LDI automatic exposure system

Abstract

An LDI automatic exposure system comprises a clean room and a six-axis robot arranged in the clean room, precise movement of plates is achieved through six degrees of freedom, and the six-axis robot is responsible for feeding and discharging of the plates and transferring of the plates among stations; the feeding station and the discharging station are used for temporarily storing fed plates and discharged plates respectively; the lifting doors are arranged at the feeding station and the discharging station; an LDI exposure machine; the device is compact and reasonable in structure and convenient to operate, through combination of all devices and clean room cleaning measures, transferring and cleaning of invar steel plates which are small in thickness and large in area are effectively achieved, labor intensity is lowered, damage and deformation of the plates are avoided, meanwhile, cleanliness and stability of the exposure environment are guaranteed, and the working efficiency is improved. And the interference of external factors such as dust and impurities and the risk of cross contamination are prevented.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of LDI plate exposure, in particular to an automatic exposure system for LDI plates. Background Art

[0002] In modern industrial manufacturing, laser direct imaging (LDI) technology plays an important role in fields such as circuit board manufacturing and precision mold making due to its characteristics of high precision, high resolution, and high efficiency. However, when performing LDI exposure process on large-sized thin plates such as Invar, a series of technical problems need to be solved urgently.

[0003] Firstly, the traditional exposure link lacks effective cleaning measures. Exposure operations are carried out in an open environment, which is easily interfered by external factors such as dust and impurities, thus affecting the exposure effect and product quality. At the same time, pollutants may also be introduced during manual handling and turning, further reducing the cleanliness and qualification rate of the product.

[0004] Secondly, the traditional manual handling method has many drawbacks in the loading and unloading process of Invar thin plates. Due to the uncertainty and uneven force of manual operation, it is easy to cause problems such as stretching, wrinkling, folding damage, point damage, and scratching of the plate during handling, and even cause the separation of the dry film, seriously affecting the product quality. These problems not only increase the scrap rate but also reduce the production efficiency.

[0005] The open exposure platform design is particularly insufficient when dealing with large-sized Invar thin plates. Due to the large span of the platform and the lack of effective support in the central area during the manual handling of the plate, the thin plate is extremely prone to depression and bending during handling and exposure, further reducing the qualification rate of the product. This design not only fails to meet the requirements of high-precision exposure but also increases the risk of plate damage.

[0006] In summary, the existing exposure link for Invar thin plates has the following main technical problems: product pollution problems caused by open exposure platforms and quality problems caused by manual handling. These problems seriously restrict the improvement of production efficiency and the guarantee of product quality, and a new type of plate conveying system is urgently needed to solve these technical problems.

[0007] Therefore, we propose an LDI automatic exposure system. Content of the Utility Model

[0008] The applicant of the present utility model provides an LDI automatic exposure system to effectively solve the product pollution problem caused by the open exposure platform and the surface quality problem caused by manual handling in the above-mentioned existing production technology.

[0009] The technical solution adopted by the present utility model is as follows:

[0010] An LDI automated exposure system, comprising a clean room and the following components arranged in the clean room:

[0011] A six-axis robot, located at the middle position of the clean room, responsible for loading, unloading of the board and transfer between various workstations;

[0012] A loading station and an unloading station, which are used to temporarily store the incoming and outgoing boards respectively;

[0013] Lifting doors for controlling the entry and exit of the boards are respectively arranged on the side walls of the loading station and the unloading station;

[0014] An LDI exposure machine, which is close to the loading station and is used for performing high-precision exposure processing on the board.

[0015] Further, the six-axis robot includes a robot base and a robotic arm. The robotic arm is connected to a robot suction cup. A plurality of suction cups distributed in a matrix are arranged on the robot suction cup and are connected to a vacuum pump through a vacuum pipeline, for firmly adsorbing the board.

[0016] Further, the loading station and the unloading station are located on one side of the clean room and are separated from each other by a partition. The height of the partition is higher than the heights of the loading station and the unloading station.

[0017] Further, a movable isolation cover is also arranged in the clean room, horizontally moving above the loading station and the unloading station to ensure that the corresponding workstation is covered and sealed during feeding or discharging. The movable isolation board is higher than the partition.

[0018] Further, the movable isolation cover is slidably connected to a horizontal guide rail through a slider, and the movable isolation cover is connected to a linear module to achieve horizontal movement.

[0019] Further, a turnover machine is also arranged in the clean room. The turnover machine is arranged in the clean room and is close to the LDI exposure machine, for turning over the board to facilitate double-sided exposure.

[0020] Further, the turnover machine includes a turnover machine platform, a turnover bracket, a servo motor, a rotating shaft and a panel suction cup. The turnover machine platform is used to carry the board to be turned over. The turnover bracket is connected to the turnover machine platform through the rotating shaft and is driven to rotate by the servo motor. The panel suction cups are distributed in a matrix on the turnover bracket and perform multi-point connection on the board through vacuum adsorption.

[0021] Even further, a board positioning component is also included, which is arranged on the moving path of the LDI exposure machine and the six-axis robot, and realizes precise positioning of the board through shooting and image processing.

[0022] Further, an air shower is also provided in the clean room. The air shower is connected to a fan and is used to clean the personnel entering the clean room.

[0023] Further, it also includes an incoming material carrier and an outgoing material carrier for transporting plates. Both the incoming material carrier and the outgoing material carrier include stoppers and vehicle frames, and adjacent stacked plate members are separated from each other by plastic separator paper on the incoming material carrier.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the present utility model are as follows:

[0025] The structure of the present utility model is compact and reasonable, and it is convenient to operate. By integrating equipment such as a six-axis robot, lifting doors at the incoming material station and the outgoing material station, and an LDI exposure machine, it effectively improves the problems of transporting and cleaning thin and large-area Invar plates. The six-axis robot replaces the traditional manual handling method, realizes the precise movement and stable transportation of plate members, avoids the uncertainties and uneven forces caused by manual operation, significantly improves the product quality and reduces the rejection rate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the present utility model.

[0027] Figure 2 It is a schematic distribution structure diagram of the movable isolation cover, incoming material carrier, and outgoing material carrier in the present utility model.

[0028] Figure 3 It is a front view and side view structural diagram of the turning plate machine in the present utility model.

[0029] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of the six-axis robot in the present utility model.

[0030] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of the carrier in the present utility model.

[0031] Among them: 1. Robot suction cup; 2. Incoming material station; 3. Lifting door A; 4. Movable isolation cover; 5. Lifting door B; 6. Outgoing material station; 7. Six-axis robot; 8. Air shower; 9. Turning plate machine; 10. Plate member assembly; 11. LDI exposure machine;

[0032] 201. Plastic separator paper; 202. Plate member; 203. Stopper; 204. Vehicle frame;

[0033] 401. Linear module; 402. Slide block; 403. Guide rail;

[0034] 701. Robot base; 702. Robot arm;

[0035] 901. Turning plate machine platform; 902. Turning plate support; 903. Servo motor; 904. Rotating shaft; 905. Panel suction cup. Detailed implementation manners

[0036] The following combines with the attached drawings to illustrate the detailed implementation manners of the present utility model.

[0037] In this embodiment, as Figures 1 - 5 shown, in order to solve the problems in the background art, we propose an LDI automatic exposure system to complete a set of process flows for double-sided exposure of the plate 202, especially for the Invar plate with a relatively thin thickness and a large area. The plate automatic exposure system in this embodiment includes a six-axis robot 7, a turning machine 9, a plate positioning assembly 10, and an LDI exposure machine 11. It also includes a clean room covering all the above components to ensure internal cleanliness. There are lifting doors A3, lifting door B5, and a movable isolation cover 4 respectively controlling the entry and exit on the clean room. At the same time, it also includes a feeding carrier for circulating feeding through the lifting door A3, and a discharging carrier for circulating discharging through the lifting door B. At the same time, an air shower room 8 is reserved for personnel to enter for maintenance.

[0038] The plate 202 in this embodiment is described by taking the Invar plate as an example.

[0039] As Figure 1 shown, the six-axis robot 7 is located in the middle of the clean room, and realizes the precise movement of the plate through six degrees of freedom. At the same time, the rotation range of the six-axis robot 7 covers the areas in the processes of loading, flipping, positioning, exposure, and unloading. At the same time, the six-axis robot 7 can be responsible for the loading and unloading of the plate 202, as well as the transfer of the plate 202 between the turning machine 9, the plate positioning assembly 10, and the LDI exposure machine 11.

[0040] Specifically, as Figure 4 shown, the six-axis robot 7 in this embodiment consists of a robot base 701 and a robotic arm 702, and the robotic arm 702 is connected to the robot suction cup 1, responsible for the picking, placing, moving, and transferring of the Invar plate at each station. There are multiple suction cups arranged in a matrix on the robot suction cup 1, and they are connected to a vacuum pump through vacuum pipelines to ensure firm adsorption of the plate.

[0041] As Figure 1 、 2As shown in FIGS. 0 and 5, a clean room is provided with a feeding station 2 and a discharging station 6. The feeding station 2 and the discharging station 6 are located on the same side of the clean room and are separated by a partition to prevent cross-contamination caused by material change, especially the influence of the incoming Invar plate on the outgoing Invar plate. The height of the partition is higher than the heights of the feeding station and the discharging station. In this embodiment, the incoming carrier can be movably moved to the feeding station 2 to realize the incoming material transportation of the Invar plate. At the same time, the outgoing carrier can be movably moved to the discharging station 6 to realize the outgoing material transportation of the Invar plate. The structures of the incoming carrier and the outgoing carrier both include a stop block 203 and a vehicle frame 204. However, on the incoming carrier, two adjacent stacked plate members 202 are separated from each other by a plastic separator paper 201.

[0042] Lifting door A3 and lifting door B5. Lifting door A3 is located on the side wall of the feeding station 2, and lifting door B5 is located on the side wall of the discharging station 6. It is lifted by a motor drive to control the opening and closing of the material bin, facilitating the movement of the carrier and providing a closed environment at the same time.

[0043] This application implements effective cleaning measures to solve the problem of product contamination. The traditional open exposure machine lacks effective cleaning measures during the exposure process and is easily interfered by external factors such as dust and impurities. The clean room in this system covers all key components, ensuring the cleanliness of the internal environment. At the same time, the design of the movable isolation cover also effectively prevents cross-contamination caused by material change. In addition, the air shower room further cleans the personnel and plate members entering the clean room, reducing the risk of pollutants being brought in and improving the cleanliness and qualification rate of the product. These measures jointly ensure the stability of the exposure effect and product quality.

[0044] Moreover, this application solves the quality problems caused by manual handling. The traditional manual handling method is prone to problems such as stretching, wrinkling, and folding of the plate members during handling, seriously affecting the product quality. The six-axis robot in this system can smoothly and accurately complete the loading, unloading, and transfer of the plate members through precise control, avoiding the uncertainties brought by manual operation, significantly reducing the scrap rate, and improving the product quality. In addition, the multiple suction cups distributed in a matrix on the robot suction cup are connected to the vacuum pump through vacuum pipelines to ensure firm adsorption of the plate members, further ensuring the stability and safety of the plate members during handling.

[0045] Meanwhile, this application overcomes the problem of insufficient support caused by the open exposure platform. When processing large-sized invar thin plates on the open exposure platform, due to the large span of the platform and the lack of effective support in the central area, the plate is prone to depression and bending. In this system, the turning machine and the six-axis robot work together to stably support and precisely transfer the plate before and after exposure, avoiding the deformation of the plate during handling and exposure, and improving the product qualification rate. At the same time, the setting of the clean room also ensures the stability of the exposure environment and further improves the exposure effect.

[0046] As Figure 2 shown, in this embodiment, the movable isolation cover 4 is higher than the partition. It horizontally moves above the incoming material station 2 and the outgoing material station 6 to ensure that the station is covered and sealed when transferring the invar steel plate at a station. That is, when the invar steel plate is loaded, at this time, the movable isolation cover 4 covers above the incoming material station 2, thus ensuring the sealing of the incoming material station 2. And when the outgoing material carrier at the outgoing material station 6 is fully loaded, at this time, the movable isolation cover 4 covers above the outgoing material station 6, thus ensuring the sealing of the outgoing material station 6 and preventing cross-contamination with the outside during material change.

[0047] Specifically, as Figure 2 shown, horizontal guide rails 403 are connected above both the incoming material station 2 and the outgoing material station 6, and the guide rails 403 above the incoming material station 2 and the outgoing material station 6 are docked with each other. The movable isolation cover 4 is slidably connected to the guide rail 403 through a slider 402, and the movable isolation cover 4 is also connected to a linear module 401 and realizes horizontal movement through the linear module 401. The movable isolation cover 4 cooperates with the lifting door A3 and the lifting door B5 to ensure the isolation of the material bin during material change, ensure isolation and sealing with the outside during material change, and ensure the cleanliness of the bin chamber.

[0048] As Figure 1 shown, an air shower room 8 is also provided in the cleaning room in this embodiment. The air shower room 8 is connected to a fan to clean the personnel entering the material bin by means of air shower.

[0049] As Figure 1 shown, the LDI exposure machine 11 in this embodiment is close to the incoming material station 2, which is convenient for the invar steel plate to be exposed after feeding, and forms the required image or pattern through high-precision exposure processing.

[0050] Meanwhile, before the invar steel plate is exposed, it is necessary to position the invar steel plate. Therefore, a plate positioning component 10 is provided on the moving paths of the LDI exposure machine 11 and the six-axis robot 7. The plate positioning component 10 can be a CCD camera, which realizes the precise positioning of the plate through shooting and image processing.

[0051] Considering that the area distribution of the cleaning area indoors is minimized as much as possible to improve the cleaning effect, the turning machine 9 in this embodiment is used to realize the turning of the invar steel plate. Under the transfer action of the six-axis robot 7, after exposure on one side of the invar steel plate, the invar steel plate is turned over to realize the exposure of the other side of the invar steel plate. Therefore, the turning machine 9 is as close as possible to the LDI exposure machine 11 to shorten the moving path of the six-axis robot 7.

[0052] Specifically, as Figure 3 shown, the turning machine 9 in this embodiment includes components such as a turning machine platform 901, a turning bracket 902, a servo motor 903, a rotating shaft 904, and a panel suction cup 905 to realize the function of turning over the plate.

[0053] The turning machine platform 901 is used to carry the turned-over invar steel plate. One side of the turning machine platform 901 is connected to a turning bracket 902 through a rotating shaft 904. Compared with the traditional central-axis turning, it avoids the situation of excessive force in the middle and plate deformation during the turning process. And the turning machine bracket 902 can be controllably rotated by a servo motor 903. A plurality of panel suction cups 905 are connected to the turning bracket 902. The panel suction cups have a certain supporting property to prevent local deformation of the thin plate. And the plurality of panel suction cups 905 are matrix-distributed on the turning bracket 902 to perform multi-point connection on the plate 202 through vacuum adsorption, improving the connection effect on the plate 202. Through the cooperation of the turning machine and the robotic arm in this application, the problem of difficult turning of large-size plates is solved. In the double-sided exposure process, the turning process of large-size plates has always been a thorny problem. The turning machine in this system is driven by a servo motor and can easily realize the turning of the plate, not only reducing the labor intensity but also avoiding possible damage and deformation of the plate during manual turning. The panel suction cups on the turning machine perform multi-point connection on the plate through vacuum adsorption, improving the stability and accuracy during the turning process and further ensuring the product quality.

[0054] This system aims to achieve the efficient and precise transportation of invar thin plates in the LDI exposure process. Its operation logic and process are as follows.

[0055] First step, initial state. The system is in the standby state, all doors and covers are in the closed or initial position, and the six-axis robot 7 is in the standby position, waiting for task instructions.

[0056] Second step, loading process. The movable isolation cover 4 moves to the upper end of the incoming material station 2, and the lifting door A3 opens to allow the incoming material carrier to enter the incoming material station 2.

[0057] Third step, the lifting door A3 closes to ensure the sealing of the material bin, and the movable isolation cover 4 moves to the upper end of the discharge station 6.

[0058] In the fourth step, the six-axis robot 7 sucks up the Invar sheet from the incoming material carrier through the robot suction cup 1, and transports it to the exposure position of the LDI exposure machine 11 to wait.

[0059] Step 5: Preparation before exposure: before the Invar sheet reaches the exposure position, the CCD assembly 10 photographs and processes the image of the sheet to achieve precise positioning.

[0060] Step 6: According to the positioning result, the six-axis robot 7 adjusts the position of the panel and places the panel accurately on the exposure platform of the LDI exposure machine 11.

[0061] Step 7: Exposure process: the LDI exposure machine 11 performs high-precision exposure processing on the Invar thin plate to form a desired image or pattern.

[0062] Step 8. After the exposure is completed, the six-axis robot 7 transports the plate to the plate turning machine 9 (if turning over is required), and the plate turning machine 9 is driven by a servo motor to realize the turning operation of the plate.

[0063] Step 9. After the flipping is completed, the six-axis robot 7 transports the panel to the LDI exposure machine 11 again for exposure processing on the other side (repeat steps 5 to 8).

[0064] Step 10, unloading process, after the exposure process is completed, the six-axis robot 7 transports the Invar steel sheet to the unloading carrier, and the mobile isolation cover 4 moves to the upper end of the incoming station 2 in advance.

[0065] When the discharge carrier is fully loaded, the movable isolation cover 4 moves to the upper end of the discharge station 6, and the lifting door B5 opens to allow the discharge carrier to move out. The lifting door B5 closes, and the system returns to the initial state, waiting for the next task instruction.

[0066] In summary, an LDI delivery system in this embodiment has the following effects:

[0067] This embodiment sets up a clean room, and sets lifting doors for controlling the entry and exit of plates on the side walls of the incoming and outgoing material stations of the clean room, respectively, and cooperates with a six-axis manipulator and a plate flipping machine. Fully automated exposure and plate flipping after exposure are achieved, reducing the interaction between the clean room and the external environment, and ensuring the cleanliness of exposure. At the same time, through full automation, the LDI conveying system of this embodiment reduces manual intervention, avoids contamination brought into the clean room by manual intervention, and further ensures the cleanliness of exposure. In addition, the traditional manual handling method is replaced by a manipulator, which realizes the precise movement and stable transportation of plates, avoids the uncertainty and uneven force caused by manual operation, and significantly improves product quality and reduces scrap rate.

[0068] The above description is an explanation of the present utility model, not a limitation thereof. The scope defined by the present utility model is referred to the claims. Any form of modification may be made within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. An LDI automated exposure system, characterized in that, Including a clean room and the following components arranged in the clean room: A six-axis robot located at the middle position of the clean room, responsible for loading, unloading and transferring the panel between various workstations; A feeding workstation and a discharging workstation, which are used to temporarily store the incoming and outgoing plates respectively; And lifting doors for controlling the entry and exit of the plates are respectively arranged on the side walls of the feeding workstation and the discharging workstation; An LDI exposure machine, which is close to the feeding workstation and is used for performing high-precision exposure processing on the panel.

2. The LDI automated exposure system according to claim 1, wherein The six-axis robot includes a robot base and a robotic arm. The robotic arm is connected to a robot suction cup. A plurality of suction cups distributed in a matrix are arranged on the robot suction cup and are connected to a vacuum pump through a vacuum pipeline, for firmly adsorbing the panel.

3. The LDI automated exposure system according to claim 1, wherein The feeding workstation and the discharging workstation are located on one side of the clean room and are separated from each other by a partition. The height of the partition is higher than the heights of the feeding workstation and the discharging workstation.

4. An LDI automated exposure system according to claim 3, characterized in that, A movable isolation cover is also arranged in the clean room, horizontally moving above the feeding workstation and the discharging workstation to ensure that the corresponding workstation is covered and sealed during feeding or discharging. The movable isolation plate is higher than the partition.

5. An LDI automated exposure system according to claim 4, wherein The movable isolation cover is slidably connected to a horizontal guide rail through a slider, and the movable isolation cover is connected to a linear module to achieve horizontal movement.

6. An LDI automated exposure system according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that A turning machine is also arranged in the clean room. The turning machine is arranged in the clean room and close to the LDI exposure machine, for turning the panel to facilitate double-sided exposure.

7. An LDI automated exposure system according to claim 6, wherein The turning machine includes a turning machine platform, a turning support, a servo motor, a rotating shaft and a panel suction cup. The turning machine platform is used to carry the panel to be turned over. One end of the turning support is connected to the turning machine platform through the rotating shaft and is driven to rotate by the servo motor. The panel suction cups are distributed in a matrix on the turning support and perform multi-point connection on the panel through vacuum adsorption.

8. An LDI automated exposure system according to any one of claims 1-5 or 7, characterized in that, It also includes a panel positioning component, which is arranged on the moving path of the LDI exposure machine and the six-axis robot, and realizes precise positioning of the panel through shooting and image processing.

9. The LDI automated exposure system according to claim 8, wherein An air shower is also arranged in the clean room. The air shower is connected to a blower and is used for cleaning the personnel entering the clean room.

10. A LDI automated exposure system according to any one of claims 1-5, 7 or 9, characterized in that, It also includes a feeding carrier and a discharging carrier for transporting the plates. Both the feeding carrier and the discharging carrier include stoppers and vehicle frames, and adjacent stacked panels are separated from each other by a plastic separator paper on the feeding carrier.

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