KR102117068B1 - Inkjet printing apparatus and method of inkjet printing - Google Patents

Abstract

The inkjet-based printing apparatus according to the present invention includes a transporter that moves by mounting a substrate on the top, at least one print head installed on a path where the substrate moves, and at least one print head for spraying droplets onto the first substrate, and the substrate It is installed on the moving path and includes at least one ultraviolet curing machine that irradiates ultraviolet rays on the droplets sprayed on the substrate, and the transporter moves the substrate through the lower portion of the at least one print head and the lower portion of the at least one ultraviolet curing machine multiple times. The inkjet-based printing apparatus, characterized in that the thickness-controlled layer is printed on the substrate according to the movement of the transporter.

Description

INKJET PRINTING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF INKJET PRINTING}

The present invention relates to an inkjet printing apparatus and an inkjet printing method.

The technique of jetting small droplets onto objects to be printed at a frequency multiple times per second by force or pneumatic force from electricity or magnetism is called inkjet technology. The inkjet technology-based printing apparatus includes a print head for spraying such droplets, a supply unit for supplying material to be jetted to the printhead, electronic circuits and software for controlling the jetting of the printhead, a moving unit for moving the printhead, and a jetting material. It may be composed of a storage unit for storing and managing.

The present invention provides an inkjet printing apparatus and an inkjet printing method capable of forming a layer whose thickness is precisely adjusted.

The present invention provides an inkjet printing apparatus and an inkjet printing method capable of increasing the production amount by reducing the manufacturing time to maximize the hourly yield.

The inkjet printing apparatus according to the present invention is a transporter that moves by mounting a substrate on top, at least one print head installed on a path where the substrate moves, and spraying droplets on the first substrate, and the substrate It is installed on the upper portion of the moving path and includes at least one ultraviolet curing machine that irradiates ultraviolet rays on the droplets sprayed onto the substrate, and the transporter includes the substrate having a lower portion of the at least one print head and a lower portion of the at least one ultraviolet curing machine. By moving it several times, a layer whose thickness is controlled is printed on the substrate according to the movement of the transporter.

In one embodiment, the print head has a predetermined amount greater than a center portion of the substrate in a first edge region corresponding to a region extending a predetermined distance from at least one edge of the substrate toward the center portion. Droplets can be sprayed.

In one embodiment, the transporter is moved to repeat the process in which the droplets ejected from the print head are repeated on the cured droplets of the substrate moving the print head and the lower portion of the UV curing machine, so that the thickness on the substrate Can allow a controlled layer to be printed.

In one embodiment, the transporter may move reciprocally between the print head and the curing machine.

In one embodiment, the transporter moves in one direction, and a plurality of the print heads and the plurality of curing machines may be disposed on the transporter.

In one embodiment, the print head and the UV curing machine may be alternately arranged.

In one embodiment, the print head has a smaller amount of liquid than a central portion of the substrate in a second edge region corresponding to a region extending a predetermined distance from the first edge region of the substrate toward the central portion. Can fire enemies.

In one embodiment, the droplet may include OCR (Optically Clear Resin).

In one embodiment, the substrate may include at least one of a rigid or flexible transparent substrate, a substrate formed with a pixel circuit, and a substrate formed with a touch sensor.

In the printing method using the inkjet printing apparatus according to the present invention, a layer is printed on a substrate mounted on a transporter moving along a movement path. In the inkjet printing method, the first print head sprays a droplet on the upper portion of the substrate moving its lower portion, irradiates ultraviolet rays on the upper portion of the substrate to cure the jetted droplets, and the second print head comprises And spraying droplets on the cured droplets, and irradiating ultraviolet rays on the droplets sprayed on the cured droplets by the second print head. The first print head or the second print head sprays more droplets in the direction of the edge of the substrate than in the center of the substrate.

In one embodiment, the first print head and the second print head are the same print head, and after the transporter moves the lower portion of the ultraviolet curing machine irradiating the first print head and ultraviolet rays in a first direction, the The operation of returning to the second print head against the first direction can be repeated.

In one embodiment, the first print head and the second print head are different print heads, wherein the transporter moves in one direction along a lower portion where the first print head and the second print head are disposed. It can contain.

In one embodiment, the step of injecting a droplet onto the substrate by the first print head or the step of injecting a droplet into the substrate by the second print head comprises: the central portion from at least one edge of the edge of the substrate. The method may include spraying a larger amount of droplets than a central portion of the substrate to a first edge region corresponding to a region extending a predetermined distance toward the first edge region.

In one embodiment, the print head has a smaller amount of liquid than a central portion of the substrate in a second edge region corresponding to a region extending a predetermined distance from the first edge region of the substrate toward the central portion. It may include the step of spraying the enemy.

In one embodiment, the substrate on which the droplets are injected may include at least one of a rigid or flexible transparent substrate, a pixel circuit formed substrate, and a touch sensor formed substrate.

In one embodiment, the step of bonding the upper substrate of the area corresponding to the substrate on the substrate, the droplet is sprayed through the second print head is cured, the upper substrate and the substrate may further include The droplet ejection characteristic may be determined according to the surface shape of the facing surface.

In various embodiments of the present invention, the present invention may include a physical recording medium in which a program for executing the method is recorded.

In addition, the present invention may include a program recorded on a physical recording medium implemented to implement the method.

According to the present invention, a layer having a desired thickness can be freely formed on a substrate through an inkjet printing apparatus without going through a number of processes.

According to the present invention, as it is possible to variously adjust or set the thickness of a layer formed through one printing process, it is possible to manufacture a sealing structure capable of completely sealing other elements bonded thereto.

1 is a plan view of an inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart conceptually illustrating an operation performed by the transporter in a reciprocating motion in the inkjet printing apparatus according to FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3A to 3D are cross-sectional views showing printing performed on a substrate according to such an operation. .
4 is a plan view of an inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a view showing a partial cross section of an inkjet printing apparatus including a plurality of print heads and a plurality of UV curing machines as shown in FIG. 4.
6 is a plan view of an inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7A to 7F are cross-sectional views sequentially illustrating a process of printing a layer on a substrate and bonding with another substrate using an inkjet printing apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention.
8 is a plan view of an inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in order to clarify the technical spirit of the present invention. In describing the present invention, when it is determined that a detailed description of related known functions or components may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. In the drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are assigned the same reference numerals and symbols as possible, even if they are displayed on different drawings. For convenience of explanation, if necessary, describe the device and method together.

1 is a plan view of an inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the inkjet printing apparatus 10 according to the present invention may be divided into a plasma zone, a printing zone, and an unloading zone.

The inkjet printing apparatus 10 is a transfer head 310 moving along a rail 320 disposed across a printing zone, a print head mounted on the transfer 310 and spraying droplets on a moving substrate SUB (110), and irradiated with ultraviolet rays to the sprayed droplets may include an ultraviolet curing machine 120 for curing the droplets. According to an embodiment, the inkjet printing apparatus 10 may further include a thickness checker 130 that checks the thickness of the layer printed on the substrate SUB.

It has been described that printing is performed by spraying droplets onto the substrate SUB throughout the present specification. The substrate SUB includes all of the substrates having a step formed on a portion of the upper portion of the entire upper portion consisting of a flat layer or multi-layer. can do. In addition, the substrate (SUB) on which droplets are injected may include a rigid or flexible substrate, for example, a plastic film or a silicon substrate. Further, the substrate SUB may include a substrate on which various circuit elements are formed. For example, the substrate may include a substrate on which a pixel is formed or a substrate on which a touch sensor is formed. Therefore, these substrates may have an uneven surface shape according to the shape characteristics of the formed elements.

In the present invention, in the inkjet printing apparatus 10, as the transporter 310 moves along the rail 320, the transporter 310 and the substrate SUB mounted on the transporter 310 print head 110 And the ultraviolet curing machine 120. According to an embodiment, one or more substrates SUB may be mounted on the transporter 310. In addition, one or more transporters 310 may be installed and moved on the continuously formed rails 320.

The moving path of the transporter 310 is configured to pass through the lower portion of the print head 110 and the ultraviolet curing machine 120 multiple times. According to an embodiment, the inkjet printing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with one print head 110 and an ultraviolet curing machine 120, and the transfer machine 310 includes a print head 110 and an ultraviolet curing machine. It can be moved to reciprocate between the two components to pass the lower portion of the 120 multiple times.

According to an embodiment, the print head 110 included in the inkjet printing apparatus 10 according to the present invention may include a plurality of spray nozzles. Depending on the configuration of the print head 110, while the transporter 310 moves in the Y-axis direction, the print head 110 may spray (scan) droplets on the substrate SUB while moving in the X-axis direction, or may be X-axis. It is also possible to spray droplets with a plurality of nozzles to the substrate SUB on the top of the transporter 310 moving in the Y-axis direction in a stationary state that has not moved in the direction.

When the transporter 310 moves along a movement path that reciprocates between the print head 110 and the ultraviolet curing machine 120, droplets are sprayed onto the upper portion of the substrate SUB as it passes through the lower portion of the print head 110. Subsequently, the sprayed droplets are cured as the substrate SUB passes through the lower portion of the ultraviolet curing machine 120. Then, the transporter 310 moves so that the substrate SUB on which the cured droplets are formed passes through the lower portion of the print head 110 and the ultraviolet curing device 120 again. Accordingly, the droplets ejected from the print head 110 are stacked on the cured droplets of the substrate SUB, and the substrate SUB is sprayed onto the cured droplets as it passes through the lower portion of the UV curing machine 120. The process of droplet curing may be repeated multiple times.

When the inkjet printing apparatus 10 according to the present invention is used, it is possible to form both a very thin layer to a thick layer as the process of spraying and curing the droplets on the substrate SUB is repeated multiple times. For example, when the amount of droplets ejected at a time from the print head 110 is limited, both the thin layer and the thick layer may be formed as the spraying and curing of the droplets are repeated.

In addition, even if a large amount of droplets capable of forming a thick layer through the print head 110 is sprayed, the droplet spreading property varies depending on the physical properties of the droplets and the surface characteristics of the substrate SUB. It may not be possible to form a layer having a desired thickness or shape with only the amount of droplets. However, when the printing apparatus according to the present invention is used, it is possible to more firmly form a layer having a desired thickness and shape by repeating spraying and curing of droplets sequentially.

Furthermore, the shape of the droplets ejected from the print head 110 can be variously controlled. Therefore, in one ejection process, the print head 110 ejects droplets of different levels (the amount of droplets ejected from the print head 110 at one time differs depending on the level) for each area of the substrate SUB. do. Depending on the operation of the print head 110, the thickness and surface shape of the print layer formed on the substrate SUB through spraying of droplets may be variously controlled.

According to an embodiment, the thickness checker 130 provided in the printing zone may observe the layer thickness of the substrate SUB that has undergone droplet spraying and curing. The movement of the transporter 310 may be controlled according to the thickness inspected by the thickness inspector 130. Although not shown, the inkjet printing apparatus 10 may include a control unit. The control unit may be connected to each component of the inkjet printing apparatus 10 to receive data from each component and control the operation of the components according to the situation. For example, the control unit may control the movement of the transporter 310 based on the thickness characteristics received from the thickness checker 130.

According to an embodiment, the control unit may include a physical recording medium including a program for performing the inkjet printing method according to the present invention.

According to an embodiment, the thickness checker 130 may inspect the optical characteristics of the substrate SUB using an imaging device such as a camera to inspect the thickness of the layer formed on the substrate SUB.

The substrate SUB on which the layer is formed in the printing zone moves to the unloading zone according to the movement of the transporter 310 (representing the moved transporter 310), and is adhered through the mobile robot 410 located in the unloading zone. Can be moved to the zone. The substrate SUB moved to the bonding zone may be bonded to other devices, where the other devices being bonded to the substrate SUB are called upper substrates having an area corresponding to the substrate SUB so that they can be bonded to the substrate SUB. Can be called The substrate bonded with other devices can be transferred to the next process as a product (PRDT).

According to an embodiment, the inkjet printing apparatus 10 according to the present invention sprays OCR (Optically Clear Resin) on a flexible or rigid transparent substrate such as a film or glass, and the substrate formed with the OCR layer is bonded to the display panel. Can be used to manufacture display devices. That is, in this case, the substrate SUB may correspond to a transparent substrate and the upper substrate may correspond to a display panel.

OCR is a transparent adhesive material that transmits light while being used to bond a display and glass substrate. OCR improves the light transmittance while filling the air gap, reducing the difference in the refractive index between the film layer and the adhesive material, reducing light loss and enabling clear and bright images. In addition, OCR has vibration and shock resistance to protect other devices.

According to the present invention, the OCR layer is printed on a transparent substrate in various thicknesses, and according to one printing process, the OCR layer has various thicknesses and shapes according to each position of the substrate SUB (for example, irregularities, steps, etc.) As it is formed to have, it can be formed to be perfectly sealed according to the surface characteristics of the display panel to be bonded.

In another embodiment, in the inkjet printing apparatus 10, the substrate SUB may correspond to the display panel, and the transparent film or substrate may correspond to the upper substrate. Therefore, the inkjet printing apparatus 10 can manufacture a display apparatus by printing an OCR layer on a display panel and bonding a transparent substrate or film on the top.

According to an embodiment, in the inkjet printing apparatus according to the present invention, the center and edge regions of the substrate SUB may be printed to have different steps. This can be achieved by jetting different amounts of droplets to the center and edge regions of the substrate SUB in performing inkjet printing, or by differently controlling the number of droplets ejected to the center and edge regions of the substrate SUB. have.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart conceptually showing an operation performed as the transporter reciprocates in the printing apparatus according to FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3A to 3D are cross-sectional views showing printing performed on a substrate according to the operation.

2 to 3C, the transporter 310 shown in FIG. 1 is described three times by reciprocating between the print head 110 and the UV curing device 120 to print a layer on the substrate SUB. do.

In FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. 1, in the inkjet printing apparatus 10, the transfer head 310 in the case where the print head 110 and the ultraviolet curing machine 120 are sequentially arranged along the Y-axis positive direction. The direction of movement is shown on the left with an arrow. Hereinafter, the positive direction of the Y axis in the movement direction of the transporter 310 will be described as the first direction and the negative direction of the Y axis as the second direction.

The substrate SUB passes through the lower portions of the print head 110 and the ultraviolet curing machine 120 along the first direction by the movement of the transporter 310. Accordingly, first injection and first curing are performed on the substrate SUB. While the first spraying and the first curing are performed, the print head 110 for a portion of the substrate SUB according to the size of the substrate SUB and the size and arrangement interval of the print head 110 and the ultraviolet curing machine 120 ), While simultaneously spraying droplets, ultraviolet irradiation through the UV curing device 120 may be performed on another part of the substrate SUB. Therefore, the first injection and the first curing step may be performed on the transporter 310 moving at the same speed, in consideration of this, the droplet ejection speed and droplet ejection amount of the print head 110, and the UV curing unit 120 The ultraviolet radiation dose can be determined.

As illustrated in FIG. 3A, a first layer L1 may be formed on the substrate SUB that has undergone the first injection and the first curing. In FIGS. 3A to 3D, the substrate SUB for spraying droplets and the substrate bonded to the printed substrate SUB are shown as the upper substrate U_SUB, and will be described based on this. Depending on the embodiment, printing may be performed on the upper substrate U_SUB, and the substrate SUB may be bonded to the upper substrate U_SUB where printing is completed.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the print head 110 of the inkjet printing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment according to an embodiment is edged by spraying more droplets on the edge area of the first substrate SUB1 The thickness of can be formed even thicker. In the present invention, a region extending a predetermined distance d1 from the edge of the substrate SUB is a first edge region (see E1, FIG. 3C), and a region extending a predetermined distance d2 from the first edge region. It may be defined as a second edge region (E2, see FIG. 3C). Each edge region E1 or E2 may be formed on at least one edge of each edge of the substrate SUB.

The print head 110 may spray as many droplets as a predetermined amount to the first edge region E1 than the center of the substrate SUB, and the amount of droplets ejected by the print head 110 is applied to the print head 110. It can be controlled by setting a plurality of levels for the nozzle to which the droplet is injected. For example, the nozzle of the print head 110 may be set to jet droplets at a first level at the center and at a second level at the first edge area E1. Different amounts of droplets may be ejected from each nozzle according to the print level set in the print head 110, and the print method according to the level setting method may be referred to as a grayscale print method. In addition, the print head 110 may obtain a similar effect as it is set to have a finer droplet ejection interval than the center of the first edge region E1.

In the present invention, the first edge area E1 of the substrate SUB is a length corresponding to 10% or less of the width (X-axis length) and the length (Y-axis length) of the entire substrate from the edge of the substrate SUB. Can be defined. For example, as described above, when the inkjet printing apparatus 10 of the present invention prints an OCR used for adhesion to a display panel, the first edge area E1 may correspond to the thickness of the bezel of the display panel to be bonded. have. As the bezel thickness of the display panel is considerably thinned with the development of technology, OCR printing with a different step can be precisely performed when the inkjet printing apparatus 10 is used as in the present invention, so that a more stable display apparatus can be manufactured. have.

Depending on the embodiment, the thickness of the first layer L1 may be differently formed by partially spraying different amounts of droplets to the substrate SUB. The substrate SUB, which has undergone the first spraying and the first curing, moves back in the second direction and returns to the lower portion of the print head 110. In the process of moving the substrate SUB in the second direction, the ultraviolet curing machine 120 ) Again. At this time, the second curing may be performed on the droplets that have been primarily cured. Since the print head 110 may not operate while the substrate SUB moves in the second direction, the transporter 310 moves in the second direction at a faster rate than when the first spraying and the first curing are performed. Can be. Furthermore, since the UV irradiation has already been performed once, the intensity of UV irradiation when the transporter 310 returns may be weaker than the UV irradiation intensity when the first curing is performed.

The transporter 310 moved in the second direction and moved to the lower portion of the print head 110 again moves in the first direction, and accordingly, the second injection may be performed on the substrate SUB. The second spraying can be understood as a process of spraying the droplets again on the cured droplet, and the second spraying and the third spraying while the transporter 310 moves in the first direction as in the first spraying and the first curing. Curing can occur substantially simultaneously.

The second layer L2 may be formed on the first layer L1 as illustrated in FIG. 3B on the substrate SUB performed up to the third curing. Like the first layer L1, the second layer L2 is formed thicker in the first edge area E1 of the substrate SUB, or the second layer L2 is in the center or edge of the substrate according to an embodiment. It can also be formed with the same thickness. However, a higher layer may be formed at the edge of the substrate SUB even when droplets are sprayed so that the second layer L2 is formed at the same thickness on the front surface of the substrate SUB according to the thickness of the first layer L1. Also, the stepped road may be longer.

Like the method in which the second curing is performed, the fourth curing may be performed on the substrate SUB while the transporter 310 moves again in the second direction. When the fourth curing is performed, droplets are not ejected from the print head 110, and accordingly, the speed of the transporter 310 when moving in the second direction may be faster than the speed when moving in the first direction.

According to an embodiment, the transporter 310 repeating the movement in the first direction and the second direction may selectively pass the lower portion of the thickness checker 130 even when the process is not completed in the movement in the first direction. have. As the substrate SUB passes through the lower portion of the thickness inspector 130 and the thickness is inspected, the subsequent printing and curing process may be controlled.

For example, as a result of examining the thickness of the substrate SUB after the formation of the second layer L2, a third injection is performed when a problem such as that some of the thickness is formed thicker than designed is generated. In order to compensate for this thickness, the operation of the print head 110 can be adjusted. In addition, when a layer having a desired shape is already formed, printing may be completed without going through another printing process later.

The conveyer 310 returned to the lower portion of the print head 110 again moves in the first direction and the third spraying and the fifth curing may be performed on the substrate SUB. When performing the third injection according to the embodiment, the amount of droplets ejected from the print head 110 may be relatively small compared to the first and second ejection processes.

As illustrated in FIG. 3C, the third injection may not be performed on the entirety of the substrate SUB, but may be performed only on a partial region of the substrate SUB. Since the droplets must be sprayed on only a partial region of the substrate SUB, particularly the first edge region E1, and the droplets must be cured, when performing the third injection, the amount of droplets injected on the corresponding region may also be relatively small, The thickness of the third layer L3 may also be thinner than the first layer L1 and / or the second layer L2. For example, the first layer L1 and the second layer L2 may be formed to a thickness of 50um, and the third layer L3 may be formed to a thickness of 20um.

According to the above, even if the inkjet printing apparatus 10 includes only at least one print head 110 and at least one ultraviolet curing machine 120, spraying and curing of droplets as the moving path of the transfer machine 310 is adjusted. A plurality of times may be performed to form a layer having a desired thickness on the substrate SUB. For example, in the case of the layers described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 3C, the thickness of the first layer (L1) and the second layer (L2) is summed, and the center portion is 100 um thick, and the edges have a step difference with the center portion. It can be formed as a layer having a thickness of 120um. As such, by finely adjusting the thickness of the micro unit, there is a feature that can perfectly match with other components formed on the layer.

Eventually, the first to third layers L1, L2, and L3 formed on the substrate SUB are based on the characteristics of the surface to be faced with other layers (for example, other devices or other substrates) to be stacked or bonded thereon. The shape of the layer can be determined. In the present specification, the first to third layers L1, L2, and L3 printed through the inkjet printing apparatus 10 are referred to as a printing layer.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the print head 110 may spray a smaller amount of droplets relative to the first edge region E1 and relative to the second edge region E2 adjacent to the center portion. As a relatively large amount of droplets are injected to the first edge region E1, a relatively small amount of droplets are injected to the second edge region E2 to compensate for the amount of such droplets, and as a result, the substrate ( A printed layer having a shape such as a sine wave may be formed toward the edge of the SUB).

The substrate SUB having a printed layer as shown in FIG. 3C has a device having a lower height of the first edge area E1, that is, a device having a thicker central portion and a thin surface shape of the first edge area E1. Can be joined.

FIG. 3D is a view showing a process in which an upper substrate corresponding to a surface facing a substrate on which a printed layer is printed is bonded. Referring to FIG. 3D, it can be seen that the substrate SUB on which the second layer L2 and the third layer L3 are printed and the upper substrate U_SUB corresponding to the shape of the facing surface thereof are bonded.

A perfect match between the printed layer and the device being bonded or bonded improves adhesion and stability between the substrate and the device. For example, when the substrate SUB is a transparent substrate and the layer formed through printing is the above-described OCR layer, since the display panels adhered to it are in close contact with the OCR layer, light emitted from the display panel can be transmitted more effectively. have. In addition, it is possible to prevent cracks that may occur when the display panels are incompletely bonded.

In the inkjet printing apparatus 10 according to the present invention, for improving the yield, it is possible to control differently the speed when the transporter 310 moves in the first direction and the speed when moving in the second direction. Specifically, when the transporter 310 moves in the first direction and moves in the second direction by switching directions, that is, in the case of forming the first layer L1 and the second layer L2, the transporter 310 ) Passes twice through the lower portion of the ultraviolet curing machine 120. Therefore, the speed at which the transporter 310 moves in the second direction may be faster than the speed at which it moves in the first direction, and furthermore, the output of the UV curing device 120 when the transporter 310 moves in the second direction is It may be set lower than the output when moving in the first direction.

In the above, it has been described, for example, that a layer is formed through three ink jetting processes on a substrate SUB, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the substrate SUB includes a print head 110 and an ultraviolet curing machine 120. It is sufficient to form the movement path of the transporter 310 so as to pass the lower portion of the plural times. In addition, in each ink ejection process, the amount of the droplets ejected to the edge of the substrate SUB in at least one printing process in order to form a thicker layer formed on the edge of the substrate SUB is a preset amount. The print head 110 can be controlled to be as many as possible.

However, when the transfer path 310 forms a movement path in a manner of moving the substrate SUB while changing directions, the complexity of the movement path and the movement efficiency of the transfer 310 may be lowered, thereby increasing the overall manufacturing time.

4 is a plan view of an inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the inkjet printing apparatus 10a may include a plurality of print heads 110a, ..., 110n and a plurality of UV curing machines 120a, ..., 120n in a print area. In this case, the substrate SUB on the transporter 310 may include a plurality of print heads 110a, ..., 110n even when the transporter 310 follows a movement path that moves only in the first direction along the rail 320. ) And the lower portion of the plurality of UV curing machines 120a, ..., and 120n, which is substantially the same as described with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3C. The first to third layers L1, L2, and L3 may be formed while passing.

According to an embodiment, the print heads 110a, ..., 110n and the UV curing machines 120a, ..., 120n may be alternately arranged. When the print heads 110a, ..., 110n and UV curing machines 120a, ..., 120n are alternately arranged, the sprayed droplets are cured immediately and the droplets are sprayed again on the top of the cured droplets. It can be formed by sequentially stacking layers of a desired thickness.

According to an embodiment, since the transporter 310 moves in only one direction along the first direction, the movement speed can be maintained the same while the transporter 310 traverses the entire printing area. As the moving speed of the transporter 310 remains the same, the output of the UV curing machines 120a, ..., 120n can be adjusted differently from the UV curing machine 120 of the inkjet printing apparatus 10 of FIG. 1. For example, in the inkjet printing apparatus 10a, since the lower part of the ultraviolet curing machine 120a, ..., 120n passes only once after the droplet is ejected, the output of the ultraviolet curing machine 120 of the inkjet printing apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 Can be set to produce a larger output.

Further, according to an embodiment, the inkjet printing apparatus 10a may further include an aligner 140. The aligner 140 may align the position of the substrate SUB mounted on the transferor 310.

According to an embodiment, the printing apparatus 10a may further include a plasma processor 210 in the plasma region. The plasma processor 210 changes the surface characteristics of the substrate SUB by performing plasma treatment on the surface of the substrate SUB.

As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of print heads 110a, ..., 110n and a plurality of UV curing machines 120a, ..., 120n are provided in a printing area of the printing apparatus 10a according to the present invention. It may be, the number they are provided may vary depending on the embodiment. Depending on the embodiment, the printing zone may also be provided with a configuration capable of mounting and separating a plurality of print heads and an ultraviolet curing machine. For example, print heads and UV curing machines arranged sequentially in the Y-axis direction may be moved in the X-axis direction to escape from the printing zone.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a partial cross section of an inkjet printing apparatus including a plurality of print heads and a plurality of UV curing machines as shown in FIG.

5 is a view showing a case in which three print heads and three UV curing machines are included. The number of print heads and UV curing machines included in the printing apparatus is not limited to those shown.

Referring to FIG. 5, a substrate SUB is mounted on an upper portion of the transporter 310 moving along the rail 320. The substrate SUB moves along the rail 320 in the Y-axis direction, and the print heads 110a, 110b, 110c and UV curing machines 120a, 120b, 120c are positioned on the upper portion of the path to move the substrate ( SUB) is repeated for printing and curing.

6 is a plan view showing a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

When compared with the printing device 10b of FIG. 5, the printing device 10c of FIG. 6 is alternately arranged with the print heads 110a, ..., 110m, 110n and the UV curing devices 120a, ..., 120n. It may be, or a plurality of print heads (110m, 110n) may be arranged adjacently is different.

After the droplets are ejected through the print head 110m, and if the droplets ejected from the print head 110n directly without passing through the lower portion of the ultraviolet curing machine 120n, the liquid ejected from each of the print heads 110m and 110n Since the amount of enemies can be reduced, it may be the case that the number of nozzles included in the print head is small, the amount of discharge is small, or the transferor 310 moves at a high speed.

However, in the inkjet printing apparatuses 10a and 10b shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 and described based on this, the arrangement of the print head and the ultraviolet curing machine is exemplary, and a plurality of printing on a moving path through which the substrate SUB moves It can be understood that all of the heads 110a, ..., 110m, 110n and the plurality of UV curing machines 120a, ..., 120n are disposed within the scope of the present invention.

In the above, the process of performing inkjet printing on the entire upper flat substrate (SUB) has been described, but in the present invention, printing may be performed on the partially formed substrate (SUB). For example, when the inkjet printing apparatus and printing method according to the present invention are used to manufacture a display device, the entire upper portion is a flat glass substrate as a substrate (SUB), and according to the process of spraying and curing OCR thereon Although printing may be performed, the OCR may be directly printed on a display panel having a stepped portion, and the glass substrate may be bonded after flattening the upper portion of the printed droplets.

7A to 7F are cross-sectional views of a layer for explaining a printing method using an inkjet printing apparatus according to the present invention.

7A is a cross-sectional view of the first substrate SUB1 mounted on the transporter 310 to perform printing. A step is formed on the first substrate SUB1 by a plurality of layers at the edges. For example, the first substrate SUB1 corresponds to a display panel, and the display panel on which droplets are ejected may include a substrate on which a pixel circuit is formed, a substrate on which a touch sensor is formed, a substrate on which a polarizing plate is formed, and the like. The step difference formed on the first substrate SUB1 may be caused by the formation of a layer having a pixel width, a layer having a touch sensor, and a layer having a polarizing plate formed with different widths, respectively.

The first substrate SUB1 having such a cross section is mounted on the transporter 310 and passes through the lower portion of one of the inkjet printing apparatuses 10, 10a, 10b described above, at this time, the first substrate Droplets may be sprayed only on the edge of the first substrate SUB1 to fill the lowest layer of (SUB1). Here, the edge at which the droplet is first injected may correspond to the first edge region described above. The first layer L1 may be formed as shown in FIG. 7B by curing the droplets sprayed on the first edge region.

The first substrate SUB1 on which the first layer L1 is formed may again pass through the lower portion of the print head and the UV curing machine, and thus the second layer L2 may be formed. The second layer L2 may be formed in a wider range than the first layer L1, but may be formed only on a portion of the edge of the first substrate SUB1. That is, at this time, the print head may form a second layer L2 by spraying droplets on an edge other than the center of the first substrate SUB1. The upper surface of the first substrate SUB1 on which the second layer L2 is formed may be flat.

Referring to FIG. 7D, the first layer SUB1 on which the second layer L2 is formed, or the third layer L3 as droplets are sprayed and hardened on the entire upper surface of the flat first substrate SUB1 It can be formed.

Similar to that of FIGS. 3A to 3C described above, in FIGS. 7A to 7D, more layers are formed at the edges along a plurality of layers to print a layer having a thick thickness. However, in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the entire upper surface is printed on a flat substrate (SUB), and in FIGS. 7A to 7D, a single layer is formed on the substrate itself and the print head is printed according to the plane shape of the substrate on which droplets are ejected. Through it, droplets can be sprayed in different ways.

However, according to an embodiment, even when the upper surface of the substrate SUB is flat as described with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3D, the droplets are first sprayed only at the edges as shown in FIGS. 7B to 7D, and then the droplets are sprayed as a whole. The stepped layer can be printed in the same manner. Similarly, a printing method may be performed on the first substrate SUB1 having a step as shown in FIG. 7A by first spraying droplets on the entire surface and then spraying droplets on the edge.

In FIGS. 7A to 7E, the substrate SUB on which printing is performed is referred to as a first substrate SUB1, and the substrate SUB bonded to the printed first substrate SUB1 is referred to as a second substrate SUB2. . Here, the first substrate SUB1 and the second substrate SUB2 may be included in the substrate SUB of the present specification.

Therefore, in the present invention, a large number of droplets are sprayed on the edge of the substrate SUB, but since the spraying and curing of the droplets is performed multiple times, the order of when a large number of droplets are ejected at the edge may vary depending on the embodiment. It is not fixed according to the shape of the upper surface of the substrate SUB.

Referring to FIG. 7E, the second substrate SUB2 is bonded to the first substrate SUB1 whose upper surface is flat. For example, when the first substrate SUB1 of FIG. 1 is a display panel, the second substrate SUB2 may correspond to a transparent substrate. According to an embodiment, various components such as a pixel circuit, a touch sensor, and a polarizing plate may be formed on the first substrate SUB1 according to the type of the display panel. Here, a specific area of the first substrate SUB1 on which the printed layer is formed may be different depending on the type of display panel. Depending on the embodiment, the printed layer according to the present invention may be formed between the transparent substrate and the display panel, or may be formed between the pixel circuit and the polarizing plate formed in the display panel, and between the pixel circuit and the touch sensor.

As the first to third layers L1, L2, and L3 fill the step of the first substrate SUB1, the gap between the first substrate SUB1 and the second substrate SUB2 is completely crimped without an empty space. Can be.

Therefore, when the inkjet printing apparatus and the inkjet printing method according to the present invention are used, the space between the substrates can be completely sealed when the two substrates are bonded, so that the elements formed between the substrates are protected and the finished product (PRDT) The completeness of can be improved.

In particular, the layer printed through the inkjet printing apparatus according to the present invention may be controlled to have a fine step in a specific area while having various thicknesses. In the inkjet printing apparatus and the inkjet printing method, the step formed on the printing layer may be determined according to the characteristics of the facing surfaces of the two substrates to be bonded. For example, the substrate SUB shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C printed a printed layer in a shape with a thick edge according to the characteristic of the facing surface of the substrate to which the substrate is bonded, and the printed layer is formed in FIGS. 7A to 7F In the first substrate SUB1, the shape of the printed layer is determined according to the characteristics of the layer on which the first substrate SUB1 and the second substrate SUB2 face each other.

8 is a plan view of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the printing apparatus 10c may be configured to perform printing on a plurality of substrates SUB at the same time. In FIG. 8, the two substrates SUB move along the two rails and move the plurality of print heads and the lower portion of the UV curing machine. Accordingly, a double yield can be expected within the same time.

The present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments shown in the drawings. These embodiments are not intended to limit the invention, but merely illustrative, and should be considered from an explanatory point of view rather than a limiting point of view. The true technical protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Although specific terms are used in this specification, they are used for the purpose of explaining the concept of the present invention only, and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention as defined in the claims or the claims. Each step of the present invention does not necessarily have to be performed in the order described, but can be performed in parallel, selectively or individually. Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will understand that various modifications and other equivalent embodiments are possible without departing from the essential technical idea of the present invention as claimed in the claims. It is to be understood that equivalents include all currently invented equivalents as well as equivalents to be developed in the future, ie, all components invented to perform the same function regardless of structure.

10, 10a, 10b, 10c: inkjet printing device
110, 110a, 110m, 110n: print head
120, 120a, 120n: UV curing machine
130: thickness checker
140: sorter
210: plasma processor
310: transporter
410: mobile robot

Claims (16)

A transporter mounted on the substrate to move;
At least one print head installed on an upper portion of the path through which the substrate moves and spraying droplets on the substrate; And
It is installed on an upper portion of the path through which the substrate moves, and includes at least one ultraviolet curing machine that irradiates ultraviolet rays on the droplets sprayed on the substrate.
In the transporter, the substrate moves through the lower portion of the at least one print head and the lower portion of the at least one ultraviolet curing machine a plurality of times, so that a layer whose thickness is controlled is printed on the substrate according to the movement of the transfer machine,
A thickness checker provided in a printing zone including a moving path of the transporter to measure the thickness of the layer printed on the substrate subjected to droplet spraying and curing; And
Further comprising a control unit for controlling the movement of the transporter according to the thickness of the printed layer measured by the thickness checker to control the droplet spraying and curing process performed later,
While the transporter is moving in the first direction, the at least one print head sprays droplets on the substrate, and the at least one ultraviolet curing machine irradiates ultraviolet rays on the droplets sprayed on the substrate, and the transporter is transferred to the first direction While moving in a second direction opposite to the at least one print head does not work, the at least one ultraviolet curing machine irradiates ultraviolet rays on the droplets sprayed on the substrate,
The transporter is characterized in that it moves in the second direction at a faster speed than when moving in the first direction, the inkjet printing apparatus. According to claim 1,
The print head sprays a larger amount of droplets than a central portion of the substrate to a first edge region corresponding to a region extending a predetermined distance from at least one edge of the substrate toward a central portion of the substrate. Characterized in that, the inkjet printing apparatus. According to claim 2,
As the transporter moves so that the process of re-dispensing the droplets ejected from the print head on the cured droplets of the substrate moving the lower part of the print head and the ultraviolet curing machine, the layer having a controlled thickness is printed on the substrate. Inkjet printing apparatus, characterized in that to be. According to claim 3,
The transfer machine is characterized in that to move reciprocally between the print head and the curing machine, an inkjet printing apparatus. According to claim 3,
An inkjet printing apparatus, characterized in that the plurality of print heads and the plurality of curing machines are arranged on an upper portion of the transfer machine. The method of claim 5,
The print head and the ultraviolet curing machine, characterized in that arranged alternately, inkjet printing apparatus. The method of claim 3 or 5,
The print head sprays a smaller amount of droplets than the central portion of the substrate to a second edge region corresponding to a region extending a predetermined distance from the first edge region of the substrate toward the central portion. Inkjet printing device. The method of claim 3 or 5,
The droplet is characterized in that it comprises an OCR (Optically Clear Resin), inkjet printing apparatus. The method of claim 8,
The substrate comprises at least one of a rigid or flexible transparent substrate, a substrate on which a pixel circuit is formed, and a substrate on which a touch sensor is formed, an inkjet printing apparatus. In the printing method using an inkjet printing apparatus for printing a layer on a substrate mounted on a transporter moving along a movement path,
Spraying droplets on an upper portion of the substrate on which a first print head moves its lower portion as the transfer machine moves in a first direction;
Curing the sprayed droplets by irradiating ultraviolet rays from an upper portion of the substrate with a first ultraviolet curing machine;
A second printing head spraying droplets on the cured droplets as the transporter moves in a first direction; And
And a step in which a second ultraviolet curing machine irradiates ultraviolet rays to the droplets sprayed on the cured droplets by the second print head,
The first print head or the second print head sprays more droplets toward the edge of the substrate than the center of the substrate,
Measuring the thickness of the layer printed on the substrate which has been subjected to the spraying and curing of the droplets through a thickness inspector provided in a printing zone including a movement path of the transporter; And
Further comprising the step of controlling the droplet spraying and curing process performed later according to the thickness of the printed layer measured by the thickness checker,
The first print head and the second print head do not operate while the transporter moves in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and the first UV curing machine and the second UV curing machine are sprayed onto the substrate. Irradiates the enemy with ultraviolet light,
The transporter is characterized in that it moves in the second direction at a faster speed than when moving in the first direction, the inkjet printing method. delete delete The method of claim 10,
The step of the first print head spraying droplets on the substrate or the step of the second print head spraying droplets on the substrate,
And spraying a larger amount of droplets than a central portion of the substrate to a first edge region corresponding to a region extending a predetermined distance from at least one edge of the substrate toward the central portion. The inkjet printing method. The method of claim 13,
The print head includes spraying a droplet of a predetermined amount less than the center portion of the substrate to a second edge region corresponding to a region extending a predetermined distance from the first edge region of the substrate toward the center portion. Characterized in that, the inkjet printing method. The method of claim 10,
The substrate on which the droplet is ejected comprises at least one of a rigid or flexible transparent substrate, a substrate formed with a pixel circuit, and a substrate formed with a touch sensor. The method of claim 13,
Further comprising the step of bonding the upper substrate of the area corresponding to the substrate on the substrate, the droplets sprayed through the second print head is cured,
The inkjet printing method, characterized in that the droplet ejection characteristics are determined according to the surface shape of the surface facing the upper substrate and the substrate.

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