JP2012110870A - Apparatus and method for feeding adhesive agent - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for feeding an adhesive agent that uniformly applies an adhesive agent to a workpiece and controls protrusion of the adhesive agent from the workpiece, and to provide a method for feeding an adhesive agent.SOLUTION: The apparatus for feeding an adhesive agent, which feeds the adhesive agent R to the workpiece S to be a sticking object, includes: a feeding unit 10 having a dummy feeding region 12 that can come close to and separate from an edge part of the workpiece S and feeding the adhesive agent R to the workpiece S and the dummy feeding region 12; and a moving unit 13 for moving the dummy feeding region 12 in a direction separating from the workpiece S.

Description

  The present invention relates to an adhesive supply apparatus and an adhesive supply method in which, for example, a technique for supplying an adhesive to workpieces to be bonded is improved.

  In general, a liquid crystal display is configured by laminating a liquid crystal module, an operation touch panel, a protective panel for protecting the surface, and the like. These liquid crystal module, touch panel, protective panel, and the like (hereinafter referred to as a work) are incorporated in the casing of the liquid crystal display.

  When an air layer enters between the workpieces stacked in this manner, the visibility of the display surface of the liquid crystal decreases due to external light reflection. In order to cope with this, when bonding the workpieces, an adhesive layer is formed by filling a space between the workpieces with an adhesive.

  For this reason, the manufacture of a liquid crystal display requires an adhesive supply device that supplies an adhesive to at least one workpiece. For example, a technique shown in Patent Document 1 has been proposed as a technique for applying an adhesive to a substrate. This is a slit coat type coating apparatus.

JP 2000-5682 A

  By the way, in order to make the visibility of the display surface of the liquid crystal uniform, it is desirable that the adhesive layer has a uniform thickness. For this reason, in the prior art, uniform application is attempted by devising a device for applying an adhesive, a mode for applying an adhesive, and the like.

  However, even if uniformization can be realized at the time of application, the adhesive R flows out of the outer edge of the workpiece S as shown in FIGS. 24 (A) and 24 (B). There is a case. The protruding adhesive R itself causes a problem in terms of products. Further, when the adhesive R protrudes, the outer edge portion of the workpiece S becomes thin. For this reason, a difference in height occurs in the application pressure of the adhesive R.

  In order to cope with this, it is conceivable to supply the adhesive R thickly at the start and end of application. However, in this case, since the amount of flow at the edge of the workpiece S is increased, the possibility of protrusion is increased, and this cannot be solved. Even if the flow is suppressed using the adhesive R having a high viscosity, it is difficult to spread evenly during application.

  The present invention has been proposed to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and its purpose is to achieve uniform application of the adhesive to the workpiece and prevention of the adhesive from protruding from the workpiece. Another object is to provide an adhesive supply device and an adhesive supply method.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an adhesive supply device that supplies an adhesive to a workpiece to be bonded, and includes a dummy supply region that can be brought into contact with and separated from an edge of the workpiece. On the other hand, it has a supply part which supplies an adhesive so that it may reach to the dummy supply area part.

  In the invention as described above, after the adhesive is supplied to the workpiece and the dummy supply region by the supply unit, the dummy supply region is separated from the edge of the workpiece. Thereby, since the edge part of the adhesive agent which is easy to produce a height difference can be removed from a workpiece | work, uniform application | coating is realizable. Moreover, since the adhesive agent of the part which remove | deviated from the edge part of the workpiece | work can be removed, the protrusion of the adhesive agent from a workpiece | work can be prevented substantially.

Another aspect is characterized by having a moving unit that moves at least one of the dummy supply region and the workpiece away from the other.
In the above aspects, after supplying the adhesive to the workpiece and the dummy supply region, the dummy supply region can be detached from the workpiece by the moving unit.

Another aspect is characterized in that the dummy supply area is provided so as to be divided into a plurality of parts.
Another aspect is characterized in that the dummy supply region portion is a placement portion on which a workpiece is placed.
Another aspect is characterized in that the dummy supply region is sheet-shaped.
In the above aspects, various dummy supply areas that can be reused and discarded can be configured.

Another aspect is characterized by having a cleaning section for cleaning the dummy supply area section.
In the above aspect, it becomes reusable by washing | cleaning the adhesive agent adhering to the dummy supply area | region part.

  Each of the above-mentioned inventions can also be understood as an invention of an adhesive supply method.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an adhesive supply device and an adhesive supply method capable of realizing uniform application of an adhesive to a workpiece and prevention of the adhesive from protruding from the workpiece. .

It is explanatory drawing which shows the whole structure of one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the workpiece | work and adhesive agent in embodiment of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the supply part in embodiment of FIG. FIG. 2 is a simplified cross-sectional view illustrating after adhesive expansion (A) and after removal of a dummy supply region (B) in the embodiment of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing an adhesive application (A) and an adhesive enlarged (B) in the embodiment of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing an adhesive application (A) and an adhesive enlarged (B) in the embodiment of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a simplified cross-sectional view illustrating a state (A) that protrudes from an outer edge of a dummy supply region and a state (B) that remains in the dummy supply region after the adhesive is enlarged in the embodiment of FIG. 1. It is a simplified sectional view showing a preparatory stage of adhesive application of an example of a moving part which moves a dummy supply area part. It is a simplified sectional view showing an adhesive application step of an example of a moving unit that moves a dummy supply region. It is a simplified sectional view showing an example in which there is a height difference between a dummy supply region and a workpiece. It is a simplified sectional view showing an example in which there is a height difference between a dummy supply region and a workpiece. It is a simplified sectional view showing an example in which a moving part is provided in the mounting part. It is a simplified sectional view showing an example in which a connecting portion is detachably provided to a moving portion. It is a simplified sectional view showing an example in which a placing part is movably provided. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the moving part which lifts a dummy supply area | region part. FIG. 16 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing an adhesive application time in the embodiment of FIG. FIG. 16 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing when the adhesive of the embodiment of FIG. 15 is expanded (A) and when the dummy supply region is detached (B). It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the structure which pushes down a dummy supply area | region part. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example which can divide | segment a dummy supply area | region part. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example which made the dummy supply area | region part the sheet form. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example which used the dummy supply area | region part as the susceptor. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example which provided the washing | cleaning part. It is a simplified sectional view showing an example when an optical disk is used as a work. It is a simplified sectional view showing an example which protrudes from the outer edge of a work after adhesive application.

Embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
[A. Constitution]
First, the configuration of the adhesive supply device (hereinafter referred to as this device) of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus includes an adhesive supply unit 1, a transport unit 2, and the like. The workpiece S to be bonded is provided so as to be movable by the transport unit 2.

  The adhesive supply unit 1 includes, for example, a supply unit 10, a placement unit 11, a dummy supply region unit 12, a moving unit 13, and the like. The supply unit 10 is a component that supplies the adhesive R to the workpiece S. The supply unit 10 includes, for example, a tank T that contains the adhesive R, a nozzle 10a that drops the adhesive R contained in the tank T onto the workpiece S via a pipe, and the like. Moreover, the supply part 10 is provided with drive mechanisms (not shown), such as a scanning device which scans the nozzle 10a, for example.

  The placement unit 11 is a table on which the workpiece S1 is placed. The dummy supply region portion 12 is, for example, a flat plate member, and an inner frame portion 12a into which the workpiece S on the placement portion 11 is fitted is formed inside. The inner side surface of the inner frame portion 12a serves as a boundary portion in contact with the edge portion (outer side surface) of the workpiece S.

  Furthermore, the lower part of the dummy supply area part 12 is supported by the moving part 13. The moving unit 13 is movably provided by a driving mechanism such as a lifting mechanism (not shown). Thereby, the moving unit 13 can move down after the adhesive R is applied to the workpiece S, and move the dummy supply region unit 12 downward.

  The transport unit 2 includes, for example, a transport device 20 that transports the placement unit 11 on which the workpiece S is mounted together with the dummy supply region unit 12 and the moving unit 13. As the transport device 20, for example, a turntable, a conveyor, and the like and a drive mechanism thereof can be considered. However, any apparatus may be used as long as it can convey the workpiece S.

[B. Action]
The operation of the present embodiment having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the transport device 20 transports the workpiece S placed on the placement unit 11 from the previous process to the adhesive supply unit 1. In the adhesive supply unit 1, the supply unit 10 supplies the adhesive R to the workpiece S as shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 3, the nozzle 10 a scanned by the scanning device moves while dripping the adhesive R, whereby the adhesive R can be applied to the entire workpiece S. it can.

  When the adhesive R is applied in this way, the adhesive R spreads from the workpiece S to the dummy supply region section 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 (B), 2 (B), and 4 (A). At this time, the height difference of the adhesive R increases as it goes to the edge of the applied region.

  The starting position of application may be on the workpiece S or on the dummy supply area 12. “Supplying the adhesive so as to extend to the dummy supply region” in the claims means, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the result of supplying the adhesive R onto the workpiece S, as shown in FIG. ), The case where the adhesive R reaches the dummy supply region 12 by flow is also included. In addition, for example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the case where the adhesive R is supplied onto the dummy supply region 12 and further spreads to the outer edge as shown in FIG. 6B is included.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the adhesive R may spread out from the outer edge of the dummy supply region 12 as shown in FIG. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7B, even if the adhesive R spreads, it does not have to reach the outer edge of the dummy supply region portion 12.

  After the application as described above is performed, as shown in FIGS. 1C, 2C, and 4B, the moving unit 13 is lowered by the elevating mechanism. Then, the adhesive Rx at the edge with a large difference in height separates from the workpiece S together with the dummy supply region 12. Thereafter, the transfer device 20 transfers the workpiece S to the next process.

[C. effect]
According to the present embodiment as described above, the following effects can be obtained. That is, the adhesive Rx at the edge where the height difference is likely to occur can be removed from the workpiece S using the dummy supply region 12. For this reason, the layer of the adhesive agent R with uniform thickness can be formed as a whole. In addition, since the adhesive R in the portion that is off the edge of the workpiece S can be removed, the adhesive R can be prevented from substantially protruding from the workpiece S. In particular, the adhesive Rx can be reliably removed by the dummy supply region portion 12 by lowering the moving portion 13 by the elevating mechanism.

[D. Other Embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment as described above. For example, the structure and method for bringing the dummy supply region 12 and the workpiece S into contact with each other are free. Either the dummy supply area 12 or the workpiece S may be moved, or both may be moved, and the moving direction is not limited to a specific direction.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a configuration in which the moving unit 13 is connected to the lifting mechanism via the connecting unit 13 a can be considered. In such a configuration, first, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the moving unit 13 is raised, and the inner frame portion 12 a of the dummy supply region portion 12 is fitted to the work S on the placement portion 11. Then, as shown in FIG. 9A, after the adhesive R is supplied onto the work S, the moving part 13 is lowered as shown in FIG. 9B, and the dummy supply area part 12 is moved to the work S. The adhesive Rx at the edge is removed by separating from the edge. In addition, as a raising / lowering mechanism, although a cylinder and a cam mechanism can be considered, it is not limited to a specific thing.

  In the above example, the surface to which the adhesive R is supplied in the dummy supply region 12 is the same plane as the workpiece S. However, for example, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, there may be a step between the surface of the workpiece S and the surface of the dummy supply region portion 12. When the surface of the dummy supply area 12 is higher than the surface of the workpiece S, there is an effect of further suppressing the flow of the adhesive R from the inside to the outside.

  Further, the supply area of the adhesive R defined by the dummy supply area portion 12 does not necessarily coincide with the edge of the workpiece S. For example, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the boundary portion 12a may be located inside the edge of the workpiece S. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11B, the moving unit 13 may be configured to push up the dummy supply region unit 12 from below. Even in such a case, there is an effect of suppressing the flow of the adhesive R from the inside to the outside. In order to separate the dummy supply area 12 from the workpiece S, it is free to raise or lower the moving part 13.

  Further, the moving unit 13 may be incorporated in the mounting unit 11. For example, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the moving unit 13 is a dummy through a vertical gap 11a (for example, a slit or the like) formed on the side portion of the housing-like mounting unit 11. It is connected to the supply area section 12. And the mounting part 11 is connected to the raising / lowering mechanism via the connection part 13a which penetrated the hole 11b formed in the bottom part of the mounting part 11. FIG. Thereby, the required space in the vertical direction can be saved.

  Moreover, you may comprise the raising / lowering mechanism and the moving part 13 so that attachment or detachment is possible. For example, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the connecting portion 13a is connected to the moving portion 13 that has been transported to a predetermined position together with the placement portion 11 by the raising and lowering mechanism. It is good also as a structure to be. Thereby, since it is not necessary to move an raising / lowering mechanism by a conveyance part, a structure can be simplified.

  Further, the work S may be detached from the dummy supply region 12 by moving the placement unit 11. For example, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the mounting portion 11 is connected to an elevating mechanism via a connection portion 11c, and the mounting portion 11 is raised by the elevating mechanism, thereby applying the adhesive R. The subsequent workpiece S may be moved and detached from the dummy supply region section 12. In this case, the placement unit 11 functions as a moving unit. In other words, in order to separate the dummy supply area 12 and the workpiece S, it is free to adopt a structure for moving the dummy supply area 12 or a structure for moving the workpiece S.

  Further, the dummy supply region 12 can be lifted from above. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the moving part 13 is provided above the dummy supply area | region part 12, and it connects to an upper raising / lowering mechanism via the connection part 13a. Also in this case, as shown in FIG. 16, the moving part 13 is lowered, the work S is fitted into the inner frame part 12a, and the adhesive R is applied. Then, as shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, the dummy supply region 12 is separated from the work S by raising the moving unit 13.

  Furthermore, it is good also as a structure which detach | leaves from the workpiece | work S by energizing the dummy supply area | region part 12 from the adhesive agent R side. For example, as shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the dummy supply region 12 is pushed downward through the adhesive R by lowering the moving unit 13 disposed above the placement unit 11. Thus, the workpiece S can be detached.

  Moreover, the dummy supply area | region part 12 does not necessarily need to be a single thing, or to prescribe | regulate the closed application | coating area | region. For example, as shown in FIGS. 19 (A) and 19 (B), when the adhesive R is applied, the dummy supply area 12 that is in contact with the workpiece S moves in a divided manner as shown in FIG. 19 (C). Alternatively, the workpiece S may be separated. In this case, it is conceivable to provide a driving mechanism for driving each dummy supply region 12 in the lateral direction. Furthermore, you may comprise so that the dummy supply area | region part 12 may contact / separate only to the one part edge of the workpiece | work S. FIG. That is, to which part of the workpiece S the dummy supply region 12 is brought into contact with or separated from, the movement direction of the dummy supply region 12 and the workpiece S at that time is arbitrary.

  It is also possible to configure the dummy supply region portion 12 with a sheet-like member. For example, as shown in FIG. 20, it may be configured by a film or the like sent out by a supply mechanism (not shown). In this case, for example, as shown in FIGS. 20A, 20B, and 20C, the workpiece S is fitted into the inner frame portion 12a formed in the dummy supply region portion 12 that is a film, and the adhesive R is applied. Is done. Then, as shown in FIG. 20D, uniform application can be realized in the same manner as described above by separating the dummy supply region 12 from the workpiece S and collecting it.

  In addition, a placement portion (susceptor or the like) on which the workpiece S is placed may be used as the dummy supply region portion 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, the workpiece S is placed so as to enter the inner frame portion 12 a of the dummy supply region portion 12 which is a susceptor placed on a transfer device 20 (for example, a turntable). . And after apply | coating the adhesive agent R from it, the workpiece | work S is taken out. The dummy supply area 12 after the work S is taken out is also taken out from the transfer device 20.

  Further, it is possible to provide a cleaning unit for cleaning the adhering adhesive after collecting the dummy supply region as described above. For example, FIG. 22A employs a brush as the cleaning unit 14, and FIG. 22B employs a scraper that scrapes off the adhesive R as the cleaning unit 14. It is also possible to use a solvent or the like at the time of cleaning. Such a cleaning unit can be provided at a transfer position in the transfer unit, or can be configured in a separate line away from the transfer unit.

  The dummy supply area can be reusable or disposable. For example, it can also be made disposable by using a sheet or a thin resin plate. The material, size, thickness, shape, etc. of the dummy supply region are not limited to specific ones. The member that supports, holds, etc. the dummy supply area may include a device, a member, a mechanism, or the like that sucks, adheres, grips, etc. the dummy supply area. For example, the moving unit 13 may include a suction device (such as a vacuum chuck or an electrostatic chuck), an adhesive member, a mechanical chuck, or the like. The same applies to members that support and hold the workpiece. For example, the mounting unit 11 may include the above-described suction device, adhesive member, mechanical chuck, and the like.

  In addition, any method or apparatus that can be used at present or in the future can be applied to supply the adhesive. For example, the apparatus for supplying the adhesive may be any apparatus such as an apparatus for applying with a roller, an apparatus for applying with a squeegee, or an apparatus for applying spin. It may be applied in a planar shape by supplying the adhesive in a curved shape, a bent line shape, or a large number of linear shapes by the nozzle.

  In addition, the driving mechanism for moving the moving part is a mechanism in which a biasing pressure (by an elastic body, air pressure, etc.) is applied even if the driving mechanism is a mechanism that simply biases (including pushing and pulling) in a specific direction. The mechanism may be moved by releasing the lock.

  The transport device may also have any structure such as a turntable, a conveyor, a feed mechanism, and the like. For example, a susceptor or the like may be used as the mounting portion, but any material and shape may be used as long as the mounting portion functions as a support portion that can support the workpiece. It is not restricted to what is supported in a horizontal direction. The method for transporting the workpiece is not limited to the case of being placed on the placement unit. It is also possible to place the workpiece directly on the moving table and use this table as a support.

  Further, a method of manually performing a part of the above work is also conceivable. For example, the operator can supply the adhesive to the workpiece using a tool for application, dripping, and the like. The operator can also clean the dummy supply area using a cleaning tool. As the adhesive to be used, a resin that is cured by irradiation with electromagnetic waves or heat is generally used, but any adhesive that can be used at present or in the future can be applied.

  The workpieces to be bonded are typically a cover panel and a liquid crystal module or a display panel and a backlight constituting the liquid crystal module. However, the size, shape, material, etc. of the pair of workpieces to which the present invention is applied are not limited as long as they can be a pair of objects to be attached. For example, the present invention can be applied to a semiconductor wafer, an optical disk, and the like.

  FIGS. 23A and 23B show an example in which the present invention is applied to a workpiece S having a hole inside such as an optical disk having a center hole. As described above, the edge of the work includes the edge of the inner diameter of the work, and the dummy supply region includes the one provided on the inner edge of the work.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Adhesive supply part 2 ... Conveyance part 10 ... Supply part 10a ... Nozzle 11 ... Mounting part 11a ... Gap part 11b ... Hole 11c, 13a ... Connection part 12 ... Dummy supply area | region part 12a ... Inner frame part 13 ... Moving part 14 ... Cleaning unit 20 ... Conveying device

Claims (7)

In an adhesive supply device that supplies an adhesive to workpieces to be bonded,
It has a dummy supply area that can be contacted and separated from the edge of the workpiece,
An adhesive supply apparatus comprising: a supply unit that supplies an adhesive to the work so as to reach the dummy supply region.   The adhesive supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a moving unit that moves at least one of the dummy supply region and the workpiece away from the other.   The adhesive supply device according to claim 1, wherein the dummy supply region is provided so as to be divided into a plurality of parts.   The adhesive supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the dummy supply region portion is a placement portion on which a workpiece is placed.   The adhesive supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the dummy supply region portion has a sheet shape.   The adhesive supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning unit that cleans the dummy supply region. In an adhesive supply method for supplying an adhesive to a workpiece to be bonded,
Supply the adhesive to the workpiece so as to extend to the dummy supply area in contact with the edge of the workpiece,
An adhesive supply method, wherein the dummy supply region is separated from the workpiece.

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