Dispenser

Abstract

To provide a dispenser which can secure upright property of an actuator when a height position in a vertical direction of the actuator is adjusted by a screw-in operation.SOLUTION: A dispenser includes: a nozzle 32 which discharges a liquid material; a supply flow passage 33 which supplies the liquid material to the nozzle 32; a tappet 34 which has a tip performing reciprocating operation in a vertical direction within the supply flow passage 33; a displacement expansion mechanism 14 which applies displacement to the tappet 34; an actuator 15 which applies displacement to the displacement expansion mechanism 14; and a height adjustment mechanism 16 which adjusts a height position in a vertical direction of the actuator 15 by a screw-in operation. The actuator 15 includes an upper end 151 which is brought into rolling contact with a lower end 162 of the height adjustment mechanism 16. The upper end 151 of the actuator 15 is a convex spherical surface having a radius R1 of curvature. The lower end 162 of the height adjustment mechanism 16 is a concave spherical surface having a radius R2 of curvature larger than the radius R1 of curvature.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a dispenser that dispenses a liquid material. [Background technology]

[0002] Dispensers that dispense liquid materials such as water, oil, and resin are used in various fields such as semiconductor processing and the medical field. In particular, in semiconductor processing, dispensers are often used in the underfill process, and also in filling the inside of semiconductor device packages with resin. In the manufacturing process of LED elements, dispensers are used in the process of applying fluorescent liquid, which is a mixture of fluorescent material and resin, to LED chips.

[0003] As a dispenser for discharging liquid material in this way, a type that discharges liquid material from a nozzle by the reciprocating motion of a tappet is known, and Patent Document 1 discloses a dispenser (liquid application device) that includes a nozzle for discharging liquid material, a supply flow path that supplies liquid material to the nozzle, a tappet (plunger) whose tip reciprocates up and down in the supply flow path, a displacement magnifying mechanism that gives a displacement to the tappet (plunger), and an actuator that gives a displacement to the displacement magnifying mechanism. Patent Document 1 also discloses the use of a piezoelectric element for the actuator. Patent Document 2 also discloses the use of a piezoelectric element (piezo stack) in an actuator. Patent Document 2 also discloses adjusting the vertical height position of the piezoelectric element (piezo stack) by a screwing operation.

[0004] However, a drawback of piezoelectric elements is that they are particularly vulnerable to shear stress, bending stress, and tensile stress. Therefore, when adjusting the vertical height position of an actuator that includes a piezoelectric element by screwing it in, if the uprightness of the actuator is not ensured, shear stress, bending stress, and tensile stress act on the piezoelectric element, causing problems such as a decrease in the actuator's operating accuracy and a shortened lifespan. In addition to actuators that include piezoelectric elements, some actuators also include magnetostrictive elements, and in these cases, ensuring the actuator's uprightness is important from the perspective of improving the actuator's operating accuracy and extending its lifespan. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-30865 A [Patent Document 2] Special table 2020-534145 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser that can ensure the uprightness of an actuator when the vertical height position of the actuator is adjusted by a screwing operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dispenser comprising: A dispenser comprising: a nozzle for ejecting a liquid material; a supply flow path for supplying the liquid material to the nozzle; a tappet having a tip portion that moves up and down in the supply flow path; a displacement magnifying mechanism for applying a displacement to the tappet; an actuator for applying a displacement to the displacement magnifying mechanism; and a height adjustment mechanism for adjusting a vertical height position of the actuator by a screwing action, the actuator includes an upper end in rolling contact with a lower end of the height adjustment mechanism; the upper end of the actuator is a convex spherical surface having a radius of curvature R1; The lower end of the height adjustment mechanism is a concave spherical surface having a radius of curvature R2 that is greater than the radius of curvature R1. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, since the upper end of the actuator and the lower end of the height adjustment mechanism are in rolling contact with each other on a spherical surface, when the vertical height position of the actuator is adjusted by a screwing operation, the actuator is automatically centered so as to stand upright in the vertical direction. This ensures that the actuator can stand upright. Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the upper end of the actuator and the lower end of the height adjustment mechanism are in rolling contact with each other on a spherical surface, it is also possible to reduce wear caused by friction between the upper end of the actuator and the lower end of the height adjustment mechanism, i.e., abrasion. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from one side. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the dispenser of FIG. 1; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a dispenser according to one embodiment of the present invention as viewed from one side, and Fig. 2 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of the dispenser of Fig. 1. The dispenser X of this embodiment includes a dispenser body 1 and a nozzle block 3 that is detachably attached to the dispenser body 1.

[0011] The dispenser body 1 has a shape in which both sides of the main frame 11 are covered with covers 111, and various components described below are installed inside the main frame 11. The upper surface of the main frame 11 is provided with a power supply terminal 12 for supplying power to the various components installed in the main frame 11, as well as an air inlet 13A and an air outlet 13B for introducing and exhausting cooling air into and from the main frame 11.

[0012] The nozzle block 3 is detachably attached to the underside of the main frame 11. The nozzle block 3 includes a block body 31, a nozzle 32 that ejects the liquid material, a supply flow path 33 that supplies the liquid material to the nozzle 32, and a tappet 34 whose tip reciprocates vertically within the supply flow path 33. The nozzle 32 is attached to a nozzle attachment portion 311 on the lower surface side of the block body 31 by a nozzle nut 321 . The supply flow path 33 is formed in the block body 31 so as to communicate between a liquid material inlet 312 provided on the upper surface of the block body 31 and the nozzle 32. The liquid material is introduced into the liquid material inlet 312 from a tank (not shown) that stores the liquid material. The tappet 34 is held by a tappet holder 341, and the tappet holder 341 holding the tappet 34 is attached to a tappet mounting hole 112 provided on the lower surface of the main frame 11 of the dispenser body 1, and the upper end of the tappet 34 held by the tappet holder 341 protrudes into the main frame 11. A first biasing member 342 that elastically biases the tappet 34 upward is incorporated in the tappet holder 341. A compression coil spring can typically be used as the first biasing member 342. In this embodiment, the nozzle block 3 is detachably attached to the dispenser body 1, but the configuration of the nozzle block 3 may be built into the dispenser body 1 to be integrated.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the dispenser body 1 includes, within the main frame 11, a displacement magnifying mechanism 14 that applies a displacement to the tappet 34, an actuator 15 that applies a displacement to the displacement magnifying mechanism 14, and a height adjustment mechanism 16 that adjusts the vertical height position of the actuator 15 by a screwing operation. The displacement magnifying mechanism 14 includes a fulcrum member 141 and a lever member 142. The fulcrum member 141 is cylindrical and fixed to the main frame 11. The lever member 142 has a fulcrum portion 142a that contacts the fulcrum member 141, a point of application portion 142b that contacts the upper end of the tappet 34, and a force point portion 142c that contacts the lower end of the actuator 15. In this embodiment, the force point portion 142c is located between the fulcrum portion 142a and the point of application portion 142b. In addition, a second biasing member 143 that elastically biases the end portion downward on the opposite side of the point of application portion 142b of the lever member is disposed. A compression coil spring can typically be used as the second biasing member 143. In this manner, the displacement magnifying mechanism 14 is a "lever mechanism" and serves the function of magnifying the vertical displacement amount of the tappet 34 more than the vertical displacement amount of the actuator 15.

[0014] The actuator 15 is used as a drive source for applying a vertical displacement to the displacement magnifying mechanism 14, thereby causing the tappet 34 to reciprocate vertically, and can include a piezoelectric element, a magnetostrictive element, etc. In this embodiment, the actuator 15 includes a piezoelectric element. A piezoelectric element is particularly preferable because it can be driven (expanded and contracted) at high speed.

[0015] The height adjustment mechanism 16 is a mechanism for adjusting the vertical height position of the actuator 15 by a screwing operation, and in this embodiment, includes a height adjustment bolt 161. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a lower end 162 connected to the lower end of the height adjustment bolt 161 and an upper end 151 of the actuator 15 are configured to be in rolling contact with each other. That is, the upper end 151 of the actuator 15 is a convex spherical surface having a radius of curvature R1, and the lower end 162 of the height adjustment mechanism 16 is a concave spherical surface having a radius of curvature R2 larger than the radius of curvature R1. In this way, the lower end 162 of the height adjustment mechanism 16 and the upper end 151 of the actuator 15 are in rolling contact with each other by butting a convex spherical surface and a concave spherical surface having different radii of curvature together.

[0016] Here, in order for the lower end 162 of the height adjustment mechanism 16 and the upper end 151 of the actuator 15 to make smooth rolling contact and for the actuator 15 to automatically align itself so as to stand upright in the vertical direction when the vertical height position of the actuator 15 is adjusted by screwing in the height adjustment mechanism 16 (height adjustment bolt 161), it is preferable that the ratio (R2 / R1) of the radius of curvature R2 to the radius of curvature R1 described above is 1.1 or more and 1.4 or less. If R2 / R1 is less than 1.1, rolling contact becomes difficult. On the other hand, if R2 / R1 exceeds 1.4, automatic alignment becomes difficult. Similarly, from the viewpoint of realizing smooth rolling contact and self-alignment, the surface roughness Ra of the above-mentioned convex spherical surface and concave spherical surface is preferably 0.4 μm or less.

[0017] In this embodiment, the lower end 152 of the actuator 15 and the force point 142c of the lever member are configured to be in rolling contact with each other. That is, in this embodiment, the force point 142c of the lever member is a cylindrical shape having a radius R3, and the lower end 152 of the actuator 15 is a concave curved surface having a radius of curvature R4 larger than the radius R3. This allows the lower end 152 of the actuator 15 and the force point 142c of the lever member to be in rolling contact with each other. In this way, by configuring the lower end 152 of the height adjustment mechanism 16 and the upper end 151 of the actuator 15 to be in rolling contact with each other, in addition to the lower end 162 of the height adjustment mechanism 16 and the upper end 151 of the actuator 15 to be in rolling contact with each other, smoother automatic alignment can be achieved. From the viewpoint of realizing smooth rolling contact and self-alignment, it is preferable that R4 / R3 is 1.1 or more and 1.4 or less, and it is preferable that the surface roughness Ra of the lower end 152 of the actuator 15 and the force point portion 142c of the lever member are each 0.4 μm or less.

[0018] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the fulcrum member 141 and the fulcrum portion 142a of the lever member are configured to be in rolling contact with each other. That is, in this embodiment, the fulcrum member 141 is cylindrical with a radius R5, and the fulcrum portion 142a of the lever member is a concave curved surface with a radius of curvature R6 larger than the radius R5. This allows the fulcrum member 141 and the fulcrum portion 142a of the lever member to be in rolling contact with each other. By configuring the fulcrum member 141 and the fulcrum portion 142a of the lever member to be in rolling contact with each other in this way, even smoother automatic alignment can be achieved. From the viewpoint of realizing smooth rolling contact and self-alignment, it is preferable that R6 / R5 is 1.1 or more and 1.4 or less, and it is preferable that the surface roughness Ra of fulcrum member 141 and fulcrum portion 142a of the lever member is 0.4 μm or less.

[0019] As described above, according to this embodiment, the upper end 151 of the actuator 15 and the lower end 162 of the height adjustment mechanism 16 are in rolling contact with each other on a spherical surface, so that the actuator 15 is automatically aligned so as to stand upright in the vertical direction when the vertical height position of the actuator 15 is adjusted by a screwing operation. This ensures that the actuator 15 stands upright, and also reduces wear (abrasion) due to friction between the upper end 151 of the actuator 15 and the lower end 162 of the height adjustment mechanism 16. The automatic alignment effect of the actuator 15 is also exerted when the actuator 15 is in operation.

[0020] Next, the operation of the dispenser X will be described. When the tip of the tappet 34 moves upward inside the supply flow path 33 into which the liquid material is introduced and filled via the liquid material introduction part 312, the liquid material is supplied to the vicinity of the nozzle 32. At this time, a back pressure of an appropriate value is applied to the liquid material introduced into the liquid material introduction part 312 according to the properties of the liquid material, such as its viscosity. When the tip of the tappet 34 moves in the supply flow passage 33 in a direction approaching the nozzle 32, that is, in a downward direction, the pressure of the liquid material in the vicinity of the nozzle 32 increases, and the liquid material is discharged. Thereafter, when the tip of the tappet 34 moves upward within the supply flow passage 33, the liquid material is again supplied near the nozzle 32, and when the tip of the tappet 34 moves downward within the supply flow passage 33, the liquid material is discharged from the nozzle 32. In this manner, the tip of the tappet 34 reciprocates up and down within the supply flow passage 33, causing the liquid material to be intermittently discharged from the nozzle 32. The adjustment of the vertical height position of the actuator 15 is performed in order to adjust the distance between the tip of the tappet 34 and the tip (opening) of the nozzle 32. [Explanation of symbols]

[0021] X Dispenser 1 Dispenser body 11. Mainframe 111 Cover 112 Tappet mounting hole 12 Power terminal 13A Air intake 13B Air exhaust section 14 Displacement magnification mechanism 141 Support member 142 Lever member 142a Fulcrum part (concave curved surface) 142b Point of action 142c Force point 143 Second biasing member 15 Actuators 151 Upper end of actuator 152 Lower end of actuator 16 Height adjustment mechanism 161 Height adjustment bolt 162 Upper end of height adjustment mechanism 3 Nozzle Block 31 Block body 311 Nozzle mounting part 312 Liquid material introduction section 32 Nozzles 321 Nozzle nut 33 Supply Channel 34 Tappet 341 Tappet holder 342 First biasing member

Claims

1. A dispenser comprising: a nozzle for ejecting a liquid material; a supply flow path for supplying the liquid material to the nozzle; a tappet having a tip portion that moves up and down in the supply flow path; a displacement magnifying mechanism for applying a displacement to the tappet; an actuator for applying a displacement to the displacement magnifying mechanism; and a height adjustment mechanism for adjusting a vertical height position of the actuator by a screwing action, the actuator includes an upper end in rolling contact with a lower end of the height adjustment mechanism; the upper end of the actuator is a convex spherical surface having a radius of curvature R1; A dispenser, wherein a lower end of the height adjustment mechanism is a concave spherical surface having a radius of curvature R2 larger than the radius of curvature R1.

2. The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the radius of curvature R2 to the radius of curvature R1 is greater than or equal to 1.1 and less than or equal to 1.

4.

3. 3. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the surface roughness Ra of the convex spherical surface and the concave spherical surface is 0.4 μm or less.

4. the displacement magnifying mechanism includes a cylindrical fulcrum member, and a lever member having a fulcrum portion in contact with the fulcrum member, a point of application portion in contact with an upper end portion of the tappet, and a cylindrical force point portion in contact with a lower end portion of the actuator, The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein a lower end of the actuator and a force point of the lever member are in rolling contact with each other.

5. The dispenser according to claim 4 , wherein the fulcrum member and the fulcrum portion are in rolling contact.

6. The dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises a piezoelectric element.

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