KR100925422B1 - FPC Recycling Method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an FPC recycling method for removing and recycling anisotropic conductive film (ACF) from the surface of a flexible printed circuit (FPC), which is an electronic and electronic device component.

The present invention relates to a method for recycling by removing an ACF from a surface of a flexible printed circuit (FPC), comprising: visually inspecting whether an ACF is attached to the FPC; A soaking step of applying a remover to the surface ACF of the FPC and leaving it for a predetermined time so that the ACF is called; A washing step of removing the called ACF of the FPC using a rotating brush; An ironing step of placing a plurality of pressurized FPCs between the heated upper and lower plates and spreading the wrinkles by washing the ACF; And visually inspecting and shipping the FPC from which the ACF has been removed.

According to the present invention, damage to other components other than the ACF can be minimized, and the ACF can be removed from the FPC cleanly. In addition, the FPC from which the ACF is removed is wrinkled through the ironing process, and a large number of FPC ironings are possible at a time, thereby greatly increasing the recycling recovery rate of the FPC.

FPC, ACF, FPC Recycling Method, Ironing Process, Remover

Description

FPC Recycling Method

The present invention relates to a method for removing and recycling an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) from the surface of a flexible printed circuit (FPC), which is an electronic and electrical device component, and more particularly, a process called an ACF attached to a surface, The present invention relates to an FPC recycling method for recovering FPC by effectively removing it through a washing process and an ironing process.

In general, a variety of methods, such as soldering, TAB, and COG, are used for joining electronic and electrical device components, and a method of connecting a display panel and a driving device is a soldering method using soldering and an ACF. The method used is used.

Recently, the COG or TAB method, which has advantages in price and reliability, has been widely used as an LCD driver mounting method. Such a package uses an ACF to electrically and mechanically connect the LCD pad. In addition, the connection of ACF is becoming more important because of the fine pitch of output terminals due to the large size and high resolution of LCD, and the technology such as TAB-IC and COG is widely used for mounting drive elements in panels. .

ACF is a film adhesive in which conductive particles such as metal coated plastic or metal particles are dispersed, and early ACF is used to connect a dot matrix LCD substrate and a flexible printed circuit (FPC).

On the other hand, LCD substrates in which such FPC is used perform a rework process when a defect occurs due to a defective driving IC, a defective TCP, or a bonding defect. The rework process is to sequentially remove the drive IC, TCP and ACF, apply new ACF, and mount the drive IC or TCP connected to the display panel through the ACF.

At this time, the FPC connected on the LCD substrate is also recycled, and the related art FPC recycling method 200 is shown in FIG. 1.

In the case of the conventional FPC recycling method 200, first, an import inspection is performed in step 210. In this import inspection step 210, it is determined whether recycling is possible for the FPC to which the ACF is attached.

If it is determined that the recycling in the import inspection step 210, the soaking process is made in the next step 220. Such a soaking process is performed by removing the ACF by dipping the entire FPC 214 to which the ACF 212 is attached to the chemical remover 216 as shown in FIG. 2. There are many risks associated with the handling of chemicals.

That is, by dipping the FPC 214 in the solution of the ACF remover 216, there is a possibility that the solution directly or indirectly affects the component 218 mounted on the FPC 214, and the gasket or cushion For products with a cushion, the parts 218 are likely to be contaminated by the ACF soaking solution and cause product failure.

Therefore, there is a limitation of the reworkable model, and the worker has to work manually to achieve accurate dipping on the land surface to which the ACF 212 is attached. .

In addition, the productivity varies depending on the skill of the worker in the process, and the ACF 212 is not easily removed, which leads to a long process time. In the dipping process, chemicals must be contained in a beaker or a tank. The chemicals may be exposed to the air, which may threaten the health of the worker, and may cause contamination or deterioration of parts other than the parts to be cleaned.

After the soaking step 220 is performed, a washing process is performed in the next step 230. This washing step 230 removes the ACF 212, which is called on the surface of the FPC 214, with a swab 232, as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, the remover (216) used as a soak solution for removing the ACF 212 has a characteristic that has a viscosity over time, in the washing step 230 using a conventional cotton swab 232 ACF 212 and remover 216 had a limit that can not be completely removed.

In addition, unlike a tap land of a general PBA, the flexible printed circuit (FPC) 214 is a film type and is a film type. The FPC 214 may be removed using a cotton swab 232 or a toothbrush, which is a conventional cleaning method. There is a point that it can apply constant stress and damage to itself, and it is difficult to recognize the reliability of the cleaning quality.

However, this conventional work process has the advantage of being able to work with cotton swabs 232 and other consumables without the need for separate equipment and tooth tools, but the FPC (tap land surface) with the ACF 212 attached to it. 214 is likely to be creased and cause damage to the tab land surface, and the details of the work of the FPC 214 are likely to be problematic due to the difficulty of detailed work.

And after such a washing step 230, the shipment inspection step 240 to inspect the quality of the washed FPC 214 is made, the good passed the shipment inspection step 240 is the next step 250 Products that were shipped through the packing process and did not pass the shipment inspection were discarded.

However, in the conventional FPC recycling method 200, the FPC 214 is wrinkled on the tap land surface to which the ACF 212 is attached while the ACF 212 is cleaned, and the tap land surface is damaged. Many FPCs 214 could not be recycled and disposed of because they cause a problem.

Conventionally, in order to solve such a problem, an attempt was made to unfold wrinkles generated in the washing step 230 of the FPC 214, but no other solution could be found. Accordingly, the recycling recovery rate of the FPC 214 was low. .

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to effectively remove the ACF from the FPC, while the FPC is wrinkled on the surface of the tap land attached to the ACF while the ACF washing process The present invention provides an improved method of recycling FPC to solve the problem and improve the recovery rate of FPC recycling.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to remove the ACF from the defective FPC can be effectively recycled, thereby reducing the increase in unit cost due to the disposal of the defective product of LCD manufacturers and promote cost competitiveness through effective coordination of raw materials input To improve the FPC recycling method.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, in the method of recycling by removing the ACF from the FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) surface,

Visually inspecting whether the FPC to which the ACF is attached is recycled;

A soaking step of applying a remover to the surface ACF of the FPC and leaving it for a predetermined time so that the ACF is called;

A washing step of removing the called ACF of the FPC using a rotating brush;

An ironing step of placing a plurality of pressurized FPCs between the heated upper and lower plates and spreading the wrinkles by washing the ACF; And

And visually inspecting and shipping the FPC from which the ACF has been removed.

And the present invention preferably provides the FPC recycling method characterized in that the soaking step is to apply a remover to the surface ACF of the FPC so that the ACF is sufficiently called for at least 10 minutes.

In another aspect, the present invention preferably provides a method for recycling FPC, characterized in that the washing step is to rotate the brush by the grinder to wash the ACF.

And the present invention preferably ironing step FPC recycling method characterized in that the electrical resistance heating element is inserted into the interior of the plurality of FPC between the upper plate and the lower plate heated to a certain temperature to spread the wrinkles of the FPC To provide.

In addition, the present invention preferably the upper plate is temperature controlled within 70-200 ℃, the lower plate is temperature controlled differently in the range of 50-100 ℃ FPC recycling, characterized in that to remove wrinkles from the various wrinkled state FPC Provide a method.

And the present invention preferably provides a FPC recycling method further comprises a packing step of packing in accordance with the product lot (lot) standard after the shipment inspection step.

In addition, the present invention is preferably called the ACF remover in the form of a gel, methylene chloride of the components chemically reacts with the ACF swelling the ACF, paraffin wax to block the ACF from the outside methylene chloride inside It provides a method for recycling FPC, characterized in that it can react with ACF for a long time.

And the present invention preferably provides the FPC recycling method characterized in that the soaking step is to make the ACF is called by the ACF remover by waiting the product at room temperature for 10 minutes.

According to the FPC recycling method according to the present invention has the following effects.

First, since it removes the ACF effectively by applying the remover to the FPC and rotating the brush, damage to other parts other than the ACF can be minimized, and the ACF can be removed from the FPC cleanly.

Second, the FPC from which the ACF is removed can be wrinkled through the ironing process, and a plurality of FPC ironings can be performed at a time, thereby greatly improving the recycling recovery rate of the FPC.

Third, ACF can be removed and recycled from the defective FPC, thereby reducing the unit price rise due to the disposal of defective products by LCD manufacturers and promoting cost competitiveness through effective coordination of raw material input.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 4.

FPC recycling method (1) according to the present invention is a process for effectively recycling by removing the ACF from the FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) surface.

Import inspection stage

The FPC recycling method 1 according to the present invention has an import inspection step 10 for visually inspecting whether the FPC 14 to which the ACF 12 is attached is recycled.

In the import inspection step 10 as described above, the operator visually checks whether the FPC 14 can be recycled before inputting the line, and determines that the FPC 14 cannot be recycled.

Soaking stage

Next to the import inspection step 10, a remover 22 is applied to the surface ACF 12 of the FPC 14 and left for a predetermined time so that the ACF 12 is called.

The soaking step 20 applies the remover 22 to the surface ACF 12 of the FPC 14 so that the ACF 12 is sufficiently called for at least 10 minutes. 12) may not be sufficiently called, so it is necessary to be called sufficiently.

In this soaking step 20, as shown in FIG. 5, the liquid crystal remover 22 having a somewhat viscous liquid is applied to the surface of the ACF 12 formed by a constant coating with the ACF 12. The ease of reaction and the use of self-fabricated cleaning JIG (not shown) allows the components 24 mounted on the FPC 14, i.e. gaskets and cushions, ICs and others. The ACF (12) can be removed without affecting the materials .

In this soaking step 20, an ACF remover is placed in an area where application is required, that is, an area where the ACF 12 to be removed is located, through a tip-shaped application unit (not shown) having a prescribed thickness and width. 22) Apply the solution. Therefore, by applying the ACF remover 22 only to a specific area, it is possible to prevent other parts of the FPC 14 from being contaminated by the ACF remover 22.

Here, the ACF remover 22 includes methylene chloride, methanol, and paraffin wax as main components, and the other components may be water or other solvents. The ACF remover 22 is in the form of a gel and solves the problem of being difficult to apply to a substrate since the solution was used as it is. The gel-type ACF remover 22 is used to apply a desired portion of the substrate. The use of this gel-type ACF remover 22 enables automation of the process and provides the advantage that other parts of the substrate are not contaminated.

Among the components constituting the ACF remover 22, the methylene chloride reacts with the ACF to swell the ACF, and the paraffin wax blocks the ACF from the outside to allow the methylene chloride to form the ACF with the ACF for a long time. Allow them to respond.

When the ACF remover 22 is applied as described above, the printed circuit board is allowed to stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes so that the ACF is sufficiently called by the ACF remover 22. As mentioned, when the gel-like ACF remover 22 is applied to the TAB region, the remaining paraffin wax blocks the ACF from the outside while the chemical composition of the ACF remover 22 is volatilized into the air.

Therefore, the methylene chloride remaining inside the paraffin wax is capable of swelling the ACF by continuously chemically reacting with the ACF without volatilizing to the outside by the paraffin wax.

The application and soaking method of the ACF remover 22 of the present invention achieves an effect suitable for accurate quality requirements and shortening of processing time, as compared to the conventional dipping method. Through this, compared to the conventional method, the defective rate of the FPC 14 recycled product is significantly lowered.

Washing steps

The soaking step 20 is followed by a washing step 30 which removes the called ACF 12 of the FPC 14 using a rotating brush 34.

The washing step 30 is a process of rotating the brush 34 and washing the ACF 12 by the grinder 32, as shown in FIG. When the ACF 12 is removed by the brush 34 while rotating the brush 34 using the power of the grinder 32 as described above, it is easy to achieve the quality level of the customer because detailed work is possible. .

The washing step 30 may be preferably divided into a primary washing process and a secondary washing process, wherein the secondary washing process is performed by removing the remover 22 in the primary washing process. It is a step of finely removing the most time in the process. Therefore, in the second washing, it is preferable to spray the washing solution more than in the first washing to increase the washing effect.

In such primary and secondary cleaning processes, the process time can be maximized by using the power of the brush 34, and the operator removes the ACF removed from the FPC 14 by minimizing the contact of the FPC 14. 12) or remover 22 to prevent secondary contamination of other parts of FPC 14 to prevent the occurrence of defective products.

Meanwhile, the ACF 12 or the remover 22 removed from the FPC 14 is discharged to the outside through a separate suction port (not shown), and a vacuum pump (not shown) is connected to the suction port to provide suction power. do. In addition, compared to the manual removal method using a manual tool, such as a conventional cotton swab 232 has the effect that the cleaning operation is significantly improved.

Ironing  step

And next to the washing step 30, the ironing step of placing a plurality of pressurized FPC 14 between the heated upper and lower plates 42 and 44 and pressurized the wrinkled portion (ACF 12) ( 40) is made.

The ironing step 40 is a plurality of FPC 14 between the upper plate 42 and the lower plate 44, the electrical resistance heating element (not shown) is inserted therein and heated to a predetermined temperature, as shown in FIG. It is a process of spreading and crimping the FPC 14 by loading and pressing. The ironing step 40 is to prevent a poor bonding of the recycled goods due to the crumpling of the FPC (14) can be corrected at a time a number of FPC 14 products.

In addition, the upper plate 42 is a temperature control within 70-200 ℃, the lower plate 44 is a structure to remove the wrinkles from the FPC 14 of various wrinkles by different temperature control in the range of 50-100 ℃. The upper plate 42 and the lower plate 44 can be adjusted to the temperature respectively to reduce the risk of failure due to the deviation of the FPC (14).

The ironing step 40 as shown in FIG. 7 has a structure in which the upper plate 42 can be lifted up and down with respect to the lower plate 44, and a spring 46 is mounted therebetween, so that the return operation of the upper plate 42 is performed. Configured to be made. In addition, the upper plate temperature control device 42a and the lower plate temperature control device 44a are provided separately, so that the temperature is controlled separately.

In addition, by installing a microfiber wiper (not shown) on the lower plate 44 so as to be replaced, it is possible to prevent secondary contamination by the ACF 12 and the remover 22 removed from the FPC 14.

Shipping step

After the ironing step 40 as described above, a step 50 of visually inspecting and shipping the FPC 14 from which the ACF 12 is removed is made.

In this shipping step 50, the ACF 12 is removed and the ironing is completed, the FPC 14 is visually inspected by the worker, and the shipment inspection goods are transferred to the next packing process, and the defective goods are disposed of.

In addition, the present invention further includes a packing step 60 for packaging according to a product lot standard after the shipment inspection step 50. In this packing process, a lot size is different for each shipment product. Therefore, the packing work is carried out according to the work specifications for each lot size.

As described above, the present invention applies the remover 22 to the FPC 14 in the soaking step 20, and makes it easy to remove it by being called for a predetermined time, and through the brush 34 rotating in the washing step 30. Since the ACF 12 is effectively removed, damage to other components other than the ACF 12 can be minimized, and the ACF 12 can be cleanly removed from the FPC 14.

In this way, the FPC 14 having the ACF 12 removed therefrom may be wrinkled through the ironing step 40 with respect to the FPC 14 that is wrinkled in the washing step 30, and a plurality of FPCs ( 14) Since ironing is possible, the recycling recovery rate of the FPC 14 can be greatly improved.

In addition, the present invention can be easily recycled by removing the ACF (12) from the FPC (14), thereby reducing the increase in unit cost due to the disposal of defective products of LCD manufacturers and promotes cost competitiveness through effective coordination of raw materials input It has an effect that can be done.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such a specific structure. Those skilled in the art will be able to variously modify or change the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. Nevertheless, it will be apparent that all such modifications or design modifications to such simple embodiments will clearly fall within the scope of the present invention.

1 is a process flow chart showing step by step a method for recycling FPC according to the prior art;

2 is an explanatory diagram showing a soaking process performed in the FPC recycling method according to the prior art;

3 is an explanatory diagram showing a washing process performed in the FPC recycling method according to the prior art;

4 is a process flow chart showing step by step the FPC recycling method according to the present invention;

5 is an explanatory diagram showing a soaking process performed in the FPC recycling method according to the present invention;

6 is an explanatory diagram showing a washing process performed in the FPC recycling method according to the present invention;

7 is an explanatory diagram showing an ironing process performed in the FPC recycling method according to the present invention.

<Description of Symbols for Major Parts of Drawings>

1 ..... FPC recycling method according to the present invention

10 .... import inspection stage 12 .... ACF

14 .... FPC 20 .... Phase called

22 .... Remover 24 .... Parts

30 .... Cleaning step 32 .... Grinder

34 .... Brush 40 .... Ironing Steps

42 .... Top 42a ... Top Thermostat

42b .... Bottom Plate Thermostat 44 .... Bottom Plate

46 .... Spring 50 .... Shipping Stage

60 .... Packing step 200 .... Conventional FPC recycling method

210 .... Conventional import inspection stage 212 .... ACF

214 .... FPC 216 .... Remover

218 .... Parts 220 .... Soak Steps

230 .... Cleaning step 232 .... Swab

240 .... Shipping inspection steps

Claims (8)

In the method of recycling by removing the ACF from the FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) surface, Visually inspecting whether the FPC to which the ACF is attached is recycled; A soaking step of applying a remover to the surface ACF of the FPC and leaving it for a predetermined time so that the ACF is called; A washing step of removing the called ACF of the FPC using a rotating brush; An ironing step of placing a plurality of pressurized FPCs between the heated upper and lower plates and spreading the wrinkles by washing the ACF; And And visually inspecting and shipping the FPC from which the ACF has been removed. The method of claim 1 wherein the soaking step is to apply a remover to the surface ACF of the FPC so that the ACF is sufficiently called for at least 10 minutes. The method of claim 1, wherein the washing step comprises rotating the brush by a grinder and cleaning the ACF. The method of claim 1, wherein the ironing step is characterized in that the electrical resistance heating element is inserted into the interior of the plurality of FPC between the upper plate and the lower plate heated to a predetermined temperature, the FPC recycling method characterized in that the unfolding of the FPC. The method of claim 4, wherein the upper plate is temperature controlled within 70-200 ℃, the lower plate is temperature controlled differently in the range of 50-100 ℃ to remove the wrinkles from the FPC in the various wrinkles state . 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a packing step of packaging according to a product lot specification following said shipment inspection step. The method of claim 1, wherein the soaking step of the ACF remover in the form of a gel, methylene chloride of the components chemically reacts with the ACF swelling the ACF, paraffin wax blocks the ACF from the outside methylene chloride inside the ACF FPC recycling method characterized in that to allow for a long time to react with. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said soaking step causes the product to be called by the ACF remover by allowing the product to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.

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