JP3288127B2 - Thin film forming apparatus and thin film forming method - 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 for easily wiping and / or drying a doctor blade, and for automatically and uniformly holding a doctor blade at a predetermined holding pressure by a wiper. Wipe or /
The present invention also relates to a thin film forming apparatus and a thin film forming method capable of forming a thin film after drying.

As an apparatus for forming a polymer thin film pattern used for electronic parts such as a liquid crystal alignment film, for example, an intaglio roll having a large number of ink cells, an ink supply apparatus having a doctor blade for filling the ink cells with ink, and an intaglio roll A printing roll having an elastic plate to which the ink of the printing roll is transferred on a plate cylinder, and a printing table for fixing a printing medium to which the ink of the printing roll is transferred, and a doctor blade of an ink supply device, the plate cylinder of the intaglio roll There is a thin film forming apparatus that scrapes the surface and reliably fills the ink into the ink cells.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art A doctor blade is a plate-like body and is attached to a doctor blade support rod attached to a rack (see FIG. 4). The doctor blade has the function of scraping the surface of the plate cylinder of the rotating intaglio roll and filling and measuring the ink in the ink cells of the intaglio roll reliably. It dries or cures to form an ink solid which sticks to the doctor blade. If the doctor blade is used with the sticking, the ink sticking to the doctor blade will be dissolved again in the new ink, or the solid ink will fall off and mix with the new ink supplied to the intaglio roll. Will do it. In addition, since the tip of the doctor blade becomes uneven due to the adhered ink, scraping unevenness occurs, and all the ink cells of the intaglio roll cannot be reliably filled and measured. Therefore, conventionally, the ink attached to the doctor blade has been wiped, but all the operations are manually performed. In other words, first, hold the wiper impregnated with the solvent in the hand of a person, pinch the doctor blade at a predetermined pinching pressure, and move the doctor blade along the lengthwise direction of the doctor blade while holding it. I have. Next, the doctor blade is manually dried to remove the solvent remaining on the doctor blade. In other words, the gas ejecting means for ejecting the gas for drying the doctor blade is set at a predetermined distance between the doctor blade and the gas ejecting means by a person's hand, and the person is sprayed with the gas on the surface of the doctor blade. Is moved along the longitudinal direction of the doctor blade.

[0004] Next, ink is filled into a large number of ink cells of the intaglio roll by the ink supply device, the ink is transferred from the intaglio roll to the elastic plate of the printing roll, and the printing medium fixed to the printing table from the printing roll. The ink is transferred to and printed.

[0005]

Conventionally, there have been the following problems. (1) Since the printing is performed after all the wiping and drying of the doctor blade are performed by hand, it is troublesome and the efficiency of thin film formation is very poor.

(2) Since a person enters and exits to wipe the doctor blade, dust and dirt fly from the person and his or her clothes and the ground, causing a decrease in the cleanliness of the surroundings. Also, the wiper will be grasped by hands with dust or oil. Therefore, even if the doctor blade is wiped, dust, dust, dirt, and oil adhere to the doctor blade, so that the doctor blade is not wiped cleanly despite the labor of human beings, resulting in poor work efficiency. Also, when the ink is filled into the ink cells of the intaglio roll with a doctor blade to which dust, dust, dirt, or oil has adhered, dust, dust, dirt, or oil is mixed with the ink. I will. Therefore, when a polymer thin film such as a liquid crystal alignment film is formed using such an ink, for example, the insulating property is reduced, alignment unevenness occurs, or a part of the film is chipped. There is a problem that the function of the thin film is reduced.

(3) When a doctor blade made of plastic is used, if a hard part such as a nail of a hand is accidentally applied to the tip of the doctor blade during wiping work by a human hand, the tip of the doctor blade becomes uneven. Therefore, scraping unevenness occurs, and it is impossible to accurately and reliably fill and measure all the ink cells of the intaglio roll.

(4) Since the wiper is wiped while holding the wiper in a hand and sandwiching the doctor blade, the wiper is pressed against the tip of the doctor blade with a predetermined contact pressure, and the wiper is moved in the longitudinal direction of the doctor blade. During this time, it is extremely difficult to maintain a predetermined contact pressure, and the contact pressure increases or decreases. As a result, the distal end of the doctor blade and the wiper are separated from each other and the distal end of the doctor blade is not wiped, or the distal end of the doctor blade and the wiper are so strongly contacted that the wiper is broken, resulting in poor workability. In addition, there is a high danger because a person's hand rubs against the tip of the doctor blade, causing injury.

(5) Since the wiper is wiped while holding the wiper by a person's hand while pinching the doctor blade, the doctor blade is pinched with a predetermined pinching pressure by the wiper, and the wiper is moved in the longitudinal direction of the doctor blade. while,
It is extremely difficult to maintain a predetermined pinching pressure, and the pinching pressure will increase or decrease. As a result, sufficient wiping and insufficient wiping occur, and the residual ink stuck to the doctor blade cannot be sufficiently removed. In addition, the doctor blade cannot be wiped uniformly. When filling and metering ink with a doctor blade that has not been sufficiently wiped, the ink stuck on the doctor blade mixes with the new ink supplied to the intaglio roll, so different inks are replaced each time the ink is replaced with another type. Will be mixed. Further, when the tip of the doctor blade becomes uneven, scraping unevenness occurs, and it is not possible to reliably fill and measure all the ink cells of the intaglio roll. In addition, if the ink is not thoroughly and evenly wiped, the tip of the doctor blade will be uneven due to the sticking ink, and there will be places where ink can be filled well in the ink cells and places where ink cannot be filled. Unevenness occurs in the filling amount and the film thickness is not uniform. Therefore, for example, when a polymer thin film pattern such as a liquid crystal alignment film is formed, there is a problem that the uniformity of the film thickness is deteriorated, display unevenness is caused, and the function of the thin film is reduced.

(6) Since the drying of the doctor blade is carried out by holding the drying gas ejecting means by a human hand, a predetermined distance is provided between the gas ejecting means and the doctor blade, and the gas is ejected in the longitudinal direction of the doctor blade. It is extremely difficult to maintain a certain distance while moving the means, and the distance may increase or decrease. As a result, there are places where drying is sufficient and places where drying is insufficient, and the doctor blade cannot be dried uniformly. If a doctor blade that has not been dried uniformly is used, the solvent used for wiping mixes with the new ink supplied to the intaglio roll. For this reason, when a polymer thin film pattern such as a liquid crystal alignment film is formed using such an ink, for example, the insulating property is reduced, and the film thickness and the alignment unevenness are caused. Problem arises.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a hand body and a wiper holder means for wiping a doctor blade disposed at one end of the hand body via a repulsive pressing means. Consists of a doctor blade automatic wiping device attached to the arm of an articulated robot, an intaglio roll having a large number of ink cells, an ink supply device for filling the ink cells with ink, and ink in the intaglio roll being transferred. In a thin film forming apparatus comprising a printing roll having an elastic plate to be carried on a plate cylinder and a printing table for fixing a printing material to which the ink of the printing roll is transferred , a wiper holder
The step is a wiper holder body with an inverted L-shaped cross section and a wiper.
-Air cylinder body fixed to the holder body,
Wiper holder book consisting of upper chuck and lower chuck
A pair of chuck means slidable with respect to the body,
Located between the air cylinder body and the chuck means
Move back and forth with respect to the air cylinder body to
And a pair of chuck hands
The force of pulling the steps toward each other
And a tensile force generating means for generating a predetermined sandwiching pressure .

According to the thin film forming method of the present invention, a doctor blade held by a pair of blade holder means including an upper blade holder and a lower blade holder is provided.
In the method of forming a thin film for performing printing after wiping with a wiper, the wiper is held by wiper holder means including an upper chuck and a lower chuck of the doctor blade automatic wiping device according to the present invention. By driving the, to the predetermined position of the doctor blade, move the wiper holder means, at least one end of the upper chuck or the lower chuck,
Attach to the tip of at least one of the upper blade holder or the lower blade holder, then pull the doctor blade with the wiper with the force to pull the upper chuck and the lower chuck by the tensile force generating means, and then By driving the arm of the articulated robot, the hand is moved along the longitudinal direction of the doctor blade, and then by driving the arm of the articulated robot, the wiper is separated from the doctor blade, and the doctor blade is wiped. Was completed, and then printing was performed on the printing medium by the printing device unit.

According to the thin film forming method of the present invention, in the thin film forming method according to the present invention, after the automatic wiping of the doctor blade is completed, the arm of the articulated robot is driven to move the doctor blade to a predetermined position of the doctor blade. Moving the gas ejection means for drying the doctor blade of the doctor blade automatic wiping apparatus according to the above, and then driving the arm of the articulated robot while ejecting the gas from the gas ejection means, so that the gas ejection means together with the hand can be used. The doctor blade was configured to move along the longitudinal direction.

[0014]

According to the thin film forming apparatus and the thin film forming method of the present invention, the doctor blade automatic wiping device automatically wipes and dries the doctor blade using the hand attached to the articulated robot. Therefore, the doctor blade can be automatically wiped and dried before and after the printing process performed by the printing device, and the entire thin film formation process can be smoothly performed, so that the efficiency of thin film formation is improved.

Further, by using a repulsive pressing means of the hand,
Since the tip of the doctor blade and the wiper are always kept in contact with a predetermined contact pressure, it is possible to prevent the tip of the doctor blade and the wiper from being separated from each other or from being so strongly contacted that the wiper is broken. Therefore, the wiping and / or drying of the intaglio roll can be performed sufficiently and uniformly, so that foreign matter is not mixed into the thin film, and a thin film having a uniform thickness can be formed.

Further, the doctor blade is held between the upper chuck and the lower chuck at a predetermined holding pressure by the pulling force generating means using the wiper holder means of the hand. Can be pinched by the pinching pressure. Therefore, the wiping and / or drying of the intaglio roll can be performed sufficiently and uniformly, so that foreign matter is not mixed into the thin film, and a thin film having a uniform thickness can be formed.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, the doctor blade automatic wiping device of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the doctor blade automatic wiping device according to the present invention comprises:
And a wiper holder means 2 for wiping an intaglio roll attached to one end of the hand body 1 via a repulsive pressing means 3
The arm 5 of the articulated robot 6
Mounted on

The articulated robot 6 is a general-purpose industrial robot. A plurality of arms 60 are connected via a joint 61 so as to be freely bendable horizontally and vertically. That is,
The articulated robot 6 may be a horizontal articulated robot, a vertical articulated robot, or an orthogonal robot. The hand 5 is attached to one end of an arm group in which a plurality of arms 60 are gathered, and the other end is supported by a robot base 62. The joint 61 is a part that bends and drives the arm 60 in multiple steps or steplessly by hydraulic pressure, water pressure, or a motor. The robot base 62 is a part that drives the arm group in multiple steps or steplessly in the vertical direction by hydraulic pressure, water pressure, or a motor.

The hand body 1 is fixed to the arm 60 of the articulated robot 6.
The drive 5 can move the hand 5 in an arbitrary direction (see FIGS. 1 and 3). More specific configurations of the hand main body 1 are shown in FIGS.

The repulsion pressing means 3 comprises a hand body 1 and a wiper holder body 2 of the wiper holder means 2 described later.
0 to generate a repulsive force between the spring 30
And means for generating a repulsive force or a tensile force such as an air cylinder or an air cylinder (not shown). This repulsive force or tensile force causes the wiper holder means 2 to be pressed against the doctor blade B2 with a predetermined contact pressure. The repulsion pressing means 3 includes a spring 30, a mounting body 31, a mounting rod 32, and hook pins 33 and. The attachment body 31 has one end fixed to the hand main body 1 and a hook pin 33 at the other end. One end of the mounting rod 32 is fixed to the wiper holder body 20 and has a hook pin 33 at the other end. The spring 30 has one end hooked on a hook pin 33 of the attachment body 31 and the other end hooked on a hook pin 34 of the attachment rod 32 (see FIG. 6).

The wiper holder 2 is provided with a mechanism capable of holding and releasing the wiper 8 by sandwiching the wiper 8 in the chuck 21. The wiper holder means 2 repels with the hand body 1 via the repulsion pressing means 3,
The wiper 8 is pressed against the tip of the doctor blade B2 with a predetermined contact pressure (see FIGS. 4 and 5). Examples of the wiper 8 include a nonwoven fabric impregnated with a solvent that dissolves ink and a dry nonwoven fabric impregnated with nothing .

The wiper holder means 2 comprises a wiper holder body 20 having an inverted L-shaped cross section, an air cylinder body 23 fixed to the wiper holder body 20, an upper chuck 210 and a lower chuck 211. A pair of chuck means 21 slidable with respect to each other, and a rod arranged between the air cylinder main body 23 and the chuck means 21 to move back and forth with respect to the air cylinder main body 23 to control opening and closing of the pair of chuck means 21 230, and a tensile force generating means 22 for generating a predetermined pinching pressure of the wiper 8 by the chuck means 21 with a force for pulling the pair of chuck means 21 together. The tensile force generating means 22 includes a spring 220 and an air cylinder (not shown) (see FIG. 5).

The wiper holder main body 20 is fixed to one end of the mounting rod 32 of the repulsion pressing means 3, and is repelled between the hand main body 1 by a spring 30. In addition, the wiper holder body 20 includes:
One end of a rotor shaft 24 supporting the chuck means 21 is fixedly provided (see FIG. 5).

The chuck means 21 is a pair of an upper chuck 210 and a lower chuck 211, and is attached to the wiper holder main body 20 so as to be movable upside down. The upper chuck 210 has an upper part,
The lower chuck 211 is a member having an inverted F-shaped cross section including an intermediate portion, a side portion, and a lower portion. The lower chuck 211 is a member having an inverted F shape having an intermediate portion, a side portion, and a lower portion. The lower part of the chuck 211 is moved closer to or away from the lower part of the chuck 211 so as to sandwich the wiper 8 (see FIG. 6). The chuck means 21 is attached to the wiper holder main body 20 such that the upper chuck 210 and the lower chuck 211 remain in a closed state and are free to slide with respect to the wiper holder main body 20.

A hook pin 212 for hooking one end of a spring 220 is provided on an upper portion of the upper chuck 210, and a rotor 2 which rotates about a rotor shaft 24 is provided on a side portion thereof.
5 is provided with a hook pin 213 for hooking one end. A middle portion of the lower chuck 211 has a hook pin 214 for hooking the other end of the pulling force generating means 22 such as a spring 220, and a rotor that rotates around a rotor shaft 24 on a side portion. 25 has a hook pin 215 for hooking the other end (see FIG. 6).

Hook pin 21 on upper chuck 210
Both ends of the spring are hooked on the hook 2 and the hook pin 214 at the middle part of the lower chuck 211, and a force for pulling the upper part of the upper chuck 210 and the middle part of the lower chuck 211 is always applied. In this manner, a force is applied between the lower portion of the upper chuck 210 and the lower portion of the lower chuck 211 to pinch the wiper 8.

The rod 230 is connected to the air cylinder body 2
3 and a pair of chuck means 2 which are disposed between the chuck means 21 and move back and forth with respect to the air cylinder body 23.
1 is controlled to open and close. That is, when the rod 230 relative to the air cylinder body 23 moves forward, rotates
The right end of the child 25 and the hook pin 215 are pushed together and
The entire chuck 211 moves downward and the rotor 25
Rotates to the right, the right end of the rotor 25 is the power point, and the rotor shaft is
Point, the left end of the rotor 25 functions as an action point, and the rotor 2
5 and the hook pin 213 is lifted up with the left end.
As a result, the entire upper chuck 210 moves upward.
Good. Thus, the lower portion of the upper chuck 210 and the lower portion of the lower chuck 211 are separated from each other, and the upper chuck 210 and the lower chuck are in an open state (see FIG. 6). Conversely, when the rod 230 retreats with respect to the air cylinder body 23 from the state where the upper chuck 210 and the lower chuck are opened, the hook 220 of the upper chuck 210 and the lower chuck 211
And the hooking pin 214 is drawn. As a result, the lower part of the upper chuck 210 and the lower part of the lower chuck 211 approach each other, and the upper chuck 210 and the lower chuck are closed. Further, when the rod 230 retracts with respect to the air cylinder body 23, the upper chuck 210 and the lower chuck 2
11 is kept in a closed state, in which no external force is applied to the chuck means 21, and can be slid up and down with respect to the wiper holder body 20 (see FIG. 7).

The hand 5 may be provided with a gas blasting means 4 for drying the doctor blade in addition to the wiper holder means 2. As the gas for drying the doctor blade,
There are gases such as nitrogen. The gas jetting means 4 is a gas jetting device such as a nozzle. Even if a nozzle for jetting gas downward and a nozzle for jetting gas upward are mounted as a pair on the side of the wiper holder means 2. OK (see FIGS. 4 and 7). Alternatively, the chuck means 2
1 lower chuck 21 and lower chuck 21
A gas ejection hole 40 may be provided on the upper surface of the lower part of 1 (see FIG. 6).

An elastic plate automatic mounting / removing unit or / and a wiper holder unit for wiping an intaglio roll are attached to another part of the hand body to which the wiper holder unit 2 for wiping the doctor blade is attached via the repulsive pressing unit 3. 200 may be attached. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the elastic plate automatic attaching / removing means comprises, for example, a fixed chuck means 100, a tension chuck means 101 and an elastic plate tension automatic adjusting means 102. And the elastic plate tension automatic adjusting means 102 are fixedly provided, and the elastic plate tension automatic adjusting means 102
Is adjusted. When it becomes necessary to attach the elastic plate to the printing roll plate cylinder with a predetermined tension, first, both ends of the elastic plate are held by the fixed chuck means 2 and the tension chuck means 3 and only the fixed chuck means 2 side of the elastic plate is printed. The elastic plate is wound around the printing roll plate cylinder while being transferred to the roll plate cylinder, rotating the printing roll plate cylinder, and adjusting the tension applied to the elastic plate by the elastic plate tension automatic adjusting means 102. The fixed chuck means 100 and the tension chuck means 101 are means for holding both ends of the elastic plate by a chuck mechanism or an electromagnet. The elastic plate tension automatic adjusting means 102 comprises a spring, an air cylinder, or the like. The wiper holder means 200 for wiping the intaglio roll is attached to the hand main body 1 or the wiper holder main body 20 via the repulsion pressing means 201 as shown in FIG.
When it becomes necessary to remove unnecessary ink remaining in the ink cells of the intaglio roll, the wiper holder 200 for wiping the intaglio roll holds a wiper made of a nonwoven fabric or the like impregnated with a solvent or the like, and the hand body 1 is moved. By rotating by 90 °, the arm 60 of the articulated robot 6 is driven to wipe the surface of the intaglio roll. The repulsion pressing means 201 includes:
This is a means for using a repulsive force of a spring, an air cylinder, or the like so that the wiper is pressed against the plate cylinder of the intaglio roll at a predetermined contact pressure.

The printing unit of the thin film forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described. The printing device section of the present invention includes an intaglio roll A having a large number of ink cells, ink supply means B for filling the ink cells with ink, and a printing roll C having an elastic plate on the plate cylinder to which the ink of the intaglio roll is transferred. Table D for fixing the printing medium to which the ink of the printing roll is transferred
Consists of

In the printing unit, a support frame F is formed at the center of a base E formed of a rectangular base. The support frame F supports an intaglio roll A and a print roll C rotatably.
Above the intaglio roll A, an ink supply means B is arranged. A print table D is arranged on the upper surface of the base 1.

The intaglio roll A has a body fixed to the rotation shaft, and has a large number of ink cells on the surface of the body. The ink cell has a depth of, for example, 10 to several tens of μm. The barrel is in contact with the convex portion of the elastic plate of the printing roll C plate cylinder at a constant pressure.

The ink supply means B includes an ink supply nozzle B
1 and a doctor blade B2. Ink is supplied from the ink supply nozzle B1 to the intaglio roll A so that the ink is accumulated in a portion where the doctor blade B2 and the intaglio roll A are in contact. The ink has, for example, a viscosity of several tens.
~ 30,000 c. p. s. And a mixture of a synthetic resin or a resin precursor and a solvent. The doctor blade B2 is a plate-like body, and is attached to a doctor blade support rod B3 attached to the support frame F. By rotating the doctor blade supporting rod B3, the angle of the doctor blade B2 is changed, and the doctor blade B2 comes into contact with or separates from the surface of the intaglio roll A. The ink supplied from the ink supply nozzle B1 is measured and scraped by a doctor blade B2. In this way, the ink supply means B converts the ink dropped on the surface of the intaglio roll A into the intaglio roll A.
The ink is spread on the surface and the ink is filled in the ink cells, and a highly uniform ink film is formed on the surface of the intaglio roll A.

The printing roll C has a body fixed to its rotation shaft, and a soft elastic material made of rubber such as butyl rubber or synthetic resin such as nylon resin or photosensitive rubber or photosensitive resin. The plate 7 is installed or removed. The ink of the intaglio roll A is transferred to the elastic plate 7.

The printing table D is mounted on a base E. On the upper surface of the base E, a printing position b below the support frame F and a printing medium placement position a away from the lower side of the support frame F toward the print medium loading side and a print position b below the support frame F and away from the support frame F below Guide rails D1 are fixed to both sides between the carry-out positions c. The printing table D moves between the positions a, b, and c along the guide rails on the base E. The printing medium D2 is mounted on the printing table D at the printing medium mounting position a of the base E,
At the printing position b of the base E, the ink of the elastic plate 7 of the printing roll C is transferred onto the printing material D2 by contacting the printing roll C to form a print, and at the unloading position C of the base E, the printing material D2 is formed. Is carried out. The print table D has a plate-shaped print medium D2 placed on the upper surface thereof, determines the position of the print medium D2, and holds it. A rack D3 parallel to the guide rail D1 is attached to a lower end surface of the printing table D.
A pinion D4 is interlocked with the rack D3, and the print table D is reciprocally slid together with the rack D3 by forward / reverse rotation of the pinion D4. The thin film forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a
Rotation of intaglio roll and angle of doctor blade B2
Changing operation and the doctor blade automatic wiping device
Computer for linking wiping and drying operations
May be provided.

The method for forming a thin film according to the present invention will be described. First, in the doctor blade automatic wiping device, the doctor blade B2 to which unnecessary ink or the like has adhered is wiped by the wiper 8, and unnecessary ink is automatically removed. The doctor blade B2 is a plate-like body, and ink adheres to the tip 70 at one end and the upper surface and the lower surface close to the tip. The doctor blade B2 is held by a pair of blade holder means 9 including an upper blade holder 90 and a lower blade holder 91.

First, the wiper 8 is held by the wiper holder means 2 including the upper chuck 210 and the lower chuck 211 of the doctor blade automatic wiping device. That is,
The rod 230 is advanced with respect to the air cylinder 23, the lower portion of the upper chuck 210 and the lower portion of the lower chuck 211 are appropriately separated from each other, and the wiper 8 has a U-shaped cross section.
The lower chuck 211 and the lower chuck 211 may be held between the lower part and the lower part (see FIG. 6).

Next, by driving the arm 60 of the articulated robot 6, the wiper holder means 2 is moved to a predetermined position of the doctor blade B2, and at least one end of the upper chuck 210 or the lower chuck 211 is moved. It is brought into contact with at least one end of the upper blade holder 90 or the lower blade holder 91 (FIG. 5).
reference). The drive of the arm 60 is performed by appropriately bending and extending the arm 60 via the joint 61 of the articulated robot 6, or by vertically moving the robot base 62.
With the tip of the chuck abutting against the tip of the blade holder, the tip of the doctor blade B2 always comes into contact with the wiper 8 at a predetermined contact pressure. The predetermined contact pressure is a pressure at which the tip of the doctor blade B2 and the wiper 8 come into contact with each other so as not to be separated from each other or to be so strongly contacted that the wiper is broken.

Next, a force for pulling the upper chuck 210 and the lower chuck 211 by the pulling force generating means 22 and a predetermined pinching pressure between the upper chuck 210 and the lower chuck 211 cause the doctor blade by the wiper 8. B2 is inserted (see FIG. 5). That is, first, when the rod 230 is retracted with respect to the air cylinder main body 23, the upper chuck 210 and the lower chuck 211 are constantly applied with a force to be attracted by the spring. The lower part of 210 and the lower part of lower chuck 211 approach each other, and pinch doctor blade B2 with a predetermined pinching pressure. The predetermined sandwiching pressure means that the upper surface and the lower surface of the doctor blade B2 are sandwiched by the wiper 8, and the solvent permeating the wiper 8 sufficiently dissolves unnecessary ink adhering to the doctor blade B2. This is the pressure when it is sandwiched so that it can be completely wiped off. Next, the rod 230 is further retracted with respect to the air cylinder main body 23 from the state where the doctor blade B2 is sandwiched by the predetermined sandwiching pressure, and the upper chuck 210 and the lower chuck are closed. The means 21 is set in a free state in which the means 21 is moved in an appropriate direction by an external force, and is slidable up and down with respect to the wiper holder body 20.

Next, by driving the arm 60 of the articulated robot 6, the hand 5 is moved along the longitudinal direction of the doctor blade B2 (see FIG. 4) (FIG. 4).
reference). In other words, as described above, at least one end of the upper chuck 210 and the lower chuck 211 is in contact with at least one end of the upper blade holder 90 and the lower blade holder 91, and the chuck means 21 slides up and down. The doctor blade B2 may be reciprocated a required number of times along the longitudinal direction of the doctor blade B2 in a movable free state. Since the chuck means 21 is in a free state, even if the hand 5 is displaced up and down with respect to the doctor blade B2 while the hand 5 is moving,
The chuck means 21 slides up and down to pinch the doctor blade B2 in a predetermined positional relationship.

Next, by driving the arm 60 of the articulated robot 6, the doctor blade B2
The wiper 8 is pulled away, and the wiping of the doctor blade B2 is completed.

An automatic drying method after wiping the doctor blade B2 will be described. First, the wiper 8 is removed from the chuck means 21, the lower surface of the lower portion of the upper chuck 210 and the upper surface of the lower portion of the lower chuck 211 are opened, and the lower surface of the lower portion of the upper chuck 210, the upper surface of the doctor blade B2, and the lower chuck The upper surface of the lower part of 211 and the upper surface of doctor blade B2 face each other. Gas for drying the doctor blade is ejected from the gas ejection holes 40 on the lower surface of the lower portion of the upper chuck 210 and the upper surface of the lower portion of the lower chuck 211.

Next, the hand 5 is moved along the longitudinal direction of the doctor blade B2 by driving the articulated robot while ejecting gas. Arm 60
Is driven by bending the arm 60 appropriately via the joint 61 of the articulated robot 6 or by moving the robot base 62.
Is moved vertically.

After the wiping / drying of the doctor blade B2, a thin film is formed on the printing medium in the printing device. That is,
First, ink is supplied to the surface of the intaglio roll A by the ink supply nozzle B1 that reciprocates in the longitudinal direction of the intaglio roll A, and then scraped by the doctor blade B2 to fill and measure the ink in the ink cells.

When the print table D is to be moved from the print medium placing position a to the carry-out position c, after the print medium D2 is mounted on the print table D, the print table D slides together with the rack D3. At the same time, the printing roll C and the intaglio roll A rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the printing table drive shaft. That is, the printing table D moves to the unloading position c via the printing position b in synchronization with the rotation of the printing roll C. At this time, the ink on the intaglio roll A is transferred onto the convex portion of the elastic plate 7 of the printing roll C, and the ink is further transferred to the printing medium D2.

Conversely, when the printing table D is moved from the unloading position c to the printing medium placing position a, the linkage between the rotation of the printing roll C and the sliding movement of the printing table D is disconnected by a clutch device or the like. The printing table D is moved from the unloading position c to the printing position b regardless of the rotation of the printing roll C.
Is moved to the printing medium placing position a via the printer.

[0047]

The thin film forming apparatus and the thin film forming method of the present invention have the following effects because of the above configuration and operation. (1) Since there is no need for a person to enter and exit to wipe the doctor blade, dust and dirt do not flutter and the cleanliness of the surroundings is improved. In addition, since the hand automatically holds the wiper, dust, dust and dirt do not adhere to the doctor blade. Therefore, the doctor blade does not become dirty at all, and the wiping efficiency and the printing efficiency are improved.

(2) Dust, dust, dust and oil do not mix with the ink. Therefore, for example, when a polymer thin film pattern such as a liquid crystal alignment film is formed, a highly functional thin film can be stably obtained, for example, a desired insulating property and alignment performance can be obtained.

(3) Wiping is performed while the wiper is pressed against the doctor blade by the repulsion pressing means of the hand attached to the arm of the articulated robot. Therefore, the tip of the doctor blade is constantly pressed by the wiper at a predetermined contact pressure, and it is possible to automatically and easily move the wiper in the longitudinal direction of the doctor blade while maintaining the predetermined contact pressure. As a result, the tip of the doctor blade and the wiper do not separate from each other, and the tip of the doctor blade is wiped cleanly, so that the wiping efficiency and the printing efficiency are improved. In addition, the tip of the doctor blade and the wiper do not come into strong contact with each other, and the wiper is not broken, and the tip of the doctor blade is not rubbed by a human hand, resulting in high safety.

(4) No one enters or exits to wipe the doctor blade, and the doctor blade is automatically and accurately wiped by hand. Therefore, even when a plastic doctor blade is used, a hard object may be mistakenly removed. It does not hit the tip of the blade. Therefore, the tip of the doctor blade does not become uneven due to chipping or denting of the tip, scraping unevenness does not occur, and all the ink cells of the intaglio roll can be filled and measured uniformly.

(5) The wiper is held by the wiper holder means of the hand attached to the arm of the articulated robot, and the pulling force generating means of the wiper holder means
Since the wiping is automatically performed while the doctor blade is being pinched by the wiper, the doctor blade can be always pinched by the wiper at a predetermined pinching pressure.
In addition, since the wiper can be automatically moved in the longitudinal direction of the doctor blade while maintaining a predetermined sandwiching pressure, the doctor blade can be wiped uniformly. Therefore, the ink cells of the intaglio roll can be filled and measured without unevenness, and as a result, the transfer amount of the ink to the printing roll does not become uneven and the film thickness becomes uniform. For example, when a polymer thin film pattern such as a liquid crystal alignment film is formed, a highly functional thin film can be stably obtained without causing display unevenness.

(6) Since the gas for drying the doctor blade is automatically blown to the surface of the doctor blade by the hand attached to the articulated robot, the distance between the gas ejection means and the doctor blade is set to a predetermined distance, and While moving the gas ejection means in the longitudinal direction of the blade,
Maintaining the predetermined distance can also be automatically and easily achieved. Therefore, the surface of the doctor blade can be dried uniformly, the next printing step can be performed smoothly, and the efficiency of thin film formation can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a thin film forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory side view showing one embodiment of a printing unit of the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory side view showing one embodiment of a doctor blade automatic wiping unit of the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a top view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side explanatory view of a main part of another embodiment of the doctor blade automatic wiping device of the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention.

6 is a front view showing a state where an upper chuck and a lower chuck of the doctor blade automatic wiping device shown in FIG. 5 are separated from each other.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a state where an upper chuck and a lower chuck of the doctor blade automatic wiping unit shown in FIG. 5 are close to each other;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hand main body 2 Wiper holder means 20 Wiper holder main body 21 Chuck means 210 Upper chuck 211 Lower chuck 212 Hook pin 213 Hook pin 214 Hook pin 215 Hook pin 22 Tensile force generation means 23 Air cylinder body 230 Rod 24 Rotor Shaft 25 Rotor 3 Repulsion pressing means 30 Spring 31 Mounting body 32 Support rod 33 Hook pin 34 Hook pin 4 Gas ejection means 40 Gas ejection hole 5 Hand 6 Articulated robot 60 Arm 61 Joint 62 Robot base 70 Tip 8 Wiper 9 Blade holder means 90 Upper blade holder 91 Lower blade holder 100 Fixed chuck means 101 Tensile chuck means 102 Elastic plate tension automatic adjusting means 200 Wiper holder means for wiping intaglio roll 01 rebound Pushing means A intaglio roll B ink supply unit C printing roll D printing table B1 ink supply nozzle B2 doctor blade B3 doctor blade support bar D1 guide rails D2 printing substrate D3 rack D4 pinion E base F supporting frame

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-5-31882 (JP, A) JP-A-2-28084 (JP, A) JP-A-63-295262 (JP, A) 138547 (JP, U) JP-A-3-106039 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41F 9/00-9/08 B41F 17/14 G02F 1/1337

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] A doctor blade, comprising a hand body and a wiper holder means for wiping a doctor blade disposed at one end of the hand body via a repulsion pressing means, is attached to an arm of an articulated robot. An automatic wiping unit, an intaglio roll having a large number of ink cells, an ink supply device for filling the ink cells with ink, a printing roll having an elastic plate on the plate cylinder to which the ink of the intaglio roll is transferred, and an ink for the printing roll in but a thin film forming apparatus comprising a printing device portion comprising a printing table for fixing the printing material to be transferred, the wiper holder means
The wiper holder body with an inverted L-shaped cross section and the wiper
The air cylinder body fixed to the holder body and the top
Wiper holder body consisting of chuck and lower chuck
A pair of chuck means slidable with respect to
It is located between the arc cylinder body and the chuck means.
Move back and forth with respect to the
A rod for controlling opening and closing of the chuck means, and a pair of chuck means
Of the wiper by the chuck means with the force of attracting
And a tensile force generating means for generating a constant pinching pressure.
And a thin film forming apparatus. 2. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas jetting means for drying the doctor blade is provided in parallel with the wiper holder means. 3. A doctor blade through a repulsive pressing means.
A hand with a wiper holder means for wiping
The elastic plate is automatically attached to another part of the
The wiper holder means for wiping the intaglio roll
Claim 1 which is attached
Thin film forming equipment. 4. An upper blade holder and a lower blade holder.
Held by a pair of blade holder means consisting of
After cleaning the doctor blade with a wiper,
The method of claim 1, wherein
Above the doctor blade automatic wiping device section described in any of
Wiper holder means consisting of a chuck and a lower chuck
Hold the wiper, and then the articulated robot
By driving the
Move the wiper holder means to the position
At least one end of the chuck or lower chuck is
At least a blade holder or lower blade holder
To one end, and then by the tensile force generating means.
To pull the upper and lower chucks together.
Then, insert the doctor blade with the wiper,
Then, by driving the arm of the articulated robot,
And move the hand along the length of the doctor blade
And then drive the arm of the articulated robot.
To separate the wiper from the doctor blade
And complete the wiping of the doctor blade.
Characterized in that printing is performed on the printing medium by the mounting section
Thin film formation method. 5. The thin film forming method according to claim 4, wherein
After completing the automatic wiping of the
By driving the arm of the
The method according to any one of claims 2 to 3, in a predetermined position of the door.
Doctor blade automatic wiping device
The gas ejection means for drying is moved, and then the gas ejection means
While driving the arm of the articulated robot
By moving it, the gas ejection means together with the hand
Moving along the length of the doctor blade
Characteristic thin film forming method.