WO2009147895A1

WO2009147895A1 - Polishing apparatus and polishing method

Info

Publication number: WO2009147895A1
Application number: PCT/JP2009/056904
Authority: WO
Inventors: 坂本　裕二; 晋宏山本; 誠治増成
Original assignee: 株式会社石井表記
Priority date: 2008-06-06
Filing date: 2009-04-02
Publication date: 2009-12-10
Also published as: CN102046330A; TWI492812B; JP2009291906A; KR20100126820A; JP5031673B2; KR101313013B1; CN102046330B; TW200950897A

Abstract

Pairs of grip rollers (12) and (13) that grip a sheet-like workpiece (P), which is flexible, are disposed in opposition along transport paths (3A), (3B) and (3C), which are formed by multiple transport rollers (6) and (9) that transport the sheet-like workpiece (P). In addition to sheet-like workpiece (P) being fed up and down by grip rollers (12) and (13), between pairs of buffing rollers (14) and (15) disposed in opposition, the two sides of the sheet-like workpiece (P) thus fed are simultaneously polished by these buffing rollers (14) and (15).

Description

Polishing apparatus and polishing method

The present invention relates to a polishing apparatus and a polishing method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a plurality of conveying rollers that convey a flexible plate-like workpiece, and a buffing roller that polishes the plate-like workpiece in the middle of conveyance by these conveying rollers. The present invention relates to a polishing apparatus and a polishing method.

As is well known, a printed circuit board, which is a kind of plate-shaped workpiece, forms a photoresist film on the surface of a metal layer made of copper foil or the like formed on one or both sides of an insulating substrate, and performs exposure, development, etching, and the like. It is manufactured through a photolithographic process. In this case, it is customary to buff the metal layer before the formation of the photoresist film on the surface of the metal layer of the insulating substrate, which is a very thin flexible substrate as a printed circuit board. However, it is necessary to perform the above buffing.

As a polishing apparatus for performing this type of buffing, for example, according to Patent Document 1 (FIG. 10 of the same document) and Patent Document 2 (FIG. 8 of the same document), a buffing roller and a buffing roller are arranged to face each other. And a back-up roller, and a configuration is disclosed in which a buffing roller carries out a polishing process on a printed circuit board as a plate-like work fed between the two rollers and conveys the printed circuit board forward. Yes.

Since the printed circuit boards disclosed in these documents are thin flexible boards, they are fed between the above two rollers while being guided by a pair of upper and lower guide members so as to maintain straightness. Then, after the polishing process, it is further conveyed forward by the conveying roller while being guided by the guide member in the same manner.

JP 2004-268249 A JP 2003-062745 A

By the way, according to the polishing apparatus disclosed in

Patent Documents

1 and 2, the printed circuit board is conveyed in the horizontal direction and maintained in its horizontal posture, and is sent between the buff polishing roller and the backup roller. However, if the printed circuit board is an extremely thin flexible board, the problem is that the occurrence of the warpage causes a reduction in quality.

More specifically, when this type of printed circuit board is polished, for example, when the upper surface side of the printed circuit board is polished, the printed circuit board is arranged so that the front end in the conveyance direction of the polishing region is displaced downward, and for example When the lower surface side of the printed circuit board is polished, the printed circuit board is curved so that the front end in the conveyance direction of the polishing area is displaced upward, in other words, convex toward the buffing roller side. And since the printed circuit board is carried out from the polishing apparatus without removing the warp associated with this curvature, the post-process such as the photolithography process cannot be properly performed on the polished printed circuit board, and the final The product quality will be reduced.

Further, immediately before this type of printed circuit board is sent between the buffing roller and the backup roller, the printed circuit board is in a horizontal position, so its front end is bent and droops due to its own weight, and printing is performed between both rollers. Not only will the board not be properly sandwiched, but the upstream or downstream transport roller arrangement pitch will not be made very small, and the front end of the printed circuit board will be sandwiched between the transport rollers by its own weight. It also causes problems.

In addition, since each of the polishing apparatuses disclosed in

Patent Documents

1 and 2 is configured to polish the printed circuit board with the buffing roller between the buffing roller and the backup roller, between the two rollers. When a foreign object intervenes, the printed circuit board has a dent due to the high rigidity of the peripheral surface of the backup roller, and this also causes a deterioration in the quality of the printed circuit board.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention makes it possible to appropriately feed a flexible plate-shaped workpiece to the position where the buffing roller is disposed, and the plate-shaped workpiece is marked with a dent due to the presence of the backup roller. The technical challenge is to deter the situation that causes a decline.

The apparatus according to the present invention made to solve the above technical problem is such that a flexible plate-like workpiece is conveyed by a conveying means, and the plate-like workpiece is buffed in the middle of conveyance by the conveying means. In the polishing apparatus configured to be polished by a pair of grip rollers, a pair of grip rollers that sandwich the plate-like workpiece are disposed in the middle of the transport path formed by the transport means, and the grip rollers serve to form the plate. The plate-like workpiece is fed along the vertical direction, and both sides of the fed plate-like workpiece are simultaneously polished by the buffing rollers between a pair of the buffing rollers arranged opposite to each other. It is characterized by having done. Here, the above-mentioned “conveying means” can be constituted by a plurality of conveying rollers, a conveying conveyor, or a combination thereof.

According to such a configuration, the flexible plate-like workpiece is sandwiched between the pair of grip rollers and sent to the position where the buffing roller is disposed along the vertical direction. The plate-shaped workpiece does not bend due to its own weight, and goes straight to the position where the buffing roller is disposed. In addition, since the plate-like workpiece fed in the vertical direction in this manner is simultaneously polished by a pair of buffing rollers arranged opposite to each other, the occurrence of warpage is avoided and the quality of the plate-like workpiece is reduced. Is suppressed. Further, when a plate-like workpiece is polished, a conventional backup roller is not used, so that troubles such as dents on the plate-like workpiece due to foreign matter are avoided, and this is combined with the suppression of the occurrence of warping. Thus, the deterioration of the quality of the plate-like workpiece is more reliably prevented.

In the above configuration, the transport path is formed so that the transport means transports the plate-shaped workpiece along the horizontal direction, and the pair of grip rollers are disposed below the pair of grip rollers in the transport path. A buffing roller may be provided.

In this way, the conveyance path itself conveys the plate-like workpiece along the horizontal direction, but when performing polishing, the plate-like workpiece is sent along the vertical direction. After enjoying the advantages, loading and unloading of the plate-like workpiece into and from the polishing apparatus are performed along the horizontal direction. Accordingly, while maintaining the overall height of the polishing apparatus low and reducing the size, the plate-like workpiece can be moved between the polishing apparatus and the apparatus for performing other processes installed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the polishing apparatus. Delivery can be performed smoothly.

In the above configuration, both sides of the plate-like workpiece are simultaneously polished by the pair of buffing rollers by being fed downward and then being fed by the pair of grip rollers. Can be configured.

In this way, the pair of grip rollers rolls forward while sandwiching the plate-like workpiece, so that the plate-like workpiece is simultaneously sent to the lower side and both surfaces thereof are polished simultaneously by the pair of buffing rollers. By rotating the pair of grip rollers in reverse, both the surfaces thereof are simultaneously polished by the pair of buffing rollers while the plate-like workpiece is fed upward. As a result, both surfaces of the plate-like workpiece are polished twice in the same area while being fed in both the lower and upper directions of the plate-like workpiece, so that the polishing efficiency is improved.

Furthermore, in the above configuration, the pair of grip rollers and the pair of buffing rollers may be disposed in at least two locations on the upstream side and the downstream side of the conveyance path. .

In this way, since the plate-like workpiece is simultaneously polished on both sides by the pair of buffing rollers at at least two locations, the buffing roller and the backup roller each of the plate-like workpieces at one location as in the prior art. Compared with the case where only one side is polished, the location where the buffing roller is disposed can be halved to make the polishing apparatus compact.

In such a configuration, a pair of grip rollers and a pair of buffing rollers disposed on the upstream side in the middle of the transport path are used to polish a partial region including one end in the transport direction of the plate-like workpiece, A pair of grip rollers and a pair of buffing rollers disposed on the downstream side are configured to polish a region including an unpolished portion of the plate-like workpiece in the conveying direction opposite to the conveying direction. Is preferred.

In this way, the polishing apparatus can be made compact as described above, and appropriate polishing can be performed on the entire area of the plate-like workpiece. Therefore, even if burrs or the like are formed on both sides or one side of the plate-like workpiece, the burrs and the like are appropriately removed.

Further, in the above configuration, the plate-like workpiece is jetted and supplied with a fluid around the pair of grip rollers when the direction of the conveyance along the horizontal direction by the conveying unit and the feeding to the pair of buffing rollers is changed. Can be configured to receive.

In this way, when the flexible plate-like workpiece (the front end of the plate-like workpiece) reaches the position where the grip roller is disposed, the fluid jet is supplied and enters between the pair of grip rollers. Then, the direction is changed in the direction toward the pair of buffing rollers, and the plate-like workpiece (the rear end of the plate-like workpiece) that has been polished by the pair of buffing rollers comes out from between the pair of grip rollers. When the fluid is supplied, the direction is changed in the horizontal conveyance direction by the conveyance means. Thereby, the direction change with the grip roller of the plate-shaped workpiece | work which has flexibility is performed smoothly and reliably.

In the above configuration, the plate-like workpiece can be a flexible printed board.

In this way, the various advantages already described can be enjoyed accurately, and if the flexible printed circuit board is formed with a metal layer such as a copper foil on both sides, the advantages already described can be obtained more accurately. It can be enjoyed. Needless to say, the object to be polished is not limited to a flexible printed circuit board, but may be a flexible thin plate or other flexible plate-like workpiece.

On the other hand, according to the method of the present invention made to solve the above technical problem, a flexible plate-shaped workpiece is conveyed by a conveying means, and the plate-shaped workpiece is buffed during conveyance by the conveying means. In the polishing method that is polished by the polishing roller, a pair of grip rollers that sandwich the plate-like workpiece are arranged in the middle of the conveyance path formed by the conveyance means, and the plate-like workpiece is arranged by these grip rollers. Is fed along the vertical direction, and both surfaces of the fed plate-like workpiece are simultaneously polished by the buffing rollers between a pair of the buffing rollers arranged opposite to each other. .

Even with such a method, it is possible to obtain substantially the same operational effects as those obtained from the basic configuration of the apparatus.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the flexible plate-like workpiece is sandwiched between the pair of grip rollers and sent to the position where the buffing roller is disposed along the vertical direction, the front end of the plate-like workpiece is As it goes straight to the position where the buffing roller is disposed without bending due to its own weight, and both surfaces of the plate-like workpiece are simultaneously polished by the pair of buffing rollers, the occurrence of warpage is avoided, Degradation of the quality of the plate workpiece is suppressed. In addition, since the conventional backup roller is not necessary, problems such as dents on the plate-like workpiece due to the intervention of foreign matter are avoided, and combined with the above-described suppression of warpage, the quality of the plate-like workpiece is further reduced. Deterred more reliably.

It is a schematic front view which shows the whole structure of the grinding | polishing apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an overall configuration of a polishing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. It is an expansion schematic perspective view which shows the principal part of the grinding | polishing apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is an expansion schematic front view which shows the principal part of the grinding | polishing apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C are schematic front views showing the operation of the polishing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are schematic front views showing the operation of the polishing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 8A, 8B, and 8C are schematic front views showing the operation of the polishing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 9A, 9B and 9C are schematic front views showing the operation of the polishing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 10A, 10B, and 10C are schematic front views showing the operation of the polishing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 11A, 11B, and 11C are schematic front views showing the operation of the polishing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic front view which shows typically the principal part of the grinding | polishing apparatus which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic front view which shows typically the principal part of the grinding | polishing apparatus which concerns on 3rd embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing the overall configuration of the polishing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the overall configuration of the polishing apparatus. FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. Further, FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic perspective view showing the main part of the polishing apparatus, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged schematic front view showing the main part of the polishing apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1, the polishing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a flexible print as a plate-like workpiece having flexibility with a plate thickness of 0.1 mm or less (for example, 0.084 mm) inside a housing 2. It has the conveyance path | route 3 which conveys the thin board | substrate (henceforth a printed circuit board only) P containing a board | substrate along a horizontal direction. The conveyance path 3 includes a carry-in conveyance path 3A leading to the carry-in entrance 4 through which the printed board P is carried in, a polishing conveyance path 3B through which the printed board P is polished and carried, and a carry-out exit 5 through which the printed board P is carried out. It is roughly divided into a carrying path 3C for carrying out.

A plurality of lower transport rollers 6 that transport from the upstream side (left side in the figure) to the downstream side (right side in the figure) in a state where the printed circuit board P is placed are arranged in the carry-in transport path 3A along the horizontal direction. Has been. An inlet sensor 7 that detects that the front end (right end in the figure) of the printed circuit board P transported by the lower transport roller 6 has reached the initial position at the downstream end of the transport path 3A for loading, A board stopper 8 that stops the printed board P by being lowered based on a signal from the inlet sensor 7 is provided.

In the polishing transport path 3B, a plurality of lower transport rollers 6 and a plurality of upper transport rollers 9 that sandwich and transport the printed circuit board P with a small force are arranged along the horizontal direction, A pair of upper and

lower clamping rollers

10 and 11 for clamping the entire area of the printed circuit board P and draining the printed circuit board P are disposed at the downstream ends. Note that the arrangement pitch of the upper conveyance rollers 9 is twice the arrangement pitch of the lower conveyance rollers 6, and the upper conveyance rollers 9 are disposed above the other lower conveyance rollers 6. In this case, the arrangement pitch of the upper conveyance rollers 9 and the arrangement pitch of the lower conveyance rollers 6 may be the same. In addition, a pair of left and

right grip rollers

12 and 13 for holding the printed circuit board P with a large force are disposed opposite to each other at two locations on the upstream side and the downstream side in the intermediate portion of the polishing transport path 3B. A pair of left and right buffing

rollers

14 and 15 are arranged oppositely below the two

grip rollers

12 and 13, respectively. Further, on the upstream side of the two

grip rollers

12 and 13 in the polishing transport path 3B, initial

position detection sensors

18 and 19 for detecting that the front end of the printed circuit board P has reached the initial polishing position are arranged. It is installed. Furthermore, of each of the pair of

grip rollers

12 and 13 disposed at two locations, the direction changing

guide rollers

16 and 17 are disposed opposite to each other at the upper right side of the

grip rollers

12 and 13 existing on the upstream side. In addition, fluid ejecting means 20 and 21 for ejecting a fluid such as water or air (water in the present embodiment) obliquely downward to the right are respectively provided on the upper left of the

grip rollers

12 and 13 on the upstream side. It is arranged. Further, on the left and right sides of the respective positions where the pair of buffing

rollers

14 and 15 are disposed below the polishing conveyance path 3B, the corresponding

grip rollers

12 and 13 and the buffing

rollers

14 and 15 and the printed circuit board P are provided. A polishing liquid supply means 22 is provided for spraying and supplying the polishing liquid toward the surface.

A plurality of lower transport rollers 6 and upper transport rollers 9 that sandwich the printed circuit board P with a small force are arranged along the horizontal direction in the transport path 3C for unloading, and at the downstream end of the printed circuit board P, An outlet sensor 23 for detecting that the front end has reached the vicinity of the carry-out port 5 is provided.

In this case, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lower transport roller 6 is formed by fixing a plurality of roller bodies 6b in parallel on a roller shaft 6a orthogonal to the upstream / downstream direction (transport direction). . More specifically, ten or more roller bodies 6b having a thickness of ½ or less of the diameter are fixed on the roller shaft 6a, and each roller body 6b on one roller shaft 6a among the adjacent roller shafts 6a. Each roller body 6b on the other roller shaft 6a enters a gap therebetween. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper conveying roller 9 is also formed by fixing a plurality of similar roller bodies 9b in parallel on a roller shaft 9a orthogonal to the upstream and downstream directions.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the upstream end roller and the downstream

end sandwiching rollers

10 and 11 each have a cylindrical surface whose outer peripheral surface extends continuously in an axial direction perpendicular to the upstream / downstream direction. The length in the direction is a length that can sandwich the entire area of the printed circuit board P. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the outer peripheral surface of each grip roller 12 (13) and the outer peripheral surface of each buffing roller 14 (15) are also cylindrical surfaces extending continuously in the axial direction orthogonal to the upstream and downstream directions. None, the axial lengths of these cylindrical surfaces are such that the entire area of the printed circuit board P can be sandwiched. The direction changing guide roller 16 (17) is also a cylindrical surface having the same axial length as described above.

FIG. 5 shows the peripheral structure of the pair of grip rollers 12 and the pair of buffing rollers 14 on the upstream side. Since the peripheral structure of the pair of grip rollers 13 and the pair of buffing rollers 15 on the downstream side is substantially the same, the components are denoted by parenthesized symbols in FIG. To do. As shown in the figure, the printed circuit board P transported from the upstream side of the polishing transport path 3B to the downstream side in the horizontal direction as the lower transport roller 6 and the upper transport roller 9 rotate in the direction of arrow a At the time of reaching the upstream grip roller 12 of the pair of grip rollers 12, the fluid (water) flow W1 supplied from the fluid ejecting means 20 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the upstream grip roller 12. It is clamped between the pair of grip rollers 12. Then, when both the grip rollers 12 rotate forward in the direction of the arrow b, the printed circuit board P sandwiched between the both grip rollers 12 is sent downward and sent between the pair of buffing rollers 14. It is. The printed board P thus fed is ground on both the front and back surfaces by the pair of buffing rollers 14 so that the polishing is performed until just before the rear end of the printed board P is separated from the pair of grip rollers 12. It has become.

Thereafter, when the pair of grip rollers 12 are reversed in the direction of the arrow c, the printed board P is sent upward, and the pair of buffing rollers 14 perform simultaneous polishing on both sides in the opposite direction to the above. This is performed for the same region of the substrate P. In this case, immediately after the upward feeding of the printed circuit board P is started, the rear end of the printed circuit board P is connected to the grip roller 12 on the downstream side by the flow W2 of the fluid (water) ejected from the fluid ejecting means 20. Is sandwiched between the lower transport roller 6 and the upper transport roller 9 on the downstream side while contacting the outer peripheral surface, and then the printed circuit board P is transported downstream in the horizontal direction. Note that the pair of buffing rollers 14 maintains rotation in the direction of the arrow d.

Next, the operation of polishing the printed circuit board P by the polishing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described in time series.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the printed circuit board P carried in through the carry-in entrance 4 is transported downstream by the lower transport roller 6 in the transport path 3A for transporting in, and the front end of the printed circuit board P by the entrance sensor 7 When it is detected that has reached the initial position, the substrate stopper 8 is lowered to the state shown in the figure.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 6B, the printed board P stops at the front end of the printed board P just before the clamping roller 10 in contact with the board stopper 8. The front ends of the printed circuit boards P are aligned in a direction orthogonal to the upstream and downstream directions, and the printed circuit board P is maintained in an accurate posture.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6C, the printed circuit board P is conveyed downstream by the lower conveyance roller 6 and the upper conveyance roller 9 while being sandwiched between the pair of upper and lower clamping rollers 10, and the upstream side initial stage The position detection sensor 18 detects that the front end of the printed circuit board P has reached the initial polishing position. In this case, based on the signal from the initial position detection sensor 18, the normal rotation and reverse rotation timing of the grip roller 12 according to the length and the conveyance speed of the printed circuit board P and the water injection supply timing from the fluid ejection means 20. Etc. are controlled by a control means (not shown).

Then, as the printed board P is further conveyed to the downstream side, the printed board P is changed in direction by the flow W1 of water from the direction changing guide roller 16 and the fluid ejecting means 20, and FIG. As shown in the figure, the front part is fed downward while being sandwiched between the pair of normally rotating grip rollers 12, and the front end smoothly enters between the pair of buffing rollers 14.

Thus, after the front end of the printed circuit board P enters between the pair of buffing rollers 14, the printed circuit board P is sent downward while the both surfaces of the printed circuit board P are simultaneously polished by the pair of buffing rollers 14. Then, the downward feeding accompanying the polishing of the printed circuit board P is stopped immediately before the rear end of the printed circuit board P is separated from between the pair of grip rollers 12, as shown in FIG. 7B. At this time, the succeeding printed circuit board P1 passes through the inlet sensor 7 and is stopped by the board stopper 8 and is in a standby state.

After this, the pair of grip rollers 12 are reversed and the preceding printed circuit board P is sent upward. At this time, the pair of buffing rollers 14 rotating in the same direction causes the printed circuit board P to rotate. Both sides are simultaneously polished in substantially the same direction as above. Immediately after the start of feeding upward of the printed circuit board P, the rear end of the printed circuit board P becomes the front end, and the front end is driven by the direction changing guide roller 16 and the water flow W2 from the fluid ejecting means 20. When the direction is changed so as to go downstream in the horizontal direction and the rear end, which is the initial front end of the printed circuit board P, is separated from between the pair of buffing rollers 14 by feeding upward, as shown in FIG. In addition, the printed circuit board P is further conveyed downstream by the lower conveyance roller 6 and the upper conveyance roller 9. Note that the front region (initial rear region) of the printed circuit board P is an unpolished region. At this point, the succeeding printed circuit board P1 can be transported toward the downstream side by raising the substrate stopper 8.

Further, the preceding printed circuit board P is transported to the downstream side, and its front end (initial rear end) is detected by the downstream initial position detection sensor 19 as shown in FIG. The time of forward and reverse rotation of the grip roller 13 and the operation of the fluid ejecting means 21 are specified. At this time, the subsequent printed circuit board P1 is sandwiched by the pair of upstream-side sandwiching rollers 10 and conveyed downstream. Is done.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, the preceding printed board P and the succeeding printed board P1 are transported to the downstream side, so that the front end of the preceding printed board P is shown in FIG. 8C. However, when it reaches immediately before the downstream grip roller 13, the front end of the subsequent printed circuit board P1 is detected by the upstream initial position detection sensor 18, and the forward rotation of the pair of upstream grip rollers 12 is performed. And the timing of reverse rotation and the operation of the fluid ejecting means 20 are specified.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 9 (a), when the front end of the preceding printed circuit board P is changed in direction and sent downward and enters between the pair of buffing rollers 15 on the downstream side, The front end of the printed circuit board P1 is changing its direction in the vicinity of the grip roller 12 on the upstream side. The upstream grip roller 12 and buffing roller 14 and the downstream grip roller 13 and buffing roller 15 have the same operation in the rotational direction and the like.

Then, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the preceding printed board P is further sent downward, the front area, which is an unpolished area of the printed board P, is caused by a pair of downstream buffing rollers 15. At this point, the subsequent printed circuit board P1 starts to penetrate between the pair of buffing rollers 14 on the upstream side. Further, as shown in FIG. 9C, when the trailing edge of the preceding printed circuit board P stops just before the pair of grip rollers 13 are separated, the subsequent printed circuit board P1 is polished with feeding downward. On the way. Therefore, in this polishing apparatus 1, a plurality of (two in the illustrated example) printed circuit boards P and P1 are subjected to the polishing process simultaneously.

Then, as shown in FIG. 10A, when the preceding printed circuit board P is in the middle of polishing with upward feeding, the rear end of the subsequent printed circuit board P1 is immediately before the separation between the pair of grip rollers 13. At this point, the subsequent (third) printed circuit board P2 passes through the inlet sensor 7 and is stopped by the substrate stopper 8. Therefore, in this polishing apparatus 1, a plurality of (three in the illustrated example) printed circuit boards P, P1, and P2 are simultaneously subjected to processing such as conveyance and polishing. The preceding printed circuit board P is polished by the downstream buffing roller 15 in the opposite direction to that by the upstream buffing roller 14.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10B, the front end of the printed circuit board P passes through the outlet sensor 23 and is slightly passed from the carry-out port 5 in a state where the preceding printed board P is sandwiched between the pair of upper and lower sandwiching rollers 11 on the downstream side. At the time of projecting to the outside, the subsequent printed circuit board P1 and the subsequent printed circuit board P2 are in the same state as shown in FIG. In addition, after the state shown in FIG. 10C, the front end of the preceding printed circuit board P gradually moves from the carry-out port 5 in accordance with the change modes shown in FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 11C. By projecting, the subsequent printed circuit board P1 and the subsequent printed circuit board P2 become the same as the change modes shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C. Then, when the rear end of the preceding printed circuit board P passes through the exit sensor, the processing in the polishing apparatus 1 for the printed circuit board P is completed.

In the above-described embodiment, all of the carry-in transport path 3A, the polishing transport path 3B, and the carry-out transport path 3C are configured along the horizontal direction, but at least one of these

paths

3A, 3B, and 3C. One may be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction.

FIG. 12 exemplifies the polishing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. For the sake of convenience, the conveyance roller and the like are omitted, and the movement locus of the printed circuit board P is illustrated by a one-dot chain line. . As shown in the figure, the polishing apparatus 1 is configured such that all or a part of the conveying path from the carry-in port to the upstream grip roller 12 is partially or along the vertical path 3A1 and from the downstream grip roller 13. All or part of the path 3C1 of the conveyance path leading to the carry-out port is configured to be along the vertical direction. Since other configurations are substantially the same as those of the polishing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment described above, the same reference numerals are given to common components, and descriptions of operations and the like are omitted.

FIG. 13 illustrates the polishing apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In this case as well, for the sake of convenience, the conveyance roller and the like are omitted, and the movement locus of the printed circuit board P is illustrated by a dashed line. Is. As shown in the figure, the polishing apparatus 1 is configured such that the printed circuit board P that has been transported along the horizontal direction (may be in the vertical direction) from the carry-in entrance and has reached the upstream grip roller 12 is sent only downward. After both surfaces are simultaneously polished by the upstream buffing roller 14, the direction is changed and conveyed to reach directly below the downstream buffing roller 15, and further the direction is changed and sent only upward. Both surfaces are simultaneously polished by the buffing roller 15 on the side, and thereafter, the buffing roller 15 passes through the grip roller 13 on the downstream side and reaches the carry-out port along the horizontal direction (may be the vertical direction). In this case, the upstream grip roller 12 and the downstream grip roller 13 that sandwich the printed circuit board P are above and below the upstream buff polishing roller 14 and above and below the downstream buff polishing roller 15, respectively. The

grip rollers

12 and 13 and the buffing

rollers

14 and 15 rotate in a direction in which an arrow is attached to the corresponding rollers. Other configurations are substantially the same as those of the polishing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment described above, and therefore, common constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

In the above embodiment, the transport roller is used as the transport means for transporting the printed circuit board P. However, the transport means may be a transport conveyor or a combination of the transport roller and the transport conveyor. Good.

1 Polishing device 3A Conveyance route (conveyance route for loading)
3B transfer path (polishing transfer path)
3C transport route (transport route for unloading)
6 Transport means (lower transport roller)
9 Transport means (upper transport roller)
12 Grip roller (upstream grip roller)
13 Grip roller (downstream grip roller)
14 Buffing roller (upstream buffing roller)
15 Buffing roller (downstream buffing roller)
16 Direction changing guide roller (Upstream direction changing guide roller)
17 Direction changing guide roller (downstream direction changing guide roller)
20 Fluid ejecting means (upstream fluid ejecting means)
21 Fluid ejecting means (downstream fluid ejecting means)
P Printed circuit board (thin substrate)
P1 Printed circuit board (thin substrate)
P2 Printed circuit board (thin substrate)
W1 Fluid (water) flow W2 Fluid (water) flow

Claims

In the polishing apparatus configured so that the plate-shaped workpiece having flexibility is conveyed by the conveying means, and the plate-shaped workpiece is polished by the buffing roller in the middle of the conveyance by the conveying means,
A pair of grip rollers that sandwich the plate-like workpiece are arranged opposite to each other in the middle of the conveyance path formed by the conveyance means, and the plate-like workpiece is sent along the vertical direction by these grip rollers, and the A polishing apparatus characterized in that both surfaces of a fed plate-like work are simultaneously polished by a buffing roller between a pair of buffing rollers arranged opposite to each other.
The conveying path is formed so that the conveying means conveys the plate-like workpiece along the horizontal direction, and the pair of buffing rollers are arranged below the pair of grip rollers in the middle of the conveying path. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the polishing apparatus is provided.
The plate-like workpiece is configured such that both surfaces thereof are simultaneously polished by the pair of buffing rollers by performing upward feeding after being fed downward while being sandwiched by the pair of grip rollers. The polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the polishing apparatus is characterized in that:
The pair of grip rollers and the pair of buffing rollers are respectively disposed in at least two locations on the upstream side and downstream side of the conveyance path. A polishing apparatus according to claim 1.
A pair of grip rollers and a pair of buffing rollers arranged on the upstream side in the middle of the conveyance path are used to polish a partial region including one end in the conveyance direction of the plate-like workpiece and arranged on the downstream side. 5. The structure including a pair of grip rollers and a pair of buff polishing rollers so as to polish an area including an unpolished portion of the plate-like workpiece in a conveying direction opposite to each other. The polishing apparatus according to 1.
The plate-like workpiece is configured to receive a fluid jet supply around the pair of grip rollers when changing the direction of conveyance along the horizontal direction by the conveyance means and feeding to the pair of buffing rollers. The polishing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein:
The polishing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the plate-like workpiece is a flexible printed board.
In a polishing method in which a plate-shaped workpiece having flexibility is conveyed by a conveying means, and the plate-shaped workpiece is polished by a buffing roller in the middle of conveyance by the conveying means,
A pair of grip rollers that sandwich the plate-like workpiece are arranged opposite to each other in the middle of the conveyance path formed by the conveyance means, and the plate-like workpiece is sent along the vertical direction by these grip rollers, and the A polishing method characterized in that both surfaces of a fed plate-like workpiece are simultaneously polished by a buffing roller between a pair of the buffing rollers arranged opposite to each other.