Coating apparatus and coating method for curved substrates

By using the coating and transfer components of the curved substrate coating equipment, an elastic transfer head is used to coat adhesive layers on curved substrates with different curvatures. This solves the problem that existing equipment cannot coat both concave and convex substrates at the same time, achieving a highly efficient and uniform coating effect.

CN116851199BActive Publication Date: 2026-02-03INTERFACE OPTOELECTRONICS (SHENZHEN) CO LTD +2
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202310920100.5
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2023-07-25
Publication Date
2026-02-03
Estimated Expiration
2043-07-25

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing coating equipment cannot simultaneously and efficiently coat concave and convex substrates uniformly, resulting in low colloid utilization and poor uniformity.

Method used

A coating device for curved substrates is used to apply adhesive layers to curved substrates with different curvatures by means of a flexible transfer head. The device includes a coating component and a transfer component. The coating component applies the adhesive layer by scraping with a coating rod, and the transfer component transfers the adhesive layer onto the curved surface by means of a flexible transfer head. The device is combined with a drive unit to precisely control the movement speed and air pressure.

Benefits of technology

It achieves uniform coating on concave and convex substrates, improves the utilization rate of the adhesive and the uniformity of the adhesive layer, and is suitable for curved substrates with different curvatures.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present application provides a coating apparatus and a coating method for a curved substrate. The coating apparatus for the curved substrate includes a platform, a coating assembly, a carrier, and a transfer assembly. The platform has a flat surface. The coating assembly is adjacent to the platform and includes a pushing frame and a coating wire bar. The pushing frame is disposed on the platform. The coating wire bar is disposed on the pushing frame. The pushing frame is configured to push the coating wire bar to scrape a gel on the flat surface to form a gel layer on the flat surface. The carrier is adjacent to a first side of the flat surface and is configured to hold the curved substrate. The transfer assembly includes a carrier and an elastic transfer head. The carrier is horizontally movably disposed above the platform and the carrier. The elastic transfer head is vertically movably disposed at the bottom of the carrier and is configured to absorb the gel layer on the flat surface and press against a curved surface of the curved substrate to transfer the absorbed gel layer to the curved surface. The coating wire bar can make the thickness of the gel layer uniform, and the elastic transfer head can absorb the gel layer and transfer it to the curved surface. Therefore, the utilization rate of the gel is high, and the uniformity of the gel layer is good.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of coating technology, and in particular to a coating apparatus and coating method for curved substrates. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of mobile devices, display panels and touch panels have begun to pursue curved surfaces. Therefore, how to uniformly coat the polyimide (PI) liquid of the display panel and the optical adhesive of the touch panel onto the curved substrate has become quite critical.

[0003] Currently, common coating equipment includes spin coaters and blade coaters. When used for coating concave substrates, spin coaters suffer from low colloid utilization and poor uniformity. They cannot perform coating operations on convex substrates. Similarly, blade coaters cannot perform coating operations on either concave or convex substrates. Therefore, spin coaters and blade coaters, along with related coating equipment, can only perform coating operations on planar substrates. Currently, there is no coating equipment in the industry that can simultaneously perform coating operations on both concave and convex substrates. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, one objective of this application is to provide a coating apparatus and method for curved substrates, wherein a flexible transfer head can smoothly apply an adhesive layer to curved substrates with different curvatures via a transfer method. Thus, the coating apparatus and method for curved substrates of this application can be used simultaneously to perform coating operations on concave and convex substrates.

[0005] According to the above-mentioned objectives of this application, a coating apparatus for a curved substrate is provided. This coating apparatus for a curved substrate includes a platform, a coating assembly, a stage, and a transfer assembly. The platform has a flat surface. The coating assembly is adjacent to the platform, and includes a pusher and a coating rod. The pusher is disposed on the platform. The coating rod is disposed on the pusher. The pusher is configured to push the coating rod to apply an adhesive onto the flat surface to form an adhesive layer. The stage is adjacent to a first side of the flat surface and is configured to hold the curved substrate. The transfer assembly includes a carrier and a flexible transfer head. The carrier is horizontally movable above the platform and the stage. The flexible transfer head is vertically movable at the bottom of the carrier and is configured to adhere the adhesive layer on the flat surface and press against the curved surface of the curved substrate to transfer the adhered adhesive layer onto the curved surface.

[0006] According to one embodiment of this application, the gap between the coated wire rods is 1 μm to 20 μm.

[0007] According to one embodiment of this application, the coating assembly further includes a first driving device. The first driving device engages with a pusher frame and is configured to drive the pusher frame to move above the plane.

[0008] According to one embodiment of this application, the first driving device described above is an air compressor cylinder.

[0009] According to one embodiment of this application, the stage described above is a vacuum stage.

[0010] According to one embodiment of this application, the size and shape of the aforementioned flexible transfer head substantially correspond to the size and shape of the curved surface of the curved substrate.

[0011] According to one embodiment of this application, the above-mentioned flexible transfer head has a convex arc surface.

[0012] According to one embodiment of this application, the material of the aforementioned elastic transfer head is rubber, silicone, or polyurethane (PU).

[0013] According to one embodiment of this application, the transfer assembly further includes a second driving device and a third driving device. The second driving device is engaged with a carrier member and configured to drive the carrier member to move the elastic transfer head. The third driving device is disposed on the carrier member and engaged with the elastic transfer head. The third driving device is configured to drive the elastic transfer head to move vertically.

[0014] According to one embodiment of this application, both the second and third driving devices described above are pneumatic cylinders.

[0015] In accordance with the aforementioned objectives of this application, a coating method for a curved substrate is further proposed. In this method, the curved substrate is held in place using a stage. A predetermined amount of adhesive is dropped onto a first side of a flat surface of the stage, wherein the first side of the flat surface is adjacent to the stage. The adhesive is scraped from the first side of the flat surface to a second side of the flat surface opposite to the first side using a coating rod to form an adhesive layer on the flat surface. The adhesive layer on the flat surface is adhered to a flexible transfer head. The flexible transfer head with the adhesive layer is moved above the curved substrate. The flexible transfer head is pressed against the curved surface of the curved substrate to transfer the adhesive layer adhered to the flexible transfer head onto the curved surface.

[0016] According to one embodiment of this application, the above-mentioned use of a stage to hold the curved substrate further includes using a vacuum adsorption method to hold the curved substrate, and controlling the vacuum value of the stage to be greater than -65kPa.

[0017] According to one embodiment of this application, the above-mentioned application of colloid using a coating line bar includes controlling the moving speed of the coating line bar to be from 0.1 mm / s to 30 mm / s.

[0018] According to one embodiment of this application, the above-mentioned application of adhesive layer on the plane by using an elastic transfer head includes controlling the adhesive application speed to be from 0.1 cm / s to 10 cm / s.

[0019] According to one embodiment of this application, the above-mentioned movement of the elastic transfer head with the adhesive layer above the curved substrate includes controlling the horizontal movement speed of the elastic transfer head to be from 0.1 mm / s to 30 mm / s.

[0020] According to one embodiment of this application, the above-mentioned movement of the elastic transfer head with the adhesive layer above the curved substrate includes controlling the vertical movement speed of the elastic transfer head to be from 0.1 mm / s to 30 mm / s.

[0021] According to one embodiment of this application, the above-mentioned transfer of the adhesive layer adhering to the elastic transfer head onto the curved surface includes controlling the transfer speed of the elastic transfer head to be from 0.1 cm / s to 10 cm / s.

[0022] According to one embodiment of this application, the above-mentioned transfer of the adhesive layer adhering to the elastic transfer head onto the curved surface includes applying a downward air pressure to the elastic transfer head, wherein the downward air pressure is 4 kgf / cm². 2 Up to 6 kgf / cm 2 .

[0023] According to one embodiment of this application, when the viscosity of the above-mentioned colloid is greater than 2000 mPa·s, the Shore A of the elastic transfer head is greater than 150.

[0024] According to one embodiment of this application, when the size of the curved substrate is greater than 4900mm, the Shore A hardness of the elastic transfer head is less than 50.

[0025] According to one embodiment of this application, the above-described coating method for curved substrates includes controlling the ambient temperature to be less than 30°C and the relative humidity to be 40% to 80%.

[0026] The coating line bar of this application can control the thickness of the adhesive layer, thus ensuring a consistent thickness of the adhesive layer in each transfer. The flexible transfer head can pick up the adhesive layer of uniform thickness formed by the coating line bar and smoothly transfer the picked-up adhesive layer onto the curved surface of a curved substrate. Therefore, this application not only achieves coating operations on curved substrates such as convex and concave surfaces, but also has advantages such as high adhesive utilization and excellent adhesive layer uniformity. Attached Figure Description

[0027] A better understanding of the embodiments of this application can be obtained from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, according to industry standard practice, the features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of each feature can be arbitrarily increased or decreased for clarity of discussion.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a side view schematic diagram of a coating apparatus for a curved substrate according to one embodiment of this application.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a side view schematic diagram of a coating line bar according to one embodiment of this application.

[0030] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a coating method for a curved substrate according to one embodiment of this application.

[0031] Figures 4A to 4J This is an apparatus flowchart of a coating method for a curved substrate according to one embodiment of this application.

[0032] Figures 5A to 5E This is a flowchart of an apparatus for coating a curved substrate according to another embodiment of this application.

[0033] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0034] 100: Coating equipment for curved substrates

[0035] 110: Platform

[0036] 112: Plane

[0037] 112a: First side

[0038] 112b: Second side

[0039] 120: Coating assembly

[0040] 122: Push Frame

[0041] 124: Coating line bar

[0042] 124a: Rod body

[0043] 124b: Wire winding

[0044] 126: First driving device

[0045] 128: Downward pressure strip

[0046] 130: Platform

[0047] 140: Transfer Component

[0048] 142: Bearing component

[0049] 142a: Bottom

[0050] 144: Flexible transfer head

[0051] 144a: Convex surface

[0052] 146: Second drive unit

[0053] 148: Third drive unit

[0054] 150: Human-Computer Interface

[0055] 152: Screen

[0056] 154: Operation Buttons

[0057] 200: Steps

[0058] 210: Steps

[0059] 220: Steps

[0060] 230: Steps

[0061] 240: Steps

[0062] 250: Steps

[0063] 300: Curved substrate

[0064] 310: Curved Surface

[0065] 400: Colloid

[0066] 410: Adhesive layer

[0067] 500: Curved substrate

[0068] 510: Curved Surface

[0069] 600: Adhesive layer

[0070] H: Gap Detailed Implementation

[0071] The embodiments of this application are discussed in detail below. However, it will be understood that the embodiments provide many applicable concepts that can be implemented in a wide variety of specific situations. The discussed and disclosed embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. All embodiments of this application disclose a variety of different features, but these features can be implemented individually or in combination as needed.

[0072] In addition, the terms "first," "second," etc. used in this article do not specifically refer to order or sequence, but are only used to distinguish components or operations described using the same technical terms.

[0073] The spatial relationship between the two components described in this application applies not only to the orientation shown in the accompanying drawings, but also to orientations not shown in the drawings, such as inverted orientations. Furthermore, the terms "connection," "electrical connection," or similar expressions used in this application to refer to the two components are not limited to a direct or electrical connection, but may also include indirect or electrical connections as needed.

[0074] Please refer to Figure 1This is a side view schematic diagram of a coating apparatus for a curved substrate according to an embodiment of this application. The coating apparatus 100 for the curved substrate mainly includes a platform 110, a coating assembly 120, a stage 130, and a transfer assembly 140. The platform 110 is an adhesive placement platform, which can be used to form an adhesive layer on the platform 110 before transfer. The platform 110 has a plane 112, which is conducive to forming an adhesive layer with a uniform thickness. The plane 112 has a first side 112a and a second side 112b that are opposite to each other. For example, the platform 110 can be a glass platform, but this application is not limited to this.

[0075] The coating assembly 120 is disposed adjacent to the platform 110 and can perform adhesive coating operations on the plane 112 of the platform 110. Specifically, the coating assembly 120 mainly includes a pusher 122 and a coating rod 124. The pusher 122 is disposed on the platform 110. The coating rod 124 is straddling the pusher 122 and located above the plane 112 of the platform 110. The pusher 122 can push the coating rod 124 to move on the plane 112, so that the coating rod 124 can scrape the adhesive on the plane 112 and scrape the adhesive into an adhesive layer on the plane 112.

[0076] Please refer to Figure 2 This is a side view schematic diagram of a coating rod according to one embodiment of this application. The coating rod 124 of this embodiment includes a rod body 124a and a winding wire 124b. The rod body 124a can be straddled on the push frame 122. The winding wire 124b can be tightly wound around the rod body 124a without gaps, or it can be wound around the rod body 124a with gaps. For example, the rod body 124a can be a steel rod, and the winding wire 124b can be a steel wire. The coating rod 124 has a gap H, and the thickness of the coated adhesive layer can be precisely controlled by adjusting the gap H of the coating rod 124. In some embodiments, the gap H of the coating rod 124 is about 1 μm to about 20 μm.

[0077] The structure of the winding 124b of the coating bar 124 also affects the thickness of the applied adhesive layer. In the embodiment of the flat blade bar, the thickness of the adhesive layer is 1 / 2 of the gap H of the coating bar 124. In the embodiment of the round blade bar, the thickness of the adhesive layer is 2 / 3 of the gap H of the coating bar 124. In the embodiment of the sharp blade bar, the thickness of the adhesive layer is equal to the gap H of the coating bar 124.

[0078] Figure 2 The coated wire bar 124 shown is of the wound steel wire type. Of course, this application is not limited to this type, and this application can also use a precision machined wire bar.

[0079] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1As shown, the coating assembly 120 also includes a first drive device 126. The first drive device 126 engages with the pusher frame 122 and can drive the pusher frame 122, causing the pusher frame 122 to move above the plane 112. Specifically, the first drive device 126 can drive the pusher frame 122 to move between a first side 112a and a second side 112b of the plane 112. The first drive device 126 may be, for example, a pneumatic cylinder. Of course, this embodiment is not limited to this, and the first drive device 126 may be other types of drive devices such as a hydraulic cylinder.

[0080] In some embodiments, the coating assembly 120 further includes a pressure bar 128. The pressure bar 128 may span across the pusher frame 122 and may be used to press the coating bar 124 downward to secure the coating bar 124.

[0081] like Figure 1 As shown, the stage 130 may be disposed adjacent to the platform 110. For example, the stage 130 may be disposed adjacent to the first side 112a of the plane 112 to shorten the moving distance of the transfer assembly 140; however, this application is not limited to this. The stage 130 can be used to hold the curved substrate to be coated. For example, the stage 130 may be a vacuum stage to fix the curved substrate by vacuum adsorption. Of course, the stage 130 may also fix the curved substrate by clamping or electrostatic adsorption, etc., which is not limited to this application. In some embodiments, the stage 130 has a cylindrical structure, and the diameter of the stage 130 may be from about 10 mm to about 500 mm. For example, the diameter of the stage 130 may be from about 10 mm to about 100 mm. Of course, the size of the stage 130 may be adjusted according to actual operational needs, which is not limited to this application.

[0082] like Figure 1 As shown, the transfer assembly 140 is disposed above the platform 110 and the stage 130. The transfer assembly 140 mainly includes a carrier 142 and a flexible transfer head 144. The carrier 142 is located above the platform 110 and the stage 130 and is horizontally movable. The carrier 142 is used to carry the flexible transfer head 144. In some embodiments, the transfer assembly 140 further includes a second drive device 146. The second drive device 146 engages with the carrier 142 and can drive the carrier 142 to move horizontally, thereby further driving the flexible transfer head 144 to move horizontally. The second drive device 146 may be, for example, a pneumatic cylinder. Of course, the second drive device 146 may also be other types of drive devices such as a hydraulic cylinder, which is not limited to this application.

[0083] A flexible transfer head 144 is disposed at the bottom 142a of the carrier 142 and above the platform 110 and the stage 130. The flexible transfer head 144 can move vertically, either towards the platform 110 or the stage 130, or away from the platform 110 or the stage 130. The flexible transfer head 144 can first adhere to the adhesive layer on the plane 112 of the platform 110, and then move above the stage 130 to press against the curved surface of the curved substrate, thereby transferring the adhered adhesive layer onto the curved surface. The flexible transfer head 144 can be made of a material with good flexibility and elasticity, and good adhesive absorption capacity. For example, the material of the flexible transfer head 144 can be rubber, silicone, or polyurethane, but this application is not limited to this.

[0084] The hardness of the elastic transfer head 144 can be selected based on the viscosity of the colloid. Higher viscosity colloids allow for the use of a harder elastic transfer head 144 to facilitate the expulsion of air from the colloid, thus aiding in air removal. In some embodiments, when the viscosity of the colloid is greater than 2000 mPa·s, the Shore hardness A of the elastic transfer head 144 is greater than 150, which helps in air removal. Furthermore, the hardness of the elastic transfer head 144 is also related to the size of the curved substrate. Larger curved substrates require lower hardness of the elastic transfer head 144, resulting in better printing uniformity. In some embodiments, when the size of the curved substrate is greater than 4900 mm, the Shore hardness A of the elastic transfer head 144 is less than 50, which improves the uniformity of colloid printing.

[0085] In some embodiments, the size and shape of the flexible transfer head 144 substantially correspond to the size and shape of the curved surface of the curved substrate. This facilitates the expulsion of air from the adhesive and avoids air residue in the adhesive affecting quality. In some embodiments, the flexible transfer head 144 has a convex arc surface 144a to facilitate adhesive application and transfer.

[0086] In some embodiments, the transfer assembly 140 further includes a third drive device 148. The third drive device 148 is disposed on the carrier 142 and engages with the elastic transfer head 144. The third drive device 148 can drive the elastic transfer head 144 to move vertically. The third drive device 148 may be, for example, a pneumatic cylinder. Of course, other types of drive devices may also be used for the third drive device 148.

[0087] In some embodiments, the coating apparatus 100 for curved substrates further includes a human-machine interface 150 to facilitate operation of the coating apparatus 100 by on-line personnel. The human-machine interface 150 may include a screen 152 and several operation buttons 154. The screen 152 can be used to display operation data. The operation buttons 154 can be electrically connected to the first driving device 126, the second driving device 146, and the third driving device 148, respectively. By pressing the operation buttons 154, the operation of the first driving device 126, the second driving device 146, and the third driving device 148 can be controlled accordingly. The operation interface of this embodiment is not limited to the human-machine interface 150 described above. For example, an interface such as a touch screen can also be used for coating operations.

[0088] Please refer to Figure 3 as well as Figures 4A to 4J ,in Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating a coating method for a curved substrate according to one embodiment of this application. Figures 4A to 4J This is a flowchart of an apparatus for coating a curved substrate according to one embodiment of this application. Figures 4A to 4J The apparatus portion of the coating equipment 100 for curved substrates is shown schematically. Figure 1 The device. In this embodiment, it can be utilized Figure 1 The coating apparatus 100 shown is used to coat the curved substrate 300. In some embodiments, when coating the curved substrate 300, the ambient temperature can be controlled to be less than 30°C and the relative humidity of the environment can be controlled to be from about 40% to about 80%. Of course, this application is not limited to this, and the ambient temperature and relative humidity can be adjusted according to the needs of the coating operation.

[0089] During coating, step 200 can be performed first to place the curved substrate 300 on... Figure 1 The curved substrate 300 is held on a stage 130 and secured using the stage 130. The curved substrate 300 has a curved surface 310 to be coated. In this embodiment, as... Figure 4A As shown, the curved surface 310 of the curved substrate 300 is a concave arc surface. In some embodiments, the stage 130 holds the curved substrate 300 by vacuum adsorption, and the vacuum value of the stage 130 is controlled to be greater than -65 kPa. When the vacuum value of the stage 130 is not greater than -65 kPa, the stage 130 will not be able to effectively hold the curved substrate 300, resulting in inconsistent coating thickness and poor uniformity, which in turn affects product quality.

[0090] Next, step 210 can be performed to drop a predetermined amount of colloid 400 onto the plane 112 of the platform 110. For example, the colloid 400 can be dropped onto the first side 112a of the plane 112, such as... Figure 4B As shown.

[0091] Please refer to the following at the same time Figure 1 , Figure 4C ,and Figure 4D Next, step 220 can be performed to apply the colloid 400 from the first side 112a to the second side 112b of the plane 112 using the coating rod 124, thereby forming an adhesive layer 410 on the plane 112. The adhesive layer 410 formed by the coating rod 124 has a uniform thickness. When applying the colloid 400, the first drive device 126 can be activated first to drive the push frame 122. The push frame 122 further drives the coating rod 124, causing the coating rod 124 to roll from the first side 112a to the second side 112b of the plane 112.

[0092] The moving speed of the coating rod 124 can be adjusted according to the viscosity of the colloid 400. In some embodiments, when applying the colloid 400 using the coating rod 124, the moving speed of the coating rod 124 is controlled from about 0.1 mm / s to about 30 mm / s. When the moving speed of the coating rod 124 is within this range, the resulting adhesive layer 410 can be of uniform thickness with good thickness uniformity.

[0093] When the coating line 124 is located on the second side 112b, step 230 can be performed to apply the adhesive layer 410 on the plane 112 using the flexible transfer head 144. Please refer to [the website / company name] for further details. Figure 1 When performing step 230, the second drive device 146 can be activated first to drive the carrier 142 and the elastic transfer head 144 to move above the adhesive layer 410, such as... Figure 4E As shown. Then activate the third drive unit 148 to drive the elastic transfer head 144 downwards to adhere the adhesive layer 410, as shown. Figure 4F As shown. The adhesive application speed of the flexible transfer head 144 can be adjusted according to the hardness of the flexible transfer head 144 itself and the viscosity of the adhesive layer 410. In some embodiments, the adhesive application speed of the flexible transfer head 144 can be controlled from about 0.1 cm / s to about 10 cm / s to improve the uniformity of the thickness of the adhesive layer 410 adhering to the flexible transfer head 144. Subsequently, the third driving device 148 drives the flexible transfer head 144 with the adhesive layer 410 adhering to it to move upward, as shown. Figure 4G As shown.

[0094] The vertical movement speed of the flexible transfer head 144 when it is coated with adhesive layer 410 can be adjusted according to the viscosity of adhesive layer 410 and the hardness of flexible transfer head 144. In some embodiments, the vertical movement speed of flexible transfer head 144 can be controlled from about 0.1 mm / s to about 30 mm / s to maintain the uniformity of the thickness of adhesive layer 410 on flexible transfer head 144.

[0095] Next, as Figure 4HAs shown, step 240 can be performed to drive the carrier 142 using the second driving device 146, thereby horizontally moving the elastic transfer head 144 with the adhesive layer 410 attached to it above the curved surface 310 of the curved substrate 300. The horizontal movement speed of the elastic transfer head 144 with the adhesive layer 410 attached can also be adjusted according to the viscosity of the adhesive layer 410 and the hardness of the elastic transfer head 144. In some embodiments, the horizontal movement speed of the elastic transfer head 144 can be controlled from about 0.1 mm / s to about 30 mm / s to maintain the uniformity of the thickness of the adhesive layer 410 on the elastic transfer head 144.

[0096] Subsequently, as Figure 4I As shown, step 250 can be performed to drive the elastic transfer head 144 downwards to press against the curved surface 310 of the curved substrate 300 using the third driving device 148, so as to transfer the adhesive layer 410 adhering to the elastic transfer head 144 onto the curved surface 310. In some embodiments, when transferring the adhesive layer 410 on the elastic transfer head 144 onto the curved surface 310, the third driving device 148 can apply a downward air pressure to the elastic transfer head 144. This downward air pressure can be, for example, about 4 kgf / cm². 2 Approximately 6 kgf / cm 2 The transfer speed of the adhesive layer 410 on the flexible transfer head 144 to the curved surface 310 can be adjusted according to the viscosity of the adhesive layer 410, the hardness of the flexible transfer head 144, and the curvature of the curved surface 310 of the curved substrate 300. The smaller the curvature of the curved surface 310, the slower the downward pressure speed of the flexible transfer head 144, which can improve the uniformity of the adhesive layer 410 transfer. In some embodiments, the transfer speed of the flexible transfer head 144 can be controlled from about 0.1 mm / s to about 10 mm / s to ensure good uniformity of the thickness of the transferred adhesive layer 410.

[0097] Next, as Figure 4J As shown, after the adhesive layer 410 is transferred to the curved surface 310, the elastic transfer head 144 is driven vertically upward by the third driving device 148 to return to its original position. At the same time, the pusher frame 122 is driven by the first driving device 126 to drive the coating line bar 124 to return to its original position.

[0098] The coating method for curved substrates described in this application can also be applied to the coating of curved substrates with convex arc surfaces. Please refer to... Figures 5A to 5E This is a flowchart of an apparatus for coating a curved substrate according to another embodiment of this application. In this embodiment, it is possible to utilize... Figure 1 The coating apparatus 100 shown is used to coat the curved substrate 500. Similarly, Figures 5A to 5E The apparatus portion of the coating equipment 100 for curved substrates is shown schematically. Figure 1The apparatus allows for the coating of curved substrate 500, with the ambient temperature controlled below 30°C and the relative humidity controlled between approximately 40% and approximately 80%.

[0099] During coating, the curved substrate 500 can be placed first. Figure 1 The curved substrate 500 is held on the stage 130 and secured using the stage 130. Figure 5A As shown, in this embodiment, the curved surface 510 of the curved substrate 500 to be coated is a convex arc surface. In some embodiments, the stage 130 holds the curved substrate 500 by vacuum adsorption, and the vacuum value of the stage 130 is greater than -65kPa.

[0100] Next, as Figure 5B As shown, an adhesive layer 600 can be formed on the plane 112 of the platform 110. In forming the adhesive layer 600, a predetermined amount of adhesive is first dropped onto the plane 112 of the platform 110, for example, onto the first side 112a of the plane 112. Then, a coating line 124 is used to scrape the adhesive from the first side 112a to the second side 112b of the plane 112, thus forming an adhesive layer 600 of uniform thickness on the plane 112. The scraping operation and movement speed of the coating line 124 are designed as described in the above embodiment, and therefore will not be repeated here.

[0101] Next, as Figure 5C As shown, the second driving device 146 can be used to drive the carrier 142 and the elastic transfer head 144 to move above the adhesive layer 600, and then the third driving device 148 can be used to drive the elastic transfer head 144 downward to adhere the adhesive layer 600. The adhesive application speed of the elastic transfer head 144, as well as the vertical and horizontal movement speeds of the elastic transfer head 144 when it is adhered to the adhesive layer 600, are the same as in the above embodiment, and therefore will not be described again here.

[0102] Next, the second driving device 146 drives the carrier 142 to move the elastic transfer head 144 with the adhesive layer 600 attached horizontally above the curved surface 510 of the curved substrate 500. Figure 5D As shown, the third driving device 148 then drives the elastic transfer head 144 downward to press against the curved surface 510, so as to transfer the adhesive layer 600 adhering to the elastic transfer head 144 onto the curved surface 510. During the transfer operation, the air pressure applied to the elastic transfer head 144 and the transfer speed are the same as in the above embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0103] like Figure 5E As shown, after the adhesive layer 600 is transferred to the curved surface 510, the elastic transfer head 144 and the coating line bar 124 are driven to return to their positions using the third driving device 148 and the first driving device 126, respectively.

[0104] As can be seen from the above embodiments, the coating line bar of this application can control the thickness of the adhesive layer, thereby ensuring a consistent thickness of the adhesive layer in each transfer. Furthermore, the flexible transfer head can adhere to the adhesive layer formed by the coating line bar and smoothly transfer the adhered adhesive layer onto the curved surface of the curved substrate. Therefore, this application not only achieves coating operations on curved substrates such as convex and concave surfaces, but also has advantages such as high adhesive utilization and excellent adhesive layer uniformity.

[0105] Although this application has been disclosed above with reference to embodiments, it is not intended to limit this application. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and refinements can be made without departing from the concept and scope of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A coating apparatus for curved substrates, characterized in that, The coating equipment for the curved substrate includes: The platform has a flat surface; A coating assembly is disposed adjacent to the platform; wherein the coating assembly includes: The push frame, mounted on the platform; and A coating bar is disposed on the pusher frame; wherein the pusher frame is configured to push the coating bar to apply adhesive to the plane and form an adhesive layer on the plane; A stage, adjacent to a first side of the plane, and configured to hold a curved substrate; and The transfer assembly includes: A support member, horizontally movable, is disposed above the platform and the carrier; and An elastic transfer head is vertically movable and disposed at the bottom of the carrier, and is configured to adhere the adhesive layer on the flat surface and press against the curved surface of the curved substrate to transfer the adhered adhesive layer onto the curved surface.

2. The coating equipment for curved substrates according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gap between the coated wire rods is 1 μm to 20 μm.

3. The coating equipment for curved substrates according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coating assembly further includes a first drive unit that engages with the pusher frame and is configured to drive the pusher frame to move above the plane.

4. The coating equipment for curved substrates according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first driving device is a pneumatic cylinder.

5. The coating equipment for curved substrates according to claim 1, characterized in that, The stage is a vacuum stage.

6. The coating equipment for curved substrates according to claim 1, characterized in that, The size and shape of the elastic transfer head substantially correspond to the size and shape of the curved surface of the curved substrate.

7. The coating equipment for curved substrates according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic transfer head has a convex arc surface.

8. The coating equipment for curved substrates according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material of the flexible transfer head is rubber, silicone, or polyurethane.

9. The coating equipment for curved substrates according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transfer assembly also includes: A second driving device, engaged with the carrier, and configured to drive the carrier to move the resilient transfer head; and A third driving device is disposed on the carrier and engaged with the elastic transfer head; wherein the third driving device is configured to drive the elastic transfer head to move vertically.

10. The coating apparatus for curved substrates according to claim 9, characterized in that, Each of the second and third drive devices is a pneumatic cylinder.

11. A coating method for a curved substrate, characterized in that, The coating method for the curved substrate includes: A stage is used to hold the curved substrate. A predetermined amount of colloid is dropped onto the first side of the plane of the platform; wherein the first side of the plane is adjacent to the stage; The adhesive is scraped from the first side of the plane to the second side of the plane opposite to the first side using a coating line bar to form an adhesive layer on the plane; The adhesive layer on the plane is applied using a flexible transfer head; The elastic transfer head with the adhesive layer attached is moved above the curved substrate; and The elastic transfer head is pressed against the curved surface of the curved substrate to transfer the adhesive layer adhering to the elastic transfer head onto the curved surface.

12. The coating method for a curved substrate according to claim 11, characterized in that, Holding the curved substrate using the stage also includes holding the curved substrate using a vacuum adsorption method, and controlling the vacuum value of the stage to be greater than -65 kPa.

13. The coating method for a curved substrate according to claim 11, characterized in that, Applying the colloid using the coating line bar involves controlling the moving speed of the coating line bar from 0.1 mm / s to 30 mm / s.

14. The coating method for a curved substrate according to claim 11, characterized in that, Applying the adhesive layer to the plane using the elastic transfer head includes controlling the adhesive application speed from 0.1 cm / s to 10 cm / s.

15. The coating method for a curved substrate according to claim 11, characterized in that, Moving the elastic transfer head with the adhesive layer attached above the curved substrate includes controlling the horizontal movement speed of the elastic transfer head from 0.1 mm / s to 30 mm / s.

16. The coating method for a curved substrate according to claim 11, characterized in that, Moving the elastic transfer head with the adhesive layer attached above the curved substrate includes controlling the vertical movement speed of the elastic transfer head to be from 0.1 mm / s to 30 mm / s.

17. The coating method for a curved substrate according to claim 11, characterized in that, Transferring the adhesive layer adhering to the elastic transfer head onto the curved surface includes controlling the transfer speed of the elastic transfer head to be from 0.1 cm / s to 10 cm / s.

18. The coating method for a curved substrate according to claim 11, characterized in that, Transferring the adhesive layer adhering to the elastic transfer head onto the curved surface includes applying downward air pressure to the elastic transfer head, wherein the downward air pressure is 4 kgf / cm². 2 Up to 6 kgf / cm 2 .

19. The coating method for a curved substrate according to claim 11, characterized in that, When the viscosity of the colloid is greater than 2000 mPa·s, the Shore hardness A of the elastic transfer head is greater than 150.

20. The coating method for a curved substrate according to claim 11, characterized in that, When the size of the curved substrate is greater than 4900 mm, the Shore A hardness of the elastic transfer head is less than 50.

21. The coating method for a curved substrate according to claim 11, characterized in that, The coating method for the curved substrate includes controlling the ambient temperature to be less than 30°C and the relative humidity to be 40% to 80%.

Citation Information

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