Shaping device and method for controlling dispenser head

Abstract

To prevent increased production costs and decreased production efficiency while suppressing discharge defects.SOLUTION: The shaping device comprises a dispenser head that ejects fluid to perform coating processing, and a control unit that controls the dispenser head so that, after a purge for ejecting fluid from the dispenser head is executed separately from coating processing, coating processing is started without performing a purge within a predetermined effective time period. When the time exceeds the effective time period, a purge is performed before starting the next coating processing, and when the time exceeds the effective time period during coating processing, the coating processing is continued without performing a purge or a purge is performed before starting the coating processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This specification discloses a modeling apparatus and a method for controlling a dispenser head. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, devices have been proposed that are equipped with a head that ejects a fluid and that perform a process to suppress ejection defects. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method of suppressing ejection defects caused by an increase in viscosity due to drying of the fluid by ejecting a fluid unrelated to printing from the head during execution of a printing process or the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-147390 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In addition to the above-mentioned discharge defects caused by increased fluid viscosity, some devices also suffer from discharge defects due to the inclusion of air bubbles. Furthermore, frequent fluid discharge to prevent discharge defects not only increases fluid loss and production costs, but also can disrupt ongoing processes or delay the start of processes, reducing production efficiency. For these reasons, further improvements are needed.

[0005] A primary object of the present disclosure is to suppress ejection defects while preventing an increase in production costs and a decrease in production efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure has adopted the following means to achieve the above-mentioned main object.

[0007] The molding apparatus of the present disclosure includes: a dispenser head that discharges a fluid to perform a coating process; a control unit that controls the dispenser head so that the coating process is started without executing the purge within a predetermined effective time after a purge that discharges fluid from the dispenser head is executed separately from the coating process, and if the effective time has passed, the purge is executed before the next coating process is started, and if the effective time has passed during the coating process, the coating process is continued without executing the purge during the coating process or the purge is executed before the coating process; The gist of the project is to provide the following:

[0008] In the modeling apparatus disclosed herein, by starting a coating process without purging within a predetermined effective time after purging, it is possible to prevent a decrease in production efficiency due to a delay in the start of the coating process and to prevent frequent purging. Furthermore, if the effective time is exceeded, purging is performed before the next coating process is started, thereby suppressing discharge defects. Furthermore, if the effective time is exceeded during a coating process, the coating process is continued without purging during the coating process or purging is performed before the coating process, thereby preventing a decrease in production efficiency due to the coating process being interrupted. Furthermore, because large bubbles are unlikely to occur during the coating process, continuing the coating process without purging is unlikely to cause discharge defects. In this way, by appropriately determining whether to perform purging based on the effective time, it is possible to suppress discharge defects while preventing an increase in production costs and a decrease in production efficiency due to unnecessary purging. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a production system 1 including a molding apparatus 10. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a molding apparatus 10. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of air bubbles mixed in the dispenser head. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a purge flag setting process. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a purge execution process. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of timing for executing purging during a forming process. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of timing for executing purging during a forming process. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a purge timing setting process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a production system 1 including a molding apparatus 10. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the molding apparatus 10. In this embodiment, the left-right direction (X-axis), front-rear direction (Y-axis), and up-down direction (Z-axis) are as shown in Fig. 1.

[0011] The production system 1 includes a three-dimensional modeling device (hereinafter, modeling device) 10 that models a shaped object, such as a substrate or wiring, on a rectangular plate-shaped pallet P, and a mounting device 80 that mounts components on the wiring on the substrate modeled on the pallet P. The production system 1 may include two or more mounting devices 80, or may include only the modeling device 10 without the mounting device 80. The modeling device 10 includes a control unit 20, a memory unit 22, a communication unit 24, an operation panel 26, a first discharge unit 30, a flattening unit 35, a second discharge unit 40, a UV irradiation unit 47, an upper surface heating unit 48, a press heating unit 49, a transport unit 50, a stage unit 60, and first and second transfer units 70 and 75. All components except the operation panel 26 are housed in a housing 12 of the modeling device 10.

[0012] The control unit 20 is configured as a microprocessor centered on a CPU 20a, and includes a ROM 20b that stores processing programs, a RAM 20c used as a work area, and a timer 20d that executes timing processing, and controls the entire modeling apparatus 10. The memory unit 22 is configured, for example, with an HDD or SSD, and stores modeling information such as the shape and size of the model (three-dimensional object) and modeling jobs including wiring information such as wiring patterns. The communication unit 24 is an interface used to communicate with each device in the production system 1, such as the mounting device 80 and a management device (not shown). The control unit 20 exchanges information with each device in the production system 1 via the communication unit 24. The operation panel 26 is a touch-panel display disposed at the top of the front of the housing 12, and displays various information to the operator and accepts various operations from the operator.

[0013] The first ejection unit 30 includes a first inkjet head 31 and a second inkjet head 32 that eject liquid materials using an inkjet system, and an X-axis moving unit 33. The first inkjet head 31 ejects resin ink for forming substrates. The resin ink is a liquid material such as a liquid curable resin (e.g., UV-curable resin, thermosetting resin, or two-part curable resin), a thermoplastic resin, or a slurry in which a solid material such as an inorganic substance is mixed with a solvent. The second inkjet head 32 ejects a conductive metal ink, such as silver ink, in which metal particles are dispersed in a solvent, for forming wiring (circuits). The X-axis moving unit 33 includes a guide rail provided in the X-axis direction on the front of a gate-shaped frame and two sliders on which the inkjet heads 31 and 32 are respectively arranged. The inkjet heads 31 and 32 are moved in the X-axis direction by moving each slider along the guide rail.

[0014] The flattening unit 35 includes a roller or blade for flattening the liquid material on the pallet P, and is disposed on the rear surface of the frame of the X-axis moving unit 33. The flattening unit 35 flattens the surface of the resin ink ejected onto the pallet P, for example, by smoothing it with the roller or blade while moving the pallet P relative to the Y-axis direction.

[0015] The second dispensing unit 40 includes a first dispenser head 41, a second dispenser head 42, and a third dispenser head 43 that dispense liquid materials using a dispenser method, and an X-axis moving unit 44. The first dispenser head 41 and the second dispenser head 42 dispense conductive paste, such as silver paste, for electrode formation. The first dispenser head 41 and the second dispenser head 42 dispense conductive pastes with different viscosities and conductivities. The third dispenser head 43 dispenses resin paste, such as thermosetting resin, as underfill for component encapsulation. The second dispensing unit 40 may include more dispenser heads so that it can dispense more types of liquid materials. The X-axis moving unit 44 includes guide rails provided in the X-axis direction on the front surface of a gate-shaped frame and a slider on which the first to third dispenser heads 41, 42, and 43 are collectively arranged. The X-axis moving unit 44 moves the sliders to move the dispenser heads 41, 42, and 43 in the X-axis direction.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 3 , each of the first to third dispenser heads 41, 42, and 43 includes a syringe 45 containing a liquid resin such as a conductive paste or a curable resin, and a needle 46 attached to the lower end of the syringe 45 and configured to eject the paste. The conductive paste is, for example, a liquid resin in which a conductive material having conductivity is dispersed. For example, a conductive paste in which metal particles are dispersed in a resin that hardens when heated is used. The curable resin is, for example, a liquid resin having insulating properties. The first to third dispenser heads 41, 42, and 43 eject the paste from the needle 46 by applying pressure to each syringe 45 from a pressure applying unit (not shown). Here, air may enter from, for example, the boundary between the syringe 45 and the needle 46, causing bubbles (e.g., bubble A shown in FIG. 3 ) to be mixed into the paste in the syringe 45. If such bubbles are expelled during the paste ejection, poor paste ejection (poor application) occurs. In this embodiment, to prevent such ejection defects, a purge is performed to discharge air bubbles along with a predetermined amount of paste. The purge is performed by discharging a predetermined amount of paste into a paste receiver (not shown) provided at one end (e.g., the right end) in the X-axis direction. Due to differences in the viscosity of the paste, air bubbles are less likely to remain in the third dispenser head 43 that ejects the underfill than in the first and second dispenser heads 41 and 42 that eject the conductive paste, and ejection defects due to air bubbles are less likely to become a problem. Therefore, in this embodiment, purging is performed in the first and second dispenser heads 41 and 42. Purging takes, for example, several tens of minutes. Details of the timing of purging will be described later. The ink ejected by the inkjet heads 31 and 32 has a lower viscosity than the paste ejected by the first and second dispenser heads 41 and 42.

[0017] The UV irradiation unit 47 is equipped with a UV lamp such as a mercury lamp, metal halide lamp, or UV-LED, and irradiates UV-curable resin dispensed onto the pallet P with UV light to harden it, thereby forming a resin layer. The top surface heating unit 48 is equipped with an infrared heater such as a halogen heater, ceramic heater, or carbon heater, and heats and hardens the metal ink dispensed onto the pallet P, thereby forming wiring. Note that the resin layer and wiring are formed by repeating the process of forming the resin layer and the wiring multiple times, thereby layer-by-layer forming a molded object on the pallet P. The press heating unit 49 is equipped with a metal flat plate, a heater for heating the flat plate, and an elevator that can raise and lower the pallet P and apply pressure to press it against the flat plate from below. The press heating unit 49 heats the flat plate with the heater, thereby heating the pallet P on which the molded object before or after component mounting is mounted, thereby hardening the conductive paste or underfill. When the pallet P on which the molded object is mounted after the components are mounted is heated, the pallet P is heated while being pressed relative to the flat plate to harden the underfill.

[0018] The transport unit 50 includes a belt conveyor 52 that transports the pallet P along the X-axis direction. By driving the belt conveyor 52, the transport unit 50 transports the pallet P to be carried into the mounting device 80 and the pallet P carried out from the mounting device 80 in the X-axis direction.

[0019] The stage unit 60 holds the placed pallet P and moves the pallet P in the Y-axis direction and raises and lowers the pallet P in the Z-axis direction. The stage unit 60 includes a stage lifting / lowering unit 61 and a Y-axis moving unit 62. The stage lifting / lowering unit 61 holds the placed pallet P and raises and lowers the pallet P by moving a stage that can abut against the underside of the pallet P in the Z-axis direction. The Y-axis moving unit 62 is movable along a guide rail 11 that is disposed in the center of the lower part of the molding apparatus 10 from the front to the rear in the Y-axis direction. The Y-axis moving unit 62 includes a slider on which the stage lifting / lowering unit 61 is disposed, and moves the stage lifting / lowering unit 61 in the Y-axis direction. Note that the gate-shaped frames of the X-axis moving units 33, 44 in the first discharging unit 30 and the second discharging unit 40 are disposed so as to straddle the guide rail 11. The stage lifting unit 61 moves in the Y-axis direction by a slider of the Y-axis moving unit 62, and moves to processing positions below the first discharge unit 30, flattening unit 35, second discharge unit 40, UV irradiation unit 47, and upper surface heating unit 48. In addition, the stage unit 60 moves to a position where the pallet P is transferred between the transport unit 50, a position where the pallet P is transferred between the press heating unit 49, a position where the pallet P can be attached or detached by an operator, etc.

[0020] The first transfer unit 70 transfers the pallet P in the X-axis direction to be transferred between the transport unit 50 and the stage unit 60, and includes a pusher lifting / lowering unit 71 and an X-axis moving unit 72. The pusher lifting / lowering unit 71 raises and lowers a pusher (not shown) in the Z-axis direction using, for example, a cylinder between an upper position where it does not interfere with the pallet P and a lower position where it can abut against the side of the pallet P. The X-axis moving unit 72 includes a guide rail provided along the X-axis direction on a gate-shaped frame that straddles the guide rail 11, and a slider on which the pusher lifting / lowering unit 71 is disposed and movable along the guide rail, and moves the pusher lifting / lowering unit 71 in the X-axis direction. In this embodiment, the frame and guide rail of the X-axis moving unit 72 are shared with the frame and guide rail of the X-axis moving unit 44 described above, and the slider of the X-axis moving unit 72 is provided separately from the slider of the X-axis moving unit 44. The second transfer unit 75 transfers the pallet P in the X-axis direction to be handed over between the press heating unit 49 and the stage unit 60. Similar to the first transfer unit 70, the second transfer unit 75 includes a pusher lifting / lowering unit 76 that raises and lowers the pusher, and an X-axis moving unit 77 that moves the pusher lifting / lowering unit 76 in the X-axis direction, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the mounting device 80 includes a transport unit 81, a component supply unit 82, a mounting head 83, an XY-axis moving unit 85, a parts camera 86, a nozzle stocker 87, and an operation panel 88.

[0022] The transport unit 81 includes a belt conveyor that transports the pallet P along the X-axis direction, and transports the pallet P to be loaded into the modeling apparatus 10 and the pallet P unloaded from the modeling apparatus 10. The component supply unit 82 is, for example, a tape feeder equipped with a reel on which components are stored at predetermined intervals on tape. Multiple tape feeders are detachably attached to the front side of the mounting apparatus 80. The mounting head 83 includes one or more nozzles that pick up components and a nozzle lifting unit that raises and lowers the nozzles in the Z-axis direction, and mounts the components picked up by the nozzles in predetermined positions on the pallet P. The XY-axis moving unit 85 includes a Y-axis slider that moves along the Y-axis guide rail and the Y-axis guide rail, and an X-axis slider that moves along the X-axis guide rail and the X-axis guide rail provided on the Y-axis slider and on which the mounting head 83 is disposed. The XY-axis moving unit 85 moves the Y-axis slider and the X-axis slider to move the mounting head 83 in the X and Y directions. The imaging range of the parts camera 86 is above, and the camera captures an image of the component picked up by the nozzle of the mounting head 83 from below to generate a captured image. The nozzle stocker 87 is configured to be able to accommodate a variety of nozzles of different sizes and shapes. The nozzles accommodated in the nozzle stocker 87 can be automatically attached to and detached from the mounting head 83. The operation panel 88 is configured as a touch panel display, and displays various information to the worker and accepts various operations from the worker.

[0023] Next, the execution of purging of the first and second dispenser heads 41, 42 will be described as an operation of the modeling apparatus 10 of the production system 1 configured as described above. As described above, in this embodiment, purging is performed to prevent poor paste discharge due to air bubbles. However, since air bubbles reappear over time even after purging, purging must be performed repeatedly. On the other hand, frequent purging is undesirable because it increases the amount of paste discharged during purging. Therefore, in this embodiment, the time until air bubbles reappear after purging is determined in advance through experiments or the like and set as the effective time. Then, the control unit 20 performs purging at the required timing based on the effective time and the elapsed time since purging, as follows. The effective time is set to, for example, several hours.

[0024] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a purge flag setting process. In this embodiment, a purge flag F is set in each of the first and second dispenser heads 41 and 42, and purging is performed. Therefore, the control unit 20 (CPU 20a) executes a purge flag setting process for the first dispenser head 41 and a purge flag setting process for the second dispenser head 42, based on the flowchart of Fig. 4.

[0025] In the purge flag setting process, the control unit 20 first determines whether or not the purge flag F has a value of 0 (S100), and if it determines that the purge flag F is not 0 but has a value of 1, the process proceeds to S160. Note that the purge flag F indicates a state in which purging does not need to be performed when it has a value of 0, and indicates a state in which purging needs to be performed when it has a value of 1. In the purge flag setting process for the first dispenser head 41, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the purge flag F for the first dispenser head 41 (hereinafter, purge flag F1) has a value of 0. Furthermore, in the purge flag setting process for the second dispenser head 42, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the purge flag F for the second dispenser head 42 (hereinafter, purge flag F2) has a value of 0.

[0026] When the control unit 20 determines that the purge flag F has a value of 0 in S100, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the elapsed time T is being measured (S110). If it determines that the elapsed time T is not being measured, the control unit 20 starts measuring the elapsed time T using the timer 20d (S120). If it determines that the elapsed time T is being measured, the control unit 20 skips S120. Note that, as will be described in the process to be described later, the elapsed time T is usually measured by the timer 20d as the time since the execution of purging. However, even when S110 is executed after the preparation work including filling the syringe 45 with paste is completed and the modeling process is started in the modeling apparatus 10, the control unit 20 determines that the elapsed time T is not being measured and starts measuring the elapsed time T using the timer 20d. In the purge flag setting process for the first dispenser head 41, the control unit 20 starts measuring the elapsed time T for the first dispenser head 41 (hereinafter, referred to as the elapsed time T1). Furthermore, in the purge flag setting process for the second dispenser head 42, the control unit 20 starts measuring the elapsed time T for the second dispenser head 42 (hereinafter referred to as elapsed time T2).

[0027] Next, the control unit 20 determines whether the elapsed time T is within the valid time (S130), and if it is determined that it is within the valid time, the process proceeds to S160. On the other hand, if the control unit 20 determines that the elapsed time T is not within the valid time but outside the valid time, it determines that purging is required, sets the purge flag F to a value of 1 (S140), and ends measurement of the elapsed time T (S150). If the control unit 20 determines that the elapsed time T1 is outside the valid time in the purge flag setting process for the first dispenser head 41, it sets the purge flag F1 to a value of 1. Furthermore, if the control unit 20 determines that the elapsed time T2 is outside the valid time in the purge flag setting process for the second dispenser head 42, it sets the purge flag F2 to a value of 1. In this embodiment, the valid times of the first and second dispenser heads 41 and 42 are the same. However, if there is a difference in the likelihood of bubble generation due to differences in the properties of the paste or differences in the volume or shape of the syringe 45, different effective times may be set for the first and second dispenser heads 41, 42. As described above, measurement of the elapsed time T is started when S110 is executed after the preparation work including filling the syringe 45 with paste is completed and the modeling process is started in the modeling apparatus 10, but this is not limited to this, and purging may be executed by setting the purge flag F to a value of 1.

[0028] Next, the control unit 20 determines whether or not purging has been performed (S160), and if it determines that purging has not been performed, the process returns to S100. Note that, if the control unit 20 sets the value of purge flag F to 1 and then executes purging in the purge execution process of Fig. 5, it determines that purging has been executed in S160. On the other hand, if the control unit 20 determines that purging has been executed in S160, it sets the value of purge flag F to 0 (S170), initializes the elapsed time T, and starts measuring the elapsed time T using the timer 20d (S180), and the process returns to S100. If the control unit 20 determines that purging of the first dispenser head 41 has been executed in the purge flag setting process for the first dispenser head 41, it sets the value of purge flag F1 to 0, and starts measuring the elapsed time T1. Furthermore, when the control unit 20 determines that purging of the second dispenser head 42 has been executed in the purge flag setting process for the second dispenser head 42, it sets the value of the purge flag F2 to 0 and starts measuring the elapsed time T2.

[0029] Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a purge execution process. The control unit 20 (CPU 20a) executes the purge execution process for the first dispenser head 41 and the purge execution process for the second dispenser head 42 based on the flowchart of Fig. 5.

[0030] In the purge execution process, the control unit 20 first determines whether the purge flag F is set to the value 1 or not (S200), and if it determines that the purge flag F is set to the value 0 and not the value 1, waits for the value to become 1. In the purge execution process for the first dispenser head 41, the control unit 20 determines whether the purge flag F1 is set to the value 1 or not. In the purge flag setting process for the second dispenser head 42, the control unit 20 determines whether the purge flag F2 is set to the value 1 or not.

[0031] When the control unit 20 determines that the purge flag F is set to a value of 1, it determines whether a coating process is being performed by either the first or second dispenser head 41, 42 (S210). If it determines that a coating process is being performed, the process returns to S200. That is, in this embodiment, even if the purge flag F is set to a value of 1, purging is not performed during the coating process, thereby preventing a decrease in production efficiency due to the interruption of the coating process. Note that, if it is determined in S210 that a coating process is being performed by a dispenser head whose purge flag F is set to a value of 1, this means that the coating process was started before the purge flag F became a value of 1. In other words, it can be said that the elapsed time T during the coating process exceeded the valid time, and the purge flag F was set to a value of 1. In such a case, the paste in the syringe 45 flows due to the discharge of the paste during the coating process, making it difficult for large bubbles to occur. Therefore, even if the purge flag F becomes a value of 1 during the coating process, not performing purging is unlikely to cause a discharge defect.

[0032] On the other hand, if the control unit 20 determines in S210 that the coating process is not in progress, it determines whether another process immediately before the coating process is in progress (S220). The other processes include printing processes and curing processes other than the coating process among the processes executed by the production system 1. Examples of printing processes include a first printing process in which resin ink is ejected from the first inkjet head 31 of the first ejection unit 30 to form a substrate, and a second printing process in which metal ink is ejected from the second inkjet head 32 of the first ejection unit 30 to form wiring (circuits). Examples of curing processes include a first curing process in which the resin ink is cured by the UV irradiation unit 47, a second curing process in which the metal ink is cured by the upper surface heating unit 48, and a third curing process in which the conductive paste or underfill is cured by the press heating unit 49.

[0033] When the control unit 20 determines in S220 that another process is in progress, it further determines whether or not it is after a predetermined timing before the end of that process (S230), and when it determines that it is not after the predetermined timing, it returns to S200. On the other hand, when it determines that it is after the predetermined timing, it controls the dispenser head whose purge flag F has a value of 1 so as to execute purging of that dispenser head (S250), and returns to S200. In S250 of the purge execution process for the first dispenser head 41, the control unit 20 executes purging of the first dispenser head 41. Moreover, in S250 of the purge flag setting process for the second dispenser head 42, the control unit 20 executes purging of the second dispenser head 42.

[0034] The predetermined timing is set, for example, by calculating backward from the scheduled end time of the other process, allowing for a slight margin for the time required to execute the purge. By executing the purge at this predetermined timing, the purge can be reliably completed before the start of the coating process immediately after the other process, while minimizing the time from the execution of the purge to the start of the coating process, thereby suppressing the generation of bubbles. Furthermore, even if the predetermined timing has already passed, by starting the purge before the end of the other process, it is possible to suppress delays in the start of the coating process compared to starting the purge after the end of the other process. In any case, the coating process immediately after the other process is started with the dispenser head purged, thereby preventing ejection defects caused by bubbles.

[0035] Furthermore, when the control unit 20 determines in S220 that another process immediately before the application process is not in progress, it determines whether it is time to start the application process (S240). In S240, it determines whether the other process immediately before the application process has already ended and whether it is time to start the application process using a dispenser head with a purge flag F of value 1. If an earlier process than the other process immediately before the application process is in progress, the control unit 20 determines that it is not time to start the application process and returns to S200. On the other hand, when the control unit 20 determines that it is time to start the application process, it executes purging of the dispenser head with a purge flag F of value 1 (S250) and returns to S200. Executing purging at the timing when the application process is to start delays the start of the application process. However, because the application process is started with the dispenser head purged, it is possible to prevent discharge defects due to air bubbles.

[0036] 6 and 7 are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the timing of executing purging during the modeling process. FIGS. 6 and 7 excerpt some of the processes performed in the modeling process. For example, in the modeling process of FIG. 6, a first printing process (1) in which resin ink is ejected from the first inkjet head 31 and a first curing process (2) in which the resin ink is cured by the UV irradiation unit 47 are executed. A resin layer is formed by the first printing process (1) and the curing process (2). Note that, for example, the purge flag F1 and the purge flag F2 are set to a value of 1 during the first curing process (2), but this is not limited thereto and they may be set to a value of 1 during other processes. Next, a second printing process (3) in which metal ink is ejected from the second inkjet head 32 and a second curing process (4) in which the metal ink is cured by the upper surface heating unit 48 are executed. Wiring corresponding to the wiring (circuit) pattern is formed by the second printing process and the curing process.

[0037] After the second curing process (4), a first application process (5) is performed in which, for example, the first dispenser head 41 applies conductive paste to through holes penetrating a resin layer to form hole electrodes h. That is, the process immediately preceding the first application process (5) is the second curing process (4). Therefore, when the control unit 20 determines in S230 of FIG. 5 that it is a predetermined timing before the end of the second curing process (4), it performs a purge (1-1) of the first dispenser head 41. In this way, by performing the purge (1-1) during the second curing process (4), it is possible to prevent waiting for the execution of the purge when starting the first application process (5) and to prevent discharge defects due to air bubbles in the first application process (5).

[0038] After the first application process (5) is completed and the press heating unit 49 performs the third curing process (6), the first printing process (7) is performed again, followed by the first curing process (8). Note that in FIG. 6, the elapsed time T since the purge (1-1) was performed becomes outside the valid time, for example, during the first printing process (7), and the purge flag F1 becomes 1 again. After the first curing process (8), a first application process (9) is performed in which the first dispenser head 41 applies conductive paste to the recesses formed on the upper surface by the first printing process (7) to form upper electrodes u. That is, the process immediately preceding the first application process (9) is the first curing process (8). Therefore, when the control unit 20 determines in S230 of FIG. 5 that a predetermined timing has arrived before the end of the first curing process (8), it performs a purge (1-2) of the first dispenser head 41. In this way, after the elapsed time T falls outside the effective time, purging (1-2) of the first dispenser head 41 is performed during the first curing process (8) immediately before the next first application process (9) is performed. That is, when the elapsed time T falls outside the effective time, purging is performed before the next application process (here, the first application process (9)) is started. Therefore, it is possible to prevent frequent purging compared to performing purging every time the elapsed time T falls outside the effective time. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent waiting for purging to be performed when starting the first application process (9), and to prevent poor discharge due to air bubbles in the first application process (9).

[0039] When the first coating process (9) is completed, a second coating process (10) is performed in which the second dispenser head 42 coats the conductive paste to form bumps b. Although the purge flag F2 has a value of 1, purging is not performed during the coating process as described above, and therefore purging of the second dispenser head 42 is not performed during the first coating process (9) immediately before the second coating process (10). Therefore, when the control unit 20 determines in S240 of FIG. 5 that it is time to start the second coating process (10), it performs a purge (2-1) of the second dispenser head 42. This causes a wait for purging to be performed when starting the second coating process (10), but it is possible to prevent poor discharge due to air bubbles in the second coating process (10).

[0040] Furthermore, after the second dispensing process (10) is completed and the press heating unit 49 performs the third curing process (11), the second dispensing process (12) is performed again, in which the second dispenser head 42 dispenses the conductive paste to form bumps b. At the start of the second dispensing process (12), the elapsed time T since the purge (2-1) was performed is within the valid time. Therefore, the second dispensing process (12) is performed without purging the second dispenser head 42. In this way, by starting the dispensing process (here, the second dispensing process) without purging when the elapsed time T is within the valid time, a decrease in production efficiency due to a delay in the start of the dispensing process can be prevented, and frequent purging can be prevented. Therefore, more paste than necessary can be prevented from being consumed. Even if the purge flag F2 becomes 1 during the second dispensing process (12), the second dispensing process (12) continues without purging. In other words, if the effective time limit is exceeded during the coating process, the coating process continues without purging, preventing a decrease in production efficiency due to the coating process being interrupted. As described above, since there is little chance of large bubbles occurring during the coating process, there is little chance of discharge defects occurring even if the coating process is continued without purging. After the second coating process (12) is completed, the mounting process for the component p, the third coating process in which the third dispenser head 43 discharges resin paste to form an underfill, and the third curing process by the press heating unit 49 are performed (13), thereby completing the modeling process.

[0041] The modeling process in FIG. 7 is performed after the modeling process in FIG. 6 is completed, for example, after a predetermined time or the next day. The purge flag F2, which was set to value 1 during the second application process (12) in FIG. 6, remains set to value 1. Note that the first application process by the first dispenser head 41 is not performed in FIG. 7, and therefore is not shown. In FIG. 7, the second printing process (21) is performed after the first printing process and the first curing process (not shown) are performed. Furthermore, the second application process (23) is performed after the second curing process (22). In other words, the process immediately before the second application process (23) is the second curing process (22). Because the purge flag F2 is set to value 1, the control unit 20 performs purge (2-2) of the second dispenser head 42 when it determines in S230 of FIG. 5 that the predetermined timing before the end of the second curing process (22) has arrived. 6, if the effective time has expired during the second application process (12), purging is performed after the continued second application process (12) has ended and before the next second application process (23) is started. This makes it possible to prevent discharge defects in the next second application process (23) even if the second application process (12) is continued after the effective time has expired. Furthermore, since purging (2-2) is performed during the second curing process (22), it is possible to prevent waiting for purging to be performed when starting the next second application process (23) and to prevent discharge defects due to air bubbles in the second application process (23).

[0042] Furthermore, after the second dispensing process (23) is completed and the press heating unit 49 performs the third curing process (24), the second dispensing process (25) is performed again, in which the second dispenser head 42 dispenses the conductive paste to form the bumps b. At the start of this second dispensing process (25), the elapsed time T since the purge (2-2) was performed is within the valid time. Therefore, the second dispensing process (25) is performed without purging the second dispenser head 42. In the modeling process of FIG. 7 , if the elapsed time T is within the valid time, purging is not performed. This prevents the paste from being consumed more than necessary due to frequent purging. Even if the purge flag F2 becomes 0 during the second dispensing process (25), the second dispensing process (25) continues without purging. Note that, after the second dispensing process (25) is completed, the mounting process of the component p, the third dispensing process, the third curing process, etc. are performed (26), as in FIG. 6, to complete the modeling process.

[0043] Here, the correspondence between the components of this embodiment and the components of the present disclosure will be clarified. The first dispenser head 41 and the second dispenser head 42 of this embodiment correspond to the dispenser heads of the present disclosure, and the control unit 20 corresponds to the control unit. The first inkjet head 31 and the second inkjet head 32 correspond to the inkjet heads, and the UV irradiation unit 47, the upper surface heating unit 48, and the press heating unit 49 correspond to the curing processing unit. The control unit 20 that executes the purge timing setting process corresponds to the setting unit. Note that in this embodiment, an example of a method for controlling the dispenser heads of the present disclosure is also clarified by explaining the operation of the modeling apparatus 10.

[0044] In the modeling apparatus 10 of the present embodiment described above, by starting a coating process without purging within a predetermined effective time after purging, it is possible to prevent a decrease in production efficiency due to a delay in the start of the coating process and to prevent frequent purging. Furthermore, in the modeling apparatus 10, if the effective time has expired, purging is performed before the next coating process is started, thereby suppressing discharge defects of the first and second dispenser heads 41 and 42. Furthermore, in the modeling apparatus 10, if the effective time has expired during a coating process, the coating process is continued without purging, thereby preventing a decrease in production efficiency due to the interruption of the coating process. Since large bubbles are unlikely to occur during the coating process, continuing the coating process without purging is unlikely to cause discharge defects. In this way, by appropriately determining whether to perform purging depending on the effective time, it is possible to suppress discharge defects while preventing an increase in production costs and a decrease in production efficiency due to unnecessary purging.

[0045] Furthermore, when the effective time has expired during a coating process, the control unit 20 controls the first and second dispenser heads 41, 42 so that purging is performed after the continued coating process ends and before the next coating process starts. Therefore, even if the coating process is continued when the effective time has expired, ejection defects in the next coating process can be suppressed.

[0046] The modeling apparatus 10 also includes first and second inkjet heads 31 and 32 that perform a printing process by ejecting a fluid with lower viscosity than the first and second dispenser heads 41 and 42, and a UV irradiation unit 47, an upper surface heating unit 48, and a press heating unit 49 that serve as a curing unit that cures the fluid ejected in the printing process or the coating process. When the valid time has expired, the control unit 20 controls the first and second dispenser heads 41 and 42 to perform purging during another process, such as the printing process or the curing process, before the next coating process is performed. This prevents delays in the start of the coating process due to waiting for purging to be performed, thereby more reliably preventing a decrease in production efficiency.

[0047] It goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be embodied in various forms as long as they fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0048] In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 20 continues the coating process without performing purging even when the effective time has expired during the coating process, but this is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 20 determines in advance whether the effective time has expired during the coating process based on the elapsed time T and the effective time before starting the coating process. Then, if the control unit 20 determines that the effective time has expired during the coating process, the control unit 20 may set the purge flag F to a value of 1 and control the dispenser head to perform purging before the coating process.

[0049] In the embodiment, the control unit 20 executes purging when it determines that the elapsed time T falls outside the valid time during the formation process. However, this is not limited to this, and the purge timing may be set in advance based on the schedule of each process before the start of the formation process. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a purge timing setting process. Note that the control unit 20 executes a purge timing setting process for the first dispenser head 41 and a purge timing setting process for the second dispenser head 42, respectively, based on the flowchart of Fig. 8.

[0050] In the purge timing setting process, the control unit 20 first acquires a process plan including the execution order and execution times of multiple processes, including coating processes, in the modeling process (S300), and sets the valid time since the previous purge was performed or the syringe 45 was filled with paste (S310). Next, the control unit 20 selects the coating process with the earliest execution order from among the coating processes included in the process plan (S320) and determines whether the selected coating process will start within the valid time (S330). If the control unit 20 determines that the selected coating process will start within the valid time, it determines whether the valid time will fall outside the selected coating process (S340) and whether pre-purging is permitted (S350). Pre-purging is a purge that is performed before a coating process, i.e., before the valid time, if the valid time falls outside the valid time during the coating process. The control unit 20 may accept, for example, via the operation panel 26, a setting by the operator as to whether pre-purging is permitted.

[0051] If the control unit 20 determines in S330 that the selected coating process will not start within the valid time, or if it determines in S340 or S350 that the valid time has expired during the selected coating process and pre-purging is permitted, it acquires the process details immediately before the selected coating process (S360).The control unit 20 then determines whether purging of the dispenser head can be performed during the immediately preceding process (S370), and if it determines that purging is possible, it sets the purge timing before the end of the immediately preceding process (S380).Note that the control unit 20 may set the purge timing to a predetermined timing before the end of the immediately preceding process, as in the above-described embodiment.

[0052] Furthermore, if the control unit 20 determines in S370 that purging of the dispenser head cannot be performed during the immediately preceding process, it sets purge timing before the start of the application process (S390). After setting the purge timing in S380 and S390, the control unit 20 sets the effective time after purging is performed at that purge timing (S400). Next, the control unit 20 determines whether there is a next application process in the execution order (S410), and if it determines that there is a next application process, it selects the next application process (S420) and proceeds to S330. Furthermore, if the control unit 20 determines that there is no next application process in the execution order, it ends this process. Note that, during the modeling process, the control unit 20 controls the dispenser head to perform purging when the purge timing set in the purge timing setting process arrives.

[0053] In this modified example, the control unit 20 pre-sets the timing of purging based on the effective time and a processing plan including the execution order and execution time of multiple processes, including the coating process. Therefore, the control unit 20 can easily set the appropriate execution timing of purging and more reliably prevent unnecessary purging. Furthermore, if pre-purging is permitted, performing purging before the coating process can reliably prevent discharge defects. The control unit 20 may display the set execution timing of purging on the operation panel 26 and accept a modification of the execution timing by the operator. For example, the control unit 20 may accept a modification by the operator, such as adding a pre-purging setting, when the operator determines that pre-purging is better even if pre-purging is not permitted.

[0054] In the embodiment, two dispenser heads, the first dispenser head 41 and the second dispenser head 42, are provided as dispenser heads that discharge the conductive paste. However, the number is not limited to two, and three or more may be provided, or only one may be provided. Also, the first to third dispenser heads 41, 42, and 43 are arranged together on one slider, but this is not a limitation, and they may be arranged on separate sliders. In this case, while one of the dispenser heads is performing a coating process, purging of the other dispenser head may be performed.

[0055] This specification also discloses the technical idea of ​​changing the original claim 4 from "the molding device according to claim 1 or 2" to "the molding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3." [Industrial Applicability]

[0056] The present disclosure is applicable to technical fields in which a coating process is performed by discharging a fluid. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 Production system, 10 3D modeling device, 11 Y-axis rail, 12 Housing, 20 Control unit, 20a CPU, 20b ROM, 20c RAM, 20d Timer, 22 Memory unit, 24 Communication unit, 26, 88 Operation panel, 30 First discharge unit, 31 First inkjet head, 32 Second inkjet head, 33, 44 X-axis moving unit, 35 Flattening unit, 40 Second discharge unit, 41 First dispenser head, 42 Second dispenser head, 43 Third dispenser head, 47 UV irradiation unit, 48 Upper surface heating unit, 49 Press heating unit, 50 Transport unit, 52 Belt conveyor, 60 Stage unit, 61 Stage lifting unit, 62 Y-axis moving unit, 70 First transfer unit, 71, 76 Pusher lifting unit, 72, 77 X-axis moving unit, 75 Second transfer unit, 80 Mounting device, 81 transport unit, 82 component supply unit, 83 mounting head, 85 XY axis moving part, 86 parts camera, 87 nozzle stocker, A air bubble, b bump, h hole electrode, P pallet, p component.

Claims

1. a dispenser head that discharges a fluid to perform a coating process; a control unit that controls the dispenser head so that the coating process is started without executing the purge within a predetermined effective time after a purge that discharges fluid from the dispenser head is executed separately from the coating process, and if the effective time has passed, the purge is executed before the next coating process is started, and if the effective time has passed during the coating process, the coating process is continued without executing the purge during the coating process or the purge is executed before the coating process; A molding apparatus comprising:

2. the control unit controls the dispenser head so that, when the effective time expires during the coating process, the purging is performed after the continuous coating process is completed and before the next coating process is started. The molding apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. an inkjet head that ejects a fluid having a lower viscosity than the dispenser head to perform a printing process; a curing unit that performs a curing process on the fluid ejected in the printing process or the application process; Equipped with When the effective time has expired and a process other than the coating process, including the printing process and the curing process, is to be performed before the next coating process, the control unit controls the dispenser head to perform the purging during the execution of the other process. The molding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a setting unit that sets in advance the timing of executing the purging based on the effective time and a processing plan that includes an execution order and execution times of a plurality of processes including the coating process; the control unit controls the dispenser head so as to execute the purge at the execution timing. The molding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

5. A method for controlling a dispenser head that discharges a fluid to perform a coating process, comprising: (a) starting the coating process without performing a purge for a predetermined effective time after a purge is performed to eject fluid from the dispenser head separately from the coating process; (b) performing the purging process before the next coating process is started if the effective time has expired; (c) if the effective time period has expired during the coating process, continuing the coating process without performing the purging during the coating process or performing the purging before the coating process; A method for controlling a dispenser head, comprising:

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