JP2011235237A - Method and apparatus for applying coating agent - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the occurrence of the application amount unevenness of a coating agent whose viscosity changes with time and to improve working efficiency in a method for applying the coating agent.SOLUTION: The method for applying the coating agent includes: a pressure-deciding process (steps S5, S9) of deciding a pressure control data for changing the pressure in response to the time elapsed from hardening start of the coating agent; a trial application process (step S6) of applying as a trial, the coating agent at a preset trial application speed based on the pressure control data; a trial application amount-measuring process (step S7) of measuring a trial application amount of the coating agent; an application speed-calculating process (step S8) of calculating the magnitude of the application speed so that the application amount per unit application length becomes a preset target value; and an actual application process (step S10) of applying the coating agent to a body to be applied by relatively moving the body to be applied and a discharge port according to the calculated application speed.

Description

  The present invention relates to a coating agent coating method and a coating agent coating apparatus for coating a coating agent whose viscosity changes from the start of curing.

Conventionally, for example, a coating agent is accommodated in a syringe and pressurized, discharged from a discharge port provided in the syringe, and the coating target is applied to the coating target by moving the coating target relative to the discharge port. A coating agent coating method and a coating agent coating apparatus are known.
In such a coating agent coating method and coating agent coating apparatus, the coating amount changes when the viscosity of the coating agent changes. Therefore, it is known to determine the coating conditions by measuring the viscosity of the coating agent in order to keep the coating amount accurate.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a coating apparatus that applies a thixotropic coating agent, and the viscosity is set to a maximum value or a state close to the maximum value by being kept in a static state without being stirred in advance. And a coating device for discharging the coating agent based on the viscosity of the coating agent determined by the viscosity measuring unit based on the maximum value or a viscosity close to the maximum value. Yes.
In this coating apparatus, the viscosity of the coating agent that has been kept in a static state without being stirred in advance is measured by the viscosity measuring means by utilizing the fact that the coating agent supplied to the syringe is in a stationary state. The discharge pressure is set based on the measured viscosity. This makes it possible to measure a viscosity that is close to the actual viscosity of the coating agent immediately before being discharged, unlike the viscosity value that has been announced by the manufacturer and that has decreased to a certain value by stirring. For this reason, the coating amount can be set accurately.

JP 2001-46940 A

However, the conventional coating agent coating method and coating agent coating apparatus as described above have the following problems.
In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the viscosity of the stationary agent in the coating agent having thixotropy is actually measured to control the discharge amount of the coating agent, but the viscosity of the coating agent depends on time. In the case of change, there is a problem that an error in the application amount occurs because the discharge amount changes with time.
Although it is conceivable to measure the viscosity of the coating agent according to the change in the viscosity of the coating agent over time, viscosity measurement requires cleaning and resetting the viscosity measuring device each time the supplied coating agent is replaced. There is a problem that it takes time and labor, and the efficiency of the coating operation is reduced.
Further, since the coating agent coating apparatus must be equipped with a viscosity measuring apparatus, there is a problem that the apparatus configuration becomes complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a coating agent coating method capable of suppressing unevenness in the coating amount of a coating agent whose viscosity changes over time and improving work efficiency. The purpose is to do.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a coating agent coating apparatus having a simple configuration that can suppress coating unevenness in the coating amount, the viscosity of which changes with time, and can be applied quickly.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, in the invention described in claim 1, a coating agent whose viscosity changes from the start of curing is accommodated in a container having a discharge port, pressure is applied to the coating agent, and the discharge is performed. An application method for applying the coating agent on the coated body by causing the coated body and the discharge port to move relative to each other while discharging from the outlet, and discharging the coating agent from the discharge port A pressure determining step for determining pressure control data for changing the pressure according to an elapsed time from the start of curing of the coating agent so that the amount is constant, and the pressure control data determined in the pressure determining step A test application step of applying the pressure to the coating agent based on the above, and moving the test application member and the discharge port relative to each other at a preset test application speed to apply the coating agent on the test application member. , The trial application Based on the trial coating amount measuring step for measuring the trial coating amount of the coating agent trial-applied and the trial coating amount measured in the trial coating amount measurement step, the coating amount per unit coating length is determined in advance. An application speed calculation step for calculating the magnitude of the application speed to be the set target application amount, and the pressure determined in the pressure determination step is applied to the coating agent, and the calculation is performed in the application speed calculation step. And a main coating step of applying the coating agent to the coated body by relatively moving the coated body and the discharge port according to a coating speed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the coating agent coating method according to the first aspect, in the trial coating amount measuring step, the trial coating amount is measured as a mass of the trial-coated coating agent.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the coating agent coating method according to the first aspect, in the trial coating amount measuring step, the trial coating amount is a cross section orthogonal to the relative movement direction of the trial coated coating agent. It is set as the method of measuring as a sectional area in.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the coating agent application method according to the first aspect, in the trial coating amount measuring step, the trial coating amount is a direction orthogonal to the relative movement direction of the trial-coated coating agent. The method is to measure the line width.

  In the invention according to claim 5, a container that contains a coating agent whose viscosity changes from the start of curing and discharges it from a discharge port, a pressure supply unit that applies pressure to the coating agent in the container, and an object to be coated And a relative movement mechanism for relatively moving the discharge port, an elapsed time measuring unit that measures an elapsed time from the start of curing of the coating agent, and the application from the discharge port Storing pressure control data for changing the pressure according to the elapsed time from the start of curing of the coating agent so that the discharge amount of the agent is constant, and the elapsed time measured by the elapsed time measuring unit and A pressure control unit that controls a pressure applied to the coating agent based on the pressure control data; and the pressure controlled by the pressure control unit is applied to the coating agent via the pressure supply unit, and the relative movement mechanism In Thus, the test application member and the discharge port are moved relative to each other at a preset test application speed, so that the test application part is applied to the test application member on a trial basis, and the test application is performed. Based on the trial application amount measuring unit for measuring the trial application amount and the trial application amount measured by the trial application amount measurement unit, the application amount per unit application length becomes a preset target application amount. A coating speed calculation unit that calculates the magnitude of the coating speed and a coating speed control unit that controls the relative movement amount of the relative movement mechanism based on the coating speed calculated by the coating speed calculation unit are provided.

According to the coating agent coating method of the present invention, the pressure applied to the coating agent is determined by the pressure control data corresponding to the elapsed time, thereby suppressing unevenness in the coating amount of the coating agent, the viscosity of which changes with the passage of time. Since the coating speed is set so that the coating amount per unit coating length is constant by performing coating and measuring the coating amount, the coating amount of the coating agent whose viscosity changes due to the lot difference of the coating agent Since unevenness is suppressed, there is an effect that work efficiency can be improved.
According to the coating agent coating apparatus of the present invention, the pressure applied to the coating agent is determined by the pressure control data corresponding to the elapsed time, and the coating amount per unit coating length is measured by performing the trial coating and measuring the coating amount. Since the coating speed is changed so as to be constant, it is possible to suppress unevenness in the coating amount of the coating agent whose viscosity changes over time, and to apply quickly, and it is not necessary to have a viscosity measuring device, so it is simple This produces the effect of becoming a simple device.

It is a typical perspective view showing composition of a coating agent application device concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function structure of the control unit of the coating agent coating device which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a typical graph which shows an example of the pressure control data memorize | stored in the coating agent coating device which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a process flow figure of a coating agent application method concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a typical graph which shows an example of the appropriate coating speed with respect to the trial coating amount in the coating agent application | coating method which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a typical graph explaining the principle of the coating agent application | coating method which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the typical perspective view which shows the structure of the coating agent coating device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and its AA sectional drawing. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function structure of the control unit of the coating agent coating device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the typical perspective view which shows the structure of the coating agent coating device which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and its B view. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function structure of the control unit of the coating agent coating device which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the numerical value table of the coating agent coating device which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In all the drawings, even if the embodiments are different, the same or corresponding members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and common description is omitted.

[First Embodiment]
The coating agent coating apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a coating agent coating apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of a control unit of the coating agent application apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic graph showing an example of pressure control data stored in the coating agent application apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, the horizontal axis represents the elapsed time from the start of curing, and the vertical axis represents the supply pressure, which is the corrected pressure.

As shown in FIG. 1, the coating apparatus 50 (coating agent coating apparatus) of the present embodiment is a device that applies a coating agent 3 whose viscosity changes over time from the start of curing onto an object such as a flat plate. It is.
Examples of the type of the coating agent 3 include, for example, a two-component adhesive in which curing progresses due to a chemical reaction when two liquids are mixed, or curing starts by curing of moisture or a solvent and progresses in curing. An example of a dry adhesive whose viscosity increases with time can be given.

  The schematic configuration of the coating apparatus 50 includes a mounting table 1, a coating agent container 2 (container), an XYZ-axis robot 5 (relative movement mechanism), a pressure supply unit 6, a control unit 7, and an electronic balance 8 (trial coating amount measuring unit). Prepare.

The mounting table 1 is used to horizontally place the coated body and fix the position while the coating agent 3 is applied to the coated body. A positioning member (not shown) is provided on the mounting table 1 so that the horizontal position of the object to be coated can be appropriately aligned.
The object to be applied used in the present embodiment includes a work 12 for performing the main application and a test application substrate 10 (trial application member) for performing the test application. At least the surface of the test coating substrate 10 is made of a material that has the same wettability with respect to the coating agent 3 as the workpiece 12 so that the coating agent 3 is applied in the same state. More preferably, the same material as the workpiece 12 is used. However, since the test coating substrate 10 only needs to apply a smaller amount of the coating agent 3 than the workpiece 12, the area of the region to which the coating agent 3 is applied may be smaller than the workpiece 12.
In the present embodiment, the trial coating substrate 10 is previously adjusted to the same mass.

The coating agent container 2 is a container for storing the coating agent 3, and a needle 4 for discharging the coating agent 3 downward is provided at the lower end portion. A discharge port 4 a for discharging the coating agent 3 is provided at the tip of the needle 4.
An air tube 6 b that supplies compressed air 9 to the inside of the coating agent container 2 is connected to the upper part of the coating agent container 2.

The XYZ-axis robot 5 holds the coating agent container 2 above the mounting table 1 and moves the coating agent container 2 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and the Z-axis moving arm 5z in the horizontal direction. Y-axis moving arm 5y that moves in one direction (Y-axis direction), and X-axis moving arm 5x that moves Y-axis moving arm 5y in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) perpendicular to the moving direction of Y-axis moving arm 5y With.
The XYZ axis robot 5 is electrically connected to the control unit 7, and the movement amount of the Z axis movement arm 5z, the Y axis movement arm 5y, and the X axis movement arm 5x is controlled by a control signal from the control unit 7. It has become.
Thereby, the discharge port 4a provided in the coating agent container 2 can be moved with respect to the mounting table 1 in the biaxial direction and the vertical axial direction (the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis). Is provided.

The pressure supply unit 6 is connected to the other end of the air tube 6b connected at one end to the coating agent container 2, and adjusts the pressure of the compressed air 9 supplied from the air supply port 6a by a compressed air supply source (not shown). The pressure-adjusted compressed air 9 is supplied to the coating agent container 2 through the air tube 6b.
The apparatus configuration of the pressure supply unit 6 may employ an appropriate configuration that supplies, stops, and adjusts the pressure of the compressed air 9 by electromagnetic control. The pressure supply unit 6 is electrically connected to the control unit 7 and can supply, stop, and adjust the pressure of the compressed air 9 according to a control signal from the control unit 7.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 7 is electrically connected to an input unit 7b made of, for example, a keyboard or a mouse, an XYZ-axis robot 5, a pressure supply unit 6, and an electronic balance 8, and is input from the input unit 7b. The operation of the coating apparatus 50 is controlled based on the operation input and information.
As the operation input input to the input unit 7b, for example, an operation input for instructing the start of measurement of elapsed time, an operation input for informing that the setting of the coating agent container 2 has been completed, and an operation input for instructing the start of trial application The operation input for instructing the start of the application speed calculation, the operation input for instructing the start of the main application, the XYZ axis robot 5 is driven, and the coating agent container 2 fixed to the XYZ axis robot 5 is moved to an appropriate position. Examples of operation input can be given.
Examples of the input information include information such as the type of coating agent 3 to be used, the target coating amount, the moving direction and the moving amount by the XYZ axis robot 5, and the like.

  The functional configuration of the control unit 7 includes an apparatus control unit 105, a storage unit 103, an elapsed time measurement unit 101, a pressure control unit 102, a coating speed calculation unit 106, and a coating speed control unit 104.

The apparatus control unit 105 controls the entire operation of the coating apparatus 50, stores information input from the input unit 7 b in the storage unit 103 including, for example, a memory or an external storage device, and stores the information in the storage unit 103 in advance. The stored information can be sent to the pressure control unit 102 and the coating speed control unit 104. Further, the device control unit 105 can acquire the elapsed time measured by the elapsed time measurement unit 101 described later from the elapsed time measurement unit 101.
Information stored in the storage unit 103 includes pressure control data for changing the pressure applied to the coating agent 3 in the coating agent container 2 by the pressure supply unit 6 in accordance with the elapsed time from the start of curing of the coating agent 3, which will be described later. Test application speed V ₀ in the test application process, test application time T ₀ , the value of the target application amount M in the test application, information on the test application path, information on the application path of the application agent 3 in the main application process described later, application agent 3 The pot life value for each type can be listed.
The pot life is the pot life of the coating agent 3, but in this embodiment, the pot life is set to a value with a margin so that one workpiece 12 cannot be coated during the coating. .

In this embodiment, the pressure control data is changed with time so that the discharge amount (discharge amount per unit time) from the discharge port 4a is constant regardless of the elapsed time from the start of curing of the coating agent 3. The pressure supplied to the coating agent container 2 (hereinafter referred to as supply pressure) is shown.
As the elapsed time from the start of curing increases, the viscosity of the coating agent 3 changes. For example, in the case of a two-component adhesive or the like, the curing proceeds and the viscosity increases as the elapsed time increases. For this reason, in order to keep the discharge amount from the discharge port 4a constant, it is necessary to increase the supply pressure with the elapsed time as shown by the curve 200 in FIG. In addition, although FIG. 3 is drawing for the schematic diagram, the curve 200 is drawn in the straight line which goes up to the right, but the shape of the curve 200 is not necessarily a straight line and may change into a curved line shape. For example, since it is determined depending on factors specific to the type of the coating agent 3 such as a component of the coating agent 3 and a reaction speed, the value varies according to a function form specific to the type of the coating agent 3. If this function is expressed as f, the supply pressure P is P = f (t) as a function of the elapsed time t.

The shape of the curve 200 can be obtained by conducting a discharge experiment using the coating agent 3, or by obtaining a change in the viscosity of the coating agent 3 over time and performing a numerical simulation based on this viscosity change.
For example, when obtained by experiment, the coating agent 3 is discharged from the discharge port 4a at a constant pressure, the relationship between the elapsed time from the start of curing and the discharge speed is measured, and a pressure that can cancel the change in the discharge speed is set. Set as supply pressure P.
The shape of the curve 200 determined in advance in this way is stored in the storage unit 103 as a numerical table or coefficient data of an empirical formula.
Thereby, in principle, the discharge amount can be made constant. Actually, there is an error depending on the accuracy of the experiment and the simulation, so an error will occur to some extent in the discharge amount. Can be within the range.
Even if the pressure control of the pressure supply unit 6 is performed based on such pressure control data, the initial viscosity at the start of curing of the coating agent 3 varies for each production lot. For this reason, in the coating agent 3 of a different production lot from the coating agent 3 used for determining the pressure control data, the change tendency of the discharge amount is the same, but the absolute value of the discharge amount includes the difference in the initial viscosity. Accordingly, a certain offset is generated.

In addition, when the apparatus control unit 105 detects an operation input input to the input unit 7b, the apparatus control unit 105 can perform an operation corresponding to the operation input and send out a control signal.
For example, when the apparatus control unit 105 detects an operation input notifying that the setting of the coating agent container 2 has been completed, a coating number counter that counts the number of coatings provided in the device control unit 105 is initialized to zero. .
Further, based on the information on the type of the coating agent 3 input from the input unit 7 b, the pressure control data is selected from the storage unit 103 and sent to the pressure control unit 102.

When the apparatus control unit 105 detects an operation input for instructing start of trial application, the operation of the trial application is controlled.
That is, the apparatus control unit 105 first reads out the trial application speed V ₀ , the trial application time T ₀ , and the information about the trial application path that are stored in advance in the storage unit 103. In the present embodiment, the trial application speed V ₀ and the trial application time T ₀ are both constant values. The trial application path is a linear path along one direction in the horizontal plane, for example, the X-axis direction.
Next, the apparatus control unit 105 sends a trial coating speed V ₀ set in advance as a coating speed to the coating speed control unit 104 and has a length V ₀ × T along the X-axis direction as a coating path. _{Sends 0} straight path information.
Next, the apparatus control unit 105 sends a control signal for starting the operation of the pressure supply unit 6 (hereinafter, referred to as an operation start signal of the pressure supply unit 6) to the pressure control unit 102, and the operation of the XYZ axis robot 5 A control signal (hereinafter referred to as an operation start signal for the XYZ axis robot 5) is sent to the coating speed control unit 104.
In other words, the apparatus control unit 105 applies the pressure controlled by the pressure control unit 102 to the coating agent 3 via the pressure supply unit 102 and performs trial coating at a preset trial coating speed V ₀ by the XYZ axis robot 5. The trial application part which trial-applies the coating agent 3 on the trial application | coating board | substrate 10 is comprised by moving the board | substrate 10 for discharge and the discharge port 4a relatively.

  In addition, when the apparatus control unit 105 detects an operation input for instructing the start of the application speed calculation, the apparatus control unit 105 generates a control signal for causing the application speed calculation unit 106 to calculate the application speed (hereinafter, application speed calculation start signal). The application speed is obtained from the application speed calculation unit 106 and stored in the storage unit 103.

Further, when the apparatus control unit 105 detects an operation input for instructing the start of the main application, the apparatus control unit 105 sends the information about the application route and the application speed in the main application process stored in the storage unit 103 to the application speed control unit 104. Send it out. Then, an operation start signal of the pressure supply unit 6 is sent to the pressure control unit 102, and an operation start signal of the XYZ-axis robot 5 is sent to the coating speed control unit 104 to the coating speed control unit 104.
As long as the coating route in this coating process is a pattern configured by combining linear patterns, an appropriate pattern that requires coating of the coating agent 3 on the workpiece 12 can be adopted. For example, a linear pattern, a curved pattern, a looped pattern, a zigzag pattern, a spiral pattern, a planar pattern formed by adjoining a linear pattern, or the like can be adopted.

The elapsed time measuring unit 101 includes a timer for measuring the elapsed time, and when detecting that an operation input commanding the start of measurement of the elapsed time is made from the input unit 7b, the timer is reset and measurement of the elapsed time is started. Thereafter, the measurement result of the elapsed time is sent to the pressure control unit 102 based on a request from the pressure control unit 102.
In the present embodiment, the measured elapsed time is displayed on the display unit 7 a provided in the control unit 7.

  The pressure control unit 102 controls the operation of the pressure supply unit 6 based on a control signal from the device control unit 105. In this embodiment, when the operation start signal of the pressure supply unit 6 is received from the device control unit 105, the elapsed time t at this time is acquired from the elapsed time measurement unit 101, and the pressure control data transferred from the device control unit 105 is obtained. By referring to the pressure control value from the device control unit 105 until the control signal for stopping the operation is sent, the pressure command value is sent to the pressure supply unit 6 based on the pressure control data after this elapsed time.

  The application speed calculation unit 106 is electrically connected to the electronic balance 8, acquires a measured value of mass in the electronic balance 8 based on a control signal from the apparatus control unit 105, and later described based on the measured value. The application speed used in the main application process is calculated and sent to the apparatus control unit 105.

The coating speed control unit 104 controls the operation of the XYZ axis robot 5 based on the operation start signal of the XYZ axis robot 5 from the apparatus control unit 105.
Prior to the operation start signal of the XYZ-axis robot 5, information about the coating speed and the coating path is sent to the coating speed control unit 104 from the apparatus control unit 105, and based on the information on the coating speed and the coating path. The command value for operating the XYZ axis robot 5 is sent to the XYZ axis robot 5.

  The control unit 7 may be configured only by hardware, or may be configured by appropriate hardware and a computer including a CPU, a memory, an input / output interface, an external storage device, and the like. The control function may be realized by executing a control program on a computer.

The electronic balance 8 is used to measure the mass of the trial-applied coating agent 11 that has been trial-applied in a trial-coating process described later, and is electrically connected to the application speed calculation unit 106, and is supplied from the application speed calculation unit 106. The measurement value of mass can be sent to the coating speed calculation unit 106 as required.
In the present embodiment, in a trial coating process described later, the coating agent 3 is trial-coated on a trial coating substrate 10 having a known mass, and the trial-coated coating agent 11 and the trial coating substrate 10 are placed on the electronic balance 8. It is supposed to be arranged in.
For this reason, the measurement value sent from the electronic balance 8 to the coating speed calculation unit 106 is set so that a value obtained by subtracting the mass of the trial coating substrate 10 from the actual mass measurement value is sent to the coating speed calculation unit 106. ing.

Next, the operation of the coating apparatus 50 will be described together with the coating agent coating method according to the first embodiment of the present invention performed using the coating apparatus 50.
FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram of the coating agent coating method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic graph showing an example of an appropriate coating speed with respect to the trial coating amount in the coating agent coating method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis represents the trial coating amount, and the vertical axis represents the coating speed.

The coating agent coating method of this embodiment is a coating agent coating method in which steps S1 to S11 are performed according to the process flow shown in FIG. 4 using the coating device 50. The pressure determination process (steps S5 and S9) is a trial. A coating process (step S6), a trial coating amount measuring process (step S7), a coating speed calculating process (step S8), and a main coating process (step S10) are provided.
In addition, prior to step S1, the coating apparatus 50 includes information on the coating conditions of the coating agent coating operation to be performed, for example, the type of coating agent 3, the target coating amount, pressure control data, information on the coating route, the coating agent 3 It is assumed that the pot life information and the like are stored in the storage unit 103 of the control unit 7.
Further, it is assumed that the position of the XYZ axis robot 5 is set to a certain initial position.

In step S1, curing of the coating agent 3 is started and measurement of elapsed time is started.
For example, if the coating agent 3 is a two-component adhesive, the operator inputs two liquids to start curing of the coating agent 3 and immediately inputs an operation input for instructing the start of measurement of elapsed time through the input unit 7b. I do.
When the elapsed time measuring unit 101 of the control unit 7 detects an operation input for instructing to start the elapsed time measurement, the elapsed time measuring unit 101 starts counting the elapsed time and displays the elapsed time on the display unit 7a.
Thus, step S1 is completed.

In step S <b> 2, the operator stores the coating agent 3 in the coating agent container 2 and sets it in the coating device 50. That is, the coating agent container 2 is attached to the Z-axis moving arm 5z, and the air tube 6b is connected to the upper end portion.
The operator who has completed the setting performs an operation input for notifying that the setting of the coating agent container 2 has been completed and inputting information on the type of the coating agent 3 through the input unit 7b. When the apparatus control unit 105 detects this operation input, it resets the application number counter.
This is the end of step S2.

Next, in step S3, the apparatus control unit 105 determines whether or not the coating agent 3 is within the pot life. That is, the apparatus control unit 105 acquires the elapsed time measured by the elapsed time measurement unit 101 from the elapsed time measurement unit 101 and compares it with the pot life information of the coating agent 3 stored in the storage unit 103.
If the elapsed time is within the pot life, the process proceeds to step S4.
If the elapsed time exceeds the pot life, the coating application is terminated. Furthermore, when performing application | coating continuously, each step from step S1 is repeated.

Next, in step S4, the apparatus control unit 105 refers to a counter that counts the number of times of application that is initialized after the set of the coating agent container 2 and determines whether or not it is the first coating after the set of the coating agent container 2. .
That is, if the counter is 0, it is determined that the application is performed for the first time, and the process proceeds to step S5.
If the counter is 1 or more, it is determined that it is not the first application, and the process proceeds to step S9.

Next, in step S5, the apparatus control unit 105 performs a pressure determination process. This step is a step of determining pressure control data.
The apparatus control unit 105 selects pressure control data corresponding to the type of the coating agent 3 based on the information on the coating agent 3 used for coating input in advance through the input unit 7b, and reads out the pressure control data from the storage unit 103. Data is sent to the pressure control unit 102 (step S20). The pressure control unit 102 stores this pressure control data. Thereby, pressure control data is determined based on the kind of coating agent 3 (step S21).
This is the end of step S5.
By performing this pressure determination step, the pressure control unit 102 thereafter supplies pressure P (t) based on the elapsed time t from the elapsed time measurement unit 101 and the pressure control data stored in the pressure control unit 102. The pressure command value corresponding to is sent to the pressure supply unit 6.

In step S <b> 6, a trial coating process is performed by the coating apparatus 50. This process is based on pressure control data determined by the pressure determining step (step S5), and together with the application of pressure P (t) in the coating material 3, trial coating substrate 10 at a trial coating velocity V ₀ which is set in advance In this step, the coating agent 3 is trial-coated on the trial coating substrate 10 by relatively moving the (test coating member) and the discharge port 4a.
The operator sets the test application substrate 10 at a position below the discharge port 4a on the mounting table 1, and performs an operation input for starting the test application from the input unit 7b.

When the apparatus control unit 105 detects an operation input for starting trial application, the apparatus control unit 105 reads the trial application speed V ₀ , the test application time T ₀ , and the test application path stored in the storage unit 103, and applies the application speed. It is sent to the control unit 104.
Next, the operation start signal of the pressure supply unit 6 and the operation start signal of the XYZ axis robot 5 are respectively sent to the pressure control unit 102 and the coating speed control unit 104, respectively.

Thus the pressure control unit 102, the current elapsed time information from the elapsed time measuring unit 101, for example, acquires the time _{t 0} in FIG. 3, from time _{t 0,} between times _{t 1 = t 0 + T 0} , the pressure A supply pressure P that changes from P ₀ = f (t ₀ ) to P ₁ = f (t ₁ ) is applied to the coating agent container 2 according to the curve 200 shown in FIG.
In parallel with this, the coating speed control unit 104, the X-axis moving arm 5x of the XYZ-axis robot 5 performs control to drive only trial coating time T ₀ at a trial coating speed V _0.
As a result, on the test coating substrate 10, a linear test-coated application agent 11 having a length V ₀ × T _{0 with} the X-axis direction as the longitudinal direction is formed by the coating agent 3.
This is the end of step S6.
As described above, in the present embodiment, the apparatus control unit 105 and the coating speed control unit 104 apply the pressure controlled by the pressure control unit 102 to the coating agent 3 via the pressure supply unit 6 and the XYZ-axis robot 5 is preliminarily set. By driving at the set trial application speed V ₀ , a trial application control unit configured to perform trial application of the coating agent 3 is configured.

Next, in step S7, a trial coating amount measuring step is performed. This step is a step of measuring the trial coating amount of the trial-coated application agent 11 that has been trial-coated in the trial coating step. In the present embodiment, the mass of the trial-applied coating agent 11 is measured as the trial application amount.
The operator moves the test application substrate 10 on which the test application has been completed onto the dish of the electronic balance 8 on which the object to be measured is placed. The electronic balance 8 measures the sum of the masses of the trial coating substrate 10 and the trial-applied coating agent 11, and the displayed measurement values and the measurement values sent to the coating speed calculation unit 106 are set in advance. The value is obtained by subtracting the mass of the test coating substrate 10. Thereby, the electronic balance 8 will be in the state which can send out the measured value of the mass m of the test application | coating agent 11 when the acquisition request | requirement of the measurement value generate | occur | produces from the application | coating speed calculation part 106. FIG.
Above, step S7 is complete | finished.

Next, in step S8, a coating speed calculating step is performed. This step is a step of calculating the magnitude of the coating speed at which the coating amount per unit coating length becomes a preset target coating amount based on the trial coating amount measured in the trial coating amount measurement step. In the present embodiment, the target application amount M is also expressed by mass in correspondence with the trial application amount being expressed by mass.
Step S8 is started when the operator performs an operation input for instructing the start of the application speed calculation from the input unit 7b.
The apparatus control unit 105 that has detected an operation input commanding the start of the application speed calculation reads out the target application amount M in the trial application from the storage unit 103 and sends it to the application speed calculation unit 106, and then the application speed calculation unit 106. The coating speed calculation start signal is sent to
Thereby, the coating speed calculation unit 106 obtains the measured value of mass m from the electronic balance 8, calculates the coating speed V used in the main coating process based on the mass m, and sets the coating speed V to the apparatus control unit 105. To send.
In the present embodiment, the coating speed V is set so that the coating amount per unit coating length is constant. In the coating apparatus 50, since the pressure is supplied so that the discharge amount becomes constant, the coating amount per unit coating length is inversely proportional to the coating speed. Therefore, the coating speed V is obtained by the following equation (1).

V = (m / M) · V ₀ (1)

  The calculated coating speed V is sent to the apparatus control unit 105 and stored in the storage unit 103. Step S8 is complete | finished above.

Next, in step S9, the apparatus control unit 105 performs a pressure determination process. This step is a step of determining pressure control data.
The apparatus control unit 105 selects pressure control data corresponding to the type of the coating agent 3 based on the information on the coating agent 3 used for coating input in advance through the input unit 7b, and reads out the pressure control data from the storage unit 103. Data is sent to the pressure control unit 102 (step S20). The pressure control unit 102 stores this pressure control data. Thereby, pressure control data is determined based on the kind of coating agent 3 (step S21).
Above, step S9 is complete | finished.
By performing this pressure determination step, the pressure control unit 102 thereafter supplies pressure P (t) based on the elapsed time t from the elapsed time measurement unit 101 and the pressure control data stored in the pressure control unit 102. The pressure command value corresponding to is sent to the pressure supply unit 6.

Next, in step S10, the main coating process is performed. In this process, the pressure determined in the pressure determination process in step S9 is applied to the coating agent 3, and the workpiece 12 and the discharge port 4a, which are the objects to be coated, are relatively moved by the coating speed V calculated in the coating speed calculation process. In this step, the coating agent 3 is applied to the workpiece 12.
The operator sets the workpiece 12 at a position below the discharge port 4a on the mounting table 1, and performs an operation input for starting the main application from the input unit 7b.
When the apparatus control unit 105 detects an operation input for starting the main application, the apparatus control unit 105 reads the application route information and the application speed V stored in the storage unit 103 and sends them to the application speed control unit 104. Send it out. In addition, the apparatus control unit 105 updates the application number counter.
Next, the apparatus control unit 105 sends an operation start signal of the pressure supply unit 6 and an operation start signal of the XYZ axis robot 5 to the pressure control unit 102 and the coating speed control unit 104, respectively.
As a result, the discharge port 4 a is moved relative to the workpiece 12 along the coating path at the coating speed V, and the coating agent 3 is coated on the workpiece 12. At this time, since the pressure supply unit 6 is controlled based on the pressure control data, the discharge speed of the coating agent 3 is a constant speed, and the coating amount per unit coating length is constant on the workpiece 12. The coating agent 3 is applied so that Further, since the operation of the XYZ-axis robot 5 is controlled based on the information on the application route, the application agent 3 is applied along the pattern specified in the application route, and the application agent 13 that has already been applied onto the workpiece 12 is applied. The pattern is formed.
Above, step S10 is complete | finished.

Next, in step S11, it is determined whether or not to apply to the next workpiece 12.
In this step, the apparatus control unit 105 displays a prompt for input such as “Do you want to apply to the next workpiece (y / n)?” On the display unit 7a, and waits for an operation input. .
The operator inputs, for example, “y” in the input unit 7 b when applying to the next workpiece 12 and characters other than “y” when finishing the application.
If the apparatus control unit 105 detects an input of “y”, the apparatus control unit 105 proceeds to step S3. If an input other than “y” is detected, the application of the coating agent is terminated.

Thus, according to the coating agent coating method of this embodiment, while the coating agent 3 is in the pot life, the coating agent can be repeatedly applied by changing the workpiece 12.
At that time, in step S4, since the coating number counter becomes 1 or more after the second time after setting the coating agent container 2, steps S5, S6, S7, and S8 are skipped by step S4. Therefore, the test application process, the test application measurement process, and the application speed calculation process are performed only once while the coating agent 3 is in the pot life.

Next, the effect | action of the coating agent application | coating method of this embodiment is demonstrated.
FIGS. 6A, 6 </ b> B, and 6 </ b> C are schematic graphs for explaining the principle of the coating agent application method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In each figure, the abscissa represents the elapsed time from the start of curing, and the ordinate represents the viscosity in FIG. 6 (a), the test application amount in FIG. 6 (b), and the application speed in FIG. Represents the coating amount when

The viscosity of the coating agent 3 increases according to the elapsed time from the start of curing. This change in viscosity changes based on a function shape determined according to the type of the coating agent 3, so that the same time change occurs even in the coating agent 3 having a different production lot. However, since the initial viscosity for each production lot varies, the absolute value of the viscosity for each elapsed time varies depending on the production lot.
FIG. 6A schematically shows changes in viscosity with time for three coating agents 3 (referred to as lot A, lot B, and lot C, respectively) of the same type but different in production lot only. Curves 211, 212, and 213 show the viscosity changes of lots A, B, and C, respectively.
Although the curves 211, 212, and 213 have different initial viscosities at an elapsed time of 0, the changes with time in viscosity are similar monotonically increasing curves. The absolute values of the viscosities are in the order of lots B, A, and C from the largest in any elapsed time.

When the trial coating process is performed with these coating agents 3, pressure is applied to the coating agent 3 based on the pressure control data, so that the change in viscosity is offset, and the ejection speed from the ejection port 4a is the same as that at the start of curing. The speed is constant regardless of the elapsed time.
Consequently, lot A measured in trial coating amount measuring step, B, trial coating amount of C, as shown by the straight line 221, 222 and 223 in FIG. 6 (b), regardless of the elapsed time constant value _{m A} , M _B , m _C. Here, since the discharge amount decreases as the viscosity increases, the relationship of m _B <m _A <m _C is established.

When the coating speed calculation step is performed based on these trial coating amounts m _A , m _B , and m _C , the coating speeds V _A , V _B , and V _{C of} lots A, B, and C are based on the above formula (1). Respectively. The trial coating speed _{V 0} These coating speed _{V A,} V B, the changed respectively to _{V C} performing coating only trial coating time _{T 0,} as indicated by the straight line 230 in FIG. 6 (c), any of the coating The amount also becomes a constant value, matches the target application amount M, and the application amount per unit application length is constant.

For this reason, according to the coating agent coating method of the present embodiment, unevenness in the coating amount can be suppressed even when a coating agent whose viscosity changes with time is used.
That is, the viscosity of the coating agent 3 corresponding to the elapsed time is determined by determining the pressure control data and controlling the pressure of the compressed air 9 so that the discharge amount becomes constant according to the elapsed time from the start of curing. It is possible to make the discharge amount constant by offsetting the change in the discharge amount due to the change. Actually, for example, an error also occurs in the discharge speed due to an error included in the pressure control data, an error in the supply pressure of the pressure supply unit 6, and the like, and the meaning of the constant speed is within the allowable error range. Means that it can be considered.
Further, by performing trial application, it is possible to calculate the application speed at which the application amount per unit application length is constant. Therefore, even with the coating agent 3 having different initial viscosity due to different production lots, the initial viscosity By offsetting the difference, it is possible to eliminate variations in the coating amount between production lots.
Further, in this method, since the application condition in the main application process is determined in the step of determining the application speed condition after determining the pressure condition (pressure control data), the application condition can be determined statically. The pressure condition corresponding to the change with time of the coating agent viscosity is uniquely determined from the elapsed time, and the coating speed condition corresponding to the viscosity difference between lots is determined by one trial application. After performing the trial application once, the application process can be continuously performed without performing the trial application.
For this reason, after setting the coating agent container 2, while using up the coating agent 3 in the coating agent container 2, work efficiency improves compared with the conventional coating agent coating method which needs to measure viscosity several times. be able to.
In addition, since the coating apparatus 50 does not need to incorporate or have a viscosity measuring apparatus, the apparatus configuration is simplified. Furthermore, since the process of measuring the viscosity of the coating agent 3 is eliminated, and each step of cleaning and resetting the viscosity measuring device when the sample of the coating agent 3 is replaced and measured is unnecessary, a rapid coating operation can be performed. it can.

[Second Embodiment]
The coating agent coating apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
Fig.7 (a) is a typical perspective view which shows the structure of the coating agent coating device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG.7 (b) is AA sectional drawing in Fig.7 (a). FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of a control unit of the coating agent application apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the coating device 51 (coating agent coating device) of the present embodiment is a scan type instead of the electronic balance 8 and the control unit 7 of the coating device 50 of the first embodiment. A laser displacement meter 20 (trial application amount measuring unit) and a control unit 7A are provided. Hereinafter, a description will be given centering on differences from the first embodiment.

The scan type laser displacement meter 20 irradiates a laser beam L (refer to FIG. 7B) that is a convergent beam to the object to be measured, and scans the object to be measured, whereby the shape of the surface of the object to be measured is measured. It measures and is fixed to the side of the Z-axis moving arm 5z via the support arm 20a, and is provided so as to be movable in the three-axis directions by the XYZ-axis robot 5 like the coating agent container 2.
In the present embodiment, the trial-applied coating agent 11 that has been trial-applied is used as the object to be measured, and the cross-sectional area s (hereinafter simply referred to as “ Cross-sectional area s "). For this reason, the scanning laser displacement meter 20 has a configuration capable of scanning in a direction toward the measurement object and a direction orthogonal thereto. In the present embodiment, scanning can be performed in the Z-axis direction and at least the Y-axis direction.
The scan type laser displacement meter 20 is electrically connected to the control unit 7A, and can send a measured value of the cross-sectional area s to the control unit 7A based on a control signal from the control unit 7A.

As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 7A includes a device control unit 105A and a coating speed calculation unit 106A in place of the device control unit 105 and the coating speed calculation unit 106 of the control unit 7 in the first embodiment. It is. The apparatus control unit 105 </ b> A and the coating speed calculation unit 106 </ b> A are both electrically connected to the scan type laser displacement meter 20.
Further, in the storage unit 103 of the control unit 7A, instead of the target application amount M in the first embodiment, the target value of the application amount is represented by a cross-sectional area in the short direction of the trial-applied coating agent 11. The application amount S is stored.

In addition to the function of the apparatus control unit 105 of the first embodiment, the apparatus control unit 105A further controls the operations of the XYZ axis robot 5 and the scan type laser displacement meter 20 after the trial coating process is completed, so that the scan type The laser displacement meter 20 is provided with a function for measuring the test application amount.
The coating speed calculation unit 106A acquires a measured value of the cross-sectional area s from the scan type laser displacement meter 20 based on a control signal from the apparatus control unit 105A, and uses the coating speed used in the main coating process based on the cross-sectional area s. V is calculated and sent to the apparatus control unit 105.

Next, the coating agent coating method of this embodiment performed using the coating apparatus 51 will be described.
The coating agent coating method according to the present embodiment is a coating agent coating method in which steps S1 to S11 are performed according to the process flow shown in FIG. 4 using the coating device 51. The pressure determination process (steps S5 and S9) is a trial. A coating process (step S6), a trial coating amount measuring process (step S7), a coating speed calculating process (step S8), and a main coating process (step S10) are provided.
However, the specific operations in steps S7 and S8 are different from those in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, a description will be given centering on differences from the first embodiment.

Step S7 in this embodiment is different in that the trial application amount is the cross-sectional area s of the trial-applied coating agent 11, and the target application amount S is also expressed by the cross-sectional area in the short direction.
When the trial coating process is completed, the apparatus control unit 105A drives the XYZ axis robot 5 to move the scan type laser displacement meter 20 above the trial coated coating agent 11 on the trial coating substrate 10 to perform trial coating. It arrange | positions in the position where the cross-sectional area s of the used coating agent 11 can be measured. Then, a control signal for starting the measurement of the cross-sectional area is sent to the scan type laser displacement meter 20.
The scanning laser displacement meter 20 scans the laser beam L and measures the cross-sectional area s.
For example, when performing trial application along the X-axis direction, as shown in FIG. 7B, the focal position F of the laser beam L is made to be the test-applied coating agent 11 while scanning the laser beam L in the Y-axis direction. The position in the Z-axis direction located on the surface of is measured. When the laser beam L crosses the trial-applied coating agent 11 in this way, the projection height in the Z-axis direction of the surface of the trial-coated coating agent 11 with respect to the surface of the trial coating substrate 10 at each position in the Y-axis direction. Is measured, and the cross-sectional area s in the YZ plane is calculated by the scanning laser displacement meter 20.
This measurement may be carried out by determining the measurement position in the longitudinal direction of the test-applied coating agent 11 as one place, or measuring the cross-sectional area at a plurality of places by moving the measurement place in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction). Then, the average value may be obtained.
As a result, the scan type laser displacement meter 20 is in a state where it can send the measured value of the cross-sectional area s of the test-applied coating agent 11 when a measurement value acquisition request is generated from the coating speed calculation unit 106A.
The scan type laser displacement meter 20 notifies the apparatus control unit 105 that the calculation of the cross-sectional area s has been completed.
Above, step S7 in this embodiment is complete | finished.

Next, step S8 in the present embodiment is different in that the trial application amount is the cross-sectional area s, and the target application amount S is also expressed by the cross-sectional area in the short direction.
Step S8 is automatically started by the apparatus control unit 105A. The apparatus control unit 105A that is notified that the calculation of the cross-sectional area s has been completed from the scan type laser displacement meter 20 reads the target application amount S in the trial application from the storage unit 103 and sends it to the application speed calculation unit 106A. Then, a coating speed calculation start signal is sent to the coating speed calculation unit 106A.
The coating speed calculation unit 106A acquires the measured value of the cross-sectional area s from the scan type laser displacement meter 20, calculates the coating speed V used in the main coating process based on the cross-sectional area s, and sends it to the apparatus control unit 105A. .
The coating speed V in this coating process is set so that the coating amount per unit coating length is constant, as in the first embodiment. In the coating device 51, since the pressure is supplied so that the discharge speed becomes a constant speed, the coating amount per unit coating length is inversely proportional to the coating speed. Therefore, the coating speed V is obtained by the following equation (2).

V = (s / S) · V ₀ (2)

  The calculated application speed V is sent to the apparatus control unit 105A and stored in the storage unit 103. Step S8 is complete | finished above.

Thus, according to the coating agent coating method of the present embodiment, the trial coating amount is merely changed from the mass m of the trial-coated coating agent 11 to the cross-sectional area s of the trial-coated coating agent 11. The same effects as those of the first embodiment are provided.
In particular, in this embodiment, the test application amount is measured as the cross-sectional area s of the test-applied coating agent 11 in the short direction by the scan type laser displacement meter 20, so that the test application substrate 10 is moved from the mounting table 1. The amount of trial application can be measured without doing this. Therefore, the labor for moving the test application substrate 10 to the electronic balance 8 can be saved, and the working efficiency can be further improved.

[First Modification]
Next, a coating agent application method according to a modification (first modification) of the present embodiment will be described.
In the present modification, in the main application step of the coating agent application method of the second embodiment, after the main application is completed, the application amount is further measured by the scanning laser displacement meter 20, and the quality of the main application is determined. In this method, an inspection process is performed.
That is, when the fully coated coating agent 13 is formed on the workpiece 12, the apparatus control unit 105 </ b> A drives the XYZ-axis robot 5 to move the scanning laser displacement meter 20 above the coated coating agent 13. It moves and arrange | positions in the position where the cross-sectional area s of the coating agent 13 with this application | coating is measurable. The apparatus control unit 105 </ b> A sends a control signal for starting measurement of the cross-sectional area in the short direction to the scan type laser displacement meter 20.
The scan type laser displacement meter 20 scans the laser beam L on the coating agent 13 that has been coated, measures the cross-sectional area of the coating agent 13 that has been coated, and sends it to the apparatus controller 105A.
The device control unit 105A performs these measurements at a plurality of locations on a predetermined application path, and determines whether or not the variation in the cross-sectional area of the coated agent 13 in the short direction is less than the allowable value. Then, the measurement value and the determination result of the cross-sectional area are displayed on the display unit 7a.
Thus, the operator can know whether the workpiece 12 on which the coating agent 13 that has been applied is formed is a good product or a defective product, and therefore can pass only a good product to the subsequent process.

[Third Embodiment]
A coating agent coating apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 9A is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a coating agent coating apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9B is a view as viewed from B in FIG. FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of a control unit of the coating agent application apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a numerical value table stored in the storage unit 103.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, the coating device 52 (coating agent coating device) of the present embodiment is replaced with a camera 30 instead of the electronic balance 8 and the control unit 7 of the coating device 50 of the first embodiment. And a control unit 7B. Hereinafter, a description will be given centering on differences from the first embodiment.

The camera 30 images the test-applied coating agent 11 on the test-coating substrate 10 from above, and the line width w (hereinafter simply referred to as “the direction perpendicular to the relative movement direction”) of the test-applied coating agent 11 is taken. , Which is called a line width w), is fixed to the side of the Z-axis moving arm 5z via a support arm 30a, and, like the coating agent container 2, the XYZ-axis robot 5 Is provided so as to be movable in three axial directions.
In addition, the camera 30 is electrically connected to the control unit 7B, and can transmit a captured image as image data to the control unit 7B.

As shown in FIG. 10, the control unit 7B includes a device control unit 105B and a coating speed calculation unit 106B instead of the device control unit 105 and the coating speed calculation unit 106 of the control unit 7 in the first embodiment. Further, an image processing unit 107 is added. The apparatus control unit 105 </ b> B and the coating speed calculation unit 106 </ b> B are both electrically connected to the image processing unit 107, and the image processing unit 107 is electrically connected to the camera 30.
In addition, a numerical value table is stored in the storage unit 103 of the control unit 7B instead of the target application amount M in the first embodiment. The numerical value table is created from data obtained in advance by experiments as shown in FIG. 11, and the pressure P (t) at the time of trial application and the trial application when the application agent is applied at the trial application speed V _0. From the line width w of the used coating agent 11, the coating speed V that is the target coating amount is obtained.

In addition to the function of the device control unit 105 of the first embodiment, the device control unit 105B further controls the operation of the XYZ-axis robot 5 after the trial coating process to control the camera 30 and the coating agent 11 after the trial coating. And a function of starting image processing by the image processing unit 107.
The coating speed calculation unit 106B acquires the measured value of the line width w of the trial-applied coating agent 11 from the image processing unit 107 based on the control signal from the apparatus control unit 105B, and performs the main coating based on the line width w. The coating speed V used in the process is calculated and sent to the apparatus control unit 105B.
The image processing unit 107 extracts an image of the trial-applied coating agent 11 from the image data sent from the camera 30 and calculates the line width w of the trial-applied coating agent 11.

Next, the coating agent coating method of this embodiment performed using the coating device 52 will be described.
The coating agent coating method of this embodiment is a coating agent coating method in which steps S1 to S10 are performed according to the process flow shown in FIG. 4 using the coating device 52. The pressure determination step (step S3), the trial coating step ( Step S6), a trial coating amount measuring step (Step S7), a coating speed calculating step (Step S8), and a main coating step (Step S9).
However, the specific operations in steps S7 and S8 are different from those in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, a description will be given centering on differences from the first embodiment.

Step S7 in the present embodiment is a step of measuring the trial application amount of the trial-applied coating agent 11 that has been trial-applied in the trial application process, as in the first embodiment. The difference is that the coating amount is the line width w of the trial-applied coating agent 11.
When the trial application process is completed, the apparatus control unit 105B drives the XYZ-axis robot 5 to move the camera 30 above the trial-applied coating agent 11 on the trial coating substrate 10 and to apply the trial-applied coating agent 11. Is arranged at a position where the line width w can be measured. Then, the apparatus control unit 105B sends a control signal for starting measurement of the line width to the image processing unit 107.
The image processing unit 107 acquires image data from the camera 30 when receiving a control signal from the apparatus control unit 105B.
The image processing unit 107 performs a binarization process on the acquired image data using a threshold value set in advance based on the image density difference between the test coating substrate 10 and the test-coated application agent 11, and performs test coating. An image of the used coating agent 11 is extracted.
The image processing unit 107 performs image processing on the image of the trial-applied coating agent 11 to calculate the line width w and sends it to the coating speed calculation unit 106B. At the same time, the apparatus control unit 105B calculates the line width w. Notify that it has finished.
Above, step S7 in this embodiment is complete | finished.

  In this embodiment, the camera 30 and the image processing unit 107 constitute a trial application amount measuring unit that measures the trial application amount of the trial-applied coating agent 11 that has been trial-applied based on the control of the trial application control unit. Yes.

Next, in step S8 in this embodiment, the line width w of the trial-applied coating agent 11 is measured, and the coating speed V is determined from the numerical table created from the line width w and data obtained from the experiment. Different.
Step S8 is automatically started by the apparatus control unit 105B. The apparatus control unit 105B notified of the end of the calculation of the line width w from the image processing unit 107 reads out the numerical value table from the storage unit 103 and sends it to the application rate calculation unit 106B, and then sends it to the application rate calculation unit 106B. Sends a coating speed calculation start signal.
Thereby, the application speed calculation unit 106B performs the main application based on the pressure P (t) at the time of trial application, the line width w sent from the image processing unit 107, and the numerical value table sent from the apparatus control unit 105B. The coating speed V used in the process is calculated and sent to the apparatus control unit 105B.
The coating speed V in this coating process is set so that the coating amount per unit coating length is constant, as in the first embodiment.
The coating speed V calculated from the numerical table is sent to the apparatus control unit 105B and stored in the storage unit 103. Step S8 is complete | finished above.

Thus, according to the coating agent coating method of the present embodiment, the measurement object is merely changed from the mass m of the trial-coated coating agent 11 to the line width w of the trial-coated coating agent 11, and the first The same operation effect as the embodiment is provided.
In particular, in the present embodiment, the trial coating amount is measured as the line width w in the short direction of the trial-applied coating agent 11 by the camera 30 and the image processing unit 107, so that the trial coating substrate 10 is placed on the mounting table 1. The trial coating amount can be measured without moving. For this reason, since the trouble of moving the test application substrate 10 to the electronic balance 8 can be saved, the working efficiency can be further improved.

[Second Modification]
Next, a coating agent application method according to a modification (second modification) of the present embodiment will be described.
In this modification, in the main application step of the coating agent application method of the third embodiment, after the main application is completed, the amount of application is further measured by the camera 30 and the image processing unit 107 to determine whether the main application is good or bad. This is a method in which an inspection process for determination is performed.
That is, when the final coated coating agent 13 is formed on the workpiece 12, the apparatus control unit 105B drives the XYZ axis robot 5 to move the camera 30 above the final coated coating agent 13 to perform the final coating. It arrange | positions in the position where the line width w of the used coating agent 13 is measurable. Then, the apparatus control unit 105B sends a control signal for starting measurement of the line width in the short direction to the image processing unit 107.
The image processing unit 107 measures the line width of the applied coating agent 13 and sends it to the apparatus control unit 105B.
The apparatus control unit 105B performs these measurements at a plurality of locations on a predetermined application path, determines whether or not the variation in the line width of the applied coating agent 13 is equal to or less than an allowable value, and measures each measurement. The value and the determination result are displayed on the display unit 7a.
Thus, the operator can know whether the workpiece 12 on which the coating agent 13 that has been applied is formed is a good product or a defective product, and therefore can pass only a good product to the subsequent process.
In the present modification, if there is an abnormality in the shape that allows image determination, the presence / absence of an abnormality other than an abnormality in the line width of the applied coating agent 13 may be determined together.

  In the above description, as an amount representing the coating amount, the mass, the cross-sectional area in the cross section orthogonal to the relative movement direction, and the line width in the direction orthogonal to the relative movement direction have been described as examples. May be expressed in other measured quantities as required. For example, you may employ | adopt the volume per unit length, the height from a to-be-coated body, etc.

  In the above description, the example in which the object to be coated is fixed on the mounting table 1 and the discharge port 4a is moved by the XYZ axis robot 5 has been described. However, the object to be coated and the discharge port are relatively moved. The relative movement mechanism may be a mechanism that moves the object to be coated while fixing the discharge port, or a mechanism that moves the discharge port and the object to be coated.

  Further, in the above description, the example in which the pot life is automatically determined on the side of the coating agent application device has been described. However, the operator looks at the display of the elapsed time measured by the elapsed time measuring unit, and the operator You may make it determine whether it reached life.

  In the above description, the pressure determination process is described as an example in which the pressure determination process is performed twice before the trial application process and before the main application process. The pressure determination process may be performed at any timing as long as it is before the trial coating process or the main coating process. However, when the pressure determination process is performed immediately before the coating, the apparatus control unit 105 sends the pressure determination process to the pressure control unit 102. The pressure control data to be transmitted may be pressure control data in a time range in which at least trial application or application of one workpiece 12 can be completed. Therefore, the storage area used by the pressure control unit 102 can be reduced.

  In the description of the second embodiment, the scanning laser displacement meter 20 performs scanning in the short direction using the scanning function of the scanning laser displacement meter 20. The scanning type laser displacement meter 20 may be moved by the XYZ axis robot 5 to perform scanning.

  In addition, all the components described in the above embodiments and modifications can be implemented by appropriately changing or deleting combinations within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

1 Mounting table 2 Coating agent container (container)
3 Coating agent 4 Needle 4a Discharge port 5 XYZ axis robot (relative movement mechanism)
6 Pressure supply unit 7, 7A, 7B Control unit 7b Input unit 8 Electronic balance (trial application amount measuring unit)
10 Substrate for trial application (trial application member)
11 Test-applied coating agent 12 Workpiece (object to be coated)
13 Pre-applied coating agent 20 Scan type laser displacement meter (test application amount measuring unit)
30 camera (test application amount measuring part)
50, 51, 52 Coating device (Coating agent coating device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Elapsed time measurement part 102 Pressure control part 103 Storage part 104 Application | coating speed control part 105, 105A, 105B Apparatus control part (trial application part)
106, 106A, 106B Application speed calculation unit 107 Image processing unit (trial application amount measurement unit)
M, S, W target coating quantity _{V, V A, V B,} V C coating speed m mass (trial coating amount)
s Cross-sectional area (trial application amount)
t Elapsed time w Line width (trial application amount)
T ₀ trial application time V ₀ trial application speed

Claims (5)

A coating agent whose viscosity changes from the start of curing is accommodated in a container having a discharge port, pressure is applied to the coating agent, and the discharge agent is discharged from the discharge port, and the object to be coated and the discharge port are moved relative to each other. An application method for applying the application agent on the object to be applied,
A pressure determining step for determining pressure control data for changing the pressure according to an elapsed time from the start of curing of the coating agent so that a discharge amount of the coating agent from the discharge port is constant;
A pressure is applied to the coating agent based on the pressure control data determined in the pressure determining step, and the trial coating member and the discharge port are moved relative to each other at a trial coating speed that is set in advance. A trial application step for trial application of the coating agent;
A trial coating amount measuring step for measuring a trial coating amount of the coating agent trial-coated in the trial coating step;
Based on the trial application amount measured in the trial application amount measurement step, an application speed calculation step for calculating the application speed at which the application amount per unit application length is a preset target application amount; and
While applying the pressure determined in the pressure determining step to the coating agent, the coated body and the discharge port are relatively moved by the coating speed calculated in the coating speed calculating step, and the coated body And a main coating step of applying the coating agent to
A coating method for applying a coating agent, comprising: In the trial coating amount measuring step,
The method of coating a coating agent according to claim 1, wherein the trial coating amount is measured as a mass of the coating agent subjected to the trial coating. In the trial coating amount measuring step,
2. The coating agent coating method according to claim 1, wherein the trial coating amount is measured as a cross-sectional area in a section orthogonal to the relative movement direction of the trial coating agent. In the trial coating amount measuring step,
2. The coating agent coating method according to claim 1, wherein the trial coating amount is measured as a line width in a direction orthogonal to the relative movement direction of the trial coating agent. A container that contains a coating agent whose viscosity changes from the start of curing and discharges it from a discharge port, a pressure supply unit that applies pressure to the coating agent in the container, and an object to be coated and the discharge port are moved relative to each other. A coating application device having a relative movement mechanism,
An elapsed time measuring unit for measuring an elapsed time from the start of curing of the coating agent;
Pressure control data for changing the pressure according to the elapsed time from the start of curing of the coating agent is stored so that the discharge amount of the coating agent from the discharge port becomes constant, and the elapsed time measuring unit A pressure control unit for controlling the pressure applied to the coating agent based on the measured elapsed time and the pressure control data;
The pressure controlled by the pressure controller is applied to the coating agent via the pressure supply unit, and the relative movement mechanism relatively moves the trial application member and the discharge port at a preset trial application speed. A trial application part for trial application of the coating agent on the test application member;
A test application amount measuring unit for measuring the test application amount of the test application agent;
Based on the trial coating amount measured by the trial coating amount measuring unit, a coating speed calculating unit that calculates the magnitude of the coating speed at which the coating amount per unit coating length becomes a preset target coating amount;
A coating speed control unit that controls a relative movement amount of the relative movement mechanism according to the coating speed calculated by the coating speed calculation unit;
A coating agent coating apparatus comprising:

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