the lateral beams 3a, 3b of the gantry 2a, 2b are longer than the lateral width of the gantry 1, and both end portions thereof protrude from the gantry side surfaces 1a, 1b of the gantry 1. Further, in order to support the lateral beams 2a and 2b having such a length more stably, the lateral beam side support members 4a and 4b are provided at the distal ends of the lateral beams 2a and 2b, and are attached to the gantry side support members 5a and 5b, respectively. It has been. Thereby, in particular, the cross beam side support members 4 a and 4 b also protrude from the gantry side surfaces 1 a and 1 b of the gantry 1.

  By the way, for example, with an increase in the size of a liquid crystal panel, a paste coating apparatus using a substrate 15 that simultaneously draws a plurality of paste patterns for enhancing the manufacturing efficiency of such a panel is used as a substrate used for drawing a paste pattern. As the area increases, the size of the gantry 1 is increased. However, when the gantry 1 is too large and its width is too large, for example, to transport the paste coating device, This will cause problems such as being unable to be mounted on a transport vehicle. For this reason, the horizontal width of the gantry 1 is limited.

  However, even if the horizontal width of the gantry 1 is limited in this way, and the gantry 1 can be mounted on a transport vehicle, the horizontal width of the gantry 1 can be used as a large-area substrate. Even if the width of the substrate 15 is limited to the limit that can be used, as shown in FIG. 1, the distal ends of the lateral beams 3a and 3b of the gantry 2a and 2b and the lateral beam side support members 4a and 4b are mounted on the frame 1 It will protrude from the side surfaces 1a and 1b, exceeding the limit value of the lateral width of the gantry 1, and the same problem will occur.

  In this embodiment, in order to solve such a problem, the gantry-side support members 5a and 5b and the cross beam-side support members 4a and 4b are coupled to each other by fastening bolts, and by removing the fastening bolts, the gantry-side support members are supported. The members 5a, 5b and the cross beam side support members 4a, 4b can be separated so that the gantry 2b can be detached from the gantry 1. The other gantry 2a has the same configuration.

  6A is a perspective view showing a specific example of a state where the gantry 2a, 2b of the paste application apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is removed from the mount 1, wherein 7a, 7b are linear motion guides, and 30a, 30b are lower surfaces. The sliders 31a and 31b provided with coils are L-shaped metal fittings, and the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding parts in FIG.

  In the figure, the X-axis direction moving mechanism 6a includes a magnet plate 7 and a linear motion guide 7a installed in parallel to each other, and is disposed on the magnet plate 7 and the linear motion guide 7a. The slider 30a is movable along the linear guide 7a. A linear motor is formed by the magnet plate 7 and parts (not shown) provided on the slider 30a. Similarly, the X-axis direction moving mechanism 6b also includes a magnet plate 7 and a linear motion guide 7b installed in parallel to each other, and is disposed on the magnet plate 7 and the linear motion guide 7b so as to be disposed on these magnet plates 7. And a slider 30b movable along the linear motion guide 7b. A linear motor is formed by the magnet plate 7 and parts (not shown) provided on the slider 30b. These sliders 30a and 30b correspond to the gantry-side support members 5a and 5b in FIG. 1, and their upper surfaces are flat.

  On the other hand, L-shaped metal fittings 31a and 31b are integrally provided at the front ends of the transverse beam side support members 4a and 4b provided in the guide 2b, and the lower surfaces of these L-shaped metal fittings 31a and 31b are flat. It has a surface. By fixing the lower surfaces of these L-shaped brackets 31a and 31b to the upper surfaces of the corresponding sliders 30a and 30b, the gantry 2b is attached to the gantry-side support members 5a and 5b and accordingly to the gantry 1 as shown in FIG. In this state, it can be used for applying the paste pattern to the substrate. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the gantry 2b can be lifted and removed from the gantry 1 by releasing the fixation between the lower surfaces of the L-shaped brackets 31a and 31b and the upper surfaces of the sliders 30a and 30b.

  As described above, since both end portions of the transverse beam 3b of the gantry 2b and the transverse beam side support members 4a and 4b protrude from the gantry side surfaces 1a and 1b of the gantry 1, both end surfaces of the transverse beam side support members 4a and 4b are The vertical surfaces face each other, and the vertical attachment surfaces of the L-shaped brackets 31a and 31b are attached to the vertical end surfaces. For this reason, these L-shaped metal fittings 31a and 31b are arranged so as to face each other in the horizontal direction from the front end portions of the lateral beam side support members 4a and 4b, whereby the lateral beam side support members 4a and 4b become the frame of the frame 1 Even when protruding from the side surfaces 1a and 1b, the flat lower surface of the L-shaped metal fitting 31a is formed on the flat upper surface of the slider 30a on the gantry 1 provided on the magnet plate 7 and the linear motion guide 7a. The flat lower surface of the metal mold 31b can be simultaneously opposed to the flat upper surface of the slider 30b on the gantry 1 provided on the magnet plate 7 and the linear motion guide 7b. Thereby, as described above, the gantry 2b can be attached to and removed from the sliders 30a and 30b.

  As described above, the upper surface portions of the sliders 30a and 30b form the fastening portion of the gantry 2b.

  The other gantry 2a has the same configuration.

  FIG. 6B is a perspective view showing another specific example of the paste coating apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with the gantry 2a, 2b removed from the gantry 1, and the parts corresponding to FIG. The description which attaches a code | symbol and overlaps is abbreviate | omitted.

  In this figure, in this example, L-shaped brackets 31a and 31b are integrally provided on sliders 30a and 30b, respectively, and these L-shaped brackets 31a and 31b and guide ring 2b are provided. The horizontal beam support members 4a and 4b can be separated.

  As described above, in this specific example, the gantry 2a, 2b can be separated from the gantry 1, but in the state before such disassembly, when this paste coating apparatus is viewed from the top, the gantry 2a, Assuming that the short-side dimension of the apparatus having a length of 2b is A, the size of the mother glass substrate, which is still called the 10th generation, is about 2.85 (m) × 3.05 (m) and surrounds it. If the gantry is integrated, the width A of the apparatus exceeds 3.5 (m) and expands to about 4 (m). For this reason, the problem which becomes unable to accommodate the apparatus concerning the inside of a transportation vehicle generate | occur | produces at the time of apparatus conveyance by a general public road. As a response to this, normally, a structure in which the apparatus is divided from the gantry 1 including the substrate holding mechanism 8 will be examined. In that case, each time the substrate holding mechanism 8 is removed or attached, In addition, the assembly accuracy of the apparatus is lowered, and the coating position accuracy is also deteriorated.

  However, in the configuration of this specific example, since the structure can be disassembled only in the gantry 2a, 2b, the apparatus can be narrowed down to the dimension B of the lateral width of the gantry 1. In addition, since the gantry 2a, 2b has a smaller short side width C, the maximum size of the apparatus after disassembly can be set to B, and it can be used for a large mother glass substrate exceeding 2 (m). 3 (m). As a result, the conveyance of the apparatus on the general public road can be solved without any problem.

  FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of one specific example of the substrate holding mechanism 8 in FIG. 1, wherein 32a to 32e are substrate mounting members, 33a to 33e are U-shaped members, and 34a to 34e are The suction plates, 35a to 35d are connecting members, 36 and 36a are cross roller bearings, and 37 is an orthogonal bearing.

  In the figure, the substrate holding mechanism 8 includes a plurality of substrate mounting members 32a to 32e arranged at equal intervals in the X axis direction, orthogonal to these substrate mounting members 32a to 32e, and at equal intervals. A plurality of connecting members 35a to 35d arranged on the bottom are connected to the lower surface side of these substrate mounting members 32a to 32e, and the substrate mounting members 32a to 32e and the connecting members 35a to 35d orthogonal to each other form a cross-beam shape. It has a table.

  Each of the substrate mounting members 32a to 32e has a plate-like elongated suction plate 34a to 34e on an elongated rectangular U-shaped member 33a to 33e having a U-shaped cross-sectional shape with an open top and a hollow inside. The U-shaped members 33a to 33e and the suction plates 34a to 34e form a hollow cylindrical shape, and the upper surface forms a flat surface by the suction plates 34a to 34e. ing. The upper surfaces of the suction plates 34a to 34e serve as substrate mounting surfaces. And the bottom part of these U-shaped members 33a-33e is being fixed by the elongate square-shaped connection members 35a-35d and the fastening bolt (not shown), respectively.

  The central part of the cross-shaped table (the central position of the U-shaped member located at the center of the U-shaped members 33a to 33e, or the connecting member positioned at the center of the connecting members 35a to 35d, or the cross beam) The intersection of the U-shaped member and the connecting member, which is the central part of the U-shaped table, where the central part is the central position of the U-shaped member 33c). The intersections of the U-shaped members 33a to 33e and the connecting members 35a to 35d other than the central portion are supported by a table rotating / moving member including a plurality of cross roller bearings 36a and orthogonal bearings 37, respectively. ing. The cross roller bearings 36 and 36a of the table moving member rotate the U-shaped members 33a to 33e in the θ-axis direction, and the orthogonal bearing 37 moves the U-shaped members 33a to 33e in the X and Y axis directions. Here, a cross roller bearing 36a is provided on the orthogonal bearing 37, and the intersections of the U-shaped members 33a to 33e and the connecting members 35a to 35d are placed on the cross roller bearing 36a. Yes.

  The table moving mechanism composed of the cross roller bearings 36, 36a and the orthogonal bearing 37 rotates the substrate holding mechanism 8 which is a cross-shaped table in the θ-axis direction around the cross roller bearing 36. Accordingly, the cross roller bearing 36a and the orthogonal bearing 37 rotate the portion of the substrate holding mechanism 8 which is a cross-shaped table 8 in the θ-axis direction and moves in the X and Y axis directions. Let The table moving mechanism composed of the cross roller bearing 36a and the orthogonal bearing 37 is provided at equal intervals on a plurality of circumferences centering on the center of the cross-shaped table provided with the cross roller bearing 36. . The position where the table moving mechanism including the cross roller bearing 36a and the orthogonal bearing 37 is provided is, of course, the intersection of the U-shaped members 33a to 33e and the connecting members 35a to 35d. A table moving mechanism including a cross roller bearing 36 and an orthogonal bearing 37 at the intersections of all the U-shaped members 33a to 33e and the connecting members 35a to 35d in the substrate holding mechanism 8 may be provided.

  Note that the table moving mechanism including the cross roller bearings 36 and 36a and the orthogonal bearing 37 finely adjusts the orientation of the substrate placed on the substrate holding mechanism 8 in the θ-axis direction. 1 is transported out of the apparatus from the area for drawing the paste pattern by the coating head unit 10 shown in FIG. 1 (that is, in the apparatus), and from the outside of the apparatus into the apparatus. In order to carry, the substrate holding mechanism 8 can also be moved in the carrying direction (X-axis direction) of the substrate. The carry-in direction may be the Y-axis direction.

  Further, the fine adjustment of the position of the substrate holding mechanism 8 in the X and Y axis directions is performed by fine adjustment of the position of the gantry 2a, 2b in the Y axis direction or the position of the coating head unit 10 in the gantry 2a, 2b in the Y axis direction. This is done by fine-tuning.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a specific example of the suction plates 34a to 34e in FIG. 7, wherein 34 is a suction plate (generic name of the suction plates 34a to 34e), 38 is a suction hole, 39 is a hollow portion, and 40 is a bolt. It is a hole.

  In the drawing, the suction plate 34 has a hollow portion 39 in the entire longitudinal direction, and a plurality of suction holes 38 communicating from the hollow portion 39 to the upper surface are provided at equal intervals. Further, bolt holes 40 of fastening bolts for fixing the suction plate 34 to the U-shaped member 33 (generic name of the U-shaped members 33a to 33e) are provided at both sides of the hollow portion 39 at equal intervals. Yes.

  9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the suction plates 34a to 34e shown in FIG. 8, wherein 41 is a plate body, 42 is a connection plate, 43 is a pipe joint, and 44 is a fastening bolt. Portions corresponding to 8 are assigned the same reference numerals and redundant description is omitted.

  In the figure, the suction plate 34 is composed of a U-shaped and hollow plate body 41 whose cross section is open at the lower side, and a connection plate 42 attached to the lower side of the plate body 41 by fastening bolts 44. In addition, the open portion of the plate body 41 is closed by the connection plate 42, so that a sealed cavity 39 is formed in the suction plate 34. As shown in FIG. 8, suction holes 38 are provided at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction of the plate body 41 in the upper wall portion of the plate body 41.

  Further, the connection plate 42 is provided with a pipe joint 43 opened to the cavity 39, and a pipe hose (not shown) is connected thereto. As shown in FIG. 7, the suction plate 34 is mounted on a U-shaped member 33, and a fastening bolt (not shown) is inserted into the bolt hole 40 of the suction plate 34 and screwed into the U-shaped member 33. 34 is fixed to the U-shaped member 33. In such a state, a pipe hose (not shown) connected to the pipe joint 43 of the suction plate 34 passes through the hollow portion of the U-shaped member 33 and leads to a vacuum pump (not shown). It is.

  In this way, the substrate is placed on the substrate holding mechanism 8 that forms a cross-shaped table structure with the substrate placement members 32a to 32e and the connecting members 35a to 35d, that is, on the surface of the substrate placement members 32a to 32e. When the vacuum pump is placed, the cavity 39 of the suction plate 34 is evacuated through the pipe hose and the pipe joint 43 by the operation of the vacuum pump, whereby the substrate is sucked by the suction holes 38 of the suction plate 34. It is attracted to and fixedly held on the upper surface of the plate 34, that is, the upper surfaces of the substrate mounting members 32a to 32e.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the substrate holding mechanism 8 is formed in a table shape having a cross-gap-like gap by connecting the elongated rectangular substrate mounting members 32a to 32e with the elongated connecting members 35a to 35d. Even if a substrate having a large area is used, the substrate holding mechanism 8 can be significantly reduced in weight, and the paste coating apparatus including the mount on which the substrate holding mechanism 8 is installed can be reduced in weight.

  Further, the weight of the substrate holding mechanism 8 can be quickly moved, and the time required for the alignment operation of the glass substrate mounted on the substrate holding mechanism 8 can be shortened. When transporting the paste applicator, it is not necessary to separate the weight-reduced substrate holding mechanism 8 from the gantry 1. Therefore, when the paste applicator is installed after transporting, the substrate holding mechanism 8 is attached. In addition, the work time required for adjusting the substrate holding mechanism 8 can be shortened.

1 frame 1a, 1b frame side 2a, 2b gantry (gate frame)
3a, 3b transverse beam 4a, 4b transverse beam side support member 5a, 5b gantry side support member 6a, 6b X axis direction moving mechanism 7 magnet plate 7a, 7b linear motion guide 8 substrate holding mechanism 9 head installation surface 10 coating head portion 11 Y axis Direction moving mechanism 12 Z-axis servo motor 13 Z-axis moving table support bracket 14 Z-axis moving table 15 Substrate 30a and 30b are sliders, 31a and 31b are L-shaped brackets 32a to 32e Substrate mounting members 33a to 33e U-shape Mold member 34, 34a-34e Adsorption plate 35a-35d Connecting member 36, 36a Cross roller bearing 37 Orthogonal bearing 38 Adsorption hole 39 Cavity 40 Bolt hole 41 Plate body 42 Connection plate 43 Piping joint 44 Fastening bolt

Claims (7)

A gantry having a paste storage cylinder filled with paste and a nozzle discharge port for discharging the paste from the paste storage cylinder, in which one or a plurality of application heads are movably provided, is installed on the mount, In the paste application apparatus in which the gantry moves relative to the substrate mounted on the substrate mounting table installed in the substrate, and the paste is discharged onto the substrate from the nozzle discharge port.
The substrate mounting table is a table having a structure in which a plurality of first members provided with a plurality of suction holes and a plurality of second members are combined orthogonally to form a cross-beam shape,
A paste coating apparatus comprising an XYθ-axis moving mechanism for adjusting the position and posture of the substrate placed on the substrate placement table by moving and rotating the substrate placement table. A gantry having a paste storage cylinder filled with paste and a nozzle discharge port for discharging the paste from the paste storage cylinder, in which one or a plurality of application heads are movably provided, is installed on the mount, In the paste application apparatus in which the gantry moves relative to the substrate mounted on the substrate mounting table installed in the substrate, and the paste is discharged onto the substrate from the nozzle discharge port.
A θ-axis moving mechanism comprising a cross roller bearing for positioning in the rotation direction of the θ-axis direction is provided at the center of the substrate mounting table,
The substrate mounting table is a table having a structure in which a plurality of first members and a plurality of second members are orthogonally combined to form a cross-beam shape,
XYθ axes comprising orthogonal bearings for positioning the substrate mounting table in the X and Y axis directions and cross roller bearings for rotational direction positioning in the θ direction at positions where the first and second members are orthogonal to each other. A paste coating apparatus provided with a moving mechanism. In the paste application apparatus according to claim 2,
A paste coating apparatus characterized in that the gantry and a portion installed on the gantry side and supporting a mechanism for moving the gantry can be separated outside the substrate mounting table. In the paste application apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
A paste coating apparatus comprising: means for moving the substrate mounting table on which a substrate is mounted to an outside of a paste application range by one or a plurality of application heads provided in the gantry. A gantry having a paste storage cylinder filled with paste and a nozzle discharge port for discharging the paste from the paste storage cylinder, in which one or a plurality of application heads are movably provided, is installed on the mount, In the paste application method in which the gantry moves with respect to the substrate mounted on the substrate mounting table installed on the substrate, and the paste is discharged onto the substrate from the nozzle discharge port.
The substrate mounting table is a table having a structure in which a plurality of first members and a plurality of second members are orthogonally combined to form a cross-beam shape,
A θ-axis moving mechanism comprising a cross-roller bearing for positioning in the rotational direction in the θ-axis direction is provided at the center of the substrate mounting table, and the orthogonal bearing and the cross roller are provided at positions other than the center of the substrate mounting table An XYθ axis moving mechanism comprising a bearing,
The substrate mounting table is positioned in the X- and Y-axis directions by the orthogonal bearing provided at a position where the first and second members are orthogonal to each other, and the first and second members are provided at an orthogonal position. A paste application method comprising: positioning the substrate mounting table in the rotational direction of the θ axis by the cross roller bearing. In the paste application method according to claim 5,
A paste application method characterized in that the gantry and a portion that is installed on the gantry side and supports a mechanism for moving the gantry can be separated. In the paste application method according to claim 5 or 6,
A paste coating method characterized in that the substrate mounting table on which the substrate is mounted can be moved outside a range in which paste can be applied by the coating head provided in the gantry.

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