JP7726830B2 - polishing equipment - Google Patents

Description

One embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a polishing apparatus, a polishing method, and a mechanical component.

Various electronic components, such as semiconductor devices and display panels for display devices, are processed in a vacuum during manufacturing processes. In areas where parts making up a vacuum container used in such vacuum processing come into contact with each other, grooves are formed in one or both of the contacting parts, and a sealing member such as an O-ring is installed in the groove to ensure a tight seal inside the container. Patent Document 1 discloses a cutting method in which a workpiece is cut using a hale-bite cutting tool.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 06-126520

Grooves in sealing members are typically formed by cutting the sealing surface using a rotary cutting tool such as an end mill. After cutting the desired groove shape, slight irregularities and cutting debris may remain on the sealing surface, requiring polishing to remove them. Polishing the sealing surface is often done manually by workers, but this takes a long time to complete, and the surface roughness of the polished surface varies depending on the worker's experience and skill, resulting in inconsistent quality of the sealing surface.

In view of the above problems, one embodiment of the present disclosure aims to provide a polishing device and polishing method that can shorten the time required for polishing and stabilize the quality of the sealing surface.

Another object of one embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide a mechanical component with stabilized sealing surface quality.

A polishing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a support unit that supports a polishing tool, a stage that holds an object to be polished, a first drive unit that moves the support unit and the stage relative to each other along the shape of the polishing surface, and a second drive unit that rotates the support unit in synchronization with the first drive unit so that one end of a polishing member attached to the polishing tool faces the direction of movement.

A polishing method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a method for polishing a polishing surface on hard anodized aluminum, comprising: a first step of polishing the polishing surface with a first polishing member at a first pressing strength; and a second step of polishing the polishing surface with a second polishing member at a second pressing strength after the first step, wherein the first pressing strength is lower than the second pressing strength.

A mechanical component according to one embodiment of the present disclosure has a hard anodized aluminum surface, a polished surface on a portion of the hard anodized aluminum surface, the waviness of the polished surface being 0.2 μm or less, and the surface roughness of the polished surface being 0.4 μm or less.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the polishing process can be automated using a machine, thereby shortening the time required for polishing and stabilizing the quality of the sealing surface.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a polishing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a polishing apparatus according to an embodiment. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of a polishing tool used in a polishing apparatus according to an embodiment. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of a polishing tool used in a polishing apparatus according to an embodiment. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of a polishing tool used in a polishing apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded view of a jig of a polishing tool used in a polishing apparatus according to one embodiment. FIG. 1 is a plan view of an example of an object to be polished, as viewed from above. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining the movement route of the second polishing member when polishing a non-circular polishing surface of an object to be polished. FIG.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings and other figures. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms, and should not be construed as being limited to the description of the embodiments exemplified below. To clarify the explanation, the drawings may show the width, thickness, shape, etc. of each part more schematically than in the actual form, but these are merely examples and are not intended to limit the interpretation of the present disclosure.

In order to clarify the explanation, the drawings may show the width, thickness, shape, etc. of each part schematically compared to the actual embodiment, but this is merely an example and does not limit the interpretation of the present invention. Furthermore, in this specification and drawings, elements with similar functions to those explained in previous figures may be given the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations may be omitted. Furthermore, in this specification and drawings, identical parts or parts with similar functions may be given the same reference numerals or similar reference numerals (reference numerals consisting of only A, B, etc. added after the number), and duplicate explanations may be omitted.

In this specification, when a component or region is referred to as being "above (or below)" another component or region, unless otherwise specified, this includes not only the case where it is directly above (or below) the other component or region, but also the case where it is above (or below) the other component or region, i.e., the case where another component is included between the component or region and above (or below) the other component or region.

In addition, in this specification, expressions such as "α includes A, B, or C," "α includes any of A, B, and C," and "α includes one selected from the group consisting of A, B, and C" do not exclude cases where α includes multiple combinations of A to C, unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, these expressions do not exclude cases where α includes other elements.

The following describes a polishing apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a polishing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the polishing apparatus 10 includes a support unit 101, a stage 103, a first drive unit 105, and a second drive unit 107.

The support unit 101 supports the grinding tool 201. The grinding tool 201 will be described later. The support unit 101 is rotatably attached to the first drive unit 105.

The stage 103 holds the object to be polished 203. The object to be polished 203 is a part of a mechanical component and is not particularly limited. For example, the object to be polished 203 may be a component of a vacuum device used in a vacuum apparatus. In this case, the object to be polished 203 comprises the sealing surface of a vacuum vessel. The sealing surface may be treated with hard anodizing, for example. The polishing tool 201 can polish the hard anodizing film on the object to be polished 203. In this embodiment, the film formed on the object to be polished 203 is not limited to hard anodizing. For example, the surface hardness of the object to be polished 203 is approximately Hv 350 to 450.

The first drive unit 105 moves the support unit 101 and the stage 103 relative to one another in accordance with the shape of the polishing surface of the workpiece 203. In other words, the first drive unit 105 has a mechanism for moving the position of one or both of the support unit 101 and the stage 103 so that the polishing tool 201 can move in accordance with the shape of the polishing surface. The first drive unit 105 includes a first moving unit 109, a first guide unit 111, a second guide unit 113, a second moving unit 115, and a third guide unit 117.

The first moving unit 109 moves the support unit 101 in the z direction. The first guide unit 111 is provided on the main body 119 of the polishing apparatus 10 so as to extend in the z direction. The first guide unit 111 guides the movement of the first moving unit 109 in the z direction. For example, the first guide unit 111 may be a rail extending in the z direction, and the first moving unit 109 may slide in the z direction along the first guide unit 111. The first moving unit 109 and the first guide unit 111 constitute a first moving mechanism 112 that moves the support unit 101.

The second guide portion 113 guides the movement of the stage 103 in the x direction. The second guide portion 113 may be a rectangular plate having a pair of sides along the x direction and a pair of sides along the y direction. The stage 103 is supported by the second guide portion 113 so that it can slide in the x direction. For example, the stage 103 may be arranged so as to sandwich the edges of the pair of sides along the x direction of the second guide portion 113, and slide along the edges of the pair of sides along the x direction.

The second moving unit 115 moves the second guide unit 113, which supports the stage 103, in the y direction. The third guide unit 117 is provided on the main body 119 of the polishing apparatus 10 so as to extend in the y direction. The third guide unit 117 guides the movement of the second guide unit 113 in the y direction. For example, the third guide unit 117 may be a rail extending in the y direction, and the second guide unit 113 may slide in the y direction along the third guide unit 117.

The second guide unit 113, the second moving unit 115, and the third guide 117 may constitute a second moving mechanism 118 that moves the stage 103.

Although an example of the configuration of the first drive unit 105 has been described, in this embodiment, the configuration of the first drive unit 105 is not limited to the above. For example, the first drive unit 105 may further include a movement mechanism that moves the support unit 101 in the x direction and/or y direction. The first drive unit 105 may also further include a movement mechanism that moves the stage 103 in the z direction.

The second drive unit 107 rotates the support unit 101 that supports the polishing tool 201. The second drive unit 107 can also rotate the support unit 101 in synchronization with the first drive unit 105 so that one end of the polishing member attached to the polishing tool 201 always faces in the direction of movement of the polishing tool 201 along the polishing surface.

Although not shown, the polishing apparatus 10 is equipped with multiple motors. These motors allow the first drive unit 105 and the second drive unit 107 to move and rotate the support unit 101 and the stage 103.

Figure 2 is an example functional block diagram of the grinding apparatus 10. As shown in Figure 2, the grinding apparatus 10 includes an input operation unit 121 and a control unit 122.

The input operation unit 121 is a device such as an operation panel, operation buttons, or touch panel, and outputs signals corresponding to input operations to the control unit 122. An operator engaged in polishing work can control the operation of the first drive unit 105 and second drive unit 107 of the polishing apparatus 10 via the input operation unit 121. For example, the operator can use the input operation unit 121 to start and stop the polishing process performed by the polishing apparatus 10, set or change the rotation speed of the support unit 101, and the movement speed and direction of the support unit 101 and stage.

The control unit 122 includes a processing circuit such as a CPU, and a memory unit. The control unit 122 executes a control program stored in the memory unit using the CPU, controls the operation of the first drive unit 105 and the second drive unit 107, and realizes the grinding function of the grinding apparatus 10.

Figures 3, 4, and 5 are schematic diagrams showing an example of a polishing tool 201 supported by the support portion 101 of the polishing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment.

The polishing process of the workpiece 203 performed by the polishing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment includes a first stage in which the polishing surface is polished with a first pressure strength using a first polishing member, and a second stage in which the polishing surface is polished with a second polishing member with a second pressure strength after the first stage. The first polishing member and the second polishing member are made of different materials. The first pressure strength and the second pressure strength are also different. Here, pressure strength refers to the load applied to the polishing jig when the polishing member comes into contact with the surface of the workpiece 203 during the polishing process.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a polishing tool 201A used in the first stage of the polishing process. The polishing tool 201A includes a jig 303 and a first polishing member 305A attached to the jig 303 via a polishing member holder 307. The first polishing member 305A may be a brush made of, for example, ceramic fiber or nylon. In other words, the first stage of the polishing process is a polishing process using a brush.

Figure 6 is an example of a schematic exploded view of the jig 303. As shown in Figures 3 and 6, the jig 303 includes a polishing member holding portion 307, a fixing portion 309, a holder 311, and a cover 313.

The fixed part 309 is fixed to the support part 101 of the polishing apparatus 10. The holder 311 is joined to the fixed part 309. A hollow storage part 312 is provided inside the holder 311, and a coil spring 315 is inserted into the storage part 312. The spring constant of the coil spring 315 of the polishing tool 201A used in the first stage is 1 N/mm or more and 5 N/mm or less. The coil spring 305 inserted into the jig 303 forms a float mechanism.

The polishing member holder 307 is inserted into and fixed in the storage section 312 of the fixed section 309. The polishing member holder 307 is inserted into the storage section 312 so as to compress the coil spring 315 via the washer 316. At this time, the polishing member holder 307 compresses the coil spring 315 without completely sealing it. The polishing member holder 307 has a hollow section 308. The first polishing member 305A is removably attached to the hollow section 308.

The holder 311 has a pair of holes 317. A steel ball 319 is inserted into each hole 317. A cover 313 is placed over the holes 317 to cover the holes 317 into which the steel balls 319 have been inserted, and the cover 313 is secured in place with two retaining rings 321 to prevent it from shifting.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of polishing tool 201B used in the second stage of the polishing process. Polishing tool 201B has substantially the same configuration as polishing tool 201A shown in Figures 3 and 6, except that the material of second polishing member 305B attached to jig 303 is different from the material of first polishing member 305A, and the coil spring 315 inside jig 303 has a different spring constant than the coil spring 315 inserted inside jig 303 of polishing tool 201A shown in Figures 3 and 6.

In the polishing tool 201B shown in Figure 4, the second polishing member 305B is a sponge abrasive coated with abrasive grains such as aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, or zircon. In other words, the second stage of the polishing process is a polishing process using a sponge. The shape of the polishing member 305 may be, for example, cylindrical.

The spring constant of the coil spring 315 inserted into the jig 303 of the polishing tool 201B is different from the spring constant of the coil spring 315 inserted into the jig 303 of the polishing tool 201A used in the first stage. The spring constant of the coil spring 315 inserted into the jig 303 of the polishing tool 201B is greater than 1 N/mm and less than or equal to 10 N/mm. The spring constant of the coil spring 315 inserted into the jig 303 of the polishing tool 201B is higher than the spring constant of the coil spring 315 inserted into the jig 303 of the polishing tool 201A.

After completing the first stage using polishing tool 201A, a worker engaged in the polishing process performed by polishing apparatus 10 may remove polishing tool 201A from support portion 101 of polishing apparatus 10 and attach polishing tool 201B to support portion 101. Alternatively, the worker may disassemble jig 303 for polishing tool 201A, remove coil spring 315 having a spring coefficient of 1 N/mm or more and 5 N/mm or less from polishing tool 201A used in the first stage, and replace it with a coil spring 315 having a spring coefficient of more than 1 N/mm and 10 N/mm or less to be used in the second stage, thereby producing polishing tool 201B. In this case, the worker may replace coil spring 315 of jig 303, remove first polishing member 305A attached to polishing tool 201A, and detachably attach second polishing member 305B.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a polishing tool 201C used in the second stage of the polishing process. The second polishing member 305C attached to the jig 303 of the polishing tool 201C is another example of a second polishing member, different from the second polishing member 305B shown in Figure 4. The polishing tool 201C has substantially the same configuration as the polishing tool 201B shown in Figures 3 and 6, except that the shape of the second polishing member 305C attached to the jig 303 is different from the shape of the second polishing member 305B.

The material of the second polishing member 305C of the polishing tool 201C is the same as the material of the second polishing member 305B of the polishing tool 201B. However, the shape of the second polishing member 305C may be different from that of the second polishing member 305B and may be, for example, hemispherical.

After the first stage using polishing tool 201A is completed, a worker engaged in the polishing process performed by polishing apparatus 10 may remove polishing tool 201A from support portion 101 of polishing apparatus 10 and attach polishing tool 201C to support portion 101. Alternatively, the worker may disassemble jig 303 for polishing tool 201A, remove coil spring 315 having a spring coefficient of 1 N/mm or more and 5 N/mm or less from polishing tool 201A used in the first stage, and replace it with coil spring 315 having a spring coefficient of more than 1 N/mm and 10 N/mm or less to be used in the second stage. The worker may also prepare polishing tool 201C by removing first polishing member 305A attached to polishing tool 201A and removably attaching second polishing member 305C.

The polishing tool 201B shown in FIG. 4 and the polishing tool 201C shown in FIG. 5 can both be used in the second stage of the polishing process performed by the polishing apparatus 10. The polishing tool 201B shown in FIG. 4 is preferably used when the polishing surface of the object to be polished 203 is circular. On the other hand, the polishing tool 201C is preferably used when the polishing surface of the object to be polished 203 is non-circular.

Figure 7 is a plan view of an example of the object to be polished 203, viewed from above. The object to be polished 203 is, for example, a component of a vacuum chamber, and is made of aluminum alloy, stainless steel, or the like. The object to be polished 203 has a sealing surface 701. The sealing surface 701 is hard anodized, and the thickness of the hard anodized coating may be approximately 30 μm to approximately 100 μm. The sealing surface 701 includes multiple polishing surfaces. Here, the polishing surfaces refer to the surfaces on the sealing surface 701 that are polished by the polishing tool 201. The polishing surfaces include circular polishing surfaces 703a to 703j and non-circular polishing surfaces 705a to 705c.

When polishing the circular polishing surfaces 703a-703j, it is preferable to use the polishing tool 201B shown in Figure 4 in the second stage. In the second stage, the second drive unit 107 of the polishing device 10 rotates the support unit 101 that supports the polishing tool 201B at a predetermined rotational speed. In other words, the second polishing member 305B of the polishing tool 201B polishes the circular polishing surfaces 703a-703j while rotating at the predetermined rotational speed.

When polishing non-circular polishing surfaces 705a-705c, it is preferable to use the polishing tool 201C shown in Figure 5 in the second stage. The second drive unit 107 of the polishing device 10 rotates the support unit 101 in accordance with the shape of the polishing surfaces 705a-705c, so that a predetermined end of the second polishing member 305C attached to the polishing tool 201C always faces in the direction of movement of the polishing tool 201C.

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the movement route of the second polishing member 305C attached to the polishing tool 201C when polishing a non-circular polishing surface. In Figure 8, the non-circular polishing surface is the non-circular polishing surface 705b shown in Figure 7. In Figure 8, the movement direction of the polishing tool 201C is indicated by a dashed arrow. As shown in Figure 8, in the second stage, the second drive unit 107 rotates the support unit 101 so that a predetermined end 801a of the second polishing member 305C always faces the movement direction of the polishing tool 201C, following the shape of the polishing surface 705b.

The surface roughness of the polished surface of the object to be polished 203 that has undergone the polishing process including the first and second stages performed by the polishing apparatus 10 preferably has a waviness of 0.2 μm or less, a standard deviation of waviness of 0.2 μm or less, a surface roughness of 0.4 μm or less, and a standard deviation of surface roughness of 0.3 μm or less. It is more preferable that the surface roughness of the polished surface of the object to be polished 203 is 0.2 μm or less. Here, the larger of the undulations at different intervals on the polished surface is referred to as "waviness." The reference length (cutoff value) defined in JIS B0633 can be used to distinguish between "waviness" and "roughness," which has smaller undulations.

In this embodiment, the polishing process performed by polishing apparatus 10 includes a first stage in which the polishing surface is polished with a first pressure strength using first polishing member 305A, and a second stage in which the polishing surface is polished with a second pressure strength using second polishing member 305B or second polishing member 305C after the first stage. Because the spring constant of coil spring 315 inserted in jig 303 of polishing tool 201A to which first polishing member 305A is attached differs from the spring constant of coil spring 315 inserted in jig 303 of polishing tools 201B and 201C to which second polishing members 305B and 305C are attached, the pressure strength applied to polishing tools 201A and 201B and 201C can be changed between the first stage, which is a polishing process using a brush, and the second stage, which is a polishing process using a sponge containing abrasive grains. Specifically, the second pressure strength can be higher than the first pressure strength.

This allows the polishing process to be automated, shortening the time required for polishing and stabilizing the quality of the sealing surface. Furthermore, the waviness and surface roughness of the polished surface can be made smaller than those of surfaces polished manually by workers, improving the airtightness of the sealing surface.

In addition, by having the second drive unit 107 rotate the support unit 101 so that a predetermined end of the second polishing member 305C always faces the direction of movement of the polishing tool 201C, the polishing process can be automated by machine even if the polishing surface is non-circular.

Example 1
[Polishing device and object to be polished]
An aluminum alloy A6061 with dimensions of φ360 mm x t40 mm was prepared as the workpiece, and its surface was hard anodized to form a hard anodized coating with a thickness of 80 μm. The surface of the workpiece was polished using the polishing apparatus according to this embodiment. The polished surface of the workpiece was the same as the polished surface of the workpiece 203 shown in FIG. 7. A ROBODRILL manufactured by FANUC Corporation was used as the polishing apparatus, and a float holder (FH-ST12-SL10) manufactured by XEBEC Corporation was used as the polishing jig.

[Polishing tool]
In the first stage of the polishing process performed by the polishing machine, a polishing tool (hereinafter referred to as the first polishing tool) was used, which was fabricated by inserting a coil spring (WL10-35, spring coefficient: 1 N/mm) manufactured by Misumi Corporation into the jig and attaching a brush (A11-EB06M) manufactured by XBEC Corporation with a brush length adjusted to 12 mm to the jig. In the second stage of the polishing process performed by the polishing machine, when polishing a circular surface, a polishing tool (hereinafter referred to as the second polishing tool A) was used, which was fabricated by inserting a coil spring (WT10-35, spring coefficient: 2 N/mm) manufactured by Misumi Corporation into the jig and cutting a sponge abrasive (Super Fine) manufactured by 3M Corporation into a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 21 mm and a thickness of 5 mm and attaching it to the jig. In addition, when polishing a non-circular polishing surface in the second stage of the polishing process carried out by the polishing device, a polishing tool (hereinafter referred to as the second polishing tool B) was used, which was made by inserting a coil spring (WT10-35, spring coefficient: 2N/mm) manufactured by Misumi Corporation into the inside of the jig, cutting out a sponge abrasive (super fine) manufactured by 3M Corporation to a width of 6 mm and a length of 40 mm, processing the tip to have a hemispherical shape with a diameter of 5 mm, and attaching it to the jig.

[Polishing process for circular polished surface]
(First stage)
In the first stage of the polishing process, for each of 10 circular polishing surfaces of the workpiece (see polishing surfaces 703a to 703j shown in FIG. 7 ), the first polishing tool was rotated at a speed of 5000 rpm and a feed rate of 2000 mm/min, and moved from helical Z: 2.0 mm to Z-1.0 mm at a position with a radius of 7.5 mm, polishing was performed five times in an arc with a radius of 7.5 mm, followed by a shift of 1.75 mm and polishing five times in a spiral path. Thereafter, for each of the 10 circular polishing surfaces of the workpiece, the rotation speed of the first polishing tool was changed to 8000 rpm, and the feed rate was 2000 mm/min, and the first polishing tool was moved from helical Z: 2.0 mm to Z-1.0 at a position with a radius of 7.5 mm, polishing was performed five times in an arc with a radius of 7.5 mm, followed by a shift of 1.75 mm and polishing five times in a spiral path.

(Second stage)
In the second stage of the polishing process, for each of 10 circular polishing surfaces of the object to be polished, the second polishing tool A was lowered to a helical Z of -3.0 mm at a rotation speed of 30 rpm, and stop polishing was performed for 10 seconds, which constituted one set, and two such sets were performed.

[Polishing process for non-circular polished surface]
(First stage)
In the first stage of the polishing process, for each of three non-circular polishing surfaces of the object to be polished (see polishing surfaces 705a to 705c shown in Figure 7), the rotation speed of the first polishing tool was set to 5000 rpm and the feed rate to 2000 mm/min, and the first polishing tool was lowered to helical Z: -1.0 mm. One set consisted of polishing surfaces 705a and 705b by 10 revolutions each, and polishing surface 705c by 5 revolutions, and two sets were performed for each of polishing surfaces 705a, 705b, and 705c. Thereafter, the rotation speed of the first polishing tool was changed to 8000 rpm, and the first polishing tool was lowered to helical Z: -0.5 mm. One set consisted of polishing surfaces 705a and 705b 20 times, and polishing surface 705c 10 times, and two sets were performed for each of polishing surfaces 705a, 705b, and 705c.

(Second stage)
In the second stage of the polishing process, for each of three non-circular polishing surfaces of the object to be polished (see polishing surfaces 705a to 705c shown in Figure 7), the feed rate of the second polishing tool B was set to 2000/min in the R portion and 4000/min in the straight portion, and the second polishing tool B was lowered to helical Z: -1.0 mm. One set consisted of polishing surfaces 705a and 705b 20 times, and polishing surface 705c 10 times, and six such sets were performed.

<Comparative Example 1>
As Comparative Example 1, circular polishing surfaces 703a to 703j and non-circular polishing surfaces 705a to 705c of the same object to be polished as the object to be polished used in Example 1 were polished manually by an operator. The manual polishing process was as follows.

First, the same object to be polished as in Example 1 above was used. As in Example 1, the polishing surface of the object to be polished was the same as the polishing surface of object to be polished 203 shown in Figure 7. Next, a masking seal was attached to the sealing surface (701) of the object to be polished, exposing 10 circular polishing surfaces (see polishing surfaces 703a-703j shown in Figure 7) and three non-circular polishing surfaces (see polishing surfaces 705a-705c shown in Figure 7). A reinforcing band was then attached to the masking seal. After this, Salkrat (manufactured by Kyodo Yushi Co., Ltd.) was applied to each polishing surface 703a-703j and 705a-705c, and each polishing surface 703a-703j and 705a-705c was manually polished for 1.5 hours using a 3M sponge abrasive (fine). Next, each of the polished surfaces 703a-703j and 705a-705c was manually polished for 1.5 hours using a 3M sponge abrasive (Super Fine). After that, each of the polished surfaces 703a-703j and 705a-705c was wiped with a clean wiper equipped with NEI Clean 2, and the masking seal was peeled off from the polished surface (701).

The surface roughness (Ra) and working time of the polished surface after the polishing process described in Example 1 described above are shown in Table 1 below. The surface roughness (Ra) and working time of the polished surface after the polishing process of Comparative Example 1 are shown in Table 2 below.

Comparing Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, it can be seen that polishing using the polishing device according to this embodiment significantly reduces the time required for the polishing process compared to manual polishing, while achieving better results than manual polishing, or results that are roughly equivalent to those achieved with manual polishing. Furthermore, it can be seen that Example 1 has a smaller difference in surface roughness depending on the polishing position than Comparative Example 1, making it possible to stabilize the quality of the sealing surface.

Example 2
Circular polishing surfaces 703a, 703e, and 703j and non-circular polishing surfaces 705a to 705c of the same polishing object as that used in Example 1 were polished by a polishing process substantially similar to that of Example 1. However, unlike Example 1, in the second stage using second polishing tool A or second polishing tool B, the second stage described in Example 1 was counted as one cycle, and the sponge was replaced after each cycle, and three cycles were performed for each.

Table 3 below shows the waviness and surface roughness of the circular polished surfaces (703a, 703e, 703j) that underwent the polishing process according to Example 2, and Table 4 shows the waviness and surface roughness of the non-circular polished surfaces (705a to 705c) that underwent the polishing process according to Example 2. The cutoff value for separating waviness from surface roughness was set to 200 μm.

As shown in Tables 3 and 4, by performing the polishing process using the polishing apparatus of this embodiment, the waviness of the polished surface was 0.2 μm or less for both the circular polished surface and the non-circular polished surface, and the standard deviation of the waviness was 0.2 μm or less. Furthermore, the surface roughness of the polished surface was 0.2 μm or less for both the circular polished surface and the non-circular polished surface, and the standard deviation of the surface roughness was 0.3 μm or less. In particular, the surface roughness of the polished surface was 0.2 μm or less for both the circular polished surface and the non-circular polished surface. Furthermore, the waviness of the circular polished surface was reduced to 0.1 μm or less.

<Comparative Example 2>
As Comparative Example 2, circular polishing surfaces 703a, 703e, and 703j and non-circular polishing surfaces 705a to 705c of the same object to be polished as that used in Example 1 were polished manually by an operator. The polishing was performed according to the procedure described below.

First, a masking seal exposing the circular polishing surfaces 703a, 703e, and 703j and the non-circular polishing surfaces 705a-705c of the object to be polished was attached to the sealing surface (701) of the object to be polished. A reinforcing bandage was then attached to the masking seal. After this, Salcrat (manufactured by Kyodo Yushi Co., Ltd.) was applied to each polishing surface 703a, 703e, 703j, and 705a-705c, and each polishing surface 703a, 703e, 703j, and 705a-705c was then manually polished for 1.5 hours using a 3M sponge abrasive (fine). Next, each polishing surface 703a, 703e, 703j, and 705a-705c was manually polished for 1.5 hours using a 3M sponge abrasive (super fine). After that, a clean wiper with NEI Clean 2 was used to wipe each of the polished surfaces 703a, 703e, 703j, and 705a-705c, and the masking seal was peeled off from the polished surface (701).

Table 5 below shows the waviness and surface roughness of the circular polished surfaces (703a, 703e, 703j) that underwent the above-mentioned manual polishing process, and Table 6 shows the waviness and surface roughness of the non-circular polished surfaces (705a to 705c) that underwent the above-mentioned manual polishing process. The cutoff value for separating waviness and surface roughness was set to 200 μm.

As shown in Tables 5 and 6, the waviness of the polished surface was greater for both the manually polished circular and non-circular polished surfaces than in Example 2 above. Furthermore, the surface roughness and standard deviation of the surface roughness of the manually polished non-circular polished surface were greater than in Example 2 above. Although the surface roughness and standard deviation of the surface roughness of the manually polished circular polished surface were slightly smaller than in Example 2 above, the difference in surface roughness and standard deviation of surface roughness due to polishing position was greater than the difference in surface roughness and standard deviation of surface roughness due to polishing position for the circular polished surface in Example 2 above.

Comparing Example 2 and Comparative Example 2 above, it can be seen that polishing using the polishing device according to this embodiment produces better results than manual polishing, or results that are roughly equivalent to those obtained.

[Modification]
While an example of an embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment. Below, a description will be given of modified examples of the polishing process performed by the polishing apparatus of the present disclosure.

The first stage polishing process, which uses a brush as the polishing member, may include a front-end process in which rough processing is performed, and a back-end process in which finish processing is performed. In this case, it is preferable to insert springs with different spring coefficients into the polishing tool jig for the front-end and back-end processes, and to change the pressure strength applied to the polishing tool used in the front-end process from the pressure strength applied to the polishing tool used in the back-end process. More specifically, it is preferable that the pressure strength applied to the polishing tool used in the front-end process be higher than the pressure strength applied to the polishing tool used in the back-end process. In other words, it is preferable that the spring coefficient of the spring inserted into the polishing tool jig used in the front-end process be higher than the spring coefficient of the spring inserted into the polishing tool jig used in the back-end process.

The above-described embodiment and variations of the present disclosure may be combined as appropriate, provided they are not mutually inconsistent. Furthermore, products in which a person skilled in the art appropriately adds or deletes components or modifies designs, or adds or omits processes or modifies conditions, based on the configurations shown in the embodiments, are also included within the scope of the invention, as long as they incorporate the gist of the present disclosure.

Even if there are other effects and advantages different from those achieved by the above-described embodiments, if they are clear from the description in this specification or can be easily predicted by a person skilled in the art, they are naturally considered to be achieved by the present invention.

10: Polishing apparatus, 101: Support unit, 103: Stage, 105: First driving unit, 107: Second driving unit, 109: First moving unit, 111: First guide unit, 112: First moving mechanism, 113: Second guide unit, 115: Second moving unit, 117: Third guide unit, 118: Second moving mechanism, 119: Main body, 121: Input operation unit, 122: Control unit, 201: Polishing tool, 203: Polishing pair Object, 303: Jig, 305 (305A-305C): Polishing member, 307: Polishing member holder, 308: Hollow portion, 309: Fixing portion, 311: Holder, 312: Storage portion, 313: Cover, 315: Coil spring, 317: Hole, 319: Steel ball, 321: Retaining ring, 701: Sealing surface, 703a-703j: Circular polishing surface, 705a-705c: Non-circular polishing surface

Claims (3)

a support portion for supporting a shaft-shaped polishing tool having a polishing member attached thereto that comes into contact with a polishing surface of an object to be polished to polish the polishing surface ;
a stage for holding the object to be polished ;
a first driving unit that moves the support unit and the stage relatively along the shape of the polishing surface;
a second driving unit that rotates the support unit in synchronization with the first driving unit;
and
The polishing member is attached to the tip of the polishing tool,
a polishing apparatus in which, when the polishing member is brought into contact with the polishing surface and the support part and the stage are moved relatively by the first drive part, the second drive part rotates the support part around the axis of the polishing tool so that one end of the polishing member is always at the forefront in the direction of movement from the start to the end of the movement . The polishing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first drive unit moves the support unit and the stage relative to each other in a non-circular manner in accordance with the shape of the polishing surface. The polishing device of claim 2, wherein the polishing surface is part of one surface of the object to be polished and has a non-circular shape that surrounds the non-polishing surface of the one surface.