Conveyance claw and soldering device

Abstract

To provide a conveyance claw capable of surely removing a solder attached to the conveyance claw and a soldering device using the conveyance claw.SOLUTION: A conveyance claw 600 is used for conveying a substrate to which a solder is supplied. The conveyance claw 600 has a claw body 620 which is composed of a resin material and has a claw part 610 for gripping the substrate, and a coating film 630 for coating at least the claw part 610.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a transfer claw for transferring a substrate to which solder is supplied, and a soldering apparatus using the transfer claw.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a plurality of transfer claws for transferring a substrate have been used in soldering apparatuses such as jet soldering apparatuses. Since the molten solder jetted during soldering may adhere to this transfer claw and the molten solder may solidify while adhering to the transfer claw, removing the solder adhering to the transfer claw has been conventionally performed. In Patent Document 1, an aspect of removing the solder adhering to the transfer claw with a removal brush is shown as a conventional example, and an aspect of removing the solder with hot air supplied from a blowout nozzle has been proposed.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Depending on the solder composition used in the jet soldering apparatus, the adhesion force of the solder may be strong, and it may not be possible to remove the solder adhering to the transfer claw.

[0005] The present invention provides a transfer claw capable of more reliably removing the solder adhering to the transfer claw and a soldering apparatus using the transfer claw.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] [Concept 1] The transfer claw of the present invention is a transfer claw for transferring a substrate to which solder is supplied, It is made of a resin material or a material containing Ti, and has a claw body having a claw portion for gripping the substrate. And a coating film covering at least the claw portion. It may have.

[0007] [Concept 2] In the transfer claw according to Concept 1, The coating film may cover the entire claw body.

[0008] [Concept 3] In the transfer claw according to Concept 1 or 2, The resin material may be made of a liquid crystalline polymer.

[0009] [Concept 4] In the transfer claw according to any one of Concepts 1 to 3, The liquid crystalline polymer may be made of a liquid crystalline wholly aromatic polyester.

[0010] [Concept 5] In the transfer claw according to Concept 4, Para-hydroxybenzoic acid, biphenol and terephthalic acid may be used as monomer components in the liquid crystalline wholly aromatic polyester.

[0011] [Concept 6] In the transfer claw according to any one of Concepts 1 to 5, The coating film may contain a fluororesin.

[0012] [Concept 7] In the transfer claw according to Concept 6, The fluororesin may be polytetrafluoroethylene.

[0013] [Concept 8] In the transfer claw according to Concept 6 or 7, The coating film may contain a polyimide compound.

[0014] [Concept 9] In the transfer claw according to Concept 8, The polyimide compound may be a polyamideimide compound.

[0015] [Concept 10] In the transfer claw according to any one of Concepts 6 to 9, The coating film may contain a pigment.

[0016] [Concept 11] The soldering apparatus according to the present invention is A jet soldering apparatus that supplies solder containing Bi to a substrate, A transport mechanism for transporting the substrate, and is provided with The transport mechanism may have the transfer claw described in any one of Concepts 1 to 10.

Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, the solder adhering to the transfer claw can be more reliably removed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Embodiment The soldering apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, an apparatus that performs soldering processing on a substrate 200 on which electronic components such as semiconductor elements, resistors, and capacitors are mounted on a circuit board. Typically, the electronic components and the like are positioned below the substrate 200. The soldering apparatus has a main body 1 and a transport unit 5 for transporting the substrate 200. The main body 1 has a loading port 2 for loading the substrate 200 and an unloading port 3 for unloading the substrate 200. The substrate 200 may be transported with a predetermined angle, for example, an inclination of about 3 to 6 degrees when viewed from the side (see FIG. 9). In this case, the downstream side is positioned higher than the upstream side in the substrate transport direction A. However, it is not limited to this, and the substrate 200 may be transported horizontally, for example. The transport unit 5 may include a transport rail 6 (see FIG. 9), a transport claw 600 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) that can move along the transport rail 6 while gripping the substrate 200, and a transport drive unit (not shown) that applies a driving force for moving the transport claw 600 along the transport rail 6. As the transport rail 6, aluminum, iron, stainless steel, or the like may be used. The transport claw 600 has a claw portion 610 for gripping the substrate 200 (see FIGS. 2 to 5).

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the main body 1 may be provided with a fluxer 10 for applying flux to the substrate 200, a preheater section 15 for preheating the substrate 200 coated with flux, a jet soldering device 100 for jetting molten solder to contact the substrate 200, and a cooler 20 for cooling the soldered substrate 200. The substrate 200 conveyed along the conveyance rail 6 of the conveyance section 5 will pass through the fluxer 10, the preheater section 15, the jet soldering device 100, and the cooler 20 in sequence. In FIG. 1, except for the control section 50, the storage section 60, and the operation section 70 described later, the soldering device is shown in a top plan view.

[0021] The fluxer 10 is used to apply flux to the conveyed substrate 200. The flux may contain a solvent, an activator, etc. The fluxer 10 may be provided with a plurality of coating devices. Depending on the type of solder and the type of the substrate 200, different types of flux may be selectively used.

[0022] The preheater section 15 heats the substrate 200 to uniformly raise the temperature of the substrate 200 to a predetermined temperature. By heating the substrate 200 in this way, it becomes easier for solder to adhere to a predetermined location on the substrate 200. For example, a halogen heater is used for the preheater section 15. The halogen heater can rapidly heat the substrate 200 to the set temperature. Also, heated gas (hot air) by the heater may be blown onto the substrate 200 by a fan to heat the substrate 200. Further, as the preheater section 15, a far-infrared panel heater or the like may be used.

[0023] The cooler 20 has a cooling fan (not shown) and cools the substrate 200 that has undergone the soldering process by the jet soldering device 100. The control of the cooling fan may be only ON and OFF, or the wind speed may be adjusted, etc. Further, as the cooler 20, a chiller or the like may be used to cool the substrate 200 until it reaches a predetermined temperature.

[0024] The control unit 50 shown in FIG. 1 is communicably connected to the conveyance unit 5, the fluxer 10, the preheater unit 15, the jet soldering apparatus 100, the cooler 20, the operation unit 70, and the storage unit 60. The communicable connection includes both wired and wireless connections. The operation unit 70 may have a liquid crystal display panel, a numeric keypad, etc., and is typically a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet, a touch panel, etc. By the operator operating the operation unit 70, the control unit 50 can control the conveyance speed by the conveyance unit 5, the timing of conveying the substrate 200, the temperature of the flux in the fluxer 10, the coating amount of the flux, the temperature of the preheater unit 15, the temperature of the molten solder S of the jet soldering apparatus 100, the jet flow amount, the jet flow speed, the ON and OFF of the cooling fan of the cooler 20, etc. The storage unit 60 may store the information input by the operation unit 70, the instructions of the control unit 50, the operation time of the jet soldering apparatus 100, etc. The conveyance speed of the substrate 200 is, for example, about 1 to 3 cm per second.

[0025] Next, an example of a method for processing the substrate 200 will be described.

[0026] With the substrate 200 held by a plurality of conveying claws 600 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), the substrate 200 is conveyed by moving the conveying claws 600 along the conveying rail 6. The substrate 200 is carried into the main body 1 from the carry-in port 2. When the substrate 200 reaches the fluxer 10, the fluxer 10 applies flux to a predetermined location of the substrate 200.

[0027] The conveying claws 600 convey the substrate 200 with flux applied by the fluxer 10 to the preheater unit 15. The preheater unit 15 heats the substrate 200 to a predetermined temperature.

[0028] Next, the transfer claw 600 transfers the substrate 200 heated to a predetermined temperature in the preheater section 15 to the jet soldering apparatus 100. The jet soldering apparatus 100 performs soldering on a predetermined location of the substrate 200 (see FIG. 9). While the jet soldering apparatus 100 is supplying the molten solder S, the molten solder S supplied from the first supply port 125 in the first supply section 120 and the molten solder S supplied from the second supply port 135 in the second supply section 130 are in a mixed state, and the molten solder S is supplied above the transfer rail 6. Then, the molten solder S may be configured not to separate from the substrate 200 conveyed by the transfer claw 600 between the first supply port 125 and the second supply port 135.

[0029] Next, the transfer claw 600 transfers the soldered substrate 200 to the cooler 20. For example, the cooling fan of the cooler 20 cools the substrate 200 that has undergone the soldering process for a predetermined time. After the substrate 200 is cooled, when the transfer claw 600 discharges the substrate 200 from the transfer outlet 3, the soldering process on the substrate 200 is completed.

[0030] After this, the transfer claw 600 is folded back along the transfer rail 6 to the outer periphery and returns toward the transfer inlet 2. For this reason, the substrate transfer direction A and the transfer direction B of the transfer claw 600 face opposite directions in a plan view (see FIG. 1). In the process of the transfer claw 600 moving toward the transfer inlet 2, the transfer claw 600 passes through the solder removal mechanism 520. When the transfer claw 600 passes through the solder removal mechanism 520 in this way, the solder attached to the transfer claw 600 is removed by the solder removal mechanism 520. A pair of solder removal mechanisms 520 are provided so that the solder attached to each of the transfer claws 600 that grip the substrate 200 can be removed.

[0031] When the transfer claw 600 that has passed through the solder removal mechanism 520 returns to the transfer inlet 2, the transfer claw 600 transfers another substrate 200.

[0032] Typically, a plurality of transfer claws 600 are arranged along the transfer rail 6 in large numbers, and the substrate 200 is sequentially transferred by the plurality of transfer claws 600 which are a part of the large number of transfer rails 6.

[0033] Next, the solder removal mechanism 520 will be described.

[0034] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the solder removal mechanism 520 of the present embodiment may have a contact body 530 that can relatively pass through inside the claw portion 610 of the moving transfer claw 600 or below the moving transfer claw 600 after the substrate 200 is removed from the transfer claw 600 and transferred. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the transfer claw 600 gripping the substrate 200 moves toward the front side of the paper surface, while the transfer claws 600 shown on both the left and right sides of FIGS. 2 and 3 that do not grip the substrate 200 move toward the back side of the paper surface. In the present application, "capable of passing" means capable of relatively passing. Typically, in a state where the transfer claw 600 moves and the contact body 530 stops, the contact body 530 relatively passes through inside the claw portion 610 of the moving transfer claw 600 or below the moving transfer claw 600 by the transfer claw 600 passing through the contact body 530.

[0035] The contact body 530 is for contacting and removing the solder adhering and cured on the transfer claw 600. By adopting such a contact body 530, the solder adhering and cured on the transfer claw 600 can be more reliably scraped off. In this regard, instead of the contact body 530 shown in FIG. 2, a brush 590 may be used (see FIG. 3).

[0036] Since a pair of transfer claws 600 for sandwiching the substrate 200 are provided, the contact bodies 530 and the brushes 590 may also be provided in a pair. As shown in FIG. 8, at least a part of the solder removal mechanism 520 may be located above the storage tank 110 of the jet solder device. By installing the solder removal mechanism 520 above the storage tank 110 of the jet solder device, the solder shaved off by the transfer claws 600 can be directly dropped into the storage tank 110, so that it can be reused for soldering, and the deposition of the solder shaved off in the jet soldering device 100 can be suppressed.

[0037] The transfer claw 600 of the present embodiment may include a claw body 620 made of a resin material or a material containing Ti and having a claw portion 610 for gripping the substrate 200, and a coating film 630 covering at least the claw portion 610 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). By providing the coating film 630 that covers the claw portion 610 in this way, the solder adhering to the claw portion 610 can be efficiently removed. Further, when the claw body 620 is made of a material containing a resin material, it is preferable in that the possibility of scratching the substrate 200 by the transfer claw 600 can be further reduced. More specifically, the material of the transfer claw 600 may be, for example, a resin material, a resin material and carbon black, or Ti or a Ti alloy. The Ti alloy may be an alloy mainly composed of Ti (an alloy in which the component with the largest mass is Ti).

[0038] As confirmed by the inventors of the present application, particularly in the case of solder containing Bi such as Sn-58Bi (Bi: 58% by mass, the balance being Sn), the solder tends to adhere firmly to the transfer claw 600. Therefore, it is very beneficial that the coating film 630 covering at least the claw portion 610 is provided as in the present embodiment. More specifically, the adhesion force of Sn-Bi-based solders such as Sn-58Bi is considerably stronger than that of the SAC (Sn-Ag-Cu) composition, and the adhered solder may not be removed. In this regard, by adopting the aspect of the present embodiment, even Sn-Bi-based solder with a strong adhesion force can be easily removed.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 4, the coating film 630 may be provided so as to cover the entire nail body 620. By covering the entire nail body 620 with the coating film 630 in this way, it becomes easier to remove the solder attached to any part of the nail body 620. Further, by covering the entire nail body 620 with the coating film 630 in this way, there is also an advantage that the process of providing the coating film 630 on the nail body 620 becomes easier. However, it is not limited to such a mode, and as shown in FIG. 5, the coating film 630 may be provided on a part including the nail portion 610 of the nail body 620.

[0040] From the viewpoint of heat resistance and the like, the resin material constituting the nail body 620 is preferably made of a liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) having properties as a liquid crystal.

[0041] As a result of the inventors' confirmation, from the viewpoint of having appropriate flexibility and heat resistance and being easy to provide the coating film 630 (particularly a fluorine coating film), the liquid crystalline polymer is preferably made of a liquid crystalline wholly aromatic polyester. A wholly aromatic polyester is a polyester made from an aromatic ring obtained by a polycondensation reaction of biphenol and an aromatic dicarboxylic acid. As the liquid crystalline wholly aromatic polyester, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, biphenol, and terephthalic acid are used as monomer components, and it is more preferably a polymer synthesized from p-hydroxybenzoic acid, biphenol, and terephthalic acid. As biphenol, it is preferable to use 4,4'-dihydroxybiphenol.

[0042] In addition, as a result of confirmation by the inventors, it is preferable that the coating film 630 contains a fluororesin. In particular, the fluororesin is preferably polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Further, it is more preferable that the coating film 630 contains a polyimide compound, and the polyimide compound is more preferably a polyamide-imide compound. Further, it is more preferable that the coating film 630 contains a pigment. It is even more preferable that the coating film 630 contains a fluororesin and a polyimide compound, or a fluororesin, a polyimide compound, and a pigment. By providing such a coating film 630, the cured solder that has come into contact with the contact body 530 or the brush 590 can be removed extremely easily. From this perspective, it is particularly preferable that the coating film 630 contains polytetrafluoroethylene and a polyamide-imide compound, or polytetrafluoroethylene, a polyamide-imide compound, and a pigment.

[0043] The contact body 530 may have a first contact body 540 that can relatively pass through the claw portion 610 of the moving transfer claw 600 and can contact the cured solder adhering to the claw portion 610 of the transfer claw 600, and a second contact body 550 that can relatively pass under the moving transfer claw 600 and can contact the cured solder adhering under the transfer claw 600 (see FIG. 2). The first contact body 540 may be slightly smaller than the claw portion 610 and have a shape that conforms to the shape of the claw portion 610. The first contact body 540 may have a shape similar to the shape of the claw portion 610. By making the first contact body 540 smaller than the claw portion 610 and having a shape that conforms to the shape of the claw portion 610 in this way, the solder adhering to the claw portion 610 can be removed more reliably.

[0044] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, both the contact body 530 and the brush 590 may be used. The first contact body 540 may be composed of a contact plate. The first contact body 540 may have a first base end portion 545, a first tip end portion 543, and a first bending portion 541 provided between the first base end portion 545 and the first tip end portion 543. The first tip end portion 543 may extend toward the downstream side (the right side in FIG. 6) in the moving direction B of the transfer claw 600 with respect to the first bending portion 541. (Although the first contact body 540 is basically configured not to contact the transfer claw 600,) when the first contact body 540 is linear without the first bending portion 541, the first contact body 540 may be caught by the transfer claw 600 for some reason, and the movement of the transfer claw 600 may be stopped. On the other hand, by adopting the configuration in which the first tip end portion 543 extends toward the downstream side in the moving direction B of the transfer claw 600 as in this aspect, even if the first tip end portion 543 of the first contact body 540 contacts the transfer claw 600 for some reason, the possibility of being caught by the transfer claw 600 and stopping the movement of the transfer claw 600 can be reduced. If the movement of the transfer claw 600 stops, the processing on the substrate 200 itself will stop, but by adopting this aspect, such a situation can be prevented from occurring. The first tip end portion 543 is configured to extend toward the inside of the soldering device. In FIG. 2, the first tip end portion 543 of the first contact body 540 on the right side extends toward the left side, and the first tip end portion 543 of the first contact body 540 on the left side extends toward the right side.

[0045] Similar to the first contact body 540, the second contact body 550 may also be composed of a contact plate. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the second contact body 550 may have a second base end portion 555, a second tip end portion 553, and a second bending portion 551 provided between the second base end portion 555 and the second tip end portion 553. The second tip end portion 553 may extend toward the downstream side (the right side in FIG. 6) in the moving direction B of the transfer claw 600 with respect to the second bending portion 551. For the same reason as described for the first contact body 540, by adopting such a configuration in which the second tip end portion 553 extends toward the downstream side in the moving direction B of the transfer claw 600, it is possible to prevent the second contact body 550 from being caught by the transfer claw 600. That is, basically, the second contact body 550 is not configured to contact the transfer claw 600, but even if the second contact body 550 contacts the transfer claw 600 for some reason, it is possible to prevent the second contact body 550 from interfering with the movement of the transfer claw 600.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 8, a guide portion 580 may be provided below the contact body 530 to guide the solid solder that has fallen from the transfer claw 600 to the storage tank 110 of the jet soldering apparatus. By providing such a guide portion 580, it is possible to more reliably guide the solder that has abutted against the contact body 530 and has been shaved off to the storage tank 110, and the solder can be melted and reused. It is also possible to more reliably suppress the deposition of the shaved-off solder in the jet soldering apparatus 100. In particular, for a specific solder such as Sn-Bi solder, the amount of adhesion to the transfer claw 600 increases. Therefore, adopting such a mode is very beneficial from both the viewpoints of reuse and suppressing the deposition of the shaved-off solder in the jet soldering apparatus 100.

[0047] A cover 585 that is located on the downstream side (the right side in FIG. 8) in the moving direction B of the transfer claw 600 and extends in the vertical direction may be provided. In the study by the inventors of the present application, the solder scraped off from the transfer claw 600 tends to scatter to the upstream side (the left side in FIG. 8) in the moving direction B. However, by providing such a cover 585, it is possible to prevent the solder that has come into contact with the contact body 530 and has been scraped off from scattering to the upstream side (the left side in FIG. 8) in the moving direction B of the transfer claw 600. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the cover 585 and the guide portion 580 are integrated, and they are connected via a connecting portion 589. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and the cover 585 and the guide portion 580 may be separate bodies. However, when the cover 585 and the guide portion 580 are integrated as in the present embodiment, it is beneficial in that the solid solder that has hit the cover 585 can be directly guided to the storage tank 110 by the guide portion 580.

[0048] When both the contact body 530 and the brush 590 are used, the brush 590 may be positioned on the downstream side (the right side in FIG. 8) in the conveying direction B of the transfer claw 600 with respect to the contact body 530. By providing such a brush 590, the solder attached to the transfer claw 600 can be removed more reliably. That is, when the solder attached to the transfer claw 600 is scraped off by the contact body 530 made of a metal plate or the like, the scraped solder may remain on the transfer claw 600. In this regard, by providing the brush 590 as in the present embodiment, the solder on the transfer claw 600 can be removed.

[0049] The descriptions of the above-described embodiments and the disclosures of the drawings are merely examples for explaining the invention described in the claims, and the invention described in the claims is not limited by the descriptions of the above-described embodiments or the disclosures of the drawings. Also, the descriptions of the claims at the time of filing are merely examples, and based on the descriptions of the specification, drawings, etc., the descriptions of the claims can be appropriately changed.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0050] 100 Jet Soldering Apparatus 600 Transfer Claw 610 Claw Portion 630 Coating Film

Claims

1. A transfer claw for transferring a substrate to which solder is supplied, comprising a claw body made of a resin material or a material containing Ti and having a claw portion for gripping the substrate, and a coating film covering at least the claw portion. The transfer claw having the above.

2. The transfer claw according to Claim 1, wherein the coating film covers the entire claw body.

3. The transfer claw according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the resin material is made of a liquid crystal polymer.

4. The transfer claw according to Claim 3, wherein the liquid crystal polymer is made of a liquid crystal wholly aromatic polyester.

5. The transfer claw according to Claim 4, wherein the liquid crystal wholly aromatic polyester uses para-hydroxybenzoic acid, biphenol, and terephthalic acid as monomer components.

6. The transfer claw according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the coating film contains a fluororesin.

7. The transfer claw according to Claim 6, wherein the fluororesin is polytetrafluoroethylene.

8. The transfer claw according to Claim 6, wherein the coating film contains a polyimide compound.

9. The transfer claw according to Claim 8, wherein the polyimide compound is a polyamideimide compound.

10. The transfer claw according to Claim 6, wherein the coating film contains a pigment.

11. A jet soldering apparatus for supplying solder containing Bi to a substrate, and a transfer mechanism for transferring the substrate. Comprising: The soldering apparatus, wherein the transfer mechanism has the transfer claw according to Claim 1 or 2.

Images