Powder treatment apparatus and powder treatment method using the same

Abstract

To provide a foreign object removal method and a foreign object removal device capable of treating a large volume of powder with a realistic device size.SOLUTION: The powder treatment apparatus comprises: a substrate on which powder can be placed; a plurality of treatment units that treat the powder placed on the substrate; and a substrate conveyance mechanism for conveying the substrate between the treatment units. More preferably, the treatment units include at least a) a power supply part that places the powder to be treated on the substrate, b) a classification part that classifies the powder placed on the substrate in accordance with sizes, and c) a recovery part that recovers good objects not including a foreign object from the classified powder.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a powder processing apparatus for performing powder processing such as removing foreign particles mixed in powder, and a powder processing method using the same. [Background technology]

[0002] As a method for removing foreign particles mixed in powder, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is known. Patent Document 1 describes a foreign matter removal method that includes, in the vicinity of a transparent or semi-transparent turntable that rotates with powder placed on its surface to transport the powder, a supplying device that supplies powder to the turntable surface, a photographing device that photographs the powder on the turntable surface to detect defective products, a non-defective product recovery nozzle that sucks and recovers non-defective products from the turntable surface after the photographing, and a defective product removal nozzle that sucks and removes all of the powder on the turntable surface after the non-defective products have been recovered, in this order in the rotation direction of the turntable, and the photographing device includes at least a front-side photographing mechanism among a front-side photographing mechanism that photographs the powder on the turntable surface from the front side of the turntable and a back-side photographing mechanism that photographs the powder from the back side. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-157027 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, powder can only be placed near the circumference of the turntable. Therefore, in order to increase the amount of powder that can be processed, the diameter of the turntable needs to be increased, and when a large amount of powder needs to be processed, the size of the device becomes enormous.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and its object is to provide a powder processing apparatus and a powder processing method using the same that are capable of processing large amounts of powder with a realistic equipment size. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows. A powder processing apparatus comprising: a substrate on which powder can be placed; a plurality of processing sections for processing the powder placed on the substrate; and a substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate between the plurality of processing sections. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a powder processing apparatus capable of processing a large amount of powder with a practical device size, and a powder processing method using the same. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of a powder processing apparatus (foreign matter removing apparatus) according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a supply unit in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a classification unit in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of an imaging unit in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a recovery section in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a classification unit in Example 2. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a top view showing the shape of an opening in a mask according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of a powder processing apparatus (foreign matter removing apparatus) according to a third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a recovery section in the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The examples are illustrative for explaining the present invention, and are omitted and simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms. Unless otherwise specified, each component may be singular or plural.

[0010] In order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the position, size, shape, range, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may not represent the actual position, size, shape, range, etc. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the position, size, shape, range, etc. disclosed in the drawings.

[0011] When there are multiple components having the same or similar functions, they may be described by using the same reference numerals with different subscripts, or when there is no need to distinguish between these multiple components, the subscripts may be omitted. EXAMPLES

[0012] Example 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. Figure 1 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of a powder processing apparatus (which can also be called a "foreign matter removal apparatus" in light of the purpose of removing foreign matter. In the following examples, it will be called the "foreign matter removal apparatus") according to Example 1. The foreign matter removal apparatus 1 in this example includes a supply unit 2, a classification unit 3, an imaging unit 4, a recovery unit 5, four substrate transport mechanisms 6, and four substrates 7.

[0013] The substrate 7, with the powder placed thereon, is transported between each processing section (supply section 2, classification section 3, imaging section 4, recovery section 5) by the substrate transport mechanism 6. The substrate 7 may be a plate material such as metal, ceramics, or resin that has a sufficient thickness to minimize deformation during transport. To prevent contamination of the powder, it is desirable to apply a fluororesin coating, PEEK coating, or DLC coating to the surface of the substrate 7, or an anodizing treatment in the case of aluminum.

[0014] The substrate transport mechanism 6 transports the substrate 7 between each processing section, and includes a hand 8, a suction pad 9, a linear motion mechanism 10, and a rotation mechanism 11. The substrate 7 arranged at each processing section is attracted to and fixed to the hand 8 by a suction pad that utilizes negative pressure, for example, and is transported by the linear motion mechanism 10 to directly above the rotation mechanism 11, after which it is rotated 180° by the rotation mechanism 11 and transported to the next processing section by the linear motion mechanism 10. In the above embodiment, the processing section has four sections: a supply section 2, a classification section 3, an imaging section 4, and a recovery section 5. Each processing section is connected by four substrate transport mechanisms 6, and four substrates 7 are transported in parallel. However, the effect of the present invention, as explained in the [Effects of the Invention] section, is to "provide a powder processing apparatus capable of processing large amounts of powder with a realistic equipment size, and a powder processing method using the same." In order to achieve this effect, it is sufficient to have "a substrate on which powder can be placed, a plurality of processing sections for processing the powder placed on the substrate, and a substrate transport mechanism for transporting the substrate between the plurality of processing sections" as described in [Claim 1], and it goes without saying that the configuration described in Example 1 is not a required configuration.

[0015] The supply unit 2 sets (places, i.e. temporarily places) the powder to be processed on the substrate 7. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the supply unit 2 in Example 1. Fig. 2(a) shows the state at the time of setting, and Fig. 2(b) shows the state at the time of supplying the powder. The supply unit 2 includes a hopper 12, a feeder 13, a squeegee 14, a mask 15, a support 16, a lifting mechanism 17, a suction pad 18, a base plate 19, and a linear motion mechanism 20.

[0016] The mask 15 is a plate material with an opening 100 provided in the center, and the shape of the opening corresponds to the shape of the powder layer to be supplied onto the substrate 7 (generally the opening shape is rectangular). The mask 15 can be made of a plate material such as metal, ceramics, or resin. To prevent contamination of the powder, it is desirable to apply a fluororesin coating, PEEK coating, or DLC coating to the surface of the mask 15, or an anodizing treatment in the case of aluminum. The mask 15 is fixed to a base plate 19 via supports 16.

[0017] A predetermined amount of powder 21 is stored in the hopper 12. During the setting shown in Fig. 2(a), a predetermined amount of powder 21 in the hopper 12 is supplied by the feeder 13 to the space between the squeegee 14 and the mask 15. Meanwhile, the substrate 7 is placed on the lifting mechanism 17 by the substrate transport mechanism 6 and fixed by the suction pad 18.

[0018] During powder supply as shown in FIG. 2(b), the substrate 7 is raised by the lifting mechanism 17 and abutted against the mask 15. After that, the base plate 19 is moved horizontally by the linear motion mechanism 20. At this time, the powder 21 supplied between the squeegee 14 and the mask 15 during substrate setting is supplied onto the substrate 7. The powder supplied onto the substrate 7 is scraped off by the squeegee 14 and spread to the same thickness as the plate thickness of the mask 15. As a result, a powder layer of a size corresponding to the opening 100 of the mask 15 is formed on the substrate 7.

[0019] The classification unit 3 exposes foreign particles to the surface of the powder bed by classification. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the classification unit 3 in Example 1. Fig. 3(a) shows the state at the time of setting, Fig. 3(b) shows the state at the time of classification, and Fig. 3(c) shows the state at the time of collecting the mesh-passed powder. The classification unit 3 includes an ultrasonic vibrator 22, a mesh fixing frame 23, a space forming mesh 24, a classification mesh (sieve) 25, vibration plates 26a and 26b, a support 27, a lifting mechanism 28, a linear motion mechanism 29, a mesh-passed powder collecting nozzle 30, an air injection nozzle 31, and a clogging powder collecting nozzle 32.

[0020] The ultrasonic transducer 22 is fixed to vibration plates 26a and 26b. The upper vibration plate 26a is fixed to a support 27. The lower vibration plate 26b is fixed to a lifting mechanism 28. The space forming mesh 24 and the classification mesh 25 are fixed to a mesh fixing frame 23.

[0021] The classification mesh 25 has an opening (roughness) equal to or smaller than the lower limit of the size of the foreign particle to be removed, and is larger than the median particle size of the powder 21. Here, the opening of the classification mesh 25 may be larger than the size of the foreign particle, but if it is only slightly larger, the foreign particle can be substantially removed and the throughput can be improved. However, if the opening is smaller than the size of the foreign particle, the removal can be ensured and the reliability can be improved. The space forming mesh 24 is installed on the classification mesh 25, and is a mesh that is made thick by using a wire with a large wire diameter, and forms a plurality of spaces that accommodate the powder that has passed through the classification mesh 25. The horizontal cross-sectional area of ​​each space of the space forming mesh 24 is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​each opening of the classification mesh 25. That is, the opening of the space forming mesh 24 is larger than the opening of the classification mesh 25. In addition, the space forming mesh 24 may be installed in a stack of multiple sheets depending on the volume of the powder that passes through the classification mesh 25. When it is desired to prevent metallic foreign matter originating from the mesh from being mixed into the powder, it is preferable to use a resin mesh such as nylon as the material for the classification mesh 25 and the space forming mesh 24 .

[0022] The mesh fixing frame 23 can be moved in the horizontal direction by the linear motion mechanism 29. It can also move freely in the vertical direction, and can rise together with the substrate 7 that rises during classification, and can be pressed against the upper vibration plate 26a.

[0023] The vibration plates 26a and 26b are preferably made of a hard material such as metal to suppress energy attenuation of the ultrasonic vibrator. To prevent contamination of the powder, the surfaces of the vibration plates 26a and 26b are preferably coated with fluororesin, PEEK, or DLC, or if made of aluminum, anodized.

[0024] 3(a), the substrate 7 carrying the powder 21 is placed on the lower vibration plate 26b by the substrate transport mechanism 6 (not shown in FIG. 3). The mesh fixing frame 23 is placed on the powder 21.

[0025] During classification as shown in FIG. 3(b), the lower vibration plate 26b is raised by the lifting mechanism 28, and the space forming mesh 24, the classification mesh 25, the powder 21, and the substrate 7 are pressed so as to be sandwiched between the upper and lower vibration plates 26a and 26b. After that, high-frequency power is applied to the ultrasonic vibrator 22 to vibrate it. This causes the powder 21 to become fluidized, and particles smaller than the mesh size of the classification mesh 25 pass through the classification mesh 25. By applying vibration while pressing against the powder 21, even highly adhesive powder can be fluidized by breaking down the agglomerates. The classification time is set so that the thickness of the powder layer below the classification mesh 25 is approximately the same as or smaller than the size of the foreign particle to be removed. This causes at least a part of the foreign particle to be removed to be exposed on the surface of the powder layer.

[0026] During classification, a control unit (not shown) controls the lifting mechanism 28 to adjust the height of the vibration plate 26b so as to follow the reduction in the powder layer thickness that accompanies the passage of the powder 21 through the classification mesh 25. Alternatively, the vibration plate 26b may be made to follow the reduction by an elastic member such as a spring.

[0027] 3(c), when the powder that passed through the mesh is collected, the mesh fixing frame 23 is moved to the right in the figure by the linear motion mechanism 29. At this time, the powder 21 that passed through the classification mesh 25 is sucked and collected by the mesh-passed powder collection nozzle 30 as a non-defective product that does not contain foreign particles. Furthermore, air is sprayed toward the mesh from the air spray nozzle 31, and particles that have clogged the mesh are sucked and collected by the clogged powder collection nozzle 32. The substrate 7 carrying the powder that did not pass through the classification mesh 25 is carried out by the substrate transport mechanism 6. In the above embodiment, classification processing using a sieve (mesh) is described as an example, but if the particle size of the foreign matter to be sieved out contained in the powder to be processed is larger than the particle size of the non-defective product, the powder is crushed by a pressure plate to expose the foreign matter on the surface of the powder layer, and the foreign matter can be separated by the imaging unit 4 and the recovery unit 5 described below. In this case, a sieve is not used. This method of separating foreign matter is also called "classification processing" in the present invention. In the present invention, various well-known foreign matter separation methods can be applied depending on the type of foreign matter to be separated and the properties of the powder containing the foreign matter.

[0028] The imaging unit 4 detects the foreign particles exposed on the surface of the powder layer. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the imaging unit 4 in the first embodiment. The imaging unit 4 includes an illumination 36, a lens 35, a CCD 33, an image processing unit 34, a support 37, a base plate 39, and linear motion mechanisms 40 and 41. The illumination 36 irradiates the powder 21 from the imaging unit 4 side, and for example, a ring illumination is used. The lens 35 is attached to the CCD 33, and an image of the powder surface is acquired by the CCD 33 at an appropriate magnification. The acquired image is analyzed in the image processing unit 34, and the presence or absence of foreign particles is determined. For example, a method of distinguishing foreign particles may utilize differences in particle shape, differences in light intensity or color of reflected light / scattered light, etc. The substrate 7 on which the powder 21 is placed is fixed to the support 37 by an adsorption pad 38. The support 37 is fixed to the base plate 39. The base plate 39 is fixed to the linear motion mechanism 40. The linear motion mechanism 40 is fixed so as to be perpendicular to the linear motion mechanism 41. This makes it possible to two-dimensionally move the substrate 7 in the horizontal direction and capture an image of the entire surface of the powder 21.

[0029] In this embodiment, an example using two linear motion mechanisms that are perpendicular to each other has been described, but the width of the powder layer may be set to be equal to or smaller than the imaging field of view, and imaging may be performed using only one linear motion mechanism. Alternatively, multiple cameras may be installed to widen the imaging field of view.

[0030] The recovery unit 5 recovers non-defective products that do not contain foreign particles, or discharges defective products that contain foreign particles, based on the results of the determination made by the imaging unit 4. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the recovery unit 5 in the first embodiment. The recovery unit 5 includes a non-defective product recovery nozzle 42, a defective product recovery nozzle 60, a support 43, a base plate 45, and linear motion mechanisms 46 and 47.

[0031] The substrate 7 on which the powder 21 is placed is fixed to the support 43 by the suction pad 44. The support 43 is fixed to the base plate 45. The base plate 45 is fixed to the linear motion mechanism 46. The linear motion mechanism 46 is fixed so as to be perpendicular to the linear motion mechanism 47. When the imaging unit 4 determines the presence of foreign particles, the linear motion mechanisms 46, 47 move the area in which the foreign particles are determined to be present under the defective product recovery nozzle 60 and suction-recovery is performed. After the foreign particles are collected, the remaining powder is suction-recovery performed by the non-defective product recovery nozzle 42. It is desirable that the tip size of the defective product recovery nozzle 60 is small so as to avoid suctioning powder other than foreign particles as much as possible. However, in order to prevent nozzle clogging, it is desirable to set the tip size to three times or more the diameter of the foreign particles to be removed. It is desirable to use a wide nozzle for the non-defective product recovery nozzle 42 in order to shorten the suction-recovery time.

[0032] The substrate 7 from which the powder 21 has been collected and removed in the collection section 5 is introduced again into the supply section 2 by the substrate transport mechanism 6 (not shown in FIG. 5).

[0033] In this embodiment, an example using two perpendicular linear motion mechanisms has been described, but it is also possible to use only one linear motion mechanism and make the non-defective product collection nozzle 42 and the defective product collection nozzle 60 wide nozzles to perform collection by moving only on one axis.

[0034] As described above, according to this embodiment, the ratio of the powder installation area to the equipment area can be increased, making it possible to process a large amount of powder with an equipment of a realistic size.

[0035] In this embodiment, an example in which the powder is classified before being introduced into the imaging unit 4 has been described, but instead of classification, a process of spreading the powder layer thinly by pressing or scraping may be performed without using a mesh. Also, in this embodiment, an example in which a linear motion mechanism and a rotation mechanism are combined as the substrate transport mechanism has been described, but a transport mechanism using a belt conveyor may also be used. EXAMPLES

[0036] Example 2 will be described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the classification unit in Example 2. In Example 1, if the powder layer placed on the substrate is thickened to increase the processing amount, it is necessary to thicken the space forming mesh or to stack multiple space forming meshes in order to accommodate the corresponding amount of powder. However, in that case, the space forming mesh absorbs a lot of vibration energy, and the speed at which the powder passes through the classification mesh decreases. Therefore, in Example 2, the powder that has passed through the classification mesh is suction-collected at the same time as classification, thereby making the space forming mesh unnecessary and improving the processing amount. The overall configuration of the foreign matter removal device according to Example 2 is the same as that of Example 1 shown in Fig. 1, but the configuration of the classification unit 3 and the opening shape of the mask 15 in the supply unit 2 are different from those of Example 1.

[0037] Fig. 6(a) shows the state at the time of setting, Fig. 6(b) shows the state at the time of classification, and Fig. 6(c) shows the state at the time of mesh cleaning. The classifier 3 of the second embodiment includes an ultrasonic vibrator 22, a mesh fixing frame 23, a classification mesh 25, a vibration plate 26, a lifting mechanism 28, a linear motion mechanism 29, an air injection nozzle 31, a clogging powder recovery nozzle 32, a suction housing 48, opening plates 49, 50, and an ultrasonic vibrator 51. The ultrasonic vibrator 22, the classification mesh 25, the mesh fixing frame 23, and the vibration plate 26 are the same as those of the first embodiment, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0038] Two aperture plates 49 and 50 are attached to the suction housing 48. The aperture plate is for flattening the shape of the mesh when the classification mesh 25 is pressed against the powder, and is a highly rigid plate with a plurality of apertures penetrating vertically for sucking the powder. In order to suppress the uneven suction caused by the opening position / non-opening position, it is desirable to make each opening small and arrange them at a high density to increase the opening rate, but this reduces the rigidity and may cause deformation when pressed. If the aperture plate deforms, the classification mesh is deformed and the opening shape of the mesh changes, making it impossible to obtain the expected classification performance. In addition, when targeting materials with an average particle size of several μm to several tens of μm, such as electrode materials for lithium ion batteries, a classification mesh with an opening of 100 μm or less is often used, but such a mesh has a weak strength and may break if it is greatly deformed. Therefore, by installing two aperture plates with different opening sizes and opening rates, both the suppression of uneven suction and rigidity are achieved. Compared with the aperture plate 49, the aperture size of the aperture plate 50 is made smaller and arranged at a higher density to increase the aperture ratio.

[0039] If it is desired to prevent metallic foreign matter from being mixed into the powder 21, it is desirable to form the aperture plates 49, 50 and the suction housing 48 from a non-metallic material such as resin, but if sufficient rigidity cannot be obtained, they may be formed from a metal such as stainless steel or aluminum. In that case, it is desirable to form a non-metallic layer such as a resin coating such as fluororesin or a DLC coating on the places where the powder 21 comes into contact. Also, if sufficient rigidity is obtained with the aperture plate 49 alone, the aperture plate 50 may be made of a resin mesh such as nylon.

[0040] 6(a), during standby, the substrate 7 carrying the powder 21 is placed on the vibration plate 26 by the substrate transport mechanism 6 (not shown in FIG. 6). The mesh fixing frame 23 is placed on the powder 21.

[0041] During classification as shown in FIG. 6(b), the vibration plate 26 is raised by the lifting mechanism 28, and the classification mesh 25, the powder 21, and the substrate 7 are pressed against each other by the vibration plate 26 and the opening plates 49, 50. After that, high-frequency power is applied to the ultrasonic transducer 22 to vibrate it. This causes the powder to become fluidized, and particles smaller than the mesh size of the classification mesh 25 pass through the classification mesh 25. By applying vibration while pressing against the powder 21, even highly adhesive powder can be broken down into aggregates and fluidized. By simultaneously applying vibration and suction, the powder 21 that has passed through the classification mesh 25 is sucked and collected via the suction housing 48. In addition, by applying vibration by the ultrasonic transducer 51 attached to the suction housing 48 at this time, the fluidization is further promoted, and the speed at which the powder passes through the classification mesh 25 is improved. The classification time is set so that the thickness of the powder layer below the classification mesh 25 is approximately the same as or smaller than the size of the foreign particle to be removed. As a result, at least a part of the foreign particle to be removed is exposed on the surface of the powder layer.

[0042] During classification, a control unit (not shown) controls the lifting mechanism 28 to adjust the height of the vibration plate 26 so as to follow the reduction in the powder layer thickness that accompanies the passage of the powder 21 through the classification mesh 25. Alternatively, the vibration plate 26 may be made to follow the reduction by an elastic member such as a spring.

[0043] During mesh cleaning shown in Fig. 6(c), the mesh fixing frame 23 is moved to the right in the figure by the linear motion mechanism 29. At this time, air is sprayed from the air spray nozzle 31 toward the mesh, and particles clogging the mesh are sucked and collected by the clogging powder collection nozzle 32. In the first embodiment, this operation was performed for each classification cycle, but in this embodiment, cleaning may be performed every predetermined number of classification cycles if the probability of the mesh becoming clogged is low.

[0044] FIG. 7 is a top view showing the shape of the opening of the mask 15 in Example 2. The mask 15 has a plurality of openings 52. This allows a plurality of powder layers of the same size as the openings 52 to be formed on the substrate 7. In order to suck the powder 21 during classification, it is necessary to form an air flow from the outside toward the suction housing 48. When the powder layer is completely covered (for example, as in Example 1), the center of the powder layer cannot be sucked because there is no path for air to enter. In contrast, in this example, a path for air to flow to the center of the substrate 7 can be formed, so powder can be sucked over the entire surface.

[0045] As described above, according to this embodiment, the powder 21 that has passed through the classification mesh 25 is suction-collected simultaneously with classification, making it possible to eliminate the need for the space-forming mesh 24 and improve the throughput.

[0046] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which two aperture plates 49, 50 with different apertures are installed, but as long as it is possible to achieve both the flatness of the classification mesh 25 and the suppression of uneven suction, it may be configured with a single aperture plate. EXAMPLES

[0047] Example 3 will be described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. In Examples 1 and 2, for example, when the foreign particles to be detected become small, it is necessary to narrow the field of view and increase the imaging resolution, so that the imaging throughput may not be sufficient. Therefore, in this example, primary classification is performed to reduce the amount of powder required for imaging and improve the processing capacity.

[0048] 8 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of a foreign matter removing apparatus according to Example 3. The foreign matter removing apparatus 1 is composed of a primary classification unit 53, a foreign matter removing unit 54, and a transport system 56.

[0049] The primary classification unit 53 includes a supply unit 2, a classification unit 3, a recovery unit 55, and a substrate transport mechanism 6, and performs only classification without detecting foreign matter by imaging. The configurations of the supply unit 2 and the classification unit 3 are the same as those of the first or second embodiment. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the recovery unit 55. The recovery unit 55 includes a recovery nozzle , a support 43, a base plate 45, and a linear motion mechanism .

[0050] The recovery nozzle 42 is a wide nozzle having a width equal to or greater than the width of the powder layer. The substrate 7 carrying the powder 21 is fixed to the support 43 by the suction pad 44. The support 43 is fixed to the base plate 45. The base plate 45 is fixed to the linear motion mechanism 46. After the classification process, the powder remaining on the substrate 7 is sucked and recovered by the recovery nozzle 42 while being moved by the linear motion mechanism 46. The substrate 7 from which the powder 21 has been recovered and removed in the recovery section 55 is introduced again into the supply section 2 by the substrate conveying mechanism 6. The powder sucked and recovered in the recovery section 55 is introduced into the hopper 12 of the supply section 2 of the foreign matter removal unit 54 by the transport system 56.

[0051] The configuration of the foreign matter removal unit 54 is the same as that of the first or second embodiment, and the powder introduced into the hopper 12 passes through the classifying section 3 and the imaging section 4 and is then removed of foreign matter in the collecting section 5. According to this embodiment, the throughput can be improved by carrying out the primary classification in advance.

[0052] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the powder is transported directly from the primary classification unit 53 to the foreign matter removal unit 54 using the transport system 56. However, an intermediate tank may be provided and the powder recovered in the primary classification unit may be stored in the intermediate tank before being introduced into the foreign matter removal unit 54. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1...foreign matter removal device, 2...supply section, 3...classification section, 4...imaging section, 5...recovery section, 6...substrate transport mechanism, 7...substrate, 12...hopper, 13...feeder, 14...squeegee, 15...mask, 22...ultrasonic transducer, 23...mesh fixing frame, 24...space forming mesh, 25...classification mesh, 26a, 26b...vibration plate, 30...mesh passing powder recovery nozzle, 31...air injection nozzle, 32...clogged powder recovery nozzle, 33...CCD, 34...image processing section, 35...lens, 36...lighting, 42...good product recovery nozzle, 60...defective product recovery nozzle, 48...suction housing, 49, 50...opening plate, 53...primary classification unit, 54...foreign matter removal unit, 56...transport system.

Claims

1. A substrate on which powder can be placed; A plurality of processing units for processing the powder placed on the substrate; a substrate transport mechanism configured to transport the substrate between the plurality of processing sections; A powder processing apparatus comprising:

2. 2. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 1, The plurality of processing units include at least a) a powder supply unit that places the powder to be treated on the substrate; b) a classification unit that separates the powder placed on the substrate according to particle size; c) a recovery unit for recovering non-defective products that do not contain foreign matter from the classified powder; Including, A powder processing apparatus comprising:

3. 2. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 1, The powder processing apparatus is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of the substrate transport mechanisms, each of which is capable of independently transporting a different substrate.

4. 2. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 1, The powder processing apparatus is characterized in that the substrate is transported so as to circulate through the plurality of processing sections.

5. 3. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 2, The classifying unit includes at least a vibration mechanism that vibrates a sieve for classifying the powder, a pressing mechanism that presses the sieve against the powder while the vibration mechanism vibrates the sieve, A powder processing apparatus comprising:

6. 6. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 5, A powder processing apparatus comprising: a suction mechanism that sucks the powder that has passed through the sieve by pressing the powder with the pressing mechanism.

7. 6. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 5, A powder processing apparatus, characterized in that a pressing mechanism on the side in contact with the sieve is formed with a plurality of openings penetrating vertically.

8. 3. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 2, 3. The powder processing apparatus, wherein the powder supplying unit includes a mask for dividing the powder into a plurality of blocks and placing the blocks on the substrate.

9. 3. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 2, The powder processing apparatus, wherein the classifying unit is provided with a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the sieve after classification.

10. 3. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 2, A powder processing apparatus comprising: a sieve moving mechanism that moves the sieve that has been classified in the classifying section to the collecting section and collects the powder that has passed through the sieve.

11. 3. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 2, an imaging unit that images the powder that has been classified by the classifying unit, The powder processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging unit includes a determination mechanism for determining whether or not the classified powder contains foreign matter based on a captured image.

12. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 11, The powder processing device is characterized in that the recovery unit recovers non-defective products that do not contain foreign matter based on the judgment result by the judgment mechanism of the imaging unit, and is equipped with a foreign matter discharge mechanism that discharges powder that is judged to contain foreign matter by the judgment mechanism.

13. A powder processing method using the powder processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

14. A substrate on which powder can be placed; A plurality of processing units for processing the powder placed on the substrate; a substrate transport mechanism configured to transport the substrate between the plurality of processing sections; A powder processing method using a powder processing apparatus comprising: The plurality of processing units include at least a) a powder supply unit that places the powder to be treated on the substrate; b) a classification unit that separates the powder placed on the substrate according to particle size; c) a recovery unit for recovering non-defective products that do not contain foreign matter from the classified powder; Including, The powder to be treated is fed to the powder supply unit, the classification unit, the recovery unit, A powder processing method, characterized in that classification is performed by transporting the powder in the order of a.

Images