Dispenser

Abstract

To provide a calibration fixture 9 that prevents a heater member etc., from being affected by cooling means and also prevents control means from being thermally affected by the heater member, securely perform temperature control over the heater member, and is used to control and adjust the temperature of the heater member.SOLUTION: The present invention relates to a dispenser that comprises a dispenser body 1 and a nozzle block 2 mounted detachably on the dispenser body 1, wherein the dispenser body 1 has an actuator 3 opening and closing a nozzle, control means 4, a heater block 5, a first chamber 6 housing the actuator 3 and control means 4, and a second chamber 7 housing the heater block 5. The first chamber 6 comprises cooling means, the part where the first chamber 6 and second chamber 7 adjoin is separated with a heat-insulating seal material 8, and an outer side face part of the heat block 5 and an inner side face part of the nozzle block 2 are in contact with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a dispenser that includes a dispenser body and a nozzle block that is detachably attached to the dispenser body and is used to dispense a liquid material. [Background technology]

[0002] Dispensers that dispense liquid materials such as water, oil, and resin are used in a variety of fields. In particular, in the semiconductor manufacturing field, dispensers are widely used in the underfill process and are also used in the process of filling the inside of semiconductor device packages with resin.In the LED device manufacturing process, dispensers are used in the process of applying a fluorescent liquid, which is a mixture of fluorescent material and resin, to LED chips. A known type of dispenser that ejects liquid material is one that ejects the liquid material from a nozzle by the reciprocating motion of a tappet. However, in order to control the ejection amount with high precision, it is necessary to maintain a constant temperature of the liquid material in the supply flow path to the nozzle. Conventionally, a cartridge heater has been used for temperature control, and the heater has generally been attached externally, but this has the problem of being easily affected by the outside air temperature and the surrounding temperature.

[0003] Therefore, as described in Patent Document 1 (JP 2023-115794 A), the applicant has proposed a dispenser including a dispenser body (1) and a nozzle block (3) detachably attached to the dispenser body (1), the nozzle block (3) including a block body (31), a nozzle (32), a supply flow path (33) for supplying a liquid material to the nozzle (32), and a tappet (34) whose tip reciprocates up and down within the supply flow path (33), and the dispenser body (1) includes an actuator ( The present inventors have developed a dispenser including an actuator (15), a heater element (25), a main frame (11) that houses the actuator (15), a plate member (23) to which the heater element (25) is attached, and an air inlet section (13A) and an air outlet section (13B) for introducing and discharging cooling air into and from the main frame (11), wherein the lower surface of the plate member (23) elastically abuts against the upper surface of the block body (31) of the nozzle block (3) (see in particular paragraphs 0010 to 0013, paragraph 0016, and Figures 1 and 2B). That is, by incorporating the heater element (25) in the dispenser body (1) and making the lower surface of the plate member (23) to which the heater element (25) is attached elastically contact the upper surface of the block body (31) of the nozzle block (3), the heater element (25) is less susceptible to the influence of the outside air temperature, thereby improving the temperature control performance of the liquid material in the supply flow path (33). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-115794 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, Patent Document 1 does not provide any explanation regarding the control means for controlling the actuator (15) and the heater member (25), nor does it provide any explanation or suggestion regarding how to prevent the heater member (25) and the plate member (23) from being affected by the cooling air introduced into and discharged from the main frame (11), such as by a decrease in temperature. Therefore, in the dispenser of Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the heater element (25) and the plate element (23) may be affected by a temperature drop or the like due to the cooling air, and conversely, there is a risk that the control means may malfunction due to the influence of heat from the heater element (25). To solve these problems, the first object of the present invention is to prevent the heater element and other components from being affected by the cooling means and to prevent the control means from being affected by the heat from the heater element. The second object is to enable the temperature measurement means to stably and accurately measure the temperature of the heater element so as to reliably control the temperature of the heater element, and the third object is to provide a calibration jig used to adjust the temperature control of the heater element. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention according to claim 1 to solve the above problem is: A dispenser comprising a dispenser body and a nozzle block detachably attached to the dispenser body, The nozzle block comprises: a nozzle for discharging a liquid material; a supply flow path for supplying a liquid material to the nozzle; a tappet whose tip reciprocates in the up and down direction within the supply flow path, The dispenser body includes: an actuator that applies a displacement to the tappet; A heater element; a control means for controlling the actuator and the heater member; a first chamber containing at least the actuator and the control means; a second chamber that accommodates at least the heater element; the first chamber has a cooling means for cooling the inside thereof, the first chamber and the second chamber are separated by a heat insulating sealing material, The outer surface of the heater member is in close contact with the inner surface of the nozzle block when the nozzle block is attached to the dispenser body.

[0007] The invention according to claim 2 for solving the above problem is the dispenser according to claim 1, A temperature measuring means for measuring the temperature of the heater element and transmitting the measurement result to the control means as corrected temperature data is disposed in the center of the heater element.

[0008] The invention according to claim 3 for solving the above problem is the dispenser according to claim 1 or 2, The liquid supply device is characterized by having a calibration jig that is inserted into the supply flow path and measures the temperature of the liquid material in the supply flow path when the heater element is controlled. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The dispenser of the invention of claim 1 has a dispenser body including a first chamber that houses at least an actuator and a control means, and a second chamber that houses at least a heater element, the first chamber having a cooling means for cooling the interior, and the first chamber and the second chamber being separated by an insulating sealing material, so that the heater element etc. are not affected by the cooling means, and the control means are not affected by the heat from the heater element. In addition, since the outer surface of the heater member is in close contact with the inner surface of the nozzle block when the nozzle block is attached to the dispenser body, the temperature of the liquid material in the supply flow path is kept constant by receiving heat from the heater member, and the amount of liquid material dispensed from the nozzle is controlled with high precision. Furthermore, since the temperature of the control means does not rise too much by receiving heat from the heater member, malfunction of the control means can be suppressed.

[0010] In addition to the above-mentioned effects of the invention of claim 1, the dispenser of the invention of claim 2 has a temperature measuring means disposed in the center of the heater element, so that the temperature measuring means is less susceptible to external disturbances (such as the temperature of the environment in which the dispenser is used), and can measure the temperature of the heater element stably and accurately, thereby enabling reliable temperature control of the heater element.

[0011] In addition to the above-mentioned effects of the invention of claim 1 or 2, the dispenser of the invention of claim 3 has a calibration jig that is inserted into the supply flow path and measures the temperature of the liquid material in the supply flow path when the heater element is controlled, so that the temperature of the heater element can be controlled and adjusted. As a result, the temperature of the liquid material in the supply flow path can be optimized, and the amount of liquid material ejected from the nozzle can be controlled with higher precision. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the dispenser according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic view of a dispenser according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 4A to 4C are explanatory diagrams of a procedure for attaching the nozzle block of the first embodiment to the dispenser body. [Figure 4] 2A and 2B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a heater block in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the calibration jig according to the second embodiment is used. [Figure 6] 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the heater temperature setting and the temperature inside the supply flow path. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples. [Example]

[0014] 1 and 2 are a cross-sectional view and a schematic view of a dispenser according to a first embodiment, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dispenser according to the first embodiment comprises a dispenser body 1 and a nozzle block 2 detachably attached to the dispenser body 1. As shown in FIG. The nozzle block 2 has a nozzle 21 that ejects liquid material, a supply flow path 22 that supplies the liquid material to the nozzle 21, a liquid material inlet 23 provided upstream of the supply flow path 22, a tappet 24 whose tip reciprocates vertically within the supply flow path 22 to open and close the nozzle 21, and a tappet biasing means 25 that biases the tappet 24 upward. The dispenser body 1 also has an actuator 3 that applies displacement to the tappet 24, a control means 4 that controls a heater 52 and a solenoid 32 described later, a heater block 5 that keeps the temperature of the liquid material in the supply flow path 22 constant, a first chamber 6 that houses the actuator 3 and the control means 4, and a second chamber 7 that houses the heater block 5.

[0015] 2, the first chamber 6 is provided with a cooling means consisting of a cold air inlet 61 that sends cold air into the first chamber 6 from a cold air delivery means (not shown) arranged on the side wall side of the dispenser body 1, and an exhaust port 62 that discharges air from the first chamber 6 to the outside. Also, the lower surface of the first chamber 6 is provided with a tappet insertion hole 63 into which the upper part of the tappet 24 can be inserted and which is in a closed state when the nozzle block 2 is attached to the dispenser body 1. The underside of the second chamber 7 is provided with a heater block insertion hole 71 into which the heater block 5 can be inserted, and into which the outer surface of the heater block 5 and the inner surface of the nozzle block 2 are in close contact when the nozzle block 2 is attached to the dispenser body 1. The adjacent areas of the first chamber 6 and the second chamber 7 are separated by a heat insulating sealing material 8, so that the temperature of the heater block 5 does not drop due to the cold air sent into the inside of the first chamber 6, and conversely, the heat of the heater block 5 does not raise the temperature of the control means 4.

[0016] 2, the actuator 3 that applies displacement to the tappet 24 comprises a displacement magnification mechanism 31 that contacts the upper end of the tappet 24 inserted into the tappet insertion hole 63, a solenoid 32 that contacts the upper surface of the displacement magnification mechanism 31, and an actuator biasing means 34 (spring) that biases one end 33 of the displacement magnification mechanism 31 in a direction away from the upper end of the tappet 24. That is, when the solenoid 32 expands and its lower end 35 presses against the upper surface of the displacement magnification mechanism 31, the one end 33 moves downward against the biasing forces of the tappet biasing means 25 and the actuator biasing means 34, the tappet 24 moves down, and the nozzle 21 closes. Conversely, when the solenoid 32 contracts, the one end 33 moves upward by the biasing force of the actuator biasing means 34, the tappet 24 rises, the nozzle 21 opens, and the liquid material in the pressurized supply channel 22 is discharged from the nozzle 21. The expansion and contraction of the solenoid 32 is controlled by the control means 4.

[0017] 3A to 3D are explanatory diagrams of the procedure for attaching the nozzle block 2 of Example 1 to the dispenser body 1. The procedure for attaching the nozzle block 2 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3D. (Step A) As shown in Figure 3(A), position the upper end of the tappet 24 of the nozzle block 2 directly below the tappet insertion hole 63, and position the two tapered surfaces 26 of the nozzle block 2 directly below the connecting pin 12 provided on the slider 11 at the bottom of the dispenser body 1, and move it upward (in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 3(A)). There are two sliders 11, one on the front side and the other on the back side, and two connecting pins 12 are hung horizontally between the two sliders 11. An elongated hole 13 is provided in the upper part of one end side (left side in Fig. 3) of the slider 11, and a fixing pin 14 fixedly provided in the lower part of the dispenser body 1 passes through it. Furthermore, a guide member 15 that connects both sliders 11 and is slidably supported in the lower part of the dispenser body 1 is provided in the other end side (right side in Fig. 3) of the two sliders 11. Therefore, the two sliders 11 can slide horizontally relative to the dispenser body 1 by the length of the elongated hole 13. Moreover, the guide member 15 is always biased toward one end by a slider biasing means 16 fixedly provided on the dispenser body 1.

[0018] (Step B) From the state shown in Figure 3(A), the nozzle block 2 is moved upward, the upper end of the tappet 24 is inserted into the tappet insertion hole 63, and the two tapered surfaces 26 of the nozzle block 2 are each brought into contact with the connecting pin 12. As shown in Figure 3(B), the two sliders 11 begin to move toward the other end (in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 3(B)).

[0019] (Step C) As shown in Figure 3(C), when the nozzle block 2 is further raised, the slider 11, connecting pin 12, elongated hole 13 and guide member 15 move to the other end side, and the two connecting pins 12 are positioned at the other end of the tapered surface 26, the fixing pin 14 is positioned at one end side of the elongated hole 13, and the guide member 15 compresses the slider biasing means 16 with its surface on the other end side. Then, when the two connecting pins 12 climb over the other end of the tapered surface 26, the guide member 15 and the slider 11 receive the biasing force of the slider biasing means 16 and begin to move toward one end (in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 3(C)).

[0020] (Step D) As shown in Figure 3(D), when the nozzle block 2 is fully raised and the upper surface of the part of the nozzle block 2 that houses the tappet 24 closes the tappet insertion hole 63, the two connecting pins 12 move to the two engagement recesses 27 formed below the tapered surface 26 due to the biasing force of the slider biasing means 16 and stop there. 3(D), the upper end of the tappet 24 protrudes upward from the tappet insertion hole 63 and contacts the underside of one end 33 of the displacement magnification mechanism 31. In this state, the portion surrounding the lower part of the tappet 24 fits into the tappet insertion hole 63, and the two connecting pins 12 engage with the two engaging recesses 27, so that the position of the nozzle block 2 is stably maintained and vibration of the nozzle block 2 in the up-down and left-right directions is suppressed.

[0021] On the other hand, when removing the nozzle block 2 from the dispenser body 1, the guide member 15 is moved from the state shown in Figure 3(D) to the other end side (the right side of Figure 3) to release the engagement between the two connecting pins 12 and the two engagement recesses 27, and the nozzle block 2 is moved downward.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of the heater block 5 in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4(A), the heater block 5 has the following configuration. (Configuration 1) A frame 51 having an L-shaped cross section that constitutes the bottom and side surfaces of the heater block 5. The frame 51 is preferably made of a metal with high thermal conductivity (copper, aluminum, an alloy containing copper, etc.). (Configuration 2) Heater 52 is placed in close contact with the inside of the side of frame 51. Because heater 52 is in close contact with frame 51, which is made of a material with high thermal conductivity, the generated heat is transferred well to the bottom surface, and the temperature of the liquid material in supply flow path 22 can be reliably controlled. Furthermore, the heater 52 is preferably a micro ceramic heater, which can easily control the temperature by PWM control (controlling the width of the drive pulse) and which heats up quickly. (Configuration 3) Temperature measuring means 53 for measuring the temperature at the center of the bottom surface of frame 51. As temperature measuring means 53, a thermocouple is suitable. The temperature of the heater 52 is controlled by the control means 4 upon receiving a signal from the temperature measuring means 53 so that the temperature of the liquid material in the supply flow path 22 is kept constant. As shown in FIG. 2, the signal line for sending a signal from the temperature measuring means 53 to the control means 4 and the signal line for sending a signal from the control means 4 to the heater 52 both pass through a section separated by a sealing material 8, connecting the temperature measuring means 53 to the control means 4 and the control means 4 to the heater 52, respectively. Furthermore, since the frame body 51 and the heater 52 are in close contact with each other and act to provide heat to the liquid material in the supply flow path 22, in the claims, the frame body 51 and the heater 52 are collectively referred to as the heater element, and the temperature measuring means 53 that measures the temperature at the center of the bottom surface of the frame body 51 is referred to as being arranged in the center of the heater element.

[0023] (Configuration 4) An inner frame 54 that extends upward from the center of the bottom surface of the frame body 51 parallel to the side surface of the frame body 51, houses a temperature measuring means 53 in its center, has its upper end center connected to the upper part of the side surface of the frame body 51, and has a mounting portion parallel to the bottom surface of the frame body 51 at its lower part. The material of the inner frame 54 is preferably a hard plastic that is heat-resistant and durable, or a light metal (such as a tin alloy) that has a low thermal conductivity. (Configuration 5) A heat insulating member 55 is placed between the heater 52 and the inner frame 54 in close contact with the side of the heater 52. Because the heat insulating member 55 is placed between the heater 52 and the inner frame 54, it is possible to prevent the heat generated by the heater 52 from being directly transmitted to the temperature measuring means 52, and it is possible to improve the accuracy of temperature measurement at the center of the bottom surface of the frame body 51. (Configuration 6) A heater block biasing member 56 installed on the horizontal mounting portion of the inner frame 54. The heater block biasing member 56 is preferably a helical spring as shown in FIG. When the heater block 5 is housed in the second chamber 7, the outer surface of the frame 51 protrudes from the second chamber 7, and the upper end of the frame 51 abuts against the upper surface of the second chamber 7. In addition, in the state shown in Figure 3 (D), the outer surface of the frame body 51 (the outer surface portion of the heater block 5) is brought into close contact with the flat surface in the center of the nozzle block 2 (the inner surface portion of the nozzle block 2) due to the biasing force from the heater block biasing member 56. [Example]

[0024] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the calibration jig 9 according to the second embodiment is used. As shown in FIG. 5, the calibration jig 9 according to the second embodiment is made up of a jig body 91 and an elongated temperature sensor part 92. When using the calibration jig 9, the nozzle block 2 is attached to the dispenser body 1, the lid 28 (see Figure 1) on one end side of the nozzle block 2 is removed, and the temperature sensor part 92 is inserted into the supply flow path 22 of the nozzle block 2. Then, first, the heater 52 is set to a low temperature, and the temperature inside the supply flow path 22 (the temperature of the liquid material inside the supply flow path 22) is measured by the temperature sensor unit 92, and once the measurement result has stabilized, the set temperature Ta1 and the measured temperature Tj1 are recorded. Next, the set temperature of the heater 52 is increased by a predetermined temperature (for example, by 2° C.), and the set temperatures Ta2 to Tan and the measured temperatures Tj2 to Tjn are similarly recorded n−1 times.

[0025] 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the set temperatures Ta1-Tan of heater 52 recorded in this manner and the measured temperatures Tj1-Tjn inside the supply flow path. If the relationship between the set temperatures Ta1-Tan of heater 52 and the measured temperatures Tj1-Tjn inside the supply flow path is known in this manner, the set temperature Ta of heater 52 can be controlled to accurately control the temperature Tj inside the supply flow path (the temperature of the liquid material inside supply flow path 22). If the temperature of the environment in which the dispenser is used is almost constant, it is sufficient to determine the relationship between the set temperatures Ta1 to Tan of the heater 52 and the measured temperatures Tj1 to Tjn inside the supply flow path with the environmental temperature when the calibration jig 9 is used as a constant value, but if the temperature of the environment in which the dispenser is used changes, it is preferable to change the environmental temperature when the calibration jig 9 is used within the range of expected temperature changes (for example, six patterns from 5°C to 30°C in 5°C increments), determine the relationship between the set temperatures Ta1 to Tan of the heater 52 and the measured temperatures Tj1 to Tjn inside the supply flow path for each environmental temperature, and control the set temperature of the heater 52 using the relationship between the set temperatures Ta1 to Tan and the measured temperatures Tj1 to Tjn obtained for an environmental temperature close to the temperature of the environment in which the dispenser is actually used.

[0026] Modifications of the first and second embodiments are listed below. (1) In Example 1, the cooling means for cooling the first chamber 6 consisted of a cold air blowing means, a cold air inlet 61, and an exhaust port 62, but it may also be a cooling element (for example, a semiconductor thermoelectric element such as a Peltier element) installed near the control means 5 or inside the first chamber 6. (2) The actuator 3 in the first embodiment is comprised of the displacement magnification mechanism 31, the solenoid 32, and the actuator biasing means 34, but any mechanism may be adopted as long as it can move the tappet 24 up and down.

[0027] (3) The temperature measuring means 53 in the first embodiment measures the temperature at the center of the bottom surface of the frame 51, but may measure the temperature of other parts of the frame 51 or the heater 52 itself. (4) In the first embodiment, the slider biasing means 16, the tappet biasing means 25, the actuator biasing means 34, and the heater block biasing member 56 were all helical springs. However, as long as they can provide a biasing force in a predetermined direction, they are not limited to cylindrical springs, and any elastic body of an appropriate shape, such as a columnar, plate, or wire, may be used.

[0028] (5) In Example 2, the relationship between the set temperatures Ta1 to Tan and the measured temperatures Tj1 to Tjn was determined for one nozzle block 2. However, if there are individual differences in the relationship between the set temperatures Ta1 to Tan and the measured temperatures Tj1 to Tjn even for nozzle blocks of the same type, it is better to determine the relationship between the set temperatures Ta1 to Tan and the measured temperatures Tj1 to Tjn for each nozzle block. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 1 Dispenser body 2 Nozzle block 3 Actuator 4 control means 5 heater block 6 first chamber 7 second chamber 8 Sealing material 9 Calibration jig 11 slider 12 connecting pin 13 oblong hole 14: Fixing pin; 15: Guide member; 16: Biasing means for slider 21 nozzle 22 supply channel 23 liquid material inlet 24 tappet 25 tappet biasing means 26 tapered surface 27 Engagement recess 28 Lid 31 Displacement magnification mechanism 32 Solenoid 33 One end 34 Actuator biasing means 35 Lower end 51 Frame 52 Heater 53 Temperature measuring means 54 inner frame 55 heat insulating member 56 heater block biasing member 61 Cold air inlet 62 Exhaust port 63 Tappet insertion hole 71 heater block insertion hole 91 jig body 92 temperature sensor

Claims

1. A dispenser comprising a dispenser body and a nozzle block detachably attached to the dispenser body, The nozzle block comprises: a nozzle for discharging a liquid material; a supply flow path for supplying a liquid material to the nozzle; a tappet whose tip reciprocates in the up and down direction within the supply flow path, The dispenser body includes: an actuator that applies a displacement to the tappet; A heater element; a control means for controlling the actuator and the heater member; a first chamber containing at least the actuator and the control means; a second chamber that accommodates at least the heater element; the first chamber has a cooling means for cooling the inside thereof, the first chamber and the second chamber are separated by a heat insulating sealing material, The outer surface of the heater member is in close contact with the inner surface of the nozzle block when the nozzle block is attached to the dispenser body. A dispenser characterized by:

2. A temperature measuring means is disposed at the center of the heater element to measure the temperature of the heater element and transmit the measurement result to the control means as corrected temperature data.

2. The dispenser of claim 1.

3. a calibration jig that is inserted into the supply flow path and measures the temperature of the liquid material in the supply flow path when the heater element is controlled; 3. A dispenser according to claim 1 or 2.

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