Clamping mechanism, machining device and machining system

Abstract

This application relates to a clamping mechanism, processing device, and processing system. The clamping mechanism is used to clamp a vertically placed circuit board. The clamping mechanism includes: a sliding component slidably disposed along a first direction; a support component slidably connected to the sliding component along a second direction, wherein both the first and second directions are perpendicular to the thickness direction of the circuit board, and one of them is the direction of gravity; and a clamping component disposed on the support component, the clamping component being used to clamp the circuit board. This allows the circuit board to be placed vertically within the clamping mechanism. Therefore, when the circuit board is transferred from the preceding production line to the clamping mechanism, or from the clamping mechanism to the following production line, the circuit board can always maintain a vertically placed state, eliminating the need for multiple changes in the placement of the circuit board, thereby improving the efficiency of circuit board processing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of laser processing technology, and in particular to a clamping mechanism, processing device and processing system. Background Technology

[0002] The processing equipment uses a non-contact method to process circuit boards. During the process, the laser is focused and acts as a high-intensity heat source to heat the material of the circuit board, causing the material in the laser-affected area to melt or vaporize and then evaporate to form holes. However, in traditional processing equipment, circuit boards are usually placed horizontally on a support platform, which affects the efficiency of circuit board processing. Utility Model Content

[0003] One of the technical problems addressed by this application is how to improve the efficiency of circuit board manufacturing.

[0004] A clamping mechanism for clamping a vertically placed circuit board, the clamping mechanism comprising:

[0005] The sliding component is set to slide along the first direction;

[0006] A support component is slidably connected to the sliding component along a second direction, wherein both the first and second directions are perpendicular to the thickness direction of the circuit board, and one of them is the direction of gravity; and

[0007] A clamping assembly is disposed on the support assembly, the clamping assembly being used to clamp the circuit board.

[0008] In one embodiment, the clamping assembly includes clamping units for clamping opposite ends of the circuit board. The clamping unit includes a first clamping member and a second clamping member. The first clamping member is fixedly connected to the support assembly, and the second clamping member is slidably connected to the support assembly along the thickness direction of the circuit board.

[0009] In one embodiment, the first clamping member includes a first clamping plate, and the second clamping member includes a second clamping plate, the first clamping plate and the second clamping plate being used to clamp the circuit board.

[0010] In one embodiment, the first clamping member further includes a fixing rod and a first boss; the fixing rod is fixedly connected to the support assembly, the first boss protrudes from the fixing rod, and there are multiple fixing rods and first bosses that correspond one-to-one, and the first clamping plate is connected to all the first bosses.

[0011] In one embodiment, the second clamping member further includes a sliding rod and a second boss; the sliding rod is slidably connected to the support assembly, the second boss protrudes from the sliding rod, and there are multiple sliding rods and a one-to-one correspondence between the second boss and the second clamping plate.

[0012] In one embodiment, the clamping unit further includes a drive member and a connector, the connector being connected to two adjacent sliding rods, and the drive member being disposed on the support assembly and connected to the connector.

[0013] In one embodiment, the clamping mechanism further includes a roller, and the support assembly includes a first support portion and a second support portion spaced apart along the direction of gravity, the first support portion being located above the second support portion, the clamping assembly being disposed on the first support portion and the second support portion, and the roller rotating about an axis extending along the thickness direction of the circuit board and being rotatably connected to the second support portion.

[0014] In one embodiment, the sliding component includes a first sliding portion and a second sliding portion, the first sliding portion and the second sliding portion being spaced apart along the first direction.

[0015] In one embodiment, the second direction is the direction of gravity.

[0016] In one embodiment, the assembly further includes an abutting component comprising two abutting units located on opposite sides in the thickness direction of the circuit board. Each abutting unit includes a driver and an abutting member connected to each other. The driver is fixedly disposed and drives the abutting member to slide along the thickness direction of the circuit board. The two abutting members of the abutting component are used to abut against the circuit board.

[0017] In one embodiment, a guide rail is further included, which is fixedly disposed and extends along the first direction, and the sliding component is slidably connected to the guide rail.

[0018] A processing apparatus includes a base, a processing mechanism, and a clamping mechanism as described above. The sliding component slides relative to the base along a first direction. The processing mechanism includes a processing component disposed on the base, the processing component being used to process a circuit board.

[0019] In one embodiment, the number of processing components is greater than or equal to two, and the two processing components are located on opposite sides in the thickness direction of the circuit board to process two surfaces in the thickness direction of the circuit board.

[0020] In one embodiment, a suction mechanism is further included, the suction mechanism including a suction port and a suction tube, the suction port being located between the processing component and the circuit board along the thickness direction of the circuit board, and the lumen of the suction tube extending along the direction of gravity and communicating with the suction port.

[0021] In one embodiment, the processing component is slidably connected to the base along the thickness direction of the circuit board.

[0022] In one embodiment, the processing mechanism is a laser processing mechanism or a mechanical processing mechanism.

[0023] In one embodiment, when the processing mechanism is a laser processing mechanism, the processing component includes a deflector and a focusing component. The deflector is used to control the deflection direction of the laser beam, and the focusing component is used to focus the laser beam.

[0024] In one embodiment, the processing mechanism further includes a laser and a beam splitter disposed on the base. There are multiple processing components, which are spaced apart on a plane parallel to the vertically placed circuit board. The laser beam emitted by the laser is split into multiple branch lasers by the beam splitter, and different branch lasers enter different processing components.

[0025] A processing system includes a front-end production line, a back-end production line, and a processing device as described in any one of the above, wherein the processing device is located between the front-end production line and the back-end production line, and both the front-end production line and the back-end production line are used to process vertically placed circuit boards.

[0026] In one embodiment, the upstream production line includes a blackening or browning production line; and / or, the downstream production line includes a cleaning production line.

[0027] One technical advantage of one embodiment of this application is that, since the thickness direction of the circuit board is perpendicular to the direction of gravity, it is placed vertically in the clamping mechanism. Therefore, when the circuit board is transferred from the front production line to the clamping mechanism, or when the circuit board is transferred from the clamping mechanism to the back production line, the circuit board can always be kept in a vertical position without having to change the placement method of the circuit board multiple times, thereby improving the work efficiency of circuit board processing. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of a processing apparatus provided in one embodiment.

[0029] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A partial three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the processing device shown.

[0030] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A side view structural diagram.

[0031] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Enlarged structural diagram at point A in the middle.

[0032] Figure 5 for Figure 3 Enlarged structural diagram at point B.

[0033] Figure 6 for Figure 1 Another partial three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the processing device shown.

[0034] Figure 7 for Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the clamping unit in the processing device shown.

[0035] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating the processing method provided in one embodiment.

[0036] Figure 9 A process flow diagram of a processing method provided in another embodiment.

[0037] Reference numerals: processing device 10, circuit board 20, base 100, accommodating space 110, opening 111, clamping mechanism 200, sliding assembly 210, first sliding part 211, second sliding part 212, support assembly 220, first support part 221, second support part 222, adjusting hole 223, clamping assembly 230, clamping unit 231, first clamping member 2311, fixing rod 2311a, first boss 2311b, first clamping plate 23 11c, second clamping member 2312, sliding rod 2312a, second boss 2312b, second clamping plate 2312c, driving member 2313, connecting member 2314, roller 240, processing mechanism 300, processing component 310, laser 320, branch laser 321, beam splitter 330, suction mechanism 400, suction port 410, suction tube 420, abutting component 260, abutting unit 261, driver 261a, abutting member 261b. Detailed Implementation

[0038] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0039] In the description of this application, it should be understood that if terms such as "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" appear, these terms indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0040] Furthermore, where the terms "first" and "second" appear, these terms are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, where the term "multiple" appears, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0041] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0042] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the use of descriptions such as "above" or "below" the second feature indicates that the first and second features are in direct contact or indirect contact via an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. Similarly, "below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0043] It should be noted that if an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. If an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. If so, the terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0044] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 This application provides a processing apparatus 10 for processing a board-shaped circuit board 20. The circuit board 20 can be any type of PCB, including common multilayer boards, high-multilayer boards, HDI, FPC, rigid-flex boards, and IC packaging substrates. The processing apparatus 10 can perform various processing operations on the circuit board 20, including drilling and slotting. When processing the circuit board 20, the thickness direction of the circuit board 20 is perpendicular to the direction of gravity, thus placing the circuit board 20 vertically rather than horizontally.

[0045] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The processing device 10 includes a base 100, a clamping mechanism 200, and a processing mechanism 300. The clamping mechanism 200 includes a sliding component 210, a supporting component 220, and a clamping component 230. The sliding component 210 is slidably connected to the base 100 along a first direction, allowing the sliding component 210 to slide relative to the base 100 along the first direction. For example, the clamping mechanism 200 may also include a guide rail 250, which is fixedly connected to the base 100 and extends along the first direction. The sliding component 210 is slidably connected to the guide rail 250, thus achieving a slidable connection between the sliding component 210 and the base 100 along the first direction.

[0046] The support component 220 is slidably connected to the sliding component 210 along the second direction, allowing the support component 220 to slide relative to the sliding component 210 along the second direction. Both the first and second directions are perpendicular to the thickness direction of the circuit board 20, and one of the first and second directions is the direction of gravity. The clamping component 230 is disposed on the support component 220 and is used to apply force along the thickness direction of the circuit board 20 to clamp it. The clamping component 230 and the circuit board 20 move synchronously but cannot move relative to each other; that is, the clamping component 230 is only used to clamp the circuit board 20 and cannot drive the circuit board 20 to move relative to the clamping component 230. When the sliding component 210 and the support component 220 slide, the clamping component 230 can slide relative to the base 100 in the first and second directions. That is, the circuit board 20 slides relative to the base 100 in the first and second directions along with the clamping component 230, so that the processing mechanism 300 can process each processing area of ​​the circuit board 20.

[0047] The thickness direction of circuit board 20 can be understood as a third direction. The first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are extensions of the three coordinate axes in a spatial rectangular coordinate system. For example, the first direction can be the X-axis direction, the second direction can be the Z-axis direction, and the third direction can be the Y-axis direction.

[0048] During the processing of the circuit board 20, the sliding component 210 can slide relative to the base 100 along the first direction, the support component 220 can slide relative to the sliding component 210 along the second direction, and the clamping component 230 used to clamp the circuit board 20 can move synchronously with the support component 220. Therefore, the clamping component 230 and the circuit board 20 can slide relative to the base 100 along the first and second directions with two degrees of freedom, which facilitates the processing of each processing area of ​​the circuit board 20.

[0049] In existing technologies, circuit boards are typically processed by placing them horizontally, with the thickness direction of the circuit board parallel to its direction of gravity. However, in some circuit board manufacturing processes, before further processing, the circuit board is placed vertically in a pre-processing line, where its thickness direction is perpendicular to its direction of gravity. This pre-processing line includes blackening or browning processes. After processing, the circuit board needs to undergo post-processing in a vertically placed position in a downstream production line. Therefore, when the circuit board is transferred from the pre-processing line to the processing unit, it needs to be changed from vertical to horizontal; conversely, when it is transferred from the processing unit to the downstream production line, it needs to be changed back to vertical. This requires multiple changes in the placement of the circuit board, reducing processing efficiency and hindering the simplification and integration of production lines for different processing steps.

[0050] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the embodiments of this disclosure, since the circuit board 20 is placed vertically in the processing device 10, when the circuit board 20 is transferred from the front production line to the processing device 10, or when the circuit board 20 is transferred from the processing device 10 to the back production line, the circuit board 20 is always placed vertically. There is no need to change the placement of the circuit board 20 multiple times, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the circuit board 20. It is also beneficial to simplify and integrate the processing device 10 with the front production line before processing and the back production line after processing as needed, reduce the space occupied by the production line, and facilitate the automated design and control of the production line.

[0051] See Figure 1 In some embodiments, the base 100 is provided with a receiving space 110, within which the clamping mechanism 200 and the circuit board 20 can be accommodated. Both ends of the receiving space 110 have openings 111 perpendicular to both the third direction and the direction of gravity, providing a transfer channel for the circuit board 20, thus facilitating its movement into or out of the base 100 and the entire processing device 10. For example, the circuit board 20 can be transferred between the upstream production line and the processing device 10 through the opening 111, and it can also be transferred between the downstream production line and the processing device 10 through the opening 111. It is understood that in actual operation, the receiving space 110 is in a closed state, meaning the openings 111 are closed.

[0052] See Figure 2 and Figure 6In some embodiments, the first direction can be horizontal, and the second direction can be the direction of gravity. In other embodiments, the first direction can be the direction of gravity, and the second direction can also be horizontal. The support assembly 220 includes a first support portion 221 and a second support portion 222, which are spaced apart along the direction of gravity, with the first support portion 221 located above the second support portion 222. The clamping assembly 230 is disposed on the first support portion 221 and the second support portion 222, such that the clamping assembly 230 clamps both ends of the circuit board 20 in the direction of gravity.

[0053] See Figure 2 and Figure 6 In some embodiments, the sliding component 210 includes a first sliding portion 211 and a second sliding portion 212, which are spaced apart from each other and are arranged at a distance along a first direction. This creates a gap between the first sliding portion 211 and the second sliding portion 212, preventing them from blocking the laser and ensuring that the laser from the processing component 310 can smoothly reach the circuit board 20 through the gap.

[0054] See Figure 2 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 In some embodiments, the clamping assembly 230 includes clamping units 231, and there can be two clamping units 231. The two clamping units 231 can be respectively disposed on the first support portion 221 and the second support portion 222, so that the two clamping units 231 clamp the two ends of the circuit board 20 in the direction of gravity, thereby realizing the clamping of the circuit board 20 by the clamping assembly 230. The clamping unit 231 includes a first clamping member 2311 and a second clamping member 2312. The first clamping member 2311 is fixedly connected to the support assembly 220, and the second clamping member 2312 is slidably connected to the support assembly 220 in a third direction. This allows the spacing between the first clamping member 2311 and the second clamping member 2312 in a third direction to be changed, which facilitates the clamping of circuit boards 20 of different thicknesses by the first clamping member 2311 and the second clamping member 2312, thereby improving the applicability of the processing device 10 to the processing of different circuit boards 20.

[0055] See Figure 2 , Figure 6 and Figure 7For example, the support component 220 may have an adjustment hole 223 extending a predetermined length in a third direction. The second clamping member 2312 slides into the adjustment hole 223, thus achieving a sliding connection between the second clamping member 2312 and the support component 220. Alternatively, the groove on the second clamping member 2312 may slide into the slide rail on the support component 220, thereby also achieving a sliding connection between the second clamping member 2312 and the support component 220.

[0056] See Figure 2 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 In some embodiments, the first clamping member 2311 includes a first clamping plate 2311c, and the second clamping member 2312 includes a second clamping plate 2312c. Both the first clamping plate 2311c and the second clamping plate 2312c are used to clamp the circuit board 20. Since both the first clamping plate 2311c and the second clamping plate 2312c are plate-shaped structures, when the first clamping plate 2311c and the second clamping plate 2312c are used to clamp the circuit board 20, the clamping area between the first clamping plate 2311c and the second clamping plate 2312c and the circuit board 20 can be reasonably increased, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the clamping unit 231 in clamping the circuit board 20.

[0057] The first clamping member 2311 also includes a fixing rod 2311a and a first boss 2311b. The fixing rod 2311a is fixedly connected to the support assembly 220. The number of fixing rods 2311a and the number of first bosses 2311b are multiple and equal, so that the fixing rods 2311a and the first bosses 2311b correspond one-to-one. The first bosses 2311b protrude from the fixing rods 2311a, that is, each fixing rod 2311a can have one first boss 2311b protruding from it. The first clamping plate 2311c is connected to all the first bosses 2311b. The second clamping member 2312 also includes a sliding rod 2312a and a second boss 2312b. The sliding rod 2312a is slidably connected to the support assembly 220. The number of sliding rods 2312a and the number of second bosses 2312b are multiple and equal, so that the sliding rods 2312a and the second bosses 2312b correspond one-to-one. The second bosses 2312b protrude from the sliding rods 2312a, that is, each sliding rod 2312a can have one second boss 2312b protruding from it. The second clamping plate 2312c is connected to all the second bosses 2312b.

[0058] In other embodiments, the number of the first clamping member 2311 and the second clamping member 2312 can be adjusted according to the length of the first clamping plate 2311c and the second clamping plate 2312c. For example, when the number of the first clamping plate 2311c and the second clamping plate 2312c is short, there can be multiple first clamping members 2311 and second clamping members 2312.

[0059] See Figure 2 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 In some embodiments, the clamping unit 231 further includes a driving member 2313 and a connecting member 2314. The driving member 2313 can be a cylinder or the like. The connecting member 2314 is connected to two adjacent sliding rods 2312a, and the driving member 2313 is disposed on the support assembly 220 and connected to the connecting member 2314. This allows the driving member 2313 to drive the sliding rods 2312a to slide through the connecting member 2314, meaning the connecting member 2314 can simultaneously drive two sliding rods 2312a to slide, thus reasonably reducing the number of driving members 2313.

[0060] In some embodiments, the clamping unit 231 further includes an elastic element connected between the fixed rod 2311a and the sliding rod 2312a. The elastic element provides a buffering effect during the contact between the first clamping plate 2311c and the second clamping plate 2312c and the circuit board 20, preventing hard collisions between the first clamping plate 2311c and the second clamping plate 2312c and the circuit board 20, thereby preventing damage to the circuit board 20.

[0061] See Figure 2 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 In some embodiments, the clamping mechanism 200 further includes a roller 240, which rotates about an axis extending in a third direction. The roller 240 can be rotatably connected to the second support 222. The roller 240 is used to carry the circuit board 20 and guide the circuit board 20 to move in the first direction, thereby fixing it on the clamping mechanism 200. For example, the roller 240 is directly rotatably connected to the mounting base, so that the roller 240 rotates relative to the mounting base about an axis extending in a third direction. The mounting base is directly fixed to the second support 222 by a detachable connection. Therefore, when the roller 240 rotates relative to the mounting base, the roller 240 will also rotate relative to the second support 222, thus realizing the rotational connection between the roller 240 and the second support 222. Through the rotation of the roller 240, the circuit board 20 can be smoothly moved into or out of the processing device 10 through the opening 111 of the accommodating space 110, thereby reducing the movement resistance of the circuit board 20 during the moving in or out process, thus improving the working efficiency of the circuit board 20 processing. For example, the roller 240 can be actively rotated by a power source, causing the roller 240 to drive the circuit board 20 to move. Alternatively, the roller 240 may not be driven by a power source, but during the movement of the circuit board 20, the circuit board 20 will passively drive the roller 240 to rotate.

[0062] In some embodiments, the number of rollers 240 is multiple, and the multiple rollers 240 are spaced apart along a first direction. By providing multiple rollers 240, the resistance to the movement of the circuit board 20 along the first direction can be further reduced, and the balance and stability of the circuit board 20 during processing can be improved, avoiding or reducing vibration problems of the circuit board 20 during processing. When the rollers 240 actively rotate, the multiple rollers 240 can be driven by chains, belts, or gears, so that the multiple rollers 240 are driven by the same power source to rotate synchronously.

[0063] See Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 In some embodiments, the clamping mechanism 200 further includes abutment components 260. The number of abutment components 260 can be multiple, and these multiple abutment components 260 can be spaced apart in the horizontal direction. Each abutment component 260 includes two abutment units 261, located on opposite sides of the circuit board 20 in the thickness direction, i.e., the two abutment units 261 are spaced apart along the thickness direction of the circuit board 20. Each abutment unit 261 includes a driver 261a and an abutment member 261b. The driver 261a is connected to the base 100, and the abutment member 261b is connected to the driver 261a. The driver 261a drives the abutment member 261b to slide along the thickness direction of the circuit board 20. The two abutment members 261b of the same abutment component 260 respectively abut against two surfaces in the thickness direction of the circuit board 20, thus enabling the two abutment members 261b to clamp the circuit board 20. The abutment component 260 can be positioned between the two clamping units 231 along the direction of gravity. This allows the two clamping units 231 to clamp the two ends of the circuit board 20 along the thickness direction, while the abutment component 260 can clamp the middle of the circuit board 20 along the thickness direction. Therefore, the abutment component 260 can further improve the stability and reliability of the circuit board 20 clamping. Especially for circuit boards 20 with smaller thicknesses, the abutment component 260 can effectively prevent vibration of the circuit board 20 during processing, thereby improving the processing efficiency and accuracy of the circuit board 20.

[0064] For example, the actuator 261a can be a cylinder, and the cylinder barrel of the actuator 261a can be directly fixedly mounted on the suction mechanism 400 (to be mentioned later). The piston rod of the actuator 261a extends along the thickness direction of the circuit board 20, and the abutment member 261b is fixedly connected to the piston rod of the actuator 261a. This allows the actuator 261a to drive the abutment member 261b to move closer to or away from the circuit board 20 along the thickness direction of the circuit board 20, enabling the abutment assembly 260 to clamp circuit boards 20 of different thicknesses. It can be understood that when the circuit board 20 needs to move to process the next processing area, the abutment member 261b can move away from the circuit board 20 to stop abutting the circuit board 20. At this time, the circuit board 20 can eliminate friction and interference with the abutment member 261b and move smoothly. After the circuit board 20 moves to the designated position, the abutment member 261b moves closer to the circuit board 20 to re-abut the circuit board 20, preventing the circuit board 20 from vibrating during processing of the processing area. It is understood that the contact part 261b of the contact component 260 and the circuit board 20 make the part of the circuit board 20 in contact with the contact part 261b impossible to process. Therefore, the processing area is located between two adjacent contact parts 261b, so that the two adjacent contact parts 261b define part of the edge of the processing area.

[0065] In some embodiments, the processing mechanism 300 includes a processing component 310, which is disposed on the base 100 and used to process the circuit board 20. The processing component 310 is located on the third-direction upward side of the circuit board 20. There are two processing mechanisms 300, with their processing components 310 located on opposite sides of the third-direction upward side. This allows the processing components 310 of the two processing mechanisms 300 to simultaneously process the two third-direction upward surfaces of the circuit board 20, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the circuit board 20. In other embodiments, after one processing component 310 has finished processing one surface of the circuit board 20 along its thickness direction, the other processing component 310 can process the other surface of the circuit board 20 along its thickness direction. That is, although the two surfaces of the circuit board 20 along its thickness direction are not processed simultaneously, it is not necessary for the clamping mechanism 200 to flip or re-clamp the circuit board 20 so that the unprocessed surface of the circuit board 20 faces the processing component 310, which also improves processing efficiency. It is understandable that the structures to be processed on the two surfaces of the circuit board 20 can be different, so that the two processing components 310 can process the two surfaces of the circuit board 20 with different processing parameters such as processing speed, processing power and processing path.

[0066] In some embodiments, the processing mechanism 300 can be a laser processing mechanism or a mechanical processing mechanism. Obviously, the laser processing mechanism processes the circuit board 20 using a laser beam, while the mechanical processing mechanism processes the circuit board 20 using a cutting tool. Therefore, depending on the actual needs, the processing mechanism 300 can be a laser processing mechanism or a mechanical processing mechanism, or other processing methods can be used to process the circuit board 20.

[0067] See Figure 1 In some embodiments, the processing component 310 is slidably connected to the base 100 along a third direction. For example, the processing component 310 can be fixed on a sliding plate, which is slidably connected to the base 100 along a third direction. The sliding plate can be driven by a power source such as a linear motor or a lead screw, so that the processing component 310 slides relative to the base 100 in the third direction to move closer to or away from the circuit board 20. When the processing mechanism 300 is a laser processing mechanism, the focal length of the laser beam of the processing component 310 can be adjusted so that the laser beam can process the circuit board 20 through different methods such as focused processing or defocused processing. It can be understood that when focused processing is used, the focal point is placed at the processing position of the circuit board 20, thereby increasing the energy of the laser beam at the processing position to improve processing efficiency and processing accuracy. For example, a focused processing method can be used to process high-precision micro blind hole structures on the circuit board 20. When defocusing is used, the focal point falls outside the processing position of the circuit board 20. This avoids damage or deformation of the circuit board 20 due to localized overheating at the processing position. It also allows for a suitable increase in the size of the processing spot. For example, defocusing can be used to process large structures on the circuit board 20. When the processing mechanism 300 is a mechanical processing mechanism, the relative displacement speed and resistance between the tool and the circuit board 20 can be reasonably adjusted to ensure that the tool processes the circuit board 20 at a reasonable processing speed and feed pressure, thereby improving processing efficiency while ensuring processing accuracy.

[0068] In some embodiments, when the processing mechanism 300 is a laser processing mechanism, the processing component 310 includes a deflector and a focusing component. The deflector is used to control the deflection direction of the laser beam, and the focusing component is used to focus the laser beam, adjusting the size and focal length of the focused spot of the laser beam acting on the circuit board 20. By setting the deflector, the laser beam emitted by the processing component 310 can scan the processing area of ​​the circuit board 20 within the deflection range to achieve processing. The deflector may include mechanically controlled galvanometers or rotating mirrors, or electrically controlled acousto-optic deflectors (AOD) or acousto-optic modulators (AOM).

[0069] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments, the processing mechanism 300 further includes a laser 320 and a beam splitter 330. The laser 320 and beam splitter 330 can be fixedly mounted on the base 100. The number of lasers 320 is greater than or equal to one, and the number of beam splitters 330 is greater than or equal to the number of lasers 320. The same laser 320 can correspond to multiple processing components 310, which are spaced apart on a plane parallel to the vertically placed circuit board 20. This allows multiple processing components 310 to simultaneously process different processing areas of at least one surface of the circuit board 20, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the circuit board 20. The laser beam emitted by the laser 320 is split into multiple branch lasers 321 by the beam splitter 330. The number of branch lasers 321 is equal to the number of processing components 310, forming a one-to-one correspondence, so that different branch lasers 321 enter different processing components 310. This allows at least one surface of the circuit board 20 to be processed simultaneously by multiple processing components 310, which also improves the processing efficiency of the circuit board 20. Of course, the same laser 320 can also correspond to multiple beam splitting components 330. Multiple beam splitting components 330 can divide the laser beam generated by the same laser 320 into multiple branch lasers 321, so that different branch lasers 321 enter different processing components 310.

[0070] See Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 In some embodiments, the processing apparatus 10 further includes a suction mechanism 400. Along the thickness direction of the circuit board 20, the suction port 410 of the suction mechanism 400 is located between the processing component 410 and the circuit board 20. The suction mechanism 400 can be fixedly connected to the base 100. By providing the suction mechanism 400, dust and other impurities generated during laser processing of the circuit board 20 can be promptly removed by negative pressure, preventing dust from adhering to optical components such as the focusing component and affecting processing, thereby improving the processing efficiency and accuracy of the circuit board 20. The suction mechanism 400 includes a suction tube 420, the lumen of which extends along gravity and communicates with the suction port 410. During operation, the suction mechanism 400 provides a downward suction force along the suction tube 420 to the suction port 410. Figure 3 The direction indicated by the dashed arrow is the direction of the adsorption force. Dust and other impurities in the suction port 410 are discharged through the cavity of the suction pipe 420. Since the cavity of the suction pipe 420 extends along the direction of gravity, dust and other impurities in the cavity can be rapidly discharged from the cavity under the action of gravity, thereby improving the working efficiency of the suction mechanism 400. It can be understood that, given that the circuit board 20 is placed vertically during processing, under the combined action of gravity and the adsorption force generated by the suction mechanism 400, dust can be quickly detached from the circuit board 20, thereby improving the dust suction effect of the suction mechanism 400.

[0071] This application also provides a processing system, which includes a front-end production line, a back-end production line, and the aforementioned processing device 10. The processing device 10 is located between the front-end and back-end production lines, and both the front-end and back-end production lines are used to process vertically placed circuit boards 20. Therefore, when the circuit board 20 is transferred from the front-end production line to the processing device 10, or from the processing device 10 to the back-end production line, the circuit board 20 is always vertically placed, eliminating the need for multiple changes in the placement of the circuit board 20. This improves the processing efficiency of the circuit board 20 and facilitates the simplification and integration of the processing device 10 with the front-end and back-end production lines as needed, reducing the space occupied by the entire processing system and facilitating the automated design and control of the processing system. The front-end production line may include a circuit board blackening or browning production line, and the back-end production line may include a circuit board cleaning production line.

[0072] See Figure 8 This application also provides a processing method, which can be performed using the aforementioned processing apparatus 10, enabling the processing of the aforementioned circuit board 20. The processing method mainly includes the following steps:

[0073] S610, the circuit board 20 is fixed to the clamping assembly 220 in a vertical position.

[0074] S620, the control clamping assembly 220 drives the circuit board 20 to move so that any of its processing areas are aligned with the processing range of the processing assembly 410, and the abutment assembly 260 abuts against the circuit board 20 along the thickness direction of the circuit board 20 to define a portion of the edge of the processing area.

[0075] S630, the control processing component 410 processes the processing area of ​​the circuit board 20.

[0076] S640, after the processing component 410 has finished processing the prior processing area of ​​the circuit board 20, the clamping component 220 is slid along the first direction and / or the second direction so that the processing component 410 processes the subsequent processing area of ​​the circuit board 20.

[0077] Since the circuit board 20 is placed vertically during processing, it can maintain its vertical position when transferred from the upstream production line to the processing device 10 for processing, or when transferred from the processing device 10 to the downstream production line. This eliminates the need for multiple changes to the placement of the circuit board 20, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the circuit board 20. Furthermore, the clamping assembly 220 allows the circuit board 20 to move along the first and second directions; while the processing assembly 310 is relatively fixed along the first and second directions. Therefore, the circuit board 20 can move in the first and second directions while the processing assembly 310 cannot. This movement of the circuit board 20 aligns each processing area of ​​the circuit board 20 with the processing assembly 310 in the third direction, enabling the processing assembly 310 to accurately process each processing area. It also effectively prevents the movement of the processing assembly 310 in the first and second directions from affecting its positional accuracy, thus improving the processing accuracy of the circuit board 20.

[0078] In some embodiments, during the processing of the processing area of ​​the circuit board 20 by the processing component 310, processing components 310 are present on both sides of the circuit board 20 in the thickness direction. Therefore, the processing components 310 on both sides of the circuit board 20 can process both surfaces in the thickness direction of the circuit board 20. For example, the processing component 310 can process both surfaces in the thickness direction of the circuit board 20 simultaneously, thus eliminating intermediate waiting time and improving processing efficiency. Alternatively, the processing component 310 can process the two surfaces in the thickness direction of the circuit board 20 sequentially. Therefore, by adopting a sequential processing mode according to the actual processing requirements of the two surfaces, the processing accuracy of the circuit board 20 can be improved.

[0079] In some embodiments, during the processing of the two surfaces of the circuit board 20 in the thickness direction by the processing component 310, the processing component 310 can process the two surfaces respectively using different processing parameters. This can meet the different processing requirements of the two surfaces in terms of shape and size, thereby ensuring the processing accuracy of the circuit board 20. For example, the processing parameters may include processing speed, processing power, or processing path, that is, according to actual needs, the processing components 310 located on both sides of the circuit board 20 can process the two surfaces respectively using different processing speeds, processing powers, or processing paths.

[0080] In some embodiments, the abutment member 261b of the abutment assembly 260 contacts the circuit board 20 such that the portion of the circuit board 20 in contact with the abutment member 261b cannot be processed. Therefore, the processing area is located between two adjacent abutment members 261b, thus defining a portion of the edge of the processing area by the two adjacent abutment members 261b. During the processing of the processing area of ​​the circuit board 20 by the processing assembly 310, the processing assembly 310 can process the circuit board 20 using laser processing, i.e., processing the circuit board 20 using a laser beam emitted by the processing assembly 310. In this case, the processing assembly 310 is a laser processing assembly. Alternatively, the processing assembly 310 can process the circuit board 20 using mechanical processing, i.e., processing the circuit board 20 by direct contact of the cutting tool of the processing assembly 310. In this case, the processing assembly 310 is a mechanical processing assembly. This increases the diversity of processing methods used for processing the circuit board 20.

[0081] In some embodiments, during the laser processing of the circuit board 20 by the processing component 310, the laser beam generated by the processing component 310 can be deflected to cover the processing area of ​​the circuit board 20. Specifically, by moving the circuit board 20 in the first and second directions, the processing area of ​​the circuit board 20 can be aligned with the processing component 310 in the third direction. At this time, since the processing component 310 remains stationary in both the first and second directions, the laser beam emitted by the processing component 310 can be deflected by the deflecting element provided inside the processing component 310 to cover the entire processing area of ​​the circuit board 20, that is, the laser beam is deflected to scan the processing area to achieve the processing of the circuit board 20.

[0082] In some embodiments, during the laser processing of the circuit board 20 by the processing component 310, the processing component 310 can slide along the thickness direction of the circuit board 20, thereby increasing the focal length of the laser beam. That is, the focal position of the laser beam can be adjusted according to processing needs, so that the laser beam can process the circuit board 20 through focused processing or defocused processing. It is understood that when using focused processing, the focal point is placed at the processing location of the circuit board 20, thereby improving the energy utilization rate of the laser beam at the processing location and increasing processing efficiency. For example, a thicker circuit board 20 can be processed using focused processing. When using defocused processing, the focal point is placed outside the processing location of the circuit board 20, which can prevent damage or deformation of the circuit board 20 due to localized overheating at the processing location. For example, a thinner circuit board 20 can be processed using focused processing. During the machining process of the circuit board 20 by the machining component 310, the machining component 310 can slide along the thickness direction of the circuit board 20, thereby adjusting the low pressure between the tool and the circuit board 20, ensuring that the tool processes the circuit board 20 with a reasonable feed pressure, and improving the machining efficiency while ensuring machining accuracy.

[0083] In some embodiments, during the processing of the circuit board 20 by the processing component 310, the dust in the processing area is removed by the negative pressure generated by the suction mechanism 400. This prevents dust from entering the external environment and affecting the processing environment, and also prevents dust from adhering to the optical elements of the laser processing component 310, thus avoiding affecting the transmission efficiency and accuracy of the laser beam. It also prevents dust from adhering to the core mechanical components of the machining component 310, which could lead to performance degradation or even malfunction. This improves the processing efficiency and accuracy of the circuit board 20. Since the circuit board 20 is placed vertically during processing, the gravity of the dust also plays a significant role under the negative pressure, allowing the dust to be quickly removed from the circuit board 20 under the combined action of negative pressure and gravity, thereby improving the dust removal effect.

[0084] In some embodiments, after the circuit board 20 is processed, the clamping assembly 220 can be moved along the direction of gravity to a suitable unloading position. In other words, the clamping assembly 220 and the circuit board 20 are at a reasonable height. Then, the clamping assembly 220 drives the circuit board 20 to move, thereby causing the circuit board 20 to detach from the clamping assembly 220 and the entire processing device 10, so that the circuit board 20 can be transferred to the subsequent production line for processing.

[0085] In some embodiments, before the processing component 310 processes the processing area of ​​the circuit board 20, that is, before the circuit board 20 is processed, the circuit board 20 needs to be transferred from the previous production line to the processing device 10 for processing. At this time, the clamping component 220 can be moved to the loading position along the direction of gravity first. In other words, the clamping component 220 and the circuit board 20 are at a reasonable height. Then the clamping component 220 drives the circuit board 20 to move, so that the circuit board 20 is removed from the previous production line and transferred to the processing device 10, so that the processing component 310 can process the circuit board 20 subsequently.

[0086] Therefore, after the processing component 310 has completely processed the circuit board 20, the clamping component 220 will move to the unloading position, transferring the circuit board 20 from the unloading position to the subsequent production line. After the circuit board 20 is completely detached from the clamping component 220 at the unloading position, the clamping component 220 will return from the unloading position to the loading position, transferring the circuit board 20 from the previous production line and the loading position to the clamping component 220, so that the clamping component 220 can move to the designated position for processing by the processing component 310.

[0087] In some embodiments, given that the two abutting units 261 of the abutting assembly 260 are located on opposite sides of the circuit board 20 in the thickness direction, i.e., the two abutting units 261 are spaced apart along the thickness direction of the circuit board 20, each abutting unit 261 includes a driver 261a and an abutting member 261b. The driver 261a drives the abutting member 261b to slide along the thickness direction of the circuit board 20. The two abutting members 261b of the same abutting assembly 260 respectively abut against two surfaces in the thickness direction of the circuit board 20, thereby enabling the two abutting members 261b to clamp the circuit board 20. The abutting assembly 260 can be located between two clamping units 231 in the direction of gravity, so that the two clamping units 231 clamp the two ends of the circuit board 20 in the thickness direction, while the abutting assembly 260 can clamp the middle part of the circuit board 20 in the thickness direction. Therefore, the arrangement of the abutting assembly 260 can further improve the stability and reliability of the clamping of the circuit board 20. Especially for circuit boards 20 with smaller thickness, the abutment component 260 can effectively prevent the circuit board 20 from vibrating during processing, thereby improving the processing efficiency and accuracy of the circuit board 20.

[0088] See Figure 9 In some embodiments, this application also provides a processing method that applies the above-described processing system, the processing method comprising the following steps:

[0089] S710, Circuit Board 20 is placed vertically on the front-end production line for front-end processing;

[0090] S720, the circuit board 20 after the previous processing is transported to the processing device 10 in a vertical position for vertical placement and processing;

[0091] S730, the circuit board 20 processed by the processing device 10 is transported vertically to the downstream production line for vertical placement and downstream processing. Therefore, when the circuit board 20 is transferred from the upstream production line to the processing device 10, or from the processing device 10 to the downstream production line, the circuit board 20 is always vertically placed, eliminating the need for multiple changes in the placement of the circuit board 20. This improves the processing efficiency of the circuit board 20 and also facilitates the simplification and integration of the processing device 10 with the upstream and downstream production lines as needed, reducing the space occupied by the entire processing system and facilitating the automated design and control of the processing system.

[0092] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0093] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A clamping mechanism for clamping a circuit board placed vertically, characterized by, The clamping mechanism includes: The sliding component is set to slide along the first direction; A support component is slidably connected to the sliding component along a second direction, wherein both the first and second directions are perpendicular to the thickness direction of the circuit board, and one of them is the direction of gravity; and A clamping assembly is disposed on the support assembly, the clamping assembly being used to clamp the circuit board.

2. The clamping mechanism of claim 1, wherein, The clamping assembly includes clamping units for clamping opposite ends of the circuit board. Each clamping unit includes a first clamping member and a second clamping member. The first clamping member is fixedly connected to the support assembly, and the second clamping member is slidably connected to the support assembly along the thickness direction of the circuit board.

3. The clamping mechanism of claim 2, wherein, The first clamping member includes a first clamping plate, and the second clamping member includes a second clamping plate. The first clamping plate and the second clamping plate are used to clamp the circuit board.

4. The clamping mechanism of claim 3, wherein, The first clamping member further includes a fixing rod and a first boss; the fixing rod is fixedly connected to the support assembly, the first boss protrudes from the fixing rod, and there are multiple fixing rods and first bosses that correspond one-to-one; the first clamping plate is connected to all the first bosses.

5. The clamping mechanism of claim 3, wherein The second clamping member further includes a sliding rod and a second protrusion; the sliding rod is slidably connected to the support assembly, the second protrusion protrudes from the sliding rod, and there are multiple sliding rods and a one-to-one correspondence between the second protrusions; the second clamping plate is connected to all the second protrusions.

6. The clamping mechanism of claim 5, wherein, The clamping unit further includes a drive member and a connector. The connector is connected to two adjacent sliding rods, and the drive member is disposed on the support assembly and connected to the connector.

7. The chucking mechanism of claim 1, wherein The clamping mechanism further includes rollers, and the support assembly includes a first support portion and a second support portion spaced apart along the direction of gravity. The first support portion is located above the second support portion, and the clamping assembly is disposed on the first support portion and the second support portion. The rollers rotate about an axis extending along the thickness direction of the circuit board and are rotatably connected to the second support portion.

8. The chucking mechanism of claim 1, wherein, The sliding component includes a first sliding part and a second sliding part, which are spaced apart along the first direction.

9. The chucking mechanism of claim 1, wherein, The second direction is the direction of gravity.

10. The chucking mechanism of claim 1, wherein, It also includes an abutting assembly, which includes two abutting units located on opposite sides in the thickness direction of the circuit board. Each abutting unit includes a driver and an abutting member connected to each other. The driver is fixedly installed and drives the abutting member to slide along the thickness direction of the circuit board. The two abutting members of the abutting assembly are used to abut against the circuit board.

11. The chucking mechanism of claim 1, wherein, It also includes a guide rail, which is fixedly installed and extends along the first direction, and the sliding component is slidably connected to the guide rail.

12. A processing device, characterized by The processing device includes a base, a processing mechanism, and a clamping mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 11. The sliding component slides relative to the base along the first direction. The processing mechanism includes a processing component disposed on the base, and the processing component is used to process the circuit board.

13. The processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein, The number of processing components is greater than or equal to two, and the two processing components are located on opposite sides in the thickness direction of the circuit board to process the two surfaces in the thickness direction of the circuit board.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein, It also includes a suction mechanism, which includes a suction port and a suction tube. The suction port is located between the processing component and the circuit board along the thickness direction of the circuit board, and the lumen of the suction tube extends along the direction of gravity and communicates with the suction port.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein, The processing component is slidably connected to the base along the thickness direction of the circuit board.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein, The processing mechanism is a laser processing mechanism or a mechanical processing mechanism.

17. The processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein When the processing mechanism is a laser processing mechanism, the processing components include a deflector and a focusing component. The deflector is used to control the deflection direction of the laser beam, and the focusing component is used to focus the laser beam.

18. The processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein, The processing mechanism also includes a laser and a beam splitter mounted on the base. There are multiple processing components, which are spaced apart on a plane parallel to the vertically placed circuit board. The laser beam emitted by the laser is split into multiple branch lasers by the beam splitter, and different branch lasers enter different processing components.

19. A processing system characterized by, It includes a front-end production line, a back-end production line, and a processing apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 18, wherein the processing apparatus is located between the front-end production line and the back-end production line, and both the front-end production line and the back-end production line are used to process vertically placed circuit boards.

20. The processing system of claim 19, wherein, The upstream production line includes a blackening or browning production line; and / or, the downstream production line includes a cleaning production line.

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