Workpiece feeding device and workpiece feeding method

Abstract

The present invention provides a workpiece feeding device that can reliably separate workpieces that are lifted together with a stack of sheet-like workpieces when the top sheet is lifted. [Solution] A workpiece supply device comprising a mounting table for stacking and placing sheet-shaped workpieces, and a suction head for adsorbing and lifting the uppermost workpiece stacked on the mounting table, for supplying the uppermost workpiece to another device, is equipped with a nozzle for spraying ionized air, which intermittently sprays the ionized air onto the uppermost workpiece that is lifted by the suction head and the edges of workpieces that are in close contact with it, thereby separating the adhered workpieces.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a workpiece supply device for supplying a sheet-like workpiece, such as an LTCC green sheet or a ceramic green sheet, to a processing device, and a workpiece supply method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a workpiece supply device, a sheet-like workpiece is stacked on a mounting table, the uppermost sheet is adsorbed and lifted upward and taken out, and supplied to a processing device or the like. In such a supply device, when the uppermost workpiece is lifted, the workpiece located below the workpiece may be adhered and taken out together. Therefore, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, a device that continuously injects compressed air to the side of the lifted workpiece and feeds air between the workpieces to separate them is known. Further, as described in Patent Document 2, a device that feeds ionized air from the side between the stacked workpieces to remove static electricity and prevent adhesion is also known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 injects compressed air to the side of the closely adhering workpieces, but if the adhesion at the edges of the workpieces is high, it may not be possible to send air between them, and they may not separate. Similarly, the apparatus described in Patent Document 2 injects ionized air from the side of the stacked workpieces, but if the adhesion at the edges of the workpieces is high, it may not be possible to send ionized air between the workpieces, so the contact surfaces of both workpieces cannot be effectively destaticized, and they may be removed while still stuck together.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention aims to solve the above problems and provide a workpiece supply device that can reliably separate workpieces that are lifted together with the top sheet of stacked workpieces when the top sheet is lifted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a work supply device comprising a mounting table for stacking and placing sheet-shaped workpieces, and a suction head for adsorbing and lifting the uppermost workpiece stacked on the mounting table upward, wherein the uppermost workpiece is supplied to another device, the device being equipped with a nozzle for injecting ionized air, and the ionized air is intermittently injected onto the uppermost workpiece lifted by the suction head and the edges of workpieces in close contact with it, thereby separating the adhered workpieces. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This invention allows for the separation of edges by intermittently applying impact or vibration to a workpiece, thereby expanding the separation area and ensuring that when the top sheet of a stack of sheet-like workpieces is lifted, any other workpieces that were lifted together with it can be reliably separated. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a workpiece supply device and a laser processing device which is the destination of the workpieces, which are one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a diagram illustrating a mounting platform, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates the operation of a workpiece supply device, which is one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This figure illustrates the injection times for each step of intermittent injection in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates the injection times for each of the different intermittent injections of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, typical embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the figures. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a workpiece supply device and a laser processing device to which the workpiece is supplied, which is one embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] As shown in Figure 1, the workpiece supply device 10 includes a rail 11, a slider 12 that can reciprocate along the rail 11 in the X direction, a lifter 13 provided on the slider 12, and a suction head 14 that is supported by the lifter 13 so as to be movable in the Z direction.

[0011] The suction head 14 is box-shaped with a hollow section inside, and its lower surface has numerous openings that communicate with the hollow section. The hollow section is connected to a vacuum source, and by creating negative pressure in the hollow section, the workpiece is attracted and held to its lower surface through the openings.

[0012] The workpiece supply device 10 further includes a mounting table 15 for stacking workpieces. Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the mounting table in one embodiment of the present invention, where (A) is a schematic top view and (B) is a schematic front view. The mounting table 15 will be described in detail using Figure 2.

[0013] On the upper surface of the mounting table 15, roughly square-shaped sheet-like workpieces W, such as ceramic green sheets or LTCC green sheets, are stacked. In addition, guide plates 18 are provided at positions opposite each side of the workpieces W to prevent horizontal displacement (XY direction in the figure) of the stacked workpieces W.

[0014] In a top view, ionizers 16 that generate ionized air are provided at positions opposite each corner of the workpiece W. The ionizers 16 are connected to a compressed air source (not shown) and their operation is controlled by a control device 20 (described later). At predetermined timings, they eject ionized air at high pressure from nozzles 17 in a horizontal direction relative to the upper surface of the mounting base 15. Furthermore, as shown in the figure, each ionizer 16 is positioned via a support column at a predetermined position higher than the topmost workpiece W in the stacked state, so that it can eject ionized air. This arrangement of the ionizers 16 and nozzles 17 allows ionized air to be injected towards the workpiece lifted by the suction head and the corner edges of the workpiece in close contact with it, as described later.

[0015] Returning to Figure 1, the workpiece supply device 10 is connected to a control device 20 that controls the operation of each part. The control device 20 is implemented, for example, by mainly using a program-controlled processing unit.

[0016] Next to the workpiece supply device 10 is a laser processing device 30, which is the destination for the workpieces in this embodiment. The laser processing device 30 includes a laser irradiation head 32 that irradiates a laser downward, a processing table 31 on which the workpiece is placed, and a control device 33 that controls the operation of each part of the laser processing device. The laser processing device 30 is controlled by the control device 33 and can move the laser irradiation head 32 and the processing table 31 relative to each other in the XY direction. Then, the laser irradiation head 32 irradiates the workpiece placed on the processing table 31 with a laser to perform drilling.

[0017] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the work supply device in an embodiment of the present invention. Next, the operation of the work supply device 10 will be described using FIG. 3. The work supply device 10 is controlled by the control device 20 and operates as follows.

[0018] First, the suction head 14 is positioned above the work W stacked on the mounting table 15 (FIG. 3(A)). Next, the suction head 14 is lowered and stopped at a height position where it contacts the work W1 located at the top of the stacked works. Then, the inside of the suction head 14 is set to a negative pressure state, and the work W1 is adsorbed to the lower surface thereof (FIG. 3(B)). At this time, the work W2 below the adsorbed work W1 may be adhered thereto by static electricity or the like. Hereinafter, the description will be made assuming that the work W2 is adhered to the uppermost work W1.

[0019] The suction head 14 is raised, and the suction head 14 is stopped at a height position where the nozzle 17 faces the corner edges of both works, that is, a height position where the ion air can be sprayed onto the corner edges of both works when the ion air is sprayed, with the work W1 adsorbed to the lower surface thereof and the work W2 adhered thereto (FIG. 3(C)).

[0020] Then, the ion air is intermittently sprayed from the nozzle 17 a predetermined number of times with a predetermined spraying time and a pause time. When the ion air is intermittently sprayed, repeated impacts and vibrations are applied to the corner edges of the works W1 and W2, so they are more likely to peel off than when continuously sprayed. Also, since ion air rather than simple compressed air is sprayed, when an extremely minute gap is formed near the corner edge, the ion air can enter there and neutralize the adhered surfaces of both works, making it even easier to peel off. As a result, the corner edges of the adhered works W1 and W2 are peeled off (FIG. 3(D)).

[0021] Here, the injection time, pause time, and number of injections for intermittent injection vary depending on the material and weight of the workpiece, the charging status of the workpiece in the stacked state, etc. Therefore, the injection time and number of injections suitable for peeling the corner edges should be determined in advance through experiments or the like. In addition, in order to peel the corner edges of both workpieces, the more the number of times impact or vibration is applied, that is, the more the number of times of intermittently injecting ionized air, the better. On the other hand, the shorter the time required for peeling, the better. Therefore, in order to be able to inject a large number of times in a short time, each injection time and stop time for intermittent injection should be made as short as possible.

[0022] After the corner edges of the adhered workpieces are peeled off, each injection time for intermittent injection is made longer than before, and ionized air is intermittently injected a predetermined number of times more. By further intermittently injecting ionized air toward the peeled areas of the corner edges of both workpieces, the peeled area of the adhered workpieces expands toward the centers of both workpieces, and the workpieces fall due to their own weight (Fig. 3(E)).

[0023] As described above, each injection time for intermittent injection for peeling the corner edges of both workpieces should be short. However, if the injection time is short, the amount of ionized air ejected from the nozzle is also small, etc., so it is difficult for the ionized air to be sent into the center direction of the workpiece. Even if the corner edges can be peeled off, it is difficult for the peeled area to expand toward the center of the workpiece. Therefore, after the corner edges of the adhered workpieces are peeled off, in order to increase the amount of ionized air sent into the center direction of the workpiece, each injection time for intermittent injection is made longer to efficiently expand the peeled area. In addition, after the edges of the adhered workpieces are peeled off, even if ionized air is continuously injected, the gap can be neutralized and peeled off. However, by intermittently injecting, intermittent impact can be applied to the boundary between the adhered area and the peeled area of both workpieces, so the peeled area can be increased more efficiently.

[0024] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the injection times for each step of intermittent injection in one embodiment of the present invention. To explain the operation of intermittent injection described above in more detail, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, in order to apply numerous impacts and vibrations in a short time until the corner edges are peeled off, injection is performed intermittently with the shortest possible injection time T1 and stop time T2. After the corner edges have been peeled off, in order to increase the amount of ionized air sent toward the center of the workpiece, injection is performed intermittently with an injection time T3 longer than T1 and a stop time T4.

[0025] The operation after the workpiece W2, which was in close contact, detaches and falls is not shown in the illustration, but the suction head 14 is moved and positioned above the processing table 31 of the laser processing device 30. Then, the suction head 14 is lowered and stopped at a height where the workpiece W1 held on its underside contacts the processing table 31. After that, the negative pressure state inside the suction head 14 is released, completing the supply of workpiece W1 to the processing table 31. After the supply of workpiece W1 is complete, the suction head 14 is moved to a predetermined standby position, and if there is another workpiece to be supplied, the suction head 14 is again positioned above the workpieces W stacked on the mounting base 15, and the operation described above is repeated.

[0026] In this embodiment, the example described involved intermittent spraying at a predetermined spray time T1, followed by intermittent spraying at a predetermined spray time T3 with each spray time increased. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, as shown in Figure 5, intermittent spraying may be performed while gradually increasing each spray time after the corners and edges have peeled off. If the intermittent spray time is suddenly increased after the corners and edges have peeled off, the force that separates the adhered workpiece due to the supply of ionized air may become too strong. In such cases, depending on the type of workpiece, a sudden force may be applied near the boundary between the already peeled portion and the adhered portion, causing damage such as tearing on the surface. Therefore, after the corners and edges have peeled off, damage to the workpiece can be prevented by extending each intermittent spray time by, for example, 10%, to avoid applying a sudden force.

[0027] As described above, the present invention intermittently sprays ionized air onto the edges of workpieces that are in contact due to static electricity, thereby intermittently applying shock and vibration, and simultaneously supplying ionized air between the workpieces through the small gaps created by the shock, etc., to eliminate static electricity, thereby reliably separating the workpieces that are in contact.

[0028] Furthermore, the present invention enables efficient separation of a workpiece by intermittently spraying ionized air to separate the edges of the adhered workpiece, and then increasing the duration of each intermittent spray.

[0029] Furthermore, the present invention allows for the efficient separation of a workpiece while preventing damage to the workpiece by intermittently spraying ionized air to separate the edges of the adhered workpiece, and then gradually increasing the duration of each spray while continuing to spray intermittently. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0030] 10: Workpiece feeding device, 11: Rail, 12: Slider, 13: Lifter, 14: Suction head, 15: Mounting table, 16: Ionizer, 17: Nozzle, 18: Guide plate, 20: Control device for workpiece feeding device, 30: Laser processing device, 31: Processing table, 32: Laser irradiation head, 33: Control device for laser processing device, W: Workpiece

Claims

1. A mounting platform for stacking and placing sheet-like workpieces, A suction head that picks up the topmost workpiece stacked on the aforementioned mounting platform and lifts it upwards, Equipped with, In a workpiece supply device that supplies the uppermost workpiece to another device, Equipped with a nozzle that sprays ionized air, The ionized air is intermittently sprayed onto the uppermost workpiece, which is lifted by the suction head, and the edge of the workpiece that is in close contact with it, thereby separating the workpiece from the other workpiece. A workpiece feeding device characterized by the following.

2. After intermittently spraying the ionized air for a first injection time to peel off the edges of the workpiece, The ionized air is intermittently sprayed for a second spray time longer than the first spray time to completely detach the adhered workpiece. A workpiece supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that

3. After intermittently spraying the ionized air for a first injection time to peel off the edges of the workpiece, The ionized air is intermittently sprayed while gradually increasing the spray time relative to the first spray time, thereby completely separating the adhered workpiece. A workpiece supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that

4. A mounting platform for stacking and placing sheet-like workpieces, A suction head that picks up the topmost workpiece stacked on the aforementioned mounting platform and lifts it upwards, Equipped with, A method for supplying a workpiece using a workpiece supply device that supplies the uppermost workpiece to another device, Ionized air is intermittently sprayed onto the uppermost workpiece, which is lifted by the suction head, and the edge of the workpiece that is in close contact with it, thereby separating the workpiece from the other workpiece. A method for supplying workpieces, characterized by the features described above.

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