CN101045228B - Coating method and coating apparatus, manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of display member - Google Patents

Abstract

A sort of coating method used to discharge the air which invades to the inner part of the applicator in the mould-type coating machine and the setting for carrying out the method, a manufacturing method of the monitor part which uses the coating method and the setting for carrying out the method. Utilizing the liquor-supplying device which can supply coating liquor to the applicator, a applicator which have inset of the coating liquor and escapement of the gas and coating liquor, an outset path with a opening and closing valve which is connect to the escapement and is about located at the same or lower location, a waste liquid pot which stores the waste liquid discharged from the gas escapement, a holding device which holds the coated part, and a coating equipment which makes the applicator and holding device do relative movement. The equipment moves the applicator corresponding to the coated parts and supplies the coating liquor to form a coated film on the surface. Before or after the coasted film has come into being, supply the liquor from the liquor-supplying device, and discharge the coating liquor and gas from the mentioned above opening and closing valve at the same time.

Description

Coating method and coating apparatus, manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of display member

technical field

The present invention is used, for example, in the fields of manufacturing color filters for color liquid crystal displays, array substrates, panels for plasma displays, optical color filters, and the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to a coating system capable of effectively discharging the gas intruded into the coater of a die coater (diecoater) that coats the surface of a member to be coated such as a glass substrate. A method and a coating apparatus, and a method and apparatus for manufacturing a member for a display using them.

Background technique

A color liquid crystal display composed of a color filter, an array substrate, etc. often includes a manufacturing process of coating a low-viscosity liquid material on the surface of a glass substrate as a member to be coated and drying it to form a coating film. For example, in the manufacturing process of a color filter, a black photoresist coating film is formed on a glass substrate, and then the coating film is processed into a grid by photolithography, and then the same is passed between the grids. The photolithography method sequentially forms coating films of red, blue, and green photoresist materials. In addition to the manufacturing process of the color filter, there is also a photoresist material for a spacer that forms a space for injecting liquid crystal between the color filter and the array substrate, or forming a concave-convex plane for making the surface of the color filter The manufacturing process of the supercoat coating film, etc.

Conventionally, a spinner, a rod coater, etc. are used for the coating apparatus used for these coating film formation. However, recently, die coating as disclosed in Patent Document 1 has come to be widely used from the viewpoints of reduction in consumption of coating liquid, reduction in power consumption, and ease of device enlargement accompanying enlargement of glass substrates. machine.

However, when such a die coater is used to coat a blade-shaped member to be coated such as a glass substrate, gas, that is, bubbles, may enter the inside of the coater. The main causes of gas intrusion include 1) gas intrusion through the connecting part of the pipe through which the coating liquid flows or the sliding part of the pump, and 2) foaming of the gas dissolved in the coating liquid inside the applicator. , 3) Inhalation of gas due to opening and closing of the nozzle for coating liquid supply or foaming due to volume change of the coating liquid, 4) Inhalation of gas from the discharge port of the applicator, etc. For the above reasons, if the gas enters the interior of the applicator, the discharge pressure at the start of coating will be delayed and the film thickness at the beginning of coating will be reduced, or the gas will flow from the outlet of the applicator to the coated surface. Cloth members are discharged as they are, causing coating defects such as pinholes and vertical streaks.

Therefore, an invention has been accomplished in which, when gas enters the inside of the applicator, the gas is discharged from the discharge port after the applicator is rotated so that the discharge port faces upward before the above-mentioned problem occurs, Alternatively, a gas discharge port is provided on the coater, and the coating liquid and the gas are discharged together from the gas discharge port. However, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, in the method of rotating the applicator to discharge gas from the upward discharge port, it is necessary to temporarily stop the coating production and rotate the applicator, and furthermore, it is necessary to rotate the applicator. The operation of the rotating mechanism and the coating liquid attached to the applicator after the gas is exhausted must be wiped off manually by the operator.

However, it takes a lot of time and labor for an operator to manually clean a large applicator corresponding to a large substrate. As a result, coating production is interrupted for a long time, resulting in a significant reduction in the operating rate or productivity of coating equipment used in coating production. In addition, in order to rotate the enlarged applicator, a high-precision and high-output rotating device is required, so the cost of the device increases.

On the other hand, the scheme of discharging the gas from the gas discharge port provided on the coater can discharge the gas during coating production with the discharge port facing downward, so it is possible to discharge the gas without rotating the coater. Avoid the above problems. Here, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 3, the gas discharge pipe connected to the gas discharge port is arranged at a position higher than the gas discharge port so that the gas can be discharged from the gas discharge port by utilizing buoyancy. However, since the hydraulic pressure due to the difference in height of the gas discharge pipe acts as a resistance at this position, the amount of coating liquid consumed to discharge the gas and the gas discharge time become larger and longer. Therefore, the gas discharge capability is significantly lowered.

In addition, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 4, an atmosphere-opening portion is provided in the pipeline of the gas discharge pipe. However, because this method also opens the uppermost part of the discharge path above the discharge port to the atmosphere, in order to discharge the gas, it is necessary to supply 1000 cc of a coating liquid of 5 cp that is substantially the same viscosity as the liquid crystal display manufacturing coating liquid, so the gas The discharge efficiency is very low. It is difficult in terms of cost to apply such a system that wastelessly consumes coating liquid to a very expensive coating liquid for liquid crystal display manufacture.

In addition, Patent Document 5 discloses an invention having a structure in which the upper edge of the manifold is inclined upward from the supply port toward the gas discharge port to facilitate gas flow to the gas discharge port. However, simply inclining the upper edge of the manifold does not fully exert the buoyancy of the gas, and it is difficult to discharge the gas adhering to the upper edge of the manifold. In addition, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 6 or Patent Document 7, since the cross-sectional area of the manifold at the position where the gas discharge port is provided is larger than the cross-sectional area of the manifold at the position where the supply port is provided, The flow velocity inside the manifold decreases as it gets closer to the gas discharge port. As a result, the ability to move the gas is reduced, and in particular, the gas discharge efficiency is also remarkably reduced when the applicator is enlarged.

In addition, if microscopic gas with a diameter of less than 1 mm, that is, microscopic air bubbles, invades the interior of the applicator, the buoyancy force acting on the microscopic gas or the impact flow force from the coating liquid is very small, so there is a tendency toward the gas discharge port. The moving speed of the moving gas becomes extremely low, and the gas adheres to the wall surface of the manifold during the movement and stops moving. In particular, when the applicator is enlarged, the movement path of the minute gas becomes longer, so it becomes extremely difficult to discharge the minute gas from the gas outlet. However, in any of the above-mentioned inventions, there is absolutely no description of a method for efficiently discharging the microscopic gas from the applicator. When microscopic gas enters the inside, there is only a method of discharging microscopic gas by increasing the supply rate or supply time of the coating liquid when the gas is discharged. Therefore, even if minute gas can be discharged, a large amount of coating liquid and time are required. Therefore, it is extremely difficult from the viewpoint of cost to apply the existing system to a very expensive coating liquid for liquid crystal display manufacture in order to discharge minute gas with a diameter of less than 1 mm. In addition, in the existing above-mentioned devices, since there are cases where the fine gas cannot be completely discharged, there are also cases where the fine gas is discharged from the discharge port to the member to be coated, causing coating defects such as fine holes or vertical streaks. Condition.

Patent Document 1: JP06-339656A

Patent Document 2: JP09-253556A

Patent Document 3: JP-2557582B

Patent Document 4: JP2000-176351A

Patent Document 5: JP2001-334197A

Patent Document 6: JP2005-144376A

Patent Document 7: JP2006-95459A

Contents of the invention

The present invention is made to solve the above-mentioned problems. The object of the present invention is to provide a method that can discharge any gas intruding into the coater with a small amount of coating liquid and in a short time, so that the production cycle time is short, the productivity is high, and high-quality coatings can be formed. A coating device and a coating method of a coating film, and a manufacturing device and a manufacturing method of a display member using the same. The object of the present invention is achieved by the solutions described below.

The coating method of the present invention utilizes a coater provided with a liquid supply device for supplying a coating liquid to the coater, a discharge port for discharging the coating liquid, and a gas discharge port for discharging gas together with the coating liquid, and The gas discharge port is connected and located at approximately the same height as the gas discharge port or at a position lower than the gas discharge port, and has a gas discharge path with an opening and closing valve in the middle, and a waste liquid that stores waste liquid discharged from the outlet of the gas discharge path The coating device of the tank, the holding device for holding the part to be coated, and the moving device for relatively moving the applicator and the holding device, while supplying the coating liquid from the discharge port to the part to be coated, moves the applicator and the part to be coated. The coating method of forming a coating film on the surface of the coated component by moving the coated component relatively, is characterized in that: before and/or after forming the coating film on the surface of the coated component, while from The liquid supply device supplies the liquid, and opens the on-off valve of the gas discharge path to discharge the coating liquid and gas from the gas discharge port. In the coating method of the present invention, it is preferable to open the on-off valve to discharge the coating liquid and gas from the gas discharge port with the outlet of the gas discharge path open to the atmosphere.

In addition, another coating method of the present invention is to use a coating device equipped with a liquid supply device that supplies a coating liquid to an applicator, a discharge port that discharges the coating liquid, and a gas discharge port that discharges gas together with the coating liquid. cloth, connected to the gas discharge port and the outlet is located at a lower position than the discharge port and has a gas discharge path with an on-off valve in the middle, a waste liquid tank for storing waste liquid discharged from the outlet of the gas discharge path, and holding the coated The holding device of the cloth member and the coating device of the moving device that relatively moves the applicator and the holding device make the applicator and the member to be coated face each other while supplying the coating liquid from the discharge port to the member to be coated The coating method of forming a coating film on the surface of a member to be coated by moving steadily, is characterized in that: before forming a coating film on the surface of a member to be coated and/or after forming, the liquid is supplied from a liquid supply device , while opening the on-off valve of the gas discharge path to discharge the coating liquid and gas from the gas discharge port. In the coating method of the present invention, it is preferable to open the on-off valve to discharge the coating liquid and gas from the gas discharge port with the outlet of the gas discharge path open to the atmosphere. In the coating method of the present invention, it is preferable that the liquid storage part of the waste liquid tank is opened to the atmosphere, the liquid level of the waste liquid stored in the waste liquid tank is located at a position lower than the discharge port of the applicator, and the gas discharge path When the outlet is immersed in the waste liquid in the waste liquid tank, open the on-off valve to discharge the coating liquid and gas from the gas discharge port.

Another coating method of the present invention utilizes a manifold having a manifold for expanding the coating liquid in the coating width direction, a discharge port for discharging the coating liquid, and a gas discharge port for discharging gas together with the coating liquid. The coater at the outlet, while discharging the coating liquid from the discharge port of the coater, moves the part to be coated and the applicator relatively to apply the coating liquid to the surface of the part to be coated The method is characterized in that: supply gas to the manifold filled with the coating liquid, then supply the coating liquid to the manifold, discharge a part of the gas and the coating liquid from the gas discharge port, and then apply the coating liquid on the Coat the surface of the part.

The method for producing a member for a display of the present invention is characterized in that any of the coating methods described above is used.

The coating device of the present invention comprises: a liquid supply device having a liquid supply path for supplying a coating liquid to an applicator; a manifold for spreading the coating liquid in the coating width direction; A coater that discharges the coating liquid from the discharge port and the gas discharge port that discharges the gas together with the coating liquid; a gas discharge path that is connected to the gas discharge port and has an on-off valve in the middle; holds the part to be coated A holding device; and a moving device for relatively moving the applicator and the holding device; characterized in that the gas discharge path is located at substantially the same height as the gas discharge port or at a position lower than the gas discharge port.

In addition, another coating device of the present invention includes: a liquid supply device having a liquid supply path for supplying a coating liquid to an applicator; and a manifold for spreading the coating liquid in the coating width direction. , a coater that spits out a coating liquid discharge port and a gas discharge port that discharges gas together with the coating liquid; a gas discharge path that is connected to the gas discharge port and has an on-off valve on the way; holds the coated part and a moving device for relatively moving the applicator and the holding device, wherein the outlet of the gas discharge path is located at a lower position than the discharge port.

Still another coating device of the present invention includes: a liquid supply device having a liquid supply path for supplying a coating liquid to an applicator; a manifold for spreading the coating liquid in the coating width direction; A coater that discharges the coating liquid from the discharge port and the gas discharge port that discharges the gas together with the coating liquid; a gas discharge path that is connected to the gas discharge port and has an on-off valve on the way; holds the parts to be coated A holding device; and a moving device for relatively moving the applicator and the holding device; it is characterized in that: the gas supply path for supplying gas to the applicator is at least connected to any one of the applicator, the liquid supply path or the gas discharge path . In the coating device of the present invention, it is preferable that the inlet of the gas supply path is open to the atmosphere.

In the coating device of the present invention, it is preferable that the applicator has a supply port for supplying the coating liquid from the liquid supply path to the applicator, and the cross-sectional area of the manifold in the coating width direction decreases from the supply port to the gas discharge port, Furthermore, the upper edge of the manifold is parallel to the discharge port surface or inclined upward from the supply port toward the gas discharge port on the basis of the discharge port surface. In the coating device of the present invention, it is preferable that the length of the parting surface (land) of the slit of the applicator decreases from the center in the coating width direction to both ends.

The manufacturing apparatus of the display member of this invention is characterized by using the coating apparatus described in any one of said above.

If the coating method and coating device of the present invention are used, the gas discharge path connected to the gas discharge port of the applicator is positioned at substantially the same height as the gas discharge port or at a position lower than the gas discharge port, With the outlet of the discharge path positioned lower than the discharge port, the on-off valve of the gas discharge path is opened while supplying liquid from the liquid supply device, and the coating liquid mixed with gas is discharged from the gas discharge port. Therefore, since the hydraulic pressure due to the difference in height of the gas discharge path does not become a resistance, and the principle of siphon can be used to promote the gas discharge, the gas can be discharged in a short time.

In addition, since the gas supply path connected to any one of the applicator, the liquid supply path, or the gas discharge path supplies a certain volume or more of gas to the manifold of the applicator, the microscopic gas is absorbed and incorporated into the gas supply path. In the internal gas area formed, the tiny gas disappears, and then the supplied gas and a small amount of coating liquid are discharged to the outside of the applicator, so the tiny gas that is difficult to discharge can be reliably discharged to the outside of the applicator in a short time. External discharge.

Furthermore, because of the coater used, the cross-sectional area of the manifold in the coating width direction decreases from the supply port to the gas discharge port, and the upper edge of the manifold is parallel to the discharge port surface including the discharge port or parallel to the discharge port surface. The standard is an applicator that slopes upward from the supply port to the gas discharge port, so even if the applicator is enlarged, the flow rate of the coating liquid inside the manifold from the supply port to the gas discharge port is high, so the gas flows to the gas discharge port. Since the movement of the gas is not hindered by the inclination of the upper edge of the manifold, the gas can be reliably discharged to the outside in a shorter time.

According to the coating method and coating apparatus described above, since the gas discharge operation can be performed during the coating production, the coating production will not be interrupted for a long time due to the gas discharge operation. As a result, the tact time can be easily shortened while improving the operating rate of the coating apparatus, so that the productivity can be greatly improved. Furthermore, since the very expensive coating liquid for liquid crystal display manufacture is not consumed needlessly in order to exhaust gas, it contributes greatly to cost reduction. In addition, since the gas inside the applicator can be completely discharged to the outside due to the excellent gas discharge performance, it is also possible to completely eliminate the delay in the discharge pressure at the start of coating caused by the gas inside the applicator, and the coating The film thickness at the beginning becomes thin, or the gas is directly discharged from the discharge port to the coated part, causing fine pores or vertical streaks, which are coating defects. In addition, since the rotation device of the applicator is also unnecessary, it is also possible to easily cope with an increase in the size of the substrate.

According to the manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus for display parts related to the present invention, because the above-mentioned superior coating method and coating device are used to manufacture display parts, it is possible to manufacture superior coatings at low cost and high yield. Quality components for monitors.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a die coater 1 as a coating device equipped with a coater 10 .

FIG. 2 is a schematic front cross-sectional view of the applicator 10 as viewed from the coating direction.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the applicator 10 perpendicular to the coating width direction.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of the applicator 10 to which a supply part and a discharge part of the coating liquid 2 are added.

5 is a schematic front cross-sectional view of the applicator 100 showing the state of the exhaust gas 100 during the coating liquid filling operation.

FIG. 6 is a schematic front cross-sectional view of the applicator 100 showing a state in which the intruding gas 100 is discharged during the coating operation.

FIG. 7 is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing how minute gas 101 inside the applicator 10 is eliminated by the gas supplied to the applicator 10 .

Symbol Description

1: Mold coating machine 2: Coating solution

3: Substrate 10: Applicator

11: Front lip 12: Back lip

13: Manifold 14: Slot

15: spit port 16: supply port

17A, 17B: Gas outlet 18: Supply internal flow path

19A, 19B: Gas discharge internal flow path 20: Upper edge of manifold

21: spout surface 22: applicator holding table

30: Abutment 31: Guide rail

32: Support table 33: Linear motor

34: Pillar 40: Lifting device unit

41: Lifting platform 42: Guidance department

43: Electric motor 44: Ball screw

50: Wiping unit 51: Wiping head

52: Wiping head driving device 53: Head holder

54: Tray 55: Wiping unit holding table

60: Coating liquid supply unit 61: Coating liquid tank

62: Pump supply path 63: On-off valve for suction

64: Syringe pump 65: On-off valve for discharge

66: Mold supply path 67: Syringe

68: Piston 69: Piston holder

70: Piston lifting guide 71: Motor for syringe pump

72: Ball screw for syringe pump 80A, 80B: Gas discharge path

81A, 81B: On-off valve for discharge 82A, 82B: Waste liquid tank

83: Waste liquid 84A, 84B: Waste liquid discharge path

85A, 85B: On-off valve for waste liquid 86A, 86B: Suction pump

87A, 87B: Hi side sensor 88A, 88B: Low side sensor

89: liquid level 90A, 90B: outlet of gas discharge path

91: Gas supply path 92: On-off valve for gas supply

93: Inlet of gas supply path 95: Control device

96: Operation panel 97: Suspension liquid (runner/bead)

100: gas 101: tiny gas

102: Gas supply X: Coating direction (substrate travel direction)

Ha: Profile length of the central part Hb: Length of the end profile

α: The inclination angle of the upper edge of the manifold Sa: The cross-sectional area of the manifold at the supply port

Sb: Cross-sectional area of the manifold at the gas discharge port θ: Inclination angle of the gas discharge path

H: The height difference between the discharge port and the liquid level of the waste liquid stored in the waste liquid tank

H': Height difference between the discharge port and the exit of the gas discharge path

Q3: The height of the Low side sensor

Q4: Height of Hi side sensor

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a die coater 1 according to the present invention. The die coater 1 includes a base 30 , and a pair of guide rails 31 are provided on the base 30 . On this guide rail 31, a support stand 32 is provided. The support table 32 is driven by a linear motor 33 and can freely reciprocate in the X direction shown in FIG. 1 . In addition, the upper surface of the support table 32 is a vacuum suction surface having a plurality of suction holes not shown in the figure, and the substrate 3 as a member to be coated can be suction-held. In addition, a door-shaped pillar 34 is provided on the base 30 . On both sides of the support column 34, a pair of lifter units 40 capable of reciprocating up and down directions are provided. The coater 10 for coating is attached to the lifter unit 40 with the discharge port 15 facing downward. The elevating device unit 40 is composed of an elevating table 41 for elevating and elevating the applicator holding table 22 holding the applicator 10, a guide part 42 for guiding the elevating table 41 in the up-down direction, a motor 43, and converting the rotational motion of the motor 43 into The ball screw 44 for the linear motion of the lifting table 41 is constituted. Since the lifter unit 40 can independently operate at both ends (left and right) of the coating width direction of the applicator 10, the deflection angle of the coating width direction of the coater 10 relative to the horizontal can be set arbitrarily. Thus, while the discharge port surface 21 of the applicator 10 and the substrate 3 as a member to be coated can be parallel to the coating width direction of the coater 10, it is also possible to align the surface of the substrate 3 and the discharge port surface The gap between the distances 21 is set to an arbitrary size.

Furthermore, a wiping unit 50 is provided on the base 30 . The wiping off unit 50 can freely reciprocate on the guide rail 31 in the X direction, which is the application direction, like the support table 32 . The wiping unit 50 is composed of a wiping head 51 , a wiping head driving device 52 , a head holder 53 , a tray 54 , and a wiping unit holding stand 55 . In addition, it is preferable that the wiping head 51 is formed in a shape fitted to the lower end portion of the applicator 10 and is an elastic body such as synthetic resin.

When wiping the lower end of the applicator 10 with the wiping unit 50, the wiping unit 50 is moved to the lower end of the applicator 10 along the X direction, and the applicator 10 is descended by the elevating device unit 40, so that the wiping head 51 and The lower end of the applicator 10 is in contact. Next, by moving the wiping head 51 in the coating width direction perpendicular to the X direction of the applicator 10 by the wiping head driving device 52 in a state where it is in contact with the lower end portion of the applicator 10, the adhered Residual coating liquid, particles, and the like at the lower end portion of the applicator 10 are removed. Residual coating liquid and particles removed by the applicator 10 are received by the tray 54 provided below the wiping head 51, passed through a waste liquid path not shown, and collected in a container not shown. In addition, the tray 54 can also be used to exchange the coating liquid 2 or the solvent discharged from the discharge port 15 for the purpose of changing the type of the coating liquid 2 or preventing the drying of the discharge port surface 21 which is the lower end of the applicator 10 . Recycle.

In addition, the die coater 1 is further provided with a coating liquid supply unit 60 for supplying the coating liquid 2 to the coater 10 . Here, referring to FIG. 4 , which shows in detail the supply path and discharge port path connected to the applicator 10 , it can be seen that the coating liquid supply device unit 60 is equipped with a coating liquid tank 61 storing the coating liquid 2 . The coating liquid 2 stored in the coating liquid tank 61 is supplied to a syringe pump 64 via a pump supply path 62 connected downstream of the coating tank 61 and a suction on-off valve 63 . The coating liquid 2 supplied to the syringe pump 64 is sent into the manifold 13 from the supply port 16 of the applicator 10 through the discharge on-off valve 65 and the mold supply path 66 . Here, the syringe pump 64 is made up of the syringe 67, the piston 68, the piston holder 69 holding the piston 68, the piston lift guide 70 that guides the piston holder 69 vertically, and the piston holder 69 in the vertical direction. An injection pump motor 71 which is a driving source for moving up and an injection pump ball screw 72 which converts the rotational motion of the injection pump motor 71 into linear motion of the piston holding table 69 and actually moves the piston holding table 69 are constituted. The syringe pump 64 is a fixed-volume pump, and the coating liquid 2 filled in the syringe 67 is pushed out by the piston 68 to supply the coating liquid 2 with a volume required for coating film formation to the applicator. 10. When filling the inside of the syringe 67 with the coating solution 2, the on-off valve 63 for suction installed upstream of the syringe 67 is set to "open", and the on-off valve 65 for discharge installed downstream of the syringe 67 is set to "open". Set to the "closed" state, and the piston 68 is lowered. In addition, when supplying the coating liquid 2 inside the syringe 67 to the applicator 10, the on-off valve 63 for suction is set to "closed" and the on-off valve 65 for discharge is set to "open". The piston 68 is raised.

Referring again to FIG. 1 , the coater 10 mounted on the die coater 1 has a front lip 11 and a rear lip 12 extending in the coating width direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface) in the coating direction. The upper overlap is composed of a plurality of assembly bolts not shown in the figure. In addition, the so-called coating direction corresponds to the X direction in FIG. 1 . In addition, a manifold 13 for spreading the coating liquid 2 supplied into the coater 10 in the coating width direction is formed on the coater 10 . The manifold 13 has a shape extending in the coating width direction similarly to the front lip 11 and the rear lip 12 . Here, the so-called coating width direction coincides with the longitudinal direction of the applicator 10 . Below the manifold 13, a slit 14 is formed as a gap between the front lip 11 and the rear lip 12, and the slit 14 also extends in the coating width direction. Furthermore, the lower end portion of the slit 14 serves as the discharge port 15 of the applicator 10 .

FIG. 2 is a schematic front cross-sectional view of the applicator 10, which is a view of the inside of the applicator 10 viewed from a coating direction perpendicular to the coating width direction. With reference to Fig. 2 (a), on applicator 10, be provided with the supply port 16 that supplies coating liquid 2, and the gas 100 that will intrude into the inside of applicator 10 as shown in Fig. 4 and coating liquid 2 The gas discharge ports 17A, 17B that are discharged together.

Here, the number and position of the supply ports 16 are not particularly limited. As shown in FIG. 2, when there is one supply port 16, if the supply port 16 is arranged at the center of the coating width direction of the manifold 13, the coating liquid 2 is used to spread the coating width direction. The flow path length becomes the shortest, which is preferable. Such an arrangement of the supply port 16 is particularly useful when the applicator 10 is increased in size.

When the supply port 16 is provided at the center of the manifold 13 in the coating width direction, it is preferable to provide a pair of gas discharge ports 17B at both end positions of the manifold 13 in the coating width direction. Therefore, even if the gas flowing in from the supply port 16, the gas foamed inside the applicator 10, and the gas sucked in from the discharge port 15 become the gas 100 remaining in the manifold 13 as shown in FIG. The gas 100 can be discharged from the gas discharge port 17B along the liquid flow of the coating liquid 2 in the manifold 13 . In addition, it is preferable to provide a gas discharge port 17A above the supply port 16 in order to discharge the gas accumulated above the supply port 16 or the gas entering from the supply port 16 before reaching the manifold 13 .

Next, referring to Fig. 3 as a schematic side sectional view perpendicular to the coating width direction of the applicator 10, what is shown in Fig. 3 (a) is a sectional view of the position of the supply port 16, and in Fig. 3 (b) A cross-sectional view showing the position of the gas discharge port 17B is shown in . As shown in FIG. 3( a ), it is preferable that the supply port 16 is connected to the upper part of the manifold 13 through the supply internal flow path 18 , while the gas discharge port 17A is preferably connected to the upper part of the supply internal flow path 18 where gas easily collects.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3( b ), it is preferable that the gas discharge port 17B is connected to the upper part of the manifold 13 where gas easily collects through the gas discharge internal flow path 19B. Here, the gas discharge internal passages 19A, 19B may have paths partially extending in the vertical direction, but in order not to cause flow due to the influence of the hydraulic pressure due to the level difference of the gas discharge internal passages 19A, 19B, The flow rate of the coating liquid 2 passing through the gas discharge internal flow paths 19A and 19B decreases, and it is preferable that the gas discharge ports 17A and 17B be near the gas discharge ports 17A and 17B, which are paths extending in the horizontal direction. Therefore, it is preferable not to provide the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B on the upper surface of the applicator 10, but to provide them on any one of the front, side, and back.

Referring again to FIG. 2 , in order to effectively discharge the gas along the flow of the coating liquid 2 in the manifold 13, the upper edge 20 of the manifold 13 is preferably parallel to the discharge port surface 21 as shown in FIG. 2( a), Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2( b ), it is inclined upward from the supply port 16 to the gas discharge port 17B on the basis of the discharge port surface 21 . With such a configuration, if the gas is to move to the gas discharge port 17B together with the coating liquid 2, the gas can be easily discharged because the buoyancy acting on the gas promotes the movement of the gas, and a high gas discharge can be obtained. efficiency. On the other hand, when the upper edge 20 of the manifold 13 is inclined downward from the supply port 16 to the gas discharge port 17B on the basis of the discharge port surface 21, if the gas is intended to move to the gas discharge port 17B together with the coating liquid 2 , because there must be a force that opposes the buoyancy acting on the gas and pushes in the direction of gravity, so the gas is difficult to discharge, and the gas discharge efficiency is significantly reduced.

When the upper edge 20 of the manifold 13 is inclined upward from the supply port 16 to the gas discharge port 17B, since the buoyancy acting on the gas can be applied to extrusion, the upper edge 20 of the manifold 13 with respect to the discharge port surface 21 The inclination angle α can be any size, but it is preferably within 5°, more preferably within 3°. If the inclination angle α is too large, the overall height of the applicator 10 (the distance from the discharge port surface 21 in FIG. 1 to the applicator holding table 22 ) increases accordingly, and the applicator 10 increases in size. Therefore, problems such as increase in manufacturing cost and decrease in operability arise. Furthermore, because it becomes difficult to make the fastening surface pressure between the two lips when the front lip 11 and the rear lip 12 are connected become uniform in the coating width direction, the gap between the slits 14 in the coating It will become uneven in the cloth direction, and it will also have a bad influence on the discharge accuracy.

In addition, it is preferable that all parts of the upper edge 20 of the manifold 13 are parallel to the discharge port surface 21, or are inclined linearly upward from the supply port 16 to the gas discharge port 17B based on the discharge port surface 21, but even in the middle Sections with downward slopes are also possible.

Here, the inclination angle α is specifically expressed by an angle formed by a dotted line parallel to the discharge port surface 21 and the upper edge 20 of the manifold 13 as shown in FIG. 2( b ). The upper edge 20 of the manifold 13 is a straight line portion indicated by 20 in FIG. 2 , more specifically, a line or surface connecting the uppermost portion of the manifold 13 in FIG. 3 in the coating width direction.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2(a), it is preferable that the parting surface length of the slot 14, which is the length from the discharge port 15 to the lower part of the manifold 13, Ha (the length of the central portion)>Hb (the length of the end portion) profile length). In FIG. 2( a ), the parting surface length decreases from the center portion of the manifold 13 toward both end portions. If Ha (profile length of the central part) = Hb (profile length of the end part), since the pressure loss at both ends of the slot 14 becomes higher than that at the center, the discharge volume at both ends is higher than that at the center. However, by setting Ha (profile length of the central part) > Hb (profile length of the end part), since the pressure loss at both ends becomes lower than that of the center, it becomes possible to discharge from both ends and the center roughly the same amount of coating liquid. As a result, the coating liquid 2 can be uniformly discharged from the discharge port 15 in the coating width direction.

Referring to FIG. 3 again, the cross-sectional area of the coating width direction of the manifold 13, that is, the area on the cross-section perpendicular to the coating direction, gradually decreases from the supply port 16 toward the gas discharge port 17B, and Sa (the supply port manifold section area)>Sb (the cross-sectional area of the gas outlet manifold). Since the flow rate of the coating liquid 2 to the gas discharge port 17B can be increased by making the gas discharge port manifold cross-sectional area Sb smaller than the supply port manifold cross-sectional area Sa, the gas inside the manifold 13 can be reduced. It quickly moves to the gas discharge port 17B together with the coating liquid 2, and the gas is discharged in a short time, and at the same time, stagnation in the manifold 13 is unlikely to occur. As a result, not only can the long-sized applicator 10 discharge gas in a short time, but also the problem of deterioration due to the stagnation of the coating liquid 2 can be solved.

Conversely, when the manifold cross-sectional area Sb of the gas discharge port is larger than the manifold cross-sectional area Sa of the supply port, since the flow rate of the coating liquid 2 toward the gas discharge port 17B in the manifold 13 becomes lower, the time for discharging the gas lengthen. Furthermore, the deterioration of the coating liquid 2 due to stagnation also tends to occur while the gas discharge efficiency is lowered. As for the cross-sectional area of the manifold 13 in the coating width direction, as long as it gradually decreases from the supply port cross-sectional area Sa to the gas discharge port manifold cross-sectional area Sb, any area change pattern can be used. Alternatively, an area change pattern in which the area temporarily increases on the way may be used. In order to move the gas to the manifold 13 more efficiently, Sb (the cross-sectional area of the manifold at the gas discharge port)/Sa (the cross-sectional area at the manifold at the supply port) is preferably equal to or less than 1/2.

Again, referring to FIG. 4 , gas discharge paths 80A, 80B and discharge on-off valves 81A, 81B are connected to the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B, respectively. Gas 100 and coating liquid 2 discharged from gas discharge ports 17A and 17B pass through discharge on-off valves 81A and 81B and gas discharge paths 80A and 80B, and are discharged to waste liquid tanks 82A and 82B. Here, the discharge on-off valves 81A, 81B are preferably provided adjacent to the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B in order to prevent the gas 100 discharged from the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B from returning to the inside of the applicator 10 . It is preferable that the on-off valves 81A and 81B for discharge are installed within at least 100 mm from the gas discharge ports 17A and 17B. For the gas discharge paths 80A and 80B, piping of any material, such as metal piping or synthetic resin piping, can be applied. Since the gas discharge paths 80A and 80B are connected to the applicator 10 that moves up and down, it is preferable to use synthetic resin piping that can bend freely.

In addition, when the waste liquid 83 is stored in the waste liquid tanks 82A, 82B for a certain amount or more, the waste liquid 83 is discharged through the waste liquid discharge paths 84A, 84B and the waste liquid on-off valves 85A, 85B by the suction pumps 86A, 86B. to the outside. On the waste liquid tanks 82A, 82B, Hi-side sensors 87A, 87B and Low-side sensors 88A, 88B are provided. The Hi-side sensors 87A, 87B detect the volume of the waste liquid 83 that starts the suction operation of the suction pumps 86A, 86B. Low-side sensors 88A, 88B detect the volume of waste liquid 83 that stops the suction operation of suction pumps 86A, 86B. The height difference between Hi side sensors 87A, 87B and Low side sensors 88A, 88B is preferably 200 mm or less, more preferably 100 mm or less.

Here, regarding the discharge method of the waste liquid 83, any of the following methods can be applied, that is, a method of intermittently discharging the waste liquid 83 using the Hi side sensors 87A, 87B and the Low side sensors 88A, 88B; A certain amount of waste liquid 83 is flowed out from the waste liquid tanks 82A and 82B to make the remaining part of the waste liquid 83 flow out to make the liquid levels 89 of the waste liquid tanks 82A and 82B constant. In addition, in FIG. 4 , although two waste liquid tanks 82A, 82B are provided, the waste liquid tanks 82A, 82B may be combined into one, or the same number of waste liquid tanks as the gas discharge paths 80A, 80B may be provided. .

Here, in order to discharge the gas 100 in a shorter time, it is necessary to provide a suction device on the gas discharge paths 80A, 80B. A suction pump can also be used as the suction device, but the suction pump has problems such that the coating liquid 2 is fixed inside the pump and cannot be used for a long period of time, and fine adjustment of the discharge amount is difficult. Therefore, it is preferable to use a suction device utilizing a siphon principle that can obtain the same effect as a suction pump. In this suction device, the outlets 90A, 90B of the gas discharge paths 80A, 80B are arranged at a lower position than the discharge port 15, and the gas discharge paths 80A, 90B from the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B to the outlets 90A, 90B The interior of 80B is filled with liquid, thereby creating a suction device. That is, it is a device that generates a suction action by using the hydraulic pressure generated by the height difference between the discharge port 15 and the outlets 90A, 90B of the discharge paths 80A, 80B. If a suction device using this siphon principle is used, the discharge amount can be finely adjusted by adjusting the height difference H' between the discharge port 15 and the outlets 90A, 90B of the discharge paths 80A, 80B. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to use a driving device such as a suction pump, maintenance is easy.

In addition, the gas discharge paths 80A and 80B are arranged at substantially the same height as the gas discharge ports 17A and 17B in the vertical direction or at positions lower than them. With this configuration, the attraction effect by the siphon principle can be most effectively exerted. Here, arranging the gas discharge paths 80A, 80B at substantially the same height in the vertical direction as the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B or at positions lower than them means that the gas discharge paths 80A, 80B pass through the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B. The center of the gas outlet extends in a direction within θ=±30° with respect to the horizontal line, and is arranged at a position lower than a position 50 mm vertically upward from the center of the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B. When θ is smaller than −30°, the resistance of the buoyancy of the gas 100 becomes large, making it difficult to discharge the gas 100 from the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B to the gas discharge paths 80A, 80B. When θ is larger than +30°, or the gas discharge paths 80A, 80B are arranged at a position higher than 50 mm upward from the center of the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B, because of the height difference of the gas discharge paths 80A, 80B Since the generated hydraulic pressure acts as resistance, the amount of the coating liquid 2 discharged from the gas discharge paths 80A and 80B decreases, and as a result, the discharge amount of the gas 100 decreases, which is not preferable.

In addition, it is preferable that the outlets 90A and 90B of the gas discharge paths 80A and 80B are opened to the atmosphere, and it is more preferable that the lowermost parts of the gas discharge paths 80A and 80B are opened to the atmosphere. However, depending on the properties of the coating liquid 2, when the gas discharge operation is stopped, external air may be sucked in from the outlets 90A, 90B of the gas discharge paths 80A, 80B, thereby causing clogging of dried cured products. . Therefore, in order to prevent clogging caused by dried solidified matter, it is preferable to immerse the outlets 90A, 90B of the gas discharge paths 80A, 80B into the waste liquid 83 stored in the waste liquid tanks 82A, 82B whose interior is at atmospheric pressure.

Here, it is preferable to arrange the liquid level 89 of the waste liquid 83 stored in the waste liquid tanks 82A and 82B at a position lower than the discharge port 15 . However, when the height difference H between the discharge port 15 and the liquid surface 89 of the waste liquid 83 stored in the waste liquid tanks 82A, 82B, and the distance between the discharge port 15 and the outlets 90A, 90B of the gas discharge paths 80A, 80B If the height difference H' is too large, the amount of the coating liquid 2 discharged from the gas discharge ports 17A and 17B will be less than that supplied to the inside of the applicator 10 due to the hydraulic pressure generated by the height difference H and the height difference H'. become too much in terms of quantity. Therefore, a part of the manifold 13 becomes a negative pressure, and a phenomenon in which external air is sucked in from the discharge port 15 occurs. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the flow path resistance or provide a flow rate adjustment valve at any position of the gas discharge paths 80A, 80B to adjust the supply amount to the inside of the applicator 10 and the discharge amount from the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B. The ratio is adjusted. The flow path resistance is determined by the size of the height difference H or the height difference H', the diameters of the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B, and the pipe diameters and pipe lengths of the gas discharge paths 80A, 80B.

Here, the ratio Q2/Q1 of the discharge quantity Q2 discharged from the gas discharge ports 17A and 17B with respect to the supply quantity Q1 to the inside of the applicator 10 is preferably set to 0.5 to 0.95, more preferably 0.7 to 0.7. 0.9. If it is larger than this range, outside air is easily sucked in from discharge port 15 , and if it is smaller than this range, the amount of coating liquid 2 to be supplied to discharge gas 100 will increase, so that gas 100 cannot be discharged efficiently. In addition, it is preferable to set the inner diameters of the gas discharge paths 80A and 80B such that the gas 100 does not stagnate inside the pipes. In order to set the ratio Q2/Q1 in a preferable range so that the gas 100 does not stagnate inside the piping, it is preferable to set the height difference H or the height difference H' to be less than or equal to 800 mm, and set the inner diameters of the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B to 10 mm or less, the pipe diameters of the gas discharge paths 80A and 80B are set to have an inner diameter of 10 mm or less. Furthermore, it is more preferable to set the height difference H or the height difference H' to be equal to or less than 500 mm, to set the inner diameters of the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B to be equal to or less than 6 mm, and to set the pipe diameters of the gas discharge paths 80A, 80B to be equal to or smaller than the inner diameters. Less than or equal to 6mm.

In addition, the fine gas 101 within the applicator 10 whose diameter is less than 1 mm cannot be easily discharged from the gas discharge ports 17A and 17B. In order to eliminate the minute gas 101 , a large volume of gas is supplied to the manifold 13 inside the applicator 10 , and the minute gas 101 is adsorbed and incorporated into the gas. As long as this large volume of gas is discharged to the outside of the manifold 13 by the method described above, the minute gas 101 will disappear as a result.

For this purpose, on the die coater 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. The gas supply path 91 for supplying gas to the inside of the device 10 is provided. This gas supply path 91 has a gas supply on-off valve 92 and an inlet 93 of the gas supply path 91 that is open to the atmosphere on the upstream side of the gas supply on-off valve 92 . In the gas supply path 91, the gas supply on-off valve 92 and the inlet 93 function as gas supply means. When the on-off valve 92 for gas supply is "opened", the gas of the atmospheric pressure can be supplied to the inside of the applicator 10 through the inlet 93 . Here, when the on-off valve 92 for gas supply is opened, in order to prevent the coating liquid 2 in the gas discharge path 80A from flowing backward to the side of the gas supply path 91, it is preferable to provide at least a part of the gas supply path 91 at a lower position than the gas discharge path 80A. on a high position.

In addition, instead of supplying atmospheric-pressure gas from the inlet 93 , gas pressurized by a pump, a compressed air source, or the like may be supplied to the inlet 93 . When the pressurized gas is supplied, if the gas supply rate is too high, the gas that reaches the inside of the applicator 10 is mixed with the coating liquid 2 to cause foaming, and the fine gas 101 may be generated conversely. At this time, it is preferable to provide a flow rate adjustment valve or the like on the gas supply path 91 so that the gas can be supplied slowly. In addition, when supplying gas pressurized by a pump, a compressed air source, or the like, the arrangement of the gas supply path 91 is not limited. As the material of the piping used in the gas supply path 91, any material such as metal or synthetic resin can be used, but synthetic resin is preferable for handling convenience.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, although the gas supply path 91 is connected to the gas discharge path 80A connected to the gas discharge port 17A, it may be connected to the gas discharge path 80A connected to the gas discharge port 17B located at the end of the manifold 13. The discharge path 80B, or the mold supply path 66 connected to the supply port 16 of the applicator 10 is connected. That is, the gas supply path 91 may be connected at any position as long as it can supply gas to the inside of the manifold 13 . In addition to the supply port 16 and the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B, holes connected to the manifold 13 may be provided in the front lip 11 or the rear lip 12, and the gas supply path 91 may be connected to these holes. In addition, a plurality of gas supply paths 91 may be connected at a portion capable of supplying gas to the applicator 10 .

In addition, the on-off valves 81A and 81B for discharge that are opened and closed when the gas 100 is discharged, the on-off valve 92 for gas supply that is opened and closed when the microscopic gas 101 is removed, the linear motor 33, the motor 43, including the drive injection All movable parts of the die coater 1 such as the plunger 68 of the pump 64 , the syringe pump motor 71 , and the coating supply unit 60 are operated according to control signals from the control device 95 . Furthermore, predetermined operations are performed by sending control command signals to each device in accordance with an automatic operation program written in the control device 95 . In addition, when it is necessary to change each operating condition, only an appropriate change parameter is input on the operation panel 96 and sent to the control device 95, so that the movement action can be changed.

Next, an example of a method of exhausting the gas inside the coater 10 using the die coater 1 will be described. At the beginning, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 , the gas 100 before the coating production of the gas 100 is discharged from the state in which there is no coating liquid 2 in the applicator 10 and only the gas is filled with the coating liquid 2. The discharge method will be described. First, the inside of the coating liquid tank 61 to the syringe 67 is filled with the coating liquid 2 in FIG. 4 . Next, with the on-off valves 81A and 81B for discharge and the on-off valve 92 for gas supply all set to "closed", the piston 68 of the syringe pump 64 is raised to release the paint filled in the syringe 67. The cloth liquid 2 is pushed toward the direction of the applicator 10 . Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5( a ), the coating liquid 2 is sent from the supply port 16 to the manifold 13 . If the supply of the coating liquid 2 realized by the syringe pump 64 is continued, as shown in FIG. A part of 2 is discharged from the discharge port 15 through the slit 14 . Furthermore, if the supply of the coating liquid 2 by the syringe pump 64 is continued, as shown in FIG. The gas 100 is sealed on the upper side of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the manifold 13 , so the gas 100 cannot be discharged from the discharge port 15 . At this time, only while the coating liquid 2 is being supplied from the syringe pump 64, the on-off valves 81A and 81B for discharge are turned “open” while the on-off valve 92 for gas supply is kept “closed”. . Accordingly, in the manifold 13 , a liquid flow of the coating liquid 2 from the supply port 16 to the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B is generated. With this liquid flow, the gas 100 sealed inside the applicator 10 can be discharged from the gas discharge ports 17A and 17B together with the coating liquid 2 . If this gas discharge operation is repeated until the gas 100 inside the applicator 10 is completely discharged, as shown in FIG. The coating liquid filling operation of the cloth device 10. The gas discharge operation before such coating production can be completed during the supply operation of the coating liquid 2 from the syringe pump 64 to the coater 10 once, or it can be completed during the supply operation of the coating liquid 2 repeatedly. , is done multiple times.

Next, a gas discharge method during coating production performed when the gas 100 enters the inside of the coater 10 filled with the coating liquid 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6 .

First, as shown in FIG. 6( a ), the gas 100 that has penetrated into the coater 10 during coating production remains in the upper portion of the manifold 13 and the supply port 16 .

In order to discharge the gas 100, the gas supply on-off valve 92 is set to "closed", and the discharge on-off valves 81A and 81B are set to "closed" only while the coating liquid 2 is being supplied from the syringe pump 64. "open". Accordingly, a liquid flow of the coating liquid 2 from the supply port 16 to the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B is generated in the manifold 13 . The upper edge 20 of the manifold 13 is parallel to the discharge port surface 21 or inclined upward from the supply port 16 to the gas discharge port 17B on the basis of the discharge port surface 21 . Therefore, the movement of the gas 100 towards the gas outlet 17B is not hindered at the upper edge 20 of the manifold 13 . In addition, since the cross-sectional area of the manifold 13 in the coating width direction decreases from the supply port 16 to the gas discharge port 17B, Sa (the cross-sectional area of the manifold at the supply port)>Sb (the cross-sectional area of the manifold at the gas discharge port), so The flow velocity of the coating liquid 2 toward the gas discharge port 17B is also high. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6( b ), all the gas 100 remaining inside the applicator 10 is located near the gas discharge port 17A on the upper part of the supply port 16 and the gas discharge ports at both ends of the manifold 13. Gather quickly near 17B. Here, with the gas supply on-off valve 92 set to "closed", only while the coating liquid 2 is supplied from the syringe pump 64 to the applicator 10, the discharge on-off valve 81A, 81B is set to "open" gas discharge operation. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6( c), the gas 100 is completely exhausted from the inside of the applicator 10, and only the coating liquid 2 is filled in the flow paths of the manifold 13, thereby completing the intrusion into the applicator. The discharge operation of the gas 100 inside the 10. Such gas discharge operation in coating production may be performed only once or may be performed repeatedly.

However, as shown in FIG. 7( a ), minute gases 101 with a diameter of less than 1 mm may intrude into the inside of the applicator 10 filled with the coating liquid 2 . Since the minute gas 101 is very small, the buoyancy force acting on the minute gas 101 is small. In addition, when it adheres to the wall surface of the manifold 13, it is difficult to move only by the flow of the supplied coating liquid 2. Therefore, in the gas discharge method in the above-mentioned coating production, it may not be possible to discharge the minute gas 101 . A gas discharge method in coating production for discharging minute gas 101 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 7 .

First, the supply of the coating liquid 2 from the syringe pump 64 to the applicator 10 is stopped, and the gas supply on-off valve 92 and the discharge on-off valves 81A and 81B are all set to "open". Thus, the coating liquid 2 is discharged from the discharge port 15 and the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B, and the supply gas 102 is passed through the gas supply path as shown in FIG. 7( b ) in accordance with the discharge amount of the coating liquid 2 91 . The gas discharge path 80A and the gas discharge port 17A are supplied to the supply port 16 and the manifold 13 . By substituting the coating liquid 2 in the manifold 13 with the supply gas 102 , a space formed by the supply gas 102 is formed in the upper part of the manifold 13 while expanding in the coating width direction from the gas discharge port 17A.

And, when the space of the supply gas 102 is formed to reach the position where the minute gas 101 exists, then as shown in FIG. disappear. As shown in FIG. 7( d), if the space formed by the supply gas 102 is formed at least over the entire width of the longitudinal direction at the upper part of the manifold 13, the on-off valve 92 for gas supply and the on-off valve 81A, 81B for discharge are formed. All are set to "OFF", and the supply of the supply gas 102 is stopped. Then, when the above-mentioned gas discharge operation in normal coating production is performed, all the supply gas 102 inside the coater 10 is exhausted, and only the coating liquid 2 is filled inside the coater 10 . As a result, the fine gas 101 that originally exists is discharged to the outside. In the above embodiment, in order to quickly supply the supply gas 102 to the manifold 13, the gas supply on-off valve 92 and the discharge on-off valves 81A and 81B are all opened. However, even if the on-off valve 81B for discharge of the gas discharge path 80B not connected to the gas supply path 91 is kept closed, and the on-off valve 92 for gas supply and the on-off valve 81A for discharge are set to "open", it is possible to The supply gas 102 is supplied to the manifold 13 .

In any of the above gas discharge methods, the opening and closing operation of the discharge on-off valves 81A, 81B is preferably performed only by injection in order to prevent the suction of the gas 100 from the discharge port 15 or the backflow from the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B. This is performed during the supply of the coating liquid 2 by the pump 64 . Therefore, it is necessary to stop the supply of the coating liquid 2 by the syringe pump 64 after closing the discharge on-off valves 81A and 81B. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although all the on-off valves 81A and 81B for discharge are set to "open" at the same time, each of them is operated individually in sequence, or is operated in accordance with a predetermined combination pattern. All kinds are fine. At this time, the opening and closing sequence is not particularly limited, but in order to efficiently discharge the gas 100 remaining near the supply port 16 without flowing into the manifold 13, it is preferable to set the discharge on-off valve 81A connected to the supply port 16 Set to "On" first. In the above embodiment, in order to discharge the gas 100 inside the applicator 10, the minute gas 101, the supply gas 102, and the coating liquid 2 from the gas discharge ports 17A and 17B, a coating liquid 2 supply device is used. Syringe pump64. However, the supply device is not limited thereto, and the coating liquid 2 may be supplied by pressurizing the coating liquid tank 61 or using another known pump.

In addition, in the gas discharge method described above, the gas 100, minute gas 101, supply gas 102, and coating liquid 2 discharged from the inside of the applicator 10 are discharged to the waste liquid tank 82A through the gas discharge paths 80A and 80B. , 82B, the coating liquid 2 is stored as waste liquid 83 . Here, as shown in FIG. 4, when the Hi-side sensors 87A, 87B provided on the waste liquid tanks 82A, 82B detect that the liquid level 89 of the waste liquid 83 is higher than Q4, the suction pumps 86A, 86B are operated. Next, the on-off valves 85A and 85B for waste liquid are set to "open", and the waste liquid 83 is sucked from the waste liquid discharge paths 84A and 84B by the suction pumps 86A and 86B, and the waste liquid 83 is discharged to a waste liquid path not shown in the figure. . Afterwards, when the Low-side sensors 88A and 88B detect that the liquid level 89 of the waste liquid 83 is lower than Q3, the on-off valves 85A and 85B for waste liquid are set to "close", the suction pumps 86A and 86B are stopped, and the waste liquid is released. The discharge operation of the liquid 83 ends.

Here, if the suction pumps 86A, 86B are operated during the gas discharge operation from the applicator 10, the discharge amount of the coating liquid 2 from the gas discharge ports 17A, 17B may vary, and the gas discharge amount may not be controlled. Therefore, it is preferable to operate the suction pumps 86A, 86B when the gas discharge operation is not performed, that is, when the discharge on-off valves 81A, 81B are closed.

In addition, in the above description, an example in which the method of eliminating the microscopic gas 101 by supplying the gas 102 and the method of discharging the gas 100 using the buoyancy of the coating liquid 2 is applied in combination has been described. However, as for the discharge method of the gas 100 combined with the method of eliminating the microscopic gas 102 with the supply gas 102, a method of connecting a mechanical suction device such as a pump to the gas discharge paths 80A and 80B to suction the gas can be applied. The outlets 17A, 17B are provided on the upper surface of the applicator 10, and the gas discharge internal flow paths 19A, 19B are vertically extending paths to discharge the gas 100 by buoyancy.

Next, an example of a method of coating the substrate 3 using the die coater 1 equipped with the coater 10 of the present invention will be described.

First, after returning to the origin of each movable portion included in the die coater 1 , each movable portion moves to a preset standby position. In addition, up to this point, the parameters for realizing the target coating conditions have been input on the operation panel 96 . Furthermore, the operation of discharging the gas 100 inside the applicator 10 to fill the coating liquid 2 is also completed by the above-mentioned gas discharge method before coating production. The coating liquid 2 is already filled from the coating liquid tank 61 to the inside of the applicator 10 . At this time, all of the on-off valves 81A and 81B for discharge and the on-off valve 92 for gas supply are “closed”, and the wiping unit 50 is positioned away from the applicator 10 .

When the above preparatory operations are completed, the wiping unit 50 is moved to directly below the applicator 10 . Next, a plurality of lift pins not shown on the surface of the support table 32 are raised, and the substrate 3 is loaded on the lift pins from a loader not shown. Next, the lift pins are lowered, the substrate 3 is placed on the support table 32, the substrate 3 is positioned by a centering device not shown, and the substrate 3 is adsorbed and held by a plurality of suction holes not shown. In parallel with this, the coating liquid supply device 60 is operated to discharge a small amount of the coating liquid 2 from the coater 10 to the tray 54 . Next, the applicator 10 is lowered by the elevating device unit 40 , and the wiper head 51 is moved in the longitudinal direction of the applicator 10 while the lower end of the applicator 10 is brought into contact with the wiper head 51 . After the periphery of the discharge port surface 21 of the applicator 10 is cleaned by the wiping of the wiping head 51, the applicator 10 is lifted by the elevating device unit 40, and the wiping unit 50 is returned to the place where it is separated from the bottom of the applicator 10. The origin position of the coating direction.

Next, the support table 32 that sucks and holds the substrate 3 starts to move, and the thickness of the substrate 3 is measured by a sensor not shown in the figure. Thereafter, the coating start position of the substrate 3 is moved to directly below the discharge port surface 21 of the coater 10 , and the support table 32 stops. Next, using the thickness of the substrate 3 measured by a sensor not shown in the figure, the applicator 10 is lowered by the elevating unit 40 so that The gap becomes the set value.

When the lowering of the applicator 10 is completed, the coating liquid supply device 60 is driven to slightly squeeze out the coating liquid 2 filled in the syringe 67 with the piston 68 . Thus, the hanging liquid 97 of the coating liquid 2 can be formed between the discharge port 15 of the coater 10 and the substrate 3 . After a certain period of time after the suspension liquid 97 is formed, the support table 32 holding the substrate 3 is moved at a constant speed by the linear motor 33, and further, if the coating liquid 2 is continuously discharged from the discharge port 15 to the surface of the moving substrate 3, Then, a coating film is formed on the substrate 3 .

Thereafter, when the coating end portion of the substrate 3 reaches the position of the discharge port 15 of the applicator 10, the piston 68 is stopped to stop the supply of the coating liquid 2, and then the elevating device unit 40 is driven to raise the applicator 10. . In this operation, the overhang liquid 97 formed between the substrate 3 and the applicator 10 is completely cut off, and the coating is completed. Thereafter, the support table 32 continues to move, and stops at a position where the substrate 3 is delivered. In parallel with this, the applicator 10 is returned to the original position in the vertical direction. Next, the suction to the substrate 3 on the support table 32 is released, and the substrate 3 is lifted up by raising a lift pin (not shown). At this time, an unloader (not shown) holds the substrate 3 and conveys the substrate 3 to the next process. Next, the support table 32 is returned to the original position, the piston 68 of the syringe pump 64 is lowered, and the interior of the syringe 67 is filled with new coating liquid 2 . Thereafter, the wiping unit 50 is moved to the lower portion of the applicator 10 and waits until the next substrate 3 is transferred, and then the same operation is repeated.

Here, in the coating operation, due to (1) intrusion of gas from the coating liquid supply unit 60, (2) foaming of gas dissolved in the coating liquid 2, (3) Gas may intrude into the applicator 10 due to gas inhalation due to the opening and closing of the closing valve 63 or the discharge on-off valve 65 , (4) gas inhalation from the discharge port 15 of the applicator 10 . If the gas intrudes into the coater 10, there will be a delay in the rise of the discharge pressure at the start of coating, the film thickness at the coating start portion will become thinner, the film thickness accuracy in the coating direction will deteriorate, or the gas will be drawn from the The discharge port 15 discharges onto the substrate 3 to cause coating defects such as pinholes and vertical streaks. Here, if the above-mentioned gas discharge method in coating production is used, and the gas discharge operation is repeated under preset conditions, the gas 100 is completely discharged, and if the coating to the substrate 3 is restarted in this state, then Thinning at the beginning of coating and occurrence of coating defects can be eliminated.

However, there are cases where the thinning of the coating start portion or the occurrence of coating defects cannot be eliminated by this gas discharge method in coating production. This is the case where minute air 101 penetrates inside the applicator 10 . At this time, the minute air 101 inside the coater 10 can be exhausted by performing the above-mentioned minute air discharge method in coating production, thereby completely eliminating the thinning of the coating start portion or the occurrence of coating defects. In addition, these gas discharge operations may be performed after the film thickness becomes unstable or a coating defect occurs, and may be performed every time a certain number of coating operations on the substrate 3 are performed, and further, it may be performed after a certain number of coating operations are performed. If the coating operation is temporarily interrupted for some reason, it should be carried out before restarting the coating operation.

Here, the viscosity of the coating liquid 2 suitable for the present invention is preferably 1 to 1000 mPa·s, more preferably 1 to 50 mPa·s. The coating liquid 2 is preferably a Newtonian fluid in terms of coatability, but may have thixotropy. The present invention is particularly effective when coating a coating liquid using a highly volatile solvent such as propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), butyl acetate, ethyl lactate, and the like. Specific examples of applicable coating liquids 2 include RGB resist liquids for color filters, resist liquids for black matrices, resist liquids for optical pads, positive resist liquids for array substrates, super Coating materials, etc. In addition, as the substrate 3 , that is, a member to be coated, a metal plate such as aluminum, a ceramic plate, a silicon wafer, or the like can be used other than glass. Furthermore, when the gas discharge operation in the coating production is performed for every fixed number of coated sheets, it is preferably performed every 5 to 100 sheets, more preferably every 15 to 50 sheets. When performing the minute gas discharge operation in the coating operation, it is performed every fixed number of coating sheets, preferably every 50 to 5000 sheets, and more preferably every 100 to 1000 sheets. In addition, in the fine gas discharge operation, the amount of gas supplied to the inside of the applicator 10 and the supply time, in order to reliably eliminate the fine gas 101 remaining in the manifold 13, as long as it can be supplied from at least the upper part of the manifold 13 If the gas 102 forms a space, any supply amount and supply time may be applied.

Example

Hereinafter, examples are shown, and the present invention will be described in more detail.

Directly follow the mold coating machine shown in Figure 1 and Figure 4 to manufacture color filters. Here, as the applicator, the gap of the discharge port is 100 μm, the length in the longitudinal direction is 1300 mm, the coating width is 1100 mm, and "the length of the central part of the mold surface = 40mm">"the length of the end part of the molded surface Hb = 38mm" , The gas discharge port with a diameter of 4mm is arranged on the supply port and the two ends of the manifold in a total of three positions, the upper edge of the manifold is parallel to the surface of the discharge port, Sa (the cross-sectional area of the manifold at the supply port) = 34mm ² , Sb (cross-sectional area of gas discharge port manifold at both ends) = 8.5 mm ² , Sb (cross-sectional area of gas discharge port manifold) / Sa (cross-sectional area of supply port manifold) = 1/4 coating device. In addition, for each gas discharge path connected to the applicator, a tube made of Teflon (registered trademark) with an inner diameter of 4 mm is used, and it is connected to each gas discharge port of the applicator in the horizontal direction, while being downstream from the connection part. The horizontal portion of each gas discharge path is set to pass through a position 20 mm lower than the center of each gas discharge port. Furthermore, each gas discharge path was arranged so that the outlet of each gas discharge path was 450 mm lower than the discharge port of the applicator, and the outlet of each gas discharge path was immersed in the waste liquid stored in the waste liquid tank open to the atmosphere. Here, the height difference H between the liquid level of the waste liquid in the waste liquid tank and the discharge port of the applicator was arranged such that the liquid level of the waste liquid was 400 mm lower than the discharge port of the applicator. Moreover, the on-off valve for discharge was installed in the position separated by 50 mm from each gas discharge port. For the gas supply path with the on-off valve for gas supply, use Teflon (registered trademark) piping with an inner diameter of 6mm, connect between the outlet of the gas discharge path connected to the supply port and the on-off valve for discharge, and supply the gas The entrance of the path is open to the atmosphere and is provided at a position higher than the discharge port of the applicator. Moreover, each coating liquid of black matrix, R color, G color, and B color was prepared as a coating liquid. The coating liquid for black matrix uses carbon black as a light-shielding material, acrylic resin as a binder, and propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PGMEA) as a solvent. The solid content concentration is adjusted to 10%, and the viscosity is adjusted. is 5mPa·s. Similarly, the coating liquid for R color is a coating in which an acrylic resin is used as a binder, PGMEA is used as a solvent, Pigment Red 177 is used as a pigment, the solid content concentration is adjusted to 15%, and the viscosity is adjusted to 5 mPa·s liquid. The coating liquid for G color is a coating liquid in which the pigment is replaced with Pigment Green 36 in the coating liquid for R color, the solid concentration is adjusted to 15%, and the viscosity is adjusted to 5 mPa·s. The coating liquid for color B is a coating liquid in which the pigment is replaced by Pigment Blue 15 in the coating liquid for color R, the solid concentration is adjusted to 15%, and the viscosity is adjusted to 5 mPa·s. Any of these coating liquids has photosensitive properties.

First, in order to coat the coating liquid for black matrices, the coating liquid tank is filled with the coating liquid, and the coating liquid filling operation to the inside of the coater is performed. Here, the supply conditions of the syringe pump are 5000 μl/sec supply rate, 40000 μl supply volume, and 8 sec supply time for the gas discharge operation before coating production for the coating liquid filling operation. Under this supply condition, the gas discharge operation of setting all the discharge on-off valves to the "open" state after 1 second from the start of the supply of the pump and to the "closed" state after 7 seconds was repeated 3 times. The air inside the cloth is completely exhausted. In addition, during this gas discharge operation, the on-off valve for gas supply is kept in a normally closed state.

After the above coating liquid filling operation, on the substrate of alkali-free glass of 1100×1300 mm and thickness 0.7 mm, the gap between the applicator and the substrate is 100 μm, and the coating speed is 3 m/min. A coating film having a thickness of 10 μm was coated. Here, 300 substrates were coated. During the coating operation, in order to prevent the film thickness accuracy caused by gas caused by the intrusion of gas from the supply system, bubbles of gas dissolved in the coating liquid, and suction of gas from the discharge port of the applicator, etc. As the gas discharge operation in coating production, the supply speed is 5000μl/sec, the supply volume is 40000μl, and the supply time is 8sec, so that all the discharge on-off valves are fully closed after 1 second from the start of supply. The gas discharge operation cycle, which is set to the "open" state and all of which are set to the "closed" state after 7 seconds, is performed once every 20 substrates are coated. During execution of this gas discharge operation cycle, the on-off valve for gas supply is kept in a normally closed state. In addition, in order to discharge the minute gas that is difficult to discharge in the above-mentioned gas discharge operation, the coating production is temporarily stopped every time 100 pieces are coated, and as the minute gas discharge operation, the on-off valve for gas supply and the on-off valve for discharge are placed in the Set all to "ON" for 30 seconds, supply air to the inside of the applicator to eliminate minute air, and then carry out the air discharge operation before coating production.

The coated substrate was dried on a hot plate heated to 100°C for 10 minutes, then exposed, developed, and peeled off, and then cured on a hot plate at 260°C for 30 minutes to obtain a substrate with a thickness of 1 μm. Black matrix pattern.

Next, the coating liquid for R color was continuously coated on 100 board|substrates on which the black matrix was formed, under the completely same conditions as the coating liquid for black matrices except the coating film whose thickness was 13 micrometers. After the coated substrate is dried on a hot plate heated to 90°C for 10 minutes, after exposure, development, and peeling, only the R-color coating film with a thickness of 2 μm remains on the R pixel portion, and the heating at 260°C The plates were cured for 30 minutes.

Next, the coating liquid for G color was continuously coated on 100 sheets of the black matrix and R pixel part formed under the same conditions as for all the coating liquid for R color, except for the coating film having a thickness of 20 μm. on the substrate. After the coated substrate is dried on a hot plate heated to 100°C for 10 minutes, after exposure, development, and peeling, only the R-color coating film with a thickness of 2 μm remains on the G pixel portion, and the heating at 260°C The plates were cured for 30 minutes.

Furthermore, under the same conditions as all the G-color coating liquids, the B-color coating liquid was continuously coated on 100 substrates on which the black matrix, the R pixel portion, and the G pixel portion were formed. The coated substrate was also dried, exposed, developed, peeled off, and cured under the same conditions as the coating liquid for G color, and the B color coating film with a thickness of 2 μm remained only on the B pixel portion. In addition, in the coating of each color coating liquid, after measuring the film thickness in the state before pattern formation after drying, for all the coated substrates, excluding the end 10mm, the coating direction, coating width Film thickness accuracy of ±3% or less of target in all directions. At the same time, an inspection of coating unevenness was also carried out, but the coating quality was very good for all coated substrates. Coating defects caused by gas such as pinholes and vertical streaks that occur when the gas inside the applicator is discharged from the discharge port to the member to be coated are completely eliminated.

Finally, ITO was attached by sputtering to make 300 color filters. The obtained color filter had no coating defects except that all of them satisfied the film thickness accuracy, and had no defect in quality. In addition, the production efficiency is also very high because the gas discharge operation before or during coating production can be quickly performed.

Comparative example 1

Except that the outlet of each gas discharge path is arranged to be 50 mm higher than the discharge port of the applicator, the waste liquid tank is arranged so that the liquid level of the waste liquid stored in the waste liquid tank in which the outlet of each gas discharge path is immersed is at A color filter was prepared under the same conditions as in Example 1 except for a position 200 mm higher than the discharge port of the applicator. As a result, in either of the coating liquid filling operation and the gas discharge operation during coating production, the flow rate of the coating liquid discharged from each gas discharge port decreases, and the gas inside the applicator cannot be discharged from each gas discharge port. The outlet is discharged for a short time. This is because the hydraulic pressure generated by the height difference between the liquid level of the waste liquid stored in the waste liquid tank and the discharge port surface of the applicator acts as resistance. As a result, the gas discharge operation time is increased and the production efficiency is significantly lowered, and the gas remains inside the applicator. Due to deterioration of film thickness accuracy in the coating direction, coating defects, etc., 60 out of 300 pieces were defective, and a good-quality color filter could not be obtained.

In addition, in order to find the conditions under which the gas inside the applicator does not remain after the application of 300 sheets is completed, the supply conditions that can completely discharge the gas were studied. As a result, it was found that under the conditions of a supply rate of 5000 μl/sec, a supply amount of 100000 μl, and a supply time of 20 sec, all the on-off valves for discharge connected to the supply port and both ends were set to “open” after 1 second from the start of supply. ” state, after 19 seconds, the gas discharge operation cycle that is all set to the “closed” state must be performed 4 times during the coating liquid filling operation, and must be performed 2 times during coating production. Therefore, it can be seen that, compared with Example 1, the time required for gas discharge and the supply amount are increased, and the gas discharge efficiency is lowered. This is because the liquid level of the waste liquid stored in the waste liquid tank open to the atmosphere was arranged at a position 200 mm higher than the discharge port of the applicator.

Comparative example 2

The color filter was prepared under the same conditions as in Example 1, except that each gas discharge path was arranged to pass through a position 100 mm higher than the center of each gas discharge port. As a result, in either of the coating liquid filling operation and the gas discharge operation during coating production, the flow rate of the coating liquid discharged from each gas discharge port decreases, and the gas inside the applicator cannot be discharged from each gas discharge port. The outlet is discharged for a short time. This is because the hydraulic pressure generated by the level difference between each gas discharge path and the gas discharge port acts as resistance. For this reason, in addition to increasing the work time for gas discharge and significantly lowering production efficiency, gas remains inside the applicator. In this way, due to the deterioration of film thickness accuracy in the coating direction, coating defects, etc., defective products occurred in 28 out of 300 sheets, and a good quality color filter could not be obtained.

In addition, in order to find the conditions under which the gas inside the applicator does not remain after the application of 300 sheets is completed, the supply conditions that can completely discharge the gas were studied. As a result, it was found that under the conditions of a supply rate of 5000 μl/sec, a supply amount of 70000 μl, and a supply time of 14 sec, all the on-off valves for discharge connected to the supply port and both ends were set to “ In the open state, after 13 seconds, all the air discharge operations are set to the "closed" state. It must be performed 3 times during the coating liquid filling operation, and 2 times must be performed during coating production. Therefore, compared with Example 1, it can be seen that both the time required for gas discharge and the supply amount are increased, and the gas discharge efficiency is lowered. This is because the gas discharge path passes through a position 100 mm higher than the gas discharge port.

Comparative example 3

The color filters were produced under the same conditions as those in Example 1, except that the gas supply path and the on-off valve for gas supply were not provided, and the fine gas was not discharged every 100 sheets. As a result, the film thickness accuracy was ±3% or less of the target in both the coating direction and the coating width direction. However, since the fine air inside the applicator could not be sufficiently discharged, coating defects occurred, and 8 out of 300 pieces became defective products, and a good-quality color filter could not be obtained. In addition, in order to find the conditions for exhausting the tiny air inside the applicator after the coating of 300 pieces is completed, the supply conditions that can completely exhaust the tiny air were studied, and it was found that no matter what the conditions were, it could not Exhaust tiny gases.

Comparative example 4

In addition to Sa (cross-sectional area of the manifold at the supply port) = 34 mm ² , Sb (cross-sectional area of the manifold at the gas discharge port) = 51 mm ² , and Sb (cross-sectional area of the manifold at the gas discharge port)/Sa (cross-sectional area of the manifold at the supply port Area) = 3/2, the preparation of the color filter was performed under the same conditions as in Example 1. As a result, in any of the gas discharge operations before coating production and during coating production, the flow rate of the coating liquid toward the gas discharge ports at both ends in the manifold decreases, and the gas inside the coater cannot be discharged from the gas outlet. Gas discharge ports at both ends discharge for a short time. Therefore, gas remained inside the coater, and due to deterioration of film thickness accuracy in the coating direction and coating defects, defective products occurred in 72 out of 300 pieces, and good quality color filters could not be obtained.

In addition, in order to find the conditions under which the gas inside the applicator does not remain after the application of 300 sheets is completed, the supply conditions that can completely discharge the gas were studied. As a result, it was found that under the conditions of a supply rate of 5000 μl/sec, a supply amount of 70000 μl, and a supply time of 14 sec, all the on-off valves for discharge connected to the supply port and both ends were set to “ It is necessary to perform the gas discharge operation cycle of "open" state and all the "closed" states after 13 seconds, 3 times before coating production, and 2 times during coating production. Therefore, it can be seen that only Sb (the cross-sectional area of the manifold at the gas discharge port)/Sa (the cross-sectional area of the manifold at the supply port)=3/2, compared with Example 1, the time required for gas discharge and the amount of supply will be the same. increases, the gas discharge efficiency decreases.

Comparative Example 5

The color filter was prepared under the same conditions as in Example 1, except that the upper edge of the manifold was inclined downward by 2 degrees from the supply port to the gas discharge ports at both ends on the basis of the discharge port surface. As a result, in any of the gas discharge operations before coating production and during coating production, since the movement of the gas moving to the gas discharge ports at both ends is hindered by the upper edge of the manifold, the inside of the coater Gas cannot be discharged for a short time from the gas discharge ports at both ends. Therefore, gas remained inside the coater, and due to deterioration of film thickness accuracy in the coating direction and coating defects, defective products occurred in 60 out of 300 pieces, and good quality color filters could not be obtained.

In addition, in order to find the conditions under which the gas inside the applicator does not remain after the application of 300 sheets is completed, the supply conditions that can completely discharge the gas were studied. As a result, it was found that under the conditions of a supply rate of 5000 μl/sec, a supply amount of 70000 μl, and a supply time of 14 sec, all the on-off valves for discharge connected to the supply port and both ends were set to “ In the open state, after 13 seconds, all the air discharge operations are set to the "closed" state. It must be performed 3 times before coating production, and 2 times must be performed during coating production. Therefore, it can be seen that if only the upper edge of the manifold is inclined downward by 2 degrees from the supply port to the gas discharge ports at both ends on the basis of the discharge port surface, then compared with Example 1, the time required for gas discharge and the supply amount will be reduced. Both increase, and the gas discharge efficiency decreases.

Comparative example 6

In addition to the fact that the upper edge of the manifold slopes downward by 2 degrees from the supply port to the gas discharge ports at both ends on the basis of the discharge port surface and Sb (the cross-sectional area of the manifold at the gas discharge port)/Sa (the cross-sectional area of the manifold at the supply port) Except =3/2, the preparation of the color filter was carried out under the same conditions as in Example 1. As a result, in any of the gas discharge operations before coating production and during coating production, because the flow rate of the coating liquid to the gas discharge ports at both ends decreases, and the flow rate of the coating liquid to the gas discharge ports at both ends The movement of the gas is hindered by the upper edge of the manifold, so the gas inside the applicator cannot be discharged from the gas discharge ports at both ends for a short time. Therefore, gas remained inside the coater, and due to deterioration of film thickness accuracy in the coating direction and coating defects, defective products occurred in 122 out of 300 pieces, and good-quality color filters could not be obtained.

In addition, in order to find the conditions under which the gas inside the applicator does not remain after the application of 300 sheets is completed, the supply conditions that can completely discharge the gas were studied. As a result, it was found that, under the conditions of a supply rate of 5000 μl/sec, a supply amount of 100000 μl, and a supply time of 20 sec, all the on-off valves for discharge connected to the supply port and both ends were set to 1 second after the start of supply. In the "open" state, after 19 seconds, all the air discharge operations are set to the "closed" state. It must be performed 4 times before coating production, and 3 times must be performed during coating production. Therefore, it can be seen that even if the upper edge of the manifold is inclined downward by 2 degrees from the supply port to the gas discharge ports at both ends on the basis of the discharge port surface, the cross-sectional area of the manifold at the gas discharge port Sb/the cross-sectional area of the manifold at the supply port Sa= 3/2, compared with Example 1, the time required for gas discharge and the supply amount are both increased, and the gas discharge efficiency is reduced.

Comparative Example 7

The preparation of the color filter was carried out under the same conditions as in Example 1, except that "the length of the profile of the central part Ha = 40 mm" = "the length of the profile of the end part Hb = 40 mm". As a result, there are no coating defects because there is no problem with gas discharge before and during coating production. However, since "the central part profile length Ha = the end part profile length Hb", the pressure loss at both ends of the slot increases, and the discharge amount from both ends decreases. As a result, if the film thickness accuracy in the coating width direction exceeds ±3% of the target, all of them will be defective, and a good-quality color filter cannot be obtained.

According to the present invention, since any form of gas entering the coater can be discharged with a small amount of supply and in a short time, it is possible to form a high-quality coating film with a short tact time and high productivity.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a coating method and a coating device capable of improving the gas discharge capability of a die coater, the advantage of not damaging the die coater, and forming a coating film with high film thickness accuracy without coating defects And a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus of a component for a display.

The present invention is applicable to the field of forming a coating film on a member to be coated, and is particularly preferably used in the field of manufacturing color filters for color liquid crystal displays, array substrates, panels for plasma displays, optical color filters, and the like.

Claims (10)

1. coating process, this coating process, utilization possesses fluid Supplying apparatus from coating fluid to spreader that supply with, the spreader of the gas discharge outlet that has discharge opening that coating fluid is spued and gas is discharged with coating fluid, connect with gas discharge outlet and be positioned at the height identical substantially or than the low position of gas discharge outlet and have the gas discharge path that open and close valve forms on the way with gas discharge outlet, storage is from the waste liquid tank of the waste liquid of the outlet discharge of gas discharge path, the holding device that keeps applied parts, and the apparatus for coating that makes the mobile device that spreader and holding device relatively move, supply with coating fluid from discharge opening to applied parts on one side, spreader and applied parts are relatively moved and on the surface of applied parts, form and film, it is characterized in that: before formation on the surface at applied parts is filmed, and/or after forming, from the fluid Supplying apparatus feed fluid, discharge coating fluid and gas from gas discharge outlet on one side Yi Bian open the open and close valve of gas discharge path.

2. coating process, this coating process, utilization possesses fluid Supplying apparatus from coating fluid to spreader that supply with, the spreader of the gas discharge outlet that has discharge opening that coating fluid is spued and gas is discharged with coating fluid, be connected with gas discharge outlet and export and be positioned at than the low position of discharge opening and have the gas discharge path that open and close valve forms on the way, storage is from the waste liquid tank of the waste liquid of the outlet discharge of gas discharge path, the holding device that keeps applied parts, and the apparatus for coating that makes the mobile device that spreader and holding device relatively move, supply with coating fluid from discharge opening to applied parts on one side, spreader and applied parts are relatively moved and on the surface of applied parts, form and film, it is characterized in that: before formation on the surface at applied parts is filmed, and/or after forming, from the fluid Supplying apparatus feed fluid, discharge coating fluid and gas from gas discharge outlet on one side Yi Bian open the open and close valve of gas discharge path.

3. coating process according to claim 1 and 2 is characterized in that,, opens open and close valve and discharges coating fluid and gas from gas discharge outlet under the state of atmosphere opening in the outlet of gas discharge path.

4. coating process according to claim 2, it is characterized in that,, under state at the waste liquid of waste liquid tank is invaded in the outlet that atmosphere opening, the liquid level that is stored in the waste liquid in the waste liquid tank are arranged in the position lower than the discharge opening of spreader, gas discharge path, open open and close valve and discharge coating fluid and gas in the liquid storage portion of waste liquid tank from gas discharge outlet.

5. the manufacture method of a parts of display is characterized in that: used any one coating process of putting down in writing in the claim 1 to 4.

6. apparatus for coating, this apparatus for coating possesses: have fluid Supplying apparatus from the liquid supply path of coating fluid to spreader that supply with; The spreader of discharge opening that has the menifold that is used to coating fluid is extended on the coating width direction, coating fluid is spued and gas discharge outlet that gas is discharged with coating fluid; Be connected and have the gas discharge path that open and close valve forms on the way with gas discharge outlet; The holding device that keeps applied parts; And the mobile device that spreader and holding device are relatively moved; It is characterized in that: the gas discharge path is positioned at height identical substantially with gas discharge outlet or the position lower than gas discharge outlet.

7. apparatus for coating, this apparatus for coating possesses: have fluid Supplying apparatus from the liquid supply path of coating fluid to spreader that supply with; The spreader of discharge opening that has the menifold that is used to coating fluid is extended on the coating width direction, coating fluid is spued and gas discharge outlet that gas is discharged with coating fluid; Be connected and have the gas discharge path that open and close valve forms on the way with gas discharge outlet; The holding device that keeps applied parts; And the mobile device that spreader and holding device are relatively moved; It is characterized in that: the outlet of gas discharge path is positioned at the position lower than discharge opening.

8. according to claim 6 or 7 described apparatus for coating, it is characterized in that: spreader has supply port from liquid supply path to spreader that supply with coating fluid from, the area of section on the coating width direction of menifold, reduce to gas discharge outlet from supply port, and, the upper limb of menifold is parallel with the actinal surface that spues that comprises discharge opening, is that benchmark is inclined upwardly to gas discharge outlet from supply port with the actinal surface that spues perhaps.

9. apparatus for coating according to claim 8 is characterized in that: the die joint length of the line of rabbet joint of spreader reduces to both ends from the central portion of coating width direction.

10. the manufacturing installation of a parts of display is characterized in that: utilize in the claim 6 to 9 any apparatus for coating of being put down in writing to make parts of display.

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