KR20080084271A - Glass Board Etching Equipment Using Trolley Conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor for thinly etching a glass substrate used for a flat panel display, and more particularly, to control a cassette mounted with a glass substrate by an individual unit when moving the cassette to each etching process unit. By being made in one stop by a trolley conveyor rather than being moved, it is possible to reduce the system size of the system and to reduce the quantity of various sensors or motors for driving the individual units. The present invention relates to a glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor that is easy to control and maintain.

To this end, the glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor according to the present invention, a rinsing portion (cleaning) of the glass substrate, the etching (etching) portion of the glass substrate is etched and the cassette on which the glass substrate is loaded It includes a trolley conveyor for transferring to the etching unit and the rinsing unit, the trolley conveyor can transfer the transfer rail and the cassette is mounted on the transfer rail and the glass substrate mounted on the transfer rail to move along the transfer rail and the transfer rail. It characterized in that it comprises a hanger which is installed at one end of the transfer arm.

Description

Etching system for glass panel using trolley conveyor}

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor according to the present invention.

2 is an operation state diagram for explaining a glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor according to the present invention.

3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an etching part of a glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor according to the present invention.

Figure 4 is a perspective view for explaining the etching liquid injection nozzle of the glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor according to the present invention.

5 is a perspective view for explaining an etching portion of the glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor according to the present invention.

6 is a configuration diagram illustrating a drying unit of the glass substrate etching system using the trolley conveyor according to the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings>

110: trolley conveyor 111: transfer rail

112: transfer arm 113: hanger

120: loading portion 130: opening and closing portion

140a, b: rinsing part 150: etching part

151: etching bath 152: transfer furnace

152 ': sealing means 153: discharge box

160: unloading unit 170: cassette

180: glass substrate 190: drying unit

The present invention relates to a glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor for thinly etching a glass substrate used for a flat panel display. In particular, it is controlled and moved by an individual unit when a cassette having a glass substrate is moved to each etching process unit. It is possible to reduce the system size of the system as well as to reduce the quantity of various sensors or motors for driving the individual units by being made in a one stop by a trolley conveyor. A glass substrate etching system using an easy-to-maintain trolley conveyor.

Recently, flat panel display devices such as LCD (Liquid Crystal Display Device), PDP (Plasma Display Panel), ELD (Electroluminescent Display), and VFD (Vacuum Fluorescent Display) have been used in various fields. There are many problems that need to be solved.

In particular, in portable devices such as portable televisions, notebook computers, and PDAs, it is important to reduce the weight thereof, and various methods have been suggested. However, the weight of essential components such as electrodes and electronic components is currently proposed. However, there are limitations in reducing the size, and efforts are being made to reduce the weight of the glass substrate itself installed on the front and / or rear of the flat panel display device.

Meanwhile, in order to reduce the thickness of the glass substrate, that is, the weight of the glass substrate, the surface of the glass substrate may be etched using an etching solution, or an abrasive such as sand having very small particles may be sprayed onto the surface of the glass substrate in order to reduce the thickness of the glass substrate. A method of polishing is used, and in order to perform such etching, a rinsing process for washing foreign substances remaining on the surface of the glass substrate and a cleaning solution remaining in the cassette for loading the glass substrate and the glass substrate after the rinsing process are performed. A drying step and an etching step of etching the surface of the glass substrate using an etching solution, an abrasive or the like are performed.

Thus, in the related art, a glass roller or a cassette (hereinafter, referred to as a "cassette") on which the glass substrate is loaded is transferred to each process unit so that the etching of the glass substrate may be performed. It installs and conveys a cassette along the conveyance roller.

However, when etching a glass substrate while transferring a cassette to each process part using a transfer roller as mentioned above, the overall installation size should be as large as the space of the said transfer roller, as the above-mentioned transfer rollers should be provided between each process part. There was a problem that increases.

In addition, the cassette placed on the transfer roller is lifted up using the transfer arm, and the cassette is put into any one of the above-described process units, and when the process is completed, the cassette is taken out by the transfer arm and transferred again. There was a problem in that the continuity between the processes, such as put on the rollers and transported to the next process unit is reduced.

Furthermore, as the cassettes mounted with glass substrates are moved and controlled by individual units when the cassettes are moved to each etching process unit, various sensors or motors for driving the individual units must be separately provided, as well as the control and Maintenance was also difficult.

Therefore, in the present invention to solve the problems described above, it is possible to thinly etch the thickness of the glass substrate used for the flat panel display, the control and movement by the individual unit when moving the cassette mounted glass substrate to each etching process unit By being made in one-stop manner by a trolley conveyor, the size of the system can be reduced, as well as the quantity of various sensors or motors for driving the individual units can be controlled and maintained. The present invention provides a glass substrate etching system using an easy-to-repair trolley conveyor.

To this end, in the glass substrate etching system using the trolley conveyor according to the present invention, the rinsing portion for cleaning the glass substrate, the etching portion for etching the glass substrate and the cassette on which the glass substrate is loaded, the rinsing portion with the etching portion It characterized in that it comprises a trolley conveyor for transferring to the wealth.

At this time, the trolley conveyor, a hanger is installed at one end of the transfer arm to transfer the transfer rail, the transfer arm is installed on the transfer rail and the cassette on which the glass substrate is mounted so as to be movable along the transfer rail. It is preferable to include.

In addition, it is preferable that opening and closing portions are provided at each side of the rinsing portion and the etching portion positioned in the advancing direction of the cassette, and the cassette conveyed by the hanger is provided to pass through the opening and closing portion.

In addition, the upper surface of the rinsing portion and the etching portion is preferably formed with a moving path for moving the hanger for fixing the cassette.

In addition, it is preferable that sealing means is provided in the moving path.

In addition, the upper surface of the etching portion is preferably formed with a discharge portion for discharging the harmful substances in the etching portion.

The rinsing unit and the etching unit may further include a bath in which the rinsing or etching is performed, and a spray nozzle installed inside the respective baths and spraying a cleaning liquid or an etching liquid onto the glass substrate.

In addition, the injection nozzle is preferably provided so as to be rotatable.

In addition, it is preferable that the said etching part is plural.

In addition, it is preferable that at least one or more of the plurality of etching portions have different etching characteristics as compared with other etching portions.

The apparatus may further include a loading part for loading the cassette on the trolley conveyor and an unloading part for unloading the cassette from the trolley conveyor, wherein the loading part and the unloading part respectively move the cassette up and down. It is preferable that a plate is provided.

In addition, the rinsing unit, it is preferable that at least one or more is provided so as to wash the glass plate before and / or after the etching of the glass substrate.

In addition, it is preferable to further include a drying unit provided adjacent to the etching portion or the rinsing portion to dry the glass substrate and the cassette.

In addition, the drying unit is preferably provided with a hot air supply unit for introducing hot air and a hot air discharge unit for discharging the introduced hot air.

Hereinafter, a glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining a glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor according to the present invention, Figure 2 is an operational state diagram for explaining a glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor according to the present invention.

1 and 2, in the etching system 100 of the glass substrate 180 according to the present invention, the cassette 170 on which the glass substrate 180 is loaded is a trolley conveyor 110. And the loading unit 120 to be loaded on, the rinsing unit (140a, 140b) to the rinsing (rinsing) of the glass substrate 180, the glass substrate 180 passed through the rinsing unit (140a, 140b) and A drying unit (see 190 in FIG. 6) for drying the remaining washing liquid in the cassette 170, an etching unit 150 for etching the glass substrate 180 loaded on the cassette 170 thinly, and The opening and closing unit 130 is installed at each side of the rinsing unit 140a, 140b, the drying unit 190, and the etching unit 150 corresponding to a path through which the cassette 170 proceeds, and the door opening and closing operation is performed. And a trolley conveyor for transferring the cassette 170 to the rinsing parts 140a and 140b, the drying part 190 and the etching part 150. 110, and the unloading portion 160 for unloading the cassette 170 after the etching process is the main configuration.

That is, when the cassette 170 in which the glass substrate 180 is loaded in the loading unit 120 is loaded on the trolley conveyor 110 and then the opening and closing unit 130 installed at the left side L of the rinsing unit 140a is opened, the trolley Conveyor 110 passes through the opening and closing portion 130 to transfer the cassette 170 to the inside of the rinsing portion (140a), when the opening and closing portion 130 installed in the left portion (L) to shield the outside is closed It is configured to perform the process of washing the glass substrate 180 in the singer 140a.

In addition, when the cleaning process is completed, the cassette 170 is opened by opening and closing the opening and closing unit 130 provided between the right side R of the rinsing unit 140a and the left side L ′ of the etching unit 150. Transferring to the inside of the etching unit 150 is configured to perform an etching process of etching the thickness of the glass substrate 180 thin.

Furthermore, the glass substrate 180 is repeatedly etched in the plurality of etching units 150 while the cassette 170 is transferred in a manner similar to the above, and then the etching process is performed again in the rinsing unit 140b. When finished, the unloading unit 160 is configured to unload the cassette 170.

However, if necessary, the apparatus may further include a drying unit 190 between the rinsing unit 140a or 140b and the etching unit 150 to allow drying of the glass substrate 180 and the cassette 170. Would be desirable.

Accordingly, the cassette 170 having the glass substrate 180 is transferred to each process unit 140a, 150, 140b, and 160 by the trolley conveyor 110, thereby providing a one-stop process of etching the glass substrate 180. By the stop method, the etching process time can be shortened, and the trolley conveyor 110 is separately installed on the upper side of each process unit 140a, 150, 140b, 160 to install the cassette 170. By transporting, the size of the plant can be reduced.

Hereinafter, the glass substrate etching system using the trolley conveyor of the present invention to reduce the etching process time and equipment size as described above in more detail.

3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an etching portion of a glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor according to the present invention, Figure 4 is a perspective view for explaining the etching liquid injection nozzle of the glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor according to the present invention, 5 is a perspective view illustrating an etching part of a glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram illustrating a drying part of the glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor according to the present invention.

3 to 6 with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, first, the loading unit 120 is to allow the cassette 170 on which the glass substrate 180 is loaded to be loaded on the trolley conveyor 110. The cassette table 121 includes a cassette table 121 on which the cassette 170 is seated, and a lifting plate 122 installed at an upper end of the cassette table 121 and lifted up and down by a hydraulic cylinder (not shown). When the cassette 170 having the glass substrate 180 loaded thereon is placed, the elevating plate 122 is raised to raise the cassette 170 and the upper end of the cassette 170 on the hanger 113 of the trolley conveyor 110. It is configured to be fixed.

The rinsing parts 140a and 140b may use a glass substrate by using a cleaning solution to prevent the surface of the glass substrate 180 from being unevenly etched in a subsequent etching process due to foreign matter attached to the surface of the glass substrate 180. For cleaning the surface of the 180, as shown in Figure 3, the cleaning of the glass substrate 180 (bath, 141a, 141b) and the rinsing bath (141a, 141b) cassette ( When the 170 is supplied to the glass substrate 180 loaded on the cassette 170, the washing liquid such as distilled water (DI) may be sprayed to the inside of the rinsing baths 141a and 141b. It includes a plurality of washing liquid injection unit (145a, 145b) disposed between each of the glass substrate 180 loaded on 170.

At this time, the cleaning liquid injection unit (145a, 145b), as shown in Figure 4, of the supply pipe 146a, 146b and the supply pipe 146a, 146b to receive the cleaning liquid by the operation of the feed pump, etc. not shown in the figure Installed on one side, the cleaning solution is made of a spray nozzle (147a, 147b) and the like to be sprayed to the glass substrate 180 in the form of fine particles.

However, as the supply pipes 146a and 146b are installed to be rotatable using their central axis as the rotation axis, the spray nozzles are also rotated at a predetermined angle θ, so that the surface of the glass substrate 180 can be used even with a small amount of cleaning liquid. It would be desirable to allow the wash solution to be evenly sprayed.

In addition, although not shown, the lower end of the rinsing baths (141a, 141b) will be provided with an outlet for discharging the cleaning liquid used to remove foreign substances on the glass substrate 180 to the outside, but such a configuration is already known technology The detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The drying unit 190 drys the cleaning liquid remaining in the glass substrate 180 and the cassette 170 for loading the glass substrate 180 after the rinsing process, and thus the mixing of the remaining washing liquid and the etching liquid In order to prevent the etching characteristics of the surface of the glass substrate 180 from being changed for each part (that is, the remaining portion and the remaining portion of the cleaning liquid) due to the change of the etchant concentration, etc., see FIG. 6. As shown in the drawing, the drying chamber 191 is dried, the hot air supply (192a) for supplying hot air (hot air) to the drying chamber 191, and the glass substrate 180 by the supplied hot air and And a hot air discharge unit 192b for discharging the hot air after simultaneously drying the cassette 170 on which the glass substrate 180 is loaded.

However, it is preferable that the drying unit 190 may be configured to be progressed in a one-stop manner by the trolley conveyor 110 by installing the opening and closing unit 130 as described above on the path through which the cassette 170 proceeds. Will be self-evident in the level.

The etching unit 150 is to etch the surface of the glass substrate 180 by spraying an etchant such as hydrofluoric acid (HF) on the surface of the glass substrate 180 containing a large amount of silica to thin the thickness thereof. As shown in FIG. 3, when the cassette 170 is supplied to the etching bath 151 to which the glass substrate 180 is etched and the etching bath 151 is loaded on the cassette 170. The etching solution spraying unit 155 is provided at a plurality of predetermined intervals inside the etching bath 151 to spray the etching liquid onto the substrate 180.

However, as shown in FIG. 4, the etching solution injection unit 155 is provided at one side of the supply pipe 156 for supplying the etching liquid by an operation such as a supply pump and the supply pipe 156 so that the cleaning liquid is formed in the glass substrate ( It is made of a spray nozzle 157 or the like to be sprayed in the state of the fine particles to 180, but as described above, the spray nozzle 157 is rotated at a predetermined angle (θ), using a small amount of etching solution Even if it is preferable that the etching solution may be evenly sprayed on the surface of the glass substrate 180.

In addition, the etching unit 150 as described above is provided with a plurality of lines along which the etching process is performed, for example, the etching of the glass substrate 180 is divided into several times using an etchant having a relatively low concentration. As the glass substrate 180 is etched several times, the glass substrate 180 may be prevented from being excessively etched, and uniform etching may be performed over the entire surface of the glass substrate 180. It is desirable to.

In addition, it is even more preferable that at least one or more of the plurality of etching units 150 have different etching characteristics compared to other etching units 150. For example, at least one of the plurality of etching units 150 may be configured to differently control the etching degree of the glass substrate 180 by differently setting the concentration of the etching solution, the temperature of the etching solution, and the etching time for spraying the etching solution. It would be desirable to.

Furthermore, although not shown, a lower end of the etching bath 151 may include a discharge pipe for discharging the etchant used to etch the glass substrate 180, a filter installed in the discharge pipe to remove only foreign matter, and collect only pure etchant. A buffer tank for temporarily storing the etchant purified through the filter for recycling, a supply tank receiving the etchant directly from the outside as well as the buffer tank and supplying the etchant to the supply pipe, and an etchant stored in the supply tank The monitoring unit for monitoring the temperature and the concentration of the like may be installed, but such a configuration is already known, so the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, the glass 170 using the trolley conveyor according to the present invention, so that the cassette 170 on which the glass substrate 180 is loaded can be transferred to each process unit 140a, 150, 140b, 160 as described above in a one-stop manner. As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the trolley conveyor 110 of the substrate etching system 100 has a transfer rail 111 provided at an upper portion thereof along the process portions 140a, 150, 140b, 160. And, it is installed in engagement with the transfer rail 111 so as to move along the transfer rail 111, and automatically circulates the trajectory of the transfer rail 111 by a driving device (not shown) and the cassette 170 is The transfer arm 112, which is transferred to the place where the process unit 140a, 150, 140b, 160 is located, and a detachable configuration with one side of the upper end of the cassette 170, such as a hook, etc. of the transfer arm 112 It includes a hanger 113 is installed at one end.

According to this configuration, the cassette 170 on which the glass substrate 180 is loaded is placed on the cassette table 121 of the loading unit 120 and then the lifting plate 122 is raised to the hanger 113 as it is raised. When the cassette 170 is loaded, the transfer arm 112 starts circulation along the trajectory of the transfer rail 111, at which time the rinsing corresponding to the path where the cassette 170 is conveyed as shown in FIG. 5. Each side of the baths 141a, 141b, the etching bath 151, and the drying chamber 191 is provided with opening and closing portions 130 as described above so that the cassette 170 can be transferred, and at the same time, the rinsing bath (141a, 141b), the etching bath 151, and the upper surface of the drying chamber 191, the movement path 152 is formed so that the hanger 113 loaded with the cassette 170 can be transferred to a glass substrate ( The cassette 170 loaded with 180 may be parallelly moved to each of the process units 140a, 150, 140b, and 160.

At this time, the movement path 152 is preferably provided with various sealing means 152 'for blocking the external environment without hindering the movement of the hanger 113, such a sealing means 152' brush (brush) and the like can be used.

Furthermore, if necessary, it is preferable that a discharge part 153 is formed on the upper surface of the etching bath 151 to discharge various harmful substances, and the discharge part 153 has a transfer path similar to that described above. It is formed, and the sealing means 153a such as a brush is provided on the transfer path, the discharge pipe for inhaling the harmful substances inside the etching bath 151 by the exhaust pump (not shown) on one side ( 153b) is provided.

In addition, the trolley conveyor 110 as described above has a set of transfer arms 112 and hangers 113 installed on the transfer rails 111 so as to etch the glass substrate 180 while simultaneously moving the plurality of cassettes 170. It is preferable to have a plurality of), but the present invention is not limited thereto, and only one set of the transfer arm 112 and the hanger 113 is installed on the transfer rail 111 so that one cassette ( The glass substrate 180 may be etched while the 170 is circulated along the transfer rail 111.

The glass substrate etching system using the trolley conveyor according to the present invention has been described above. Such a technical configuration of the present invention will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention.

Therefore, the above-described embodiments are to be understood in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the present invention is represented by the following claims rather than the foregoing description, and the meaning and scope of the claims. And all changes or modifications derived from the equivalent concept should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

As described above, according to the glass substrate etching system using the trolley conveyor according to the present invention, as the cassette having the glass substrate is moved to each etching process unit using the trolley conveyor, a separate transfer roller is not required between the process units. As a result, the system size of the system can be reduced, thereby increasing the utilization of the work space.

In addition, the number of sensors and motors for driving individual units such as the transfer rollers installed between the process units can be reduced, as well as the control and maintenance can be facilitated.

Claims (14)

A rinsing unit for cleaning the glass substrate; An etching unit for etching the glass substrate; And And a trolley conveyor for transferring the cassette loaded with the glass substrate to the etching unit and the rinsing unit. The method of claim 1, The trolley conveyor is a hanger installed at one end of the transfer arm to transfer a transfer rail, a transfer arm installed on the transfer rail so as to move along the transfer rail, and a cassette on which the glass substrate is mounted. Glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor, characterized in that it comprises a). The method of claim 2, Opening and closing portions are provided on each side of the rinsing portion and the etching portion positioned in the moving direction of the cassette, and the cassette conveyed by the hanger is provided to pass through the opening and closing portion. Substrate etching system. The method of claim 3, wherein The upper surface of the rinsing portion and the etching portion is a glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor, characterized in that the movement path for moving the hanger for fixing the cassette is formed. The method of claim 4, wherein Glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor, characterized in that the moving means is provided with a sealing means. The method of claim 4, wherein The upper surface of the etching portion is a glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor, characterized in that the discharge portion for discharging the harmful substances in the etching portion is formed. The method of claim 1, And the rinsing part and the etching part respectively include a bath to be rinsed or etched, and a spray nozzle installed inside the respective baths to spray a cleaning liquid or an etching liquid onto the glass substrate. The method of claim 7, wherein The spray nozzle is a glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor, characterized in that the rotatable installation. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, Glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor, characterized in that the plurality of etching portion. The method of claim 9, And at least one of the plurality of etching portions has different etching characteristics compared to other etching portions. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, And a loading part for loading the cassette onto the trolley conveyor and an unloading part for unloading the cassette from the trolley conveyor, wherein the loading part and the unloading part respectively have a lifting plate for lifting the cassette up and down. Glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor, characterized in that the installation. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, The rinsing unit, at least one glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor, characterized in that the at least one is installed so as to clean the glass plate before and / or after the etching of the glass substrate. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, And a drying unit provided adjacent to the etching unit or the rinsing unit to dry the glass substrate and the cassette. The method of claim 13, The drying unit is a glass substrate etching system using a trolley conveyor, characterized in that the hot air (hot air) is introduced into the hot air supply unit and the hot air discharge unit is discharged is discharged.

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