Apparatus and method for removing adhesive sheets with release sheets

Abstract

To provide a peeling device capable of easily and reliably peeling a release sheet from an adhesive sheet. [Solution] An apparatus for peeling a release sheet (102) from an adhesive sheet (103) of an adhesive sheet (101) with a release sheet, comprising a peeling table (50) on whose upper surface the adhesive sheet (101) with a release sheet is placed, an adsorption conveying device (60) that adsorbs the surface of the adhesive sheet (103) and moves the adhesive sheet (103), and a clamping conveying device (40) that clamps the protruding portion of the release sheet (102) and moves the release sheet (102), the adsorption conveying device (60) moves the adhesive sheet (103) along the upper surface of the peeling table (50) towards the peeling edge (51), and the clamping conveying device (40) moves the release sheet (102) so that the leading edge (102a) of the clamped protruding portion is inclined relative to the peeling edge (51) and then folds the release sheet (102) at the peeling edge (51) and pulls it downward, and the adhesive sheet (103) and release sheet (102) are moved at the same speed to be peeled off.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for removing a pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet. [Background technology]

[0002] In various industries, including the automotive industry, it has been common practice to stock a large number of adhesive sheets with release sheets in a stacked state in advance, and when using them, take them out one by one starting from the top, peel the release sheet off the adhesive sheet, and apply them to the object.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a peeling device that peels a release paper attached to the underside from a sheet material. This peeling device includes a holding device that suction-holds the sheet material in a horizontal position with the release paper facing downward, a roller device that rotates while pinching the release paper pulled downward through the edge of a work table to pull it up, and a moving device that moves the holding device horizontally above the work table. According to this peeling device, after the sheet material suction-held by the holding device is brought to a rest on the work table, the roller device applies a pull-up force to the release paper of the sheet material that is smaller than the horizontal holding force of the holding device, and the moving device moves the holding device to feed the sheet material toward the edge of the work table. This allows the start of the sheet material feeding operation and the start of the release paper pull-up to be approximately synchronized, thereby stably peeling the release paper. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-227358 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The above-mentioned conventional peeling device is configured so that the take-up force of the roller device can be adjusted using an adjustment means, but not only is the adjustment prone to be complicated, but if the adjustment is insufficient, there is a risk of folds, wrinkles, etc. occurring in the sheet material after peeling.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for removing a pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet, which can easily and reliably remove the release sheet from the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The object of the present invention is achieved by an apparatus for peeling a release sheet from an adhesive sheet of an adhesive sheet with a release sheet, the adhesive sheet with a release sheet being formed in a rectangular shape and having a protruding portion at at least one end where the release sheet protrudes beyond the adhesive sheet, the apparatus comprising: a peeling table on which the adhesive sheet with a release sheet is placed; an adsorption and transport device that adsorbs the surface of the adhesive sheet to move the adhesive sheet; and a clamping and transport device that clamps the protruding portion to move the release sheet, the peeling table having a peeling edge consisting of a straight edge portion, the adsorption and transport device moves the adhesive sheet along the upper surface of the peeling table towards the peeling edge, and the clamping and transport device moves the release sheet so as to fold the release sheet at the peeling edge and pull it downward from a state in which the leading edge of the clamped protruding portion is inclined relative to the peeling edge in a planar view, and the adhesive sheet and the release sheet are moved at the same speed, thereby peeling the release sheet from the adhesive sheet.

[0008] In this device for peeling off a pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet, the clamping and transporting device preferably clamps a corner of the release sheet and lowers the release sheet in a direction perpendicular to the peeling edge.

[0009] It is preferable that both the suction conveying device and the clamping conveying device include an articulated robot.

[0010] The object of the present invention is also achieved by a method for peeling a release sheet from an adhesive sheet of an adhesive sheet with a release sheet, the adhesive sheet with a release sheet being formed in a rectangular shape, with a protruding portion at at least one end where the release sheet protrudes beyond the adhesive sheet, the method comprising: a placing step of placing the adhesive sheet with a release sheet on the upper surface of a peeling table having a peeling edge consisting of a straight edge; an adsorption and transporting step of adsorbing the surface of the adhesive sheet to move the adhesive sheet; and a clamping and transporting step of clamping the protruding portion to move the release sheet, the adsorption and transporting step moving the adhesive sheet along the upper surface of the peeling table towards the peeling edge, and the clamping and transporting step moving the release sheet so that the leading edge of the clamped protruding portion is inclined relative to the peeling edge in a planar view and then folding the release sheet at the peeling edge and pulling it downward, and moving the adhesive sheet and the release sheet at the same speed, thereby peeling the release sheet from the adhesive sheet. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the device and method for removing a pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet of the present invention, the release sheet can be easily and reliably removed from the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of a peeling device for a pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the peeling device for the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a main part showing the state in which the peeling device for the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet is in operation. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a front view of FIG. 5. [Figure 7]10 is an enlarged plan view of a main part showing another state during operation of the device for removing the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a front view of FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is an enlarged plan view of a main part showing still another state during operation of the device for peeling off the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a front view of FIG. 9. [Figure 11] 10 is a plan view showing still another state during operation of the device for removing the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. [Figure 13] 10 is an enlarged plan view of a main part showing still another state during operation of the device for peeling off the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a side view of the direction of arrow A in FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the main operating parts of the peeling device for the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a plan view of a peeling device for a pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet (hereinafter simply referred to as "peeling device") according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a front view of the peeling device shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the peeling device 1 comprises a holding device 10, a suction device 20, a pressing device 30, a clamping and conveying device 40, a peeling table 50, and a suction and conveying device 60, the operation of which is controlled by a control device (not shown).

[0014] Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a main portion of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a main portion of Fig. 2. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, adhesive sheet 101 with release sheet has a rectangular adhesive sheet 103 removably attached to the upper surface of rectangular release sheet 102. Adhesive sheet 103 is made of a butyl-based or epoxy-based thermosetting resin, similar to the sheet material disclosed in Patent Document 1, and is arranged in the center of release sheet 102 in the left-right direction so that release sheet 102 extends beyond both left-right ends in Fig. 3. The width of adhesive sheet 103 (the vertical length in Fig. 3) is approximately the same as the width of release sheet 102 (the vertical length in Fig. 3).

[0015] A plurality of release-sheet-attached adhesive sheets 101 are placed in a stacked state on the mounting surface, which is the upper surface of the mounting table 2, to form a laminate of release-sheet-attached adhesive sheets (hereinafter simply referred to as "laminate") 100. Both widthwise sides of the laminate 100 are held by a pair of guide members 3 and 4.

[0016] The holding device 10 includes a holding member 11 formed in an inverted L-shape when viewed from the front as shown in Fig. 4, and an air cylinder 12 that supports the holding member 11 so that it can move up and down. The lower surface of the horizontal part of the holding member 11 abuts against the top surface of the stack 100, thereby holding one end of the stack 100 (the right side in Fig. 4). The height of the holding member 11 is adjusted according to the thickness of the stack 100 by operation of the air cylinder 12 based on detection of the top surface of the stack 100 by a height sensor (not shown). The holding member 11 may be configured to hold one end of the stack 100 by its own weight.

[0017] The suction device 20 is equipped with a suction member 21 capable of suctioning the uppermost surface of the laminate 100. The suction member 21 is equipped with a plurality of suction sections 22 made up of vacuum suction pads, and an air cylinder 23 that supports the suction sections 22 so that they can move up and down. A plurality of suction sections 22 (four in this embodiment) are arranged along the width direction of the adhesive sheet 101 with a release sheet so that the entire width direction of the adhesive sheet 101 with a release sheet can be suctioned. The suction member 21 is attached to the tip of the rod of the air cylinder 24, and is supported so that it can move back and forth in an oblique direction.

[0018] The pressing device 30 includes a pressing member 31 supported by a plurality of linear actuators so as to be able to advance and retreat in the vertical and horizontal directions in Fig. 4. The pressing member 31 is formed in an upside-down L shape when viewed from the front as shown in Fig. 4, and is advanced from the other end of the release-sheet-attached adhesive sheet 101 to one end (from left to right in Fig. 4) and is lowered based on detection of the laminate 100 by a height sensor (not shown), so that the lower surface of the horizontal part of the pressing member 31 presses the laminate 100 downward.

[0019] The clamping and conveying device 40 includes an articulated robot 43 and a pair of clamping units 41, 42 provided on an end effector 43a of the articulated robot 43, with the lower clamping unit 42 being supported by the end effector 43a via a support unit 44. A linear actuator 45 is attached to the support unit 44, which moves the upper clamping unit 41 up and down relative to the lower clamping unit 42. The articulated robot 43 has a multi-axis (e.g., four to seven axes) structure in which multiple arms are rotatably connected via joints, and the end effector is detachably attached to a rotation mechanism at the tip of each arm. The pair of clamping units 41, 42 clamp the protruding portion of the release sheet 102 protruding from the adhesive sheet 103 at the other end of the release-sheet-attached adhesive sheet 101, and the release-sheet-attached adhesive sheet 101 is conveyed by operation of the articulated robot 43. The upper clamping portion 41 has a notch 32 formed at a position that interferes with the suction portion 22 so that the adsorption member 21 can clamp the other end of the adhesive sheet 101 with a release sheet while adsorbing it.

[0020] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the peeling table 50 has an upper surface on which the adhesive sheet 101 with release sheet transported by the clamping and transporting device 40 is placed, which is rectangular in plan view, and has a peeling edge 51 consisting of a linear upper surface edge portion at the tip side in the transport direction.

[0021] The suction conveying device 60 includes an articulated robot 61 and an adsorption member 62 provided on an end effector 61a of the articulated robot 61. The adsorption member 62 includes a plurality of suction sections 62a (five in this embodiment) made of vacuum suction pads, and adsorbs the adhesive sheet 103 of the release-sheet-attached adhesive sheet 101. The articulated robot 61 has a multi-axis structure, similar to the articulated robot 43 of the clamping and conveying device 40.

[0022] Next, a method for peeling the release sheet 102 from the adhesive sheet 103 of the adhesive sheet with a release sheet 101 using the peeling device 1 having the above configuration will be described. First, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, a holding step is performed in which the laminate 100 is placed on the mounting surface of the mounting table 2 and one end of the laminate 100 is held by the holding member 11.

[0023] 5 and 6, air cylinder 24 is operated to advance rod 24a, moving suction member 21 to directly above the other end of stack 100, and air cylinder 23 is operated to lower suction unit 22. As a result, suction unit 22 comes into contact with the other end of release sheet 102 exposed on the top surface of stack 100.

[0024] 7 and 8, vacuum suction by suction unit 22 is started to adsorb the other end of release sheet 102, and then air cylinder 23 is operated to raise suction unit 22. This performs the adsorption step of pulling up the other end of release-sheet-attached adhesive sheet 101 at the top of laminate 100 with adsorption member 21.

[0025] 8, the clamping and conveying device 40 is operated to clamp the entire width of the pulled-up other end of the release-sheet-attached adhesive sheet 101 between the pair of clamping units 41, 42. Furthermore, the linear actuators 32, 33 of the pressing device 30 are operated to advance and lower the pressing member 31 toward the right side in FIG. 8, thereby performing a pressing step in which the pressing member 31 presses the other end of the laminate 100 from above below the pulled-up other end of the release-sheet-attached adhesive sheet 101. In this embodiment, the pressing step is performed after the other end of the release-sheet-attached adhesive sheet 101 is clamped between the pair of clamping units 41, 42, but the pressing step may be performed simultaneously with or before the clamping by the pair of clamping units 41, 42.

[0026] 9 and 10, the adsorption of adhesive sheet 101 with adsorption member 21 is released, and air cylinder 24 is operated to retract adsorption member 21 to its original position, after which clamping and conveying device 40 is operated to convey clamped adhesive sheet 101 with release sheet toward peeling table 50. This completes the clamping and conveying step of pulling out one end of adhesive sheet 101 with release sheet clamped between pair of clamping sections 41, 42 from holding member 11. Pressing member 31 retracts to its original position in preparation for removal of the next adhesive sheet 101 with release sheet.

[0027] The peeling device 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a holding device 10, an adsorption device 20, and a pressing device 30 so as to reliably remove the adhesive sheet 101 with a release sheet from the laminate 100, but it is also possible to remove the adhesive sheets 101 with release sheets one by one from the laminate 100 using only the clamping and conveying device 40, in which case the configuration may not be equipped with the holding device 10, the adsorption device 20, and the pressing device 30.

[0028] 11 and the enlarged view of a main part in FIG. 12, a placement step is performed in which adhesive sheet 101 with release sheet, which has been transported to peeling table 50 by clamping and transporting device 40, is placed on the upper surface of peeling table 50 so as to be inclined relative to peeling table 50. Adhesive sheet 101 with release sheet, which has been placed on peeling table 50, is positioned so that leading edge 102a of the protruding portion of release sheet 102 protrudes beyond peeling edge 51 of peeling table 50.

[0029] Thereafter, the pair of clamping units 41, 42 temporarily release the clamping of the release sheet 102, and then clamp the leading edge corner of the release sheet 102 that is farthest from the peeled edge (i.e., the leading edge corner on the clamping and conveying device 40 side). Also, the suction member 62 of the suction and conveying device 60 adsorbs the adhesive sheet 103 of the release-sheet-attached adhesive sheet 101. Then, the suction and conveying device 60 performs an suction and conveying step of adsorbing the surface of the adhesive sheet 103 and moving the adhesive sheet 103, and the clamping and conveying device 40 performs a clamping and conveying step of clamping the protruding portion of the release sheet 102 and moving the release sheet 102. The suction and conveying device 60 releases the suction at the destination of the adhesive sheet 103.

[0030] The adsorption and transport process is performed by moving the adhesive sheet 103 along the upper surface of the peeling table 50 toward the peeling edge 51, and the adsorption member 62 is gradually tilted and raised from around the time when the tip of the adsorption member 62 passes the peeling edge 51. The direction of movement of the adhesive sheet 103 is along a plane perpendicular to the peeling edge 51.

[0031] Meanwhile, the above-mentioned clamping and conveying step is performed by moving the release sheet 102, which is clamped between the pair of clamping sections 41, 42, with the leading edge 102a thereof inclined in plan view relative to the release edge 51, so that the release sheet 102 is folded at the release edge 51 and pulled downward. The direction of movement of the release sheet 102 is also along a plane perpendicular to the release edge 51, and is vertically downward relative to the horizontal release edge 51. As a result, the release sheet 102 is gradually peeled off from the adhesive sheet 103, as shown in Figures 13 and 14. Note that Figure 14 is a side view taken in the direction of arrow A in Figure 13.

[0032] As shown schematically in the plan view of Figure 15(a), adhesive sheet 103 has a triangular release area P (shown as hatched) formed from the corner by folding release sheet 102 at release edge 51. Then, by moving adhesive sheet 103 and release sheet 102 at the same speed, the contact length between release edge 51 and release sheet 102 gradually increases, and triangular release area P expands, as shown in Figure 15(b). This allows release sheet 102 to be easily and reliably peeled from adhesive sheet 103.

[0033] In the plan view shown in Figure 12, the angle α between the leading edge 102a of the release sheet 102 and the release edge 51 is preferably 20 to 30 degrees so that the release sheet 102 starts to peel reliably from the corner of the adhesive sheet 103 and peels smoothly to the end of the adhesive sheet 103. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1. Adhesive sheet peeling device 40 Clamping and conveying device 41,42 Clamping part 43 Articulated Robot 50 Peeling table 51 Peeling edge 60 Adsorption transport device 61 Articulated Robot 62 Adsorption member 100 Laminate of adhesive sheet with release sheet 101 Adhesive sheet with release sheet 102 Peel-off sheet 103 Adhesive Sheet

Claims

1. An apparatus for peeling a release sheet from an adhesive sheet of an adhesive sheet with a release sheet, comprising: The adhesive sheet with a release sheet is formed in a rectangular shape and has a protruding portion at at least one end where the release sheet protrudes from the adhesive sheet, a peeling table on which the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet is placed; a suction and transport device that suctions the surface of the adhesive sheet and moves the adhesive sheet; a clamping and conveying device that clamps the protruding portion and moves the release sheet, the peeling table has a peeling edge that is a straight edge; the suction and transport device moves the adhesive sheet along the upper surface of the peeling table toward the peeling edge, the nipping and conveying device moves the release sheet so as to fold the release sheet at the release edge and pull it downward from a state in which the leading edge of the nipped protruding portion is inclined relative to the release edge in a plan view, The peeling device for a pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet peels the release sheet from the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet by moving the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet and the release sheet at the same speed.

2. 2. The device for peeling off a pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet according to claim 1, wherein the clamping and conveying device clamps a corner of the release sheet and lowers the release sheet in a direction perpendicular to the peeling edge.

3. The apparatus for removing a release-sheet-attached pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the suction-conveying device and the clamping-conveying device each comprise an articulated robot.

4. A method for peeling a release sheet from an adhesive sheet of an adhesive sheet with a release sheet, comprising: The adhesive sheet with a release sheet is formed in a rectangular shape and has a protruding portion at at least one end where the release sheet protrudes from the adhesive sheet, a placing step of placing the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet on an upper surface of a peeling table having a release edge consisting of a linear edge portion; a suction and transport step of suctioning the surface of the adhesive sheet and moving the adhesive sheet; a nipping and conveying step of nipping the protruding portion and moving the release sheet, the adsorbing and conveying step comprises moving the adhesive sheet along an upper surface of the peeling table toward the peeling edge; The nipping and conveying step includes: moving the release sheet so as to fold the release sheet at the release edge and pull it downward from a state in which the tip edge of the nipped protruding portion is inclined relative to the release edge in a plan view; A method for peeling a pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet with a release sheet, comprising: moving the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet and the release sheet at the same speed to peel the release sheet from the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet.

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