KR20160006092A - Coating apparatus and method to improve a coating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a coating apparatus which has a coating object-transporting function and of which saving space for facilities are possible. In addition, costs do not increase even when translocation is required due to a layout alteration in the facilities. Also, provide is a method for improving the same. According to the present invention, the coating apparatus comprises a moving body (6) including a nozzle which discharges a coating liquid. Furthermore, the coating apparatus (1) allows the coating liquid which is discharged from the nozzle to be coated on a substrate, while the substrate (3) disposed on a table (4) relatively moves along. In addition, a supporting arm (10) involved in transportation while supporting the substrate is provided on the moving body.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a coating apparatus,

An object of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus and a method of improving a coating apparatus which are equipped with a transporting function of an object to be coated,

Patent Document 1 is known as a coating apparatus for applying a coating liquid to an object to be coated while a nozzle for applying the coating liquid and an object to be coated are relatively moved. "Coating device, coating method, and color filter manufacturing device and manufacturing method" in Patent Document 1 is a method of applying a coating material having a discharge port for discharging a coating liquid to a coating position of a substrate held on a table, A coating method for forming a coating film on a surface of a substrate by discharging a liquid, characterized in that the table is capable of holding a plurality of substrates without overlapping each other, and the substrate is placed on any substrate holding position on the table The substrate is discharged and / or the substrate is mounted at another substrate holding position.

Particularly, a transfer device (robot) for carrying a substrate into a table and carrying the substrate out of the table is provided on the upstream side and the downstream side in the substrate transport direction with respect to the base on which the table is mounted.

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-102771

In the background art, a coating apparatus and a transfer apparatus such as a robot for carrying in and carrying out a substrate are provided separately. Therefore, it has been necessary to provide a large space in which both the application device and the transfer device can be installed. In addition, there is a possibility that the application device and the transfer device can not be installed at a desired position due to a reason such as a space of a factory or the like being small in the layout change of the facility or transfer of the facility, If the substrate can not be carried in or out of the application device, the transfer device must be newly purchased or manufactured, which leads to an increase in cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a transfer function of an object to be coated so as to save space in facilities, And an object of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus and a method of improving the same.

A coating device according to the present invention is a coating device in which a nozzle unit having a nozzle for discharging a coating liquid and an object to be coated placed on the table are relatively moved and a coating liquid discharged from the nozzle is applied to an object to be coated As the apparatus, a support arm for supporting the object to be coated and being transferred to the table is provided in the nozzle unit.

The table is provided with a lift pin capable of lifting and lowering by supporting the object to be coated. The support arm enters the lower portion of the object to be coated, which is raised by the lift pin, and the lift pin is lowered, And the lift pin lifts up the object to be coated in a state of being supported by the support arm by lifting the lift pin.

Wherein the support arm includes a support arm which is rotatable about a vertical axis in a horizontal direction between a support position capable of supporting an object supported by the lift pin and a retreat position retracted from the object supported by the lift pin, .

A method for improving a coating device according to the present invention is a method for improving a coating device comprising a nozzle unit having a nozzle for discharging a coating liquid and a nozzle unit for applying a coating liquid dispensed from the nozzle, And a step of additionally attaching a support arm to be transferred to the table while supporting the object to be coated, on the nozzle unit of the application device of the applicator of the present invention.

As a coating device and its improving method according to the present invention, it is possible to save a space of a facility by providing a transporting function of an object to be coated, and to prevent an increase in cost even when transferring to a layout change of the facility.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred embodiment of a coating apparatus and its improving method according to the present invention. Fig.
2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main portion of the arm body employed in the coating apparatus shown in Fig.
Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the first half of the operation of the coating apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 3 (a) to 3 (i) are schematic views of the first to ninth operations from the front side.
Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the second half of the operation of the coating apparatus shown in Fig. 1, and Figs. 4 (j) to 4 (r) are schematic views of the tenth to eighteen operations from the front side.
Fig. 5 is a view showing the operation of the coating apparatus shown in Fig. 1, wherein (a) to (e) of Fig. 5 each show, from arrow A, arrow B, arrow C, arrow D, E Fig.
Fig. 6 is a view showing the arm unit according to the modified example in comparison with the arm unit employed in the coating apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 (a) shows the operation of the arm unit in the embodiment of Fig. 1, FIG. 6B is a plan view showing the operation of the arm unit according to the modified example, and FIG. 6C is a plan view showing the operation of the arm unit according to another modified example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a coating apparatus and a method for improving the coating apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a coating apparatus (referred to as a 'table coater', for example) in the present embodiment.

The coating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is roughly composed of a nozzle unit having a nozzle 7 for discharging a coating liquid and a nozzle unit 3 having a nozzle 4 mounted on the table 4, And the coating liquid discharged from the nozzle 7 is applied to the substrate 3. The coating device 1 is provided with a nozzle 3 for discharging the substrate 3 from the outside of the coating device 1 to the vicinity of the table 4, A support arm 10 for supporting and transferring the substrate 3 between the transfer device 14 (shown in Figs. 3 and 4) and the table 4 is provided in the nozzle unit.

The external transfer device 14 is provided with an external lift pin 14b capable of supporting the substrate 3 carried to a predetermined position and capable of ascending and descending and the table 4 can be moved up and down by supporting the substrate 3 And the support arm 10 enters the lower portion of the substrate 3 in an elevated state by either the outer lift pin 14b or the lift pin 4b, Either one of the outer lift pin 14b and the lift pin 4b is lifted to support the substrate 3 and either the outer lift pin 14b or the lift pin 4b is lifted, The substrate 3 supported by the support arm 10 is lifted up.

The nozzle unit is moved relative to the substrate 3 placed on the table 4 so that the relative movement between the nozzle unit and the substrate 3 is performed. The support arm 10 has a support position capable of supporting the substrate 3 supported by either the outer lift pin 14b or the lift pin 4b and the outer lift pin 14b And a retreat position retracted from the substrate 3 supported by either one of the lift pins 4a and 4b.

The coating device 1 according to the present embodiment is provided on a base (base) 2 and has a rectangular shape when viewed from the plane in which the substrate 3 forming the plate- A pair of rails 5 provided on the base 2 and arranged along a pair of parallel edges of the table 4 and a pair of rails 5 which are movable along the pair of rails 5 A movable body 6 and a nozzle 7 provided on the moving body 6 and capable of discharging a coating liquid to be applied to the substrate 3. [ The substrate 3 is formed in a rectangular shape having a smaller area than the table 4. When the substrate 3 is placed on the table 4, the entire substrate 3 is placed on the table 4. [

The table 4 has a larger area than the substrate 3, and the upper surface is formed with a high-precision horizontal surface. The table (4) is provided with a plurality of through holes (4a) passing through in the vertical direction at a predetermined interval. The through holes 4a are provided with lift pins 4b capable of ascending and descending, respectively.

The lift pins 4b support the substrate 3 at the top. Therefore, the substrate 3 is supported by the lift pins 4b and is movable in the vertical direction at the upper portion of the table 4, and the upper end of the lift pins 4b is in contact with the upper surface of the table 4 And is placed on the table 4 by being immersed in the lower portion.

A pair of rails 5 are arranged on the base 2 in parallel with the table 4 therebetween. The rail (5) is provided longer than the long side of the table (4) having a rectangular shape.

The movable body 6 is provided with two movable columns 8 movable on the respective rails 5 and a pair of movable columns 8 which are placed over the two movable columns 8, And a connecting beam body (9) for connection. A supporting arm 9 for supporting the substrate 3 and transferring the substrate 3 from the external transport apparatus 14 to the table 4 or from the table 4 to the external transport apparatus 14 10 are provided.

The connecting beam body 9 has two moving columns 8 along a direction perpendicular to the rail 5 (hereinafter referred to as a "relative moving direction") (hereinafter referred to as a "width direction" Lt; / RTI > When the moving body 6 moves along the rail 5, the connecting beam body 9 moves above the table 4 with an interval from the upper surface of the table 4. [

The two arm units 11 are fixed to the connecting beam body 9 at angular positions divided in the width direction from the center in the width direction of the table 4 by one. The respective supporting arms 10 of the two arm units 11 are arranged so as to interpose the substrate 3 from both sides in the width direction and the projections 10c to be described later enter below the substrate 3, Lt; / RTI > Therefore, the support arms 10 are arranged so as to face each other in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the rails 5 when the substrate 3 is supported. The spacing between the two support arms 10 when facing each other is set so that the distance between the two support arms 10 on the side of the substrate 3 Of the width of the protruding portion.

The two arm units 11 are respectively fixed to the connecting beam body 9 and a base 12 fixed on the base 12 and the driving shaft 13a And a supporting arm 10 connected to the driving shaft of the motor 13 and rotatable in the horizontal direction at the lower side of the base 12 and supporting the substrate 3.

The support arm 10 includes a base end portion 10a connected to the drive shaft 13a of the motor 13 and an arm body 10b extending in a predetermined direction from the base end portion 10a and holding the substrate 3, . The two support arms 10 are rotatably supported by the base 13 in such a manner that the proximal end 10a is rotationally driven by the motor 13 so that the arm body 10b is pivotable to support the base plate 3 (See Fig. 3 (a), Fig. 3 (e)) and the retracted position retracted from the substrate 3 supported by the lift pin 4b or an external lift pin 14b (see Figs. 3B and 3D). 5, the support position is a position in which the arm body 10b is arranged in the direction along the rail 5, and the retreat position is a position in which the arm body 10b is arranged along the width direction.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the arm body 10b. The arm body 10b is provided with projections 10c projecting toward the mutually facing sides when the support arm 10 is moved to the support position on the tip side and the base end 10a side. The projection 10c is formed to be thinner than the thickness (width in the vertical direction) of the arm body 10b and at a position lower than the upper surface of the arm body 10b. As a result, a step 10d is formed between the projection 10c and the arm body 10b.

The substrate 3 is placed on the protrusions 10c of the two support arms 10 moved to the support position and the edge of the substrate 3 is moved from the horizontal direction to the step 10d and the side surface of the arm body 10b And is supported on the support arm 10

The two support arms 10 protrude from the table 4 in the retracted position such that the arm body 10b faces the mutually opposite directions in the width direction. The two support arms 10 are pivoted toward the substrate 3 when the substrate 3 is supported by the motor 13 rotating in the directions opposite to each other in the right and left directions. Therefore, the arm body 10b of the two support arms 10 is formed in a symmetrical shape with the table 4 therebetween.

A nozzle (7) is provided below the connecting beam body (9). The nozzle 7 is adapted to discharge the coating liquid toward the substrate 3 placed on the table 4. The nozzle 7 is provided so as to face the table 4 over the entire length in the width direction of the table 4. [ The coating liquid can be applied to the substrate 3 placed on the almost entire surface of the table 4 when the moving body 6 is moved along the rail 5 and the coating liquid is discharged from the nozzle 7 . The moving body 6 having the nozzle 7 corresponds to the nozzle unit. Then, the nozzle unit is moved relative to the table 4 so that the coating liquid is applied to the substrate 3.

The coating device 1 of the above-described configuration is a device which, when an existing coating device already installed in a facility such as a factory is to be improved, the moving device 6 (corresponding to the nozzle unit) And a step of additionally attaching a support arm 10 for supporting the substrate 3 and transferring the support arm 10 to the table 4 is also applied to the equipment in the same manner as when the coating device 1 is newly installed Can be assembled.

Next, the operation of the coating device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 5. Fig. 3 (a) to 3 (i) are schematic views of the first to ninth operations of the application device 1, viewed from the front side. 4 (j) to 4 (r) are schematic views of the tenth through eighteenth operations of the coating device 1, viewed from the front side. 5 (a) to 5 (e) are diagrams showing states viewed from arrow A, arrow B, arrow C, arrow D, and arrow E, respectively, in FIG.

As shown in Figs. 3 (a) and 5 (a), in the external transport device 14 arranged in the moving direction (the longitudinal direction of the rail 5) of the moving body 6 of the coating device 1 The substrate 3 is transported to a predetermined position on the coating device 1 side. At this time, the support arm 10 is located at the retreat position.

The external conveying device 14 is provided with a plurality of narrow conveying belts 14a capable of conveying the substrate 3 while supporting the substrate 3 therebetween by arranging a gap between the conveying belts 14a And the outer lift pins 14b capable of supporting the substrate 3 at the upper end and being movable up and down are disposed in the clearance between the transport belts 14a. The substrate 3 is supported by the outer lift pins 14b so as to be movable up and down at the top of the outer carrier 14. [ The upper end of the outer lift pin 14b is immersed below the upper surface of the outer carrying device 14 so that the substrate 3 is placed on the outer carrying device 14. [

When the substrate 3 is raised to a position higher than the support arm 10 by the external lift pins 14b as shown in Figs. 3B and 5B, The moving body 6 moves to the end of the base 2 on the side of the external carrying device 14 along the rail 5. [

Next, the two support arms 10 are rotated in the horizontal direction, and as shown in Figs. 3 (c) and 5 (c), the two support arms 10 are substantially parallel to each other 3). As a result, the projection 10c enters the lower portion of the substrate 3.

Next, as shown in Fig. 3 (d), the outer lift pin 14b is lowered, and the substrate 3 is placed on the support arm 10. 3 (e), the moving body 6 is moved along the rail 5 in the state that the support arm 10 supports the substrate 3, 14) side.

3 (f) and 5 (d), the lift pin 4b rises and the upper end of the lift pin 4b rises to a position higher than the support arm 10, Are supported by being supported by the lift pins 4b from the support arms 2

Next, as shown in Figs. 3 (g) and 5 (e), the support arm 10 moves to the retreat position. Next, as shown in FIG. 3 (h), the lift pins 4b are lowered, and the substrate 3 is placed on the table 4.

Next, as shown in Fig. 3 (i), the moving body 6 moves along the rail 5 from the opposite side of the outer carrying device 14 toward the outer carrying device 14 side on the base 2 (See arrow f). At this time, a coating film (coating film) 3a for discharging the coating liquid from the nozzle 7 is formed on the substrate 3 placed on the table 4. 4 (j), the moving body 6 moves in the opposite direction along the rail 5 and returns to its original position (see arrow g).

The lift pins 4b are lifted and the substrate 3 is supported by the lift pins 4b as shown in Figure 4 (k) after the moving body 6 is returned to the original position. Next, the two support arms 10 are pivoted from the retracted position toward the support position. The projection 10c enters the lower portion of the substrate 3 when the two arm bodies 10b move to the support position where they are almost parallel as shown in Fig. 4 (m), the lift pins 4b are lowered, and the substrate 3 is placed on the projection 10c of the support arm 10 and held on the arm body 10b do.

The moving body 6 is moved along the rail 5 to the outside of the base 2 in the state in which the substrate 3 on which the coating film 3a is formed is supported by the supporting arm 10, And moves to the end of the conveying device 14 side (see arrow f). Thereby, the substrate 3 is positioned on the upper portion of the outer carrying device 14.

4 (o), the outer lift pin 14b is raised to a position higher than the support arm 10, and the substrate 3 is moved from the support arm 10 to the outer lift pin 14b, And is supported and received. Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 4 (p), the support arm 10 is turned and moved to the retreat position. Next, as shown in (q) of Fig. 4, the outer lift pin 14b is lowered, and the substrate 3 is placed on the outer carrier 14. [

Finally, as shown in Fig. 4 (r), the external transfer device 14 is activated, the substrate 3 on which the coating film 3a is formed is transported, and the moving body 6 returns to its original position (See arrow g), thereby completing a series of processes.

The coating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment and the method for improving the same are provided with a supporting arm 14 for transferring a substrate 3 between an external carrying apparatus 14 for carrying a substrate 3 and a table 4 for coating, (10) is provided on a moving body (6) provided with a nozzle (7). That is, the transfer device also serves as a transfer device for transferring the application liquid and a transfer device for transferring the substrate 3 between the external transfer device 14 and the table 4. On the other hand, in the "coating device, coating method, and color filter manufacturing device and manufacturing method" (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-102771) of Patent Document 1 described in the background art, , And a robot equipped with a hand for taking out the substrate from the table are provided separately. In Patent Document 1, which is installed separately, it is necessary to secure facility space for each of the table and the robot. In addition, since the table and the robot are each completed as a device, the device becomes a large-sized device and the cost increases. On the other hand, in the coating device 1 and the improving method according to the present embodiment, as described above, the transporting support arm 10 is assembled to the applicating moving body 6 provided on the table 4 The robot having the table and the hand is different from the one disclosed in Patent Document 1, and the application function and the transport function are integrated with each other. Therefore, as in Patent Document 1, the cost can be reduced, the apparatus itself can be made smaller, and the installation space can be made narrower than in the case of using separate moving devices or the like. In the coating device 1 and the improvement method according to the present embodiment, the transfer function of the substrate 3 is provided between the external transfer device 14 and the table 4, It is possible to prevent an increase in cost even when transferring the equipment to a layout change or the like.

According to the method for improving the coating device 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the existing coating device including the step of additionally attaching the support arm 10 or the like to the moving body 6 of the existing coating device. This makes it possible to improve the existing coating apparatus itself, and it is not necessary to separately provide a transfer apparatus such as a robot when the existing applicator is moved to another place , It is possible to narrow the required installation area.

In the coating device 1 and the improvement method of the present embodiment, the table 4 is provided with a lift pin 4b capable of lifting and lowering by supporting the substrate 3, , The projection 10c enters the lower portion of the substrate 3 in a state in which the lift pin 4b is lifted by the lift pin 4b and the lift pin 4b is lowered to support the substrate 3, The substrate 3 held by the support arm 10 is lifted up. Therefore, it is not necessary to move the substrate 3 in the vertical direction by the support arm 10. In other words, it is sufficient that the support arm 10 is moved in the horizontal direction of the substrate 3, and complicated operation is not required. The support arm 10 does not require a complicated exercise mechanism such as a robot, and can reduce costs.

The protrusion 10c of the support arm 10 enters under the substrate 3 with the substrate 3 lifted by the outer lift pin 14b in the same manner with respect to the outer transfer device 14, The substrate 3 is supported on the support arm 10 by the lowering of the pin 14b and the substrate 3 supported on the support arm 10 is moved in the direction in which the outer lift pin 14b is lifted To the corresponding external lift pin 14b. Therefore, the support arm 10 does not require a complicated exercise mechanism, and the cost can be reduced.

The support arm 10 has a supporting position capable of supporting the substrate 3 supported by the lift pins 4b with respect to the vertical axis (drive shaft 13a) And the retracted position retracted from the substrate 3 supported by the substrate 3, it is possible to transfer the substrate 3 with a simple mechanism.

The moving body 6 (nozzle unit) provided with the nozzle 7 moves to the substrate 3 placed on the fixed table 4 to move the nozzle 7 and the substrate 3 However, the configuration in which the nozzle 7 is fixed and the table 4 on which the substrate 3 is mounted moves.

In the above embodiment, the case where the drive shaft 13a of the motor 13 for driving the support arm 10 is provided at a position close to the moving body 6 is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. 6 shows a configuration of the arm unit 11 according to the modified example (see FIG. 6 (b)) in comparison with the configuration of the arm unit 11 It's gone.

The drive shaft 13a is moved toward the center of the moving body 6 and the drive shaft 13a is moved from the moving body 6 to the center of the moving body 6 as shown in Figure 6 (b) The support arm 10 is provided at the tip end side of the base 12 protruded to the side on which the support arm 10 is pivotally moved so as to be spaced apart from the moving body 6 and the support arm 10 is formed into an L- , The swing range of the support arm 10 can be narrowed. This makes it possible to make the width dimension W2 at the retracted position of the support arm 10 smaller than the width dimension W1 at the retracted position of the support arm 10 of the above-described embodiment shown in Fig. 6 (a) . As a result, further space saving can be achieved.

In addition, the two support arms 10 may not necessarily be pivotally moved. Fig. 6C shows another modification of the configuration of the arm unit. Concretely, the two support arms 10 are slidable in the width direction shown in Fig. 1 while being held in a parallel state capable of supporting the substrate 3, and are slid along the moving body 6 The protrusion 10c may be moved between the support position where the protrusion 10c enters the lower side of the substrate 3 and the retraction position where the protrusion 10c deviates from the lower side of the substrate 3. [

The external transfer device 14 for transferring the substrate 3 from the outside of the application device 1 to the vicinity of the table 4 is not limited to the example of the embodiment described above and may be applied to the application device 1 Anything that can be handed to the support arm 10 provided is acceptable, and even if the robot is carried by the carrying robot and handed over, the worker may be returned and handed over.

1: Coating device 2: Expectation
3: Substrate 3a: Coating film
4: Table 4a: Through-hole
4b: Lift pin 5: Rail
6: moving body 7: nozzle
8: movable column body 9: connecting beam body
10: Support arm 10a:
10b: arm body 10c: projection
10d: step 11: arm unit
12: base 13: motor
13a: drive shaft 14: external carrier
14a: conveyor belt 14b: external lift pin

Claims (4)

A coating unit for coating a coating liquid discharged from the nozzle relative to a coating object placed on a table, the coating unit comprising: a nozzle unit having a nozzle for discharging a coating liquid;
Wherein a support arm for supporting the object to be coated and transferring the object to the table is provided in the nozzle unit. The method according to claim 1,
The table is provided with a lift pin capable of supporting and lifting the object to be coated,
The support arm supports the object to be coated by being lowered by the lift pin and lowered by the lift pin,
Wherein the lift pin lifts up the object to be coated in a state of being supported by the support arm by lifting up the lift pin. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The support arm includes a support arm for supporting a support object supported by the lift pin and a retracted position retracted from the object to be coated supported by the lift pin, (Swirling) in the direction of the arrow. A nozzle unit having a nozzle for discharging a coating liquid and a nozzle unit for applying a coating liquid discharged from the nozzle relative to the nozzle unit of the existing coating apparatus in which the object to be coated placed on the table is relatively moved, And a step of additionally attaching a supporting arm to be transferred to the table while supporting the existing supporting apparatus, so as to improve the existing applicator.

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