JP2012182338A - Surface processing device and surface processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve flexibility in the selection of carrying in/out means, in a surface processing device.SOLUTION: A surface processing device 3 includes an upper side structure portion 10 and a lower side structure portion 20. The lower side structure portion 20 is raised and lowered between a close position at which the lower side structure 20 abuts on the upper side structure 10 and cooperates with the upper side structure portion 10 to form a sealed processing chamber, by a raising/lowering mechanism 30, and an open position at which the lower side structure portion 20 is separated from the upper side structure portion 10; and guided by a plurality of guide shafts 41 and 42 for this raising/lowering. When the lower side structure portion 10 is at the open position, a carrying in/out space S between the structure portions 10 and 20 has an opening 100 continuing in three directions. The first guide shaft 41 disposed at a position corresponding to the continuing opening 100 is shorted than the second guide shaft 42, and has an upper end which is separated from the upper side structure portion 10. The upper side structure portion 10 is supported by an upper end portion of the second guide shaft 42 and a supporting mechanism 50 which does not intersect the continuing opening 100.

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for surface-treating a workpiece in a sealed processing chamber, and a surface treatment system incorporating the apparatus.

  The plasma surface treatment apparatus shown in Patent Document 1 includes an upper structure portion, and a lower structure portion that can be moved up and down between a closed position in contact with the upper structure portion and an open position away from the upper structure portion. Yes. In a state where the lower structure portion is in the open position, a robot that grips the workpiece enters the space (loading / unloading space) between the upper structure portion and the lower structure portion, and places the workpiece on the lower structure portion. Next, the lower structure portion rises to the closed position, and a sealed processing chamber is formed between the upper structure portion and the lower structure portion. Next, the workpiece in the processing chamber is subjected to plasma surface treatment. Next, the lower structure is lowered to the open position. Next, the robot enters the carry-in / carry-out space, grips the work, and carries it out.

  In the surface treatment apparatus of Patent Document 1, guide shafts pass through the four corners of the lower structure portion, whereby the lower structure portion is guided when the elevator is raised and lowered. The upper structure is fixed to the upper ends of these four shafts.

JP 2010-192262 A

  In the surface treatment apparatus of Patent Document 1, the four shafts that play the role of guiding the lower structure portion and supporting the upper structure portion vertically traverse the loading / unloading space. It was necessary to move along a trajectory that did not interfere with the movement, and the restrictions were great. For this reason, the robot that can be used can only use a type that linearly moves the workpiece, and for example, a multi-joint type robot that moves the workpiece while turning it horizontally cannot be used.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides (a) an upper structure part, (b) a lower structure part, and (c) a lower structure part in contact with the upper structure part and in cooperation with the upper structure part. Lifting and lowering means for moving up and down between a closed position that forms a sealed processing chamber and an open position spaced from the upper structure;
(D) a plurality of vertical guide shafts for guiding the lower structure portion, and a space formed between the upper structure portion and the lower structure portion when the lower structure portion is in the open position is a workpiece In surface treatment equipment provided as a loading / unloading space for
The loading / unloading space has a total of 3 in one of two opposite directions along the horizontal first coordinate axis and in two opposite directions along the horizontal second coordinate axis perpendicular to the first coordinate axis. Having a continuous opening across the direction,
The plurality of guide shafts include first and second guide shafts, the first guide shaft is disposed at a position corresponding to the continuous opening of the carry-in / carry-out space, and the second guide shaft is 2 along the first coordinate axis. Arranged in the other of the directions, the first guide shaft is shorter than the second guide shaft, the upper end of the first guide shaft is away from the upper structure,
The upper structure portion is supported by an upper end portion of the second guide shaft, and is supported by a support means that does not cross the continuous opening at a portion corresponding to the continuous opening of the loading / unloading space. To do.

According to the above configuration, since the loading / unloading space has openings that are continuous in three directions, it is possible to reduce restrictions on the trajectory for loading and unloading the workpiece. As a result, the degree of freedom in selecting the loading and unloading means is widened, and not only a robot that linearly moves the workpiece but also a robot that rotates horizontally can be used.
In addition, when adopting the method of loading and unloading the workpiece while turning the workpiece horizontally, the trajectory at the time of loading the workpiece and the trajectory at the time of unloading can be made different. It is also possible to carry in and carry out at almost the same time.

Preferably, further provided with a rotation support means, the rotation support means supports the upper structure portion so as to be rotatable around the opposite side of the support means as viewed from the first guide shaft. Thus, the upper structure part can be rotated between a horizontal processing position facing the lower structure part and a maintenance position moving away from the lower structure part. The second guide shaft is supported by hitting the upper end of the second guide shaft and is detachably supported by the support means.
According to this configuration, when performing maintenance, inspection, and repair inside the upper structure portion and the lower structure portion, by rotating the upper structure portion to the maintenance position that moves away from the lower structure portion, simple setup is possible. These operations can be performed.

Preferably, the upper structure is turned upside down when in the maintenance position.
According to this, since the inside of the upper structure portion is on, maintenance, inspection, and repair are further facilitated.

Preferably, a guide bush is fixed to a lower surface of the lower structure portion via a spacer, and the guide bush is moved up and down between a closed position and an open position, and the guide bush is moved to the first guide. It is guided through the shaft.
According to this, since the guide bush is fixed to the lower surface of the lower structure portion via the spacer, the smooth guide action of the lower structure portion by the first guide shaft can be ensured.

Preferably, the plurality of guide shafts include two first guide shafts and two second guide shafts, and are respectively disposed at four corners of the lower structure portion.
Accordingly, the lower structure portion can be stably guided by the four guide shafts.

Another aspect of the present invention includes the surface treatment apparatus, a carry-in means, and a carry-out means, and the carry-in means carries the work into the lower structure portion while horizontally turning the work from one side of the second coordinate axis, The unloading means unloads the processed workpiece from the lower structure portion to the other side of the second coordinate axis at the same time as the workpiece loading.
According to this configuration, since work loading and unloading are performed almost simultaneously, production efficiency can be improved.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the restriction on the trajectory for loading and unloading the workpiece, and as a result, the degree of freedom in selecting the loading and unloading means can be increased.

It is a schematic plan view of the surface treatment system provided with the surface treatment apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the same surface treatment apparatus in a partial cross section, and shows the state in which the lower structure part of the apparatus exists in the open position away from the upper structure part. It is a side view which shows the same surface treatment apparatus in a partial cross section, and shows the state in the closed position where the lower structure part of the apparatus contacted the upper structure part. It is a side view which shows the same surface treatment apparatus in a partial cross section, and shows the state where the upper structure part was turned 180 degrees from a horizontal processing position and turned upside down. It is the schematic which shows a part of rotation support mechanism for the same upper side structure part.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the surface treatment system includes a carry-in conveyor 1 and a carry-out conveyor 2 that are parallel to each other. In the following description, the first coordinate axis that extends horizontally in the longitudinal direction of the conveyors 1 and 2 is defined as the X axis, and the second coordinate axis that extends orthogonally to the X axis is defined as the Y axis.

Two surface treatment devices 3 and 4 having the same structure are arranged in the X-axis direction apart between the terminal end of the carry-in conveyor 1 and the start end of the carry-out conveyor 2.
Between the surface treatment apparatuses 3 and 4, a carry-in robot 5 (carry-in means) and a carry-out robot 6 (carry-out means) having the same structure are arranged apart from each other in the Y-axis direction.
The robots 5 and 6 include articulated arms 5a and 6a and chuck portions 5b and 6b provided at the tips of the arms 5a and 6a, respectively.

  Next, the surface treatment apparatus 3 will be described with reference mainly to FIGS. The surface treatment apparatus 3 includes an upper structure unit 10, a lower structure unit 20 disposed below the upper structure unit 10, an open position where the lower structure unit 20 is separated from the upper structure unit 10 illustrated in FIG. An elevating mechanism 30 (elevating means) that elevates between the closed position contacting the structure unit 10 is provided.

  The upper structure portion 10 includes a shell member 11 and a plasma processing portion 12 provided on the lower surface of the shell member 11. The shell member 11 has a top plate portion 11a having a substantially rectangular planar shape, and a peripheral wall portion 11b, and a shallow concave portion 11c having a lower side opened by the top plate portion 11a and the peripheral wall portion 11b is formed. ing.

The lower structure portion 20 includes a planar plate-like shell member 21 substantially corresponding to the shell member 11 and a plasma processing portion 22 provided on the upper surface of the shell member 21.
Furthermore, on the upper surface of the shell member 21 of the lower structure portion 20, a support portion 23 that supports the workpiece W in a state of being separated from the plasma processing portion 22 is provided.

  Since the plasma processing units 12 and 22 have a known structure, a detailed description thereof is omitted. However, the plasma processing units 12 and 22 have a large number of electrodes that generate a discharge when a high-frequency voltage is applied, and are supplied from a gas source (not shown). The processing gas is activated by plasma and supplied to the workpiece W.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the lower structure portion 20 is in the open position, a space S for loading and unloading the workpiece W is formed between the upper structure portion 10 and the lower structure portion 20.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the lower structure portion 20 is in the closed position, the processing chamber R is formed in which the shell members 21 and 22 are in contact with each other and sealed. A seal ring (not shown) is provided on either the lower end surface of the peripheral wall portion 11 b of the shell member 11 or the upper surface of the shell member 21.

  The lifting mechanism 30 has a ball screw mechanism 31 and a motor 32 that drives the ball screw mechanism 31. The ball screw mechanism 31 includes a screw rod 31a that is rotatably supported by the base 8 (fixed system) and extends vertically upward, and a nut 31b that is screwed into the screw rod 31a. The nut 31b is fixed to the central portion of the lower surface of the shell member 21 of the lower structure portion 20 via a spacer 33 that extends vertically.

The motor 32 is fixed to the base 8, and its output shaft is connected to the lower end of the screw rod 31a via a pulley 34 and a timing belt 35.
When the motor 32 rotates in one direction, the lower structure portion 20 rises via the ball screw mechanism 31, and when the motor 32 rotates in the opposite direction, the lower structure portion 20 descends.

Furthermore, the surface treatment apparatus 3 includes a guide mechanism 40 that guides the lower structure 20 while maintaining the horizontal posture when the lower structure 20 moves up and down.
The guide mechanism 40 has a total of four guide shafts fixed to the base 8 and extending vertically upward, and guides the four corners of the lower structure 20 as shown in FIG. ing. Two guide shafts (first guide shafts) closer to the robots 5 and 6 are denoted by reference numeral 41, and two farther guide shafts (second guide shafts) are denoted by reference numeral 42.

  The guide shaft 41 is shorter than the guide shaft 42, and the upper end 41 a is separated from the upper structure portion 10. The upper end 42 a of the guide shaft 42 is in contact with the lower surface of the shell member 11 of the upper structure portion 10 and bears a part of the load of the upper structure portion 10.

  In the shell member 21 of the lower structure portion 20, through holes 21a that are coaxial with the guide shaft 41 are formed at two corners on the robots 5 and 6 side. Further, a cylindrical spacer 45 is fixed to the lower surface of the shell member 21 coaxially with the through hole 21a and the guide shaft 41, and a ball bush 46 (guide bush) is coaxially fixed to the lower end thereof. Yes. The ball bushing 46 is supported by the guide shaft 41 so as to be movable up and down while in contact with the outer periphery of the guide shaft 41. The inner periphery of the through hole 21a and the spacer 45 is not in contact with the outer periphery of the guide shaft 41, and a gap is formed between them.

  In the shell member 21 of the lower structure 20, through holes 21 b that are coaxial with the guide shaft 42 are formed at two corners on the opposite side of the robots 5 and 6. A ball bush 47 (guide bush) is fixed to the lower surface of the shell member 21 so as to be coaxial with the through hole 21 b and the guide shaft 42. The ball bush 47 is supported on the guide shaft 42 so as to be movable up and down.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the upper structure portion 10 is supported at a processing position facing the lower structure portion 20, usually horizontally at a predetermined height. In this treatment position, the opposite edge portions of the robots 5 and 6 in the upper structure 10 are supported by riding on the upper ends 42a of the two long guide shafts 42 as described above.
The edge of the upper structure 10 on the robots 5 and 6 side is not supported by the guide shaft 42 because it is away from the upper end 42a of the short guide shaft 42. Instead, it can be attached and detached by the support mechanism 50. It is supported.

The support mechanism 50 will be described. A horizontal support beam 53 is fixed to an upper beam 51 of a frame (fixed system) that supports the surface treatment apparatuses 3 and 4 and the robots 5 and 6 via a vertical support column 52. On the other hand, a hook 15 is fixed to an edge portion of the shell member 11 of the upper structure portion 10 on the robot 5 and 6 side, and this hook 15 is placed on one end of the horizontal support beam 53 and screwed (not shown). It is fixed by.
In the present embodiment, the hook 15 may be fixed at one end in the Y-axis direction or at the center at the edge of the shell member 11 on the robot 5 or 6 side.

  The edge of the upper structure 10 opposite to the robots 5 and 6 is connected to a rotation support mechanism 60 (rotation support means). The rotation support mechanism 60 includes a vertical support 61 fixed to the base 8, a bracket 62 fixed to the shell member 11 of the upper structure 10, and the bracket 62 rotatably connected to the upper end of the support 61. And a drive mechanism 65 (shown only in FIG. 5).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the horizontal shaft 63 is rotatably passed through the support column 61 and fixed to the bracket 62, and a reduction gear train 65 a of the drive mechanism 65 is connected to the end of the horizontal shaft 63. Has been. The drive mechanism 65 further includes a worm 65b that meshes with the driving gear of the reduction gear train 65a. When the worm 65b is rotated by a handle or a motor (not shown), the upper structure 10 is rotated by 180 ° between the processing position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and the maintenance position shown in FIG.

The other surface treatment apparatus 4 is disposed so as to face the one surface treatment apparatus 3 described above. That is, the shorter shaft 41 of the surface treatment apparatus 4 is disposed at a position close to the robots 5 and 6.
The hook of the other surface treatment apparatus 4 (corresponding to the hook 15 of the surface treatment apparatus 3) is fixed to the other end of the horizontal support beam 53.

Next, the operation of the surface treatment system having the above configuration will be described. Initially, the lower structure part 20 of the surface treatment apparatus 3 exists in the open position shown in FIG. In this state, the loading / unloading space S between the upper and lower structures 10 and 20 is one of the two opposite directions along the X axis (the robots 5 and 6 side) and the two opposite directions along the Y axis. The openings 100 are continuous in a total of three directions.
The short shaft 41 on the side of the robots 5 and 6 is separated from the upper structure 10 and does not cross the loading / unloading space S. Further, the support mechanism 50 is also disposed above the upper structure portion 10 and does not cross the loading / unloading space S.

The carry-in robot 5 grips the workpiece W, which is sent from the carry-in conveyor 1 and is located at the end thereof, by the chuck portion 5b and horizontally swivels to the carry-in / carry-out space S as indicated by an arrow A in FIG. Set in part 20.
Next, the lower structure 20 is raised to the closed position in FIG. Thereby, the sealed process chamber R is formed.
Next, in the processing chamber R, plasma surface treatment on both surfaces of the workpiece W is performed.
Next, the raising / lowering mechanism 30 is driven, and the lower side structure part 20 is again made into the open position of FIG.

  Next, the carry-out robot 6 causes the chuck portion 6b to enter the carry-in / carry-out space S, grabs the workpiece W, horizontally moves in the direction of arrow B in FIG. This work W is sent to the next stage by the carry-out conveyor 2.

  At the same time when the processed work W is carried out by the carry-out robot 6, the carry-in robot 5 grabs a new work W arranged at the end of the carry-in conveyor 1, and horizontally turns in the direction of arrow A in FIG. The workpiece W enters the loading / unloading space S, and the workpiece W is set in the lower structure portion 20 in the same manner as described above. Here, the simultaneous period means that the time during which both robots 5 and 6 are transporting the workpiece W overlap at least partially.

  As described above, the two robots 5 and 6 are used to carry out the removal of the processed workpiece W from the surface treatment device 3 and the loading of a new workpiece W into the surface treatment device 3 at the same time. Time is shortened and productivity is improved. Since the loading / unloading space S has the opening 100 continuous in three directions, the trajectories of loading and unloading the workpiece W can be varied, and the loading and unloading operations of the robots 5 and 6 can be performed without any trouble. .

  As described above, the loading / unloading of the workpiece W and the surface treatment in the surface treatment apparatus 3 are repeated. In the other surface treatment apparatus 4, the workpiece W is treated with a time difference from the surface treatment apparatus 3. That is, when the surface treatment apparatus 4 performs the surface treatment of the workpiece W, the surface treatment apparatus 3 loads and unloads the workpiece W, and the surface treatment apparatus 3 executes the surface treatment of the workpiece W. The workpiece W is carried in and out by the surface treatment device 4. Thereby, the robots 5 and 6 can be shared by the surface treatment apparatuses 3 and 4.

  When the surface treatment devices 3 and 4 are maintained, inspected, or repaired, the screw for fixing the hook 15 to the support mechanism 50 is removed, and the upper structure portion 10 is rotated 180 ° by the rotation support mechanism 60, and FIG. Set it upside down as in. Thereby, the work can be efficiently performed in a state where the processing unit 12 of the upper structure unit 10 and the processing unit 22 of the lower structure unit 20 are exposed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various forms can be adopted without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the upper structure unit 10 may be rotated by 90 °, for example, instead of being rotated by 180 °, and set as the maintenance position.
The rotation support mechanism may be a structure that simply supports the rotation support mechanism without attaching a drive mechanism by manual operation or motor drive.
The rotation support mechanism may be omitted. In this case, the upper structure 10 is preferably fixed to the upper end of the long shaft 42.

There may be one first guide shaft. In this case, it is preferable to use a plurality of second guide shafts.
There may be one or two second guide shafts.
The support mechanism may support the upper structure portion at a plurality of locations.
The lifting mechanism may be a fluid pressure cylinder.
Only one side of the workpiece may be surface treated.

  A robot that moves the workpiece linearly may be used as means for carrying in and carrying out. Even in this case, due to the continuous opening of the carry-in / carry-out space, there are no restrictions on the dimensions of the chuck portion of the robot, and the workpiece can be securely gripped.

  The present invention is applicable to apparatuses and systems for plasma surface treatment.

3,4 Surface treatment equipment 5 Carry-in robot (carry-in means)
6 Unloading robot (unloading means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Upper structure part 20 Lower structure part 30 Lifting mechanism (lifting means)
41 1st guide shaft 42 2nd guide shaft 45 Spacer 46 Guide bush 50 Support mechanism (support means)
60 Rotation support mechanism (Rotation support means)
100 Continuous opening R Processing chamber S Loading / unloading space

Claims (6)

(A) the upper structure part;
(A) the lower structure,
(C) Elevating and lowering the lower structure portion between a closed position that forms a sealed processing chamber in contact with the upper structure portion and cooperates with the upper structure portion, and an open position that is separated from the upper structure portion Means,
(D) a plurality of vertical guide shafts for guiding the lower structure,
In the surface treatment apparatus in which the space formed between the upper structure portion and the lower structure portion when the lower structure portion is in the open position is provided as a work loading / unloading space,
The loading / unloading space has a total of 3 in one of two opposite directions along the horizontal first coordinate axis and in two opposite directions along the horizontal second coordinate axis perpendicular to the first coordinate axis. Having a continuous opening across the direction,
The plurality of guide shafts include first and second guide shafts, the first guide shaft is disposed at a position corresponding to the continuous opening of the carry-in / carry-out space, and the second guide shaft is 2 along the first coordinate axis. Arranged in the other of the directions, the first guide shaft is shorter than the second guide shaft, the upper end of the first guide shaft is away from the upper structure,
The upper structure portion is supported by an upper end portion of the second guide shaft, and is supported by a support means that does not cross the continuous opening at a portion corresponding to the continuous opening of the loading / unloading space. Surface treatment equipment. In addition, a rotation support means is provided, and the rotation support means supports the upper structure portion so as to be rotatable around the opposite side of the support means when viewed from the first guide shaft. The structural part is rotatable between a horizontal processing position facing the lower structural part and a maintenance position moving away from the lower structural part,
The said upper structure part is supported by the said support means so that attachment or detachment is possible while the lower surface contacts the upper end of the said 2nd guide shaft in the said process position. Surface treatment equipment.   The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the upper structure portion is turned upside down when in the maintenance position.   A guide bush is fixed to the lower surface of the lower structure portion via a spacer, and this guide bush is inserted into the first guide shaft in the process of moving up and down between the closed position and the open position. The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface treatment apparatus is guided.   The plurality of guide shafts are composed of two first guide shafts and two second guide shafts, and are respectively disposed at four corners of the lower structure portion. 5. The surface treatment apparatus according to any one of 4 above.   A surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, a carry-in means, and a carry-out means, wherein the carry-in means carries the workpiece into the lower structure portion while horizontally turning the workpiece from one side of the second coordinate axis. The surface treatment system is characterized in that the unloading means unloads the processed workpiece from the lower structure portion to the other side of the second coordinate axis at the same time as the workpiece loading.

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