JP7799149B2 - Degating device, resin sealing device, and degating method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a degating device, a resin sealing device, and a degating method.

When lead frames, semiconductor chips, etc. are resin-encapsulated using transfer molding, the portion of the encapsulated part where the thermosetting resin hardens in the cavity becomes the product, while the portion that hardens in the culls, runners, etc. becomes unnecessary resin. The unnecessary resin is removed from the gate, which is the boundary with the cavity, using a degating device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The de-gate device first clamps the hardened portion of the cavity between the de-gate pallet and the de-gate hand, and tears off any unwanted resin that is not clamped. Next, the separated unwanted resin is picked up by a suction pad, and the de-gate pallet is removed from directly below the suction pad. Finally, the unwanted resin is dropped from the suction pad and collected in a disposal box.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-231030.

However, in conventional systems, the hardened resin from the cull would stick to the tip of the plunger that pushes the resin material toward the cull, causing cracks and chips in the unwanted resin when it was removed. If the unwanted resin had cracks, the suction power of the suction pad would be reduced, making it impossible to lift and remove the unwanted resin. This required the operator to stop the machine and wait for the mold temperature to drop before manually removing the unwanted resin, increasing the burden on the operator. Cracks and chips are particularly likely to occur in unwanted resin with soft resin materials such as silicone-based resins, and a solution to this problem was needed.

The present invention therefore aims to provide a degating device that can stably remove unnecessary resin, a resin sealing device equipped with such a device, and a degating method using them.

A degate device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a pair of degate pallets on which resin-sealed products are placed, a pair of degate hands positioned above the pair of degate pallets and movable up and down together with the pair of degate pallets, and a receiving member that separates unwanted resin from the sealed product by pressing the receiving member against the underside of a portion of the sealed product between the pair of degate pallets while the sealed product is sandwiched between the pair of degate pallets and the pair of degate hands. The receiving member is configured to be retractable from between the pair of degate pallets to open the entrance to a recovery path through which the unwanted resin can fall.

In this embodiment, the unwanted resin separated from the sealed product can be dropped through the entrance of the recovery path that is opened by retracting the receiving member, allowing the unwanted resin to be removed stably.

In the above aspect, the receiving member may be configured to be separable into a first member and a second member, and when separating the unwanted resin from the sealed product, the first member and the second member may approach each other below the unwanted resin, and after separating the unwanted resin, the first member and the second member may move away from each other below the unwanted resin, forming a recovery path between the first member and the second member.

According to this aspect, the movement of the receiving member to retract from the collection path for the falling waste resin can be divided into the movement of the first member and the movement of the second member, thereby shortening the movement distance and movement time.

In the above aspect, the receiving member may be driven by a cam mechanism that converts vertical movement into horizontal movement, causing it to move horizontally to open the entrance.

In this embodiment, the receiving member can be moved using only a mechanical mechanism, without relying on electrical control.

In the above aspect, the receiving member may further include a pusher that pushes the unwanted resin downward after the receiving member opens the entrance.

According to this aspect, the pusher can be used to reliably drop the unwanted resin, allowing for stable collection of the unwanted resin. If a pusher is not used, the unwanted resin can be temporarily lifted with a suction pad and tilted so that it is smaller than the entrance to the collection path in a plan view, before being dropped into the collection path.

In the above embodiment, a waste box capable of storing unnecessary resin may be disposed directly below the pusher.

This configuration allows for the removal of unwanted resin by minimizing the collection path from the pusher to the disposal box. The disposal box can also be positioned away from directly below the pusher. In this case, a receiving member or the like can be provided with an inclined surface to allow the unwanted resin to slide off.

In the above embodiment, the unwanted resin may be a silicone-based resin that is larger than the entrance in the direction in which the pair of degate pallets are arranged, and may be deflected and deformed when pushed by the pusher to pass through the entrance.

With this configuration, even if the entrance to the collection path is smaller than the unwanted resin, the unwanted resin can be deformed and collected.

In addition to the above aspect, the resin sealing device may further include a resin supply device capable of supplying liquid resin material.

This method allows for stable removal of unwanted resin, making it suitable for transfer molding using soft, liquid resin materials.

A degating method according to one aspect of the present invention includes placing a resin-sealed product on a pair of degate pallets, clamping the sealed product between the pair of degate pallets and a pair of degate hands to restrain the sealed product, separating the unwanted resin from the sealed product by pressing a portion of the sealed product against the upper surface of a receiving member from between the pair of degate pallets, retracting the receiving member from between the pair of degate pallets to open an entrance to a recovery path through which the unwanted resin can fall, and allowing the unwanted resin to fall into the entrance.

In this embodiment, the unwanted resin separated from the sealed product can be dropped through the entrance of the recovery path that is opened by retracting the receiving member, allowing the unwanted resin to be removed stably.

In the above aspect, dropping the waste resin into the inlet may include poking the waste resin downward to cause it to bend and deform.

This configuration allows the unwanted resin to bend and deform, ensuring it falls, allowing for stable collection of the unwanted resin.

The present invention provides a degating device that can stably remove unwanted resin, a resin sealing device equipped with the device, and a degating method using the device and the device.

1 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of a resin sealing apparatus including a degating device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a front view showing the degate device of one embodiment of the present invention, showing the state in which the pallet has moved directly below the degate head and the degate head has lowered. FIG. 3 is a front view showing the degating device in operation following FIG. 2, showing a state in which a receiving member has entered a space sandwiched between a pair of pallets. 4 is a front view showing the degate device in operation following FIG. 3, showing a state in which a sealed product is sandwiched between the degate pallet and the degate hand and a portion of the sealed product is pressed against the receiving member. FIG. FIG. 5 is a front view showing the degate device in operation following FIG. 4, showing a state in which the receiving member has been retracted from the space sandwiched between the pair of degate pallets. FIG. 6 is a front view showing the degating device in operation following FIG. 5, showing a state in which the pusher has pushed down the unnecessary resin. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a degating method using a degating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, components with the same reference numerals have the same or similar configuration. Each component will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the schematic configuration of a resin sealing device 1 equipped with a degating device 5 according to one embodiment of the present invention. For ease of explanation of the embodiment, "front," "rear," "left," and "right" are defined as shown in FIG. 1, and "top" and "bottom" are defined with respect to gravity.

The resin sealing apparatus 1 is a transfer molding machine and is equipped with a work supply device 2, a resin supply device 3, a press device 4, a degating device 5, a work storage device 6, a conveying device 7, etc. In the illustrated example, the resin sealing apparatus 1 is equipped with two press devices 4. The number of press devices 4 is not limited to the illustrated example and may be changed as appropriate.

The workpiece W before being resin-sealed may be, for example, a lead frame with a semiconductor element mounted thereon, an interposer substrate with a semiconductor element mounted thereon, or a carrier plate with an adhesive sheet to which a semiconductor element is temporarily attached. It is composed of a support and minute components such as semiconductor elements, MEMS chips, and electronic devices attached to the support. The workpiece W may have multiple components attached to the support, or it may have a mixture of different types of components attached to the support.

The transport device 7 includes a loader 71 and an unloader 72 that are movable along a guide rail 70. The work supply device 2 supplies the workpiece W to the loader 71. The loader 71 then carries the supplied workpiece W into the die 40 of the press device 4.

In the illustrated example, the resin supply device 3 is configured to supply a thermosetting liquid resin material to multiple pots 43 provided within the mold 40. The configuration of the resin supply device 3 is not limited to the illustrated example, and it may also be configured to supply solid resin tablets to the loader 71. The liquid resin material is, for example, a composition of silicone resin or epoxy resin, and exhibits excellent sealing properties when cured by transfer molding or the like.

The resin supply device 3 includes the same number of supply ports 33 as the pots 43 of the mold 40, the same number of syringes 31 as the supply ports 33, and tubes 32 connecting each syringe 31 to the corresponding supply port 33. The syringes 31 are filled with liquid resin material. The supply ports 33 are equipped with pinch valves that open and close the tubes 32. When the syringes 31 are compressed and the pinch valves are loosened, the liquid resin material is supplied to the supply ports 33 through the tubes 32.

The resin supply device 3 can rotate its supply port 33 to supply liquid resin material to either the left or right press device 4. The resin supply device 3 can also move left and right along rails laid on the floor, allowing the supply port 33 to enter the mold 40 of the press device 4. The supply port 33 enters the mold 40 and drips liquid resin material from directly above the corresponding pot 43.

The press device 4 sandwiches the workpiece W between the lower and upper dies and applies pressure to seal it with resin (molding). The unloader 72 removes the sealed product W', which is the resin-sealed workpiece W, from the die 40 and transports it to a pallet 51 that can move back and forth. The sealed product W' includes a portion where the thermosetting resin hardens in the cavity to become a product (hereinafter sometimes referred to as package P), and a portion where the thermosetting resin does not harden into a product due to culls, runners, etc. (hereinafter sometimes referred to as unnecessary resin C).

In the illustrated example, two packages P are connected by the same number of waste resin C as the pots 43. The degating device 5 separates the waste resin C from the sealed products W' when the pallet 51 moves directly below the degating head 52 installed between the guide rail 70 and the work storage device 6. The work storage device 6 receives the packages P from which the waste resin C has been separated from the pallet 51 and stores them in a magazine.

The degating device 5 of one embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 2 to 6. Figure 2 is a front view showing the state in which the pallet 51 has moved directly below the degating head 52 and the degating head has lowered. As shown in Figure 2, the degating device 5 comprises at least a pair of degating pallets 51L, 51R, a pair of degating hands 52L, 52R, a receiving member 53, etc. In the illustrated example, it also comprises a pusher 54, a disposal box 55, and multiple air blowers 56.

A pair of degate pallets 51L, 51R are spaced apart and arranged on the upper surface of the aforementioned pallet 51. A pair of degate hands 52L, 52R are spaced apart and arranged on the lower surface of the aforementioned degate head 52.

One degate hand 52L faces one degate pallet 51L from above and is configured to be able to move up and down together with the degate pallet 51L. Similarly, the other degate hand 52R faces the other degate pallet 51R from above and is configured to be able to move up and down together with the degate pallet 51R.

The pusher 54 is located between the pair of degate hands 52L, 52R and directly above the space 51C sandwiched between the pair of degate pallets 51L, 51R. Each air blower 56 is positioned near the degate hands 52L, 52R and is configured to cool the resin-sealed, high-temperature sealed product W'.

In the illustrated example, the receiving member 53 is configured to be separable into a first member 53L (e.g., the left half) and a second member 53R (e.g., the right half). The first and second members 53L, 53R are formed symmetrically, and each includes a support plate 531, a cam 532, a spring 533, etc. The support plate 531 extends in the front-to-rear direction. The cam 532 is fixed to the end of the support plate 531. The spring 533 is fixed to the cam 532.

The cam 532 that constitutes the first member 53L has a slope that slopes downward to the left. The spring 533 that constitutes the first member 53L is a compression spring that urges the cam 532 toward the left. Similarly, the cam 532 that constitutes the second member 53R has a slope that slopes downward to the right, and the spring 533 urges the cam 532 toward the right.

Figure 3 is a front view showing the support plate 531 of the receiving member 53 entering the space 51C sandwiched between a pair of degate pallets 51L, 51R. As shown in Figure 3, when the receiving member 53 is raised and the inclined surface of the cam 532 is pressed against the roller 512 attached to the pallet 51, the first and second members 53L, 53R approach each other below the waste resin against the biasing force of the spring 533. In the example shown, the first and second members 53L, 53R approach each other toward directly below the center of the waste resin C. The support plate 531 of the receiving member 53 enters the space 51C sandwiched between the pair of degate pallets 51L, 51R and faces the waste resin C from below.

Figure 4 is a front view showing a sealed product W' sandwiched between a pair of degate pallets 51L, 51R and a pair of degate hands 52L, 52R, with a portion of the sealed product W' pressed against the support plate 531 of the receiving member 53. The sealed product W' can be sandwiched and restrained between the pair of degate pallets 51L, 51R and the pair of degate hands 52L, 52R.

Figure 5 shows the receiving member 53 retracted from the space 51C between the pair of degate pallets 51L, 51R. The receiving member is driven by a cam mechanism that converts vertical movement into horizontal movement, and moves horizontally to open the entrance. When the receiving member 53 descends, the support plate 531 of the receiving member 53 retracts from the space 51C between the pair of degate pallets 51L, 51R, which is the entrance to the recovery path 50.

Furthermore, the biasing force of the spring 533 moves the first member 53L to the left and the second member 53R to the right, causing the first and second members 53L, 53R to move away from each other below the waste resin C, thereby defining a collection path 50 between the left and right support plates 531 through which the waste resin C can fall. The means for moving the first and second members 53L, 53R is not limited to a cam mechanism. For example, the first and second members 53L, 53R may be moved by the driving force of a motor or the like.

Figure 6 is a front view showing the state in which the pusher has pushed down the waste resin C. As shown in Figure 6, the pusher 54 can push down the waste resin C after the receiving member 53 opens the space 51C sandwiched between the pair of degate pallets 51L, 51R, which is the entrance to the recovery path 50.

The waste resin C that falls into the collection path 50 is collected in the waste box 55. The waste box 55 can store the waste resin C. The waste box 55 is located, for example, directly below the pusher 54. The receiving member 53 may be provided with an inclined surface that allows the waste resin C to slide off, and the waste box 55 may be located away from directly below the pusher 54.

Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a degating method using the degating device 5 of one embodiment of the present invention. In this method, first, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the pallet 51 moves to a standby position facing the guide rails 70, and the unloader 72 places the sealed products W' on the pair of degating pallets 51L, 51R (step S1).

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the sealed product W' is clamped between a pair of degate pallets 51L, 51R and a pair of degate hands 52L, 52R and restrained (Step S2). The degate hands 52L, 52R are lowered together with the degate pallets 51L, 51R, and the underside of part of the sealed product W' is pressed against the upper end surface of the support plate 531 of the receiving member 53, thereby tearing away the unnecessary resin C from the sealed product W' (Step S3). For example, with the package P of the sealed product W' restrained, the unnecessary resin C is pressed against the receiving member 53 and torn off.

After separation, as shown in Figure 5, the receiving member 53 is retracted from the space 51C between the pair of degate pallets 51L and 51R to open the entrance to the recovery path 50 (Step S4). Finally, the pusher 54 is pushed downward to drop the unnecessary resin C into the disposal box 55 (Step S5).

As shown in FIG. 5, the waste resin C may be formed to be larger than the space 51C between the pair of degate pallets 51L, 51R, which is the entrance to the collection path 50, in the left-right direction when the pair of degate pallets 51L, 51R are arranged. When pushed by the pusher 54, the waste resin C, which is made of a silicone-based resin or the like, bends and deforms to pass through the entrance to the collection path 50. If the pusher 54 is not used, the waste resin C may be temporarily lifted by a suction pad and tilted so that it is smaller than the entrance to the collection path 50 in a plan view, before being dropped into the collection path 50.

The degating device 5 of this embodiment, configured as described above, and the degating method using the degating device 5, allow the unwanted resin C to fall through the entrance of the recovery path 50, which is opened by retracting the receiving member 53, and thus can be stably removed. Because the unwanted resin can be stably removed even when a soft liquid resin material is used, this is suitable for the resin sealing device 1, which seals the workpiece W with a liquid resin material.

The embodiments described above are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The elements included in the embodiments, as well as their arrangement, materials, conditions, shape, size, etc., are not limited to those illustrated and can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, configurations shown in different embodiments can be partially substituted or combined.

1...resin sealing device, 2...workpiece supply device, 3...resin supply device, 4...press device, 5...degate device, 6...workpiece storage device, 7...conveyor device, 31...syringe, 32...tube, 33...supply port, 40...mold, 43...pot, 50...recovery path, 51...pallet, 51L, 51R...degate pallet, 51C...space sandwiched between a pair of degate pallets, 52...degate head, 52L, 52R...degate hand, 53...receiving member, 53L...first member, 53R...second member, 54...pusher, 55...disposal box, 56...air blower, 70...guide rail, 71...loader, 72...unloader, 512...roller, 531...support plate, 532...cam, 533...spring, C...unwanted resin, P...package, W...workpiece, W'...sealed product.

Claims (9)

a pair of degate pallets on which resin-sealed products are placed;
a pair of degate hands arranged above the pair of degate pallets and movable up and down together with the pair of degate pallets;
a receiving member that separates unnecessary resin from the sealed product by pressing the receiving member against a lower surface of a part of the sealed product between the pair of degate pallets and the pair of degate hands while the sealed product is sandwiched between the pair of degate pallets and the pair of degate hands,
The receiving member is configured to be retractable from between the pair of degate pallets so as to open an entrance of a recovery path through which the unnecessary resin can fall.
Degate device. The receiving member is configured to be separable into a first member and a second member,
when the unnecessary resin is separated from the sealed product, the first member and the second member approach each other below the unnecessary resin,
After separating the unnecessary resin, the first member and the second member move away from each other below the unnecessary resin, and a space between the first member and the second member becomes the recovery path.
2. The degating device of claim 1. The receiving member is driven by a cam mechanism that converts vertical movement into horizontal movement, and moves horizontally to open the entrance.
3. A degating device according to claim 1 or 2. The apparatus further includes a pusher that pushes the unnecessary resin downward after the receiving member opens the inlet.
3. A degating device according to claim 1 or 2. a waste box capable of storing the unnecessary resin is disposed directly below the pusher;
5. The degating device of claim 4. The unnecessary resin is a silicone-based resin formed to be larger than the inlet in the direction in which the pair of degate pallets are arranged, and is deflected and deformed by being pushed by the pusher to pass through the inlet.
5. The degating device of claim 4. In addition to the degating device according to claim 1 or 2,
Further provided with a resin supply device capable of supplying a liquid resin material,
Resin sealing equipment. placing the resin-sealed product on a pair of degate pallets;
restraining the sealed product by sandwiching it between the pair of degate pallets and the pair of degate hands;
separating unnecessary resin from the sealed product by pressing a part of the sealed product against an upper surface of a receiving member from between the pair of degate pallets;
The receiving member is retracted from between the pair of degate pallets to open an entrance of a recovery path through which the unnecessary resin can fall; and
dropping the waste resin into the inlet.
Degate method. Dropping the waste resin into the inlet includes poking the waste resin downward to cause it to bend and deform.
9. The method of degating according to claim 8.