JP2925932B2 - Method and apparatus for applying external electrode paste to chip components - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for applying a conductive paste to the ends of a large number of chip components held on a carrier plate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A chip component such as a capacitor having an external electrode at an end thereof requires a step of applying a conductive paste for an external electrode to an end of the chip component in its manufacturing process.

The above-mentioned paste application step mainly includes: a first step of inserting an end of a chip component into a holding hole of a carrier plate to hold the chip component in a protruding state; and a chip component held by the carrier plate. A second step of making the projecting heights of the chips uniform; and a third step of collectively applying a conductive paste to the projecting ends of the chip components held on the carrier plate.

[0004] By the way, a carrier plate shown in FIG. 9 is generally used as a carrier plate for holding chips. The carrier plate K has a rubber elastic plate Kp and a metal frame Kf supporting the periphery of the elastic plate Kp.
In the elastic plate Kp, a large number of holding holes Kh having a smaller diameter than the chip component C are formed in a predetermined arrangement, and a clamp groove Kg is formed on two opposing side surfaces of the frame Kf. ing.

[0005] In the first step, a guide plate having a conical guide hole is placed on an elastic plate Kp of a carrier plate K such that the positions of the holes match each other.
After the chip components C are inverted on the holding holes Kh using the guide holes, the chip components C are pushed down into the holding holes Kh with the pressing pins P after the chip components C are inverted.

The second step is to place the carrier plate K after chip insertion on a slide table with the chip insertion side facing upward, and move the slide table linearly along the rail in the tangential direction of the leveling roller. This is performed by pressing the projecting end of each chip component against the leveling roller that rotates in synchronization with this, and further pushing the chip component into the holding hole Kh.

In the above-mentioned third step, as shown in FIG. 10, the carrier plate K after adjusting the protruding height is clamped by the clamp device 11 with the chip insertion side facing downward, and this is coated with the conductive paste P. This is performed by lowering the chip component C toward the dip table T and bringing the protruding end of each chip component C into contact with the conductive paste P.

The clamp device 11 used in the third step includes an elevating plate 13 fixed to the shaft 12 of the elevating cylinder, a clamping cylinder 14 disposed at both ends of the upper surface of the elevating plate 13, and a clamping cylinder. 14 shaft rods 14a
And a clamp claw 15 fixedly attached to the main body. A clamp claw 1 is provided in the clamp groove Kg of the carrier plate K.
5 are inserted into the carrier plate K, respectively.
Is pulled toward the lift plate 13 by the operation of the clamp cylinder 14, and the lower surface of the lift plate 13 and each clamp claw 15
And the frame Kf is sandwiched between them.

[0009]

According to the above-mentioned conventional third step implementation method, the most lowered position of the carrier plate K is
The paste application width to the chip component C is controlled by the paste thickness on the dip table T. However, the frame Kf is sandwiched between the lower surface of the elevating plate 13 and each of the clamp claws 15, and the carrier plate K is kept in the same state. When the frame Kf has a thickness variation, the chip insertion surface and the dip table T are not parallel, and the protruding end of the chip component C and the dip table T
In this case, there is a problem that the distance to the paste changes and the paste application width varies.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides an external electrode paste applying method capable of making a paste applying width constant for a chip component held on a carrier plate, and an apparatus suitable for carrying out the method. Is to do.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a chip component is provided in each holding hole of a carrier plate comprising an elastic plate having a large number of holding holes and a frame supporting the periphery thereof. The method of applying an external electrode paste in which, after inserting the end of the chip component and holding the chip component in a protruding state, the conductive paste is collectively applied to the protruding end of the chip component held on the carrier plate, the carrier plate and the conductive paste When the protruding end of each chip component comes into contact with the conductive paste by approaching the coated dip surface, the frame surface on the chip insertion side of the carrier plate is pressed against the dip surface via a spacer of a predetermined thickness. I have.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a chip component held by a carrier plate, using a carrier plate including an elastic plate having a large number of holding holes capable of holding the chip component in a protruding state and a frame supporting a peripheral edge thereof. In an external electrode paste applying apparatus for applying a conductive paste to the projecting end of the carrier collectively, a frame supporting means capable of being pushed in against an urging force and a clamp claw capable of clamping a frame of a carrier plate in cooperation with the frame supporting means , A dipping surface coated with a conductive paste with a constant thickness, a driving device for moving at least one of the clamping device and the dipping surface to bring them closer to each other, and a carrier plate frame held between the clamping devices. And a spacer having a predetermined thickness inserted between the paste-free portion of the dip surface. It is characterized in that.

[0013]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the frame surface of the carrier plate on the chip insertion side is pressed against the dip surface via the spacer having a predetermined thickness. The parallel state between the chip insertion surface and the dip surface is ensured, and the distance between the protruding end of each chip component and the dip surface can be equalized.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, after the frame of the carrier plate is clamped by the cooperation of the frame supporting means of the clamping means and the clamp claws, the clamping means and the dip surface are brought close to each other, thereby attaching the frame supporting means. Using the force, the frame of the carrier plate can be pressed against the dip surface via the spacer.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, a clamp device for holding and moving a carrier plate will be described with reference to FIGS. Since the carrier plate used in this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 9, the same reference numerals are used and the description is omitted here.

The clamp device 1 includes a slide base 2
And a lifting / lowering cylinder 3, a lifting / lowering plate 4, a clamping cylinder 5, a clamp claw 6, and a frame support 7.

A guide 2a movably engaged with the rail Sr is fixed to the upper surface of the slide base 2, and an elevating cylinder 3 is provided upright at the center of the upper surface. A plurality of stopper pins 2b are provided on the lower surface of the slide base 2 to regulate the highest position of the lift plate 4.

The elevating plate 4 has a rectangular shape larger than the carrier plate K, and clamp cylinders 5 are provided upright at flange portions 4a bulging at both ends in the moving direction. The lower end of the shaft 3a of the lifting cylinder 3 is connected to the center of the upper surface of the lifting plate 4.

The clamp claw 6 has at its end a flat plate-shaped portion 6a which can be inserted into the clamp groove Kg of the carrier plate K with a margin, and the flat plate-shaped portions 6a of the clamp cylinder 5 are attached to the lower end of the shaft 5a. They are connected to face each other.

The frame supporting member 7 is provided at a lower end of the main body cylinder 7a, a shaft rod 7b urged downward by a spring material provided in the main body cylinder 7a or hydraulic or pneumatic pressure or the like, and a lower end of the supporting rod 7b. And a conical pressing end 7c. The frame support 7 has a main body tube 7a erected at four corners of the upper surface of the elevating plate 4, and each shaft 7b and the pressing end 7c protrude toward the lower surface of the elevating plate 4.

Here, the procedure of applying the paste using the clamp device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the clamp groove K of the carrier plate K is
g and the height of the clamp claw 6 of the clamp device 1 are aligned, and the carrier plate K is pushed into the clamp device 1 to insert the flat portion 6a of the clamp claw 6 to the center position in the clamp groove Kg. The carrier plate K used here is obtained by inserting a chip in the same procedure as in the prior art and adjusting the protrusion height of the chip.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the clamp cylinder 5 is operated in the same state to raise the clamp pawl 6. In the same process, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the carrier plate K engaged with the clamp claw 6 is drawn toward the lifting plate 4 and the four corners of the upper surface of the frame Kf are fixed to the respective frame supports 7. The frame Kf is pressed against the pressing end 7c, and is clamped between the clamp claw 6 and the pressing end 7c of the frame support 7. The clamp claw 6 further rises thereafter, whereby the pressing end 7c of each frame supporting member 7 slightly rises against the urging force of the spring while maintaining the pressure contact state with the frame Kf.

Next, as shown in FIG.
The whole is linearly moved along the rail Sr, and is stopped on the dip table T. This dip table T
A conductive paste P is applied in a predetermined thickness in an area corresponding to the chip component C held on the carrier plate K on the upper surface of the substrate.

The uncoated portion of the dip table T and the carrier plate K sandwiched by the clamp device 1
A spacer S having a predetermined thickness is disposed between the frame Kf and the lower surface on the clamp groove side of the frame Kf so as to be able to be pushed down. The spacer S has a length corresponding to the side length of the frame Kf on the clamp groove side, and its end is fixed to the tip of the shaft Sb urged upward by a spring material.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the elevating cylinder 3 is operated to lower the elevating plate 4 and the carrier plate K. In this process, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the lower surface of the frame Kf of the carrier plate K contacts the spacer S, and the carrier plate K further descends until the spacer S contacts the dip table T. . The lifting plate 4 further descends thereafter, so that the pressing end 7c of each frame supporting member 7 further rises against the urging force of the spring while maintaining the pressure contact state with the frame Kf, so that the clamp pawls 6 hold the pressing end 7c. Then, the frame Kf of the carrier plate K is sandwiched between the upper surface of the spacer S and the pressing end 7c of the frame support 7. Even when the frame Kf is warped or twisted, these are corrected by the pressing action of the frame support 7.

The protruding ends of the respective chip components C held on the carrier plate K are brought into contact with the conductive paste P through the above process, whereby the conductive paste P is applied to the protruding ends in a lump. The width of the paste applied to the chip component C is
The distance between the dip table T and the frame surface on the chip insertion side of the carrier plate K defined by the thickness of the spacer S and the thickness of the paste on the dip table T are determined.

According to the apparatus and method of the present embodiment, the clamping by the clamp claws 6 is released during the lowering of the carrier plate K, and then the four upper corners of the frame Kf of the carrier plate K are moved to the pressing ends of the frame support 7. 7c so as to press against the upper surface of the spacer S. Therefore, even when the thickness of the frame Kf varies, the parallel state between the chip insertion surface of the carrier plate K and the dip table T is ensured. Projecting end and dip table T
And the width of the paste applied to all the chip components C can be made constant.

In the above embodiment, the four upper corners of the frame of the carrier plate are pressed and supported by the pressing ends of the frame support. However, the number of the frame supports and the number of press supports can be appropriately increased or decreased. Increasing the number of press supports per side of the frame can more reliably correct the warpage and twist of the frame.

Also, the pressing end of the frame support has a conical shape and is brought into point contact with the frame. However, as shown in FIG. 8A, the pressing end 7d is formed in a flat plate shape. Is connected to the shaft rod of one or more frame supporting members 7, the frame can be pressed and supported under surface contact.

Furthermore, although the spacers are shown as being horizontally long corresponding to one side of the frame, the spacers may be frame-shaped or the like corresponding to the frame shape. According to this, as shown in FIG. 8B, the pressing end 7e is formed in a frame shape corresponding to the frame shape, and this is connected to the shaft rods of the plurality of frame supports 7, so that the warpage and twist of the frame can be further reduced. Can be reliably corrected.

In addition, while the clamp device is lowered at the time of applying the paste, the same operation and effect can be obtained by raising the dip table to the clamp device side or approaching both. it can.

[0033]

As described in detail above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, even when the thickness of the carrier plate frame varies, the parallel state between the chip insertion surface and the dip surface of the carrier plate is ensured. By making the distance between the protruding end of each chip component and the dip surface uniform, the paste application width for all the chip components can be made constant.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the above method can be performed accurately, and the paste application width can be arbitrarily and easily adjusted by changing the spacer thickness.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a clamp device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the clamp device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a sandwiched state of a carrier plate.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a pinching operation.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state where the movement of the clamp device is stopped.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a lowered state of a carrier plate.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a descending operation.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of the frame support means.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a carrier plate.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of a conventional paste application.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Clamping device, 6 ... Clamp claw, 7 ... Frame support, S ... Spacer, T ... Dip table, P ... Conductive paste, K ... Carrier plate, Kf ... Frame, Kg
... clamp groove, C: chip parts.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-3-129900 (JP, A) JP-A-4-84353 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H05K 3/34 505 H05K 13/04 H01L 23/50 B23K 1/08

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An end of a chip component is inserted into each holding hole of a carrier plate comprising an elastic plate having a large number of holding holes and a frame supporting the periphery thereof, and the chip component is held in a protruding state. In the method of applying an external electrode paste to collectively apply a conductive paste to the protruding ends of the chip components held on the carrier plate, the carrier plate and the dip surface coated with the conductive paste are brought close to each other, and the protruding ends of the respective chip components are conductive. A method for applying an external electrode paste to a chip component, comprising: pressing a frame surface on a chip insertion side of a carrier plate to a dip surface via a spacer having a predetermined thickness when making contact with the paste. 2. A carrier plate comprising an elastic plate having a large number of holding holes capable of holding a chip component in a protruding state and a frame supporting a peripheral edge thereof, and a conductive end is provided on a protruding end of the chip component held by the carrier plate. An external electrode paste application device for applying paste in a lump, comprising: frame support means capable of being pushed in against an urging force; and clamp means having clamp claws capable of clamping a frame of a carrier plate in cooperation with the frame support means. And a driving means for moving at least one of the clamping means and the dipping surface to bring them closer to each other, a paste on the carrier plate frame and the dipping surface sandwiched by the clamping means. And a spacer having a predetermined thickness inserted between the non-coating portion and the non-coating portion. External electrode paste coating apparatus of the chip component to be.