Mold support unit for manufacturing microstructures and a microstructural manufacturing apparatus including the same

Abstract

A mold support unit is disclosed. The mold support unit supports a mold for manufacturing a micro-structure, and includes a support plate in which a plurality of support regions on which the mold is placed are formed to be spaced apart from each other. The support regions include a first support region in which an upper surface on which the mold is placed is disposed at a first angle, and a second support region in which an upper surface on which the mold is placed is disposed at a second angle different from the first angle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a mold support unit for manufacturing a micro-structure and a micro-structure manufacturing apparatus including the same, and more particularly, to a mold support unit for manufacturing a micro-structure capable of filling a composition into a mold using centrifugal force and a micro-structure manufacturing apparatus including the same.

Background Art

[0002] Administration routes for delivering drugs to the body include oral, injection, transdermal, etc. Oral administration is a convenient administration that can improve the patient's medication compliance, and the active ingredient is delivered to the body in the form of capsules, tablets, or syrups. However, the active ingredient may be inactivated by first-pass metabolism in the liver, etc., and the actual absorption rate of biopharmaceuticals is relatively low. Therefore, in order to accurately and rapidly exhibit the efficacy of drugs and therapeutic agents, etc., they are administered to the human body by puncturing the skin barrier in an injection type. When delivered by injection type, there is an advantage that the activity of the active ingredient is maintained, but there are disadvantages such as the risk of infection, inaccurate dosage administration, phobia, pain, etc.

[0003] In order to overcome the limitations of existing oral and injection route administrations, various micro-structure transdermal drug delivery systems including minimally invasive micro-needles have been developed. Micro-structures are mainly fabricated in the form of biodegradable / dissolving, solid, coating, and hollow. Biodegradable micro-structures are transdermal delivery systems that formulate various substances including polymers and active ingredients (API / cosmetics or pharmaceuticals) into the form of fine needles, and after being inserted into the skin, the substances loaded are dissolved by body fluids to transmit drugs without pain.

[0004] As a method for manufacturing a micro-structure, a mold casting manufacturing method is used. The mold casting manufacturing method fills a mold with a composition using centrifugal force or vacuum and then dries it.

[0005] However, in the vacuum utilization method, the composition may not spread throughout the mold, or bubbles may be generated in the composition by the vacuum, resulting in problems with the uniformity of micro-structure manufacturing.

[0006] And in the centrifugal force utilization method, the mold located in the radial direction of the rotation radius of the rotating device is accurately filled with the composition, but the phenomenon that the composition tilts to one side occurs in the mold not located in the radial direction of the rotation radius. To solve such problems, more composition is loaded into the mold to fabricate the micro-structure. However, as the amount of the composition increases, the base portion of the micro-structure becomes thicker. When the thickness of the base portion becomes thicker, the elasticity of the micro-structure array becomes lower, and there is a high possibility that the micro-needles cannot be accurately inserted into the skin, resulting in a problem that the loaded pharmaceuticals are not quantitatively delivered.

[0007] There is a need for a manufacturing method of a micro-structure that can overcome the limitations of such existing micro-structure manufacturing methods, enable mass production, enable quantitative drug loading, and have high manufacturing uniformity.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] The present invention provides a mold support unit for manufacturing a micro-structure that can uniformly fill a composition in all regions of a mold and a micro-structure manufacturing apparatus including the same.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] The mold support unit according to the present invention includes a support plate in which a plurality of support regions for supporting a mold for manufacturing a micro-structure are formed at intervals from each other, and the support regions include a first support region in which the upper surface on which the mold is placed is arranged at a first angle, and a second support region in which the upper surface on which the mold is placed is arranged at a second angle different from the first angle.

[0010] Further, the support region may further include a third support region in which the upper surface on which the mold is placed is arranged at a third angle different from the first angle and the second angle.

[0011] Further, the upper surface of the first support region is arranged flush with the upper surface of the support plate, the upper surface of the second support region is inclined at the second angle with respect to the upper surface of the support plate, and the upper surface of the third support region may be inclined at the third angle with respect to the upper surface of the support plate.

[0012] Further, the third support region is located on the opposite side of the second support region with the first support region interposed therebetween, and the upper surfaces of the second support region and the third support region may be symmetric with respect to the first support region.

[0013] Further, the first support region to the third support region are sequentially located in one direction, and the third angle may be larger than the second angle with respect to the upper surface of the support plate.

[0014] Further, it may further include a loading plate in which a plurality of openings into which the support regions can be individually inserted are formed, and support jaws on which the mold is placed are formed on the inner surfaces forming the openings.

[0015] Further, the support regions and the openings may correspond one-to-one.

[0016] Further, a plurality of support legs extending downward by a predetermined length may be formed on the bottom surface of the support plate.

[0017] Further, a plurality of the support plates may be stacked in the vertical direction, and the support legs may be placed on the upper surface of the support plate located at the lower part thereof.

[0018] The microstructural body manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention includes a rotating unit rotatable about a first rotation axis, and a mold support unit coupled to the rotating unit at a preset distance from the first rotation axis and relatively rotatable with respect to the rotating unit about a second rotation axis, and supporting a mold for manufacturing a microstructural body. The mold support unit includes a support plate in which a support area on which the mold is placed is formed, and the mold support unit may rotate about the second rotation axis by the centrifugal force of the rotating unit rotating about the first rotation axis so that the support area faces the first rotation axis.

[0019] Further, a plurality of the mold support units may be arranged in a ring shape about the first rotation axis and may be located at the same distance from the first rotation axis.

[0020] Further, the support area may include a first support area in which the upper surface on which the mold is placed is arranged at a first angle, and a second support area in which the upper surface on which the mold is placed is arranged at a second angle different from the first angle.

[0021] Further, the upper surface of the first support area may be arranged parallel to the upper surface of the support plate, and the upper surface of the second support area may be arranged inclined at the second angle with respect to the upper surface of the support plate.

[0022] Further, the upper surface of the first support area may be arranged side by side with the upper surface of the support plate, and the upper surface of the second support area may be arranged inclined with respect to the upper surface of the support plate.

[0023] Further, the mold support unit may further include a loading plate in which an opening into which the support area can be inserted is formed, and a support jaw on which the mold is placed is formed on an inner surface forming the opening.

Advantages of the Invention

[0024] According to the present invention, when the rotating unit rotates about the first rotation axis, the mold placed in the support region of the support plate is arranged toward the first rotation axis, and the composition spreads to each region of the mold with a constant thickness by the centrifugal force of the rotating unit, and can be accurately filled in the needle grooves of the mold.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025]

Figure 1

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Figure 11

Figure 12

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0026] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. However, the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described here, and can be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments introduced here are provided so that the disclosed content is thorough and complete, and that the idea of the present invention is sufficiently conveyed to those skilled in the art.

[0027] In this specification, if a certain component is on another component, it means that it may be directly formed on the other component or a third component may be interposed between them. Also, in the drawings, the thicknesses of the films and regions are exaggerated for an effective explanation of the technical content.

[0028] Also, in various embodiments of this specification, terms such as first, second, third, etc. are used to describe various components, but these components should not be limited by such terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish one component from another. Thus, what is referred to as the first component in one embodiment may be referred to as the second component in another embodiment. Each embodiment described and illustrated herein also includes its complementary embodiment. Also, in this specification, "and / or" is used in the sense of including at least one of the components listed before and after it.

[0029] In the specification, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, terms such as "comprising" and "having" are intended to specify the presence of the features, numbers, steps, components, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should not be construed as excluding the presence or possibility of addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, components, or combinations thereof. Further, in this specification, "connected" is used in the sense of including both indirectly connecting and directly connecting a plurality of components.

[0030] In addition, when explaining the present invention below, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known functions or configurations may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0031] The micro-structure manufacturing apparatus according to various embodiments described below can manufacture a micro-structure capable of transmitting a drug to the body. The micro-structure has a structure in which a thin base layer and a plurality of needles formed on one surface of the base layer are coupled, and the needles can be inserted into skin tissue to transmit a drug. Such a micro-structure is manufactured by filling a composition into a needle groove of a mold for manufacturing a micro-structure (hereinafter referred to as "mold"). The composition may be a biocompatible or biodegradable substance. The biocompatible or biodegradable substance has the advantage of being substantially non-toxic to the human body, chemically inert, non-immunogenic, and finally dissolving after penetrating into the body.

[0032] The types of such biocompatible substances are not particularly limited. For example, hyaluronic acid, polyester, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), poly(α-hydroxy acid), poly(β-hydroxy acid), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-valerate; PHBV), poly(3-hydroxypropionate; PHP), poly(3-hydroxyhexanoate; PHH), poly(4-hydroxy acid), poly(4-hydroxybutyrate), poly(4-hydroxyvalerate), poly(4-hydroxyhexanoate), poly(ester amide), polycaprolactone, polylactide, polyglycolide, poly(lactide-co-glycolide;(PLGA), polydioxanone, polyorthoester, polyether ester, polyanhydride, poly(glycolic acid-co-trimethylene carbonate), polyphosphoester, polyphosphoester urethane, poly(amino acid), polycyanoacrylate, poly(trimethylene carbonate), poly(iminocarbonate), poly(tyrosine carbonate), polycarbonate, poly(tyrosine arylate), polyalkylene oxalate, polyphosphazene, PHA-PEG, ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH), polyurethane, silicone, polyester, polyolefin, polyisobutylene and ethylene-alpha olefin copolymer, styrene-isobutylene-styrene triblock copolymer, acrylic polymer and copolymer, vinyl halide polymer and copolymer, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl ether, polyvinyl methyl ether, polyvinylidene halide, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyfluoroalkene, polyperfluoroalkene, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl ketone, polyvinyl aromatics, polystyrene, polyvinyl ester, polyvinyl acetate, ethylene-methyl methacrylate copolymer, acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer, ABS resin and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyamide, alkyd resin, polyoxymethylene, polyimide, polyether, polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, polyacrylic acid-co-maleic acid, chitosan, dextran, cellulose, heparin, alginate, inulin, starch or glycogen can be used, hyaluronic acid, polyester, polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHAs), poly(alpha-hydroxy acid), poly(beta-hydroxy acid), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-valerate; PHBV), poly(3-hydroxypropionate; PHP), poly(3-hydroxyhexanoate; PHH), poly(4-hydroxy acid), poly(4-hydroxybutyrate), poly(4-hydroxyvalerate), poly(4-hydroxyhexanoate), poly(ester amide), polycaprolactone, polylactide, polyglycolide, poly(lactide-co-glycolide;One or more selected from the group consisting of PLGA), polydioxanone, polyorthoester, polyether ester, polyanhydride, poly(glycolic acid - co - trimethylene carbonate), polyphosphoester, polyphosphoester urethane, poly(amino acid), polycyanoacrylate, poly(trimethylene carbonate), poly(iminocarbonate), poly(tyrosine carbonate), polycarbonate, poly(tyrosine arylate), polyalkylene oxalate, polyphosphazene, PHAPEG, chitosan, dextran, cellulose, heparin, alginate, inulin, starch, and glycogen can be used.; When the micro - structure is a solid - type micro - needle loaded with a biocompatible or biodegradable substance, drugs can be further loaded. The drugs herein refer to a broad concept, including not only therapeutic agents for therapeutic purposes in a narrow sense, but also energy, nano - components, cosmetic components (e.g., wrinkle improvers, skin aging inhibitors, and skin whitening agents), cell culture media, etc. in their entirety.

[0033] Specifically, the therapeutic agents include chemical drugs, protein / peptide pharmaceuticals, peptide pharmaceuticals, nucleic acid molecules for gene therapy, etc.

[0034] For example, the therapeutic agents can include anti - inflammatory agents, analgesics, anti - arthritis agents, antispasmodics, antidepressants, antipsychotics, neuroleptics, anxiolytics, narcotic antagonists, anti - Parkinson's disease drugs, cholinergic agonists, anticancer agents, anti - angiogenesis inhibitors, immunosuppressants, antiviral agents, antibiotics, appetite suppressants, analgesics, anticholinergics, anti - histamines, anti - migraine agents, hormonal agents, vasodilators for coronary vessels, cerebral vessels or peripheral vessels, contraceptives, antithrombotic agents, diuretics, antihypertensive agents, cardiovascular disease therapeutic agents, etc.

[0035] In particular, protein / peptide pharmaceuticals can include hormones, hormone analogs, enzymes, enzyme inhibitors, signal transduction proteins or portions thereof, antibodies or portions thereof, single-chain antibodies, binding proteins or their binding domains, antigens, adhesion proteins, structural proteins, regulatory proteins, toxin proteins, cytokines, transcription regulators, blood coagulation factors, and vaccines, etc. More specifically, the protein / peptide pharmaceuticals include insulin, IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), growth hormone, erythropoietin, G-CSFs (granulocyte-colony stimulating factors), GM-CSFs (granulocyte / macrophage colony stimulating factors), interferon alpha, interferon beta, interferon gamma, interleukin-1 alpha and beta, interleukin-3, interleukin-4, interleukin-6, interleukin-2, EGFs (epidermal growth factors), calcitonin, ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone), TNF (tumor necrosis factor), atobisban, buserelin, cetrorelix, deslorelin, desmopressin, dynorphin A(1-13), elcatonin, eleidosin, eptifibatide, GHRH-II (growth hormone releasinghormone-II), gonadorelin, goserelin, histrelin, leuprorelin, lypressin, octreotide, oxytocin, pitressin, secretin, sincalide, terlipressin, thymopentin, thymosine α1, triptorelin, bivalirudin, carbetocin, cyclosporine, exedine, lanreotide, LHRH (luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone), nafarelin, parathyroid hormone, pramlintide, T-20 (enfuvirtide), thymalfasin, and diconucleotide can be included.

[0036] The mold can have various shapes. In the drawings of the present invention, the mold is shown as a square shape, but it is not limited thereto and may have a circular or polygonal shape. Depending on such a shape of the mold, a square, circular, and polygonal base layer can be manufactured.

[0037] Hereinafter, the micro-structure manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail.

[0038] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a micro-structure manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a high-speed rotation state of the micro-structure manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1.

[0039] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the micro-structure manufacturing apparatus 10 includes a rotating unit 100 and a mold support unit 200.

[0040] The rotating unit 100 is configured to be rotatable about the first rotation axis 20 and can be provided in various shapes. According to one embodiment, the rotating unit 100 can be provided as a circular frame rotatable about the first rotation axis 20. According to other embodiments, the rotating unit 100 can be provided as a circular frame rotatable about the first rotation axis 20. The first rotation axis 20 can be provided perpendicular to the ground.

[0041] An accommodation space 110 is formed in the rotating unit 100 where the mold support unit 200 can be located. According to the embodiment, a plurality of accommodation spaces 110 are formed and arranged in a circle about the first rotation axis 20. Each accommodation space 110 can be located at the same distance from the first rotation axis 20.

[0042] The mold support unit 200 supports the mold 50. The mold support unit 200 is respectively located in the accommodation space 110 and is rotatably coupled to the rotating unit 100 about the second rotation axis 30. The second rotation axis 30 is arranged in a tangential direction with respect to the circle which is the arrangement direction of the mold support unit 200. The second rotation axis 30 can be arranged perpendicular to the radial direction of the rotation radius of the mold support unit 200.

[0043] The mold support unit 200 includes a support plate 210. The support plate 210 has a predetermined area and is a thin plate with a support region 211 formed on one surface. The mold 50 is placed on the upper surface of the support region 211. The upper surface of the support region 211 is provided as a flat surface.

[0044] The composition 60 is supplied to the upper surface of the mold 50 while the mold 50 is placed in the support area 211. Due to its high viscosity, the composition 60 is not immediately introduced into the needle groove 51 of the mold 50. When the rotating unit 100 rotates at high speed about the first rotation axis 20 in this state, the mold support unit 200 rotates 90 degrees about the second rotation axis 30 by centrifugal force, and the support plate 210 is arranged perpendicular to the radial direction of rotation of the rotating unit 100, and the support area 211 is arranged toward the first rotation axis 20. Since the centrifugal force of the rotating unit 100 acts vertically on the upper surface of the mold 50 and then spreads radially, the composition 60 can spread uniformly over each area of the mold 50 and be introduced into the needle groove 51. The composition 60 can penetrate deeply into the needle groove 51 in the direction of the centrifugal force of the rotating unit 100.

[0045] FIG. 3 is a drawing showing a micro-structure manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a drawing showing the mold support unit of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a drawing showing the rotating state of the micro-structure manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 4.

[0046] First, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of accommodation spaces 110 are formed in the rotating unit 100. According to the embodiment, four accommodation spaces 110 are formed and arranged at an included angle of 90 degrees. The accommodation space 110 is formed to have a predetermined length, and the length direction thereof is arranged perpendicular to the radial direction of the rotating unit 100.

[0047] The mold support unit 200 is respectively located in the accommodation space 110 and is coupled to the rotating unit 100 so as to be rotatable about the second rotation axis 30. The mold support unit 200 includes a support plate 210. The support plate 210 has an area corresponding to the accommodation space 110, and a plurality of support areas 211, 212, 213 are formed on one surface. The molds 50 are respectively placed in the support areas 211, 212, 213. According to the embodiment, three support areas 211, 212, 213 are provided on the upper surface of the support plate 210. The first support area 211 is located at the center of the support plate 210, and the second support area 212 and the third support area 213 are respectively located on both sides of the first support area 211.

[0048] The upper surface of the first support area 211 is arranged at a first angle θ1. According to an embodiment, the first angle 211 forms an angle of 0° with the upper surface of the support plate 210, and the upper surface of the first support area 211 is arranged flush with the upper surface of the support plate 210.

[0049] The upper surface of the second support area 212 is arranged at a second angle θ2. The second angle θ2 is different from the first angle θ1, and can form an angle greater than 0° and less than 90° with the upper surface of the support plate 210 with respect to the center of the support plate 210. According to an embodiment, the second angle θ2 can form an angle greater than 1° and less than 60° with the upper surface of the support plate 210. Thereby, the upper surface of the second support area 212 can be arranged to be inclined at the second angle θ2 with respect to the upper surface of the support plate 210. Specifically, the second support area 212 is provided such that the tip adjacent to the first support area 211 is lower in height than the rear end, and the upper surface is downwardly inclined at the second angle θ1 toward the first support area 211 side.

[0050] The upper surface of the third support area 213 is arranged at a third angle θ3. The third angle θ3 is different from the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2, and can form an angle greater than 90° and less than 180° with the upper surface of the support plate 210 with respect to the center of the support plate 210. According to an embodiment, the third angle θ3 can form an angle greater than 91° and less than 150° with the upper surface of the support plate 210. Thereby, the upper surface of the third support area 213 can be arranged to be inclined at the third angle θ3 with respect to the upper surface of the support plate 210. Specifically, the third support area 213 is provided such that the tip adjacent to the first support area 211 is lower in height than the rear end, and the upper surface is downwardly inclined at the third angle θ3 toward the first support area 211 side. The upper surface of the third support area 213 can be symmetric with the upper surface of the second support area 212 about the first support area 211.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 5, when the rotating unit 100 rotates at high speed about the first rotation axis 20, the mold support unit 200 rotates 90 degrees about the second rotation axis 30 by centrifugal force, and one surface of the support plate 210 is arranged perpendicular to the radial direction of the rotation radius of the rotating unit 100. At this time, with reference to the virtual circle 70 having the shortest distance r connecting the upper surfaces of the support regions 211, 212, and 213 as the radius around the first rotation axis 20, the upper surfaces of the support regions 211, 212, and 213 are arranged in the tangential direction of the virtual circle 70. Therefore, the centrifugal force of the rotating unit 100 is provided perpendicular to the upper surface of the mold 50, and the composition 60 can spread uniformly over each region of the mold 50.

[0052] In the present embodiment, although it has been described that three support regions 211, 212, and 213 are provided on the support plate 210, the number of support regions can be variously changed. As an example, referring to FIG. 6, nine support regions 211 to 219 can be provided on the support plate 210. Four support regions 212 to 219 can be provided on each side with reference to the first support region 211 located at the center of the support plate 210. The upper surfaces of the support regions 211 to 219 are arranged at different angles from each other, and the angle gradually increases as the distance from the center of the support plate 210 increases. And the inclination angles of the support regions 212 to 219 can be symmetric with respect to each other with reference to the first support region 211.

[0053] FIG. 7 is a drawing showing a microstructured body manufactured using the mold support unit according to the embodiment of FIG. 4, and FIG. 8 is a drawing showing a microstructured body manufactured using the mold support unit according to the comparative example. In the mold support unit 300 according to the comparative example, the upper surfaces of the first to third support regions 311 to 313 are all provided as flat surfaces.

[0054] First, referring to FIG. 7, since the centrifugal force of the rotating unit 100 is provided in a direction perpendicular to the upper surfaces of the first to third support regions 211 to 213, it can be confirmed that the compositions 61 to 63 spread uniformly over each region of the mold 50 and are uniformly introduced into the needle groove 51.

[0055] In contrast, referring to FIG. 8, it can be confirmed that the composition 71 has spread uniformly over the mold 50 placed in the first support region 311, but the compositions 72 and 73 have concentrated in the outer peripheral region of the mold 50 placed in the second and third support regions 312 and 313. This is understood to be the result of the compositions 72 and 73 spreading in the centrifugal force direction of the rotating unit 100 because the upper surfaces of the second and third support regions 312 and 313 are not arranged toward the first rotation axis 20.

[0056] FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a mold support unit according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the mold support unit of FIG. 9.

[0057] Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the support plate 100 of the mold support unit 200 can be provided with the above-described first to third support regions 211 to 213 in a plurality of rows. The first support region 211 is arranged in a single row in the Y-axis direction, the second support region 212 is arranged in a single row, and the third support region 213 is arranged in a single row. The upper surface of the first support region 211 is provided as a flat plane, the upper surface of the second support region 212 is arranged to be inclined at a second angle, and the upper surface of the third support region 213 is arranged to be inclined at a third angle.

[0058] When manufacturing a micro-structure using the above-described mold support unit 200, a plurality of micro-structures can be manufactured simultaneously in one manufacturing process.

[0059] FIG. 11 is a drawing showing a mold support unit according to still another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is an exploded view showing the mold support unit of FIG. 11.

[0060] Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the mold support unit 200 includes a support plate 210 and a loading plate 220.

[0061] As the support plate 210, any one of the support plates described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 10 can be used.

[0062] The loading plate 220 has an area corresponding to the support plate 210, and a plurality of openings 221 to 223 are formed. The openings 221 to 223 are holes penetrating the upper and lower surfaces of the loading plate 220, and are provided in a square shape according to the embodiment. The opening 211 is formed at a position, in a number, and with a size corresponding to the support regions 211 to 213 of the support plate 210. Support jaws 231 to 233 are formed on the inner surface of the loading plate 220 forming the openings 221 to 223. The support jaws 231 to 233 can be formed on at least a pair of inner surfaces facing each other among the inner surfaces of the loading plate 220 forming the openings 221 to 223. When the mold 50 is inserted into the openings 221 to 223, the support jaws 231 to 233 support the bottom surface of the mold 50.

[0063] Hereinafter, the process of attaching the mold 50 to the mold support unit 200 according to the above embodiment will be described.

[0064] First, with the support plate 210 and the loading plate 220 separated, the mold 50 is positioned in the openings 221 to 223 of the loading plate 220. Then, with the support plate 210 and the loading plate 220 positioned such that the support regions 211 to 213 and the openings 221 to 223 are aligned, the loading plate 220 is moved downward. In this process, the support regions 211 to 213 are inserted into the openings 221 to 223, and the mold 50 placed in the openings 221 to 223 is seated on the upper surfaces of the support regions 211 to 213.

[0065] As described above, the upper surfaces of parts 212 and 213 of the support regions 211 to 213 are provided as inclined surfaces. Due to the inclination degree, it is not easy to firmly place the mold 50 at a fixed position on the inclined surfaces. To solve such a problem, the loading plate 220 is utilized. With the mold 50 positioned in the openings 221 to 223 of the loading plate 220, the mold 50 is transmitted to the upper surfaces of the support regions 211 to 213 by the connection between the loading plate 220 and the support plate 210. In this process, the mold 50 can always be firmly placed at a fixed point on the upper surfaces of the support regions 211 to 213.

[0066] FIG. 13 is a drawing showing a mold support unit according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 14 is a drawing showing a state in which a plurality of the mold support units of FIG. 13 are stacked, and FIG. 15 is a drawing showing a state in which the mold support unit of FIG. 13 is rotated 90 degrees about the second rotation axis.

[0067] Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, support legs 240 are formed on the bottom surface of the support plate 210. The support legs 240 are provided with a predetermined length downward from the bottom surface of the support plate 210. A plurality of support legs 240 are provided and are spaced apart from each other at preset points of the support plate 210.

[0068] A plurality of the mold support units 200 having the above-described structure may be stacked. Specifically, the support plate 210 included in the mold support unit 200 positioned at the upper part is placed on the upper surface of the loading plate 220 of the mold support unit 200 in which the support legs 240 are positioned at the lower part. The plurality of stacked mold support units 200 are integrally coupled by a coupling means (not shown) and can be integrally rotated about the second rotation axis 30.

[0069] All of the first support regions 211 formed in the mold support unit 200 are arranged such that their upper surfaces are flush with the upper surface of the support plate 210. The second support region 212 and the third support region 213 are provided by the mold support unit 200 with different inclination angles. Specifically, the inclination angles of the second support region 212 and the third support region 213 gradually decrease as the distance from the first rotation axis 20 increases. Therefore, the upper surfaces of the second support region 212 and the third support region 213 of the mold support unit 200 located at the lower part have a smaller inclination angle than the upper surfaces of the second support region 212 and the third support region 213 of the mold support unit 200 located at the upper part.

[0070] Referring to FIG. 15, when the rotating unit 100 rotates at high speed about the first rotation axis 20, the mold support unit 200 rotates 90 degrees about the second rotation axis 30 due to centrifugal force, and the support plate 210 is arranged perpendicular to the radial direction of the rotating unit 100. Then, with the inclination angle arrangement of the upper surfaces of the first to third support regions 211, 212, 213 described above, the upper surfaces of the first to third support regions 211, 212, 213 can be arranged toward the first rotation axis 20.

[0071] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a mold support unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0072] Referring to FIG. 16, the support legs 240 can be formed not only in the bottom edge region of the support plate 210 but also in the central region. The support legs 240 are placed on the upper surface of the loading plate 220 located at their lower part. By arranging the support legs 240 at regular intervals over the entire area of the support plate 210, the mold can be stably supported during high-speed rotation.

[0073] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a micro-structure manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0074] Referring to FIG. 17, the mold support unit 200 is fixedly positioned on the second rotation axis 30 such that the upper surface of the mold 50 faces the first rotation axis 20. Therefore, while supplying the composition 60 to the mold 50 or while the rotation unit 100 rotates at high speed, the upper surface of the mold 50 is always arranged facing the first rotation axis 20. In the process of supplying the composition 60 to the mold 50, the composition 60 may flow downward due to its own weight. Therefore, it can be said that the micro-structure manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is suitable for the composition 60 having high viscosity. Due to the high-speed rotation of the rotation unit 100, a centrifugal force of sufficient magnitude can be transmitted to the upper surface of the mold 50, so that the composition 60 with high viscosity can also spread on the upper surface of the mold 50 with a uniform thickness.

[0075] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a micro-structure manufacturing apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

[0076] Referring to FIG. 18, the rotation unit 100 is arranged such that the first rotation axis 20 is parallel to the ground (XY plane). Therefore, the mold support units 200 are located at different heights around the first rotation axis 20. With such a structure of the rotation unit 100, the composition 60 can be supplied to the mold 50 mounted on the mold support unit 200 located below the first rotation axis 20. A weight forming jig 90 can be provided to other mold support units 200 where the composition is not supplied. The weight forming jig 90 is configured to have the same weight as the mold 50 and the composition 60, and is provided to align the center of gravity of the rotation unit 100 around the first rotation axis 20.

[0077] As described above, the present invention has been described in detail using preferred embodiments. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to specific embodiments and should be construed by the appended claims. Also, those skilled in the art should understand that many modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. In a mold support unit for supporting a mold for manufacturing a micro-structure, it includes a support plate in which a plurality of support regions where the mold is placed are formed separately from each other, the support regions are a first support region in which the upper surface where the mold is placed is arranged at a first angle, and a second support region in which the upper surface where the mold is placed is arranged at a second angle different from the first angle, and a mold support unit.

2. The support regions are further including a third support region in which the upper surface where the mold is placed is arranged at a third angle different from the first angle and the second angle, the mold support unit according to claim 1.

3. The upper surface of the first support region is arranged flush with the upper surface of the support plate, the upper surface of the second support region is arranged inclined at the second angle with respect to the upper surface of the support plate, the upper surface of the third support region is arranged inclined at the third angle with respect to the upper surface of the support plate, the mold support unit according to claim 2.

4. The third support region is located on the opposite side of the second support region with the first support region in between, the upper surface of the second support region and the upper surface of the third support region are symmetric with respect to the first support region, the mold support unit according to claim 3.

5. The first support region to the third support region are sequentially located in one direction, the third angle is larger than the second angle with respect to the upper surface of the support plate, the mold support unit according to claim 2.

6. further including a loading plate in which a plurality of openings are formed into which the support regions can be individually inserted, and support jaws on the inner surface forming the openings where the mold is placed, the mold support unit according to claim 1.

7. The support regions and the openings correspond one-to-one, the mold support unit according to claim 6.

8. On the bottom surface of the support plate, a plurality of support legs extending downward by a predetermined length are formed, the mold support unit according to claim 1.

9. A plurality of the support plates are stacked in the vertical direction, and the support legs are placed on the upper surface of the support plate located below them, the mold support unit according to claim 8.

10. A rotating unit rotatable about a first rotation axis, and coupled to the rotating unit at a preset distance from the first rotation axis, It is capable of relative rotation with respect to the rotating unit about the second rotation axis, including a mold support unit that supports a mold for manufacturing a micro-structure, the mold support unit including a support plate in which a support region where the mold is placed is formed, A micro-structure manufacturing apparatus, wherein the mold support unit rotates about the second rotation axis by the centrifugal force of the rotating unit that rotates about the first rotation axis, and the support region faces the first rotation axis.

11. The micro-structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of the mold support units are arranged in a ring shape about the first rotation axis and are located at the same distance from the first rotation axis.

12. The support region includes a first support region in which an upper surface on which the mold is placed is arranged at a first angle, and a second support region in which an upper surface on which the mold is placed is arranged at a second angle different from the first angle. The micro-structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10.

13. The upper surface of the first support region is arranged parallel to the upper surface of the support plate, The micro-structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the upper surface of the second support region is inclined at the second angle with respect to the upper surface of the support plate.

14. The upper surface of the first support region is arranged side by side with the upper surface of the support plate, The micro-structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the upper surface of the second support region is inclined with respect to the upper surface of the support plate.

15. The mold support unit further includes a loading plate in which an opening into which the support region can be inserted is formed, and a support jaw on which the mold is placed is formed on an inner surface forming the opening. The micro-structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10.

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