JP2009268973A - Coating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coating apparatus capable of stabilizing the gap between a substrate and a coater, controlling the speed of a substrate one by one, carrying out frame coating, and forming no scratch in the rear face of a substrate. <P>SOLUTION: The coating apparatus includes a coater 3b for applying a coating liquid to top of a substrate P, a backing roll 5 rotably and drivably disposed below the coater 3b, having suction holes 7 in the outer circumference and transporting the substrate P with suction, transporting rollers 6a and 6b installed at positions lower than the backing roll 5 upstream and downstream of the backing roll 5 and for transporting the substrate P with suction, a carrying-in conveyer installed upstream of the upstream transporting roller 6a for carrying the substrate P into the backing roll 5, and a carrying-out conveyer installed downstream of the downstream transporting roller 6b for carrying the substrate P out of the backing roll 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is used for manufacturing a color filter for a liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for a plasma display, an optical filter, a printed board, and the like, and relates to a coating apparatus that forms a coating film by coating a coating liquid on the substrate.

  This type of coating apparatus includes a substrate transfer type in which a substrate is transferred by a transfer device (substrate transfer robot) and a substrate continuous transfer type in which the substrate is transferred by a transfer belt.

  As a substrate transfer type coating device, Patent Document 1 discloses that a substrate is carried into a mounting table by a transfer device (substrate transport robot), and either the mounting table or the applicator is moved relative to the substrate. An application device is described in which a substrate is unloaded by a transfer device after a coating film is formed.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, a plurality of substrates can be placed on a table, and while a coating film is formed on a substrate placed at an arbitrary position of the table, the substrate is transferred by another transfer device at another position. A coating apparatus is described in which the time required for processing one substrate is shortened by discharging and / or placing.

  However, these substrate transfer type coating apparatuses require time for replacing the substrate, and the tact time required for processing one substrate is long, so that improvement in productivity cannot be expected.

  As a substrate continuous conveyance type coating apparatus, in Patent Document 3, a conveyance belt is provided before and after the applicator, an elastic frame is set on the substrate carried in from the previous process, and the elastic frame is attached to the front conveyance belt. A coating apparatus is described that transports while vacuum-sucking through a hole provided in the substrate, passes the coating device through the hole, coats the substrate, and then discharges it with a rear conveyor belt.

  However, the coating apparatus disclosed in the cited document 3 has a problem that the gap between the substrate and the die of the applicator is not constant because the suction force of the substrate disappears in the applicator portion.

  Further, in Patent Document 4, as shown in FIG. 5, a driving conveyor 102 for moving the substrate P to the upstream side of the applicator 101 and a rotational resistance for causing the substrate P to press against each other on the downstream side. And a conveyor 104 having a constant rotational resistance between the conveyors 102 and 103, and a plurality of substrates P provided immediately below the belts of the conveyors 102, 103, and 104. A coating apparatus is described in which the coating device 106 is applied to each substrate P by the applicator 101 while being suctioned by 105 and continuously moved without leaving a gap.

  However, in the coating apparatus of the cited document 4, since the coating is performed on the belts of the drive conveyors 102, 103, and 104, it is difficult to keep the flatness of the belt within a predetermined tolerance (for example, 10 μm). There is a problem that the gap between the vessel 101 and the die is not constant. In addition, since the coating is continuously performed without leaving a gap between the substrate P that moves continuously and the adjacent substrate P, so-called frame coating (see FIG. 6) that leaves a margin for gripping on the entire periphery of the substrate P cannot be performed. There's a problem. Further, since there is a speed difference between the drive conveyors 102, 103, and 104, there is a possibility that slip occurs between the back surface of the substrate P and the belt of the drive conveyors 102, 103, and 104 and wrinkles occur on the substrate P.

In addition, there is a method of performing application while sucking a film-like object to be applied with a roller as in References 5 and 6, but in this case, it cannot be used for a glass substrate or the like.
JP 2000-197844 A JP 2002-102771 A JP 2000-151074 A JP 2002-45775 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-277418 JP-A-6-039333

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems. A coating apparatus that can stabilize the gap between the substrate and the applicator, and can control the speed of the substrates one by one. It is an object of the present invention to provide a coating apparatus capable of performing the above and a coating apparatus in which wrinkles are not generated on the back surface of the substrate.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides:
An applicator for applying a coating solution on a substrate;
A backing roll that is rotatably arranged at a position facing the applicator, has a suction hole on the outer periphery, and transports the substrate while sucking;
A transport roller for transporting the substrate to the upstream side and the downstream side of the backing roll;
It is characterized by consisting of.

  It is preferable that the conveyance roller conveys the substrate while sucking it. In this case, it is preferable that the transport roller is disposed at a position lower than the backing roll.

The coating apparatus is further disposed on the upstream side of the upstream side conveyance roller, and a carry-in conveyor for carrying the substrate into a backing roll;
An unloading conveyor disposed on the downstream side of the downstream conveying roller, and unloading the substrate from the backing roller;
It is preferable to have.

  It is preferable that the applicator has a pair of application heads that can be alternately switched between an application position and a cleaning position. In this case, it is preferable to provide a cleaning device for cleaning the coating head at the cleaning position between the upstream-side transport roller and the carry-in conveyor or between the downstream-side transport roller and the carry-out conveyor.

  It is preferable that the applicator or the cleaning device is provided to be movable up and down at the cleaning position.

  According to the present invention comprising the above means, since the backing roll is disposed below the applicator, the gap between the substrate transported on the belt backing roll and the applicator is stabilized, and the coating accuracy is improved. .

  In addition, the speed can be controlled constant one by one while sucking the substrate with the backing roll and the conveyor. For this reason, there is no slip between the substrate and the backing roll or the conveyor, and no wrinkles are generated on the back surface of the substrate.

  Furthermore, the substrate is transported one by one with a gap between the substrates to be transported, and the coating is started from a certain distance from the front end of the substrate while controlling the speed at the start and end of coating, while leaving a certain distance from the rear end. By finishing the coating at the position, so-called frame painting becomes possible.

  Furthermore, by providing a pair of coating heads and a cleaning device, the coating head at the cleaning position can be cleaned by the cleaning device while the coating liquid is applied to the substrate by the coating head at the coating position. The tact time can be further shortened.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a coating apparatus 1 according to the present invention. The coating apparatus 1 has a pair of coating heads 3a and 3b provided on a support frame 2 so as to be movable up and down. The support frame 2 can be rotated 180 degrees about the vertical axis 4, and the pair of coating heads 3a and 3b are alternately arranged at a downstream coating position and an upstream cleaning position in the conveyance direction of the substrate P indicated by an arrow a. The position can be switched to. Each of the pair of coating heads 3a and 3b is composed of a slit die, and can apply the coating liquid to a desired thickness on the substrate P transported at a constant speed at the coating position.

  Below the coating head 3b on the downstream side, the backing roll 5 and conveying rollers 6a and 6b are arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side thereof.

  The backing roll 5 is supported so that the shafts at both ends can be driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow r so that the axis of the backing roll 5 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the coating head 3b. As shown in FIG. 2, the backing roll 5 is a hollow cylindrical metal roll having a diameter of about 400 to 500 mm, and a large number of suction holes 7 preferably 0.5 to 2.0 mm are regularly formed on the outer surface thereof. Is formed. A through hole 9 is formed in the shaft 8 at both ends of the backing roll 5, and the through hole 9 is connected to a suction device 10 such as a vacuum pump. When the suction device 10 is driven, air in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the backing roll 5 is sucked through the suction hole 7, drawn into the backing roll 5, and guided to the suction device 10 through the through hole 9. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the suction port 7 in the vicinity of the substrate P may be surrounded by a cover 11 so as to locally suck the coated portion of the substrate P. Further, in order to make the suction force of the backing roll 5 and the transport rollers 6a and 6b constant, the electromagnetic valves 10a. 10b, 10c, and when there is no substrate P above the backing roll 5 and the transport rollers 6a, 6b, the solenoid valves 10a. You may make it not suck | suck by closing 10b and 10c.

  The upstream and downstream transport rollers 6 a and 6 b of the backing roll 5 are each composed of one or two rollers 12 having a diameter of about 100 mm arranged in parallel to the backing roll 5, and the substrate P is connected to the backing roll 5. It can be conveyed in the direction of arrow a with the same conveying force. An upward opening duct 13 connected to the suction device 10 is disposed below the transport rollers 6a and 6b. Thereby, the air above the transport rollers 6 a and 6 b is sucked from the gap between the rollers 12 and guided to the same suction device 10 as the backing roll 5.

  The height of the uppermost part of the outer periphery of the backing roll 5 is set higher by 0 to 500 μm than the height of the uppermost part of the outer periphery of the transport rollers 6a and 6b. This difference in height can correct the warp of the substrate P without damaging the substrate P conveyed from the upstream conveying roller 6a through the backing roll 5 to the downstream conveying roller 6b, and the substrate P is backed. It is a level which can ensure the adhesive force to the roll 5 and each roller 12.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a cleaning device 14 is disposed below the upstream application head 3a so as to be movable up and down. The cleaning device 14 can be reciprocated along the discharge port of the coating head 3a, and can employ any type including a scraping blade, a cleaning brush, a cleaning nozzle, or a cleaning roll.

  A carry-in conveyor 15 is disposed upstream of the cleaning device 14 in the conveyance direction of the substrate P. Similarly, a carry-out conveyor 16 is disposed downstream of the backing roll 5 and the conveyance roller 6b in the conveyance direction of the substrate P. The carry-in conveyor 15 carries the board | substrate P in the backing roll 5 from the previous process. The unloading conveyor 16 unloads the substrate P from the backing roll 5 and conveys it to the next process.

  Next, operation | movement of the coating device 1 which consists of the said structure is demonstrated according to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, one application head 3b is placed at the application position (ie, above the backing roll 5), and the other application head 3a is placed at the cleaning position (ie, above the cleaning device 14). In this state, the substrate P is carried in by the carry-in conveyor 15, and the front end of the substrate P is positioned below the coating head 3b. Here, in order to enable the frame painting, the front end of the substrate P is positioned downstream of the coating head 3b. The rear end of the substrate P is located downstream from the point directly above the cleaning device 14 so as not to prevent the cleaning device 14 from rising.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 3B, the coating head 3b at the coating position is lowered, the backing roll 5 and the transport rollers 6a and 6b are driven, and the suction device 10 is driven so that the substrate P is placed on the back surface. Then, the coating liquid is transported in the transport direction indicated by the arrow a, and the coating liquid is discharged from the coating head 3 b to be coated, and a coating film is formed on the substrate P. On the other hand, the cleaning device 14 is moved up and moved along the longitudinal direction of the coating head 3a at the cleaning position to clean the coating head 3a. Thereby, the coating of the substrate P by the coating head 3b at the coating position and the cleaning of the coating head 3a at the cleaning position can be performed simultaneously, and the tact time can be shortened. Note that the substrate P to be processed next is kept on the carry-in conveyor 15 during the coating and cleaning processes. Further, instead of raising the cleaning device 14, the coating head 3a may be lowered.

  During the coating of the substrate P by the coating head 3b, the substrate P is sucked from the gap between the suction hole 7 of the backing roll 5 and the transport rollers 6a and 6b. It is transported in close contact. For this reason, the clearance gap between the board | substrate P and the application | coating head 3b is stabilized, and a coating film can be formed with a highly accurate film | membrane pressure.

  Also, the substrate P can be sucked by the backing roll 5 and the transport rollers 6a and 6b, and the speed can be controlled constant one by one. For this reason, no slip occurs between the substrate P, the backing roll 5 and the transport rolls 6a and 6b, and no wrinkles occur on the back of the substrate P.

  When the rear end of the substrate P approaches the lower side of the coating head 3b, as shown in FIG. 3C, the transport of the substrate P is stopped and the coating head 3b is raised while leaving a predetermined distance to the rear end. Let On the other hand, the cleaning device 14 that has finished cleaning the coating head 3a at the cleaning position is lowered. Subsequently, by rotating the support frame 2 about the vertical axis 4 by 180 °, the coating head 3a after cleaning is switched to the coating position, and the coating head 3b after coating is switched to the cleaning position. In this state, the carry-out conveyor 16 is driven to carry out the coated substrate P toward the next process, and the next substrate P that has been waiting on the carry-in conveyor 15 is carried in. Thereby, it will be in the state shown to Fig.3 (a), and the same process is repeated hereafter.

  In the above embodiment, the transport rollers 6a and 6b that transport the substrate P while sucking the upstream side and the downstream side of the backing roll 5 are provided. However, when the substrate P is small and a large suction force is not required. These conveyance rollers 6a and 6b may be omitted, and the conveyance conveyors 15 and 16 may be extended to the vicinity of the upstream and downstream sides of the backing roll 5, as shown in FIG. Further, the coating head 3 may be a single unit as shown in FIG.

The side view of the coating device which concerns on this invention. The expanded sectional view of the principal part of FIG. The side view which shows in order the process of apply | coating a board | substrate using a pair of application | coating head. The side view which shows the modification of the coating device which concerns on this invention. The side view of the conventional coating device. The perspective view of the board | substrate which carried out frame painting.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Coating apparatus 3a, 3b ... Coating head 5 ... Backing roll 6a, 6b ... Conveyance roller 7 ... Suction hole 14 ... Cleaning apparatus 15 ... Carry-in conveyor 16 ... Carry-out conveyor P ... Board | substrate

Claims (6)

An applicator for applying a coating solution on a substrate;
A backing roll that is rotatably arranged at a position facing the applicator, has a suction hole on the outer periphery, and transports the substrate while sucking;
A transport roller for transporting the substrate to the upstream side and the downstream side of the backing roll;
An applicator characterized by comprising:   The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport roller transports the substrate while sucking the substrate.   The coating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transport roller is disposed at a position lower than the backing roll. A carry-in conveyor that is arranged on the upstream side of the carry roller on the upstream side and carries the substrate into a backing roll;
An unloading conveyor disposed on the downstream side of the downstream conveying roller, and unloading the substrate from the backing roller;
The coating apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: The applicator has a pair of application heads provided to be able to switch positions alternately between an application position and a cleaning position,
The cleaning device for cleaning the coating head at a cleaning position is provided between the upstream transport roller and the carry-in conveyor or between the downstream transport roller and the carry-out conveyor. 4. The coating apparatus according to 4.   The coating device according to claim 5, wherein the applicator or the cleaning device is provided to be movable up and down at the cleaning position.

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