HK1138537A1 - Gantry work apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To provide a work apparatus capable of easily maintaining a work head and performing the maintenance without impairing cleanliness. [MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEMS] This gantry work apparatus comprises a rest having a passage extending in a first direction to which a worker can approach, a frame extending above the rest and in a second direction different from the first direction, a table movable in the first direction on the rest having the passage, and the work head disposed on the frame opposite to the table and movable in the second direction. The table and the work head are moved relative to each other, whereby a desired work can be applied to a workpiece placed on the table.

Description

Door type working device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a gate type working apparatus having a working head movable in a frame extending direction, and more particularly, to a working apparatus having a passage through which maintenance work of the working head is easy and a person can enter.

The term "liquid material" as used herein includes liquid materials having a wide viscosity range from low viscosity liquids such as solvents and aqueous solutions to viscous materials such as greases and adhesives, and also includes paste-like fluid materials such as silver paste and solder paste including liquid materials containing fillers and solid particles.

The term "discharge" in the present specification includes a type of discharge in which the liquid material is brought into contact with the workpiece before being separated from the nozzle, and a type of discharge in which the liquid material is brought into contact with the workpiece after being separated from the nozzle.

Background

A working machine having a table (table) on which a workpiece is placed and a frame (also referred to as a beam or a gantry frame) having a working head is generally called a gantry working machine. Examples of door-type working devices for performing desired work on a workpiece moving relative to a working head include devices for applying a sealant in the production of liquid crystal display panels, pattern exposure devices for solar cell panels, defect inspection devices for semiconductor devices, and the like.

Such a device tends to have a large-sized device body with an increase in size of a workpiece, and for example, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display panel called 8 th generation has a size of 2160mm × 2400mm, and a working device needs to have a workpiece table on which a workpiece having such a size can be placed.

As a gate type liquid material coating apparatus having a gate type structure, patent document 1 discloses an apparatus having a structure in which a substrate holding mechanism for holding a substrate on which a paste pattern is formed is movable only in one direction, and each of the apparatus is provided with a coating head for coating paste on the substrate, and 2 groups of coating head support mechanisms are provided to be capable of moving the coating head in a direction perpendicular to the substrate moving direction, one of the coating head support mechanisms being fixed to a frame, and the other of the coating head support mechanisms being movable in the substrate moving direction.

Patent document 2 discloses a device configured to apply a paste pattern having a desired shape to a substrate mounted on a stage, the device including: a frame which is movable in one direction within a plane parallel to a plane on which a paste pattern of a drawing substrate is applied and which extends in a direction different from the one direction; a plurality of coating heads arranged on the frame, provided with a linear motor capable of moving along the extending direction of the frame, and provided with a paste storage cylinder and a nozzle with a paste discharge port for discharging the paste filled in the paste storage cylinder; and a control device which controls the paste discharge from the paste discharge ports of the plurality of application heads while moving the frame relative to the stage and moving the plurality of application heads relative to the frame within a range in which the nozzle discharge ports face the substrate mounted on the stage; a paste pattern having a desired shape is applied to a substrate by a plurality of application heads.

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 3701882

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open No. 2003-225606

Disclosure of Invention

(problems to be solved by the invention)

In the door-type device in which the work head is attached to the inside of the frame as exemplified in the patent document, the work head moving on the frame is often positioned inside the stand, and therefore, when the work head is repaired, the operator can work by stretching his hand so long. In particular, in a multi-head type device having a plurality of work heads in a frame, the hands of the worker may not be extended from a stand to the work heads, and the worker may have to perform work in an unfavorable posture such as getting on the stand, gripping the frame, or extending the hands to a platform for maintenance. Moreover, such an operation may also result in a reduction in the accuracy of the device with extremely high assembly accuracy.

Further, since a table or the like on which a workpiece is placed is disposed on the stand, it is preferable that an operator not perform maintenance work near or above the table. In particular, in a device requiring high cleanliness, it is desirable that maintenance is not performed near a surface plate or the like, and therefore, work may be performed only by covering a thin plate or the like on the surface plate or the like.

Further, there is a further problem when the apparatus main body is disposed in the housing. In maintenance, the upper half of the body of an operator must enter the housing to perform maintenance, which is extremely poor in workability, and is undesirable because particles such as dust and dirt are further taken into the apparatus requiring a clean environment, or dust generated by a human body, and there is a problem that the platform is damaged by contact or dropping of tools during maintenance work.

Further, particles generated during maintenance remain in the housing, and the cleaning property is also impaired.

However, in a large-sized working machine, it is also a problem to be solved to achieve ease of conveyance. For example, a working machine or the like having a larger housing than the 8 th generation glass substrate is difficult to transport by a truck or the like, and sometimes needs to be disassembled during transportation. However, since the working device is fixed to one place and is not designed on the premise of disassembly and movement, much time and labor are required for disassembly. In particular, in a device for precision work, the assembly work must be performed precisely, adjustment work for ensuring sufficient precision requires a high level of skill, and the assembly work may require heavy machinery such as a crane.

In view of the above problem, the present invention provides a working device that can facilitate maintenance of a working head and can perform maintenance without impairing the cleaning performance.

(means for solving the problems)

The inventors completed the present invention on the assumption that a large gantry damage and workability are involved, and thus a passage can be provided in an unnecessary portion of the gantry, thereby improving workability. The transverse type and the longitudinal type are studied for the form of the passage provided in the gantry, but the コ -shaped form is found to be most suitable in view of the strength of the frame and the transportability. コ the frame has no channel, so that the structural strength can be improved and the channel can be reinforced by providing a beam in the channel within a range not to impair the accessibility.

The significance of arranging the passage on the stand is more obvious for the structure of covering the working device by the outer cover. On the other hand, since the operator enters the passage, there is a problem that the operator itself generates particles or the like. Therefore, this problem can be solved by blocking the maintenance area where the operator enters and the area where the work surface plate is located with the wall surface.

That is, the working device according to claim 1 of the present invention includes: a rack having a passage extending in a first direction in which an operator can enter; a frame extending in a second direction different from the first direction above the mount; a stage configured to be movable in a first direction on a stage including the channel; and a working head which is arranged on the frame opposite to the platform and can freely move in a second direction; the work head is moved relative to the table to perform a desired work on the workpiece placed on the table.

The working mechanism according to claim 2 of the present invention is the working mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the passage extends to a lower side of the frame; the stage is movable to a position not overlapping with the passage on the stage.

The working device according to claim 3 of the present invention is the working device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mount is formed of a lattice structure having a plurality of holes that pass through from an upper surface to a lower surface except for the passage.

The work device according to claim 4 of the present invention is the work device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: an opening door for accessing the passageway; and a square outer cover covering the operation device arranged on the stand.

The working mechanism according to claim 5 of the present invention is the working mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the frame includes a working head cover covering the working head, and the working head cover is configured such that a height of an upper end portion thereof is located in the vicinity of a tip end of the cover.

In the working mechanism according to claim 6 of the present invention according to claim 5, the upper surface of the working head cover is formed of a slope that descends to a side opposite to the passage.

The working device according to claim 7 of the present invention is the working device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the working head is a liquid material discharge head that discharges the liquid material from a tip of the nozzle.

In the working device according to claim 8 of the present invention according to claim 7, a scale is provided at an end portion of the passage, and the scale is disposed on a stand that is independent from the stand.

The working device according to claim 9 of the present invention is characterized in that in any one of claims 1 to 8, the frame is provided with a plurality of working heads.

The working device according to claim 10 of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the aspects 1 to 9, the frame is configured to be movable in the first direction.

(Effect of the invention)

According to the present invention, the work head of the working device can be easily maintained, and maintenance can be performed without impairing the cleaning performance.

Further, the size of the frame can be structurally reduced, and the conveyance performance is also improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a liquid material application device according to example 1.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the liquid material application device of example 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the liquid material application device of example 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the liquid material application apparatus of example 2 with a cover attached thereto.

Fig. 5 is a front view of the liquid material application apparatus of example 2 with a cover attached.

Fig. 6 is a rear view of the liquid material application apparatus of example 2 with the cover attached.

Fig. 7 is a left side view of the liquid material application apparatus of example 2 with the cover attached.

Fig. 8 is a right side view of the liquid material application apparatus of example 2 with the cover attached.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the liquid material application device of example 2 with a cover attached and the surface plate positioned rearward.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view a-a' of fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view B-B' of fig. 9.

Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of C-C' of fig. 9.

Fig. 13 is a plan view of the liquid material application device of example 2 with a cover attached and the surface plate in a forward position.

Fig. 14 is a front view for explaining the transparent part of fig. 4.

Description of the symbols

1 stand

2 support body

3 frame

4 work head slider seat

5 work head slider

6 working head

8 platform slide seat

10 channel

12 platform

13 weighing machine

30 outer cover

31-33 door

34 opening part

35 loudspeaker

36 monitor

37 emergency stop button

38 operating panel

39 display lamp

70 working head outer cover

71 door for operation head

72 hinge

Detailed Description

A working device for carrying out a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes: a rack having a passage extending in a first direction accessible by an operator; a frame extending in a second direction different from the first direction above the mount; a stage configured to be movable in a first direction on a stage including the channel; a working head which is arranged on the frame opposite to the platform and can freely move in a second direction; a working head housing covering the frame and the working head; an opening door arranged at the end part of the channel; a square outer cover covering the operation device on the stand; moving the platform and the working head relatively to perform a desired operation on a workpiece placed on the platform; the working device is characterized in that the height of the upper end of the working head housing is positioned near the top end of the housing.

In the present invention, the work position in the first direction is adjusted by moving the platform, and the work position in the second direction is adjusted by moving the plurality of work heads while maintaining a desired interval. For example, the method is suitable for an operation of simultaneously drawing a plurality of desired patterns on a workpiece. In such a configuration, the stage may be configured to be movable only in the first direction, and the necessary drive source may be reduced, so that an increase in the size of the housing can be suppressed. That is, since the frame size is slightly larger than the width of the stage, the frame size can be made smaller than in the conventional structure in which the stage is freely movable in the first and second directions.

The position of the work head can be controlled by a drive source such as a linear motor or a rotary motor.

Examples of the work head include: a discharge device for applying the liquid material discharged from the tip of the nozzle to the workpiece by pressurizing the liquid material stored in the storage container by air pressure; a droplet spraying device which rapidly moves and stops a plunger sliding closely to an inner wall surface of a storage container above a liquid material stored in the storage container, thereby separating the liquid material from a nozzle tip and applying the liquid material to a workpiece surface; and an inspection device for inspecting at least one of the height, width, cross-sectional area, and defect of a drawn shape drawn in a dot or line shape on the surface of a workpiece. A plurality of the same type of devices may be arranged, or different types of devices may be combined and arranged.

In the working device of the type in which the frame moves, an opening door may be provided at a position facing the moving frame to improve workability so that a worker can perform work without entering the inside of the housing.

In addition, in the configuration including a plurality of frames, it is necessary to provide a passage having a length sufficient to perform work on all the frames.

In the device of the preferred embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration, for example, in a liquid crystal panel manufacturing process, a sealing material is applied to prevent liquid crystal from leaking. In a so-called multi-panel cutting method for producing a plurality of panels from a glass substrate, a plurality of panels, for example, 4-plane (2 × 2), 9-plane (3 × 3), 20-plane (4 × 5), are produced from one glass substrate, and a rectangular pattern made of a sealing material is drawn and formed on a panel-by-panel basis. For example, when a 4 × 5 panel is produced from one glass substrate, 5 coating heads are arranged, 5 patterns in the first line are drawn simultaneously by the 5 coating heads, and after the first line of coating is completed, the coating heads are moved to the coating positions of the second and subsequent lines, and 5 patterns are drawn simultaneously by the 5 coating heads in the same manner.

However, the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to the coating apparatus described above, and may be applied to a so-called gate-type working apparatus.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Example 1

< Structure >

As shown in fig. 1, the liquid material application apparatus of the present embodiment includes: コ -shaped stand 1 having a table 12 on which a workpiece is placed; and a frame 3 extending in the short side direction (X direction) of the gantry 1. In fig. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a direction in which the stage moves, and reference numeral 102 denotes a direction in which the coating head moves. Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the door 31 side in fig. 1 is referred to as the front or front side, and the platform 12 side is referred to as the rear or rear side.

A work head slider seat 4 is disposed on a front surface of the frame 3, and a plurality of work heads 6 are mounted on the work head slider seat 4 via a work head slider 5 so as to be movable in the X direction.

The working head 6 is an application head having nozzles for discharging liquid. The work head 6 is configured to be movable in the Z direction by a conventional drive device not shown. Each work head 6 can move independently.

The stage 12 is configured to be movable in the Y direction by a Y slider base 8 provided in parallel with the tunnel 10. Further, the table 12 may be provided with a θ -rotating device for moving the workpiece in the θ -axis direction and positioning the workpiece at a predetermined angle.

The X-direction and Y-direction slider seats may be exemplified by a configuration including a magnet for a linear motor and a linear guide, but the configuration is not limited to this, and for example, the slider seats may be configured to include a motor and a ball screw that rotates in conjunction with the motor, and the slider may be configured to include a nut that moves linearly in conjunction with the rotation of the ball screw.

The gantry 1 of the present embodiment has a tunnel 10 as a maintenance space in front thereof. The tunnel 10 extends to a substantially central position in the longitudinal direction of the gantry 1 and is formed right below the work head 6. The maintenance worker opens the door 31 and enters the duct 10, thereby performing maintenance work on the frame 3 from the front or from below. A reinforcing beam may be installed under the duct 10, but it does not prevent the operator from entering.

A communication jack, not shown, is provided at the lower part of the stand 1, and is connected to an external terminal such as a PC via a network cable, thereby enabling remote control of the operation device. The portable dedicated terminal can be remotely controlled by connecting to a network, or can be remotely controlled by wireless by mounting a communication device such as a wireless LAN.

The gantry 1 is structured in a lattice shape as viewed from above, and is structured to facilitate removal of particles and the like by a submerged airflow from a fan provided above.

A plurality of scales 13 are provided at the terminal end of the passage 10. The number of scales 13 is a design matter depending on the number of work heads 6, cost, and the like, but it is preferable to provide the same number as that of the work heads 6.

The scale 13 is disposed on a scale stand 11 provided separately from the stand 1, and the scale stand 11 is provided on the ground separately from the stand 1 (see fig. 2). Although scale 13 is positioned below platform 12 during operation, platform 12 moves rearward during maintenance as shown in fig. 1, and is exposed.

It is preferable that a small-sized pan, cup, or the like is disposed in advance in scale 13 so as not to interfere with platform 12.

< action >

The workpiece is carried in from the back side by an automatic carrier such as a robot, and the workpiece is placed on the surface plate 12. At this time, the work head 6 is moved to the raised position (retreated position) by the Z-direction moving device, and does not interfere with the carrying-in of the workpiece.

After the workpiece is placed on the surface plate 12, the main control unit, not shown, moves the surface plate 12 by operating the Y slider base 8, not shown, and moves the work head slider 5 to dispose the work head 6 at a desired position opposite to the workpiece, and the work head 6 is lowered by the Z-direction moving device provided in the work head 6 to move the workpiece and the work head 6 relative to each other, thereby applying the liquid material to the workpiece.

After the coating operation is completed, the operation head 6 is moved to the retreating position again in order to avoid interference with the carrying-out of the workpiece. After the movement of the work head 6 is completed, the automatic carrier carries out the workpiece from the back surface.

The operator opens the door 31 and enters the duct 10 to perform maintenance work on the work head 6. At this time, the platform 12 moves backward to a position not facing the work head 6. Since the space is provided above the tunnel 10, the worker can perform the work while standing.

Example 2

The liquid material application apparatus of the present embodiment is different from the liquid material application apparatus of embodiment 1 in that it includes a cover 30 and a work head cover 70. Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the door 31 side in fig. 3 is referred to as the front or front side, and the platform 12 side is referred to as the rear or rear side.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the liquid material application device of the present embodiment in which the work head cover 70 is attached to the frame 3. The upper end of the work head cover 70 is located near the tip of the cover 30, and the front surface of the work head cover 70 functions as an inner wall to prevent particles from intruding into the area (cleaning holding area) on the back surface side of the frame 3.

The upper surface of the work head cover 70 is inclined rearward from the top. The shape of the air flow guide plate does not greatly change the air flow from top to bottom (sinking flow). By forming the upper surface in the inclined surface shape, it is possible to prevent the air flow from swirling in the middle or failing to reach the lower side.

The back of the work head housing 70 is flat to prevent particles from entering the clean holding area. The gap between the work head cover 70 and the gantry 1 is a distance that does not interfere with the movement of the platform 12. The distance between the upper end of the work head cover 70 and the top end of the cover 30 and the distance between the lower end of the work head cover 70 and the stand 1 are of design consideration, and the shape of the main body of the frame 3 may be devised.

The space in which the work head 6 is located on the front and side surfaces of the work head cover 70 is covered with a plate-like transparent member in three directions. The work head door 71 is disposed at the front center portion via 3 hinges 72, and can be opened by being lifted upward. In the present embodiment, the transparent member on the side surface cannot be opened and closed, but whether or not the transparent member on the side surface can be opened and closed is a matter of design.

As shown in fig. 4 to 8, the liquid material application device of the present embodiment is disposed in a rectangular housing 30.

The cover 30 is a closed space for preventing dust or dirt from adhering to the workpiece, and has an opening 34 for carrying in/out the workpiece on the back surface, and a pair of left and right door 32 and a door 31 for entering the passage 10 on the front surface.

An emergency stop button 37 and an operation panel 38 for operating a main control unit, not shown, are provided on the front surface of the housing 30, and a pair of handles are provided on the panels constituting the housing 30 to enable opening and closing.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the liquid material application device of the present embodiment, fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along line a-a ' of fig. 9, fig. 11 is a sectional view taken along line B-B ' of fig. 9, and fig. 12 is a sectional view taken along line C-C ' of fig. 9. The channel 10 extends to the front of line a-a' and, as can be seen in fig. 11, the cross-section forms a U-shape. The portion C-C' of the stand 1 is not provided with the passage 10, and has a function of improving the structural strength of the stand 1.

In fig. 9, the platform 12 is located at the rear position, but the platform 12 can be moved forward during operation, and can be moved to the position of fig. 13.

In the present embodiment, a fan mechanism, not shown, is provided on the back side of the frame 3 to constantly flow clean air from the upper portion to the lower portion. Accordingly, since unnecessary objects such as dust are discharged to the outside from the lower portion of the cover 30, the unnecessary objects do not remain in the cover 30, and the coating work can be performed in a clean environment at all times. In this case, it is preferable to send the outside air to the work area by using an air cleaner or a filter such as HEPA (high efficiency particulate air filter).

Further, by setting the region on the back surface side of the frame 3 (cleaning holding region) to a positive pressure with respect to the region on the front surface side of the frame 70, air can be made to flow from the former region toward the latter region. This flow has the effect of preventing particles generated during maintenance from passing through the frame 3 in which the platform is located into the clean holding area.

In a preferred embodiment of the cover 30, a metal frame made of SUS (stainless steel), aluminum frame, or the like is formed of a metal wall or a wall made of transparent resin or the like. The resin wall may be transparent (colorless and transparent), yellow, dark tea, red, dark gray, or grayish smoke (gray), but may be selected and used as appropriate according to the application of the liquid material to be used (for example, in the case of ultraviolet ray aversion). The diagonal line portion of fig. 14 is a transparent or translucent portion.

As in example 1, a communication jack, not shown, is provided below the stand 1, and remote control is possible. The operation can also be performed through the operation panel 38. In the maintenance work for opening the front or side door or panel, the operation of the operation panel 38 is difficult, and therefore, the remote control operation is effective.

< action >

The workpiece is carried in through the opening 34 in the back surface by an automatic conveyor such as a robot, and the workpiece is placed on the surface plate 12. At this time, the work head 6 is moved to the raised position (retreated position) by the Z-direction moving device, and does not interfere with the carrying-in of the workpiece.

After the workpiece is placed on the surface plate 12, the main control unit, not shown, moves the surface plate 12 by operating the Y slider base 8, not shown, and moves the work head slider 5 to dispose the work head 6 at a desired position opposite to the workpiece, and the work head 6 is lowered by the Z-direction moving device provided in the work head 6 to move the workpiece and the work head 6 relative to each other, thereby applying the liquid material to the workpiece.

After the coating operation is completed, the operation head 6 is moved to the retreating position again in order to avoid interference with the carrying-out of the workpiece. After the movement of the work head 6 is completed, the automatic conveyor carries out the workpiece from the opening 34.

The operator opens the door 31 and enters the duct 10 to perform maintenance work on the work head 6. At this time, the platform 12 moves backward to a position not facing the work head 6. Since the space is provided above the tunnel 10, the worker can perform the work while standing. The work head door 71 may be opened as appropriate, thereby facilitating work.

Since the working head 6 is located in an easily accessible range through the access passage 10, maintenance work such as replacement of consumables can be easily performed.

After the maintenance work is completed, the work head door 71 is closed, and the work head door is withdrawn from the passage 10 to close the door 31. Since it is estimated that particles are generated by the maintenance work, it is preferable to start the work after a certain standby time has elapsed.

In addition, the accuracy of the amount of the liquid material discharged from the working head 6 can be adjusted during the standby time, and the time can be used efficiently. During maintenance work, platform 12 moves backward to expose scale 13, and thus is suitable for work of adjusting the accuracy of the amount.

(availability in industry)

The present invention is also applicable to a working device having a working head other than a liquid material discharge head. For example, a working device equipped with a UV irradiation head for curing a UV adhesive applied to a workpiece by a UV light source, or a working device equipped with a sensing device for determining and inspecting the quality of dirt or flaws on the surface of a workpiece or a coating line drawn by a liquid material, or an inspection head such as a CCD camera is exemplified.

The present invention is also applicable to a working device equipped with a machining head including a machining device with a tool such as a drill.

Claims (10)

1. A working device, characterized by comprising:

a rack having a passage extending in a first direction in which an operator can enter;

a frame extending in a second direction different from the first direction above the mount;

a stage configured to be movable in a first direction on a stage including the passage; and

a working head arranged on the frame opposite to the platform and freely moving in a second direction;

moving the table and the work head relative to each other to perform a desired work on a workpiece placed on the table;

the stand is コ -shaped, and the channel extends to the position of the approximate center of the stand in the first direction and is formed right below the working head;

and because a space is formed above the channel, an operator can stand to perform work.

2. The working device according to claim 1,

the channel extends out to the lower part of the frame;

the stage is movable to a position not overlapping with the passage on the stage.

3. The working device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the frame is constituted by a lattice structure having a plurality of holes penetrating from an upper face to a lower face except for the passage.

4. The working device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by comprising: an opening door for accessing the passageway; and a square outer cover covering the operation device arranged on the stand.

5. The work device of claim 4, wherein said frame includes a work head housing covering the work head, the work head housing being configured such that the height of an upper end thereof is located near a top end of said housing.

6. The work device according to claim 5, wherein the upper surface of the work head cover is formed of a slope that descends to a side opposite to the passage.

7. The working device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the working head is a liquid material discharge head that discharges the liquid material from a tip of the nozzle.

8. The working device according to claim 7, wherein a scale is provided at a terminal end portion of the passage, and the scale is provided on a stand separate from the stand.

9. A working device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the frame is provided with a plurality of working heads.

10. The working device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the frame is configured to be movable in the first direction.