JP2013052350A - Paste discharge device, paste coating device and paste coating method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out accurate coating even in both coating of linear and point coating.SOLUTION: A paste discharge device 4 includes: a body 12 having a liquid chamber 12a whose upper end is opened and whose cross section is circular, and a nozzle N for discharging a paste in this liquid chamber 12a; a syringe 11 for storing the paste supplied to the liquid chamber 12a; and a gas supply unit 11a for supplying a pressurized gas into the syringe 11. The body 12 detachably comprises a screw 13 for feeding the paste to the nozzle N by rotary drive in the liquid chamber 12a and also a cover member for covering the opening of the liquid chamber 12a with the screw 13 detached.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a paste discharge apparatus, a paste application apparatus, and a paste application method.

  Paste coating devices are used to manufacture various electrical devices such as liquid crystal display devices and semiconductor devices. This paste coating device discharges paste, which is a fluid material, to an object to be coated. An apparatus (for example, a dispenser) is provided, and the paste discharge device and the application object are relatively moved, and the paste is applied on the application object to form a predetermined application pattern (paste pattern).

  Here, as a method of discharging a highly viscous liquid material quantitatively, a screw-type paste discharge device is generally used (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This screw-type paste discharge device includes a nozzle for discharging a paste, a liquid chamber communicating with the nozzle and containing the paste, a screw rotatably provided in the liquid chamber, a motor for rotating the screw, It has. This paste discharge device discharges an amount of paste corresponding to the amount of rotation of the screw from the nozzle toward the application target by the rotation of the screw.

  Usually, in the manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display device or the like, two types of coating are required. One of the coatings is a line coating (line coating) that forms a closed loop (for example, a rectangular closed loop) pattern by applying an adhesive along the outer periphery of the substrate or the outer periphery of the display area formed on the substrate. is there. Another application is dot application (dot application) in which a conductive material is applied to form a dot pattern in order to establish conduction between the TFT substrate and the color filter.

  Here, in the former line coating, it is required to stably maintain a predetermined discharge amount during drawing of a linear pattern. When a screw-type paste discharge device is used for such line coating, it is preferable to widen the gap between the screw and the liquid chamber to some extent. On the other hand, the latter point application requires a uniform circular dot pattern with high accuracy with a small amount of application. When a screw-type paste discharge device is used for such point application, it is preferable to narrow the gap between the screw and the liquid chamber as much as possible in order to stably discharge the liquid material.

JP-A-4-49108

  As described above, since the structure required for the screw-type paste discharge device is contradictory between the line application and the point application, it is difficult to accurately perform the line application and the point application with a single paste discharge device.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a paste discharging apparatus, a paste applying apparatus, and a paste applying method capable of performing application with high accuracy in both line application and point application.

  A paste discharge device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a liquid chamber having a circular cross section whose upper end is open, a main body having a nozzle for discharging the paste in the liquid chamber, a syringe for storing paste to be supplied to the liquid chamber, and a syringe And a gas supply part for supplying a pressurized gas to the main body, the main body is configured to be detachable in the liquid chamber, and the liquid chamber opening in the state in which the screw is detached, which sends the paste to the nozzle by rotational drive. The lid member for closing the cover is configured to be detachable.

  A paste coating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a paste coating apparatus that discharges paste from a nozzle and coats an object to be coated, and is a liquid chamber having a circular cross section that communicates with the nozzle and has an upper end that opens. A body for storing the paste to be supplied to the liquid chamber, a gas supply unit for supplying pressurized gas into the syringe, and a nozzle that can be inserted into the liquid chamber so as to be insertable and rotated. A screw connected to the screw, a motor connected to the screw, a gas supply unit and a control device capable of controlling the motor, and the main body is configured to be detachable from the liquid chamber and the screw is detached. In this state, the lid member that closes the opening of the liquid chamber is configured to be detachable. When the screw is inserted into the liquid chamber, the control device controls the motor to control the screen. When the paste is discharged from the nozzle by sending out by rotational driving and the screw is removed from the liquid chamber and the opening of the liquid chamber is blocked by the lid member, the gas supply unit is controlled to push out by supplying pressurized gas To discharge the paste from the nozzle.

  A paste application method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a paste application method in which a paste is ejected from a nozzle and applied onto an object to be applied. When applying a paste in a linear pattern on an object to be applied, a screw is applied. When the paste is ejected from the nozzle by feeding by rotational driving and the paste is applied in a dot pattern on the coating object, the screw is removed and the paste is ejected from the nozzle by extrusion by supplying pressurized gas.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to perform coating with high accuracy by either line coating or point coating.

1 is an external perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a paste application apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the screw-type paste discharge apparatus with which the paste coating device shown in FIG. 1 is provided. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the main body and support member with which the paste discharge apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is provided. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the main body and lid member with which the paste discharge apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is provided. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the air-type paste discharge apparatus with which the paste coating device shown in FIG. 1 is provided.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a paste coating apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a stage 2 on which an object to be coated W such as a substrate is placed, and moves in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction while holding the stage 2. A stage moving device 3 to be applied, a plurality (two in FIG. 1) of paste discharge devices (application heads) 4 for applying paste to the application object W on the stage 2, and the paste discharge devices 4 in the X-axis direction. And a head moving device 5 that moves in the Z-axis direction, a head support unit 6 that supports each paste discharge device 4 together with the head moving device 5, a stage 7 that supports the stage moving device 3 and the head support unit 6, and each part And a control device 8 for controlling.

  The stage 2 has a placement surface on which the application object W is placed, and is provided on the stage moving device 3. The application object W is placed on the stage 2 by its own weight. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a mechanism such as an electrostatic chuck or an adsorption chuck is provided to hold the application object W. May be. When the application object W is a substrate, the substrate is placed on the stage 2 in a horizontal state (a state along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction orthogonal thereto in FIG. 1).

  The stage moving device 3 includes a stage X axis moving mechanism 3a that holds the stage 2 and moves it in the X axis direction, and a stage Y axis moving mechanism 3b that moves the stage 2 in the Y axis direction together with the stage X axis moving mechanism 3a. And is fixed to the upper surface of the gantry 7. The stage moving device 3 is electrically connected to the control device 8, and its driving is controlled by the control device 8. As the stage X-axis moving mechanism 3a and the stage Y-axis moving mechanism 3b, for example, a feed screw type moving mechanism using a servo motor as a driving source or a linear motor type moving mechanism using a linear motor as a driving source may be used. Is possible.

  Each paste discharge device 4 includes a nozzle N that discharges paste toward the application target W on the stage 2 (details will be described later). These paste discharge devices 4 are attached to the head moving device 5 and are electrically connected to the control device 8, and the driving thereof is controlled by the control device 8.

  Here, as the paste, for example, a liquid material (liquid material) such as an adhesive or a conductive material can be used. In particular, when performing line coating for bonding the TFT substrate and the color filter, a sealing agent having adhesiveness and sealing properties is used. In addition, when spot coating is performed to establish electrical connection between the TFT substrate and the color filter, a conductive material such as a silver paste is used.

  The head moving device 5 includes a plurality (two in FIG. 1) of head Z-axis moving mechanisms 5a that support each paste discharge device 4 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction, and the head Z-axis moving mechanisms 5a are X And a head X-axis moving mechanism 5b that individually moves in the axial direction. The head X-axis moving mechanism 5b is provided on the surface (front surface) of the head support 6 on the stage 2 side. The head moving device 5 is electrically connected to the control device 8, and its driving is controlled by the control device 8. As the head Z-axis moving mechanism 5a and the head X-axis moving mechanism 5b, for example, a feed screw type moving mechanism using a servo motor as a driving source or a linear motor type moving mechanism using a linear motor as a driving source may be used. Is possible.

  The head support portion 6 is formed in a gate shape that is long in the X-axis direction, and is provided on the upper surface of the gantry 7 so as to straddle the stage moving device 3 on the gantry 7. The beam portion of the head support 6 is parallel to the X-axis direction and is horizontal to the mounting surface of the stage 2, and the leg of the head support 6 is fixed to the upper surface of the gantry 7.

  The gantry 7 is a support that is installed on the floor and supports the stage moving device 3 and the head support 6 at a predetermined height from the floor. The upper surface of the gantry 7 is formed in a flat surface, and the stage moving device 3 and the head support 6 are provided on the upper surface of the gantry 7. A control device 8 is provided inside the gantry 7.

  The control device 8 includes a control unit that centrally controls each unit, a storage unit that stores various types of information and various programs, and an operation unit (none of which is shown) that receives input operations from an operator. Yes. The various information described above includes application information. As this application information, there is information regarding an application pattern for line application, an application pattern for point application, a drawing speed (moving speed of the stage 2), and the like, and such information is stored in advance in a storage unit. Note that a memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), or the like can be used as the storage unit.

  The control device 8 controls the stage moving device 3, each paste ejecting device 4, the head moving device 5, and the like based on various information and various programs, and applies the nozzle N of each paste ejecting device 4 and the coating object on the stage 2. W is relatively moved in parallel along the surface of the coating object W, and line coating or point coating is performed. The nozzle N of the paste discharge device 4 is integrally provided with a distance measuring device (not shown) such as a laser displacement meter. This distance measuring device measures the separation distance to the surface of the application target W on the stage 2, and the control device 8 performs feedback control according to the separation distance measured by the distance measuring device. Thus, the gap between the nozzle N and the surface of the coating object W is maintained at a predetermined value (gap control).

  Next, the above-described paste discharge device 4 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 5, a part of the paste discharge device 4 is notched in order to make it visible.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the paste discharge device 4 includes a syringe 11 for storing a paste, a main body 12 to which the paste stored in the syringe 11 is supplied, a nozzle N for discharging the paste in the main body 12, A screw 13 rotatably provided in the main body 12, a motor 14 that rotates the screw 13, a shaft coupling 15 that connects the screw 13 and the motor 14, and the syringe 11 and the main body 12 are connected to each other. And a connecting pipe 16.

  The syringe 11 is provided in parallel with the main body 12 and functions as a storage unit that stores the paste. A gas supply port H1 for supplying gas is formed at the upper end portion of the syringe 11, and a paste supply port H2 for supplying paste is formed at the lower portion of the syringe 11. One end of a pipe 11b such as a tube connected to a gas supply unit 11a that supplies gas (for example, compressed gas such as nitrogen) is connected to the gas supply port H1. Further, one end of the connection pipe 16 is connected to the paste supply port H2.

  The main body 12 has a cylindrical (circular cross section) liquid chamber 12a to which the paste is supplied from the syringe 11 described above. An upper end portion of the liquid chamber 12 a is opened on the upper surface of the main body 12, and a lower end portion thereof is a reduced diameter portion communicating with the nozzle N. Note that the axis of the liquid chamber 12a coincides with the axis of the nozzle N. A paste inflow port H3 for supplying a paste is formed on the side wall of the main body 12 on the syringe 11 side. The paste inlet H3 is a through hole communicating with the liquid chamber 12a, and the other end of the connecting pipe 16 is connected to the paste inlet H3. The main body 12 is detachably provided on the Z table 21 that functions as a support member (details will be described later). The Z table 21 supports the main body 12, and is a table that moves in the Z-axis direction by the head Z-axis moving mechanism 5a.

  The screw 13 includes a rod-shaped shaft 13a, a screw portion 13b formed by forming a spiral protrusion along the outer periphery of the shaft 13a, and a flange portion 13d formed in the shape of a cap collar. ing. A bearing 13c is fitted into the shaft 13a, and the bearing 13c abuts on the flange portion 13d to determine the axial position. By fitting this bearing 13c into a large-diameter recess (bearing insertion hole) 12d formed in the upper end opening of the liquid chamber 12a, the shaft 13a is liquid so that its axis coincides with the axis of the liquid chamber 12a. It is positioned in the chamber 12a and positioned in the height direction with respect to the liquid chamber 12a. The screw 13 is rotatably provided in the liquid chamber 12 a and is further connected to the shaft coupling 15.

  The motor 14 has a rotatable rotating shaft 14a extending in the longitudinal direction of the liquid chamber 12a toward the opening of the liquid chamber 12a. The motor 14 is provided on a support plate 22 attached to the Z table 21 such that the rotating shaft 14a is fixed toward the liquid chamber 12a. That is, the motor 14 is fixed to the support plate 22 so that the rotation axis of the rotation shaft 14a and the axis of the liquid chamber 12a (the liquid chamber 12a of the main body 12 fixed to the Z table 21) coincide. The motor 14 is electrically connected to the control device 8, and its driving is controlled by the control device 8. When the motor 14 rotates, the screw 13 also rotates through the rotating shaft 14a and the shaft coupling 15.

  The shaft coupling 15 is provided at the end of the rotating shaft 14a on the liquid chamber 12a side. This shaft coupling is called a coupling, and the shaft 13a of the screw 13 can be fixed by tightening the screw, and the shaft 13a of the screw 13 can be released by loosening the screw. In addition, in the coupling | bond part with the shaft coupling 15 in the axis | shaft 13a of the screw 13, the protruding line | wire along an axial direction is provided in the axis | shaft 13a side, and the groove | channel is provided in the shaft coupling 15 side according to the protruding line. Yes. The fitting of these ridges and grooves can prevent the shaft 13a from slipping in the rotational direction.

  In such a screw-type paste discharge device 4, line coating (line coating) for forming a closed loop (for example, rectangular closed loop) pattern is performed. First, a preliminary discharge operation is performed, and then the main coating is performed. A discharge operation is performed. A spiral gap filled with the paste is formed between the wall surface of the liquid chamber 12a of the main body 12 and the screw 13, and an operation for filling the gap with the paste is a preliminary discharge operation. .

  In this preliminary discharge operation, gas is supplied into the syringe 11 from the gas supply unit 11a via the pipe 11b. At this time, the motor 14 rotates, and the screw 13 in the liquid chamber 12 a rotates according to the rotation of the motor 14. The rotation of the screw 13 is continued until the paste fills the spiral gap, and is further continued for a predetermined time after the paste is discharged from the nozzle N. In this way, the paste can be filled without leaving air in the spiral gap.

  After the preliminary discharge operation, in the main discharge operation, when the motor 14 rotates and the screw 13 rotates in accordance with the rotation of the motor 14, the paste filled in the spiral gap is discharged from the nozzle N. At this time, an amount of paste corresponding to the amount of rotation of the screw 13 is discharged from the nozzle N. For example, when the screw 13 rotates once, a paste corresponding to the pitch of the screw portion 13 b of the screw 13 is discharged from the nozzle N. In this way, the paste discharging device 4 continuously extrudes the paste mechanically by the rotation of the screw 13 and performs line coating to form a closed loop pattern.

  Note that the amount of paste discharged per unit time is proportional to the rotational speed of the motor 14 (rotational amount per unit time), that is, the rotational speed of the screw 13, so that the nozzle N can be changed by changing the rotational speed of the screw 13. It is possible to adjust the discharge amount of the paste per unit time. Thus, since the paste discharge device 4 extrudes the paste mechanically with the screw 13, it is possible to obtain a discharge amount proportional to the rotational speed (rotation amount) of the screw 13.

  Next, the attachment / detachment structure of the main body 12 of the paste discharge device 4 will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a surface (surface along the vertical direction) located on the side opposite to the head Z-axis moving mechanism 5 a in the Z table 21 is formed as an attachment surface M <b> 1 of the main body 12. And two convex strips 21a and 21b are formed in this attachment surface M1 along the up-down direction. In addition, two grooves 12 b and 12 c are formed on the contact surface M <b> 2 of the main body 12 with the Z table 21 at positions corresponding to the ridges 21 a and 21 b of the Z table 21. The upper ends of the grooves 12 b and 12 c reach the upper end of the main body 12, and the lower ends thereof do not reach the lower end of the main body 12.

  When the main body 12 is attached to the Z table 21, the grooves 12b and 12c of the main body 12 are aligned with the ridges 21a and 21b of the Z table 21, and the main body 12 is slid from the bottom to the top. At this time, when the screw 13 is attached to the main body 12, the shaft 13 a of the screw 13 is fitted into the shaft coupling 15 attached to the rotating shaft 14 a of the motor 14 by the upward sliding movement.

  Here, when the lower end portions of the ridges 21a and 21b of the Z table 21 and the lower end portions of the grooves 12b and 12c of the main body 12 come into contact with each other, the vertical positioning of the main body 12 with respect to the Z table 21 is performed. Further, the lateral positioning is performed by the side walls of the ridges 21a and 21b and the side walls of the grooves 12b and 12c. The grooves 12b and 12c of the main body 12 function as a guide stop structure for guiding the main body 12 moving along the Z table 21 in the longitudinal direction of the liquid chamber 12a and stopping it at a predetermined position. Such ridges 21 a and 21 b and grooves 12 b and 12 c serve as positioning members for positioning the main body 12 with respect to the Z table 21.

  Further, the main body 12 is provided with insertion holes H4 for the bolts B1 on both sides of the liquid chamber 12a which is an insertion hole for the screw 13. Further, the Z table 21 is provided with screw holes H5 for screwing the bolt B1 described above on both sides of the two convex strips 21a and 21b. The insertion hole H4 and the screw hole H5 for the bolt B1 are provided so that their positions coincide with each other when the main body 12 is positioned in the vertical direction with respect to the Z table 21. With the main body 12 positioned with respect to the Z table 21, the main body 12 is fixed to the Z table 21 by screwing the bolts B1.

  Further, the vertical positioning of the screw 13 with respect to the main body 12 is performed by the lower part of the bearing 13c coming into contact with the bottom of the large-diameter concave part (bearing insertion hole) 12d. Further, the shaft 13a is fixed in the vertical direction by fixing the shaft 13a of the screw 13 to the shaft coupling 15 by tightening a screw (not shown) while the main body 12 is fixed to the Z table 21 with the bolt B1 in the vertical direction. Fixed to. In this way, the vertical position of the screw 13 is fixed with respect to the main body 12.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, when the screw 13 is pulled out from the main body 12 in a state where the main body 12 is removed from the Z table 21, the bearing 13 c fixed to the screw 13 is removed from the main body 12 together with the screw 13. Slip off. That is, the inner peripheral portion of the bearing 13c fits tightly with the shaft 13a of the screw 13, and the outer peripheral portion of the bearing 13c fits loosely into the large-diameter recess (bearing insertion hole) 12d at the upper end of the liquid chamber 12a in the main body 12. ing.

  In the above description, the example in which the ridges 21a and 21b are provided on the Z table 21 has been described. However, the main point is that the main body 12 can be positioned in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. Two pins may be provided in the vertical direction. For example, one pin is provided at the lower end position of the ridges 21a and 21b, and one pin is provided at the upper end position of the ridges 21a and 21b, and vertical positioning is performed with the lower pins. In addition to this, a downward U-shaped concave portion large enough to fit the contact surface M2 of the main body 12 may be formed in the Z table 21, and the main body 12 may be fitted into the concave portion. Further, a groove may be formed on the Z table 21 and a protrusion may be formed on the main body 12. In this case, the groove of the Z table 21 reaches the lower end of the Z table.

  Here, when the line application is performed, the above-described screw type paste discharge device 4 is used. However, when the point application is performed, the paste discharge device 4 is changed to the air method. At this time, the main body 12 which is a body is commonly used for both the screw method and the air method.

  First, the connecting pipe 16 is pulled out from the paste inlet H <b> 3 of the main body 12, and then the main body 12 is removed from the Z table 21 together with the screw 13. Further, the screw 13 is removed from the main body 12. At this time, the bearing 13 c is also detached from the main body 12 together with the screw 13. On the other hand, the pipe 11b is removed from the gas supply port H1 of the syringe 11, and the syringe for line application is replaced with a syringe for point application.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4, the lid member 31 is attached to the main body 12 so as to close the opening of the liquid chamber 12a. The lid member 31 is provided with an annular sealing member 32 such as an O-ring for sealing the inside of the liquid chamber 12a. When the lid member 31 is attached to the main body 12 by the sealing member 32, hermeticity such as air tightness and liquid tightness in the liquid chamber 12a is secured.

  The lid member 31 is fixed to the main body 12 at a plurality of locations (two locations in FIG. 4) with bolts B2. The lid member 31 is provided with two insertion holes H6 for the bolt B2, and the main body 12 has two screw holes H7 for screwing the bolt B2 to sandwich the opening of the liquid chamber 12a. Is provided. However, if the lid member 31 can be sufficiently fixed by friction between the annular sealing member 32 provided on the lid member 31 and the wall surface of the liquid chamber 12a, the fixing with the bolt B2 is unnecessary. be able to.

  The main body 12 to which such a lid member 31 is attached is attached to the Z table 21. At this time, the grooves 12b and 12c of the main body 12 are aligned with the ridges 21a and 21b of the Z table 21, and the main body 12 is slid from the bottom to the top (see FIG. 3). Thereafter, the main body 12 is positioned with respect to the Z table 21, and the main body 12 is fixed to the Z table 21 by screwing the bolt B1 in that state. Finally, the connection pipe 16 connected to the point application syringe 11 is attached to the paste inlet H3 of the main body 12, and the pipe 11b is attached to the gas supply port H1 of the syringe 11. Thereby, switching to the air-type paste discharge device 4 is completed (see FIG. 5).

  At the time of this switching, since paste for line coating is attached to the main body 12, the paste remaining attached to the liquid chamber 12a and the like is washed and removed before being attached to the Z table 21 again. . The screw 13 is also washed and removed in the same manner in preparation for the next line application.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the lid member 31 is formed so that the lower end position thereof is substantially the same as the upper end portion of the connection pipe 16 from the syringe 11, that is, the upper end portion of the paste inlet H <b> 3. Yes. The reason why the lower end of the lid member 31 is set to a height that coincides with the upper end of the paste inlet H3 is to minimize the volume of the space in which the paste is stored in the liquid chamber 12a. Some pastes have elasticity, and when such a paste is used, the smaller the volume in which the paste is stored, the better the ejection response.

  As a modification of the lid member 31 described above, a through-hole penetrating vertically may be provided in the lid member 31. In this case, supply of pressure gas into the syringe 11, stop, and supply of negative pressure In parallel with this, the compressed gas is supplied, stopped, and negative pressure is also supplied from the through hole of the lid member 31. Further, one end of the connection pipe 16 for supplying the paste from the syringe 11 may be connected to the through hole of the lid member 31 so that the paste is supplied from the through hole of the lid member 31. In this case, the original paste inlet H3 (inlet when the screw is mounted) is closed with another lid member.

  In such an air-type paste discharge device 4, when gas is supplied from the gas supply unit 11 a into the syringe 11 through the pipe 11 b, the paste in the liquid chamber 12 a is discharged from the nozzle N by the pressure of the gas. . However, in FIG. 5, the syringe 11 is replaced with a syringe having a paste (for example, silver paste) of a different type from the paste (for example, adhesive) used for wire coating. After this replacement, the paste in the syringe 11 is supplied into the liquid chamber 12a by supplying gas into the syringe 11, and the liquid chamber 12a is filled with the paste.

  Here, in the line coating, the pressure of the gas sent into the syringe 11 is controlled to be constant for supplying the paste to the liquid chamber 12a of the main body 12, and the motor 14 is predetermined for coating the paste on the coating object W. It is controlled so that the rotation speed becomes. On the other hand, in the point application, the pressure of the gas sent into the syringe 11 is controlled for the point application in order to apply the paste to the application object W. At this time, since the motor 14 is not used, its rotation is prohibited.

  For this gas pressure control, the gas supply unit 11a has a function of supplying two types of pressure gases, a screw type pressure gas (predetermined constant pressure) and an air type pressure gas (predetermined discharge pressure). It has. The switching of the gas pressure is performed by the control device 8 in conjunction with the switching of the control mode described later. In the above point application, suck back control by air may be performed. In this case, the gas supply unit 11a has a function of supplying not only pressurized gas but also negative pressure.

  The control mode of the control device 8 can be switched between a line coating mode (application by motor control) and a point application mode (application by gas pressure control). The switching of the control mode is performed in response to an input operation (for example, pressing of a switching button) by an operator on the operation unit. The gas pressure is switched in conjunction with such control mode switching.

  In the switching of the gas pressure, the gas pressure applied to the paste in the syringe 11 is adjusted by a pressure regulator (not shown) provided in the gas supply unit 11a. This pressure regulator is electrically connected to the control device 8, and its driving is controlled by the control device 8. As the pressure regulator, for example, a pressure regulator such as an electropneumatic regulator can be used.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the main body 12 is formed to be detachable from the Z table 21 to which the main body 12 is attached, and the screw 13 located in the liquid chamber 12a can be attached and detached. Further, the lid member 31 that closes the opening of the liquid chamber 12a is detachable. For this reason, when the paste discharge device 4 is changed from the screw method to the air method, first, the syringe 11 is removed from the main body 12, and the main body 12 to which the screw 13 is attached is removed from the Z table 21. Next, the screw 13 is removed from the main body 12 together with the bearing 13c, and then the lid member 31 is attached to the main body 12 so as to close the opening of the liquid chamber 12a. The main body 12 in this state is attached to the Z table 21, and finally, the syringe 11 containing the paste used for the current application is attached to the main body 12.

  In this way, the screw 13 is removed from the liquid chamber 12a, and the main body 12 to which the lid member 31 is attached is attached to the Z table 21 again, so that in the changed air-type paste discharge device 4, The screw 13 does not exist in the liquid chamber 12a. For this reason, the suck back control by air functions well, and the drop in the accuracy and stability of point coating and the response delay at the time of suck back are suppressed, so that a uniform point shape can be obtained. Therefore, it is possible to perform highly accurate and stable coating by either line coating or point coating.

  Further, since the screw 13 is removed, the motor 12 is not required to be removed by removing the main body 12 together with the screw 13 together. Usually, since the motor 14 is electrically connected to the control device 8, there is a wiring for electrically connecting the motor 14 and the control device 8. For this reason, there is a risk of disconnection due to repeated attachment and detachment of the motor 14. Further, since the motor 14 is a drive source, vibrations are generated by the motor 14. For this reason, since the motor 14 is fastened to the support plate 22, it takes time to remove the motor 14. These problems can be solved by removing the main body 12 together with the screw 13. However, if there is no problem even if the motor 14 is removed, the motor 14, the shaft coupling 15, the support plate 22, etc. are removed, the screw 13 is removed from the main body 12 fixed to the Z table 21, and then the main body 12 is covered with a lid. The member 31 may be attached. In this case, the support plate 22 is detachable from the Z table 21.

  In the motor 14, the axis of the rotating shaft 14a of the motor 14 is positioned on the Z table 21 which is a support member by the positioning members (for example, the protruding ridges 21a and 21b and the grooves 12b and 12c described above). It is fixed to the support plate 22 so as to coincide with the axial center of the liquid chamber 12a of the main body 12 attached in the state. Thereby, when attaching the main body 12 to the Z table 21, the screw 13 inserted in the liquid chamber 12a can be easily positioned with respect to the rotating shaft 14a of the motor 14. When the screw 13 is not inserted in the liquid chamber 12a, the axis of the liquid chamber 12a can be easily aligned with the rotation shaft 14a of the motor 14.

  Moreover, you may make it provide the alerting | reporting part which alert | reports the presence or absence of the detection part which detects the presence or absence of the screw 13 with respect to the main body 12 as an auxiliary mechanism for an operator. The detection unit and the notification unit are electrically connected to the control device 8, and the detection unit outputs a detection signal indicating the presence or absence of the screw 13 to the control device 8. The control device 8 outputs a notification instruction to the notification unit according to the detection signal. The notification unit notifies the presence / absence of the screw 13 in accordance with a notification instruction from the control device 8 by display, lighting, voice, or the like. As the notification unit, for example, a display unit, a lamp, an audio output device, or the like can be used. Moreover, as a detection part, it is possible to use a reflection type optical sensor etc., for example, it is fixed to the Z table 21 with the light projection direction directed to a position directly below the shaft coupling 15.

  By such notification, the operator can grasp the presence or absence of the screw 13 other than direct visual recognition. For example, when the control mode is the line application mode and the screw 13 is not present, a warning indicating that there is no screw 13 is notified, or the control mode is automatically switched to the point application mode. When the control mode is the point application mode and the screw 13 is present, a warning indicating that the screw 13 is present is notified, or the control mode is automatically switched to the line application mode. In this way, workability can be improved. Further, when there is no screw 13, the rotation of the motor 14 can be prohibited, and failure due to the idling of the motor 14 can be prevented.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the paste discharge device 4 is switched to the screw method to perform line coating, and is switched to the air method to perform point coating. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to perform application and perform point application by a screw method.

  As mentioned above, although some embodiment of this invention was described, these embodiment is shown as an example and is not intending limiting the range of invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Paste coating apparatus 4 Paste discharge apparatus 8 Control apparatus 11 Syringe 11a Gas supply part 12 Main body 12a Liquid chamber 12b Groove 12c Groove 13 Screw 14 Motor 14a Rotating shaft 21 Z table 21a Convex strip 21b Convex strip 22 Support plate 31 Cover member M1 attachment Surface M2 Contact surface N Nozzle W Object to be coated

Claims (8)

A main body having a liquid chamber having a circular cross section with an upper end opened and a nozzle for discharging the paste in the liquid chamber;
A syringe for storing a paste to be supplied to the liquid chamber;
A gas supply unit for supplying pressurized gas into the syringe;
With
The main body is configured so that a screw for sending the paste to the nozzle by rotational drive can be attached to and detached from the liquid chamber, and a lid member that closes the opening of the liquid chamber can be attached and detached when the screw is detached. A paste discharge device, characterized in that it is configured.   The paste discharge device according to claim 1, further comprising the screw provided in the liquid chamber.   The paste discharging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising the lid member provided on the main body. A paste application device for discharging a paste from a nozzle and applying it on an object to be applied,
A main body having a circular liquid chamber with a circular cross section that communicates with the nozzle and opens at the upper end;
A syringe for storing a paste to be supplied to the liquid chamber;
A gas supply unit for supplying pressurized gas into the syringe;
A screw which is provided so as to be insertable in the liquid chamber, and sends the paste in the liquid chamber to the nozzle by rotational driving;
A motor coupled to the screw;
A control device capable of controlling the gas supply unit and the motor;
With
The main body is configured to be detachable from the liquid chamber, and is configured to be detachable from a lid member that closes the opening of the liquid chamber in a state in which the screw is detached.
When the screw is inserted into the liquid chamber, the control device controls the motor to discharge the paste from the nozzle by sending out the rotational drive of the screw, and the screw is removed from the liquid chamber. When the opening of the liquid chamber is closed by the lid member, the paste supplying apparatus is characterized in that the gas supply unit is controlled to discharge the paste from the nozzle by extrusion by supply of pressurized gas. A support member in which a mounting surface of the main body is formed along the vertical direction;
A positioning member that is provided on a contact surface between the mounting surface and the mounting surface of the main body, and positions the main body with respect to the support member;
A support plate fixed to the support member and supporting the motor;
Have
The motor is fixed to the support plate so that the axis of the rotation shaft of the motor is aligned with the axis of the liquid chamber of the main body attached to the support member in a state of being positioned by the positioning member. The paste application apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the apparatus is a paste application apparatus. The positioning member is
A ridge provided on one of the contact surface and the mounting surface;
A groove provided on the other of the abutment surface and the attachment surface, and a groove into which the ridge is fitted;
The paste coating apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: The ridge is provided on the mounting surface along the extending direction of the axis of the rotating shaft,
The groove is formed in the contact surface along the extending direction of the axis of the liquid chamber so that one end reaches a surface where the opening in the main body is present and the other end is a terminal portion.
The said main body is positioned by the said supporting member by fitting the said protruding item | line in the said groove | channel, and making the lower end of the said protruding item | line contact the terminal part of the said groove | channel. Paste applicator. A paste application method in which a paste is discharged from a nozzle and applied onto an application object,
When applying the paste in a linear pattern on the application object, the paste is discharged from the nozzle by sending out by rotational driving of a screw,
When applying the paste in a dot pattern on the object to be applied, the paste is ejected from the nozzle by removing the screw and performing extrusion by supplying pressurized gas.

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