Dispensing – Plural sources – compartment – containers and/or spaced jacket
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-21
2004-05-18
Mancene, Gene (Department: 3754)
Dispensing
Plural sources, compartment, containers and/or spaced jacket
C222S132000, C222S135000, C222S145500, C222S263000, C222S389000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06736291
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a viscous material application apparatus for applying a viscous material such as an adhesive, cream solder or a conductive paste to an application target such as a circuit board.
BACKGROUND ART
The basic configuration of a conventional viscous material application apparatus is described with reference to the schematic illustrations of FIG.
29
A and FIG.
29
B. As shown in
FIG. 29A
, this viscous material application apparatus comprises a material supply section
1
for holding a viscous material
5
such as an adhesive or cream solder, and a pressure regulating section
22
for regulating and supplying compressed air to the material supply section
1
, and the viscous material
5
is pressurized by the compressed air, and discharged from a discharge port
4
a
of a discharge section
4
.
Furthermore as shown in
FIG. 29B
, in some cases a valve
16
for starting and stopping the supply of compressed air may also be provided between the material supply section
1
and the discharge section
4
. In this apparatus, in the case where a predetermined quantity of the viscous material
5
is required to be discharged, the viscous material
5
is pressurized from above by compressed air supplied from the pressure regulating section
22
and forced downward, and the valve
16
is then opened and the viscous material
5
discharged from the discharge port
4
a.
Then, when application onto the circuit board has been completed, the valve
16
is closed.
However, in a viscous material application apparatus of the conventional configuration described above, because the compressed air supplied from the pressure regulating section
22
is applied on top of the viscous material
5
contained in the material supply section
1
, then depending on the characteristics of the viscous material
5
, the pressure of the compressed air may be affected by the viscosity resistance of the viscous material
5
and find it difficult to reach the vicinity of the distant discharge port
4
a
of the discharge section
4
. Consequently, variations developed in the pressure transmission, and it was difficult to obtain highly accurate discharge quantities and discharge pressures.
Furthermore as shown in
FIG. 30
, the response time from the point where a signal is output to start discharge at a predetermined pressure, to the point where discharge at that pressure is actually started, also lengthens for the same reasons, and so a waiting period develops from transmission of a discharge start signal to the actual start of discharge. In addition, after stopping pressurization residual pressure remains, and so other problems arise such as the viscous material
5
hanging down from the discharge port
4
a
being forced out near the discharge port
4
a
and adhering to the circuit board, creating a bridge, when the viscous material application apparatus is next positioned on the circuit board.
Furthermore in the aforementioned conventional apparatus, in those cases where a device called a multiple nozzle
4
c
with a plurality of discharge ports
4
d,
such as that shown in FIG.
31
A and
FIG. 31B
, was used for performing a two dimensional bulk supply of the viscous material, the following problems also arose. In highly viscous materials, the pressure transmission through to the viscous material
5
does not occur uniformly, and when a conductive paste
31
was applied to a circuit board
32
, then as shown in FIG.
32
A and
FIG. 32B
, because the transmitted pressure from the compressed air differed depending on the position of the discharge port
4
d,
a variation developed in the discharge quantity depending on the discharge position.
The present invention aims to resolve the above problems, with an object of providing a viscous material application apparatus capable of improving discharge accuracy and increasing efficiency by carrying out the pressure transmission for discharging the viscous material efficiently, and improving the responsiveness.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the above object, a viscous material application apparatus of the present invention comprises: a main body having a pressurized chamber which connects through to a discharge port and stores a viscous material; and a viscous material supply device for transferring the viscous material under pressure to the pressurized chamber, wherein a discharge pressure regulating device for regulating the discharge pressure of the viscous material by increasing or decreasing the capacity of the pressurized chamber when the viscous material inside the pressurized chamber is pressurized and discharged is provided either inside the pressurized chamber or facing the pressurized chamber.
According to the present invention, because the viscous material stored in the pressurized chamber is discharged with a discharge pressure regulated by the discharge pressure regulating device provided either inside the pressurized chamber or facing the pressurized chamber, the air pressure is transmitted efficiently and uniformly to the viscous material, and so the responsiveness from the start of pressurization to the start of discharge improves, and a suitable discharge quantity of the viscous material is discharged almost instantaneously. Then, following completion of the discharge, because no residual pressure remains within the pressurized chamber, the problem seen in conventional apparatus, where the viscous material hangs down from the discharge port and then adheres to the application target during the next application, is prevented. Because the effects of viscosity resistance are minimal even with highly viscous materials, improved discharge accuracy and increased efficiency are achieved across all types of viscous material application, enabling for example, a uniform discharge even in the case of screen printing where a printing paste is applied along a straight line.
The discharge pressure regulating device may suitably comprise a pouch positioned inside the pressurized chamber for increasing or decreasing internal capacity thereof through the intake or exhausting of gas, and an air supply section for regulating the pressure inside the pouch by either supplying gas to, or discharging gas from the pouch, and as the shape of the pouch transforms with the intake or exhausting of gas from the air supply section and the pressurized chamber, the capacity of the pressurized chamber is increased or decreased, enabling the discharge pressure to be easily adjusted. In this case, the closer the air pouch is positioned to the discharge port inside the pressurized chamber, the smaller the difference will be between the air pressure used for discharge and the actual discharge pressure, and the more the responsiveness is improved.
The discharge pressure regulating device may also be constructed from an actuator such as an air cylinder and a voice coil motor, and a diaphragm which transforms under the influence of the actuator and increases or decreases the capacity inside the pressurized chamber.
Furthermore, it is desirable to employ a configuration in which a pressurized chamber, a discharge pressure regulating device and a discharge port are shared across a plurality of linearly aligned viscous material supply devices, with the discharge pressure of the viscous material at discharge positions along the alignment direction of the viscous material supply devices being regulated in a single batch. According to this configuration, in screen printing such as that described above, the discharge of a highly viscous printing paste is carried out uniformly and with a high degree of accuracy, regardless of the discharge position.
Another suitable configuration uses a plurality of discharge pressure regulating devices, with the discharge pressure of the viscous material at a discharge position being regulated as desired, and this configuration enables localized pressure regulation to be performed with ease.
Furthermore, by attaching a pair of inclined plates which approach one another in a downward direction to both s
Hirai Wataru
Mimura Toshinori
Nagai Koichi
Onishi Hiroaki
Yamauchi Hiroshi
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Mancene Gene
Nicolas Frederick
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