Powder coating apparatus

Abstract

A powder coating device includes: a powder supply section that supplies a powder to a surface of a substrate; a squeegee that is disposed so as to form a gap with the substrate, adjusts a thickness of a powder layer composed of the powder supplied to the surface of the substrate by the powder supply section, and scans in a state in which an inclination angle of a face that contacts the powder with respect to a normal direction of the surface of the substrate can be changed; a powder inclination angle detector that detects an angle between a surface of the powder layer and the substrate; and a first control section that adjusts the inclination angle of the face of the squeegee that contacts the powder based on the inclination angle of the powder layer detected by the powder inclination angle detector.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a powder coating apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0002] Conventionally, a technique of carrying a member such as a metal foil and coating a powder on a surface of the member is known.

[0003] For example, in Patent Literature 1, a technique of coating a composite material (powder) containing an active material on a surface of a current collector which is a long metal foil is disclosed.

[0004] Further, in Patent Literature 2, a method of applying a vibration of a frequency of 700 Hz or so to a cylindrical doctor blade in order to suppress the retention of a powder is disclosed.

[0005] PRIOR ART LITERATURE

[0006] PATENT LITERATURE

[0007] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-216504

[0008] Patent Literature 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-198293 SUMMARY

[0009] A powder coating apparatus of one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a powder supply portion that supplies a powder onto a surface of a substrate; a doctor blade that is disposed so as to form a gap with the substrate, adjusts a thickness of a powder layer composed of the powder supplied onto the surface of the substrate by the powder supply portion, and scans in a state in which an inclination angle of a face that interfaces with the powder with respect to a normal direction of the surface of the substrate can be changed; a powder inclination angle detector that detects an angle between a surface of the powder layer and the substrate; and a first control portion that adjusts the inclination angle of the face of the doctor blade that interfaces with the powder based on the inclination angle of the powder layer detected by the powder inclination angle detector. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic view that shows a powder coating apparatus of one embodiment (Embodiment 1) of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2 is a schematic view that shows a powder coating apparatus of one embodiment (Embodiment 2) of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 3 is a schematic view that shows a powder coating apparatus of one embodiment (Embodiment 3) of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 4is a schematic view showing a powder coating device as one embodiment of the present disclosure (Embodiment 4).

[0014] Figure 5 is a schematic view showing a powder coating device as one embodiment of the present disclosure (Embodiment 5).

[0015] Figure 6 is a schematic view showing a powder coating device as one embodiment of the present disclosure (Embodiment 6).

[0016] Figure 7A is a view showing a relationship between a repose angle of a powder and an inclination angle of a face of a blade in contact with the powder.

[0017] Figure 7B is a view showing a relationship between a repose angle of a powder and an inclination angle of a face of a blade in contact with the powder.

[0018] Figure 7C is a view showing a relationship between a repose angle of a powder and an inclination angle of a face of a blade in contact with the powder.

[0019] Figure 8 is a view showing a schematic view of a positive electrode mixture layer as viewed from an upper surface and a film thickness measurement position.

[0020] Figure 9 is a view showing a state after the start when a thickness of a powder layer composed of a powder is uniformly adjusted by a blade-shaped blade in the related art.

[0021] Figure 10 is a view showing a state after a certain time when a thickness of a powder layer composed of a powder is uniformly adjusted by a blade-shaped blade in the related art.

[0022] Figure 11 is a view showing a state after the start when a cylindrical blade is vibrated in a relative movement direction 7 of a substrate with respect to the blade and a direction opposite thereto (vibration direction A of Figure 11 ) while maintaining a shortest distance of the blade from the substrate, to adjust a thickness of a powder layer composed of a powder in the related art.

[0023] Figure 12 is a view showing a state after a certain time when a cylindrical blade is vibrated in a relative movement direction 7 of a substrate with respect to the blade and a direction opposite thereto (vibration direction A of Figure 11 ) while maintaining a shortest distance of the blade from the substrate, to adjust a thickness of a powder layer composed of a powder in the related art.

[0024] Figure 13is a view showing a state after the start when adjusting the thickness of the powder layer composed of the powder by vibrating the cylindrical doctor blade in the direction perpendicular to the relative movement direction of the substrate with respect to the doctor blade (vibration direction B) while maintaining the shortest distance between the doctor blade and the substrate in the related art. Figure 13 is a view showing a state after a certain time when adjusting the thickness of the powder layer composed of the powder by vibrating the cylindrical doctor blade in the direction perpendicular to the relative movement direction of the substrate with respect to the doctor blade (vibration direction B) while maintaining the shortest distance between the doctor blade and the substrate in the related art.

[0025] Figure 14 is a view showing a state after the start when adjusting the thickness of the powder layer composed of the powder by vibrating the cylindrical doctor blade in the direction perpendicular to the relative movement direction of the substrate with respect to the doctor blade (vibration direction B) while maintaining the shortest distance between the doctor blade and the substrate in the related art. Figure 13

[0026] Figure 15 is Table 1 showing the results of each embodiment of the present disclosure (Experimental Examples 1 to 6) and the results of the comparative example of the related art. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Figure 9 and Figure 10 is a schematic view showing the related art using the blade-shaped doctor blade 100 described in Patent Document 1.

[0028] Here, Figure 9 shows a state after the start when adjusting the thickness of the powder layer composed of the powder 4 uniformly by the blade-shaped doctor blade 100, Figure 10 is a view showing a state after a certain time.

[0029] In Patent Document 1, it is described that, as shown in Figure 9 , after the powder 4 is supplied to the surface of the metal foil as the substrate 3, the powder 4 is flattened by the blade-shaped doctor blade 100, thereby uniformly adjusting the thickness of the powder layer.

[0030] However, in the case where the flowability of the powder 4 is poor, as shown in Figure 10 , it is not possible to promote the entry of the powder 4 into the gap between the doctor blade 100 and the substrate 3, the powder 4 is retained on the upstream side in the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 (metal foil) with respect to the doctor blade 100 (powder accumulation height 20 increases), and a hump is generated between the doctor blade 100 and the substrate 3 (metal foil), so it is difficult to achieve continuous film formation with high precision.

[0031] Figures 11-14 is a schematic view showing the related art of vibrating the cylindrical doctor blade 150 described in Patent Document 2.

[0032] Here, Figure 11 ​This indicates that while maintaining the shortest distance 109 between the scraper 150 and the substrate 3, the cylindrical scraper 150 moves in the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 relative to the scraper 150 and in the opposite direction. Figure 11 The vibration direction A) is adjusted to the initial state (essentially the starting point) after the initial vibration of the powder layer composed of powder 4. Figure 12 It indicates the state after a certain period of time.

[0033] in addition, Figure 13 This indicates that while maintaining the shortest distance 109 between the scraper 150 and the substrate 3, the cylindrical scraper 150 is positioned in a direction perpendicular to the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 relative to the scraper 150. Figure 13 The vibration direction B) is used to adjust the initial state of the powder layer composed of powder 4 at the beginning. Figure 14 It indicates the state after a certain period of time.

[0034] Patent document 2 describes: such as Figures 11-12 As shown, after powder 4 is supplied to the surface of the metal foil serving as substrate 3, while adjusting the scraper 150 in a manner that maintains the shortest distance 109 between the cylindrical scraper 150 and the substrate 3, the scraper 150 is moved in the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 relative to the scraper 150 and in the opposite direction. Figure 11 The powder layer is leveled by vibrating in the direction of vibration A), thereby uniformly adjusting the thickness of the powder layer.

[0035] However, when powder 4 has poor flowability, such as Figure 12 As shown, it is impossible to facilitate the entry of powder 4 into the gap between scraper 150 and substrate 3. Powder 4 is retained on the upstream side of substrate 3 (metal foil) relative to scraper 150 in the relative moving direction 7 (powder storage height 20 increases), and arching is generated between scraper 150 and substrate 3 (metal foil). Therefore, it is difficult to achieve continuous film formation with high precision.

[0036] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes: such as Figures 13-14 As shown, after powder 4 is supplied to the surface of the metal foil serving as substrate 3, while maintaining the shortest distance 109 between the scraper 150 and substrate 3, the cylindrical scraper 150 is positioned in a direction perpendicular to the relative movement direction 7 of substrate 3 relative to scraper 150. Figure 13 The powder layer is leveled by vibrating in the direction of vibration B, thereby uniformly adjusting the thickness of the powder layer.

[0037] However, when powder 4 has poor flowability, such as Figure 14As shown, the powder 4 cannot be facilitated to enter the gap between the scraper 150 and the substrate 3. The powder 4 is retained on the upstream side of the substrate 3 (metal foil) in the relative moving direction 7 with respect to the scraper 150 (the powder storage height 20 increases), and an arch is generated between the scraper 150 and the substrate 3 (metal foil). Therefore, it is difficult to achieve continuous film formation with high precision.

[0038] In recent years, the demand for further high performance and low cost in devices has led to a need for technologies that can precisely form films directly from functional powder materials with particle sizes of tens of μm to submicron (subμm), which are much smaller than before, are prone to agglomeration, and have low flowability, without undergoing granulation or other processes. However, in existing technologies, the retention and arching of small-particle-size, easily agglomerated, and low-flowability powder materials are not sufficiently suppressed, making it difficult to achieve a uniform powder layer thickness.

[0039] Therefore, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a powder coating apparatus capable of forming a powder layer with minimal film thickness deviation on the surface of a substrate 3.

[0040] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0041] Furthermore, the embodiments described below are all general or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, constituent elements, the arrangement and location of constituent elements, connection methods, steps, and the order of steps shown in the following embodiments are examples and are not intended to limit this disclosure. In addition, constituent elements in the following embodiments that are not described in the independent technical solution are described as arbitrary constituent elements.

[0042] Furthermore, all figures are schematic diagrams and may not be strictly representational. Also, substantially identical structures are labeled with the same reference numerals across all figures.

[0043] Additionally, please refer to the appendix as appropriate in the following section. Figure 1 While describing the implementation methods, necessary detailed descriptions are sometimes omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of known matters and repetitive descriptions of substantially the same structures are sometimes omitted. This is to avoid making the following description unnecessarily lengthy and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0044] (Implementation Method 1)

[0045] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a powder coating apparatus 1 as an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0046] like Figure 1As shown, the powder coating apparatus 1 of the present disclosure includes a powder supply portion 5 that supplies a powder 4 to the surface of a substrate 3, a squeegee 2 that is disposed so as to form a gap with the substrate 3, adjusts the thickness of a powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied to the surface of the substrate 3 by the powder supply portion 5, and scans in a state in which the inclination angle 6 of a surface 10 that comes into contact with the powder 4 can be changed, a drive portion (not shown) that relatively moves the substrate 3 and the squeegee 2 in a constant direction, and a first control portion 12 that detects the angle 8 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 from the powder supply portion 5 and the substrate 3 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the squeegee 2 with respect to the powder supply position 22 by a powder inclination angle detector 11, and adjusts the inclination angle 6 of the surface 10 of the squeegee 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4 with respect to the normal direction of the surface of the substrate 3 on the basis of the inclination angle of the powder layer detected by the powder inclination angle detector 11. Here, the case in which at least a part of the surface 10 of the squeegee 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4 is in contact or substantially in contact with the powder 4 is included.

[0047] The powder 4 is a powder-like substance, and in the present embodiment, for example, a particle group including an active substance of 0.005 μm or more and 50 μm or less can be used for the average particle diameter (D50) of the powder 4. Note that the average particle diameter (D50) is a median particle diameter on a volume basis calculated from a measured value of the particle size distribution based on a laser diffraction / scattering method, and can be measured using a commercially available laser analysis / scattering type particle size distribution measuring device.

[0048] The powder inclination angle detector 11 is disposed on at least one of the upstream side or the downstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the squeegee 2 with respect to the powder supply position 22, and detects the angle 8 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 and the substrate 3. In the present embodiment, the powder inclination angle detector 11 is disposed on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the squeegee 2 with respect to the powder supply position 22. Note that the powder inclination angle detector 11 can detect the angle 8 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 and the substrate 3. The powder inclination angle detector 11 can be, for example, a laser sensor that measures the angle 8 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 and the substrate 3 from the direction perpendicular to the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3. Figures 7A-7CThe powder inclination angle detector 11 captures the position of the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 by image processing such as binarization processing, by photographing the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 through the camera not shown, and detects the angle 8 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 and the substrate 3. In addition, the powder inclination angle detector 11 can also capture the position of the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 by image processing such as binarization processing, by photographing the shadow of the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 appearing from the light source through the camera, and detect the angle 8 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 and the substrate 3. Here, the angle 8 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 and the substrate 3 is, for example, the angle of a right angle or an acute angle between the surface of the substrate 3 at the boundary portion of the powder layer and the surface of the powder layer in the boundary portion.

[0049] Here, in the very small powder 4 having a particle diameter of several tens of μm to submicron, for example, if left in a stationary state, agglomeration progresses, and the flowability of the powder 4 is promoted to decrease. In this case, generally, the flowability of the powder 4 is confirmed in advance by measuring the material properties such as the angle of repose in the powder 4 before the powder 4 is fed to the powder coating device 1. Also, after confirming the measured value within a prescribed range, the powder 4 is fed to the powder coating device 1. However, in actual production processes, there are cases where production is continued while coating start / stop is repeated several times, or coating is restarted after a certain time of stop in the middle of production due to equipment failure or the like. In such a process, at the time of coating stop, the powder 4 fed to the powder coating device 1 progresses agglomeration in a stationary state in the inside of the powder supply portion 5 and the piping path of the powder supply portion 5 not shown, and the flowability of the powder 4 is sometimes promoted to decrease.

[0050] As a result, the flowability of the powder 4 in the state supplied to the substrate 3 differs between the time point immediately before leveling with the doctor blade 2 and the time point confirmed before feeding to the powder coating device 1 at the time of leveling with the doctor blade 2 for forming a powder layer having a small film thickness deviation.

[0051] Here, in the related art, the setting condition (the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 in contact with the powder 4) of the doctor blade 2 that affects the film thickness deviation of the processed powder layer is set based on the flowability confirmed before feeding to the powder coating device 1. Therefore, after the powder 4 is fed to the powder coating device 1, if agglomeration of the powder 4 progresses in the inside of the powder supply portion 5 and the piping path of the powder supply portion 5 not shown, and the flowability changes, it becomes difficult to perform continuous and stable precision coating with a small film thickness deviation.

[0052] On the other hand, in the powder coating device 1 as an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first control section 12 detects the angle 8 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 and the substrate 3 on the upstream side of the substrate 3 in the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the doctor blade 2 using the powder inclination angle detector 11 on the upstream side of the powder supply position 22 with respect to the substrate 3, and adjusts the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4. Thus, in the powder coating device 1, the flowability of the powder 4 in the state of being supplied to the substrate 3 immediately before being leveled by the doctor blade 2 can be grasped when leveling the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 using the doctor blade 2, and based on this, the setting condition (the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4) of the doctor blade 2 is set. Further, even in the case where the flowability of the powder 4 changes during continuous production, the setting condition (the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4) of the doctor blade 2 can be adjusted according to the change.

[0053] Here, the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4 is particularly preferably an angle that is equal to or greater than the angle 8 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 and the substrate 3 on the upstream side of the substrate 3 in the relative movement direction 7 with respect to the powder supply position 22, which is detected by the powder inclination angle detector 11.

[0054] Figure 7A represents the relationship between the repose angle of the powder 4 and the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4.

[0055] Here, Figure 7B is a case where the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4 is 0°, Figure 7C is a case where the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4 is greater than 0° and less than the repose angle of the powder 4, Figure 7A is a diagram indicating a case where the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4 is greater than the repose angle of the powder 4.

[0056] As Figure 7A indicated, the repose angle A refers to the angle between the slope of the hill of the powder 4 and the horizontal surface when the hill of the powder 4 is formed when the powder 4 is caused to fall from a certain height to, for example, a substrate without the powder 4 spontaneously collapsing and stably maintaining the hill shape.

[0057] Here, in the case where the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 is leveled using the doctor blade 2, the powder 4 is carried in the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3, and thus it is considered that the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 is up and the downstream side is down, and it can be considered that the same behavior as the powder 4 falling from up to down toward the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4 occurs.

[0058] As a result, in a case where the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the blade 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 is 0°, as shown in FIG. 1, in a case where the repose angle of the powder 4 is A, the powder 4 that reaches the face 10 of the blade 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 is difficult to collapse and is likely to cause stagnation of the powder 4. Figure 7B

[0059] In addition, in a case where the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the blade 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 is greater than 0° and less than the repose angle A of the powder 4, as shown in FIG. 2, the powder 4 that reaches the face 10 of the blade 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 is promoted to enter the gap between the blade 2 and the base material 3 by the inclination of the face 10 of the blade 2 that is in contact with the powder 4, and thus the stagnation of the powder 4 can be suppressed. Figure 7C

[0060] In addition, in a case where the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the blade 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 is greater than the repose angle A of the powder 4, as shown in FIG. 3, the force with which the powder 4 that reaches the face 10 of the blade 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 is likely to stay at the face 10 of the blade 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 can be very small, and thus a very large effect of promoting the powder 4 to enter the gap between the blade 2 and the base material 3 can be obtained, and a very large effect of suppressing the stagnation of the powder 4 can be obtained. Figure 2

[0061] Here, the angle 8 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied from the powder supply part 5 to the base material 3 and the base material 3 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the base material 3 with respect to the powder supply position 22, which is detected by the powder inclination angle detector 11, refers to the repose angle of the powder 4 in a state of being supplied to the base material 3, and becomes an index indicating the flowability of the powder 4. Thus, the powder coating device 1, on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the base material 3 with respect to the powder supply position 22, grasps the angle 8 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied from the powder supply part 5 to the base material 3 and the base material 3 while adjusting the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the blade 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 in correspondence therewith in the process of continuous production. In particular, in the powder coating device 1, the angle between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied from the powder supply part 5 to the base material 3 and the base material 3 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the base material 3 with respect to the powder supply position 22 is 8 or more, and thus a very large effect of suppressing the stagnation of the powder 4 can be obtained, and continuous and stable precision coating with a small film thickness deviation can be performed.

[0062] (Embodiment 2)

[0063] Figure 3 is a schematic view of the powder coating device 1 as an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0064] ​​​The powder coating apparatus 1 of the present disclosure is provided with a powder inclination angle detector 11 that detects the angle 9 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied from the powder supply portion 5 to the substrate 3 and the substrate 3 on the downstream side of the powder supply position 22 in the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the doctor blade 2, and adjusts the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4, and is otherwise the same as the basic structure of Embodiment 1, so the basic structure of the powder coating apparatus 1 in this embodiment is appropriately omitted from the description.

[0065] Here, the angle 9 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied from the powder supply portion 5 to the substrate 3 and the substrate 3 on the downstream side of the powder supply position 22 in the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the doctor blade 2 detected by the powder inclination angle detector 11 refers to the repose angle of the powder 4 in the state of being supplied to the substrate 3, and becomes an index indicating the flowability of the powder 4. Thus, the powder coating apparatus 1, while grasping the angle 9 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied from the powder supply portion 5 to the substrate 3 and the substrate 3 on the downstream side of the powder supply position 22 in the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the doctor blade 2 during continuous production, adjusts the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4 accordingly. In particular, in the powder coating apparatus 1, the angle between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied from the powder supply portion 5 to the substrate 3 and the substrate 3 on the downstream side of the powder supply position 22 in the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the doctor blade 2 is made to be 9 or more, whereby a very large effect of suppressing the stagnation of the powder 4 can be obtained, and continuous and stable precision coating with little film thickness deviation can be performed.

[0066] (Embodiment 3)

[0067] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the powder coating apparatus 1 as an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0068] The powder coating apparatus 1 of the present disclosure is provided with a second control portion 13 that adjusts the powder supply amount supplied to the substrate 3 based on the powder accumulation height 20 detected by a powder accumulation height detector 23 at the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the doctor blade 2, and the powder accumulation height detector 23 that detects the height of the powder 4 accumulated at the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the doctor blade 2, and is otherwise the same as the basic structure of Embodiment 1, so the basic structure of the powder coating apparatus 1 in this embodiment is appropriately omitted from the description.

[0069] Here, the powder storage height detector 23 only needs to be able to detect the powder storage height 20 at the surface 10 of the scraper 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3. For example, the powder storage height detector 23 can also detect the powder storage height 20 from a direction perpendicular to the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3. Figure 4 The powder storage unit 24 is captured by a camera (near the front side of the paper surface) and its position is captured by image processing such as binarization. The powder storage height 20 at the surface 10 of the scraper 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 is detected upstream of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3. Alternatively, the powder storage height detector 23 can also capture the shadow of the powder storage unit 24 at the surface 10 of the scraper 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 upstream of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3, which is projected by the light source, and its position is captured by image processing such as binarization. The powder storage height 20 at the surface 10 of the scraper 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 is detected upstream of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3.

[0070] Here, it is preferable that the ratio Z of the powder storage height 20 (denoted as A in the following mathematical formula) to the distance 21 (denoted as B in the following mathematical formula) between the substrate 3 and the scraper 2 is greater than 1 and less than 3. The ratio Z is defined by Z = A / B.

[0071] If Z is greater than 1 and less than 3, the force applied to the powder 4 from the scraper 2 can be reduced, thus making it less likely for the powder 4 to agglomerate and stagnate, and thus suppressing powder blockage.

[0072] If the powder volume height 20 becomes too large, such as when Z exceeds 3, the force applied to the powder 4 by the scraper 2 becomes excessive, which easily leads to the agglomeration and retention of the powder 4, and powder blockage. In addition, a flattening effect cannot be obtained when Z is less than 1.

[0073] In this way, the powder coating apparatus 1, relative to the powder supply position 22, upstream of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3, grasps the angle 8 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied from the powder supply unit 5 to the substrate 3 and the substrate 3, and accordingly adjusts the tilt angle 6 of the scraper 2 surface 10 that is in contact with the powder 4. In addition, upstream of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 relative to the scraper 2, at the scraper 2 surface 10 that is in contact with the powder 4, the powder storage height 20 is detected by the powder storage height detector 23, and the powder supply amount to the substrate 3 is adjusted. In particular, in the powder coating apparatus 1, by making the ratio Z of the powder storage height 20 to the distance 21 between the substrate 3 and the scraper 2 greater than 1 and less than 3, the agglomeration and retention of powder 4 are less likely to occur in the powder coating apparatus 1, and powder blockage can be suppressed. Therefore, continuous and stable precision coating with little film thickness deviation can be performed.

[0074] (Embodiment 4)

[0075] Figure 4 is a schematic view showing a powder coating apparatus 1 as an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0076] The powder coating apparatus 1 of the present disclosure is provided with a second control section 13 that detects a powder accumulation height 20 at the face 10 of the squeegee 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3, and adjusts the powder supply amount supplied to the substrate 3, and is otherwise the same as the basic structure of Embodiment 2, so the basic structure of the powder coating apparatus 1 in the present embodiment is appropriately omitted from the description.

[0077] Here, the powder accumulation height detector 23 can detect the powder accumulation height 20 at the face 10 of the squeegee 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3. The powder accumulation height detector 23 can also, for example, take a photograph from the direction perpendicular to the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 (the paper face near side) by a camera, and capture the position of the surface of the powder accumulation section 24 by image processing such as binarization processing, to detect the powder accumulation height 20 at the face 10 of the squeegee 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3. In addition, the powder accumulation height detector 23 can also take a photograph by a camera of the shadow of the powder accumulation section 24 at the face 10 of the squeegee 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3, which is made to appear by a light source, and capture the position of the surface of the powder accumulation section 24 by image processing such as binarization processing, to detect the powder accumulation height 20 at the face 10 of the squeegee 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3. Figure 5 Here, it is preferable that the ratio Z of the powder accumulation height 20 to the distance 21 of the gap between the substrate 3 and the squeegee 2 be greater than 1 and be 3 or less.

[0078] If Z is greater than 1 and is 3 or less, the force applied to the powder 4 from the squeegee 2 can be reduced, so agglomeration and stagnation of the powder 4 is less likely to occur, and powder clogging can be suppressed. If the powder accumulation height 20 becomes excessively large such that Z exceeds 3, the force applied to the powder 4 from the squeegee 2 becomes excessively large, so agglomeration and stagnation of the powder 4 is likely to occur, and powder clogging is likely to occur. In addition, the planarization effect is not obtained if Z is 1 or less.

[0079]

[0080] ​Thus, the powder coating device 1 grasps the angle 9 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied from the powder supply part 5 to the substrate 3 and the substrate 3 while adjusting the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 in contact with the powder 4 on the downstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the powder supply position 22, and in addition, detects the powder accumulation height 20 at the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the doctor blade 2, and adjusts the powder supply amount to the substrate 3. In particular, in the powder coating device 1, by making the ratio Z of the powder accumulation height 20 to the distance 21 of the gap between the substrate 3 and the doctor blade 2 greater than 1 and 3 or less, thus, the aggregation and stagnation of the powder 4 are less likely to occur, the powder clogging can be suppressed, and thus, the precise coating with less film thickness deviation can be continuously and stably performed.

[0081] (Embodiment 5)

[0082] Figure 6 is a schematic view showing the powder coating device 1 as an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0083] The powder coating device 1 of the present disclosure includes a third control part 14 that detects the powder accumulation height 20 at the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the doctor blade 2, and adjusts the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 in contact with the powder 4, and is otherwise the same as the basic structure of Embodiment 3, and thus, the basic structure of the powder coating device 1 in the present embodiment is appropriately omitted.

[0084] The powder coating device 1 detects the powder accumulation height 20 at the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the doctor blade 2, and adjusts the powder supply amount to the substrate 3, and in addition, adjusts the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 in contact with the powder 4. Thus, in the powder coating device 1, the ratio Z of the powder accumulation height 20 to the distance 21 of the gap between the substrate 3 and the doctor blade 2 can be controlled in a desired range, and in particular, by setting Z to a range greater than 1 and 3 or less, thus, the aggregation and stagnation of the powder 4 are less likely to occur, the powder clogging can be suppressed, and thus, the precise coating with less film thickness deviation can be continuously and stably performed.

[0085] For example, in a case where the powder storage amount 24 is large, the powder storage height 20 is increased, and Z is close to 3 in the process of continuous production, the powder coating device 1 first reduces the powder supply amount. In this case, in a case where further increase of the powder storage height 20 is intended to be suppressed, adjustment of the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the squeegee 2 in contact with the powder 4 can be performed. By such adjustment, in the powder coating device 1, an effect of facilitating entry of the powder 4 into the gap between the substrate 3 and the squeegee 2 can be obtained, and thus an effect of further suppressing the increase of the powder storage height 20 can be obtained.

[0086] In addition, for example, the powder storage height 20 can be detected by the powder storage height detector 23 at the face 10 of the squeegee 2 in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3, adjustment of the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the squeegee 2 in contact with the powder 4 can be performed instead of adjustment of the powder supply amount, further adjustment of the powder supply amount can be performed after adjustment of the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the squeegee 2 in contact with the powder 4, and adjustment of the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the squeegee 2 in contact with the powder 4 and adjustment of the powder supply amount can be performed at the same time. In any case, an effect of being able to control the powder storage height 20 can be obtained. Thus, in the powder coating device 1, it is easy to control the ratio Z of the powder storage height 20 to the distance 21 of the gap between the substrate 3 and the squeegee 2 within a desired range, and in particular, by setting Z to be greater than 1 and within a range of 3 or less, agglomeration and stagnation of the powder 4 are less likely to occur, powder clogging is suppressed, and thus continuous and stable precision coating with less film thickness deviation can be performed.

[0087] (Embodiment 6)

[0088] Figure 9 is a schematic view showing the powder coating device 1 as an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0089] The powder coating device 1 of the present disclosure includes a third control section 14 that adjusts the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the squeegee 2 in contact with the powder 4 based on the powder storage height 20 detected by the powder storage height detector 23 at the face 10 of the squeegee 2 in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the squeegee 2, and is otherwise the same as the basic structure of Embodiment 4, and thus the basic structure of the powder coating device 1 in this embodiment is appropriately omitted.

[0090] The powder coating device 1 detects the powder accumulation height 20 at the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the doctor blade 2, and adjusts the powder supply amount to the substrate 3, in addition to adjusting the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 in contact with the powder 4. In the powder coating device 1, it is easy to control the ratio Z of the powder accumulation height 20 to the distance 21 of the gap between the substrate 3 and the doctor blade 2 within a desired range, and in particular, by setting Z to a range of greater than 1 and 3 or less, it is difficult to cause aggregation and stagnation of the powder 4, and powder clogging can be suppressed, so that continuous and stable precision coating with less film thickness deviation can be performed.

[0091] For example, in a case where the powder accumulation portion 24 becomes large and the powder accumulation height 20 increases and Z approaches 3 in the course of continuous production, the powder coating device 1 first reduces the powder supply amount. In this case, in a case where it is desired to further obtain the effect of suppressing the increase in the powder accumulation height 20, adjustment of the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 in contact with the powder 4 can be performed. By such adjustment, in the powder coating device 1, the effect of facilitating entry of the powder 4 into the gap between the substrate 3 and the doctor blade 2 can be obtained, so that the effect of further increasing the powder accumulation height 20 can be obtained.

[0092] In addition, for example, the powder accumulation height 20 can be detected by the powder accumulation height detector 23 at the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3, without performing adjustment of the powder supply amount, and adjustment of the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 in contact with the powder 4 can be performed, further adjustment of the powder supply amount can be performed after adjustment of the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 in contact with the powder 4, or adjustment of the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 in contact with the powder 4 and adjustment of the powder supply amount can be performed at the same time, and in any of these cases, the effect of being able to control the powder accumulation height 20 can be obtained. Thus, in the powder coating device 1, it is easy to control the ratio Z of the powder accumulation height 20 to the distance 21 of the gap between the substrate 3 and the doctor blade 2 within a desired range, and in particular, by setting Z to a range of greater than 1 and 3 or less, it is difficult to cause aggregation and stagnation of the powder 4, and powder clogging can be suppressed, so that continuous and stable precision coating with less film thickness deviation can be performed.

[0093] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail using specific experimental examples. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to any of the following experimental examples, and can be implemented by being appropriately changed within a range where the gist thereof is not changed.

[0094] (Experimental Example)

[0095] As an experimental example, film formation of a positive electrode mixture layer 25 including a positive electrode active material and a solid-state electrolyte of an all-solid-state battery was performed by the powder coating apparatus 1 of Embodiments 1 to 6. As the positive electrode active material, LiNi1 / 3Co1 / 3Mn1 / 3 having an average particle diameter D50 of 5 um was used, and as the solid-state electrolyte, Li2S-P2S5 having an average particle diameter D50 of 0.8 um was used, and a mixture of the two in a volume ratio of 7:3 was formed into a mixture film. In addition, on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the squeegee 2, the mixture was supplied to the substrate 3, and the mixture was leveled by the powder coating apparatus 1 of the present disclosure of Embodiments 1 to 6, and thus film formation was performed 30 times on an aluminum foil that was the substrate 3, with a target of a coating width of 50 mm, a coating length of 200 mm, and a film thickness of 300 um. In addition, the coating speed was 10 m / minute. In addition, the distance 21 of the gap between the substrate 3 and the squeegee 2 was set to 300 um.

[0096] The powder inclination angle detector 11 captures the position of the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 by photographing the shadow of the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 by the light source, by image processing such as binarization processing, and detects the angle 8 or the angle 9 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 and the substrate 3.

[0097] In the experimental example of Embodiment 1, the angle 8 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 from the powder supply part 5 and the substrate 3 was detected on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the powder supply position 22, and at the same time, the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the squeegee 2 in contact with the powder 4 was controlled to be equal to or greater than the detected angle 8.

[0098] In the experimental example of Embodiment 2, the angle 9 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied to the substrate 3 from the powder supply part 5 and the substrate 3 was detected on the downstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the powder supply position 22, and at the same time, the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the squeegee 2 in contact with the powder 4 was controlled to be equal to or greater than the detected angle 9.

[0099] The powder accumulation height detector 23 captures the position of the surface of the powder accumulation part 24 by photographing the shadow of the powder accumulation part 24 at the face 10 of the squeegee 2 in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 by the light source, by image processing such as binarization processing, and detects the powder accumulation height 20 at the face 10 of the squeegee 2 in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3.

[0100] In the experimental example of Embodiment 3, upstream of the powder supply position 22 in the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3, while detecting the angle 8 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied from the powder supply unit 5 to the substrate 3 and the substrate 3, the tilt angle 6 of the scraper 2 surface 10 in contact with the powder 4 is controlled such that the detected angle 8 or greater is achieved. Furthermore, using a powder storage height detector 23, the powder storage height 20 is detected at the scraper 2 surface 10 in contact with the powder 4 upstream of the substrate 3 in the relative movement direction 7 of the scraper 2. The powder coating apparatus 1 controls the amount of powder supplied to the substrate 3 such that the ratio Z of the powder storage height 20 to the distance 21 between the substrate 3 and the scraper 2 is greater than 1 and less than 3.

[0101] In the experimental example of embodiment 4, on the downstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 relative to the powder supply position 22, while detecting the angle 9 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied from the powder supply unit 5 to the substrate 3 and the substrate 3, the tilt angle 6 of the scraper 2 surface 10 in contact with the powder 4 is controlled to be greater than or equal to the detected angle 9.

[0102] Then, further, using the powder storage height detector 23, the powder storage height 20 is detected at the surface 10 of the scraper 2 that is in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 relative to the scraper 2. The powder coating apparatus 1 controls the amount of powder supplied to the substrate 3 in such a way that the ratio Z of the powder storage height 20 to the distance 21 between the substrate 3 and the scraper 2 is greater than 1 and less than 3.

[0103] In the experimental example of Embodiment 5, while detecting the angle 8 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied from the powder supply unit 5 to the substrate 3 and the substrate 3 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 relative to the powder supply position 22, the tilt angle 6 of the scraper 2 surface 10 in contact with the powder 4 is controlled to be greater than or equal to the detected angle 8. Then, further, using the powder storage height detector 23, the powder storage height 20 is detected at the scraper 2 surface 10 in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 relative to the scraper 2. The powder coating apparatus 1 controls the amount of powder supplied to the substrate 3 such that the ratio Z of the powder storage height 20 to the distance 21 between the substrate 3 and the scraper 2 is greater than 1 and less than 3. Then, further, while monitoring the movement of Z, if signs are observed that Z is outside the range of greater than 1 and less than 3, the tilt angle 6 of the scraper 2 surface 10 in contact with the powder 4 is controlled.

[0104] In the experimental example of Embodiment 6, the angle 9 between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder 4 supplied from the powder supply part 5 to the substrate 3 and the substrate 3 is detected while the substrate 3 is moved in the relative movement direction 7, on the downstream side of the powder supply position 22, and the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the squeegee 2 in contact with the powder 4 is controlled to be equal to or greater than the detected angle 9. Then, further, the powder storage height 20 is detected at the face 10 of the squeegee 2 in contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the squeegee 2, using the powder storage height detector 23. The powder coating apparatus 1 controls the powder supply amount to the substrate 3 in such a manner that the ratio Z of the powder storage height 20 to the distance 21 of the gap between the substrate 3 and the squeegee 2 is greater than 1 and is equal to or less than 3. Then, further, in this state, the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the squeegee 2 in contact with the powder 4 is controlled while the progress of Z is monitored, and in the case where a sign that Z is outside the range greater than 1 and equal to or less than 3 is observed, the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the squeegee 2 in contact with the powder 4 is controlled.

[0105] Further, as comparative examples, film formation was performed in the case where a squeegee 100 in the shape of a blade as a prior art shown in Figure 10 、 Figure 11 was used (Comparative Example 1), in the case where a squeegee 150 in the shape of a cylinder as a prior art shown in Figure 12 、 Figure 13 was vibrated in the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the squeegee 150 and the opposite direction thereof (Comparative Example 2), and in the case where a squeegee 150 in the shape of a cylinder as a prior art shown in Figure 14 、 Figure 8 was vibrated in the direction perpendicular to the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 with respect to the squeegee 150 (Comparative Example 3) while the shortest distance 109 between the squeegee 150 and the substrate 3 was maintained. Here, the vibration conditions of the squeegee 150 were the conditions disclosed in Patent Literature 2, the vibration frequency of the squeegee 150 was 700 Hz, and the amplitude was 5 μm.

[0106] As for the coating continuity at the time of film formation of a plurality of positive electrode mixture layers 25, the case where powder clogging occurred in the squeegee 150 even once to make normal film formation impossible was set to "C", and the case where powder clogging did not occur and all the film formation was normal was set to "A".

[0107] Further, as for the film thickness deviation of the obtained positive electrode mixture layer 25, a laser displacement meter was used, and the film thickness of the positive electrode mixture layer 25 was measured at 10 points in the longitudinal direction of the substrate 3, and the film thickness deviation was calculated. Figure 15The film thickness deviation in the surface of the positive electrode mixture layer 25 was measured in such a manner as to cross the powder layer at 5 mm intervals in the coating width direction and the coating direction, as shown in FIG. 6, and regarding the maximum value of the film thickness deviation ((maximum value - minimum value of film thickness) / (average value of film thickness)) in each powder layer, less than ±2.5% was set as "A", ±2.5% or more and less than ±5% was set as "B", and ±5% or more was set as "C". Note that, in the process of coating the prescribed number of sheets, a case where powder jam occurred even once in the doctor blade 150 and normal film formation could not be performed could not be evaluated and was set as "-", and only in a case where powder jam did not occur and all of the normal film formation was possible, the film thickness deviation evaluation was performed.

[0108] The results of the present embodiments (Experimental Examples 1 to 6) and the comparative examples of the related art are shown in Table 1 of ​ In Table 1, the results at the time point when a total of 10 sheets of the positive electrode mixture layer 25 were formed in each of the experimental examples and the comparative examples, and the results at the time point when 20 sheets were additionally formed and a total of 30 sheets were formed in each of the experimental examples and the comparative examples are shown.

[0109] According to the results shown in Table 1, when compared at the time point when 10 sheets were formed, in Experimental Examples 1 to 6, which are the embodiments of the present disclosure, powder jam did not occur in any of the experimental examples and all of the normal film formation was possible, in contrast to which, in Comparative Examples 1 to 3 of the related art, powder jam occurred in any of the comparative examples and a situation where normal film formation could not be performed occurred.

[0110] In this way, in the related art, if left in a stationary state, the aggregation progresses, the flowability of the powder 4 is reduced, and for example, for very small powder 4 having a particle diameter of several tens of μm to submicron, the effect of suppressing powder jam, which is necessary for achieving coating continuity in mass production, becomes insufficient.

[0111] On the other hand, in Experimental Examples 1 to 6 as Embodiments 1 to 6 of the present disclosure, the flowability of the powder 4 in a state where the powder 4 is supplied to the substrate 3 immediately before being leveled by the doctor blade 2 was grasped in order to form a powder layer with less film thickness deviation. In addition, in Experimental Examples 1 to 6, the setting conditions of the doctor blade 2 (the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4) were controlled based on the flowability of the powder 4, and the powder bulk height 20 was detected at the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative movement direction 7 of the substrate 3 using the powder bulk height detector 23, and the powder supply amount to the substrate 3 and the setting conditions of the doctor blade 2 (the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 that comes into contact with the powder 4) were controlled. Thus, even for very small powder 4, such as powder 4 with a particle diameter of several tens of μm to submicron, for which the progress of aggregation in a resting state promotes the flowability of the powder 4 to decrease, the effect of suppressing powder clogging necessary for achieving coating continuity in mass production can be sufficiently obtained.

[0112] In addition, according to the results shown in Table 1, even when comparing at the time point of film formation of 30 sheets, in Experimental Examples 1 to 6 as Embodiments 1 to 6 of the present disclosure, powder clogging did not occur in any of the Experimental Examples, and film formation was normally performed in all of them. Thus, it was found that in Experimental Examples 1 to 6 as Embodiments 1 to 6 of the present disclosure, even for very small powder 4, such as powder 4 with a particle diameter of several tens of μm to submicron, for which the progress of aggregation in a resting state promotes the flowability of the powder 4 to decrease, the effect of suppressing powder clogging necessary for achieving coating continuity in mass production can be sufficiently obtained.

[0113] Further, regarding the film thickness deviation of Experimental Examples 1 to 6 as the embodiments 1 to 6 of the present disclosure, it is known that if the time point of forming 10 sheets is compared with the time point of forming 30 sheets, Experimental Examples 3 and 4 can form a larger number of sheets while suppressing the film thickness deviation compared with Experimental Examples 1 and 2, and further, Experimental Examples 5 and 6 can form a larger number of sheets while suppressing the film thickness deviation compared with Experimental Examples 3 and 4. In Experimental Examples 1 and 2, the flowability of the powder 4 in the state of being supplied to the substrate 3 immediately before being leveled by the doctor blade 2 was grasped, and based on this, the setting condition of the doctor blade 2 (the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 which comes into contact with the powder 4) was controlled. Further, in Experimental Examples 3 and 4, compared with Experimental Examples 1 and 2, a function of detecting the powder storage height 20 at the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 which comes into contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative moving direction 7 of the substrate 3 by the powder storage height detector 23 and controlling the powder supply amount to the substrate 3 was added. Moreover, in Experimental Examples 5 and 6, compared with Experimental Examples 3 and 4, a function of detecting the powder storage height 20 at the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 which comes into contact with the powder 4 on the upstream side of the relative moving direction 7 of the substrate 3 by the powder storage height detector 23 and controlling the setting condition of the doctor blade 2 (the inclination angle 6 of the face 10 of the doctor blade 2 which comes into contact with the powder 4) was added. It is considered that the more the functions of grasping the flowability of the powder 4 and the state of the powder storage portion 24 and controlling the coating condition as in Experimental Examples 1 and 2, Experimental Examples 3 and 4, and Experimental Examples 5 and 6, the more the effect of increasing the responsiveness to the change in the flowability of the powder 4 and the state of the powder storage portion 24 in the process of continuing the coating is increased.

[0114] Here, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as an example of the powder 4, a particle group containing an active material is used, but the same effect can be obtained in a powder of another functional material, and the raw material, the composition, the particle shape, and the particle diameter are not particularly limited. Further, the powder 4 can contain only one kind of powder, or can contain two or more kinds of powders.

[0115] Further, the substrate 3 is a long thin plate and is wound from a wound state and wound after coating, but is not limited to this. The substrate 3 of a desired shape can be relatively moved with respect to the doctor blade 2 by a not-illustrated driving device, and after the coating of the powder 4 is finished, a new substrate 3 is relatively moved with respect to the doctor blade 2 by the not-illustrated driving device intermittently. Further, the substrate 3 can not be wound into a roll shape. The substrate 3 is not limited to a sheet shape, and is a shape in which the powder 4 can be coated using the powder coating device 1. Further, in the present embodiment, the substrate 3 is a current collector including a metal foil, but the material is not particularly limited, and a substrate in which the powder 4 can be coated using the powder coating device 1 can be used.

[0116] Note that, regarding the first control section 12, the second control section 13, and the third control section 14, in the present embodiment, the control contents are described for the purpose of disclosure, but regarding these control sections, even if they are integrated, there is no problem.

[0117] According to the present disclosure, a powder layer having a small film thickness deviation can be formed on the surface of a substrate.

[0118] Industrial applicability

[0119] The powder coating device of the present disclosure can produce a powder having a small film thickness deviation and uniformity without using a solvent, and thus can also be applied to a formation of a solvent layer for a high-quality energy device such as a full solid-state battery.

[0120] Explanation of reference numerals

[0121] 1 Powder coating device

[0122] 2 Scraper

[0123] 3 Substrate

[0124] 4 Powder

[0125] 5 Powder supply section

[0126] 6 Inclination angle of a surface of the scraper that is in contact with the powder

[0127] 7 Relative movement direction of the substrate with respect to the scraper

[0128] 8 Angle between a surface of a powder layer formed by the powder supplied from the powder supply section to the substrate and the substrate on the upstream side of the relative movement direction of the substrate with respect to the scraper

[0129] 9 Angle between a surface of a powder layer formed by the powder supplied from the powder supply section to the substrate and the substrate on the downstream side of the relative movement direction of the substrate with respect to the scraper

[0130] 10 Surface of the scraper that is in contact with the powder

[0131] 11 Powder inclination angle detector

[0132] 12 First control section

[0133] 13 Second control section

[0134] 14 Third control section

[0135] 20 Powder accumulation height

[0136] 21 Distance of a gap between the substrate and the scraper

[0137] 22 Powder supply position

[0138] 23 powder bulk storage height detector

[0139] 24 powder bulk storage portion

[0140] 25 positive electrode mixture layer

[0141] 100 blade-shaped squeegee in the prior art

[0142] 109 shortest distance of the squeegee from the substrate

[0143] 150 cylindrical squeegee in the prior art

Claims

1. A powder coating apparatus, wherein the powder coating apparatus comprises: a powder supply section that supplies a powder to a surface of a substrate; a doctor blade that is disposed so as to form a gap with the substrate, adjusts a thickness of a powder layer composed of the powder supplied to the surface of the substrate by the powder supply section, and scans in a state in which an inclination angle of a surface that comes into contact with the powder with respect to a normal direction of the surface of the substrate can be changed; a powder inclination angle detector that detects an angle between a surface of the powder layer and the substrate; and a first control section that adjusts the inclination angle of the surface of the doctor blade that comes into contact with the powder based on the inclination angle of the powder layer detected by the powder inclination angle detector.

2. The powder coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the powder inclination angle detector is disposed on at least one of an upstream side and a downstream side of a relative movement direction of the substrate with respect to the doctor blade with respect to a powder supply position at which the powder is supplied to the substrate, and detects the angle between the surface of the powder layer formed by the powder supplied to the substrate and the substrate.

3. The powder coating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the powder coating apparatus comprises a powder accumulation height detector that detects a height of the powder accumulated at the surface of the doctor blade that comes into contact with the powder on the upstream side of the relative movement direction of the substrate with respect to the doctor blade.

4. The powder coating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the powder coating apparatus comprises a second control section that adjusts a powder supply amount of the powder supplied to the substrate based on the powder accumulation height detected by the powder accumulation height detector.

5. The powder coating apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the powder coating apparatus comprises a third control section that adjusts the inclination angle of the surface of the doctor blade that comes into contact with the powder based on the powder accumulation height detected by the powder accumulation height detector.

6. The powder coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the angle between the surface of the powder layer and the substrate is equivalent to a rest angle of the powder in a state in which the powder is supplied to the substrate. ​

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