JP6730268B2 - Clean room for polarizing plate manufacturing - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a clean room for manufacturing a polarizing plate.

The polarizing plate is widely used as a polarizing element in an image display device such as a liquid crystal display device. The polarizing plate generally has a structure in which a transparent resin film (protective film or the like) is attached to one side or both sides of a polarizing film using an adhesive or the like. The polarizing plate manufacturing process, including the manufacturing of polarizing films, is usually performed in a clean room in order to minimize contamination of the intermediate or product by foreign matter.

As a patent document related to a clean room, which is not for manufacturing a polarizing plate, there is, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-214875 (Patent Document 1).

JP, 4-214875, A

The present invention aims to improve cleanliness in a clean room for manufacturing a polarizing plate.

The present invention provides the following clean room for manufacturing a polarizing plate.
[1] A clean room for accommodating a polarizing plate manufacturing apparatus, in which at least a part of a floor surface is composed of a flat panel made of stainless steel.

[2] The clean room for polarizing plate production according to [1], wherein the floor surface is composed of the flat panel and the grating panel.

[3] The polarizing plate manufacturing apparatus includes a laminated film manufacturing apparatus for bonding two or more films to obtain a laminated film,
The clean room for polarizing plate production according to [2], wherein the grating panel is arranged adjacent to or near a floor surface on which the laminated film manufacturing apparatus is installed.

[4] For manufacturing the polarizing plate according to any one of [1] to [3], the flat panel includes a flat panel whose surface has a 85-degree specular gloss of 120 or less according to JIS Z8741:1997. Clean room.

[5] The clean room for producing a polarizing plate includes an inspection area for inspecting a polarizing plate or a film constituting the polarizing plate,
The said inspection area|region is a clean room for polarizing plate manufacturing as described in [4] arrange|positioned on the said flat panel whose 85 degree specular gloss is 120 or less.

According to the present invention, the cleanliness in the polarizing plate manufacturing clean room can be improved.

It is sectional drawing which shows typically an example of the clean room for polarizing plate manufacturing which concerns on this invention.

The present invention relates to a clean room for manufacturing a polarizing plate that accommodates a polarizing plate manufacturing apparatus. In the clean room according to the present invention, at least a part of the floor surface is made of stainless steel, and preferably at least a part of the floor surface is made of a flat panel made of stainless steel. The flat panel is a flat plate that does not have a hole penetrating in the thickness direction, and in this respect, it is distinguished from a later-described grating panel (punching panel) having a through hole.

The clean room according to the present invention uses stainless steel, which is excellent in strength and corrosion resistance (rust resistance), and therefore dust generation and peeling from the floor hardly occur, resulting in excellent cleanliness. On the other hand, in the case of a conventional clean room floor with a resin coating on the floor surface such as concrete, there is room for improvement in terms of cleanliness because the coating may be dusted or peeled off due to friction or impact. It was

The floor surface of the clean room according to the present invention may be one in which a plurality of flat panels made of the above-mentioned stainless steel are spread all or part thereof. By using the panels to construct the floor surface, it is easy to replace the floor. If the surface of the flat panel is made smooth, the cleanability of the floor surface can be improved. Therefore, the surface of the flat panel is preferably smooth in order to improve the cleanliness. As the air exhaust port forming the air circulation system of the clean room, the floor surface of the clean room according to the present invention preferably further includes a grating panel (punching panel).

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to embodiments.
<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a polarizing plate manufacturing clean room according to the present invention. The clean room shown in FIG. 1 is configured as a clean system including an air circulation system, and includes a chamber (clean room) 1 and an air circulation system that controls the flow of air in the chamber 1.

The chamber 1 is divided into a ceiling part 5, a lower floor part 6, and a manufacturing apparatus installation part 7 between them. A polarizing plate manufacturing apparatus 9 is installed on the floor surface of the manufacturing apparatus installation unit 7. A filter 4 such as a HEPA filter is installed between the ceiling part 5 and the manufacturing apparatus installation section 7, and clean air 8 is supplied from the ceiling section 5 to the manufacturing apparatus installation section 7 via this filter 4. It The filter 4 may further include a fan. The air in the manufacturing apparatus installation section 7 has a flow from the ceiling section 5 side to the floor lower section 6 side. The manufacturing apparatus installation part 7 and the floor lower part 6 are divided by a floor material. In the example shown in FIG. 1, this floor material is composed of a flat panel 2 and a grating panel 3 made of stainless steel having a smooth surface. ing.

The polarizing plate manufacturing apparatus 9 may include any manufacturing apparatus (manufacturing line) used for manufacturing a polarizing plate. Generally, manufacturing of a polarizing plate is composed of a plurality of manufacturing processes, but the polarizing plate manufacturing device 9 may be a manufacturing device for carrying out one manufacturing process among the plurality of manufacturing processes, or two or more. Alternatively, it may include two or more manufacturing apparatuses for performing all the manufacturing steps. An example of a manufacturing apparatus that can be included in the polarizing plate manufacturing apparatus 9 is given below.

1) An apparatus for producing a stretched film, which is an intermediate of a polarizing film, by stretching a raw film (polyvinyl alcohol resin film or the like),
2) A device for producing a polarizing film by dyeing the stretched film with a dichroic dye such as iodine (this device may include a device for drying the dyed film),
3) A device for manufacturing a polarizing plate by laminating a transparent resin film (protective film, optical compensation film, etc.) on one side or both sides of the above polarizing film (this device dries the adhesive used for laminating the film and And/or a device for curing may be included),
4) A device for laminating a protective film and/or an adhesive layer on a polarizing plate,
5) A device for laminating another optical functional film (such as a retardation film or a brightness enhancement film) on the polarizing plate,
6) Device for inspecting polarizing plate and its intermediates,
7) A device for manufacturing a sheet by cutting a polarizing plate.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the air circulation system is a first circulation system (line D→I→B→A) that returns the air in the lower floor 6 to the ceiling portion 5, and the air in the manufacturing apparatus installation portion 7 is the ceiling portion. Second circulation system (line F→I→B→A) for returning to 5; outside air supply system (line G→J→C→A) for supplying outside air to the ceiling 5; Includes a discharge system for discharging. Air circulation in the first and second circulation systems can be performed using the fan 10. The outside air supply in the outside air supply system can be performed using the fan 11. The fan 11 may have an air conditioning function of adjusting the temperature and/or the humidity of the outside air.

The clean room according to the present invention does not necessarily have to have all of the first circulation system, the second circulation system, the outside air supply system, and the discharge system, and one or more of these may be omitted. The clean room according to the present invention may include an air movement line other than these.

With the air circulation system, clean air can be constantly supplied from the ceiling portion 5 to the manufacturing apparatus installation unit 7, and foreign matter such as dust, dust, and dust floating in the manufacturing apparatus installation unit 7 drops toward the floor surface. Therefore, the inside of the manufacturing apparatus installation section 7 can be kept clean. The above foreign matter is basically removed through the grating panel 3. Further, since a part of the floor material is composed of the flat panel 2 made of stainless steel having a smooth surface, foreign matter (such as rust) derived from the floor material is unlikely to occur, and the floor surface can be easily cleaned. ..

It is also possible to omit the grating panel 3 and construct the floor material entirely with the flat panel 2 made of stainless steel. In this case, an air outlet in the manufacturing apparatus installation section 7 can be provided on the side wall surface (preferably the side wall surface near the floor surface), and air can be circulated using the second circulation system. It is advantageous to reduce the number of grating panels 3 and to use the flat panel 2 made of stainless steel as much as possible in order to improve the cleanliness and cleanability in the manufacturing apparatus installation section 7, and to install the polarizing plate manufacturing apparatus 9. It is also advantageous in expanding the possible floor area and increasing the degree of freedom in the layout design of the polarizing plate manufacturing apparatus 9.

Constructing the floor surface with the flat panel 2 made of stainless steel is also suitable for increasing the durability of the floor. In particular, it is preferable that the floor surface, which is a transportation route for heavy materials such as a raw material film, is formed of the flat panel 2.

The type of stainless steel forming the flat panel 2 is not particularly limited, and includes, for example, SUS201, SUS202, SUS301, SUS302, SUS303, SUS304, SUS305, SUS316, SUS317, SUS329J1, SUS403, SUS405, SUS420, SUS430, SUS430LX, SUS630. Can be used. The flat panel 2 has a thickness of 0.5 to 100 mm, for example. The flat panel 2 has, for example, a rectangular shape, and the length of one side is, for example, 15 cm to 5 m.

The flat panel 2 may form the floor material by itself as in the example shown in FIG. 1, or may be laminated and fixed on the base floor. Further, the lower floor 6 may not be formed directly below the flat panel 2, but the lower floor 6 may be formed only directly below the grating panel 3. Therefore, when the floor material is composed of only the flat panel 2, the lower floor portion 6 is not always necessary.

On the other hand, the use of the grating panel 3 is advantageous in that foreign matter floating in the vicinity where the grating panel 3 is installed can be efficiently removed. Therefore, when the grating panel 3 is used, it may be installed adjacent to or in the vicinity of an area of the manufacturing apparatus installation section 7 that requires particularly high cleanliness or an area where the cleanliness tends to be low. preferable.

As an area where a particularly high degree of cleanliness is required, for example, an area in which a laminated film manufacturing apparatus for laminating two or more films to obtain a laminated film is installed. This is because it is difficult to remove foreign matter mixed between the films. Specific examples of the laminated film manufacturing apparatus are the above 3) to 5).

The grating panel 3 is preferably a panel having a plurality of holes penetrating in the thickness direction, and conventionally known ones can be used. The cross-sectional shape of the hole is not particularly limited, and may be a square shape (including a slit shape) or a round shape such as a circle or an ellipse. The material of the grating panel 3 may be stainless steel like the flat panel 2 or may be other metal or alloy. For example, a material other than metal such as resin may be used. The thickness of the grating panel 3 is 0.5 to 100 mm, for example. The grating panel 3 has, for example, a rectangular shape, and the length of one side is, for example, 15 cm to 5 m.

<Second Embodiment>
In the clean room for manufacturing a polarizing plate according to the present embodiment, at least a part of the floor surface is composed of a flat panel made of stainless steel, and the flat panel has a surface 85° specular gloss of 120 or less. It has the same configuration as the clean room according to the first embodiment except that it includes a flat panel. The 85 degree specular gloss of the flat panel surface is measured according to JIS Z8741:1997.

The flat panel having the 85-degree specular gloss of 120 or less may be arranged at any position on the floor surface, but is preferably arranged in the inspection area in the polarizing plate manufacturing clean room. The inspection area is an area for inspecting the polarizing plate that is a product or the film that composes it. In addition to the area where inspection devices (for example, optical inspection devices) are installed, special inspection devices must not be installed. Instead, it includes an area where a manufacturing operator or the like visually inspects. The film constituting the polarizing plate includes a raw film (polyvinyl alcohol resin film, etc.) and its stretched film, a polarizing film, a transparent resin film (protective film, optical compensation film, etc.), a protect film, an adhesive layer, and others. A raw material film or an intermediate for manufacturing a polarizing plate such as an optically functional film (retardation film, brightness enhancement film, etc.).

Generally, the illuminance is set to be high in the polarizing plate manufacturing clean room, but even in such a case, by arranging the inspection area on the flat panel whose 85-degree specular gloss is 120 or less, It is possible to suppress light reflection due to, and to more accurately perform inspection by an inspection device or visual inspection. From the viewpoint of inspection accuracy and easiness of inspection, the 85-degree specular gloss is preferably 110 or less. If the 85-degree specular gloss exceeds 120, there is a possibility that the inspection device or the visual inspection cannot be performed accurately due to the influence of ambient light.

The inspection item of the polarizing plate or the film forming the polarizing plate to be visually inspected is not particularly limited, but for example, the presence or absence of a defect such as a scratch or a foreign substance capable of refracting light; Hue; transmittance; moisture content; thickness and the like.

The flat panel having an 85-degree specular gloss of 120 or less has an 85-degree specular gloss of preferably 10 or more, more preferably 50 or more. When the 85-degree specular gloss is 10 or more, the cleanability of the floor surface can be improved.

The following experiment verified the effect of the 85° specular gloss of the flat panel surface on the easiness of inspection (accuracy). An experiment was conducted using a clean room for manufacturing a polarizing plate in which an inspection area for inspecting the presence or absence of defects (foreign matter, scratches, etc.) on the surface of a polarizing plate as a product is provided on a flat panel. Illumination was installed in the clean room, and the illuminance at the visual inspection position in the inspection area was about 1000 lux.

When a flat panel having a surface 85° specular gloss of 126.3 is used as the flat panel, it becomes difficult to see the defect due to the influence of ambient light, and it is not possible to accurately determine the presence or absence of the defect by visual observation. was there. On the other hand, when the flat panel having the 85 degree specular gloss of 103.2 and 5.6 is used, the defect can be visually recognized clearly and the defect can be accurately detected. I was able to do it. The 85 degree specular gloss was measured by a gloss meter directly placed on the surface of the flat panel.

The clean room according to the present invention has been described above by showing some embodiments. The clean room according to the present invention is not limited to a clean room for manufacturing a polarizing plate, and a clean room for manufacturing an optical film other than a polarizing plate used for an image display device, an image using various optical members such as a polarizing plate. It can also be applied to a clean room for manufacturing a display device. Examples of the image display device include a liquid crystal display device and an organic EL display device.

1 chamber (clean room), 2 flat panel, 3 grating panel, 4 filter, 5 ceiling part, 6 floor part, 7 manufacturing equipment installation part, 8 clean air, 9 polarizing plate manufacturing device, 10, 11 fan.

Claims (3)

A polarizing plate manufacturing clean room accommodating a polarizing plate manufacturing apparatus, wherein at least a part of the floor surface is composed of a flat panel made of stainless steel,
The flat panel includes a flat panel whose surface has a 85-degree specular gloss of 120 or less in accordance with JIS Z8741:1997,
The polarizing plate manufacturing clean room includes an inspection area for inspecting a polarizing plate or a film constituting the polarizing plate,
The inspection area is a clean room for manufacturing a polarizing plate, which is disposed on the flat panel having the 85-degree specular gloss of 120 or less. The clean room for manufacturing a polarizing plate according to claim 1, wherein the floor surface is composed of the flat panel and the grating panel. The polarizing plate manufacturing apparatus includes a laminated film manufacturing apparatus for bonding two or more films to obtain a laminated film,
The clean room for manufacturing a polarizing plate according to claim 2, wherein the grating panel is disposed adjacent to or in the vicinity of a floor surface on which the laminated film manufacturing apparatus is installed.

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