JP2021041354A - Coating applicator and coating method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a coating applicator and a coating method capable of preventing a time required for applying non-Newtonian fluid from becoming long.SOLUTION: A coating applicator includes a coating needle 24 for applying a coating material whose viscosity changes due to shearing to an object, a drive part 90 for lifting the coating needle 24, and a control device for moving the coating needle so that the coating material is sheared at a shear rate according to the kind of the coating material, and to a target coating amount or a target coating diameter, by controlling the drive part 90.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a coating device and a coating method, and more particularly to a coating device and a coating method for applying a liquid material to an object to be coated using a coating needle.

In recent years, printed electronics technology for drawing and forming minute circuits such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) tags by a printing (coating) method has been rapidly developed. As a method for forming a fine circuit pattern or an electrode pattern, an inkjet method, a dispenser method, or the like is generally used, but a method using a coating needle enables fine coating using a material having a wide range of viscosities. In that respect, it is drawing attention.

Patent Document 1 describes a method of finely coating a liquid material using a coating unit. Such a coating unit is intended to correct defects in a fine pattern, and can perform fine coating using a coating material having a wide range of viscosities. During the coating operation, one coating needle is projected from a through hole formed in the bottom of the coating material container that holds the coating material. The coating needle brings the coating material adhering to the tip into contact with the object to be coated to perform coating.

Patent Document 2 describes a method of applying a non-Newtonian fluid using a coating needle method. Specifically, Patent Document 2 describes that when quantitative coating is performed with respect to a change in viscosity of an adhesive which is a non-Newtonian fluid, the sinking depth of the coating pin is changed. In Patent Document 2, when increasing or decreasing the coating amount, the time during which the coating needle is immersed in the adhesive, the time during which the coating needle is transferred and coated on the adherend, or the diameter of the coating needle is described. It is stated to change. Further, Patent Document 2 describes that the initial viscosity and the change in viscosity with time of the adhesive are measured and reflected in the immersion depth, the transfer time, and the immersion time of the coating needle.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-268353 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-355857

Patent Document 2 discloses the adjustment of the coating amount in the coating of the non-Newtonian fluid by the coating needle, but since the step of wiping the adjusting coating needle is included, the working time becomes long. Further, since the immersion time and the transfer time are controlled, the coating time may be further lengthened. This causes surface drying in the adhesive. In addition, setup change occurs by changing the coating needle diameter.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a coating apparatus and coating method capable of preventing the time required for coating a non-Newtonian fluid from becoming long.

The coating device of the present invention is a type of coating material by controlling a coating needle for applying a coating material whose viscosity changes by shearing to an object, a driving unit for raising and lowering the coating needle, and a driving unit. And a control device for moving the coating needle so that the coating material is sheared at a shear rate according to the target coating amount or the target coating diameter.

Preferably, a container is provided that holds the coating material and has a through hole at the bottom facing the object to allow the coating needle to protrude. By controlling the drive unit, the control device moves the coating needle so that the coating material is sheared at a shear rate as the coating needle passes through the through hole.

Preferably, the control device determines the vertical movement speed of the coating needle based on the type of coating material and the target coating amount or target coating diameter, and determines the speed at which the coating needle passes through the through hole. Control to the determined movement speed.

Preferably, the control device is based on the type of coating material, the target coating amount or target coating diameter, and the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole when the coating needle protrudes through the through hole. The moving speed in the vertical downward direction is determined, and the speed at which the coating needle passes through the through hole is controlled to the determined moving speed.

Preferably, the control device has a table that defines the type of coating material, the target coating amount or the target coating diameter, and the moving speed with respect to the interval, and determines the moving speed with reference to the table.

Preferably, the coating material is one of a pseudoplastic fluid, a dilatant fluid, and a Bingham fluid.

Preferably, when the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole is the same and the type of coating material is pseudoplastic fluid, the table is set so that the larger the target coating amount, the smaller the moving speed. ..

Preferably, when the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole is the same and the type of coating material is dilatant fluid, the table is set so that the larger the target coating amount, the higher the moving speed.

Preferably, when the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole is the same and the type of coating material is Bingham fluid, the target coating amount is large when the target coating amount is equal to or less than a predetermined value. The more it is set, the smaller the moving speed is, and when the target coating amount exceeds a predetermined value, the moving speed is set to be constant regardless of the target coating amount.

Preferably, the table is set so that when the type of coating material and the target coating amount are the same, the larger the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole, the smaller the moving speed.

Preferably, the coating material is a cell-containing solution.

Preferably, the table is set so that the larger the target coating amount, the smaller the moving speed when the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole is the same.

The present invention includes a coating needle for applying a coating material whose viscosity changes due to shearing to an object, and a container that holds the coating material and has a through hole at the bottom facing the object to project the coating material. The coating method of the coating device is based on the type of coating material, the target coating amount or target coating diameter, and the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole when the coating needle protrudes from the through hole. It includes a step of determining the moving speed of the needle in the vertical downward direction and a step of controlling the speed at which the coating needle passes through the through hole to the determined moving speed.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the time required for applying the non-Newtonian fluid from becoming long.

It is a schematic diagram of the coating device of an embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the coating mechanism 4 of the coating apparatus shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the cam member of the coating mechanism 4 shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation of the coating needle 24 in the coating mechanism 4 shown in FIG. It is a graph for demonstrating the operation of the coating needle 24 in the coating mechanism 4 shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the outline of the relationship between a shear force and a shear viscosity for each type of fluid. It is a figure which shows the measurement result of the shear viscosity with respect to the shear rate when the coating material is an aqueous solution of a polymer. It is a figure which shows the measurement result of the thickness of the droplet attached to the tip of the coating needle 24 with respect to the moving speed of the coating needle 24 when the coating material is an aqueous solution of a polymer. (A) is a figure showing the coating material 70 when the moving speed of the coating needle 24 is large when the coating material is an aqueous solution of a polymer. (B) is a figure showing the coating material 70 when the moving speed of the coating needle 24 is about the middle when the coating material is an aqueous solution of a polymer. (C) is a figure showing the coating material 70 when the moving speed of the coating needle 24 is small when the coating material is an aqueous solution of a polymer. It is a figure which shows the example of the speed table of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the drive control of the coating needle 24 of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state of the coating needle 24 when the coating needle 24 protrudes from a through hole 72. It is a figure which shows the example of the speed table of the 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of drive control of the coating needle 24 of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the speed table of the modification 1. It is a figure which shows the example of the speed table of the modification 2. It is a figure which shows the measurement result of the coating diameter with respect to the coating speed when the coating material is a cell-containing solution which contained cells in a hyaluronic acid solution.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings below, the same or corresponding parts are given the same reference numbers and the explanations are not repeated.

[First Embodiment]
(Overall configuration of coating device)
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the coating device of the embodiment. With reference to FIG. 1, the coating apparatus includes a processing chamber, a Y-axis table 2 arranged inside the processing chamber, an X-axis table 1, a Z-axis table 3, a coating mechanism 4, and an observation optical system 6. A CCD camera 7 connected to the observation optical system 6 and a control device 80 are provided. The control device 80 includes a monitor 9, a control computer 10, and an operation panel 8.

Inside the processing chamber, a Y-axis table 2 is installed on the bottom of the processing chamber. The Y-axis table 2 is configured to be movable in the Y-axis direction. Specifically, a guide portion is installed on the lower surface of the Y-axis table 2. The guide portion is slidably connected to a guide rail installed on the bottom surface of the processing chamber. A ball screw is connected to the lower surface of the Y-axis table 2. By operating the ball screw with a driving member such as a motor, the Y-axis table 2 is configured to be movable along the guide rail (in the Y-axis direction). On the upper surface of the Y-axis table 2, a mounting surface on which the substrate 5, which is the material to be processed, is mounted is formed.

The X-axis table 1 is installed on the Y-axis table 2. The X-axis table 1 is arranged on a structure installed so as to straddle the Y-axis table 2 in the X-axis direction. A moving body to which the Z-axis table 3 is connected is installed on the X-axis table 1 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction. The moving body is configured to be movable in the X-axis direction using, for example, a ball screw. The X-axis table 1 is fixed to the bottom surface of the processing chamber via the above structure. Therefore, the Y-axis table 2 described above is configured to be movable in the Y-axis direction with respect to the X-axis table 1.

The Z-axis table 3 is installed on the moving body connected to the X-axis table 1 as described above. The observation optical system 6 and the coating mechanism 4 are connected to the Z-axis table 3. The observation optical system 6 is for observing the coating position of the substrate 5 to be coated. The CCD camera 7 converts the observed image into an electric signal. The Z-axis table 3 holds the observation optical system 6 and the coating mechanism 4 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction.

The Y-axis table 2, the X-axis table 1, the Z-axis table 3, the observation optical system 6, the control computer 10 and the operation panel 8 for controlling the coating mechanism 4, and the monitor 9 attached to the control computer are in the processing chamber. It is installed outside the. The monitor 9 displays the image data converted by the CCD camera 7 described above and the output data from the control computer 10. The operation panel 8 is used to input a command to the control computer 10. The control computer 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. Various controls can be executed by the CPU executing the program stored in the memory.

(Structure of coating mechanism 4)
The coating mechanism 4 described above will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The coating mechanism 4 fixed to the Z-axis table 3 shown in FIG. 1 includes a servomotor 41, a cam 43, a bearing 44, a cam connecting plate 45, a movable portion 46, a coating needle holder 20, and an coating needle. The coating needle 24 held by the holder 20, the coating material container 21, and the drive unit 90 are provided. The drive unit 90 includes a servomotor 41, a cam 43, a bearing 44, a cam connecting plate 45, and a movable unit 46.

The servomotor 41 is installed so that the rotation axis extends in the direction along the Z-axis direction shown in FIG. A cam 43 is connected to the rotating shaft of the servomotor 41. The cam 43 is configured to be rotatable around the rotation axis of the servomotor 41.

The cam 43 includes a central portion connected to the rotation shaft of the servomotor 41 and a flange portion connected to one end of the central portion. As shown in FIG. 3A, the upper surface of the flange portion (the surface on the servomotor 41 side) is the cam surface 61. The cam surface 61 is formed in an annular shape along the outer circumference of the central portion, and is formed in a slope shape so that the distance from the bottom surface of the flange portion varies. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3B, the cam surface 61 is arranged at a distance from the upper end flat region 62, which is the largest distance from the bottom surface of the flange portion, and the upper end flat region 62. It includes a lower end flat region 63 having the smallest distance from the bottom surface of the flange portion, and a slope portion connecting between the upper end flat region 62 and the lower end flat region 63. Here, FIG. 3B is a developed view of a flange portion including a cam surface 61 arranged in an annular shape so as to surround the central portion as viewed from the side surface.

The bearing 44 is arranged so as to be in contact with the cam surface 61 of the cam 43. As shown in FIG. 2A, the bearing 44 is arranged in a specific direction (on the right side of the servomotor 41) when viewed from the cam 43, and the cam 43 is rotated by the rotation of the rotation shaft of the servomotor 41. At that time, the state of contact with the cam surface 61 is maintained. A cam connecting plate 45 is connected to the bearing 44. In the cam connecting plate 45, the other end on the opposite side to the one end connected to the bearing 44 is fixed to the movable portion 46. The coating needle holder fixing portion 47 and the coating needle holder accommodating portion 48 are connected to the movable portion 46. The coating needle holder 20 is housed in the coating needle holder storage portion 48.

The coating needle holder 20 includes a coating needle 24. The coating needle 24 is arranged so as to protrude from the coating needle holder 20 on the lower surface of the coating needle holder 20 (the lower side opposite to the side on which the servomotor 41 is located). A coating material container 21 is arranged under the coating needle holder 20. The coating needle 24 is held in a state of being inserted into the coating material container 21.

A fixing pin 52 is installed on the movable portion 46. Further, the other fixing pin 51 is installed on the gantry holding the servomotor 41. A spring 50 is installed so as to connect between the fixing pins 51 and 52. The movable portion 46 is in a state of receiving a tensile force toward the coating material container 21 side by the spring 50. The tensile force of the spring 50 acts on the bearing 44 via the movable portion 46 and the cam connecting plate 45. The bearing 44 is maintained in a state of being pressed against the cam surface 61 of the cam 43 by the tensile force of the spring 50.

The movable portion 46, the coating needle holder fixing portion 47, and the coating needle holder storage portion 48 are connected to the linear guide 49 installed on the gantry. The linear guide 49 is arranged so as to extend in the Z-axis direction. Therefore, the movable portion 46, the coating needle holder fixing portion 47, and the coating needle holder accommodating portion 48 are configured to be movable along the Z-axis direction.

(Operation of coating mechanism)
Next, the operation of the coating mechanism 4 described above will be described. In the coating mechanism 4 described above, by driving the servomotor 41, the rotation shaft of the servomotor 41 is rotated to rotate the cam 43. As a result, the height of the cam surface 61 of the cam 43 changes in the Z-axis direction, so that the position of the bearing 44 in contact with the cam surface 61 on the right side of the cam 43 in FIG. 2A also changes in the Z-axis direction. It fluctuates according to the rotation of the drive shaft of the servomotor 41. The movable portion 46, the coating needle holder fixing portion 47, and the coating needle holder accommodating portion 48 move in the Z-axis direction according to the position change of the bearing 44 in the Z-axis direction. As a result, the coating needle holder 20 held in the coating needle holder storage unit 48 also moves in the Z-axis direction, so that the position of the coating needle 24 installed in the coating needle holder 20 in the Z-axis direction is changed. Can be done.

Specifically, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, when the bearing 44 is in contact with the upper end flat region 62 on the cam surface 61 of the cam 43, the coating needle 24 is as shown in FIG. 4 (A). It will be arranged at the upper end position (the position closest to the servo motor 41). At this time, the tip of the coating needle 24 is in a state of being immersed in the coating material 70 held in the coating material container 21. The coating material container 21 has a through hole 72 for projecting the coating needle 24 at the bottom surface facing the substrate 5 which is an object.

Next, when the cam 43 is rotated by the servomotor 41 rotating the rotation shaft and the bearing 44 comes to a position where the lower end flat region 63 of the cam surface 61 is in contact with the bearing 44, FIG. 4B As shown in the above, the coating needle 24 passes through the through hole 72 formed in the bottom of the coating material container 21 and protrudes downward from the bottom surface of the coating material container 21. At this time, a part of the coating material 70 is attached to the surface of the coating needle 24 protruding from the bottom surface of the coating material container 21. The Z-axis table 3 (see FIG. 1) moves the coating mechanism 4 toward the substrate 5, so that the tip of the coating needle 24 comes into contact with the surface of the substrate 5 to coat the coating material 70 on the surface of the substrate 5. be able to. The Z-axis table 3 may be moved first and then the servomotor 41 may be driven, or the Z-axis table 3 and the servomotor 41 may be operated at substantially the same time.

The coating mechanism 4 can convert the rotary motion of the servomotor 41 into a motion (vertical motion) of the coating needle 24 in the Z-axis direction. With such a configuration, the coating needle 24 can be moved quickly and accurately in the Z-axis direction.

In order to further improve the accuracy in the coating process of the coating material 70 by the coating needle 24, the operating speed of the coating needle 24 is controlled as follows.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the moving speed of the coating needle 24 is changed according to the position of the coating needle 24. Here, the horizontal axis of FIG. 5 indicates the tip position of the coating needle 24, and the vertical axis represents the moving speed of the coating needle.

As shown in FIG. 4A, when the coating needle 24 is at the upper end position (position P1 in FIG. 5), the cam 43 is rotated by driving the servomotor 41, and the bearing 44 is at the upper end of the cam surface 61. It comes into contact with a region other than the flat region 62. As a result, the coating needle 24 moves toward the substrate 5. Then, the moving speed of the coating needle 24 is increased until the position P2 on the horizontal axis of FIG. 5 is reached. Specifically, the moving speed of the coating needle 24 can be increased by increasing the rotational speed of the servomotor 41.

Then, after reaching the predetermined moving speed V2 (after reaching the position P2), the coating needle 24 is moved while maintaining the predetermined moving speed V2. This can be achieved by keeping the rotation speed of the servomotor 41 constant. Then, when the position P3 in FIG. 5 is reached, the moving speed of the coating needle 24 is reduced. Specifically, the rotation speed of the servomotor 41 is gradually reduced. As a result, the moving speed of the coating needle 24 is sufficiently reduced to a predetermined position P4 before the bearing 44 reaches the lower end flat region 63 (see FIG. 3).

Then, the coating needle 24 is moved at a predetermined low moving speed V1 from the position P4 of FIG. 5 until the coating needle 24 reaches the lower end position (position P5) shown in FIG. 4 (B). Also in this case, the rotation speed of the servomotor 41 is maintained at a predetermined speed. By performing such control, the moving speed of the coating needle 24 is sufficiently low when the coating needle 24 comes into contact with the substrate 5, so that the impact when the coating needle 24 comes into contact with the substrate 5 is reduced. In addition, it is possible to prevent the coating needle 24 from deteriorating the positional accuracy when the coating material 70 is applied to the surface of the substrate 5 due to the impact.

The liquids that can be used as coating materials are roughly classified into Newtonian fluids and non-Newtonian fluids. Non-Newtonian fluids are classified as either pseudoplastic fluids, Bingham fluids, and dilatant fluids. Newtonian fluids include water, silicone oil, and the like. Pseudoplastic fluids include ketchup, polymeric liquids, paints and the like. Bingham fluids include toothpaste, butter and the like. Diratant fluids include water-soluble potato starch and sandy beaches near the water.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an outline of the relationship between the shear force and the shear viscosity for each type of fluid. The horizontal axis represents the shearing force applied to the fluid, and the vertical axis represents the shear viscosity of the fluid. The specific magnitude of the shear density differs even among the same type of fluid. FIG. 6 shows the shear viscosity of a typical fluid for each type of fluid.

As shown in FIG. 6, the shear viscosity of the Newtonian fluid does not change even if the shear force changes. The shear viscosity of the quasi-plastic fluid decreases as the shear force increases. Bingham fluid does not show fluidity until the shear force exceeds a certain value. The shear viscosity of the dilatant fluid increases as the shear force increases.

The inventor of the present application investigated the change in shear viscosity due to the change in shear rate using an aqueous solution of a polymer which is a typical example of a pseudoplastic fluid.

The measurement conditions were set as follows. The polymer was dissolved in water to prepare solutions of 0, 0.5, 1, 1.2, 1.5 and 2 (w / v%), respectively. The temperature was maintained at 25 ° C., and changes in shear viscosity were measured with respect to changes in the shear rate of the various adjusted solutions. The measurement was repeated 3 times, and the average value of the measured values was obtained.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the measurement results of the shear viscosity with respect to the shear rate when the coating material is an aqueous solution of a polymer. As shown in FIG. 7, when the coating material is a polymer aqueous solution, the shear viscosity decreases as the shear rate increases. Further, the higher the concentration of the polymer solution, the higher the shear viscosity of the solution.

Furthermore, the inventor of the present application conducted the following coating test.

The measurement conditions were set as follows. The polymer was dissolved in water to prepare 0, 0.5, 1, 1.2 and 1.5 (w / v%) solutions, respectively. The various prepared solutions were placed in a coating material container, the moving speed of the coating needle 24 was changed to project the coating needle 24, and the thickness of the droplets adhering to the tip of the coating needle 24 was measured. The amount of adhesion can be indirectly expressed by the thickness. The measurement was repeated 3 times, and the average value of the measured values was obtained.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the measurement result of the thickness of the droplet attached to the tip of the coating needle 24 with respect to the moving speed of the coating needle 24 when the coating material is an aqueous solution of a polymer. The moving speed of the coating needle 24 corresponds to the moving speed V2 of FIG. 5, and is the speed in the vertical downward direction of the coating needle 24 when the tip portion of the coating needle 24 protrudes from the through hole 72.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the coating material is a polymer aqueous solution, the amount of droplets adhering to the needle tip of the coating needle 24 decreases as the moving speed of the coating needle 24 increases.

Since it is considered that the moving speed of the coating needle 24 is proportional to the shearing speed of the coating material, from the results of FIGS. 7 and 8, when the coating material is an aqueous solution of a polymer, the moving speed of the coating material and the shear rate of the coating material When the shear rate increases, the shear viscosity of the coating material decreases, and the shear viscosity of the coating material decreases, so that the speed at which the coating material is pulled upward from the tip of the coating needle 24 increases, and the coating amount decreases. It is expected that.

FIG. 9A is a diagram showing a coating material 70 when the moving speed of the coating needle 24 is high when the coating material is an aqueous solution of a polymer. FIG. 9B is a diagram showing the coating material 70 when the moving speed of the coating needle 24 is about the middle when the coating material is an aqueous solution of a polymer. FIG. 9C is a diagram showing the coating material 70 when the moving speed of the coating needle 24 is small when the coating material is an aqueous solution of a polymer. As shown in these figures, when the coating material is an aqueous solution of a polymer, it can be seen that the coating amount of the coating material decreases as the moving speed of the coating needle 24 increases.

Therefore, the inventor of the present application can conceive that the coating can be performed at the target coating amount by changing the moving speed of the coating needle 24 according to the type of the coating material 70 and the target coating amount.

In order to realize the above, the control computer 10 controls the drive unit 90 so that the coating material 70 is sheared at a shear rate according to the type of coating material and the target coating amount. To move. That is, by controlling the drive unit 90, the control computer 10 shears the coating material at a shear rate according to the type of coating material and the target coating amount when the coating needle 24 passes through the through hole 72. The coating needle 24 is moved so as to be.

More specifically, the control computer 10 stores the speed table.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a speed table of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the speed table determines the moving speed vk corresponding to the type ai of the coating material and the target coating amount bj.

The speed table is set so that when the type of coating material is pseudoplastic fluid, the larger the target coating amount, the smaller the moving speed. When the type of coating material is dilarant fluid, the speed table is set so that the larger the target coating amount, the higher the moving speed. When the type of coating material is Bingham fluid, the speed table is set so that when the target coating amount is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the larger the target coating amount, the smaller the moving speed, and the target coating amount is set to the predetermined value. If it exceeds, the moving speed is set to be constant regardless of the target coating amount.

The control computer 10 determines the moving speed of the coating needle 24 in the vertical downward direction with reference to the speed table of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a procedure for driving control of the coating needle 24 according to the first embodiment.

With reference to FIG. 11, in step S101, the control computer 10 acquires information on the coating material and the target coating amount. This information may be acquired by input by the user, or may be automatically acquired by the control computer 10 by communication.

In step S102, the control computer 10 determines the vertically downward moving speed of the coating needle 24 corresponding to the coating material and the target coating amount with reference to the speed table shown in FIG.

In step S103, the control computer 10 controls the movement of the coating needle 24 so that the speed at which the coating needle 24 passes through the through hole 72 becomes the determined moving speed, thereby moving to the substrate 5 of the coating material 70. Perform the application of.

As described above, in the conventional fine coating of non-Newtonian fluid, there is a problem that it takes time to apply while adjusting the coating amount, but in the present embodiment, the target coating amount and the type of coating material are used. By controlling the moving speed of the coating needle in the vertical downward direction according to the above, the coating amount can be adjusted in a required time substantially equivalent to that of a general coating operation.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a state of the coating needle 24 when the coating needle 24 protrudes from the through hole 72.

When the tip of the coating needle 24 protrudes from the through hole 72, there is a gap between the coating needle 24 and the outer wall of the through hole 72. As shown in FIG. 12, when the tip portion has a shape that becomes thinner toward the tip, the gap d is different depending on the location of the tip portion. In FIG. 12, the interval d1 at one point of the tip portion is shown.

As the distance between the coating needle 24 and the outer wall of the through hole 72 increases, the shearing force decreases, so that the shear viscosity decreases. Therefore, as the interval increases, the shear viscosity of the coating material decreases, and the shear viscosity of the coating material decreases, so that the speed at which the coating material is pulled upward from the tip of the coating needle 24 increases, and the coating amount decreases. It is expected to do.

In the present embodiment, the control computer 10 controls the drive unit 90 at a shear rate according to the type of coating material, the target coating amount, and the distance between the coating needle 24 and the outer wall of the through hole 72. The coating needle 24 is moved so that the coating material 70 is sheared. Here, as the distance between the coating needle 24 and the outer wall of the through hole 72, the minimum value, the maximum value, the average value, or the like of the distance at each position of the tip portion can be used. That is, by controlling the drive unit 90, the control computer 10 controls the type of coating material, the target coating amount, and the outer wall of the coating needle 24 and the through hole 72 when the coating needle 24 passes through the through hole 72. The coating needle 24 is moved so that the coating material is sheared at a shear rate corresponding to the interval between the two.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a speed table of the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the speed table determines the moving speed vk corresponding to the type ai of the coating material, the target coating amount bj, and the distance cl between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole.

The speed table is defined so that when the type of coating material and the target coating amount are the same, the larger the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole, the smaller the moving speed.

When the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole is the same and the type of coating material is pseudoplastic fluid, the speed table is determined so that the larger the target coating amount, the smaller the moving speed. When the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole is the same and the type of coating material is dilarant fluid, the speed table is determined so that the larger the target coating amount, the higher the moving speed. In the speed table, when the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole is the same and the type of coating material is Bingham fluid, when the target coating amount is less than a predetermined value, the larger the target coating amount, the more. The moving speed is set to be small, and when the target coating amount exceeds a predetermined value, the moving speed is set to be constant regardless of the target coating amount.

The control computer 10 determines the moving speed of the coating needle 24 in the vertical downward direction with reference to the speed table of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a procedure for driving control of the coating needle 24 according to the second embodiment.

With reference to FIG. 14, in step S201, the control computer 10 acquires information on the coating material, the distance between the coating needle 24 and the outer wall of the through hole 72, and the target coating amount. This information may be acquired by input by the user, or may be automatically acquired by the control computer 10 by communication.

In step S202, the control computer 10 refers to the speed table shown in FIG. 13 to determine the vertically downward moving speed of the coating needle 24 corresponding to the coating material and the target coating amount.

In step S203, the control computer 10 controls the movement of the coating needle 24 so that the speed at which the coating needle 24 passes through the through hole 72 becomes the determined moving speed, thereby moving to the substrate 5 of the coating material 70. Perform the application of.

In the present embodiment, it is substantially general by controlling the moving speed of the coating needle in the vertical downward direction according to the target coating amount, the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole, and the type of the coating material. It is possible to adjust the coating amount in the same required time as the coating work.

(Modified Examples of Embodiments 1 and 2)
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and includes, for example, the following modifications.
(1) Coating diameter The coating amount is represented by the coating diameter representing the size of the coating film and the thickness of the coating film. When the thickness of the coating film can be regarded as constant, the coating diameter is proportional to the coating amount, so that the coating diameter may be used instead of the coating amount.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the speed table of the first modification. As shown in FIG. 15, the speed table determines the type ai of the coating material and the moving speed vk corresponding to the target coating diameter ej.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the speed table of the modified example 2. As shown in FIG. 16, the speed table determines the moving speed vk corresponding to the type of coating material ai, the target coating diameter ej, and the distance cl between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole.
(2) Preservation of moving speed The control device may hold the determined moving speed value in order to change the coating speed during operation.

[Third Embodiment]
The coating device of the present embodiment uses a solution containing cells (hereinafter, cell-containing solution) as a coating material. The cell-containing solution is also a non-Newtonian fluid, similar to the Bingham fluid, pseudoplastic fluid, and dilatant fluid described in the first and second embodiments.

The inventor of the present application used a cell-containing solution containing cells in a hyaluronic acid solution as a coating material, and investigated the change in the coating amount with respect to the change in the coating rate.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the measurement result of the coating diameter with respect to the coating speed when the coating material is a cell-containing solution in which cells are contained in a hyaluronic acid solution.

As shown in FIG. 17, when the coating material is a cell-containing solution in which cells are contained in a hyaluronic acid solution, the coating diameter, which is the coating amount, decreases as the coating rate increases. Therefore, by using the coating device of the present embodiment, the number of cells to be coated can be changed depending on the coating rate when the cell concentration in the cell-containing solution is constant.

The speed table of FIG. 10 described in the first embodiment can include a cell-containing solution as a coating material. The speed table of FIG. 10 can be set so that when the type of coating material is a cell-containing solution, the larger the target coating amount, the smaller the moving speed.

The speed table of FIG. 13 described in the second embodiment can include a cell-containing solution as a coating material. In the speed table of FIG. 13, when the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole is the same and the type of coating material is a cell-containing solution, the larger the target coating amount, the smaller the moving speed. Can be determined.

It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown by the scope of claims rather than the above description, and it is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of claims.

1 X-axis table, 2 Y-axis table, 3 Z-axis table, 4 coating mechanism, 5 substrate, 6 observation optical system, 7 CCD camera, 8 operation panel, 9 monitor, 10 control computer, 20 coating needle holder, 21 coating Material container, 24 coating needle, 41 servo motor, 43 cam, 44 bearing, 45 cam connecting plate, 46 moving part, 47 coating needle holder fixing part, 48 coating needle holder storage part, 49 linear guide, 50 spring, 51, 52 Fixing pin, 61 cam surface, 62 upper end flat area, 63 lower end flat area, 70 coating material, 72 through hole, 80 control device, 90 drive unit.

Claims (13)

A coating needle for applying a coating material whose viscosity changes due to shearing to an object,
A drive unit for raising and lowering the coating needle,
By controlling the drive unit, a control device for moving the coating needle so that the coating material is sheared at a shear rate according to the type of the coating material and the target coating amount or the target coating diameter is provided. , Coating device. A container for holding the coating material and having a through hole for projecting the coating needle at the bottom facing the object is provided.
The control device controls the drive unit to move the coating needle so that the coating material is sheared at the shear rate when the coating needle passes through the through hole. The coating device described. The control device determines the moving speed of the coating needle in the vertical downward direction based on the type of the coating material and the target coating amount or the target coating diameter, and the coating needle passes through the through hole. The coating device according to claim 2, wherein the speed at the time is controlled to the determined moving speed. The control device is based on the type of the coating material, the target coating amount or the target coating diameter, and the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole when the coating needle protrudes from the through hole. The coating device according to claim 2, wherein the moving speed of the coating needle in the vertical downward direction is determined, and the speed at which the coating needle passes through the through hole is controlled to the determined moving speed. The control device has a table that defines the type of the coating material, the target coating amount or the target coating diameter, and the moving speed with respect to the interval, and determines the moving speed with reference to the table. The coating apparatus according to claim 4. The coating device according to claim 5, wherein the coating material is any one of a pseudoplastic fluid, a dilatant fluid, and a Bingham fluid. In the table, when the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole is the same and the type of coating material is the pseudoplastic fluid, the larger the target coating amount, the smaller the moving speed. The coating apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the coating device is defined so as to be. In the table, when the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole is the same and the type of coating material is the dilatant fluid, the larger the target coating amount, the higher the moving speed. 6. The coating apparatus according to claim 6. In the table, when the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole is the same and the type of coating material is the Bingham fluid, the target coating amount is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Claimed that the larger the coating amount, the smaller the moving speed, and when the target coating amount exceeds the predetermined value, the moving speed is constant regardless of the target coating amount. 6. The coating apparatus according to 6. 6. The table is defined so that when the type of the coating material and the target coating amount are the same, the larger the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole, the smaller the moving speed. The coating device described. The coating device according to claim 5, wherein the coating material is a cell-containing solution. The coating device according to claim 11, wherein the table is determined so that when the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole is the same, the moving speed decreases as the target coating amount increases. A coating needle for applying a coating material whose viscosity changes by shearing to an object and a container for holding the coating material and having a through hole for projecting the coating needle at the bottom facing the object are provided. It is a coating method of the coating device,
Vertically below the coating needle based on the type of the coating material, the target coating amount or the target coating diameter, and the distance between the coating needle and the outer wall of the through hole when the coating needle protrudes from the through hole. Steps to determine the speed of movement in the direction,
A coating method comprising a step of controlling the speed at which the coating needle passes through the through hole to the determined moving speed.

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