JP2024055223A - Release film and manufacturing method of molded article - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a release film which can accurately suppress or prevent oxidation of a metal substrate exposed in a recess, during a period from embedding of a release film to a recess to release of the release film from the recess, and a manufacturing method of a molded article using the release film.SOLUTION: A release film 10 has a first release layer 1 composed of a first thermoplastic resin composition, and a cushion layer 3 laminated on the first release layer 1, and has water vapor permeability of the release film 10 measured according to JIS K 7129 (B method) of more than 1.0 g/m2 day/(25°C 90%RH).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a method for producing a release film and a molded product.

A release film is generally used when a coverlay film is attached to a flexible circuit board with exposed circuits by hot pressing via an adhesive layer provided on the coverlay film to form a flexible printed circuit board, i.e., a laminate.

When forming a flexible printed circuit board using such a release film, in other words a laminate of a flexible circuit board and a coverlay film, the release film is required to have two properties, namely, excellent embeddability and releasability.

In more detail, first, a recess is formed in the flexible printed circuit board by laminating a coverlay film onto the flexible circuit board, and the release film is required to have excellent filling properties for this recess.

More specifically, the coverlay film is laminated onto the flexible circuit board via an adhesive layer provided on the coverlay film, and during this lamination, it is required that the release film exhibits excellent embedding properties in the recesses to prevent the adhesive from seeping out of the recesses.

In addition, after laminating the coverlay film onto the flexible circuit board as described above, it is required that the release film be peeled off from the formed flexible printed circuit board with excellent releasability.

More specifically, when the release film is peeled off from the formed flexible printed circuit board, it is required that the release film exhibits excellent releasability with respect to the flexible printed circuit board, thereby suppressing the occurrence of creases and breaks in the flexible printed circuit board.

For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a release film having a polyester-based elastomer layer and a polyester layer, with the aim of creating a release film that has excellent two of the above-mentioned properties (embedding ability and releasability).

However, when considering the manufacture of a flexible printed circuit board having excellent bonding characteristics for soldering to a circuit on a flexible circuit board, the following problems actually arise when a flexible printed circuit board is manufactured using a release film having such a configuration. That is, when the coverlay film is hot-pressed onto the flexible circuit board, water vapor contained in the air remaining between the release film and the flexible circuit board is absorbed by a resin material such as polyimide contained as a constituent material of the flexible printed circuit board. As a result, when soldering to the circuit on the flexible circuit board, the absorbed water vapor generates air bubbles between the coverlay film and the flexible circuit board, causing the problem of peeling between the coverlay film and the flexible circuit board.

This problem also occurs when a release film is attached to an object made of a material containing a semi-cured thermosetting resin placed on a metal substrate, and the curing reaction of the thermosetting resin is allowed to proceed in this state, producing a molded product using the object, and soldering the molded product to the metal substrate that the molded product is equipped with.

JP 2011-88351 A

The object of the present invention is to provide a release film that can appropriately suppress or prevent water vapor from being absorbed by the resin material contained as a constituent material of a molded product during the period from when the release film is embedded in a recess in the molded product to when the release film is released from the recess, and to provide a method for manufacturing a molded product using such a release film.

Such an object can be achieved by the present invention described in (1) to (11) below.
(1) A release film having a first release layer made of a first thermoplastic resin composition and a cushion layer laminated on the first release layer,
A release film characterized in that the water vapor permeability of the release film, measured in accordance with JIS K 7129 (Method B), exceeds 1.0 g/ ^m2 ·day (25°C·90% RH).

(2) The release film according to (1) above, wherein the first thermoplastic resin composition contains a polyester resin.

(3) The release film according to (1) or (2) above, in which the polyester resin has crystallinity and the first release layer has a crystallinity of 10% or more and 50% or less.

(4) The release film according to any one of (1) to (3) above, wherein the cushion layer is made of a third thermoplastic resin composition containing the polyester resin and a polyolefin resin.

(5) A release film according to any one of (1) to (4) above, in which the first release layer has an average thickness of 7 μm or more and 38 μm or less.

(6) A release film according to any one of (1) to (5) above, in which the cushion layer has an average thickness of 40 μm or more and 110 μm or less.

(7) The release film according to any one of (1) to (6) above, the average thickness of which is 40 μm or more and 180 μm or less.

(8) A release film according to any one of (1) to (7) above, in which the first release layer has a 10-point average roughness (Rz) of 0.1 μm or more and 20.0 μm or less on the surface opposite the cushion layer.

(9) The release film according to any one of (1) to (8) above, which has a second release layer made of a second thermoplastic resin composition laminated on the cushion layer on the side opposite to the first release layer.

(10) The release film is applied to a surface of an object formed of a material containing a semi-cured thermosetting resin.
The release film according to any one of (1) to (9) above, which is used by overlapping the first release layer with the surface of the first release layer being in contact with the first release layer.

(11) The release film according to any one of (1) to (10) above is attached to an object so that the first release layer faces the object.
A method for manufacturing a molded product, comprising: a step of placing the release film on the object; and a step of performing a heat press on the object on which the release film is placed, wherein, in the step of placing the release film, the surface of the object on which the release film is placed is formed from a material containing a thermosetting resin in a semi-cured state.

According to the present invention, in a release film having a first release layer made of a first thermoplastic resin composition and a cushion layer laminated on the first release layer, the water vapor permeability of the release film measured in accordance with JIS K 7129 (method B) is more than 1.0 g/m ² ·day (25°C · 90% RH). Therefore, for example, when a flexible printed circuit board is obtained using a flexible circuit board and a coverlay film, the resin material such as polyimide contained as a constituent material of the flexible printed circuit board can be appropriately suppressed or prevented from absorbing water vapor contained in the air remaining between the release film and the flexible circuit board during the period from embedding the release film in the recess to releasing the release film from the recess. Therefore, the generation of bubbles caused by the absorbed water vapor between the coverlay film and the flexible circuit board during soldering to the circuit of the flexible circuit board is appropriately suppressed or prevented. Therefore, the obtained flexible printed circuit board can be made more reliable by appropriately suppressing or preventing the occurrence of peeling between the coverlay film and the flexible circuit board.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a main part of a roll-to-roll press machine used in manufacturing flexible printed circuit boards. 2A to 2C are vertical cross-sectional views showing steps in a method for manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board using the roll-to-roll press machine shown in FIG. 1 . 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a heat pressing step in a method for producing a flexible printed circuit board using the roll-to-roll press machine shown in FIG. 1 . 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of a release film of the present invention. 5 is a partially enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a portion A of the release film shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a side view that illustrates a release film manufacturing apparatus that manufactures the release film shown in FIG. 4 .

The method for producing the release film and molded product of the present invention will be described in detail below based on the preferred embodiment shown in the attached drawings.

In the following, an example will be described in which a flexible printed circuit board using the release film of the present invention is manufactured using a roll-to-roll press machine. Before describing the manufacturing method of the release film and molded product of the present invention, the roll-to-roll press machine used in manufacturing the flexible printed circuit board will be described.

<Roll-to-roll press machine>
Fig. 1 is a side view showing a main part of a roll-to-roll press machine used in manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board, Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing each step in a manufacturing method for a flexible printed circuit board using the roll-to-roll press machine shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a heat press step in a manufacturing method for a flexible printed circuit board using the roll-to-roll press machine shown in Fig. 1. Note that, for convenience of explanation, in the following, the upper side in Figs. 1 to 3 will be referred to as "upper" or "upper side", the lower side will be referred to as "lower" or "lower", the left side will be referred to as "left", and the right side will be referred to as "right".

The roll-to-roll press machine 100 (RtoR press machine) is equipped with a conveying means (not shown) for conveying the release film 10, the flexible printed circuit board 200 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "FPC"), and the glass cloths 300A, 300B, a heat press means 50 for bonding the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay film 220 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "CL film") of the FPC 200 by heat pressing the CL film 220 to the flexible circuit board 210 using the release film 10, and a releasing means 60 for releasing (peeling) the release film 10 from the FPC 200 in which the CL film 220 is bonded to the flexible circuit board 210.

The conveying means conveys the FPC 200, the release films 10A and 10B, and the glass cloths 300A and 300B, each of which is wound around a different unwinding roller, along their respective longitudinal directions by the rotation of a tensioner (tension roller), and after processing by the heat pressing means 50 and the releasing means 60, winds them up on a take-up roller.

Each roller is made of a metal material such as stainless steel. The rotation axes (central axes) of the rollers face in the same direction and are spaced apart from each other.

As shown in FIG. 1, the heat pressing means 50 has a heat pressing section 52 .
The thermocompression unit 52 has a pair of thermocompression plates 521. The thermocompression plates 521 are transported by a transport means, and are disposed above and below the glass cloth 300A, the release film 10A, the FPC 200, the release film 10B, and the glass cloth 300B, which are in a superposed state. When the glass cloth 300A, the release film 10A, the FPC 200, the release film 10B, and the glass cloth 300B, which are in a superposed state, pass between the thermocompression plates 521, the FPC 200 is heated and pressed by the thermocompression plates 521 through the glass cloths 300A and 300B and the release films 10A and 10B. Therefore, the curing reaction of the adhesive layer 222 of the CL film 220 progresses due to this heating, so that the overlapping flexible circuit board 210 and the CL film 220 in the FPC 200 are bonded via the adhesive layer 222 .

In other words, the coverlay 221 and the flexible circuit board 210 are bonded via the adhesive layer 222. When the FPC 200 is heated and pressurized, that is, when the coverlay 221 and the flexible circuit board 210 are bonded via the adhesive layer 222, the release film 10 is embedded in the recess 223 formed in the coverlay 221. Therefore, the adhesive from the adhesive layer 222 is prevented from seeping out of the recess 223 (see FIG. 2(b)).

Before being heated and pressed by the heat-pressure bonding plate 521, the FPC 200 is in a laminated state with the flexible circuit board 210 and the CL film 220 overlapping each other, but the flexible circuit board 210 and the CL film 220 are not bonded via the adhesive layer 222 of the CL film 220. Then, by pressing with the heat-pressure bonding plate 521, the adhesive layer 222 of the CL film 220 is brought into close contact with the flexible circuit board 210, and further, in this state, by heating with the heat-pressure bonding plate 521, the curing reaction of the adhesive layer 222 progresses, and the flexible circuit board 210 and the CL film 220 are bonded via the adhesive layer 222.

As shown in FIG. 1, the release means 60 is disposed downstream of the heating press means 50 in the conveying direction. The release means 60 is configured to separate the FPC 200 from the release films 10A and 10B. Here, in the heat pressing section 52 of the heating press means 50, the release film 10 is embedded in the recess 223 formed in the coverlay 221, thereby bonding the release film 10 to the CL film 220 (FPC 200). The release means 60 is configured to peel (release) the release film 10 from the CL film 220 (FPC 200) by the action of the release means 60 (see FIG. 2(c)). Therefore, based on the action of the release means 60, the FPC 200 in which the flexible circuit board 210 and the CL film 220 are bonded via the adhesive layer 222 is obtained in a state of being peeled off from the release film 10.

A flexible printed circuit board 200 (FPC200) can be manufactured using the roll-to-roll press machine 100 described above. A method for manufacturing the FPC200 using this roll-to-roll press machine is described below. The method for manufacturing the molded product of the present invention is applied to the method for manufacturing the FPC200.

In this embodiment, the manufacturing method of the FPC 200 includes a first step of forming a laminate in which the glass cloth 300A, the release film 10A, the FPC 200, the release film 10B, and the glass cloth 300B, each of which has a sheet-like shape, are stacked in this order; a second step of hot pressing the laminate to bond the coverlay 221 (CL film 220) to the flexible circuit board 210 in the FPC 200 via the adhesive layer 222; and a third step of releasing the release film 10 (10A, 10B) from the FPC 200 to obtain the FPC 200 in which the CL film 220 is bonded to the flexible circuit board 210.

Each of these steps will be described in turn below.
(First step)
First, the glass cloth 300A, the release film 10A, the FPC 200, the release film 10B, and the glass cloth 300B, each of which is in sheet form and wound around a winding roller, are stacked in this order to form a laminate during transport by a transport means (release film placement process, see Figures 1, 2(a), and 3).

The method of laminating each component (film) onto the laminate is not particularly limited; for example, the components may be laminated while being pressed by a roll, or may be laminated while being pressed by a press. The order in which the components are laminated can also be arbitrary. For example, all components may be laminated at the same time, or the coverlay film 220 and the flexible circuit board 210 may be laminated in advance, and then the other components may be laminated at the same time.

The formation of the laminate in this first step constitutes the step of placing the release film 10 on the target object (FPC 200) in the method for manufacturing a molded product of the present invention.

(Second step)
Next, the laminate in which the glass cloth 300A, the release film 10A, the FPC 200, the release film 10B, and the glass cloth 300B are layered in this order is heated (heat-pressed) while being pressurized using a heat press means 50 (heat compression bonding section 52). As a result, the adhesive layer 222 hardens while being in close contact with the flexible circuit board 210, and a bonded body is formed in the FPC 200 in which the coverlay 221 (CL film 220) is bonded to the flexible circuit board 210 via the adhesive layer 222 (heat press process, see Figures 1, 2(b), and 3).

At this time, the release film 10A adheres closely to the coverlay 221 and is embedded in the recess 223 formed in the coverlay 221, thereby suppressing the seepage of adhesive from the adhesive layer 222 into the recess 223.

The step formed in the recess 223 of the FPC 200 (coverlay 221) is set to a height of about 30 μm or more and 100 μm or less when the FPC 200 is used for in-vehicle applications, for example.

In this second step (heat pressing step), the temperature to which the FPC 200 is heated is not particularly limited, but is preferably, for example, 100°C or higher and 250°C or lower, and more preferably 150°C or higher and 200°C or lower.

In addition, in the second step, the pressure set in the heat bonding unit 52 when applying pressure to the FPC 200 is not particularly limited, but is preferably set to 1 MPa or more and 14 MPa or less, and more preferably set to 5 MPa or more and 14 MPa or less.

Furthermore, the transport speed for transporting the laminate is preferably set to 40 mm/sec or more and 400 mm/sec or less, more preferably set to 100 mm/sec or more and 350 mm/sec or less. In other words, in the second step (main step), the laminate is heated and pressed using the heating and pressing means 50, and in the peeling step (next step), the adhesion time until the release film 10 is peeled off from the bonded body is preferably set to 1.0 sec or more and 10.0 sec or less, more preferably 4.0 sec or more and 7.0 sec or less. By setting the transport speed, i.e., the adhesion time, within this range, it can be said that the FPC 200 is manufactured efficiently. In other words, it can be said that the FPC 200 is manufactured with excellent productivity.

The second step constitutes a step of performing a heat press on the object (FPC 200) on which the release film 10 is arranged in the manufacturing method of the molded product of the present invention. In addition, when the coverlay 221 (insulating layer) is made of a material containing a semi-cured thermosetting resin, the coverlay 221 constitutes the surface of the object (FPC 200) on which the release film 10 is arranged. Since the release film 10 is used overlapping the surface of the coverlay 221 so that the surface on the first release layer 1 side is in contact with the surface of the coverlay 221, the release film 10 can maintain the shape of the coverlay 221 in which the recesses 223 are formed and the thermosetting resin can be cured, so that the coverlay 221 (molded product) can be molded with excellent accuracy on the flexible circuit board 210. In addition, since the adhesion time is set within the above range, the release film 10 can promote the curing reaction of the thermosetting resin constituting the coverlay 221 while maintaining the shape of the coverlay 221 in which the recesses 223 are formed.

In addition, in this embodiment, the heating means is a heat press, but this is not necessarily limited to this method. For example, heating may be performed by infrared rays or by a heating roll.

From such a second step (heat press step) to the release of the release film 10 from the FPC 200 in the next step, the third step (mold release step), the release film 10 is attached to the FPC 200. At this time, in the present invention, it is satisfied that the water vapor transmission rate of the release film 10 measured in accordance with JIS K 7129 (method B) exceeds 1.0 g/m ² ·day (25°C · 90% RH). Therefore, even if the FPC 200 is heat pressed in the second step (main step) as described above from the second step (main step) to the release of the release film 10 in the third step (next step), the water vapor contained in the air remaining between the release film 10 and the flexible circuit board 210 can be appropriately suppressed or prevented from being absorbed by a resin material such as polyimide contained as a constituent material of the flexible circuit board 210 or the coverlay 221. Therefore, the generation of air bubbles resulting from absorbed water vapor between the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay film 220 is appropriately suppressed or prevented during soldering to a circuit included in the flexible circuit board 210. Therefore, the obtained FPC 200 can be made more reliable by appropriately suppressing or preventing the generation of peeling between the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay film 220, but a detailed description of this will be given later.

(Third step)
Next, in a releasing means 60, the release film 10 (10A, 10B) is released from the FPC 200. That is, the release film 10A and the release film 10B are peeled off from the bonded body of the coverlay film 220 and the flexible circuit board 210. In this way, the FPC 200 in which the CL film 220 is bonded to the flexible circuit board 210 is obtained (peeling process, see Figs. 1, 2(c) and 3).

The release means 60 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a vacuum device installed on the outside and configured to perform the peeling by drawing a vacuum, or may be configured to perform the peeling by blowing air between the bonded body and the release films 10A, 10B, or may be configured to perform the peeling by inserting a rod between the bonded body and the release films 10A, 10B.

Then, the bonded assembly of the coverlay film 220 and the flexible circuit board 210, the glass cloth 300A, the release film 10A, the release film 10B, and the glass cloth 300B are wound up on their respective winding rollers.

By winding in this manner, the flexible circuit board 210 and the CL film 220 are continuously obtained as the FPC 200 in which the flexible circuit board 210 and the CL film 220 are bonded via the adhesive layer 222 provided on the CL film 220, and the FPC 200 is continuously obtained in a state in which the flexible circuit board 210 and the CL film 220 are wound around the winding roller.

As described above, by applying the manufacturing method of the flexible printed circuit board 200 using the roll-to-roll press machine 100 with the release film 10, the flexible printed circuit board 200 is manufactured continuously.

In addition, after the third step, the process may include a step of heating the flexible printed circuit board 200 wound around the winding roller, or the wound flexible printed circuit board 200 cut into individual sheets in an oven or the like to further promote the curing reaction of the thermosetting resin that constitutes the coverlay 221, thereby curing the coverlay 221.

The release film of the present invention is applied to the release film 10 used in the manufacture of this flexible printed circuit board 200. The release film 10 to which the release film of the present invention is applied is described below.

<Release Film 10>
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the release film of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing part A of the release film shown in FIG.
As shown in Figure 4, in this embodiment, the release film 10 is composed of a laminate in which a first release layer 1, a cushion layer 3, and a second release layer 2 are laminated in this order, and is used by overlapping it so that the surface on the first release layer 1 side is in contact with the CL film 220 provided on the FPC 200.

In the present invention, the release film 10 used has a water vapor permeability of more than 1.0 g/m ² ·day (25° C. · 90% RH) measured in accordance with JIS K 7129 (Method B).

As described above, in the manufacturing method of the flexible printed circuit board 200 using the release film 10, it is required to achieve both embeddability of the release film 10 in the recess 223 and releasability from the flexible printed circuit board 200, and further, it is required to manufacture an FPC 200 that has excellent bonding characteristics for soldering to the circuit of the flexible circuit board 210.

However, as described above, during the period between the second step (main step) and the third step (next step) in which the release film 10 is released, when the FPC 200 is hot-pressed in the second step (main step), the water vapor contained in the air remaining between the release film 10 and the FPC 200 is absorbed by the resin material, such as polyimide, contained as a constituent material of the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay 221. As a result, when soldering is performed to the circuit of the flexible circuit board 210, the absorbed water vapor is generated as air bubbles between the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay film 220, and the air bubbles affect the occurrence of peeling between the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay film 220.

In response to such problems, in the present invention, as described above, the release film 10 is selected to have a water vapor permeability of more than 1.0 g/m ² ·day (25°C · 90% RH) measured in accordance with JIS K 7129 (B method). That is, the release film 10 is selected to have excellent water vapor permeability in the thickness direction. Therefore, as described above, during the period from the second step (main step) to the third step (next step) in which the release film 10 is released, when the FPC 200 is hot-pressed in the second step (main step), water vapor contained in the air remaining between the release film 10 and the FPC 200 can be transmitted through the release film 10. Therefore, during the hot-pressing of the FPC 200, the resin material such as polyimide contained as a constituent material of the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay 221 can be appropriately suppressed or prevented from absorbing water vapor under the heating of the FPC 200. Therefore, when soldering to a circuit included in the flexible circuit board 210, the generation of bubbles resulting from absorbed water vapor between the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay film 220 is appropriately suppressed or prevented. Therefore, the obtained FPC 200 can be made more reliable by appropriately suppressing or preventing the occurrence of peeling between the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay film 220.

Each layer constituting this release film 10 will now be described.
<Cushion layer 3>
First, a description will be given of the cushion layer 3. The cushion layer 3 is disposed as an intermediate layer between the first release layer 1 and the second release layer 2.

This cushion layer 3 is made of a third thermoplastic resin composition, and in the present invention, the third thermoplastic resin composition preferably contains multiple types of thermoplastic resins for the purpose of imparting to the release film 10 the ability to fill the recesses 223 while setting the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 to above the lower limit value.

Examples of combinations of multiple types of thermoplastic resins include a combination of polyester resin and polyolefin resin, a combination of polyolefin resins, and a combination of polyamide resin and polyolefin resin. Among these, by selecting a combination of polyester resin and polyolefin resin, the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 can be set relatively easily to exceed the lower limit.

The polyester resin is not particularly limited, but examples thereof include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycyclohexane terephthalate (PCT), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polycyclohexane dimethylene terephthalate, polypropylene terephthalate, etc., and one or more of these can be used in combination. When two or more of these are used in combination, the polyester resin may be a blend or a copolymer. Among these, the polyester resin is preferably polybutylene terephthalate. This can provide the cushion layer 3 with excellent conformability to the recesses 223. In addition, when the first thermoplastic resin composition constituting the first release layer 1 contains polybutylene terephthalate, the cushion layer 3 can exhibit excellent adhesion to the first release layer 1. Furthermore, the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 can be more easily set to be greater than the lower limit.

Furthermore, although this polyester resin exhibits crystallinity, it is preferable that the crystallization is suppressed or prevented in the cushion layer 3. This makes it easier to set the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 to above the lower limit.

The polyolefin resin is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include α-olefin polymers such as polyethylenes such as low-density polyethylene and high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, and α-olefin copolymers such as copolymers of ethylene and hexene, copolymers of ethylene and octene, copolymers of α-olefins and (meth)acrylic acid esters, copolymers of ethylene and vinyl acetate, and copolymers of ethylene and (meth)acrylic acid, each of which has a polymer component such as ethylene, propylene, butene, pentene, hexene, or octene. One or more of these may be used in combination. Among these, at least one of copolymers of ethylene and vinyl acetate (ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer) and copolymers of ethylene and (meth)acrylic acid (ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid copolymer) is preferable. This allows the cushion layer 3 to have excellent conformability to the recesses 223. In addition, the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 can be more easily set to exceed the lower limit.

When a polyester resin and a polyolefin resin are combined, the content of the polyester resin in the third thermoplastic resin composition is preferably 5% by weight or more, and more preferably 8% by weight or more and 40% by weight or less. This allows the release film 10 to have excellent conformability to the recesses 223. In addition, the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 can be more easily set to exceed the lower limit.

The third thermoplastic resin composition constituting the cushion layer 3 may contain additives such as antioxidants, slip agents, antiblocking agents, antistatic agents, colorants, and stabilizers in addition to the resin materials (thermoplastic resins) described above.

Furthermore, the storage modulus E' of the cushion layer 3 at 150°C is preferably 0.1 MPa or more, more preferably 0.5 MPa or more and 150 MPa or less, and even more preferably 1.0 MPa or more and 100 MPa or less. By setting the storage modulus E' of the cushion layer 3 at 150°C as described above, it is possible to appropriately suppress or prevent a part of the cushion layer 3 from protruding from the edge of the release film 10 and adhering to the FPC 200 when the release film 10 is embedded in the recess 223 in the second step. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately suppress or prevent contamination of the FPC 200. In addition, it is possible to easily peel off the release film 10 in the third step.

The storage modulus E' of the cushion layer 3 at 150°C can be obtained, for example, in accordance with JIS K7244-4 by preparing a cushion layer 3 with a width of 4 mm and a length of 20 mm, and measuring it using a dynamic viscoelasticity measuring device (Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation, "DMA7100") in tension mode, at a frequency of 1 Hz, and at a heating rate of 5°C/min.

Furthermore, the average thickness Tk of the cushion layer 3 is preferably set to 40 μm or more and 110 μm or less, and more preferably 50 μm or more and 90 μm or less. This makes it relatively easy to set the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 to above the lower limit.

<First release layer 1>
Next, a description will be given of the first release layer 1. The first release layer 1 is laminated on one surface of the cushion layer 3.

The first release layer 1 has flexibility, and in the manufacturing method of the flexible printed circuit board 200 using the release film 10 described above, the release film 10 is superimposed on the CL film 220 of the FPC 200 so that the first release layer 1 comes into contact with the CL film 220. In the second step of this manufacturing method, when the superimposed flexible circuit board 210 and the CL film 220 are bonded via the adhesive layer 222, the first release layer 1 is a layer that is pressed in to follow the shape of the recess 223 formed by the flexible circuit board 210 and the CL film 220, and functions as a protective (buffer) material that prevents the release film 10 from breaking. Furthermore, the first release layer 1 functions as a contact layer to exhibit excellent releasability of the release film 10 from the CL film 220 (FPC 200) in the third step.

Therefore, in the second step, the release film 10 can appropriately suppress or prevent the adhesive from seeping out from the adhesive layer 222 into the recess 223 formed in the FPC 200. In addition, after the formation of the FPC 200 in which the flexible circuit board 210 and the CL film 220 are bonded via the adhesive layer 222 provided on the CL film 220 in the second step, when the release film 10 is peeled off from the FPC 200 in the third step, the occurrence of elongation and breakage in the FPC 200 can be appropriately suppressed or prevented. In addition, when the third thermoplastic resin composition constituting the cushion layer 3 contains a polyester resin, the first release layer 1 can exhibit excellent adhesion to the cushion layer 3.

In addition, in the manufacturing method of the flexible printed circuit board 200, the first release layer 1 is in contact with the CL film 220 provided on the FPC 200. Therefore, in the second step of this manufacturing method, when the FPC 200 is hot-pressed, the first release layer 1 also has the function of transmitting heat from the heat-pressing plate 521 to the CL film 220.

This first release layer 1 is made of a first thermoplastic resin composition. In addition, this first thermoplastic resin composition preferably contains, for example, mainly a polyester-based resin. This makes it relatively easy to impart the above-mentioned functions to the first release layer 1. Furthermore, it is relatively easy to set the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 to above the lower limit value.

The polyester-based resin is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, the same as those listed in the third thermoplastic resin composition described above, and among them, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) is particularly preferable. This allows the effect obtained by using a polyester-based resin to be more pronounced. In addition, when the third thermoplastic resin composition constituting the cushion layer 3 contains polybutylene terephthalate, the first release layer 1 can exhibit excellent adhesion to the cushion layer 3. Furthermore, the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 can be more easily set to exceed the lower limit value.

Furthermore, polyester-based resins exhibit crystallinity, but it is preferable that the crystallization of the first release layer 1 composed of this polyester-based resin is suppressed. Specifically, the degree of crystallinity is preferably about 10% or more and 50% or less, and more preferably about 10% or more and 35% or less. This makes it easier to set the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 to above the lower limit.

The crystallization of the resin material exhibiting crystallinity, such as the polyester-based resin in the release layers 1, 2 and the cushion layer 3, can be achieved, for example, by setting the cooling temperature when cooling the strip-shaped film 10' in a molten or softened state in the manufacturing method of the release film 10 described below, within the following range.

In addition, when the first thermoplastic resin composition is mainly composed of a polyester-based resin, it may contain a thermoplastic resin other than a polyester-based resin. Examples of such a thermoplastic resin include polyolefin-based resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and poly-4-methyl-1-pentene, and polystyrene-based resins such as syndiotactic polystyrene, and one or more of these may be used in combination.

In addition, the first thermoplastic resin composition may further contain at least one of inorganic particles and organic particles in addition to the thermoplastic resin described above.

The inorganic particles are not particularly limited, but examples thereof include aluminum hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium silicate, magnesium silicate, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, alumina, aluminum nitride, aluminum borate whiskers, boron nitride, crystalline silica, amorphous silica, antimony oxide, E-glass, D-glass, S-glass, etc., and one or more of these can be used in combination.

The organic particles are not particularly limited, but examples include polystyrene particles, acrylic particles, polyimide particles, polyester particles, silicone particles, polypropylene particles, polyethylene particles, fluororesin particles, and core-shell particles, and one or more of these can be used in combination.

Furthermore, the inorganic particles and organic particles preferably have an average particle size of 3 μm or more and 20 μm or less, and more preferably 5 μm or more and 20 μm or less. As a result, when at least one of inorganic particles and organic particles is contained in the first thermoplastic resin composition, the surface roughness of the surface of the first release layer 1 opposite the cushion layer 3 can be relatively easily set within the range described below.

When the first release layer 1 has an uneven surface, the 10-point average roughness (Rz) of the surface is preferably 0.1 μm or more and 20.0 μm or less, and more preferably 1.0 μm or more and 10.0 μm or less. This allows the release film 10 to be released from the FPC 200 (flexible circuit board 210) with excellent releasability. The 10-point average roughness (Rz) can be measured in accordance with JIS B 0601-1994.

The first release layer 1 having such a configuration preferably has a storage modulus E' at 150°C of 50 MPa or more, more preferably 50 MPa or more and 1000 MPa or less, and even more preferably 50 MPa or more and 300 MPa or less. This ensures that the first release layer 1 can be provided with the functions of the first release layer 1 described above.

The storage modulus E' of the first release layer 1 at 150°C can be obtained in accordance with JIS K7244-4 by preparing a first release layer 1 having a width of 4 mm and a length of 20 mm, and measuring it using a dynamic viscoelasticity measuring device (Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation, "DMA7100") in tension mode, at a frequency of 1 Hz, and at a temperature rise rate of 5°C/min.

The first release layer 1 has an average thickness T1 that is preferably set to 7 μm or more and 38 μm or less, and more preferably set to 10 μm or more and 30 μm or less. This allows the average thickness of the first release layer 1 to be set within an appropriate range, so that the first release layer 1 can be more reliably imparted with the above-mentioned function as the first release layer 1. In addition, the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 can be set relatively easily to exceed the lower limit value.

As described above, when the surface of the first release layer 1 opposite the cushion layer 3 has an uneven shape, the thickness of the first release layer 1 is measured at a position including the convex part in the convex part, and at a position including the concave part in the concave part.

The first thermoplastic resin composition constituting the first release layer 1 may contain, in addition to the resin material, inorganic particles, and organic particles described above, additives similar to those listed in the third thermoplastic resin composition.

<Second release layer 2>
Next, a description will be given of the second release layer 2. The second release layer 2 is laminated on the other surface side of the cushion layer 3, that is, on the surface side of the cushion layer 3 opposite to the first release layer 1.

The second release layer 2 is flexible, and in the above-mentioned manufacturing method of the flexible printed circuit board 200 using the release film 10, the release film 10 is superimposed on the CL film 220 of the FPC 200 so that the first release layer 1 comes into contact with the CL film 220. In the second step of this manufacturing method, when the superimposed flexible circuit board 210 and the CL film 220 are bonded via the adhesive layer 222, the second release layer 2 functions as a layer that transmits the force from the heat-pressing plate 521 to the cushion layer 3. Furthermore, the second release layer 2 functions as a contact layer to provide excellent releasability between the glass cloth 300 and the release film 10 in the third step.

In addition, in the manufacturing method of the flexible printed circuit board 200, the second release layer 2 is in contact with the heat-pressure bonding plate 521 via the glass cloth 300. Therefore, in the second step of this manufacturing method, when the FPC 200 is hot-pressed, it also has the function of transmitting heat from the heat-pressure bonding plate 521 to the cushion layer 3.

The second release layer 2 is made of a second thermoplastic resin composition. In addition, like the first thermoplastic resin composition, this second thermoplastic resin composition preferably contains mainly a polyester-based resin. This ensures that the second release layer 2 is endowed with the aforementioned functions. Furthermore, the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 can be set relatively easily to a value exceeding the lower limit.

The polyester-based resin is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, the same as those listed in the third thermoplastic resin composition described above, and among them, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) is particularly preferable. This allows the effects obtained by using a polyester-based resin to be more significantly exhibited. Furthermore, the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 can be more easily set to above the lower limit.

Furthermore, polyester-based resins exhibit crystallinity, but it is preferable that the second release layer 2 made of this polyester-based resin has its crystallization suppressed. Specifically, the degree of crystallinity is preferably about 10% or more and 50% or less, and more preferably about 10% or more and 35% or less. This makes it easier to set the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 to above the lower limit.

In addition, when the second thermoplastic resin composition is mainly composed of a polyester-based resin, it may contain a thermoplastic resin other than a polyester-based resin, and the thermoplastic resin may be the same as those listed for the first thermoplastic resin composition.

In addition, the second thermoplastic resin composition may further contain at least one of inorganic particles and organic particles in addition to the thermoplastic resin described above.

The inorganic particles and organic particles are not particularly limited, but the same particles as those listed for the first thermoplastic resin composition can be used.

The second release layer 2 having such a configuration preferably has a storage modulus E' at 150°C of 50 MPa or more, and more preferably 50 MPa or more and 1000 MPa or less. This ensures that the second release layer 2 is provided with the above-mentioned functions.

The second release layer 2 has an average thickness T2 that is preferably set to 7 μm or more and 38 μm or less, and more preferably set to 10 μm or more and 30 μm or less. This makes it possible to more reliably impart the above-mentioned functions to the second release layer 2. In addition, the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 can be set relatively easily to a value exceeding the lower limit.

Furthermore, the second thermoplastic resin composition constituting the second release layer 2 may contain, in addition to the resin material, inorganic particles, and organic particles described above, additives similar to those listed in the third thermoplastic resin composition.

In addition, the first thermoplastic resin composition and the second thermoplastic resin composition in the first release layer 1 and the second release layer 2 may be the same or different, but from the viewpoint of substitutability, it is preferable that they are the same or of the same quality. Furthermore, the average thicknesses of the first release layer 1 and the second release layer 2 may be the same or different.

In the release film 10 having a laminated structure of the first release layer 1, the cushion layer 3, and the second release layer 2 as described above, the average thickness Tt is preferably 50 μm or more and 180 μm or less, and more preferably 80 μm or more and 150 μm or less. This makes it relatively easy to set the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 to a value above the lower limit.

Here, the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 measured in accordance with JIS K 7129 (B method) may be more than 1.0 g/m ² ·day (25 ° C. 90% RH), but is preferably 1.4 g/m ² ·day (25 ° C. 90% RH) or more, and more preferably 1.7 g/m ² ·day (25 ° C. 90% RH) or more and 3.0 g/m ² ·day (25 ° C. 90% RH) or less. By setting the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 as described above, when the FPC 200 is hot-pressed in the second step, during the period from the second step to the third step where the release film 10 is released, the water vapor contained in the air remaining between the release film 10 and the FPC 200 can be transmitted through the release film 10. Therefore, when the FPC 200 is subjected to heat pressing, the resin material such as polyimide contained as a constituent material of the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay 221 can be appropriately suppressed or prevented from absorbing water vapor under the heating of the FPC 200. Therefore, when soldering to a circuit included in the flexible circuit board 210, the generation of air bubbles derived from the absorbed water vapor between the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay film 220 can be appropriately suppressed or prevented. Therefore, the obtained FPC 200 can be made more reliable by appropriately suppressing or preventing the occurrence of peeling between the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay film 220.

In the present invention, the oxygen permeability of the release film 10 is measured in accordance with JIS K 7129 (Method B) under conditions of a temperature of 25°C and a relative humidity of 90% RH.

In addition, the oxygen permeability of the release film 10 measured in accordance with JIS K 7126-2 is preferably 60.0 cc/( ^m2 ·atm·day) or more, more preferably 100.0/( ^m2 ·atm·day) or more, and even more preferably 120.0/( ^m2 ·atm·day) or more and 60.0 cc/(m2· ^atm ·day) or less. By setting the oxygen permeability of the release film 10 as described above, when the FPC 200 is hot-pressed in the second step, during the period from the second step to the third step where the release film 10 is released, the oxygen contained in the air remaining between the release film 10 and the FPC 200 can be transmitted through the release film 10. Therefore, even if the FPC 200 is heated during the hot pressing of the FPC 200, it is possible to appropriately suppress or prevent the circuit of the flexible circuit board 210 exposed in the recess 223 from being oxidized. Therefore, the obtained FPC 200 can have better electrical properties.

The oxygen permeability of the release film 10 is measured under conditions of a temperature of 23°C and a relative humidity of 0% RH in accordance with the isobaric method of the plastic film and sheet gas permeability test method specified in JIS K 7126-2.

In this embodiment, the release film 10 is composed of a laminate in which the first release layer 1, the cushion layer 3, and the second release layer 2 are laminated in this order, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, the release film 10 may be composed of a laminate having an intermediate layer, such as an adhesive layer, disposed at least either between the first release layer 1 and the cushion layer 3, or between the second release layer 2 and the cushion layer 3.

In addition, in the third step, the release film 10 may be one in which the second release layer 2 that contacts the glass cloth 300 is omitted, so long as excellent releasability can be maintained between the glass cloth 300 and the release film 10.

<Method of Manufacturing Release Film 10>
The release film 10 having the above-mentioned configuration can be manufactured, for example, by the following manufacturing method. Prior to describing the manufacturing method of the release film 10, a release film manufacturing apparatus will be described below.

Figure 6 is a side view that shows a schematic diagram of a release film manufacturing apparatus that manufactures the release film 10 shown in Figure 4. In the following explanation, the upper side in Figure 6 will be referred to as "upper" and the lower side will be referred to as "lower."

The release film manufacturing apparatus 1000 shown in FIG. 6 has a film supply section 600 and a film forming section 700.

In this embodiment, the film supply section 600 is composed of an extruder 610 and a T-die 620 connected to the molten resin discharge section of the extruder 610 via a pipe. The T-die 620 supplies a strip-shaped film 10' in a molten or softened state to the film forming section 700.

The T-die 620 is an extrusion molding section that extrudes the film 10' in a molten or softened state into a strip-shaped film by a co-extrusion method. The constituent materials of each layer that makes up the release film 10 described above are loaded sequentially in a molten state into the T-die 620, and the molten materials are extruded from the T-die 620 to continuously send out the strip-shaped film 10'.

The film forming section 700 has a touch roll 710, a cooling roll 720, and a rear cooling roll 730. These rolls are configured to rotate independently by a motor (driving means) not shown, and are cooled and continuously fed out by the rotation of these rolls. By continuously feeding the film 10' in a molten or softened state into this film forming section 700, the surface of the film 10' is flattened and the film 10' is set to a desired thickness and cooled. Then, by appropriately selecting the constituent materials of each layer constituting the release film 10 to be loaded into the extruder 610 (T-die 620), it is possible to obtain the release film 10 composed of a laminate in which the first release layer 1, the cushion layer 3, and the second release layer 2 are laminated in this order as the cooled film 10'.

The release film 10 is manufactured by the manufacturing method of the release film 10 using the release film manufacturing apparatus 1000 as described above.

The method for producing the release film 10 using the release film manufacturing apparatus 1000 includes an extrusion process, a molding process, and a cooling process.

<1A> First, a strip-shaped film 10' in a molten or softened state is extruded (extrusion process).

In this extrusion process, the constituent materials of each layer that constitutes the release film 10 are loaded sequentially into the extruder 610. In addition, the constituent materials of each layer that constitutes the release film 10 are in a molten or softened state inside the extruder 610.

<2A> Next, the surface of the film 10' is flattened and the film 10' is set to a predetermined thickness (molding process). This process is carried out between the touch roll 710 and the cooling roll 720.

<3A> Next, the surface of the film 10' is cooled (cooling process). This process is carried out between the cooling roll 720 and the rear cooling roll 730.

The cooling temperature at which the surface of the film 10' is cooled by the cooling roll 720 and the rear cooling roll 730 is preferably set to about 20°C or higher and 120°C or lower, more preferably about 40°C or higher and 90°C or lower. This makes it possible to appropriately suppress or prevent the crystallization of the resin material when the first release layer 1, the cushion layer 3, and the second release layer 2 each contain a resin material that exhibits crystallinity, such as a polyester-based resin.

In addition, either the cooling roll 720 or the rear cooling roll 730 may be equipped with a cooling means, and the film 10' may be cooled on one of the rolls.

By carrying out the above-described steps <1A> to <3A> by appropriately selecting the constituent materials of each layer of the release film 10 to be loaded into the extruder 610, it is possible to obtain a release film 10 composed of a laminate in which the first release layer 1, the cushion layer 3, and the second release layer 2 are laminated in this order.

The above describes the method for producing the release film and molded product of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to these.

For example, in the above embodiment, the release film of the present invention is described as being applied to a press molding method in which flexible printed circuit boards arranged between heating and cooling plates are laminated in one layer, but the number of laminated flexible printed circuit boards is not limited to one layer and may be two or more layers.

In addition, the release film of the present invention is applied to a flexible printed circuit board placed between heating and cooling plates using a roll-to-roll press, but this is not limited thereto, and the flexible printed circuit board can be pressed using, for example, a press molding method, or even a vacuum/pressure molding method.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these.

1. Preparation of Raw Materials The following raw materials were prepared for producing the release film.

・Thermoplastic resin material: Low-density polyethylene (LDPE, Ube Maruzen Co., Ltd., "R300")
Ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA, manufactured by Dow Mitsui Polychemicals, "P1403")
Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT, Chang Chun Petrochemical Co., Ltd., "1100-630S")
Copolymerized polybutylene terephthalate (PBT, manufactured by Mitsubishi Engineering Plastics Corporation, "5505S")
Polypropylene (PP, manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., "FH1016")
Glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate (PETG, manufactured by SELENIS, "NF411")

2. Production of release film <Example 1>
First, a first thermoplastic resin composition and a second thermoplastic resin composition each composed of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT, 1100-630S) were prepared. A third thermoplastic resin composition composed of 15 parts by weight of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT, 1100-630S), 35 parts by weight of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA, P1403), 30 parts by weight of low density polyethylene (LDPE, R300), and 20 parts by weight of polypropylene (PP, FH1016) was prepared.

Next, the first thermoplastic resin composition, the third thermoplastic resin composition, and the second thermoplastic resin composition were co-extruded into a film by a co-extrusion T-die method using the release film manufacturing apparatus 1000, thereby forming a laminate in which the first release layer 1, the cushion layer 3, and the second release layer 2 were laminated in this order, thereby obtaining the release film 10 of Example 1.

The cooling temperature of the cooling roll 720 and the rear cooling roll 730 when forming the first thermoplastic resin composition, the third thermoplastic resin composition, and the second thermoplastic resin composition into films using the release film manufacturing apparatus 1000 was set to 60°C.

In addition, in the obtained release film 10, the average thickness T1 of the first release layer 1 was 20 μm, the average thickness Tk of the cushion layer 3 was 80 μm, and the average thickness T2 of the second release layer 2 was 20 μm.

Furthermore, the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 was measured using a water vapor permeability measuring device (manufactured by MOCON, "PERMATRAN-W3/34") in accordance with K 7129 (Method B) under conditions of a temperature of 25°C and a relative humidity of 90% RH, and was found to be 2.5 g/ ^m2 ·day (25°C·90% RH).

In addition, the oxygen permeability of the release film 10 was measured using an oxygen permeability measuring device ("OX-TRAN 2/22L" manufactured by MOCON) in accordance with the isobaric method of the plastic film and sheet gas permeability test method specified in JIS K 7126-2 under conditions of a temperature of 23°C and a relative humidity of 0% RH, and was found to be 100.0 cc/( ^m2 ·atm·day).

Furthermore, the storage modulus E' at 150°C of the first release layer 1 and the cushion layer 3 was measured using a dynamic viscoelasticity measuring device ("DMA7100" manufactured by Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation) in tension mode, at a frequency of 1 Hz, and at a heating rate of 5°C/min, and was found to be 160 MPa and 16 MPa, respectively.

The 10-point average roughness (Rz) of the surface exposed on the side opposite the cushion layer 3 of the first release layer 1 was measured using a surface roughness measuring device (manufactured by Mitutoyo Corporation, "SURFTST SJ-210") and was found to be 5 μm.

The crystallinity of the first release layer 1 and the second release layer 2 was analyzed by wide-angle X-ray diffraction using a horizontal sample X-ray diffraction device for thin film evaluation (manufactured by Rigaku Corporation, "Smart Lab") and was found to be 33% and 35%, respectively.

The calculation of the crystallinity of the first release layer 1 and the second release layer 2 based on the analysis by wide-angle X-ray diffraction method was performed as follows. That is, after drawing a linear baseline in the range of 2θ=12.0° to 28.18° on the diffraction measurement plot measured by a horizontal X-ray diffractometer for thin film evaluation samples, fitting was performed as a Gaussian function for each of the crystalline phase and the amorphous phase, and the crystallinity of the first release layer 1 and the second release layer 2 was calculated using the following formula A based on the total peak area of the crystalline phase and the total peak area of the amorphous phase obtained by this.
Crystallinity (%) =
Total peak area of crystalline phase /
(Total peak area of crystalline phase + Total peak area of amorphous phase) × 100 ... A

The measurement conditions in the horizontal sample X-ray diffractometer for evaluating thin films were set as follows:
X-ray source: CuKα ray, tube voltage: 45 kV-200 mA, incident optical system: focusing method, measurement range: 5-80°, measurement interval: 0.02°, scanning speed: 5.0°/min, scanning method: out-of-plane method

<Examples 2 to 4, Comparative Example 1>
The release films 10 of Examples 2 to 4 and Comparative Example 1, in which the water vapor permeability of the release films 10 is as shown in Table 1, were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the cooling temperatures by the cooling roll 720 and the rear cooling roll 730 when forming the first thermoplastic resin composition, the third thermoplastic resin composition, and the second thermoplastic resin composition into films using the release film manufacturing apparatus 1000 were changed as shown in Table 1.

<Examples 5 to 7, Comparative Examples 2 and 3>
The release films 10 of Examples 5 to 7 and Comparative Examples 2 and 3, in which the water vapor permeability in the thickness direction of the release film 10 is as shown in Table 1, were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the first release layer 1, cushion layer 3 and second release layer 2, each having an average thickness as shown in Table 1, were formed using the first thermoplastic resin composition, the second thermoplastic resin composition and the third thermoplastic resin composition shown in Table 1.

3. Evaluation The release films 10 of each of the Examples and Comparative Examples were evaluated as follows.

3-1. Solder Resistance of Polyimide Substrate The release film 10 of each of the examples and comparative examples was made to have a width of 270 mm, and a coverlay film 220 (manufactured by Arisawa Manufacturing Co., Ltd., "CMA0525") was attached to a flexible circuit board 210 (manufactured by Nippon Steel Chemical & Material Co., Ltd., "MB12-12-12REG") with the adhesive layer 222 of the coverlay film 220 facing the flexible circuit board 210 to form an FPC 200 (laminate) having irregularities with a pitch of 50 μm, a width of 50 μm, and a height of 18 μm. The release film 10 was then pressed into the laminated FPC 200 as shown in FIG. 3 using an RtoR press machine (manufactured by TRM, "RR Q-CURE 100TON CONTINUOUS LAMINATOR") under set conditions of 180° C., 110 kg/cm ² , and 150 sec. Thereafter, a release means 60 was used in which a rod was sandwiched between the FPC 200 and the release film 10 to peel them off, and the conveying speed was set to 200 mm/s, the feed amount to 500 mm, and the distance from the heating and pressing plate 521 to the release means 60 to 50 mm, and the release film 10 was peeled off.

The pressed FPC 200 was then dried at 110°C for 1 hour in accordance with JPCA standard JPCA-DG04. The FPC 200 was then immersed in a solder liquid heated to 260°C for 10 seconds, and then removed from the solder liquid. The presence or absence of air bubbles between the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay film 220 was visually confirmed, and evaluated according to the following criteria. Note that the test to obtain the FPC 200 was repeated 100 times for each of the release films 10 of the examples and comparative examples, as described above.

[Evaluation criteria]
⊚: No air bubbles are generated between the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay film 220.
◯: The probability of air bubbles occurring between the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay film 220 is less than 1%.
×: The probability of air bubbles occurring between the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay film 220 is 1% or more.

3-2. Discoloration due to oxidation of circuit The release film 10 of each of the examples and comparative examples was 270 mm wide, and a coverlay film 220 (manufactured by Arisawa Manufacturing Co., Ltd., "CMA0525") was attached to a flexible circuit board 210 (manufactured by Nippon Steel Chemical & Material Co., Ltd., "MB12-12-12REG") with the adhesive layer 222 of the coverlay film 220 facing the flexible circuit board 210 to form an FPC 200 (laminate) having irregularities with a pitch of 50 μm, a width of 50 μm, and a height of 18 μm.The release film 10 was then pressed into the laminated FPC 200 as shown in FIG. 3 using an RtoR press machine (manufactured by TRM, "RR Q-CURE 100TON CONTINUOUS LAMINATOR") under conditions of 180° C., 110 kg/cm ² , and 150 sec. Thereafter, a releasing means 60 was applied that sandwiched a rod between the FPC 200 and the release film 10 to peel them off, and the conveying speed was set to 200 mm/s, the feed amount to 500 mm, and the distance from the heating and pressing plate 521 to the releasing means 60 was set to 50 mm, and the release film 10 was peeled off. Then, the degree of discoloration due to oxidation of the circuit exposed in the recess 223 of the FPC 200 was visually confirmed, and evaluated according to the following criteria.

[Evaluation criteria]
⊚: No discoloration due to oxidation is observed in the circuit.
○: Although some discoloration due to oxidation is observed in the circuit,
It does not affect the electrical characteristics of the circuit.
×: Obvious discoloration due to oxidation was observed in the circuit.
It affects the electrical characteristics of the circuit.

The release film 10 of each of the examples and comparative examples was made to have a width of 270 mm, and a coverlay film 220 (manufactured by Arisawa Manufacturing Co., Ltd., "CMA0525") was attached to a flexible circuit board 210 with the adhesive layer 222 of the coverlay film 220 facing the flexible circuit board 210 to form an FPC 200 (laminate) having irregularities with a pitch of 50 μm, a width of 50 μm, and a height of 18 μm. The release film 10 was then pressed into the laminated FPC 200 as shown in FIG. 3 using an RtoR press machine (manufactured by TRM, "RR Q-CURE 100TON CONTINUOUS LAMINATOR") under set conditions of 180° C., 110 kg/cm ² , and 150 sec. Thereafter, in a laminate of the FPC 200 and the release film 10, this laminate was cut in the thickness direction, and then one end of the release film 10 was held and peeled off. When one end of the release film 10 was held and peeled off, the maximum amount of adhesive seeping out in a plan view from the recess of the FPC 200 was measured and evaluated according to the following criteria.

[Evaluation criteria]
⊚: The maximum amount of seepage is less than 55 mm.
◯: The maximum seepage amount was 55 or more and less than 65 mm.
×: The maximum amount of seepage is 65 mm or more.

The release film 10 of each of the examples and comparative examples was made to have a width of 270 mm, and a coverlay film 220 (manufactured by Arisawa Manufacturing Co., Ltd., "CMA0525") was attached to a flexible circuit board 210 with the adhesive layer 222 of the coverlay film 220 facing the flexible circuit board 210 to form an FPC 200 (laminate) having irregularities with a pitch of 50 μm, a width of 50 μm, and a height of 18 μm. The release film 10 was then pressed into the laminated FPC 200 as shown in FIG. 3 using an RtoR press machine (manufactured by TRM, "RR Q-CURE 100TON CONTINUOUS LAMINATOR") under set conditions of 180° C., 110 kg/cm ² , and 150 sec. Thereafter, a configuration in which a rod is sandwiched between the FPC 200 and the release film 10 is applied as the releasing means 60 to peel off the FPC 200 and the release film 10, the conveying speed is set to 200 mm/s, the feed amount is set to 500 mm, and the distance from the heat-bonding plate 521 to the releasing means 60 is set to 50 mm, and the release film 10 is peeled off. The ease of peeling off the release film 10 (releasability) at that time was evaluated according to the following criteria.

[Evaluation criteria]
◯: The release film was peelable.
×: When the release film was peeled off, the cushion layers were fused together and peeling was difficult.

3-5. Summary Table 1 shows the evaluation results obtained in the above 3-1. Solder resistance of polyimide substrate, the above 3-2. Discoloration due to oxidation of circuit, the above 3-3. Embeddability of release film, and the above 3-4. Releasability of release film.

As shown in Table 1, in each example, the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 was found to be greater than 1.0 g/ ^m2 ·day (25°C·90% RH), and as a result, the generation of air bubbles between the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay film 220 was suppressed.

In contrast, in each of the comparative examples, the water vapor permeability of the release film 10 did not satisfy the requirement of exceeding 1.0 g/ ^m2 ·day (25°C·90% RH), and as a result, the generation of air bubbles between the flexible circuit board 210 and the coverlay film 220 was clearly observed.

1 First release layer 2 Second release layer 3 Cushion layer 10 Release film 10A Release film 10B Release film 10' Film 50 Heat press means 52 Heat compression bonding section 60 Release means 100 Roll-to-roll press machine 200 Flexible printed circuit board (FPC)
210 Flexible circuit board 220 Coverlay film (CL film)
221 Coverlay 222 Adhesive layer 223 Recess 300A Glass cloth 300B Glass cloth 521 Heat pressing plate 600 Film supply section 610 Extruder 620 T-die 700 Film forming section 710 Touch roll 720 Cooling roll 730 Rear cooling roll 1000 Release film manufacturing device T1 Average thickness of first release layer T2 Average thickness of second release layer Tk Average thickness of cushion layer Tt Average thickness of release film

Claims (11)

A release film having a first release layer made of a first thermoplastic resin composition and a cushion layer laminated on the first release layer,
A release film characterized in that the water vapor permeability of the release film, measured in accordance with JIS K 7129 (Method B), exceeds 1.0 g/ ^m2 ·day (25°C·90% RH). The release film according to claim 1, wherein the first thermoplastic resin composition contains a polyester-based resin. The release film according to claim 2, wherein the polyester resin has crystallinity, and the first release layer has a crystallinity of 10% or more and 50% or less. The release film according to claim 3, wherein the cushion layer is made of a third thermoplastic resin composition containing the polyester resin and a polyolefin resin. The release film according to claim 1 or 4, wherein the first release layer has an average thickness of 7 μm or more and 38 μm or less. The release film according to claim 5, wherein the cushion layer has an average thickness of 40 μm or more and 110 μm or less. The release film according to claim 6, wherein the average thickness of the release film is 40 μm or more and 180 μm or less. The release film according to claim 1, wherein the first release layer has a 10-point average roughness (Rz) of 0.1 μm or more and 20.0 μm or less on the surface opposite the cushion layer. The release film according to claim 1, wherein the release film has a second release layer made of a second thermoplastic resin composition laminated on the cushion layer on the side opposite the first release layer. The release film is applied to the surface of an object formed of a material containing a semi-cured thermosetting resin.
The release film according to claim 1 , wherein the first release layer is placed on the second release layer and the first release layer is placed on the first release layer. The release film according to claim 1 is attached to the object side so that the first release layer of the release film faces the object side.
A method for manufacturing a molded product, comprising: a step of placing the release film on the object; and a step of performing a heat press on the object on which the release film is placed, wherein, in the step of placing the release film, the surface of the object on which the release film is placed is formed from a material containing a thermosetting resin in a semi-cured state.

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