JPH06115780A - Noncontact tensioner for film material - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To smoothly convey a very thin film material under suitable tension by providing a constitution such that a hung down part of the film material is contactlessly held in an empty box unit, by which a loop adjusting part is formed, and further to automatically ajust a position and tension of this hung down part while sucking a bottom end thereof by a negative pressure. CONSTITUTION:A hung down part Fd of a film material F is received in an empty box unit 10, and a blower 31 is rotated and further a drive roller is driven to rotate by placing the hung down part in a condition that its lower end Fdb is positioned between both position detecting sensors 41, 42. Then, pressure air is delivered from a pair of delivery nozzles 21, 22 between an external surface Fo of the hung down part Fd and each internal wall surface 14, 15 of the empty box unit 10, and this air flows to serve as a downward flow Ad. When a bottom end Fdb of the hung down part Fd is lifted during this conveyance and detected by the position detecting sensor 41, a feed amount of the film material is increased by a position adjusting control means, and reversely when the bottom end Fdb is detected by the position detecting sensor 42, the feed amount is decreased, thus to control a position of the bottom end Fdb within a fixed range.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a non-contact tension device for a film material. In particular, it is used for continuous conveyance of ultra-thin and wide flexible printed circuit materials.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a coil material delivered from an unwinding device is continuously transported to a winding device using a plurality of transporting rollers, for example, through a surface treatment tank group, a mismatch of transporting speeds at various places is absorbed. And to give tension to the coil material,
It is well known that the loop adjusting portion (R) is formed between the selected conveying rollers.

For example, in the structure shown in FIG. 3, when the coil material F is conveyed in the Y direction, a loop adjusting portion R is formed between the conveying rollers 1 and 5 and a pinch roller 4 is provided on the upstream conveying roller 1. A feeding force is applied to the coil material F. The pinch roller 4 is driven and driven when the upper position detecting sensor 41P detects the lower end thereof, and the lower position detecting sensor 42 is driven.
It is stopped when P detects the bottom edge. Therefore, the coil material F can be tensioned with a tension within a fixed range determined by the weight of the hanging portion.

The structure shown in FIG. 4 has a driven roller 8 (shaft portion 8S) slidably guided by the guides 9 in the loop adjusting portion R.
Is provided, and tension is applied by the weight of the driven roller 8 and its vertical position is maintained between the position detection sensors 41P and 42P. Incidentally, an auxiliary rotational power may be applied to the driven roller 8.

Further, in the structure shown in FIG. 5, a counterweight 52 is attached to one end of the driven roller 8 and a pin 51 is provided.
Is rotatably attached to a link 50 that is capable of turning around, and the weight of this driven roller 8 gives tension,
The vertical position of the link 50 is adjusted while detecting the turning angle of the link 50.

By the way, the film material, which is one form of the coil material, is extremely thin. For example, the film material F is shown in FIG.
FPC (Flexible Print) shown in (A)
In the case of dCircuit) material 100, FPC material 10
0 is an ultra-thin (for example, 25 μm) polyimide film 1
It is formed by depositing an ultrathin (for example, 1 μm) copper foil 101 on 02 by vapor deposition, or by coating a resin 102 on the copper foil 101. Further, in preparation for the FPC completion step, a resist 102R for the resin 102 and a resist 101R for the copper foil 101 are applied.
Even when the resists 101R and 102R are integrally formed, the total thickness is about 100 μm, and the weight per unit length is very small.

By the way, the resist 1 is used as a completion process.
01R exposure, etching process, a large number of electric paths 111, 1
The plating step for forming the pattern 110 made of 11 and the step for forming the bonding hole 102H including the exposure and etching of the resist 101R can be mentioned. Thus, the completed FPC is often in the form shown in FIG. Therefore, even if the film material F (100) is in any step, if the surface is scratched, it will not be a product.

Further, in the ultra-thin FPC material 100, for example, the tension is 300 g and the speed is 0.3 to 1.0 m / mi.
Since n must be conveyed, it is very difficult to automatically correct the meander when a phenomenon of so-called meandering occurs in which the position shifts in the width direction during conveyance.

From the above, in the case of the FPC material 100, the width dimension Wp shown in FIG.
Unless it is limited to m or less, continuous conveyance is impossible.
In this width dimension Wp (35 mm), one row of patterns 11
Only 0 can be formed. In other words, as shown in (B), if a wide FPC material 110 (F) with a width dimension W capable of forming a plurality of patterns 110 in parallel, for example, 250 mm, can be smoothly transported, the productivity and quality of the FPC will be greatly increased. It is clear that we can improve.

[0010]

However, the narrow width,
It is very difficult to smoothly convey the ultra-thin film material F regardless of the width, and the actual situation is that no practical device has appeared. One of the impeding factors is the lack of tension device. This is because, in the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 3, the weight per unit length of the film material F itself is very small, so that it is difficult to accurately control the tension of, for example, 300 g. This is because swinging occurs in the loop adjustment unit R. This shaking causes the meandering. In addition, it also causes folding and the like beyond the limit curvature. Moreover, if the pinch roller 4 is used, the contact roller causes the meandering even if the meandering does not occur in the conveying rollers 1, 5, and others.

Further, according to the conventional structure shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, since the driven roller 8 comes into contact with the driven roller 8, the film material F is damaged. Moreover, since the structure is complicated and the tension is low, it is necessary to make the device excessively highly accurate, resulting in high cost. Further, since the driven roller 8 moves up and down,
Variations in tension tend to occur in the width direction of the film material F, which causes meandering. Further, the driven roller 8 and the film material F
If the frictional resistance to and becomes greater than a certain value, the phenomenon that the conveyance of the ultra-thin and wide film material F itself is stopped may occur.

The object of the present invention is to prevent the film material from being damaged by non-contact and to apply a predetermined tension to the film material regardless of the weight per unit length of the film material, thereby ensuring smooth continuous conveyance. It is to provide a non-contact tensioning device for a film material that can be used.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has a structure in which the weight per unit length of an ultrathin film material, which has been a cause of the above-mentioned problems, is effectively utilized by an idea of reversal. It achieves the purpose.

That is, the non-contact tension device for a film material according to the present invention comprises an empty box body having an upper opening formed so as to accommodate the hanging portion of the film material formed between the transport rollers.
A pair of discharge nozzles for discharging air between each outer surface of the hanging portion housed in the empty box body and each inner wall surface of the empty box body, and the drooping by sucking air from the bottom suction port of the empty box body. Negative pressure generating means for generating a negative pressure for sucking the lower end of the portion downward, and a position detection sensor for detecting the vertical position of the lower end of the hanging portion are included, and the position is adjusted within a certain range. Position adjustment control means.

[0015]

In the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, the hanging portion of the film material formed between the transport rollers is housed in the empty box body forming the loop adjusting portion. Then, air is discharged from the pair of discharge nozzles between each outer surface of the film material and each inner wall surface of the empty box body. Therefore, the inner wall surface of the empty box and the film material are not in contact with each other, and the cause of damage is eliminated. Further, the lower end of the hanging portion is sucked by the negative pressure toward the bottom suction port generated by the negative pressure generating means. That is, the suction force applies tension to the film material. That is,
The tension due to the suction force is superimposed on the weight of the film material itself. Moreover, when the vertical position of the lower end changes, the weight equivalent of the film material itself changes, but the position adjustment control means including the position detection sensor operates. Therefore,
Since the vertical position of the lower end of the hanging portion can be constantly controlled within a predetermined range, the film material can be tensioned with a constant tension.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the non-contact tensioning device for the film material includes an empty box body 10, a pair of discharge nozzles 21 and 22, a negative pressure generating means 30, and a position adjustment control means (40, 41, 4).
2) and, the loop adjusting portion of the film material F is formed in a non-contact manner, and the tension is adjusted while sucking from below using negative pressure.

In FIG. 1, an empty box body 10 forms a loop adjusting portion (R) and can accommodate a hanging portion Fd of the film material F formed between the transport rollers 1 and 5.
Therefore, the opening 11 is provided in the upper part, and the suction port 12 is provided in the lower part in relation to the negative pressure generating means 30.

The widthwise dimension Wt of the empty box body 10 is larger than the widthwise dimension W of the film material F by 1 to 2 mm, and the meandering regulation can be performed within the range of 1 to 2 mm. Also,
The longitudinal dimension and depth are such that the bending diameter and the adjustment stroke of the hanging portion Fd of the film material F can be secured. Therefore, the bottom of the empty box body 10 has an arc shape.

The film material F in this embodiment is shown in FIG.
In the FPC 100 (101, 102) described in 1., the thickness is 50 μm, and the width dimension W is 3 to 10 or more of the patterns 110 are formed in parallel according to the pattern width dimension as shown in FIG. 7B. It has a wide width of 250 mm. Transport speed is 0.5m / min, tension is 300g
Is set to be nervous. Therefore, the transport roller 1 (5) reduces the frictional resistance with the film material F and regulates the meandering so that the transport roller 1 (5) can feed smoothly in the Y direction.
(6, 6) and the shaft 3 that connects them so that they can rotate synchronously
(7) and are formed.

Next, the pair of discharge nozzles 21 and 22 (nozzle unit 20) are attached to the upper portion of the empty box body 10, and each outer surface Fo of the hanging portion Fd and each inner wall surface 14 of the empty box body 10, Air is discharged between 15 and. Therefore, the discharged air becomes the downward flows Ad, Ad, and the suction port 12
Head to. Therefore, the film material F (the hanging portion Fd) and the inner wall surfaces 14 and 15 can be brought out of contact with each other.

The negative pressure generating means 30 comprises a blower 31 and a motor 32 shown in FIG. 1, which generates a negative pressure at the suction port 12 and sucks the lower end Fab of the hanging portion Fd downward to apply tension to the film material F. Give. Since the tension of the film material F due to its own weight is very small, it is applied by a negative pressure. The air pressurized by the blower 31 is discharged to the atmosphere through the duct 33, and a part of the air is supplied to the discharge nozzles 21 and 22 through the pipes 34 and 35. That is, blower 3
In No. 1, both the air flow on the suction side and the air flow on the discharge side are effectively used.

Subsequently, the position adjustment control means is operated by the operation shown in FIGS.
Drive control board 40 and a pair of position detection sensors 41, 4 shown in FIG.
2 and an inverter circuit 36. The drive control board 40 is for controlling the drive of the entire conveying device.
Includes CPU, ROM, RAM, etc.

That is, in this embodiment, the position adjustment control means sends a signal to the inverter 36 when the position detection sensor 41 detects the lower end Fdb to increase the rotational speed of the transport roller 1 (motor 1M) to increase the film material F. The feed amount is increased, and when the position detection sensor 42 detects the lower end Fdb, the rotation number is lowered to reduce the feed amount. Therefore, the position of the lower end Fdb can be held between the positions where the both position detection sensors 41 and 42 are arranged, so that the film material F is hung down.
It is possible to make the tension between the transport rollers 1 and 5 by a force obtained by superimposing the weight of the suction roller and the suction force by the negative pressure.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. The hanging portion Fd of the film material F is housed in the empty box body 10, and the lower end Fdb thereof is located between the position detection sensors 41 and 42. Then, the blower 31 is rotated and the drive roller (not shown in FIG. 1) is set. Drive to rotate.

Then, the pressurized air is discharged from the pair of discharge nozzles 21 and 22 between the outer surface Fo of the hanging portion Fd and the inner wall surfaces 14 and 15 of the empty box body 10. This air flows between the both Fo, 14 and Fo, 15 as downward flows Ad and Ad. That is, since the air film is formed, the film material F (Fd) can be made non-contact.

Further, the lower end Fdb of the hanging portion Fd during conveyance.
Rises and the position detection sensor 41 detects it, the position adjustment control means (40) operates. That is, the number of rotations of the motor 1M is increased and the feed amount (feed amount) of the film material F is increased. On the contrary, the position detection sensor 42 detects the lower end Fd.
When b is detected, the feed amount is reduced. Therefore, the position of the lower end Fdb can be controlled within a certain range.

That is, since the position of the lower end Fdb of the hanging portion Fd is controlled between the position detecting sensors 41 and 42, the weight of the hanging portion Fd of the film material F conveyed in the Y direction is negative. A suction force due to the pressure is applied, and it is possible to tension with a tension within a predetermined range. At this time, the width Wt of the empty box body 10 is 1 to more than the width W of the film material F.
Since it is enlarged by 2 mm, it can be regulated to meander within 1 to 2 mm.

According to this embodiment, however, the empty box body 10
And a pair of discharge nozzles 21 and 22, a negative pressure generating means 30 and a position adjustment control means (40, 41, 42) are provided, and the hanging portion Fd of the film material F is provided in the empty box body 10 forming the loop adjusting portion. Since it is held in a non-contact state, and its lower end Fdb is sucked from below by negative pressure, its position and tension are automatically adjusted, so that even a very thin film material can be prevented from being damaged and tension within a predetermined range. Can be added accurately. Therefore, smooth transportation can be guaranteed.

Further, since the width Wt of the empty box body 10 is larger than the width W of the film material F by 1 to 2 mm, it can be regulated to meander within 1 to 2 mm, and the longitudinal dimension and the depth can be reduced. Since the bending diameter and adjustment stroke of the film material F are allowed,
Inconveniences such as folds occurring can be eliminated, and from this point as well, conveyance with constant tension can be performed smoothly.

Further, since the air to the pair of discharge nozzles 21 and 22 is formed by using the pressurized air from the blower 31 constituting the negative pressure generating means 30, the film material F is always conveyed during the transportation. Can be non-contact.

Further, since the negative pressure generating means 30 is only required to form a negative pressure at the suction port 12 corresponding to the shape of the lower end Fdb of the downwardly projecting hanging portion Fd, the blower 31,
The motor 32 can have a small diameter and a small capacity.

The position adjustment control means 40 has a lower end Fd.
Since the position of b is detected and the signal sent to the inverter 36 is changed, and the number of rotations of the motor 1M is increased or decreased to adjust the feed amount by the transport roller 1, the film material F is accurately tensioned at a constant tension. it can.

Further, the conveying roller 1 (5) is composed of the collar 2 (6) and the shaft 3 (7), and since the contact area with the film material F is small, the frictional resistance can be minimized.
It can be stably transported even with a tension of 0 g.

Furthermore, since the pinch roller 4 is not used unlike the conventional example (FIG. 3), a large meandering can be prevented. Further, unlike the conventional example (FIGS. 4 and 5), since the driven roller 8 is not used, not only the outer surface Fo shown in FIG. 1 but also the inner surface Fi of the film material F is not scratched and the friction resistance is further improved. Can be made smaller. The cost can be reduced.

[0035]

According to the present invention, the empty box body, the pair of discharge nozzles, the negative pressure generating means, and the position adjustment control means are provided, and the hanging portion of the film material is not placed in the empty box body forming the loop adjusting portion. It is held as a contact, and its position and tension are automatically adjusted while suctioning the lower end from below by negative pressure, so even if it is an ultra-thin film material, it is possible to accurately prevent tension within a predetermined range while preventing damage. Can be added. Therefore, smooth transportation can be guaranteed. Also, cost reduction can be achieved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view mainly showing a mechanical structure of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is likewise a block diagram mainly showing an electronic configuration.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional example (1).

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional example (2).

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a conventional example (3).

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view for explaining an example of a film material of the present invention and a conventional example.

FIG. 7 is likewise a plan view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,5 Conveying roller 1M Motor 8 Driven roller 10 Empty box 11 Opening port 12 Suction port 14,15 Inner wall surface 20 Discharge nozzle unit 21,22 Discharge nozzle 30 Negative pressure generating means 31 Blower 32 Motor 33 Duct 36 Inverter 40 Drive control Board (position adjustment control means) 41, 42 Position detection sensor (position adjustment control means) F film material Fd hanging portion Fdb lower end Fo outer surface

Continued Front Page (72) Inventor Yoichi Miyazaki 6-15-22-202 Honmachi, Hoya-shi, Tokyo

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An empty box body having an upper opening formed so as to be able to accommodate a hanging portion of a film material formed between conveying rollers, and an outer box and each outer surface of the hanging portion accommodated in the empty box body. A pair of discharge nozzles for discharging air between each of the inner wall surfaces, and a negative pressure for sucking air from the bottom suction port of the empty box to generate a negative pressure for sucking the lower end of the hanging portion downward. A non-contact tension device for a film material, comprising: a means for detecting the vertical position of the lower end of the hanging portion; and a position adjustment control means for adjusting the position within a certain range.