JPH02167348A - Vacuum continuous treating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the title treating device preventing damage of material to be treated and shrink by providing one or more preliminary vacuum chambers, respectively in front and rear directions of a vacuum treating chamber and further equipping a slit-shaped sealing means having a gap adjusting means, guide rolls and a tension imparting roll to transport the material to be treated. CONSTITUTION:In a device wherein one or more preliminary vacuum chambers are set in the front direction of a vacuum treating chamber and in the rear direction of a vacuum treating chamber, respectively, the device is equipped with a slit-shaped sealing means to seal the vacuum treating chamber from outside, with a guiding means to introduce a material to be treated to the sealing means, with a means of transferring a slit-shaped member for the sealing means to a direction perpendicular to transportation direction of the material to be treated and of adjusting gap of slit, with a tension imparting roll placed between guide rolls as the guiding means of the material to be treated wherein the guide rolls and the tension imparting roll dividedly consist of members to be brought into contact with the material to be treated and wheel parts to rotatably maintain the members.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is a method of continuously treating objects to be treated, such as plastic molded products, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films, natural or synthetic fibers, or painted steel plates, in a vacuum state using plasma. The present invention relates to a continuous vacuum processing apparatus for performing processing, vapor deposition, etc., and in particular to a continuous vacuum processing apparatus suitable for sealing a workpiece with a slit-shaped sealing device.

[Prior Art] A conventional vacuum processing apparatus is disclosed in US Pat. No. 3,057, for example.
As described in , No. 792, a device has been invented in which a preliminary vacuum chamber is sealed with a slit-shaped sealing device.

Conventionally, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 62-4866, a preliminary vacuum chamber is sealed with a slit-shaped sealing device, and guide rolls are provided before and after the sealing device to guide the object to be processed. something is proposed.

[Problem M to be Solved by the Invention] The former prior art does not take into account damage to the workpiece due to contact with the sealing part.
There was a problem in that it was unsuitable for processing high-grade processing materials such as transparent conductive films.

Furthermore, in the latter prior art, since the workpiece is crimped by guide rolls provided before and after the sealing device, there is a problem in that the workpiece after processing is damaged by the guide rolls.

Moreover, in the latter prior art, as is clear from FIG. 3 showing an embodiment thereof, the angle at which the workpiece is wound around the guide roll is small, and no consideration is given to adjusting the tension of the guide roll.

Therefore, even if the workpiece is held between guide rolls,
Even if the gap between the seal plate and the apron is set so that it does not come into contact with the workpiece, and the passage port is set to the minimum gap necessary for the workpiece to pass through, the cross-sectional shape of the workpiece may be convex, for example. If the workpiece has a mold or concave shape and is not shaped like a -, a speed difference will occur between the workpiece and the guide roll, and the workpiece will change its tension and generate vibrations. There was a problem that objects would come into contact with passage ports and the like, causing scratches and wrinkles.

An object of the present invention is to prevent damage to the workpiece by preventing the workpiece whose cross-sectional shape is not uniform from coming into contact with the sealing part and preventing the workpiece from being crimped by the guide roll. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum continuous processing apparatus that does not affect the characteristics of a processed object after processing.

[Manual equipment for solving problem 111] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a continuous vacuum processing apparatus equipped with at least one preliminary vacuum chamber in the front and rear directions of a vacuum processing chamber, in which a vacuum chamber is provided in the preliminary vacuum chamber. A slit-shaped sealing means for allowing the workpiece to pass through and sealing the vacuum processing chamber with the outside; and a guide means for guiding the transport of the workpiece to the sealing means; members disposed facing each other in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and having slits formed on opposing surfaces; and means for adjusting the gap between the slits by moving the members in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the processed material. a guide roller, which is arranged in the guide means at least two spaces apart from each other with respect to one of the preliminary vacuum chambers, and guides the conveyance of the workpiece by facing one surface of the workpiece; and the guide roller. It is provided with a tension applying roll disposed between the two and facing the other surface of the object to be processed to apply tension to the object to be processed.

In addition, among the members forming the slit, the moving i':) material is made of a material with a low coefficient of friction on its sliding surface in order to be able to move smoothly and to reduce the gap required for movement. Alternatively, it is equipped with either one of a pair of magnets facing each other with the same polarity.

In addition, the guide roll and tensioning roll rotate the member that contacts the workpiece and the member in order to prevent the workpiece whose cross-sectional shape is not uniform from coming into contact with the slit-shaped sealing surface due to changes in tension. It is constructed by dividing it into a shaft part that can be freely supported.

[Function] In the vacuum continuous processing apparatus configured as above,
The seal gap can be adjusted according to the thickness of the workpiece so that the workpiece does not come into contact with the slit-shaped seal portion, and at least one guide roll provided in the guide means and these two The workpiece is crimped by a tensioning roll placed between the two guide rollers and on the opposite side of the workpiece.

Since the object to be processed is conveyed to the slit without fail, damage to the object to be processed can be prevented and the characteristics of the object to be processed can be prevented from being affected.

In addition, among the members forming the slit, the sliding surface of the moving member is equipped with either a member made of a material with a low friction coefficient or a pair of magnets facing each other with the same polarity, so that the moving member It can be moved smoothly, and the gap for movement can be made small to reduce air leakage.

In addition, the guide roll and the tension applying roll are each divided into a member that contacts the object to be treated and a shaft portion that rotatably supports the member, so that the member can be rotated independently relative to the object to be treated. Even when the workpiece has a concave or convex cross-section, the part that is in contact with the workpiece can always rotate at the same circumferential speed as the transport speed of the workpiece. It is possible to prevent scratches and wrinkles from occurring on objects.

[Example] Hereinafter, a description will be given of FIGS. 1 to 5 showing a vacuum continuous processing apparatus which is an example of the present invention.

In Figures 1 and 2, 1 is a vacuum processing chamber;
The lo-
It is maintained at a vacuum pressure of about 3 torr, and is configured to continuously plasma-process a flexible workpiece F such as a plastic film, for example, a PET film. A plurality of first preliminary vacuum chambers 2 are arranged on the front side of the vacuum processing chamber 1. 3 is the second preliminary vacuum chamber,
A plurality of them are arranged on the rear side of the vacuum processing chamber 1. These first. The second preliminary vacuum chambers 2 and 3 are maintained at a vacuum pressure that is slightly higher than the vacuum pressure in the vacuum processing chamber 1 and gradually decreases from atmospheric pressure by a vacuum pump 6 connected via an exhaust conduit 7. The inside of the vacuum processing chamber 1 is sealed from the outside. 8 is the unwinding shaft and the driving DC motor 1
2a is connected. 9 is an unwinding side guide roll, 10 is a winding side guide roll, 11 is a winding shaft, and a driving DC
The motor 12b is connected. 13 is a feed roll installed in the vacuum processing chamber 1, and a driving DC motor 12
are connected. Reference numeral 14 denotes a workpiece thickness detecting means, which is installed at the entrance of the first preliminary vacuum chamber 2 and detects the thickness of the workpiece F. Although not shown in the figure.

The unwinding side guide roll 9 and the winding side guide roll 10 are each equipped with a tension detection means, and these tension detection means respectively detect the tension of the workpiece F, and based on the detection results, three Drive DC motor 12.12a,
The tension of the object F to be processed is kept constant by controlling the drive of the actuator 12b.

Next, the plurality of sealing means and the plurality of guiding means provided in the second preparatory vacuum chambers 2 and 3 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, which show the main parts thereof in an enlarged manner.

The plurality of sealing means are as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, and 15 is an upper case, 16 is a lower case, and 17 is an upper case.
is an upper seal block, and the upper case 15 is connected to the upper case 15 via an upper column 18 that is fitted into the center of the outer peripheral surface and formed integrally.
The upper seal block 17 is fitted and pressed so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and the outer peripheral surface of the flange portion 17a at both ends is always sealed with the lower surface of the upper case 15 even if the upper seal block 17 moves in the vertical direction (up to two sides). An O-ring 19 formed with an elastic force capable of holding is inserted. Furthermore, the upper seal block 17
A gap 20a is formed between the side surface of the upper case 15 and the upper case 15 so that the upper seal block 17 can move smoothly in the vertical direction and the amount of air leakage can be reduced as much as possible. have. Reference numeral 21 designates a lower seal block, which is fitted into the lower case 16 via a lower column 22 which is formed integrally and fitted into the center of the outer peripheral surface so as to be movable in the vertical direction. A slit-shaped gap 24 between the seal surface 23a of the upper seal block 17 and the upper seal block 17 facing this is adjusted according to the thickness of the object F to be processed.

In addition, the lower seal block 21 has flange portions 21a at both ends.
An O-ring 2 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the holder with an elastic force that can always maintain a seal with the upper surface of the lower case 16 even if the lower seal block 21 moves vertically (up to about 2 mm).
5 is inserted. Further, the lower seal block 21 is provided between its side surface and the lower case 16.
1 has a gap 20b formed in the order of, for example, 30b so that it can move smoothly in the vertical direction and the amount of air leakage is as small as possible. 26a and 26b are a sliding means for the upper seal block and a driving means for the lower seal block, and the handle 27 is operated based on the result of detecting the thickness of the workpiece F by the thickness detecting means 14, respectively.
a.

When rotating 27b, the speed is reduced at a predetermined reduction ratio by speed reducers 28a and 28b supported by upper case 15 and lower case 16, respectively, and then the pair of gears 29a.

Ball screws 30a and 30b rotate via 29b. These ball screws 30a and 30b are connected to nuts 31a fixed to the upper column 18 and lower column 22, respectively.
, 31b, so the ball screw 30a,
30b rotates, the upper column 18 and the lower column 22 are connected to the LM guide 32a, via the nuts 31a and 31b.
32b, the upper seal block 17 and the lower seal block 21, which are integrally formed with the upper column 18 and the lower column 22, respectively, move in opposite vertical directions to each other, and at the same time, the upper seal block 17 and the lower seal block 21, which are respectively integrally formed with the upper column 18 and the lower column 22, are moved on both sides of the upper case 15 and the lower case 16. They are configured to adjust the gap 24 by moving vertically in opposite directions along the plane.

Next, the guide means is a guide roll 3 as shown in FIG.
3 and a tension applying roll 34. The guide rolls 33 are arranged at intervals of two guide rolls for each of the preliminary vacuum chambers 2 and 3, and are arranged so that the workpiece F does not come into contact with the seal surface 23b of the lower seal block 21. It is in contact with the lower surface of the workpiece F at a position above the sealing surface 23b of 21. In normal use, the workpiece F
The guide roll 33 and the seal surfaces 23a and 23b of the upper and lower seal blocks 17.21 are positioned so that the gap between the seal surface 23a of the upper seal block 17 and the seal surface 23b of the lower seal block 21 is approximately 0.1 on. are doing. The tension imparting roll 34 is arranged so as to be in contact with the upper surface of the workpiece F between the two guide rolls 33, and the workpiece F is wound around the workpiece F at a large angle and at the same time as the tension from the thickness detection means 14. Based on the directive, the object to be treated 1.
In order to adjust the tension of 1, the structure is such that the position can be adjusted in the vertical direction (not shown).

Next, the operation of the vacuum continuous processing apparatus will be explained.

The workpiece F to be processed is sent out from an unwinding shaft 8, and its tension is detected while being guided by an unwinding side guide roll 9. Based on the result, three driving DC motors 12.
By controlling the driving of 12a and 12b, the tension of the workpiece F is maintained constant.

Thereafter, the thickness of the workpiece F is detected by the thickness detecting means 14 installed at the entrance of the first preliminary vacuum chamber 2, and the thickness of the object F is detected based on the result. Tension applying roll 34ti installed inside - Adjusts the position in the vertical direction and upper seal block driving means 26
The gap 24 between the sealing surface 23a of the upper sealing block 17 and the sealing surface 23b of the lower sealing block 21 is adjusted by rotating the handles 27a and 27b of the lower sealing block driving means 26b.

The workpiece F is then sent into the first preparatory vacuum chamber 2 and is separated from the seal surface 23a of the upper seal block 17 and the lower seal block 2 by the guide roll 33 and the tension applying roll 34.
Both seal surfaces 23a
, 23b, and is guided into the vacuum processing chamber (inside), where the object F is subjected to plasma processing.

Thereafter, the plasma-treated workpiece F is sent into the second preparatory vacuum chamber 3 and is again exposed to the sealing surface 23a of the upper seal block 17 and the lower seal block 21 from the guide roll 33 and the tension applying roll 34. Seal surface 2
3b and exits outside the second preliminary vacuum chamber 3 while being guided so as to pass through the gap 24 with the sealing surfaces 23a and 3b without contacting both the sealing surfaces 23a and 23b.

Next, the tension of the workpiece F is detected while being guided by the take-up guide roll 10, and based on the results, the three driving DC motors 12, 12a, 12b are controlled to adjust the tension of the workpiece F. After being held constant.

It is wound up on the winding shaft 11.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the slit-shaped gap VX
24 can be adjusted based on the detection result of the thickness detecting means 14, and the workpiece F can be adjusted in the gap 2 with the tension applying roll.
4 and from contacting both seal surfaces 23a and 23b, it is possible to prevent the generation of tin and wrinkles on the processed object F after processing. The quality of product F can be improved.

Next, FIGS. 6 to 8 showing sealing means of a vacuum processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The difference between the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 and the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 is that the lower seal block and lower case are integrally formed, and the lower column is omitted. Also, the driving means for the lower seal block is omitted, and other than that, this embodiment is the same as the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 to 5.

That is, in this embodiment, the upper sealing surface 23'b of the lower case 16' is formed, and the gap 24 between the upper sealing surface 23a of the upper sealing block 17 opposite to this sealing surface 23'b is formed as a sealing surface 23'b for the upper sealing block. This embodiment differs from the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 in that adjustment is performed only by the moving means 26a.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the same effect can be achieved with a simpler structure than the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 to 5.

Note that each of the above embodiments can be applied to a workpiece whose cross-sectional shape changes somewhat, but it is also applicable to a workpiece whose cross-sectional shape changes relatively largely due to concave or convex portions. When applied, there is a risk of scratches on the processed object due to a difference between the feeding speed of the processed object and the circumferential speed of the guide roll, or when the tension changes and the processed object may be damaged. If there is a possibility that wrinkles may occur, this can be solved, for example, by configuring the guide roll and the tensioning roll as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, respectively.

That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the guide roll 35 is
A core shaft 37 whose both ends are rotatably supported by ball bearings 36 in the first and second preliminary vacuum chambers 2 and 3, and the core shaft 3
7 and a hollow guide roll member 39 rotatably supported by a ball bearing 38.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1O, the tension applying roll 40 has a core shaft 43 rotatably supported at both ends by ball bearings 41 on two connecting frames 42, and a ball bearing 44 on the core shaft 43. A hollow tension applying roll member 45 is rotatably supported.

The two connecting frames 42 are each fixed to a rotating shaft 46, and the first rotating shaft 46 is connected to the first rotating shaft 46 by a ball bearing 46a. It is rotatably supported by the second preliminary vacuum chambers 2 and 3, and has one end of a drive piece 47 fixed to one end. Although the drive piece 47 is not shown, it is connected to tension applying roll drive means. When the tension applying roll 1 driving means moves gjA based on the detection result of the workpiece thickness detecting means 14, the rotating shaft 46 rotates via the driving piece 47, and the two connecting frames 42 are rotated. The tension imparting roll 40 is configured to move in the circumferential direction around the rotating shaft 46 to adjust the tension of the workpiece F.

As described above, the guide roll 35 and the tension imparting roll 40 are divided into the core shaft 37.43, the guide roll member 39, and the tension imparting roll member 45, and the guide roll member 3
9 and the tension-applying roll member 45 can each be lightly rotated independently, so even if the workpiece F has a concave or convex cross-sectional shape, the guide roll member 39 and the tension-applying roll member 39 can easily rotate independently. 45 always rotates at the same circumferential speed as the feeding speed of the workpiece F, and can prevent a speed difference between the two.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent scratches and wrinkles from occurring on the processed object F after processing.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, the upper seal block 1
7 and the lower seal block 21 (in the case of FIGS. 3 to 5) or the upper seal block 17 (in the case of FIGS. 6 to 8), in order to move and hang smoothly in the vertical direction, The case where there is a gap 20b between the upper case 15 and the lower case 16 or the upper case 15 has been described, but if it is necessary to reduce air leakage from the gap 20b, for example, the method shown in FIG. 11 or FIG. This problem can be solved by configuring as shown in FIG. Note that although FIGS. 11 and 12 are applied to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 can also be easily implemented in a similar manner. Can be done.

That is, as shown in FIG.
7 has fluororesin 4, which is a material with a low friction coefficient, on both sides.
8 to close the gap 20b.

Therefore, the upper seal block 17 can reduce the gap 20b without being affected by vertical movement, thereby reducing the amount of air leakage.

Further, FIG. 12 shows a case in which a pair of magnets 49, 50 are installed on both side surfaces of the upper seal block 17 and on the inner surface of the upper case 15 facing the upper seal block 17, with the same polarity and facing each other.

In this case, the upper seal block 17 has a pair of magnets 4
Since the repulsion force of 9.50 mm can be used to move smoothly in the vertical direction and the gap VX20b can be reduced, the amount of air leakage can be reduced.

[Effects of the Invention] Since the present invention is configured as described above, it produces effects as described below.

At least two guide rolls are provided in the guide means, and the gap can be adjusted according to the thickness of the workpiece so that the workpiece does not come into contact with the slit-shaped seal portion;
The workpiece is conveyed to the slit without pressure bonding between the two guide rolls and the tensioning roll placed on the opposite side of the workpiece, which prevents damage to the workpiece and prevents damage to the workpiece. can be prevented from affecting the properties of the processed material.

In addition, since the sliding surface of the moving member forming the slit is equipped with either a member made of a material with a low friction coefficient or a pair of magnets facing each other with the same polarity, the moving member can be moved smoothly, and the gap for movement can be made smaller to reduce air leakage.

In addition, the guide roll and tensioning roll are each divided into a part that contacts the workpiece and a shaft that supports it, and the part that contacts the workpiece can rotate independently, so even if the workpiece is concave or convex, Even in the case of a workpiece with a cross-sectional shape, the part that is in contact with the workpiece can always rotate at the same circumferential speed as the conveyance speed of the workpiece, which prevents damage to the workpiece after processing. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of wrinkles and wrinkles.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The first construction drawing is a vertical sectional view showing a vacuum continuous processing apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1, and FIG. Figure 4 is the third
5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 3, FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing another embodiment of the sealing means, and FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line D-D in FIG. 6, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the guide roll of the guide means. , FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view showing another embodiment of the tension applying roll of the guide means, FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view showing another embodiment of the upper seal block, and FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view showing another embodiment of the upper seal block. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing still another embodiment of the invention. Engineering... Vacuum processing chamber, 2... First preliminary vacuum chamber, 3...
2nd preliminary vacuum chamber, 8... Unwinding shaft, 9... Unwinding side guide roll, 10... Winding side guide roll, 11... Winding shaft, 14... Workpiece thickness detection Means, 15... Upper case, 16... Lower case, 17... Upper seal block, 18... Upper column, 21... Lower seal block, 22... Lower column, 26a, 26b...
- Seal block drive means, 33... guide roll, 34... tension imparting roll. Agent Patent Attorney Tadashi Akimoto Actual figure 15-11 γ-su 6--T γ-su 17--Jigaku'l'/-+L flow, ri26O--・top;toshi) ref -mouth 1, 7, ＾巳moving乎郎t26b---
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Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a vacuum continuous processing apparatus equipped with at least one preliminary vacuum chamber in each direction in the front and back directions of a vacuum processing chamber, a workpiece is passed through the preliminary vacuum chamber and the vacuum processing chamber is connected to the outside. a slit-shaped sealing means for sealing with the object, and a guide means for guiding the conveyance of the object to be processed, and the guide means is arranged in the sealing means to face each other in a direction perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of the object to be processed. comprising a member having slits formed on opposing surfaces, and means for adjusting the gap between the slits by moving the member in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the processed object,
The guide means includes at least two guide rolls arranged at intervals for each preliminary vacuum chamber and in contact with one side of the workpiece, and a guide roll arranged between the guide rolls on the other side of the workpiece. A vacuum continuous processing device equipped with a tension applying roll that applies tension to a workpiece. 2. Among the members forming the slit, the moving members are:
2. The continuous vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sliding surface is provided with either a member made of a material with a low coefficient of friction or a pair of magnets facing each other with the same polarity. 3. The vacuum continuous processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide roll and the tension applying roll are each divided into a member that contacts the object to be processed and a shaft portion that rotatably supports the member.