JP6549013B2 - Container transport system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a container conveyance system applied to a film forming apparatus for forming a thin film in a vacuum state on the surface of a container.

  There is known a film forming apparatus for forming a thin film having a gas barrier property on the surface of a plastic container such as a plastic bottle in order to improve the gas barrier property of the container. As a transfer system for supplying a container to be processed to such a film forming apparatus, a carry-in conveyor 55 for supplying the pet bottles 55 on both sides of the film forming apparatus 1 and a carry-out conveyor 75 for discharging the pet bottles 55 are disposed. Is known (Patent Document 1).

WO 2014/103677

  In the transfer system of Patent Document 1, since two conveyors sandwich the processing chamber of the film forming apparatus, any one of these conveyors obstructs the access of the operator to the processing chamber. As a result, the maintainability of the processing chamber of the film forming apparatus may be reduced.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the conveyance system of the container which can suppress the fall of the maintainability with respect to the processing chamber of the film-forming apparatus.

  The container conveyance system according to the present invention is provided with a supply / discharge mechanism (3a) for supplying and discharging a container (PB) to be treated, and a film forming process for forming a thin film in vacuum on the surface of the container Container transport system (1) applied to a film forming apparatus 2 including a processing chamber (3) for carrying out a feed conveyor (5) for transporting the container before the film forming process by the film forming apparatus ), A discharge conveyor (6) for conveying the container after the film forming process by the film forming apparatus, and a supply for transferring the container conveyed by the supply conveyor to the supply / discharge mechanism of the processing chamber A robot (7), and a discharge robot (8) for transferring the container discharged by the supply / discharge mechanism from the processing chamber to the discharge conveyor after the film forming process, to one side of the processing chamber The feed robot is disposed on the other side of the processing chamber, and the discharge robot is disposed on the other side of the processing chamber, and the feed conveyor and the discharge conveyor are disposed on either the one side or the other side of the processing chamber. And are arranged in parallel.

  According to this transport system, since the supply conveyor and the discharge conveyor are arranged in parallel on either side of the processing chamber of the film forming apparatus, it is possible to avoid that these conveyors are arranged to sandwich the processing chamber. As a result, access to the processing chamber from the side where these conveyors are not arranged becomes easy, and therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in maintenance for the processing chamber of the film forming apparatus.

  In one aspect of the transfer system of the present invention, the film forming apparatus has a processing chamber group (4) in which a plurality of the processing chambers are arranged in the transfer direction (D1, D2) of the supply conveyor and the discharge conveyor. The supply robot is provided one for the processing chamber group, and distributes and transfers the container for each of the processing chambers belonging to the processing chamber group, and the discharge robot performs the processing belonging to the processing chamber group One for each chamber may be provided, and the supply conveyor and the discharge conveyor may be provided on the side where the supply robot is disposed.

  In the above-described film formation apparatus, the processing efficiency of the film formation process can be enhanced by providing a plurality of process chambers and taking the container in and out of these process chambers. In this case, in the case of a multi-row arrangement in which a conveyor is provided for each of a plurality of processing chambers, it is necessary to branch the container conveyance path into plural upstream of the film forming apparatus and to merge them downstream of the film forming apparatus. As a result, the transport system may be increased in size and cost.

  According to the above aspect, since the processing chambers are arranged with respect to the transport direction of the containers of each conveyor, it is necessary to branch the supply path of the containers upstream of the processing chamber or merge the supply paths downstream of the processing chamber. There is no Therefore, the enlargement of the transport system can be avoided. Moreover, since one discharge robot is provided for each of the processing chambers included in the processing chamber group, the working distance of each discharge robot is greater than when one discharge robot is provided for a plurality of processing chambers. Since it becomes short, the fall of tact time can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, in the above aspect, the supply robot is disposed on the side on which the supply conveyor and the discharge conveyor are disposed, and the discharge robot is provided for each processing chamber on the opposite side. It is divided. Therefore, access to each processing chamber is less likely to be impeded as compared with the case where one discharge robot operates between a plurality of processing chambers. Thereby, the fall of maintainability can be suppressed.

  In the above aspect, the reference position of the supply robot is set on a reference line (Ls) that crosses the center of the distance (Yd) in the arrangement direction of the processing chambers included in the processing chamber group. The supply robot may hold the container transported by the supply conveyor at the reference position, and may distribute and transfer the held container to each of the processing chambers included in the processing chamber group. In this case, since the reference position of the supply robot is set on the reference line which crosses the center of the distance between both ends in the arrangement direction of the plurality of processing chambers, the reference position of the supply robot is set to another position. The working distance of the feeding robot can be reduced more than that. Thereby, the decrease in tact time can be suppressed.

  In one aspect of the transfer system of the present invention, the supply and discharge mechanism is provided with a table (T) on which the container is placed, and a holder (H) disposed above the table and capable of holding the container. The feeding robot holds the container and releases the holding of the container after the container arranged on the table is held by the holder in a state of being arranged at a predetermined position of the table. The container transported by the supply conveyor may be transferred to the supply and discharge mechanism of the processing chamber. According to this aspect, the container is held by at least one of the supply robot and / or the holder while the transfer of the container to the supply and discharge mechanism is completed. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the unstable state of the container such as the container being inclined or tipped over until the transfer of the container is completed.

  In the above description, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, the reference numerals of the attached drawings are appended in parentheses, but the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment.

  As described above, according to the container conveyance system of the present invention, the supply conveyor and the discharge conveyor can be prevented from being disposed so as to sandwich the processing chamber. Therefore, the processing chamber from the side where these conveyors are not arranged Easy to access. Thereby, the fall of the maintainability with respect to the processing chamber of the film-forming apparatus can be suppressed.

The top view of the conveyance system of the container concerning one form of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1, illustrating the transfer of the container by the supply robot. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1, illustrating the transfer of the container by the discharge robot. The figure which showed an example of the transfer method of the container to a supply-and-discharge mechanism. The figure which showed an example of the transfer method of the container to a discharge conveyor.

  The transport system 1 of FIG. 1 is applied to a film forming apparatus 2. The film forming apparatus 2 is configured as a Cat-CVD apparatus that performs a film forming process of forming a metal thin film on the surface (in this embodiment, the inner surface in the present embodiment) of a pet bottle PB which is a container to be treated. ing. The film forming apparatus 2 includes a processing chamber group 4 in which a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) processing chambers 3 for performing a film forming process in a vacuum state are arranged in one direction. Each processing chamber 3 is provided with a supply / discharge mechanism 3a (see FIGS. 2A and 2B) for supplying and discharging the plastic bottle PB. The supply and discharge mechanism 3a includes a table T supporting the plastic bottle PB, and an elevating mechanism (not shown) that raises and lowers the table T.

  The transport system 1 includes a feed conveyor 5 for transporting the pet bottle PB before the film forming process by the film forming apparatus 2, a discharge conveyor 6 for transporting the pet bottle PB after the film forming process, and a pet transported by the feed conveyor 5. A supply robot 7 for transferring the bottle PB to the supply / discharge mechanism 3a of each processing chamber 3, and a discharge robot 8 for transferring the plastic bottle PB discharged from the processing chamber 3 after the film forming process to the discharge conveyor 6. And have. A total of four discharge robots 8 are provided for each of the processing chambers 3 belonging to the processing chamber group 4.

  The supply conveyor 5 and the discharge conveyor 6 are arranged in parallel so that the conveyance directions D1 and D2 extend in parallel and in a straight line. The supply conveyor 5 is provided with an alignment device 10 for dividing the plurality of plastic bottles PB transported by every six bottles serving as a processing unit of the film forming process and arranging the plastic bottles PB at equal intervals. .

  The supply robot 7 is on one side (upper side in FIG. 1) crossing the processing chamber group 4 of the film forming apparatus 1, and the discharge robot 8 is on the other side (lower side in FIG. 1) crossing the processing chamber group 4 It is arranged. Further, on the side where the supply robot 7 is disposed, the supply conveyor 5 and the discharge conveyor 6 are disposed in parallel.

  The supply robot 7 is configured by combining three linear motion robots with their moving directions orthogonal to each other. Each linear motion robot has a known configuration, with its respective body fixed and its respective carrier combined to move.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A, with regard to the three axes of the supply robot 7, the horizontal axis in the same direction as the direction in which the frame F in which the supply robot 7 is installed extends is taken as the Y axis. An axis at the same height, which is orthogonal to the X axis, is an X axis, and an axis extending in the vertical direction (direction orthogonal to the plane of the drawing of FIG. 1) is orthogonal to the X axis and the Y axis. The Z-axis of the supply robot 7 is configured to fix the main body of the linear motion robot to the Y-axis and to move the carrier up and down. The X-axis is to fix the linear motion robot to the Z-axis and to operate the carrier. It is configured. As described above, since each linear motion robot is combined so as to fix the main body and move the carrier, the load can not be counted as the load in each direction, so that the payload can be reduced and the movement can be achieved. Speed can be improved. Each ejection robot 8 is configured to be able to operate in the X-axis and Z-axis directions by combining two linear motion robots.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the supply robot 7 stands by before the operation and the reference position at which the supply robot 7 returns after the operation is set is set on the reference line Ls. The reference line Ls vertically traverses the center of the distance Yd between the ends in the direction of arrangement of the processing chambers 3 included in the processing chamber group 4. Since the reference position of the supply robot 7 is set in this manner, the working distance of the supply robot 7 can be made smaller than when the reference position is set at another position. Thereby, the decrease in tact time can be suppressed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A, the supply robot 7 holds the six PET bottles PB aligned by the alignment device 10 of the supply conveyor 5 with the chuck device 7a while maintaining the posture. Then, as shown by the arrow y in FIG. 1, the supply robot 7 distributes the six PET bottles PB held by the chuck device 7a to the processing chambers 3 belonging to the processing chamber group 4, and the arrow a in FIG. 2A, As shown by b, it is transferred to the table T of the supply and discharge mechanism 3 a provided in each processing chamber 3. The six plastic bottles PB transferred to the table T are supplied to the processing chamber 3 by raising the table T by a lifting mechanism (not shown) as shown by the arrow c in FIG. 2A. A predetermined film forming process is simultaneously performed on the six plastic bottles PB supplied to the respective processing chambers 3 in the processing chamber 3.

  The transfer of each plastic bottle PB to the supply / discharge mechanism 3a is performed, for example, by the method shown in FIG. 3A. First, in step (b1), the supply robot 7 arranges the six plastic bottles PB held by the chuck device 7a at a predetermined position on the table T. Next, in step (b2), while maintaining the holding of each plastic bottle PB by the chuck device 7a and maintaining the distance α between the table T and the chuck device 7a, the table T and the chuck device 7a are simultaneously moved a predetermined distance It raises and sets the mouth of each plastic bottle PB in the holder H arranged at the top of the table T. Thus, the bottom and the mouth of each plastic bottle PB are held by the table T and the holder T. Next, in step (b3), the supply robot 7 releases the holding of the chuck device 7a. This completes the transfer of each plastic bottle PB to the supply / discharge mechanism 3a. In this method, their ports are held by at least one of the chuck device 7a and the holder H until the transfer of each plastic bottle PB to the table T is completed. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the unstable state of the plastic bottle PB, such as the plastic bottle PB being inclined or falling over, until the transfer of each plastic bottle PB is completed.

  The PET bottles PB after the film forming process are discharged from the processing chambers 3 as the table T of the supply / discharge mechanism 3a is lowered, as shown by the arrow d in FIG. 2B. Each discharge robot 8 holds the six pet bottles PB discharged from the processing chamber 3 by the chuck device 8a, and transfers it to the discharge conveyor 6 as indicated by the arrow e. The plastic bottles PB transferred to the discharge conveyor 6 are transported by the discharge conveyor 6 to an area (not shown) where the post-process is performed.

  The transfer of each plastic bottle PB to the discharge conveyor 6 is performed, for example, by the method shown in FIG. 3B. First, in step (e1), the discharge robot 8 arranges the six pet bottles PB held by the chuck device 8a at a predetermined position of the discharge conveyor 6. A holding mechanism 6a capable of holding the barrel of each plastic bottle PB is provided at a predetermined position of the discharge conveyor 6 (see also FIG. 1). The holding mechanism 6a is configured to be operable between a retracted position for retracting from the body and a holding position for holding the body. In the step (e2), the holding mechanism 6a is switched from the withdrawal position to the holding position while holding the plastic bottles PB by the chuck device 8a, and the barrels of the plastic bottles PB are held. Next, in step (e3), the discharge robot 8 releases the holding of the mouth of each plastic bottle PB by the chuck device 8a. Then, in the step (e4), the holding mechanism 6a is switched from the holding position to the withdrawal position. Thus, the transfer of the plastic bottles PB to the discharge conveyor 6 is completed.

  According to the transport system 1 of the present embodiment, the supply conveyor 5 and the discharge conveyor 6 are arranged in parallel on one side of each processing chamber 3 of the film forming apparatus 2. It can avoid that it becomes the arrangement which puts in between. Thereby, access to each processing chamber 3 from the side where the conveyors 5 and 6 are not disposed (the lower side in FIG. 1) is facilitated, so that maintenance of each processing chamber 3 of the film forming apparatus 2 It is possible to suppress the decline.

  Further, in the transfer system 1, since the plurality of processing chambers 3 are arranged in the transfer directions D1 and D2 of the supply conveyor 5 and the discharge conveyor 6, the processing efficiency of the film forming process on the PET bottle PB can be enhanced. Since there is no need to bifurcate or assemble the transport paths, it is possible to avoid the upsizing of the transport system. Moreover, since one discharge robot 8 is provided for each processing chamber 3, compared with the case where the PET bottles PB discharged from each processing chamber 3 are transferred to the discharge conveyor by one robot, Since the working distance is shortened, it is possible to suppress the decrease in tact time.

  Furthermore, since the discharge robot 8 is provided for each processing chamber 3 on the opposite side to the side where the supply conveyor 5 and the discharge conveyor 6 are disposed, the operation range of the discharge robot 8 is divided for each processing chamber 3. Therefore, access to each processing chamber 3 is less likely to be impeded as compared with the case where one discharge robot operates among a plurality of processing chambers. Thereby, the fall of maintainability can be suppressed.

  The transfer system of the present invention can be implemented in various forms within the scope of the present invention. Although the transfer system 1 of the said form is applied to the film-forming apparatus provided with the several process chamber, it may be applied to the film-forming apparatus provided with the single process chamber. The container processed by the film forming apparatus is not limited to the plastic bottle, but may be a container of another material that can be a film forming target.

  In addition, the present invention can be implemented by appropriately changing the arrangement and the number of the supply robots and the discharge robots, as long as the supply conveyor and the discharge conveyor are disposed in parallel on one side of the processing chamber. For example, the present invention may be implemented in a configuration in which the supply robot and the discharge robot equal in number to the number of processing chambers are disposed on both sides of the processing chamber group. Furthermore, the present invention can be practiced with one discharge robot and multiple supply robots, or one supply robot and one discharge robot disposed on both sides of the processing chamber group. Can also be implemented.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 conveyance system 2 film-forming apparatus 3 processing chamber 3a supply-discharge mechanism 4 processing chamber group 5 supply conveyor 6 discharge conveyor 7 supply robot 8 discharge robot D1, D2 conveyance direction Ls reference line T table H holder PB PET bottle (container)

Claims (4)

It is applied to a film forming apparatus provided with a supply and discharge mechanism for supplying and discharging a container to be processed, and provided with a processing chamber for performing a film forming process for forming a thin film in vacuum on the surface of the container. Container transport system,
A supply conveyor for conveying the container before the film forming process by the film forming apparatus;
A discharge conveyor for conveying the container after the film forming process by the film forming apparatus;
A supply robot for transferring the container transported by the supply conveyor to the supply / discharge mechanism of the processing chamber;
And a discharge robot for transferring the container discharged by the supply and discharge mechanism from the processing chamber after the film forming process to the discharge conveyor.
The supply robot is disposed on one side of the processing chamber, and the discharge robot is disposed on the other side of the processing chamber, and
Container transport system, wherein the feed conveyor and the discharge conveyor are arranged in parallel on either the one side or the other side of the processing chamber. The film forming apparatus has a processing chamber group in which a plurality of processing chambers are arranged in the transport direction of the supply conveyor and the discharge conveyor.
The supply robot is provided one for the processing chamber group, and distributes and transfers the container for each of the processing chambers belonging to the processing chamber group,
The discharge robot is provided for each of the processing chambers belonging to the processing chamber group,
The container conveyance system according to claim 1, wherein the supply conveyor and the discharge conveyor are provided on the side where the supply robot is disposed. The reference position of the supply robot is set on a reference line which crosses the center of the distance between both ends in the arrangement direction of the processing chambers included in the processing chamber group,
The supply robot holds the container transported by the supply conveyor at the reference position, and distributes and transfers the held container to each of the processing chambers included in the processing chamber group. Container transport system as described. The supply and discharge mechanism is provided with a table on which the container is placed, and a holder disposed above the table and capable of holding the container.
The supply robot performs the supply conveyor by releasing the holding of the container after the container arranged on the table is held by the holder in a state of being arranged at a predetermined position of the table while holding the container. The container transfer system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the container transferred at step (d) is transferred to the supply and discharge mechanism of the processing chamber.

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