Annular adhesive sheet forming device and annular adhesive sheet forming method

Abstract

To provide an annular adhesive sheet forming device capable of forming an annular adhesive sheet by preventing occurrence of a holding defect of an adhesive sheet as further as possible, and an annular adhesive sheet forming method.SOLUTION: An annular adhesive sheet forming device comprises: supply means 10 for supplying an adhesive sheet AS, which extends in an extension direction SD from one of a front end ASF and a rear end ASR to the other, from the side of the front end ASF; front end hold means 20 for holding the side of the front end ASF of the adhesive sheet AS supplied by the supply means 10; and sheet hold means 30 for moving a sheet hold member 32, which is capable of holding the adhesive sheet AS, together with the front end hold means 20, turning an adhesive surface AS1 of the adhesive sheet AS outside and holding the adhesive sheet AS in an annular state. The supply means 10 includes guide means 18 for guiding the side of the front end ASF of the adhesive sheet AS to a sheet holding position HP of the front end hold means 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an annular adhesive sheet forming apparatus and an annular adhesive sheet forming method. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART An annular adhesive sheet forming device is known that forms an annular adhesive sheet with the adhesive surface facing outward (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-206757 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the sheet application device 1 (annular adhesive sheet forming device) described in Patent Document 1, the adhesive sheet S (adhesive sheet) supplied from the payout means 3 (supply means) is supplied to the suction holes 28 (leading edge holding means) with its leading edge in the supply direction unstable, and the leading edge in the supply direction may not be reliably held by the leading edge holding means. As a result, in the annular adhesive sheet forming device of Patent Document 1, the adhesive sheet held by the application head 2 (sheet holding means) may become misaligned, or the sheet holding means may be unable to hold the adhesive sheet, resulting in poor adhesive sheet holding.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an annular adhesive sheet forming apparatus and an annular adhesive sheet forming method that can form an annular adhesive sheet while minimizing the occurrence of adhesive sheet retention problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention employs the configurations described in the claims. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the leading edge of the adhesive sheet is guided to the sheet holding position of the leading edge holding means, so that the leading edge is not supplied to the leading edge holding means in an unstable state. Therefore, it is possible to form the annular adhesive sheet while minimizing the occurrence of poor holding of the adhesive sheet. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1A to 1H are explanatory views of an annular adhesive sheet forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention and explanatory views of the operation of the apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are orthogonal to each other, and the X-axis and Y-axis are axes within a predetermined plane, and the Z-axis is an axis orthogonal to the predetermined plane. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the view from the DR direction parallel to the Y-axis is used as the reference, and when directions are indicated without specifying the figure, "up" is the direction of the Z-axis arrow, "down" is the opposite direction, "left" is the direction of the X-axis arrow, "right" is the opposite direction, "front" is the direction toward the viewer in Figure 1 parallel to the Y-axis, and "rear" is the opposite direction.

[0010] The annular adhesive sheet forming apparatus EA of the present invention comprises supply means 10 which performs a supply step of supplying an adhesive sheet AS extending in an extension direction SD from one of a leading end ASF and a trailing end ASR (see the diagram marked with AA in Figure 1(A)) to the other from the leading end ASF side; leading end holding means 20 which performs a leading end holding step of holding the leading end ASF side of the adhesive sheet AS supplied by the supply means 10; sheet holding means 30 which performs a sheet holding step of moving a sheet holding member 32 capable of holding the adhesive sheet AS together with the leading end holding means 20 to hold the adhesive sheet AS in an annular state (in this embodiment, a circular ring shape) with the adhesive surface AS1 of the adhesive sheet AS facing outwards; energy applying means 40 which performs an energy applying step of applying heat as a predetermined energy to the adhesive sheet AS; and width adjusting means 50 which cuts the adhesive sheet AS along the extension direction SD. The adhesive sheet AS in this embodiment is designed to be elastically deformable and softenable by heat as a predetermined energy, and is supplied to the supply means 10 in a state where it is temporarily attached to the release sheet RL.

[0011] The supply means 10 includes a base plate 11 that directly or indirectly supports the components that make up the supply means 10, a support roller 12 that supports the reversed sheet RS in which a strip-shaped adhesive sheet base material ASB is temporarily attached to a strip-shaped release sheet RL, a guide roller 13 that guides the original sheet RS, a drive roller 14 that is supported by an output shaft (not shown) of a rotary motor 14A as a drive device and that pinches the original sheet RS between itself and a pinch roller 14B, a peeling means 15 that folds back the release sheet RL and peels the adhesive sheet AS from the release sheet RL, and a rotary motor 16A that is supported by an output shaft (not shown) of the rotary motor 16A as a drive device. and a drive roller 16 that is supported by the output shaft of a drive device (not shown) and that pinches the release sheet RL between it and the pinch roller 16B, a recovery roller 17 that is supported by the output shaft of a drive device (not shown) and that constantly applies a predetermined tension to the release sheet RL that is present between it and the pinch roller 16B while the annular adhesive sheet forming device EA is automatically operating, and serves as recovery means for recovering the release sheet RL, a guide means 18 that guides the leading end ASF side of the adhesive sheet AS to a sheet holding position HP of the leading end holding means 20, and a length adjustment means 19 that cuts the adhesive sheet base ASB to a predetermined length to form the adhesive sheet AS. Note that in this specification, the adhesive sheet base ASB may also be referred to as the adhesive sheet AS even before the adhesive sheet AS is formed by cutting it. The peeling means 15 is provided with a peeling plate 15D as a first peeling means supported by a slider 15B of a linear motor 15A as a driving device, which folds back the release sheet RL at the peeling edge 15C and peels the adhesive sheet AS from the release sheet RL, and a peeling roller 15G as a second peeling means rotatably supported on an output shaft 15F of a linear motor 15E as a driving device. In this embodiment, the peeling plate 15D peels the leading edge of the adhesive sheet AS from the release sheet RL, and the peeling roller 15G peels the adhesive sheet AS after the leading edge has been peeled off. The guide means 18 is supported by a slider 18B of a linear motor 18A as a driving device, and includes a guide member 18D having a guide surface 18C (holding means) that can be adsorbed and held by a pressure reducing means (not shown) such as a pressure reducing pump or a vacuum ejector. The length adjustment means 19 includes an air cylinder 19A as a driving device, a cutting blade 19C supported by its output shaft 19B and serving as a cutting means for forming an incision CU with a step portion CU1 to form an adhesive sheet AS from the adhesive sheet base material ASB, as shown in the diagram marked AA in Figure 1(A), and a receiving base 19D that receives the pressure of the cutting blade 19C. The supply means 10 of this embodiment applies a predetermined tension to the adhesive sheet AS located between it and the sheet holding member 32, thereby holding the adhesive sheet AS on the sheet holding member 32, thereby bending the other side end portion AS4 of the adhesive sheet AS along the extension direction SD so that it approaches the second sheet holding surface 32B, and forming an annular adhesive sheet ASL (see Figure 1(F)) having an attachment surface AS5 that can be attached to the attachment surface WK1 of the adherend WK.

[0012] The tip portion holding means 20 includes a linear motor 21 as a driving device supported by a sheet holding member 32, and a tip portion holding member 22 supported by its output shaft 21A and holding the tip portion ASF side of the adhesive sheet AS together with the sheet holding member 32.

[0013] The sheet holding means 30 includes a rotary motor 31 as a driving device, a sheet holding member 32 supported by its output shaft 31A, and an intermediate holding means 33 that maintains the holding state of the adhesive sheet AS held by the sheet holding member 32. The sheet holding member 32 has a first sheet holding surface 32A that abuts against one side end portion AS3 of the adhesive sheet AS along the extension direction SD to hold the adhesive sheet AS, and a second sheet holding surface 32B that is directly connected to the first sheet holding surface 32A. The sheet holding member 32 has a recess 32C formed therein for holding the leading end ASF side of the adhesive sheet AS together with the leading end holding member 22. The second sheet holding surface 32B also has a recessed groove 32D formed therein for receiving the cutting blade 52 (see FIG. 1(H)). The intermediate holding means 33 includes a linear motor 33A as a driving device supported within the recess 32E of the sheet holding member 32, a linear motor 33C as a driving device supported on its output shaft 33B, and an intermediate holding member 33E (holding means) supported on its output shaft 33D and holding the adhesive sheet AS with the first sheet holding surface 32A.

[0014] The energy applying means 40 includes a linear motor 41 as a driving device, and a heating device 42 such as a coil heater or the heating side of a heat pipe supported on an output shaft 41A of the linear motor 41.

[0015] The width adjusting means 50 includes a linear motor 51 as a driving device and a cutting blade 52 as a cutting means supported on an output shaft 51A of the linear motor 51 (see FIG. 1(G)).

[0016] The operation of the annular adhesive sheet forming apparatus EA will now be described. First, a user of the annular adhesive sheet forming apparatus EA (hereinafter simply referred to as "the user") sets the raw web RS on the annular adhesive sheet forming apparatus EA, with each component positioned in the initial position shown by the solid lines in Fig. 1(A), and then inputs a signal to start automatic operation via an operating means (not shown), such as an operation panel or a personal computer. Then, the supply means 10 drives the rotary motor 14A to pay out the raw web RS, and when the leading end ASF of the adhesive sheet AS is peeled off by a predetermined length at the peeling edge 15C of the peeling plate 15D, as shown in Fig. 1(A), the rotary motor 14A is stopped.

[0017] Next, the supply means 10 drives the pressure-reducing means (not shown) to begin suction-holding of the adhesive sheet AS on the guide surface 18C, and then drives the rotary motor 14A and linear motor 18A to pay out the raw web RS and supply the adhesive sheet AS. This causes the adhesive sheet AS to be peeled off from the release sheet RL, and the adhesive sheet AS peeled off from the release sheet RL is guided to the sheet holding position HP within the recess 32C with its leading edge ASF held by the guide member 18D, as shown in FIG. 1(B). Thereafter, when the leading edge ASF reaches the sheet holding position HP, the supply means 10 stops driving the rotary motor 14A and linear motor 18A, and then stops driving the pressure-reducing means (not shown), thereby releasing the adhesive sheet AS from suction-holding on the guide surface 18C. Next, the supply means 10 drives the linear motor 18A to return the guide member 18D to its initial position, and the tip holding means 20 drives the linear motor 21, and the tip ASF side is held by the tip holding member 22 and the side wall of the recess 32C, as shown in Figure 1(C).

[0018] Then, the supply means 10 drives the linear motor 15A to move the peeling plate 15D away from the sheet holding member 32 as shown in FIG. 1(D), and then drives the direct-acting motor 15E to move the peeling roller 15G closer to the sheet holding member 32. At this time, the adhesive sheet AS is positioned so that the other side end AS4 side is positioned higher than the first sheet holding surface 32A as shown in FIG. 1(E). The peeling roller 15G may or may not press the adhesive sheet AS against the first sheet holding surface 32A.

[0019] Next, the energy applying means 40 drives the linear motor 41 to position the heating device 42 above the first sheet holding surface 32A as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 1(A), and then drives the heating device 42. Thereafter, the sheet holding means 30 drives the rotation motor 31 to rotate the sheet holding member 32 in a clockwise direction R1, and wrap one side end AS3 around the first sheet holding surface 32A as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 1(D). At this time, the supplying means 10 drives the rotation motor 14A to detect the torque applied from the original web RS via the drive roller 14, and supplies the adhesive sheet AS to the sheet holding member 32 while constantly maintaining the torque at a predetermined value, thereby applying tension to the adhesive sheet AS in the direction along the extending direction SD. The elastically deformable adhesive sheet AS, which is tensioned by the supply means 10 as described above and wrapped around the sheet holding member 32, bends due to its inherent elastic restoring force so that the other side end AS4 approaches the second sheet holding surface 32B, and the adhesive surface AS1 on the bent other side end AS4 side becomes an attachment surface AS5 that can be attached to the adherend surface WK1 of the adherend WK. Note that as the adhesive sheet AS passes under the heating device 42, it is heated by the heating device 42, making it more susceptible to elastic deformation, and the amount of elastic restoration increases accordingly, making it more likely to bend so that the other side end AS4 approaches the second sheet holding surface 32B.

[0020] Next, when the adhesive sheet AS wrapped around the sheet holding member 32 passes above the intermediate holding member 33E, the sheet holding means 30 drives the linear motors 33A and 33C, and as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1(F), the adhesive sheet AS is held between the intermediate holding member 33E and the first sheet holding surface 32A, preventing the adhesive sheet AS from moving toward the second sheet holding surface 32B. Then, the supplying means 10 drives the air cylinder 19A, and moves the cutting blade 19C back and forth, forming an incision CU in the adhesive sheet base material ASB together with the receiving base 19D, forming an adhesive sheet AS long enough to make one revolution around the sheet holding member 32 (see the diagram marked AA in FIG. 1(A)). Next, the trailing edge of the adhesive sheet AS is peeled off from the release sheet RL, and when the leading edge of the next adhesive sheet AS reaches a predetermined position above the peeling roller 15G, the supplying means 10 stops driving the rotary motor 14A. Thereafter, the non-adhesive surface AS2 on the rear end ASR side of the adhesive sheet AS is adhered to the adhesive surface AS1 on the front end ASF side of the adhesive sheet AS wrapped around the sheet holding member 32, and when the rear end ASR passes under the heating device 42, the sheet holding means 30 and the energy applying means 40 stop driving the rotary motor 31 and the heating device 42. As a result, an annular adhesive sheet ASL is formed having an adhesive surface AS5 that can be attached to the adherend surface WK1 of the adherend WK, as shown in FIG. 1(G). Next, the supplying means 10 and the energy applying means 40 drive the linear motor 15A, the direct-acting motor 15E, and the direct-acting motor 41, returning the peeling plate 15D, the peeling roller 15G, and the heating device 42 to their initial positions.

[0021] Then, as shown in FIG. 1(H), a user or a conveying means (not shown) applies the annular adhesive sheet ASL to the adherend WK so that the adherend surface WK1 abuts against the application surface AS5. The width adjusting means 50 then drives the linear motor 51, inserting the cutting blade 52 into the recessed groove 32D, as indicated by the two-dot chain line in the figure. Next, the sheet holding means 30 drives the rotary motor 31, rotating the sheet holding member 32 clockwise one or more times in the clockwise direction R1, cutting the adhesive sheet AS along the extension direction SD and forming a one-piece object UP with a portion of the annular adhesive sheet ASL applied to the outer edge of the adherend WK. The user or a conveying means (not shown) then conveys the one-piece object UP to the next process. Each means then drives its respective drive device to return each component to its initial position. Then, the user or a post-processing means (not shown), such as a drive device, removes the remaining portion of the adhesive sheet AS from the sheet holding member 32, and the same operations as described above are repeated.

[0022] According to the embodiment described above, the leading edge portion ASF side of the adhesive sheet AS is guided to the sheet holding position HP of the leading edge portion holding means 20, so that the leading edge portion ASF is not supplied in an unstable state to the leading edge portion holding means 20. Therefore, it is possible to prevent poor holding of the adhesive sheet AS as much as possible and form the annular adhesive sheet ASL.

[0023] The means and steps of the present invention are not limited in any way as long as they can perform the operations, functions, or steps described for those means and steps, and are in no way limited to the components and steps of a single embodiment shown in the above embodiment. For example, the leading end holding means may be any means capable of holding the leading end of the adhesive sheet supplied by the supply means, and is not limited in any way as long as it is within the scope of the common general technical knowledge at the time of filing (the same applies to other means and steps).

[0024] The supply means 10 may supply the adhesive sheet AS by unwinding a raw web to which the release sheet RL is not temporarily attached, or may supply the adhesive sheet AS from a raw web on which an adhesive sheet AS has been formed by forming a slit CU in advance in the adhesive sheet base ASB, or may apply tension to the adhesive sheet AS located between the sheet holding member 32 so that the other side end AS4 side abuts against the second sheet holding surface 32B, or may apply tension to the adhesive sheet AS located between the sheet holding member 32 so that the other side end AS4 side does not abut against the second sheet holding surface 32B, and the magnitude and direction of the predetermined tension applied to the adhesive sheet AS can be arbitrarily changed taking into consideration various conditions such as the properties, characteristics, properties, material, composition, configuration, shape, dimensions and weight of the adhesive sheet AS, atmospheric conditions and other factors, and for example, the sheet holding member 32 and At least one of the base plate 11 and the sheet holding member 32 may be moved away from the other or the adhesive sheet AS may be slidably gripped, thereby applying a predetermined tension to the adhesive sheet AS located between the sheet holding member 32, or tension may not be applied to the adhesive sheet AS, the adhesive sheet AS may not be bent so that the other side end portion AS4 approaches the second sheet holding surface 32B, the peeling means 15 may be composed of only one body such as a peeling plate 15D, a peeling roller 15G or other body, or may be composed of three or more bodies, the peeling means 15 may be configured to be stationary, the peeling roller 15G may peel the leading end portion of the adhesive sheet AS from the peeling sheet RL, and the peeling plate 15D may peel the adhesive sheet AS after the leading end has been peeled off, and a length adjustment means 19 may or may not be provided. The guiding means 18 may hold the adhesive surface AS1 side and the non-adhesive surface AS2 side of the adhesive sheet AS, as well as one side end AS3 side and the other side end AS4 side of the adhesive sheet AS, and guide the leading edge ASF side of the adhesive sheet AS to the sheet holding position HP, or may guide the leading edge ASF side to the sheet holding position HP with the guide member 18D without suction holding with the guide surface 18C, or may grip the leading edge ASF side of the adhesive sheet AS with a gripping means such as a chuck motor or a chuck cylinder and guide the leading edge ASF side to the sheet holding position HP, or may blow a gas such as air or gas onto the leading edge ASF side of the adhesive sheet AS and guide the leading edge ASF side to the sheet holding position HP.

[0025] The tip portion holding means 20 may be configured not to be supported by the sheet holding member 32, but to be supported by, for example, the output part of a driving device such as a rotary motor, and to move together with the sheet holding member 32, or may be configured so that a user presses a switch or the like to drive the linear motor 21 and hold the tip portion ASF side, or may be configured so that the first sheet holding surface 32A and the tip portion holding member 22 hold the tip portion ASF side of the adhesive sheet AS, or may be configured so that suction holes are formed in the first sheet holding surface 32A and the tip portion ASF side is sucked and held through the suction holes by a decompression means such as a decompression pump or a vacuum ejector, or may be configured so that the tip portion ASF side is gripped by a clip, screw member, or the like.

[0026] The sheet holding means 30 may move the supply means 10 without moving the sheet holding member 32 or while moving the sheet holding member 32, and the sheet holding member 32 may hold the adhesive sheet AS in a ring shape. The sheet holding member 32 may have a truncated cone shape, a truncated pyramid shape, a cylindrical shape, an elliptical cylindrical shape, a polygonal column shape such as a triangle or a square, a flat plate shape, a spherical shape, a hemispherical shape, or other shapes. The outer edge shape of the second sheet holding surface 32B may be, for example, a circle, an ellipse, a polygonal column shape such as a triangle or a square, or other shapes. One or more other surfaces may be present between the first sheet holding surface 32A and the second sheet holding surface 32B, so that the second sheet holding surface 32B can be in contact with the first sheet holding surface 32A. The second sheet holding surface 32B may be indirectly connected to 32A, or the second sheet holding surface 32B may be made of a material that can be elastically deformed such as rubber or resin, or may be made of a material that cannot be elastically deformed such as metal or glass, the second sheet holding surface 32B may be capable of being adsorbed and held by a pressure reducing means (holding means) not shown such as a pressure reducing pump or vacuum ejector, or may not be capable of being adsorbed and held, and the recess 32C may not be formed, or the recess groove 32D may not be formed. The intermediate holding means 33 may not be supported by the sheet holding member 32, but may be supported by, for example, the output part of a driving device such as a rotary motor and move together with the sheet holding member 32, or may be configured so that a user presses a switch or the like to drive the linear motors 33A, 33C and hold the adhesive sheet AS, or may be configured so that suction holes are formed in the first sheet holding surface 32A and the adhesive sheet AS is sucked and held through the suction holes by a decompression means such as a vacuum pump or vacuum ejector, or may be configured so that the adhesive sheet AS is gripped by clips or screw fastening members, and may or may not be provided in the annular adhesive sheet forming apparatus EA of the present invention.

[0027] The energy applying means 40 may be located inside the sheet holding member 32 or at another position, and may not be supported by a driving device. It may apply electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, visible light, sound waves, X-rays or gamma rays as a predetermined energy, or may apply hot water, hot air, cold water, cold air, etc., and may be selected as desired to soften the adhesive sheet AS taking into account the characteristics, properties, nature, material, composition and configuration of the adhesive sheet AS. The amount and strength of the predetermined energy applied to the adhesive sheet AS can be changed as desired taking into account various conditions such as the characteristics, properties, nature, material, composition, configuration, shape, dimensions and weight of the adhesive sheet AS, atmospheric conditions and other factors, and it may or may not be provided in the annular adhesive sheet forming apparatus EA of the present invention.

[0028] The width adjustment means 50 may, for example, advance and retract a cutting blade as cutting means from inside the sheet holding member 32 to cut the adhesive sheet AS along the extension direction SD, or may support the cutting means with an articulated robot or other member as driving equipment and cut the adhesive sheet AS along the extension direction SD on the first sheet holding surface 32A, or may use a disc-shaped, annular-shaped or linear-shaped cutting blade or other shaped cutting means that is raised and lowered or moved along a predetermined track to cut the adhesive sheet AS along the extension direction SD, or may cut the adhesive sheet AS along the extension direction SD before it is attached to the adherend WK (for example, while supported by the sheet holding member 32), or may cut the adhesive sheet AS to the same shape as the outer edge of the adherend WK, or cut the adhesive sheet AS to a shape larger than the outer edge of the adherend WK, or cut the adhesive sheet AS to a shape smaller than the outer edge of the adherend WK, and may or may not be provided in the annular adhesive sheet forming apparatus EA of the present invention.

[0029] The annular adhesive sheet forming apparatus EA may form annular adhesive sheets ASL in polygonal ring shapes such as elliptical, triangular or square ring shapes, or in other ring shapes; the sheet holding member 32 on which the annular adhesive sheet ASL has been formed may be moved to adhere the attachment surface AS5 of the annular adhesive sheet ASL to the attachment surface WK1 of the adherend WK; another member such as a resin sheet or metal plate may be adhered to the adhesive surface AS1 of the adhesive sheet AS which has been cut to a size larger than the outer edge of the adherend WK; the annular adhesive sheet ASL need not be adhered to the adherend WK; or the surfaces of the members constituting the annular adhesive sheet forming apparatus EA which come into contact with the adhesive surface AS1 may or may not be treated with a non-adhesive material such as fluororesin or silicone.

[0030] The adhesive sheet AS may be one that does not elastically deform, or may be capable of being softened by a predetermined energy such as ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, visible light, sound waves, X-rays or gamma rays, or heat such as hot water, hot air, cold water or cold air, or may not be softened by a predetermined energy, and the leading end portion ASF and the trailing end portion ASR may be formed by a cut CU having, for example, an arc-shaped portion, a convex portion, a concave portion or other shaped portion instead of or in addition to the step portion CU1, or the leading end portion ASF and the trailing end portion ASR may be formed into an outer shape such as a square, rectangular, diamond or trapezoidal shape by a linear cut CU without a step portion CU1, arc-shaped portion or convex portion, or may be formed into any outer shape such as a circular shape or an elliptical shape. The adhesive sheet AS may be configured to be deformable by a predetermined second energy. In this case, the annular adhesive sheet forming apparatus EA includes a second energy applying means for applying the predetermined second energy to the adhesive sheet AS. By applying the second energy to the adhesive sheet AS, the other side edge AS4 side of the adhesive sheet AS along the extending direction SD is bent so as to approach the second sheet holding surface 32B, thereby forming an annular adhesive sheet ASL having an attachment surface AS5 that can be attached to the attachment surface WK1 of the adherend WK. Examples of the predetermined second energy that deforms the adhesive sheet AS include electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, visible light, sound waves, X-rays, and gamma rays, and heat such as hot water, hot air, cold water, and cold air. Furthermore, the adhesive sheet AS that is configured to be deformable by the predetermined second energy may be any type as long as it is configured to be deformable by the predetermined second energy, and may, for example, be one that deforms with contraction due to the predetermined second energy, one that deforms with expansion due to the predetermined second energy, or one that deforms with neither contraction nor expansion due to the predetermined second energy. The adherend WK may have, for example, another adhesive sheet or an adherend support member made of metal, glass, resin, etc. attached to at least one of the adherend surface WK1 and the opposite surface, or nothing may be attached.

[0031] The materials, types, shapes, etc. of the adhesive sheet AS, the other adhesive sheet, the other member, and the adherend WK in the present invention are not particularly limited. For example, the adhesive sheet AS, the other adhesive sheet, the other member, and the adherend WK may be circular, elliptical, polygonal such as triangular or rectangular, or other shapes, and the adhesive sheet AS or the other adhesive sheet may be pressure-sensitive, heat-sensitive, or other adhesive. When a heat-sensitive adhesive sheet AS or the other adhesive sheet is used, they may be bonded by an appropriate method, such as providing a heating means such as a coil heater or the heating side of a heat pipe in addition to the heating device 42 that constitutes the energy applying means 40. Such adhesive sheets AS and other adhesive sheets may be of any type, such as a single layer consisting of only an adhesive layer, a two-layer structure consisting of a substrate and an adhesive layer, a three-layer structure consisting of a substrate and an adhesive layer with one or more intermediate layers laminated between them, a three-layer structure consisting of a substrate and an intermediate layer with one or more cover layers laminated on top of the substrate, a structure in which the substrate, intermediate layer, or cover layer are releasably provided, a double-sided adhesive sheet consisting of a single layer consisting of only an adhesive layer, a double-sided adhesive sheet in which adhesive layers are laminated on both outermost surfaces of one or more intermediate layers, etc. Furthermore, other members or adherends WK may be, for example, food, resin containers, semiconductor wafers such as silicon semiconductor wafers and compound semiconductor wafers, circuit boards, information recording substrates such as optical disks, glass plates, steel plates, ceramics, wooden boards, resins, or other single objects, or may be composites formed from two or more of these, and members or articles of any shape may also be included. The adhesive sheet AS or another adhesive sheet may be read in terms of its function or use, and may also refer to any sheet, film, tape, etc., such as an information label, a decorative label, a protective sheet, a dicing tape, a die attach film, a die bonding tape, or a recording layer-forming resin sheet.

[0032] The driving device in the above-described embodiments may be an electric device such as a rotary motor, a linear motor, a single-axis robot, or an articulated robot with two or more joints, or an actuator such as an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a rodless cylinder, or a rotary cylinder, or may be a direct or indirect combination of these. In the above-described embodiments, when a rotating member such as a roller is used, a driving device for rotating the rotating member may be provided, the surface of the rotating member or the rotating member itself may be made of a deformable member such as rubber or resin, or the surface of the rotating member or the rotating member itself may be made of a non-deformable member, or other members such as a rotating or non-rotating shaft or blade may be used instead of the roller, and when a peeling means or peeling member such as a peeling plate or peeling roller is used to peel the material to be peeled, a plate-like member, a round bar, a roller, or other member may be used instead of or in combination with the above-described examples, or the peeling member may be made of a deformable member such as rubber or resin, or may be made of a non-deformable member, or a support (holding) means or support ( When a device that supports (holds) a supported member (held member) such as a holding member is used, a configuration may be adopted in which the supported member is supported (held) using a gripping means such as a mechanical chuck or chuck cylinder, Coulomb force, an adhesive (adhesive sheet, adhesive tape), a pressure-sensitive adhesive (adhesive sheet, adhesive tape), magnetic force, Bernoulli adsorption, suction adsorption, driving equipment, etc., or when a device that cuts the member to be cut or forms an incision or cutting line in the member to be cut, such as a cutting means or cutting member, is used, cutting devices that use a cutter blade, laser cutter, ion beam, fire, heat, water pressure, an electric heating wire, spraying of gas or liquid, etc., may be used instead of or in combination with the above examples, or a device that moves the cutting device using a combination of appropriate driving equipment to perform the cutting. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] EA...Annular adhesive sheet forming device 10…Supply means 15...Removal means 15D...Removal plate (first removal means) 15G: Peeling roller (second peeling means) 18...Guidance means 20...Tip holding means 30...Sheet holding means 32...Seat holding member 32A...First sheet holding surface 32B...Second sheet holding surface 33...Intermediate holding means 40...Energy imparting means AS...Adhesive sheet ASF…Tip ASL: Annular adhesive sheet ASR…rear end AS1...adhesive surface AS3...One side end AS4: Other side end AS5...Adhesive surface HP…Seat holding position RL...Release sheet SD…extension direction WK...Adherend WK1...Surface to be adhered to

Claims

1. a supply means for supplying an adhesive sheet extending in an extending direction from one of the front end and the rear end toward the other from the front end side; a leading end holding means for holding the leading end side of the adhesive sheet supplied by the supply means; a sheet holding means for moving a sheet holding member capable of holding the adhesive sheet together with the tip holding means, and holding the adhesive sheet in a ring shape with the adhesive surface of the adhesive sheet facing outward; The annular adhesive sheet forming apparatus is characterized in that the supplying means includes a guide means for guiding the leading end side of the adhesive sheet to a sheet holding position of the leading end holding means.

2. the adhesive sheet is supplied to the supply means in a state where it is temporarily attached to a release sheet, the supplying means includes a peeling means for peeling the adhesive sheet from the release sheet, 2. The annular adhesive sheet forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said peeling means comprises first peeling means and second peeling means.

3. the adhesive sheet is provided to be elastically deformable, the sheet holding member includes a first sheet holding surface that abuts against one side end of the adhesive sheet along the extending direction to hold the adhesive sheet, and a second sheet holding surface that is directly or indirectly connected to the first sheet holding surface; The annular adhesive sheet forming device described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the supply means applies a predetermined tension to the adhesive sheet located between the sheet holding member and the adhesive sheet, thereby holding the adhesive sheet on the sheet holding member, thereby bending the other side end side of the adhesive sheet along the extension direction so that it approaches the second sheet holding surface, and forming an annular adhesive sheet having an attachment surface that can be attached to the attachment surface of an adherend.

4. the adhesive sheet is provided so as to be softenable by application of a predetermined amount of energy; 4. The annular adhesive sheet forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an energy applying means for applying the predetermined energy to the adhesive sheet.

5. 5. The annular adhesive sheet forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet holding means includes intermediate holding means for maintaining the adhesive sheet held by the sheet holding member.

6. a supplying step of supplying, from the front end side, an adhesive sheet extending in an extension direction from one of the front end and the rear end toward the other; a leading edge holding step of holding the leading edge side of the adhesive sheet supplied in the supplying step with a leading edge holding means; a sheet holding step of moving a sheet holding member capable of holding the adhesive sheet together with the tip portion holding means, and holding the adhesive sheet in a ring shape with the adhesive surface of the adhesive sheet facing outward; The method for forming an annular adhesive sheet is characterized in that the supplying step includes a guiding step of guiding the leading edge side of the adhesive sheet to a sheet holding position in the leading edge holding step.

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