KR20120088337A - Electrostatic ink spraying device and upward/downward spraying method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An electrostatic force ink spraying device and a method for spraying ink upward and downward using the same are provided to selectively spray upward or downward with a single spraying device. CONSTITUTION: An electrostatic force ink spraying device comprises an electrode holder(110), a substrate holder(130), a substrate height adjusting unit(140), a head holder(150), and a head position adjusting unit(160). The electrode holder is utilized for installed a first electrode. The substrate holder supports a substrate and a second electrode. The substrate height adjusting unit adjusts the height of the substrate holder so that the substrate holder can be selectively arranged in the upper part or lower part of the electrode holder. The head holder is arranged in the lower part of the electrode holder and comprises a supporting plane to support a surface elastic wave head. The head position adjusting unit supports the head holder and adjusts a position of the head holder in order that the supporting plane of the head holder can be variably tilted.

Description

Electrostatic ink spraying device and ink up-down and top-down spraying method using the ink {ELECTROSTATIC INK SPRAYING DEVICE AND UPWARD / DOWNWARD SPRAYING METHOD USING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to an electrostatic force ink spraying device which vaporizes ink using surface acoustic waves and sprays onto a substrate using an electrostatic field, and a bottom-up and top-down spraying method of ink using the same.

In general, a display for displaying visual information is applied to a mobile phone, a mobile phone, a monitor, a digital TV, and the like. Recently, various technologies have been applied to the manufacturing process of a display in order to maintain such a display and maintain high quality.

An example of such techniques is surface acoustic wave inkjet technology. For example, an inkjet technique may be employed in the process of forming an alignment film (thin film for determining the direction of liquid crystal in a liquid crystal panel) on a glass substrate of a liquid crystal panel. When surface acoustic wave inkjet technology is used for formation of the alignment film of a liquid crystal display, the uniformity of a film thickness can be improved and the image quality of a liquid crystal panel can be improved.

The ink spraying apparatus used in the surface acoustic wave inkjet technology generally has a structure in which liquid ink is ionized using a surface acoustic wave head and then sprayed onto a substrate. Since the vaporized ink is relatively dense than air, the ink is sprayed from the bottom to the top by the rising airflow generated by this, and this spraying method may be referred to as a bottom-up spraying method.

On the other hand, unlike the bottom-up spray method, a method of applying an electrostatic field around the substrate to spray the ink from the top to the bottom is used, this method may be referred to as a top-down spray method.

 In the case of the bottom-up spray method, there is an advantage that the configuration of the inkjet head can be easily and simply, and in the case of the top-down spray method, it can be applied to a continuous production method such as a roll-to-roll process.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides a surface acoustic wave electrostatic force ink spray device which can selectively apply a bottom-up spray method and a top-down spray method as a single device, and a method of spraying ink using the same. .

In order to realize the above object, the present invention provides a surface acoustic wave head for ionizing the ink by applying surface acoustic waves to supplied ink, and first and second electrodes for generating an electrostatic field to guide the ionized ink to a substrate. An electrostatic force ink spraying apparatus comprising: an electrostatic force ink spraying apparatus of the present invention comprises: an electrode holder for installing the first electrode, a substrate holder supporting the substrate and the second electrode, and the substrate holder being the electrode holder. A head holder having a substrate height adjusting part for adjusting a height of the substrate holder to be selectively positioned at an upper part or a lower part of the substrate holder, a head holder disposed below the electrode holder and supporting a surface acoustic wave head; The top of the head holder to support the head holder and to allow the support surface of the head holder to be tilted variably. The head includes a position control to adjust.

Both sides of the substrate holder may be provided with installation grooves in which the substrate and the second electrode are installed.

The substrate height adjusting part includes a first base extending in a vertical direction from the ground, and a first support member installed to be positioned at a variable position along a vertical direction on a side surface of the first base and supporting the substrate holder. can do.

A mask holder for supporting the mask may be further connected to the substrate height adjusting part.

An electrode height adjusting unit for adjusting the height of the electrode holder may be connected to the electrode holder.

The head position adjusting unit may include a second base extending in a vertical direction from the ground, and a second support member having a support surface of the head holder and hinged to the second base.

The substrate height adjusting part and the head position adjusting part may be fixedly installed on the bottom plate. In this case, a plurality of fixing holes are formed in the bottom plate to fix at least one of the substrate height adjusting part and the head position adjusting part at a plurality of positions, and the bolts are formed in the substrate height adjusting part and the head position adjusting part. A through hole through which the through may be formed.

On the other hand, the present invention is the step of adjusting the height of the substrate holder to be arranged in the order of the second electrode, the substrate, the first electrode, and the surface acoustic wave head along the ground direction, the support surface of the head holder facing the substrate Adjusting the position of the head holder so that the head holder is positioned, and supplying ink to the surface acoustic wave head as well as applying a voltage to the first and second electrodes and the surface acoustic wave head. do.

In addition, the present invention comprises the steps of adjusting the height of the substrate holder to be arranged in the order of the first electrode, the surface acoustic wave head, the substrate, the second electrode in the direction of the ground, the support surface of the head holder at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane Adjusting the position of the head holder to be inclined, and applying a voltage to the first and second electrodes and the surface acoustic wave head, and supplying ink to the surface acoustic wave head. It starts.

According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, there is an advantage that the bottom-up spray method and the top-down spray method can be selectively used as a single spray device without having to separately provide a bottom-up spray device and a top-down spray device.

1 is a perspective view of an electrostatic force ink sprayer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a side view of the electrode holder and the electrode height adjustment unit.
3 is a front view of the substrate holder and the height adjustment unit.
4 is a front view of the head holder and the position adjusting portion.
5 is an operational state diagram of an electrostatic force ink spraying device for performing a bottom-up spraying method of ink.
6 is an operational state diagram of an electrostatic force ink spraying device for performing a top-down spraying method of ink.

Hereinafter, an electrostatic force ink spraying apparatus and a bottom-up and top-down spraying method of ink using the same according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view of an electrostatic force ink spraying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a side view of the electrode holder and the electrode height adjusting unit, FIG. 3 is a front view of the substrate holder and the height adjusting unit, and FIG. 4 is a front view of the head holder and the position adjusting unit.

Electrostatic force ink sprayer of the present embodiment is the electrode holder 110, the electrode height adjusting unit 120, the substrate holder 130, the substrate height adjusting unit 140, the head holder 150, the head position adjusting unit 160 Include.

The electrode holder 110 is for installing the first electrode 10 and has a structure capable of supporting and fixing the first electrode 10. According to the present embodiment, the electrode holder 110 has a shape of a square frame, and the edge portion is configured to support the first electrode 10 in the form of a cable.

The electrode height adjusting part 120 is for adjusting the height of the electrode holder 110. According to the present embodiment, the electrode height adjusting part 120 includes a base 121 and a support member supporting the electrode holder 110. (122).

The base 121 has a structure extending in the vertical direction from the ground, the support member 122 is installed to be located in a variable position along the vertical direction on the side of the base 121.

According to the present embodiment, the support member 122 includes a first support member 123 that is detachably attached to the base 121, and a second support member 124 that is slidably installed on the first support member 122. ).

The first support member 123 may be coupled to the base 121 by bolt coupling. A plurality of bolt holes 126 are formed in the base 121 along the vertical direction, and after the first support member 123 is positioned at a specific height, the first support member is formed by using the bolt holes corresponding to the positions. 123 can be fixed.

The second support member 124 is coupled to the electrode holder 110, and is configured to be moved up and down on the first support member 123 through the rotation of the adjusting screw 128. The height of the electrode holder 110 may be finely adjusted by moving the second support member 124. The electrode holder 110 may have a form detachable to the second support member 124.

The configuration of the electrode height adjustment unit 120 is merely an example of a configuration for variably adjusting the height of the electrode holder 110, the configuration of the electrode height adjustment unit 120 is not limited thereto, and is modified in various forms. It is possible to implement.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the electrode holder 110 is illustrated a configuration in which the height is adjusted by the electrode height adjusting unit 120, the height adjustment of the electrode holder 110 is not essential and the electrode holder 110 is specified It is also possible to be fixed to the height. In this case, the electrode height adjusting unit 120 of the electrode holder 110 may be replaced with a structure for supporting the electrode holder 110.

The substrate holder 130 is a structure for supporting the substrate 30 and the second electrode 20 to be sprayed with ink, and the substrate 30 and the second electrode 20 are formed on both surfaces of the substrate holder 130, respectively. Is installed. In this embodiment, the substrate holder 130 has a rectangular frame.

The substrate height adjusting unit 140 is for adjusting the height of the substrate holder 130, and allows the substrate holder 130 to be selectively positioned above or below the electrode holder 110. The substrate height adjusting unit 140 has a structure similar to that of the electrode height adjusting unit 120, and includes a base 141 and a supporting member 142 supporting the substrate holder 130, and the supporting member 142 or the first member. It may have a structure including a support member 143 and the second support member 144. The substrate height adjuster 140 has a similar configuration to the electrode height adjuster 120, and description thereof will be replaced with the foregoing description. For reference, reference numerals of detailed configurations of the substrate height adjustment unit 140 corresponded to corresponding configurations of the electrode height adjustment unit 140 and the rear digits.

The mask holder 170 for supporting the mask 40 may be further connected to the substrate height adjusting unit 140. The mask 40 is for depositing ink in the form of a specific pattern on the substrate 30 and has a pattern hole corresponding to the pattern. The ink passes through the pattern hole of the mask 40, and thus an ink pattern having a shape corresponding to the pattern hole is formed.

The mask holder 170 may have a shape similar to that of the substrate holder 130 and may have a rectangular frame shape, and the mask holder 170 may also be detachably attached to the second support member 144 of the substrate height adjusting part 140. Can be. The mask holder 170 is used when the ink pattern is formed. If the pattern holder is not required, the mask holder 170 may be removed.

The head holder 150 is for supporting the surface acoustic wave head 50 and is disposed below the electrode holder 110.

The surface acoustic wave head 50 vibrates by an electrical signal to generate a surface acoustic wave and apply it to the supplied ink. The surface acoustic wave head 50 is repeatedly deformed at a constant frequency by a voltage applied from the outside, thereby generating surface acoustic waves having a mechanical wavelength around the surface of the surface acoustic wave head 50. The liquid ink supplied onto the surface acoustic wave head 50 is vibrated by the surface acoustic waves and ionized to phase-change into gas.

The surface acoustic wave head 50 may be formed of piezoelectrics that are deformed by a voltage applied from the outside. Representative examples of such piezoelectric materials include piezoelectric ceramics.

The head holder 150 has a support surface for supporting the surface acoustic wave head 50, and the surface acoustic wave head 50 is fixed to the support surface. This embodiment illustrates the head holder 150 in the form of a plate.

The head position adjusting unit 160 supports the head holder 150 and functions to adjust the position of the head holder 150 so that the support surface of the head holder 150 can be tilted variably.

According to the present embodiment, the head position adjusting unit 160 may include a base 161 and a support member 162 for supporting the head holder 150. The base 161 has a structure extending in the vertical direction from the ground. The support member 162 has a support surface of the head holder 150 and is hinged to the base 161 to have a structure rotatable with respect to the base 161.

The electrode height adjuster 120, the substrate height adjuster 140, and the head position adjuster 160 may be fixed to the bottom plate 180. At least one of the electrode height adjuster 120, the substrate height adjuster 140, and the head position adjuster 160 may be configured to be fixed at various positions of the bottom plate 180. To this end, a plurality of fixing holes 185 for connecting bolts may be formed in the bottom plate 180, and the electrode height adjusting unit 120, the substrate height adjusting unit 140, and the head position adjusting unit 160 may be formed. Through-holes 125, 145, and 165 through which the bolt penetrates may be formed. The electrode height adjuster 120, the substrate height adjuster 140, and the head position adjuster 160 may be placed at a desired position of the bottom plate 180, and may be fixed by fastening with a bolt.

By using the electrostatic force ink spraying apparatus of the structure described above, it is possible to selectively use the bottom-up spray method and the top-down spray method of the ink.

5 is an operational state diagram of the electrostatic force ink sprayer for performing the bottom-up spraying method of ink, Figure 6 is an operating state diagram of the electrostatic force ink sprayer for performing the top-down spraying method of ink.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the bottom-up spray method, the second electrode 20, the substrate 30, the mask 40, the first electrode 10, and the surface along the ground direction (from top to bottom). The heights of the substrate holder 130 and the mask holder 170 are adjusted to be arranged in the order of the acoustic wave head 50. Such an arrangement may be realized by disposing the substrate holder 130 and the mask holder 170 on the electrode holder 110. Installation grooves 131 and 132 for installing the second electrode 20 and the substrate 30 may be formed on both sides of the substrate holder 130, and the second electrode 20 and the substrate 30 may be formed of the substrate holder 130. The upper and lower sides of) will be installed respectively.

Next, the position of the head holder 150 is adjusted so that the support surface of the head holder 150 faces the substrate 30. In the case of upward spraying, it is preferable to adjust the rotation angle of the support member 162 such that the support surface of the support member 162 of the head holder 160 is parallel to the ground, and the head holder 150 is the substrate holder 130. It is preferable to adjust the installation position of the base 161 to be positioned below the vertical direction.

Next, voltage is applied to the first and second electrodes 10 and 20 and the surface acoustic wave head 50, and ink is supplied to the surface acoustic wave head 50. A voltage is applied to the first and second electrodes 10 and 20 to generate an electrostatic field between the first and second electrodes 10 and 20, and a surface acoustic wave is applied by applying a voltage to the surface acoustic wave head 50. To occur. In the present embodiment, an anode is applied to the first electrode 10 and a cathode is applied to the second electrode 20, but vice versa.

The ink supplied onto the surface acoustic wave head 50 is ionized by the surface acoustic wave, and the ionized ink particles are charged to have a positive polarity by the first electrode 10. Since the electrostatic field between the first electrode 10 and the second electrode 20 has an upward direction, the electrostatic field attracts ink particles to the substrate 30.

In the case of the top-down spraying method as shown in FIG. 6, the first electrode 10, the surface acoustic wave head 50, the mask 40, the substrate 30, and the second electrode 20 are arranged in the order of the ground. The heights of the substrate holder 130 and the mask holder 170 are adjusted to be sufficient. Such an arrangement may be realized by disposing the mask holder 170 and the substrate holder 130 under the electrode holder 110. Contrary to the case of the upward spraying, the substrate holder 130 is disposed under the mask holder 170, and the substrate 30 and the second electrode 20 are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate holder 130, respectively.

Next, the position of the head holder 150 is adjusted such that the support surface of the head holder 150 is inclined at an angle with respect to the horizontal plane. In the case of the top-down spraying, it is preferable to adjust the rotation angle of the support member 162 such that the support surface of the support member 162 of the head holder 160 has an angle of 45 ° with the ground, and the head holder 150 and the substrate holder. It is preferable to adjust the relative distance between the substrate height adjusting unit 140 and the head position adjusting unit 160 so that the 130 is spaced at a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction.

Next, voltage is applied to the first and second electrodes 10 and 20 and the surface acoustic wave head 50, and ink is supplied to the surface acoustic wave head 50. This is the same as the case of the bottom-up spray method described above, so the description thereof is replaced with the foregoing description.

Since the electrostatic field between the first electrode 10 and the second electrode 20 has a downward direction, the electrostatic field causes ink particles to be drawn down to the substrate 30. In this process, since the head holder 150 is tilted downward, the ink particles are sprayed downward without interfering with the head holder 150.

In the above described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the electrostatic force ink spraying apparatus according to the present invention and the bottom-up and top-down spraying method of the ink using the same, the present invention is not limited by the embodiments and drawings disclosed herein, Various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea of the invention.

Claims (10)

In the electrostatic force ink spraying device comprising a surface acoustic wave head for applying the surface acoustic wave to the supplied ink to ionize the ink, and first and second electrodes for generating an electrostatic field to guide the ionized ink to the substrate,
An electrode holder for installing the first electrode;
A substrate holder supporting the substrate and the second electrode;
A substrate height adjusting unit for adjusting a height of the substrate holder such that the substrate holder is selectively positioned above or below the electrode holder;
A head holder disposed below the electrode holder and having a support surface for supporting the surface acoustic wave head; And
And a head position adjuster which supports the head holder and adjusts the position of the head holder so that the support surface of the head holder can be tilted variably. The method of claim 1,
Electrostatic force ink spraying device, characterized in that the mounting grooves on which the substrate and the second electrode is installed are formed on both sides of the substrate holder. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate height adjustment unit,
A first base extending in a vertical direction from the ground; And
Electrostatic force ink spraying device is installed so as to be positioned in a variable position along the vertical direction on the side of the first base, and supporting the substrate holder. The method of claim 1,
Electrostatic force ink spraying device characterized in that the substrate holder is connected to the mask holder for supporting the mask height. The method of claim 1,
Electrostatic force ink spraying device for supporting the electrode holder, further comprising an electrode height adjusting unit for adjusting the height of the electrode holder. The method of claim 1, wherein the head position adjustment unit,
A second base extending in a vertical direction from the ground; And
And a second support member hinged to the second base, the support surface of the head holder being connected to the second base. The method of claim 1,
Electrostatic force ink spraying apparatus further comprises a bottom plate fixed to the substrate height adjustment unit and the head position adjustment unit. The method of claim 7, wherein
The bottom plate is provided with a plurality of fixing holes for fixing at least one of the substrate height adjusting unit and the head position adjusting unit to a plurality of positions,
Electrostatic force ink spraying device, characterized in that the through-holes through which the bolt penetrates are formed in the substrate height adjusting portion and the head position adjusting portion. In the bottom-up spraying method of the ink using the electrostatic force ink spray device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Adjusting the height of the substrate holder such that the second electrode, the substrate, the first electrode, and the surface acoustic wave head are disposed in the order of the ground direction;
Adjusting the position of the head holder such that the support surface of the head holder faces the substrate; And
And applying a voltage to the first and second electrodes and the surface acoustic wave head, and supplying ink to the surface acoustic wave head. In the top-down spraying method of the ink using the electrostatic force ink spraying device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Adjusting the height of the substrate holder such that the first electrode, the surface acoustic wave head, the substrate, and the second electrode are arranged in a direction along the ground direction;
Adjusting the position of the head holder such that the support surface of the head holder is inclined at an angle with respect to a horizontal plane; And
And applying a voltage to the first and second electrodes and the surface acoustic wave head, and supplying ink to the surface acoustic wave head.

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