WO2006040846A1

WO2006040846A1 - Application apparatus having cleaning mechanism, method for cleaning application apparatus and cleaning mechanism for use in application apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2006040846A1
Application number: PCT/JP2005/002819
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mitsuhiro Onda; Junichi Kaminaga; Sosuke Akao
Original assignee: Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2004-10-12
Filing date: 2005-02-22
Publication date: 2006-04-20
Also published as: KR20070064548A; KR101200518B1; CN1905951B; CN1905951A; TW200611754A; TWI381887B

Abstract

An application apparatus (1) which comprises a cleaning mechanism (3) having a piping (12 to 14) in which an application fluid flows, a die head (9) provided in the piping (12 to 14) and a plurality of solvent tanks (22a to 22d) for storing solvents of types different from one another. The cleaning mechanism (3) supplies solvents stored in the above solvent tanks (22a to 22d) to the above piping (12 to 14), in such a manner that a solvent compatible with the above application fluid is first supplied and then it is gradually changed to a solvent having a higher detergency, to thereby clean the inside of the piping (12 to 14) and the inside (9a, 9b) of the die head (9).

Description

Specification

Coating device having cleaning mechanism, cleaning method for coating device, and cleaning mechanism used for coating device

Technical field

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a coating apparatus having a cleaning mechanism for cleaning piping and a die-head through which a coating liquid flows, and a cleaning method for cleaning the coating apparatus. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a cleaning mechanism for supplying a cleaning solvent to the coating apparatus when cleaning the coating apparatus.

Background art

[0002] Conventionally, when coating is performed using a coating apparatus, a gravure coat, a roll coat, a slide coat, a curtain coat, and an extra-nozzle coating coat Various systems such as (extrusion coat) are used depending on the application. Extrusion coats, curtain coats and slide coats can be applied at a high speed with relatively stable and high quality.

[0003] When coating by these methods, a die head having a slit nozzle is used. The die head is connected to a storage tank in which the coating liquid is stored via a pipe. A pump for feeding the coating liquid toward the die head and a filter for filtering the coating liquid are provided in the middle of the pipe. As piping for the coating device, for example, a pipe made of resin, a pipe made of stainless steel, or a metal pipe whose inner surface is resin-coated is used. RU

[0004] When the viscosity (viscosity) of the coating solution is changed or the coating solution is switched, it is necessary to clean the inside of the piping at the die head. In particular, in order to make the coating amount uniform in the width direction, it is necessary to clean and adjust complicated structures such as the slit nozzle opening end and manifold. The piping that leads the coating liquid stored in the storage tank to the die head has a small inner diameter and is often routed through a complicated path. For this reason, the cleaning work of the die head and the pipe is carefully performed for a long time.

[0005] When exchanging the coating liquid or performing periodic cleaning, remove the coating liquid and then dispose it. A method of cleaning the inside of the tube with a solvent is employed. As another example, a method is known in which the coating liquid to be used next is replaced by extruding the used coating liquid by pressure feed. . In this case, the cleaning solvent or the next coating liquid is discharged in an appropriate amount depending on the volume inside the pipe, so that liquid replacement is performed. In addition, parts with complex structures such as the interior of the die head are manually disassembled each time and manually cleaned.

Meanwhile, in recent years, with the diversification of coating liquids, it has been particularly demanded to shorten the switching time of the coating liquid. However, since it takes time to clean the inside of the pipe and the inside of the die head as described above, it still takes a long time to switch the coating liquid. Furthermore, during cleaning, mixing of different coating liquids and compatibility between the coating liquid and the cleaning solvent

Solvent shock (solvent-shock) occurs mainly due to (compatibility). Solvent shock is a phenomenon in which coating liquid trash such as condensate or gel caused by the cleaning solvent is generated.

[0007] Because of the above, various ideas have been made for solving the problem during cleaning. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-132267 discloses a cleaning method capable of easily and efficiently cleaning the inside of a coating head (so-called die head) having a slit nozzle.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-10767 discloses a slit nozzle cleaning method capable of completely removing a solidifying coating liquid remaining at the tip of a slit nozzle of a die head without causing a reduction in work efficiency, and A cleaning mechanism is disclosed.

[0009] Japanese Patent Laid-Open 9-85153 Patent Publication, die coater Ru with biguanide (Pig) is a mass of metal for pipe cleaning (di _e _ _coa ter) discloses a paint cleaning device. In this device, the pig is moved along the inner wall of the pipe by the compressed gas, and the paint is pushed out. This reduces paint loss during pipe cleaning and enables efficient cleaning in a short time with a small amount of cleaning solvent.

[0010] Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-256163 discloses a method of cleaning the inner wall of a paint transfer pipe for performing flushing processing. In this method, when cleaning the inner wall of the pipe, the inner wall of the pipe is first treated with a paint remover, then treated with an acid, and then flushed. After that, water replacement processing is performed. Disclosure of the invention

In the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-132267, when cleaning the inside of the slit head, a cleaning liquid is supplied into the coating head from a coating liquid supply pipe connected to the coating head. At the same time, nitrogen gas is introduced into the cleaning liquid passing through the coating liquid supply pipe.

By blowing an inert gas such as (nitrogen gas) or argon gas (argon gas), the cleaning liquid flow is changed to “bubble flow”. These bubbles increase the agitation effect, and the residual coating solution adhering to minute gaps can be washed away. However, there is a problem that a solvent shock occurs when a cleaning solution that is not compatible with the coating solution is used.

[0012] In the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-10767, a cleaning nozzle air (air) is sprayed onto the tip of a slit nozzle, and the remaining cleaning liquid is dried and removed. With this method, it is difficult to clean the inside of the pipe, the inside of the die head manifold or the inside of the slit nozzle.

[0013] According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-85153, it is described that the paint is washed by moving the inner wall of the pipe with the compressed gas. However, if the pipe is a resin pipe as described above, or if the inner surface is a metal pipe coated with fluororesin or silicone resin, the coating surface may be damaged by the pig, or the resin There is a problem that unevenness occurs on the surface and the coating liquid is more easily adhered. Furthermore, when the slit width of the slit nozzle (slit-gap) is narrow, there is a problem that the bigg is clogged at the slit portion. That is, this apparatus is not suitable for the internal cleaning of the die head.

According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-256163, when cleaning the inner wall of the paint transfer pipe, the inner wall of the pipe is first treated with a coating remover. After the inner wall of the pipe is treated with acid, the flushing process is performed and the inner wall of the pipe is washed by water replacement.

[0015] However, depending on the paint, the compatibility of the solvent used in the paint remover used as the treating agent and the paint to be cleaned may be poor. In this case, it is inevitable that a solvent shock will occur. At the same time, since the water replacement process is performed lastly, there is a problem that drying takes time. [0016] An object of the present invention is to suppress the occurrence of a solvent shock and to perform cleaning variations in a short time.

The object is to obtain a coating apparatus that can perform good cleaning with less (dispersion), a cleaning method for the coating apparatus, and a cleaning mechanism used in the coating apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, a coating apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes:

Piping through which the coating liquid flows;

A die head provided in the pipe;

It has a plurality of solvent tanks for storing different types of solvents, and the solvent stored in the solvent tank is changed from a solvent having higher compatibility with the coating liquid to a solvent having a higher cleaning property than the solvent (that is, the solvent And a washing mechanism for washing the inside of the pipe and the inside of the die head by switching to a low compatibility with the coating liquid in order and supplying the pipe to the pipe. Yes.

[0018] A cleaning method according to one aspect of the present invention is a cleaning method for cleaning a coating apparatus including a pipe through which a coating liquid flows and a die head provided in the pipe.

Solvents of different types are stored in a plurality of solvent tanks connected to the pipe, and the solvent stored in the solvent tank is washed from a solvent having a high compatibility with the coating solution to a higher cleaning property than the solvent. The inside of the pipe and the inside of the die head are washed by sequentially switching to a solvent and a solvent (that is, a solvent having a low compatibility with the coating liquid and supplying the solvent to the pipe). The

Furthermore, a cleaning mechanism according to one aspect of the present invention is a cleaning mechanism used in a coating apparatus having a pipe through which a coating liquid flows and a die head provided in the pipe, and are different from each other. Multiple solvent tanks for storing different types of solvents;

The solvent stored in the solvent tank is changed from a solvent having a high compatibility with the coating solution to a solvent having a higher cleaning property than that of the solvent and a solvent (that is, a solvent having a low compatibility with the coating solution). And a solvent supply pipe that is sequentially switched to be supplied to the pipe.

[0020] According to these embodiments, the cleaning operation is performed while switching to a solvent having a high compatibility with the coating solution and a solvent having a high cleaning property (that is, a solvent having a low compatibility with the coating solution). Therefore, the occurrence of solvent shock can be suppressed, and good cleaning with little variation in cleaning can be performed in a short time with a small amount of solvent. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning mechanism includes a drying unit that dries the inside of the pipe cleaned with the solvent and the inside of the die head. According to this configuration, the cleaned portion is dried, so that a new coating solution used after cleaning cannot be mixed with the cleaning solvent. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably suppress the occurrence of solvent shock.

[0022] In one embodiment of the present invention, a flow meter for measuring the flow rate of the solvent flowing in the cleaning mechanism and a flow rate control valve for controlling the flow rate of the solvent flowing in the cleaning mechanism based on the measurement result are further provided. It is preferable to provide. According to this configuration, the pipe and the die head can be cleaned well with a small amount of solvent.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present invention, the solvent tank is preferably provided on a load cell for measuring the weight of the solvent stored in the solvent tank. According to this configuration, the flow rate of the solvent can be monitored using the load cell. Therefore, the piping and the die head can be efficiently cleaned using a small amount of solvent. Here, the coating solution refers to a solution composed of an organic solvent and a pigment. The pigment particles are dispersed in an organic solvent. “High compatibility with the coating solution” means that the pigment is mixed with the coating solution without disturbing the dispersion state of the pigment in the coating solution. “High detergency” means that the effect of removing the pigment adhering to the wall surface, whose dissolving power is strong enough to break the dispersion state of the pigment in the coating solution, is high.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a coating apparatus having a cleaning mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention during cleaning.

[FIG. 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the time of application of the coating apparatus having the cleaning mechanism shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the die head incorporated in the coating apparatus having the cleaning mechanism shown in FIG.

4 is a cross-sectional view of the die head taken along line F4-F4 in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a coating apparatus having the cleaning mechanism shown in FIG. 1 during cleaning.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 disclose a coating system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This coating system 1 is suitable for coating materials that require high-precision and high-precision coating, such as color filters, liquid crystal materials, thermal recording materials, and transdermal absorption preparations.

As shown in FIG. 2, the coating system 1 includes a coating device 2 and a cleaning mechanism 3. The cleaning mechanism 3 includes a cleaning unit 4 and a drying unit 5. The coating apparatus 2 has a storage tank 6, a filter-one supply pump 8, a die head 9, a tray 10, a waste liquid tank 11, and first to third pipes 12-14. The pipe 14 may be omitted. In that case, a die head is connected to the end of the pipe 13.

[0028] The storage tank 6 stores a coating liquid used for coating. The storage tank 6 is connected to the suction port of the supply pump 8 via the first pipe 12. The fino letter 7 is provided in the middle of the first pipe 12. The discharge port of the supply pump 8 is connected to the die head 9 via the second pipe 13.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the die head 9 has a manifold 9 a continuous with the second pipe 13 and a slit nozzle 9 b that opens downward from the manifold 9 a. Yes. The slit width a of slit Nozure 9b is smaller than the diameter of the manifold 9a. The tray 10 is disposed below the die head 9 so as to receive the coating liquid falling from the die head 9. The die head 9 and the tray 10 are connected to the waste liquid tank 11 via the third pipe 14.

[0030] As the first to third pipes 12, 13, and 14, for example, resin pipes, stainless steel pipes, or metal pipes whose inner surfaces are coated with resin can be used.

According to such a coating apparatus 2, the coating liquid stored in the storage tank 6 is driven from the storage tank 6 through the first pipe 12 and the second pipe 13 by driving the supply pump 8. Supplied to 9. The coating liquid passes through the filter 7 while flowing through the first pipe 12. As a result, foreign matters such as dust mixed in the coating liquid are removed by the filter 7. The coating liquid supplied to the die head 9 flows in a curtain shape from the slit nozzle 9b. The excess coating liquid supplied to the die head 9 and the coating liquid not supplied to the coating flowing out from the die head 9 are returned to the waste liquid tank 11 through the third pipe 14.

As shown in FIG. 2, the coating apparatus 2 is connected to the cleaning mechanism 3 via the cleaning pipe 20. The In the present embodiment, the downstream end of the cleaning pipe 20 is connected to the second pipe 13 via the switching valve 21. In other words, the switching valve 21 is positioned between the die head 9 and the supply pump 8.

The position of the switching valve 21 is limited between the die head 9 and the supply pump 8. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a switching valve 21 may be provided either at a position Pl between the supply pump 8 and the filter 7 or at a position P2 between the filter 7 and the storage tank 6.

[0034] The cleaning unit 4 of the cleaning mechanism 3 has a plurality of, for example, four solvent tanks 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d. Of course, the number of solvent tanks is not limited to four. The solvent tanks 22a, 22b, 22c and 22df are connected in parallel to the upstream portion of the solvent supply pipe 24 through three-way cock type switching valves 23a, 23b, 23c and 23d, respectively.

[0035] The solvent tanks 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d contain first to fourth solvents of different types. Specifically, the first to fourth solvents become more compatible with the coating solution as they move from the solvent tank 22d located on the most upstream side to the solvent supply pipe 24 to the solvent tank 22a located on the downstream side. It's getting higher. In other words, the first to fourth solvents have higher detergency as they move from the solvent tank 22a located on the most downstream side to the solvent supply pipe 24 to the solvent tank 22d located on the upstream side. Therefore, the first solvent stored in the first solvent tank 22a has the highest compatibility with the coating solution, and the fourth solvent stored in the fourth solvent tank 22d has the highest detergency.

[0036] The switching / norebs 23a, 23b, 23c, 23di are provided at positions corresponding to the upper portions of the melting lj tanks 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, respectively. By opening and closing the switching valves 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d, the first to fourth solvents can be selected and supplied to the solvent supply pipe 24. That is, the first to fourth solvents to be supplied to the solvent supply pipe 24 can be sequentially switched from those having high compatibility with the coating solution to those having high cleaning properties.

[0037] The switching valves 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d may be automatically operated by an operation signal from the outside, or may be manually operated. At this time, whether or not to use the switching valves 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d that are activated by an external operation signal, or whether to use the switching valves 23a, 23b, 23c, and 23d that are activated by an artificial operation is applied. It is selected as appropriate based on the specifications of the construction system 1. [0038] A load cell 25 is provided at the bottom of each solvent tank 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d. The load cell 25 individually measures the weights of the first to fourth solvents stored in the solvent tanks 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d. Based on the measurement results, weight control of the first and fourth solvents is performed to eliminate variations in cleaning. Solvent weight control means controlling the amount of solvent that flows within a certain period of time. Specifically, since the first to fourth solvents used for cleaning the coating apparatus 2 are generally expensive, the flow rate within a certain time is limited. For this reason, the load cell 25 is used to monitor the flow rates of the first to fourth solvents.

The solvent supply pipe 24 is connected to the upstream end of the cleaning pipe 20. A flow control valve 27, a flow meter 28 and a solvent filter 29 are provided in the middle of the solvent supply pipe 24.

[0040] The flow rate control valve 27 controls the flow rates of the first to fourth solvents sent from the solvent tanks 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d to the solvent supply pipe 24. The presence of the flow control valve 27 adjusts the flow rates of the first to fourth solvents so as to eliminate the variation in cleaning.

The flow meter 28 is located downstream of the solvent supply pipe 24 with respect to the flow control valve 27. The flow meter 28 measures the flow rates of the first to fourth solvents flowing through the solvent supply pipe 24 and feeds back to the flow control valve 27.

The solvent filter 29 is positioned downstream of the solvent supply pipe 24 with respect to the flow meter 28. The solvent filter 29 is for removing foreign substances such as dust from the first to fourth solvents that have passed through the flow meter 28. The first to fourth solvents filtered by the solvent filter 29 are supplied from the cleaning pipe 20 to the second pipe 13 of the coating apparatus 2 through the switching valve 21. The first to fourth solvents supplied to the coating apparatus 2 are sequentially switched from the highly compatible first solvent to the highly washable fourth solvent.

On the other hand, the drying unit 5 includes, for example, a drying gas tank 31, a gas supply pipe 32, a flow rate control valve 33, and a gas flow meter 34. The drying gas tank 31 stores drying gas for drying the inside of the first to third pipes 12 to 14 of the coating apparatus 2 and the inside of the die head 9. For example, nitrogen is used as the drying gas. The gas supply pipe 32 is connected between the drying gas tank 31 and the upstream end of the solvent supply pipe 24.

[0044] A switching valve 35 is provided at a connection portion between the gas supply pipe 32, the solvent supply pipe 24, and the cleaning pipe 20. Is provided. The switching valve 35 switches between the first position that connects between the solvent supply pipe 24 and the cleaning pipe 20, and the second position that connects between the cleaning pipe 20 and the gas supply pipe 32. It ’s like that. Therefore, when the switching valve 35 is switched to the second position, the drying gas stored in the drying gas tank 31 is transferred from the gas supply pipe 32 via the switching valve 35 and the cleaning pipe 20 to the second position of the coating apparatus 2. Supply to pipe 1 3.

[0045] Next, a method for cleaning the coating apparatus 2 will be described.

[0046] This cleaning method is divided into a cleaning process using first and fourth solvents and a drying process using a dry gas. The drying process is performed after the cleaning process.

[0047] The cleaning step is performed by supplying the first to fourth solvent stored in the first to fourth solvent tanks 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d to the coating apparatus 2. Specifically, first, the switching valve 23 a corresponding to the first solvent tank 22 a is opened, and the first solvent in the first solvent tank 22 a is sent to the solvent supply pipe 24.

[0048] The flow rate of the first solvent flowing through the solvent supply pipe 24 is measured by the flow meter 28. Based on this measurement result, the operator operates the flow control valve 27 to adjust the flow rate of the first solvent flowing through the solvent supply pipe 24 to a predetermined value. The work to adjust the flow rate of the first solvent can be automatically performed by feedback from the flow meter 28 by providing a control unit in the flow control valve 27.

[0049] The first solvent whose flow rate has been adjusted passes through the solvent filter 29 and reaches the switching banlev 35. In the cleaning process, the switching valve 35 is switched to the first position. For this reason, the first solvent is supplied from the solvent supply pipe 24 to the second pipe 13 of the coating apparatus 2 through the switching valve 21.

[0050] The coating liquid used during coating remains in the first and second pipes 13 and 14 of the coating apparatus 2 and in the manifold 9a inside the die head 9. The first solvent supplied to the second pipe 13 flows from the second pipe 13 toward the die head 9 and the first pipe 12 while extruding the coating liquid remaining in the coating apparatus 2. At this time, in the first pipe 12, the first solvent containing the coating liquid flows back toward the storage tank 6. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the storage tank 6 is replaced with the waste liquid can 15 prior to cleaning of the coating apparatus 2. The one solvent that has reached the first pipe 12 sends out the coating liquid remaining in the first pipe 12 to the waste liquid can 15. The first solvent that has reached the die head 9 flows into the tray 10 and the third pipe 14, and remains in the tray 10 and the third pipe 14 to send out the coating liquid to the waste liquid tank 11. This completes the first stage of the cleaning process.

[0052] Subsequently, the switching valve 23a corresponding to the first solvent tank 22a is closed, and the switching valve 23b corresponding to the second solvent tank 22b is opened. As a result, the second solvent is supplied to the coating apparatus 2 via the solvent supply pipe 24 and the cleaning pipe 20. The process of the second solvent flow is the same as the first solvent. Therefore, the second solvent supplied to the coating apparatus 2 sends the first solvent to the waste liquid can 15 and the waste liquid tank 11. This completes the second stage of the cleaning process.

[0053] Thereafter, the third stage of the cleaning process using the third solvent in the third storage tank 22c and the fourth stage of the cleaning process using the fourth solvent in the fourth storage tank 22d are continued. Done. The third and fourth solvent flow processes are the same as those of the first solvent. Therefore, the third solvent sends the second solvent to the waste liquid can 15 and the waste liquid tank 11. Similarly, the fourth solvent sends the third solvent to the waste liquid can 15 and the waste liquid tank 11.

[0054] The first solvent used in the first stage of the cleaning process is highly compatible with the coating solution. Therefore, the coating liquid can be effectively pushed out from the coating apparatus 2. As a result, the occurrence of a solvent shock can be suppressed. On the other hand, the 4th solvent is less compatible with the coating solution, but has a higher detergency than the 1st solvent. Therefore, the inside of the first to third pipes 12-14 and the inside of the die head 9 can be effectively cleaned. Therefore, it is possible to perform good cleaning with little variation in cleaning in a short time using a small amount of the first and fourth solvents.

[0055] When the cleaning process with the solvent is completed, the process proceeds to a drying process. In the drying process, the switching valve 35 is switched from the first position to the second position. Therefore, the drying gas stored in the drying gas tank 31 is guided from the gas supply pipe 32 to the cleaning pipe 20 via the switching valve 35. Further, the drying gas is supplied from the cleaning pipe 20 to the second pipe 13 of the coating apparatus 2 through the switching valve 21. Dry through gas supply pipe 32 The flow rate of the drying gas is measured by the gas flow meter 34. Based on the measurement result, the operator operates the flow rate control valve 33 to adjust the flow rate of the drying gas flowing through the gas supply pipe 32 to a predetermined value. The operation of adjusting the flow rate of the drying gas can be automated by installing a control unit in the flow rate control valve 33.

The drying gas supplied to the coating apparatus 2 flows from the second pipe 13 toward the first pipe 12, the die head 9 and the third pipe 14. As a result, the inside of the first to third pipes 12 14 and the inside of the die head 9 are dried. Therefore, after the coating apparatus 2 is cleaned, the new coating liquid to be used next and the first to fourth solvents used at the time of cleaning are not mixed. Therefore, generation | occurrence | production of solvent shock can further be suppressed.

[0057] The present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention which is not specified in the above embodiment. For example, in the cleaning process, the drying gas and the first, first, and fourth solvents are mixed and sent to the coating apparatus 2 to clean the inside of the first to third pipes 12-14 and the inside of the die head 9. Anyway.

[0058] Further, the cleaning solvent used in the coating system 1 having the cleaning mechanism of the present invention is not particularly limited. Therefore, a material having good compatibility with the coating solution is appropriately selected. For example, when the main solvent used in the coating solution is a cyclohexanone solvent, the solvent (ie, the cleaning property) is highly compatible with the resist (coating solution). It can be washed with an extrusion pressure of 20 KPa-lOOKPa using a solvent such as PGMEA, PGM AC, or cyclohexanone as low solubility IJ), and has low compatibility with the resist (coating solution). Using a solvent such as acetone or 2-butanone as the solvent (ie, high cleaning performance, solvent), it can be cleaned at an extrusion pressure of 30 KPa-lOOKPa.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the storage tank 6 is replaced with the waste liquid can 15 prior to the cleaning of the coating apparatus 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, washing may be carried out by providing coating f night norebu 40, 41, 42 in front of the storage tank 6 and opening and closing the vanolev 40-42.

Specifically, first, the switching valve 21 is operated to open the cleaning pipe 20 and the second pipe 13. In this state, the cleaning solvent is sent to clean the die head 9 and the like.

Next, the switching valve 21 is operated to open the cleaning pipe 20 and the first pipe 12. Also Open valves 41 and 42 and close valve 40. In this state, the cleaning solvent is sent to clean the filter 7 and the supply pump 8. The cleaning solvent at this time passes through valve 41 or 42.

It is collected in the waste liquid tank 11.

[0062] Finally, the valve 40 is opened, and the valves 41 and 42 are closed. Also, storage tank 6 can be a waste liquid can 1

Replace with 5. In this state, send cleaning solvent to clean the first pipe. The cleaning solvent at this time passes through the valve 40 and is collected in the waste liquid can 15. As a result, all the pipes 12-14 of the coating apparatus 2 can be cleaned.

[0063] This cleaning method can achieve the same effect even when the switching valve 21 is located at the position P1 or P2.

Industrial applicability

[0064] As an application example of the present invention, it can be widely used as a processing machine, a processing machine, or a related device that requires color change or material change such as a printing machine, an adhesive processing machine, and a pigment processing machine.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] Piping (12 14) through which the coating liquid flows,

A die head (9) provided in the pipe (12-14);

It has a plurality of solvent tanks (22a to 22d) for storing different types of solvents, and the solvent stored in the solvent tanks (22a to 22d) is made from a solvent that is highly compatible with the coating solution. A cleaning mechanism (3a, 9b) that cleans the inside of the pipe (12-14) and the inside of the die head (9) (9a, 9b) by switching to a highly detersive solvent in order and supplying it to the pipe (12 14) ), And a coating apparatus (1).

[2] The cleaning mechanism (3) according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning mechanism (3) is configured to dry the inside of the pipe (12-14) and the inside (9a, 9b) of the die head (9) cleaned with the solvent. A coating apparatus (1) characterized by comprising a part (5).

[3] The coating apparatus (1) according to claim 2, wherein the drying section (5) includes a drying gas tank (31) for supplying a drying gas to the pipe (12-14). ).

[4] The flowmeter (28) for measuring the flow rate of the solvent flowing in the cleaning mechanism (3) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and the cleaning machine based on the measurement result The coating apparatus (1), further comprising a flow rate control valve (27) for controlling the flow rate of the solvent flowing in the structure (3).

[5] In any one of claims 1 to 3, the solvent tank (22a 22d) is a load cell (25) for measuring the weight of the solvent stored in the solvent tank (22a-22d). A coating apparatus (1), characterized in that it is provided on top of the coating.

[6] In Claim 3, the gas flow meter (34) for measuring the flow rate of the drying gas supplied to the pipe (12-14), and the pipe (12— The coating apparatus (1), further comprising a control valve (33) for controlling the flow rate of the drying gas supplied to 14).

[7] In claim 6,

A flow meter (28) for measuring the flow rate of the solvent flowing in the cleaning mechanism (3), and a flow rate control for controlling the flow rate of the solvent flowing in the cleaning mechanism (3) based on the measurement result A valve (27), The solvent tank (22a-22d) is provided on a load cell (25) for measuring the weight of the solvent stored in the solvent tank (22a-22d).

) ₀

[8] A cleaning method for cleaning a coating apparatus including a pipe (12 14) through which a coating liquid flows and a die head (9) provided in the pipe (12-14),

Different types of solvents are stored in a plurality of solvent tanks (22a-22d) connected to the pipes (12-14),

The solvent stored in the solvent tank (22a 22d) is sequentially switched from a solvent having high compatibility with the coating solution to a solvent having higher cleaning properties than the solvent and supplied to the pipe (12-14). Thus, the inside of the pipe (12 14) and the inside (9a, 9b) of the die head (9) are washed.

[9] In the description of claim 8, after cleaning of the inside of the pipe (12-14) and the inside (9a, 9b) of the die head (9) is completed, the inside of the pipe (12-14) and the A method of cleaning a coating apparatus, characterized in that the inside (9a, 9b) of the die head (9) is dried.

[10] In the description of claim 9, by supplying a drying gas from the drying gas tank (31) to the pipe (12-14), the inside of the pipe (12-14) and the die head (9) A method for cleaning a coating apparatus, wherein the inside (9a, 9b) is dried.

[11] The pipe (12-14) through which the coating liquid flows and the die head (9-9) provided in the pipe (12-14)

), And a cleaning mechanism (3) used in a coating apparatus,

A plurality of solvent tanks (22a-22d) for storing different types of solvents, and a solvent stored in the solvent tanks (22a-22d) from a solvent having a higher compatibility with the coating liquid than this solvent. A cleaning mechanism (3), comprising: a solvent supply pipe (24) that sequentially switches to a solvent having high detergency and supplies the pipe (12-14).

[12] The device according to claim 11, further comprising a drying section (5) for drying the inside of the pipe (12-14) cleaned with the solvent and the inside (9a, 9b) of the die head (9). A cleaning mechanism (3) characterized by

[13] The cleaning mechanism (3) according to claim 12, wherein the drying section (5) includes a drying gas tank (31) for supplying a drying gas to the pipe (1214).

[14] In the description of claim 12, the drying section (5) includes a gas flow meter (34) for measuring a flow rate of the drying gas supplied to the pipe (12-14), and a result of the measurement. And a flow rate control valve (33) for controlling the flow rate of the drying gas supplied to the pipe (12-14) based on the cleaning mechanism (3).

[15] The flowmeter (28) for measuring the flow rate of the solvent flowing through the solvent supply pipe (24) according to claim 11, and the flow through the solvent supply pipe (24) based on the measurement result A cleaning mechanism (3), further comprising a flow rate control valve (27) for controlling the flow rate of the solvent.

[16] The method according to claim 11, wherein the solvent tank (22a 22d) is provided on a load cell (25) for measuring the weight of the solvent stored in the solvent tank (22a 22d). Cleaning mechanism (3).