Resin molding device and method for manufacturing resin molded product

Abstract

The temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C is measured accurately without contact. [Solution] A resin molding device 100 has a lower mold 2 having a cavity 2C and an upper mold 3 arranged opposite the lower mold 2, and clamps the lower mold 2 and upper mold 3 to mold a resin. The device is equipped with a coating material supply section 7 that supplies a sheet-like or film-like coating material 6 having an emissivity higher than that of the lower mold 2 to the lower mold 2, an adsorption mechanism 5 that adsorbs the coating material 6 to the surface of the cavity 2C, and a thermographic camera 8 that acquires a thermographic image showing the temperature distribution of the coating material 6 when the coating material 6 is adsorbed to the surface of the cavity 2C by the adsorption mechanism 5.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a resin molding apparatus and a method for manufacturing a resin molded product. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in the resin molding device shown in Patent Document 1, uniformity in the temperature of the cavity surface is required in order to melt the resin material uniformly inside the cavity.

[0003] For this reason, conventionally, in order to check whether the temperature of the cavity surface is uniform, a contact thermometer is brought into contact with multiple points on the cavity surface to measure the temperatures.

[0004] However, measuring the temperature at multiple locations using a contact thermometer requires multiple measurements or the use of multiple contact thermometers, which is time-consuming and costly. Furthermore, measuring the temperature at multiple locations does not allow accurate determination of the temperature distribution across the entire cavity surface. Furthermore, since the contact thermometer must be in contact with the cavity surface, there is a risk of damaging the cavity surface. Additionally, the measured value varies depending on the contact condition of the contact thermometer, making it difficult to accurately measure the cavity surface temperature. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-82534 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] On the other hand, a thermography camera can be used as a method for measuring the temperature of the cavity surface without contact.

[0007] However, because the mold in which the cavity is formed is made of a metal material with low emissivity, the infrared radiation emitted by the mold is weak. Furthermore, the range of fluctuation in infrared radiation intensity, which varies depending on the mold temperature, is also small. For this reason, when using a general-purpose thermography camera that cannot precisely detect infrared radiation intensity, it is difficult to accurately measure the temperature distribution on the cavity surface by directly photographing the mold.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its main objective is to accurately measure the temperature distribution on the cavity surface without contact, even when using a general-purpose thermographic camera. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] That is, the resin molding apparatus of the present invention is a resin molding apparatus having a first mold having a cavity and a second mold arranged opposite the first mold, and clamping the first mold and the second mold together to mold a resin, and is characterized by comprising a covering material supply unit that supplies a sheet-like or film-like covering material having an emissivity higher than that of the first mold to the first mold, an adsorption mechanism that adsorbs the covering material to the cavity surface, and a thermographic camera that acquires a thermographic image showing the temperature distribution of the covering material while the covering material is adsorbed to the cavity surface by the adsorption mechanism. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention configured as described above, even when a general-purpose thermography camera is used, the temperature distribution on the cavity surface can be accurately measured in a non-contact manner. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a resin molding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of a resin molded module according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] 3A to 3C are schematic diagrams showing a method for acquiring a thermographic image in the embodiment. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing a method for acquiring a thermographic image in a modified embodiment. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing a method for acquiring a thermographic image in a modified embodiment. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams showing a method for acquiring a thermographic image in a modified embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Next, the technology according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples, although the present invention is not limited to the following technology.

[0013] A resin molding device according to Technology 1 of the present invention has a first mold having a cavity and a second mold arranged opposite the first mold, and clamps the first mold and the second mold together to mold a resin. The resin molding device is characterized by comprising: a covering material supply unit that supplies a sheet-like or film-like covering material having an emissivity higher than that of the first mold to the first mold; an adsorption mechanism that adsorbs the covering material onto the cavity surface; and a thermographic camera that acquires a thermographic image showing the temperature distribution of the covering material while the covering material is adsorbed onto the cavity surface by the adsorption mechanism. Here, emissivity is the "radiant emittance of an object" divided by the "radiant emittance of a black body at the same temperature as the object." Note that radiant emittance is the radiant flux per unit area of ​​a planar radiation source radiated into a hemispherical space. A black body is an imaginary object that completely absorbs electromagnetic waves incident from the outside across all wavelengths and can also emit heat, and the radiant emittance of a black body is the upper limit.

[0014] This resin molding apparatus adsorbs a coating member with a higher emissivity than the first mold in which the cavity is formed onto the cavity surface, so the temperature of the coating member adsorbed onto the cavity surface is substantially the same as the temperature of the cavity surface. Furthermore, because the emissivity of the coating member is higher than that of the first mold, the intensity of the infrared radiation emitted by the coating member is stronger than that of the first mold, and the intensity of the infrared radiation emitted by the coating member varies significantly depending on the temperature of the coating member, i.e., the temperature of the first mold. As a result, even when using a general-purpose thermographic camera that cannot precisely detect infrared radiation intensity, it is possible to obtain a thermographic image of the coating member corresponding to the temperature distribution on the cavity surface, allowing for accurate measurement of the temperature distribution on the cavity surface. Furthermore, since the temperature distribution on the cavity surface can be measured without contact, various problems associated with using conventional contact thermometers can be eliminated at once.

[0015] Some resin molding devices place a release film on the cavity surface to improve the releasability of the resin molded product. In order to effectively utilize this release film and accurately measure the temperature distribution on the cavity surface in a non-contact manner, the resin molding device of Technology 2 according to the present invention, in addition to the configuration of Technology 1 above, preferably has the covering member be a release film, and the thermographic camera acquires a thermographic image showing the temperature distribution of the release film.

[0016] Some resin molding devices transport a release film on which a resin material is placed to a first mold, and then place the release film together with the resin material on the cavity surface. In this configuration, it is difficult to obtain a thermographic image of the release film before the first and second molds are clamped, because the resin material is on top of the release film. Therefore, in addition to the configuration of Technology 2, the resin molding device of Technology 3 according to the present invention preferably has the thermographic camera obtain a thermographic image showing the temperature distribution of the used release film adsorbed on the surface of the cavity after resin molding. With this configuration, since there is no resin material on the release film, it is possible to obtain a thermographic image of the used release film, and the temperature distribution on the cavity surface can be measured accurately without contact.

[0017] In addition to the configuration of Technology 3 described above, the resin molding device of Technology 4 according to the present invention further includes a transporting unit for transporting an object to be transported to the first mold or the second mold, and the thermographic camera is preferably provided in the transporting unit for transporting an object to be transported, and acquires a thermographic image representing the temperature distribution of the used release film while the transporting unit for transporting an object to be transported is positioned at the first mold or the second mold. When the object transfer unit transfers an object to the first or second mold, there is always a period during which the object transfer unit is located between the first and second molds. The configuration of Technology 4 allows the temperature distribution of the used release film to be measured while the object transfer unit is located between the first and second molds, thereby preventing a decrease in production efficiency of resin molded products due to temperature distribution measurement. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a dedicated movement mechanism for the thermographic camera, the complexity and size of the device configuration can be prevented. Note that transferring an object to the first or second mold means at least one of transferring the object from the first or second mold or transferring the object to the first or second mold.

[0018] In addition to the configuration of the above-mentioned technique 4, the resin molding device of technique 5 according to the present invention is preferably such that the transport object transport unit transports a resin molded product to the first mold or the second mold. With this configuration, the temperature distribution of the used release film can be efficiently measured while the resin molded product is being transported to the first mold or the second mold.

[0019] The resin molding apparatus of Technology 6 according to the present invention, in addition to the configuration of any one of Technologies 1 to 3 above, further includes a mold clamping mechanism that clamps the first mold and the second mold, and the first mold is configured to be movable outward from the mold clamping mechanism, and it is desirable that the thermographic camera acquires a thermographic image that represents the temperature distribution of the covering member adsorbed on the cavity surface when the first mold has moved outward from the mold clamping mechanism. With this configuration, even if the space between the first and second molds is narrow when the molds are opened, it is possible to measure the temperature distribution of the coating material adsorbed onto the cavity surface. Furthermore, the temperature distribution of the coating material adsorbed onto the cavity surface can be measured from above the first mold that has moved outward, allowing for accurate measurement of the temperature distribution of the cavity surface. For example, when the first and second molds are vertically opposed to each other, the first mold is located inside the mold clamping mechanism. When the first and second molds are not vertically opposed to each other, the second mold is located outside the mold clamping mechanism.

[0020] The manufacturing method of a resin molded product according to Technology 7 of the present invention is a manufacturing method of a resin molded product that uses the resin molding apparatus of any one of Technologies 1 to 6 described above, and is characterized in that a thermographic image showing the temperature distribution of the covering member adsorbed on the cavity surface is acquired, and the first mold and the second mold are clamped to manufacture the resin molded product. This method for manufacturing a resin molded product makes it possible to check the temperature distribution on the cavity surface, thereby improving the quality of the resin molded product.

[0021] <One embodiment of the present invention> An embodiment of a resin molding apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that, for ease of understanding, all of the drawings shown below are drawn in a schematic manner with appropriate omissions or exaggerations. Identical components are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted where appropriate.

[0022] <Overall configuration of resin molding equipment> The resin molding apparatus 100 of this embodiment performs resin molding by a compression molding method. The resin molding apparatus 100 uses a resin material J to seal a substrate W, which is a molding object having electronic components Wx fixed to one surface, with resin, thereby producing a resin molded product P. Note that, hereinafter, the molding object (substrate W) before resin molding will be referred to as a "pre-molded substrate W," and the molding object (substrate W) after resin molding will be referred to as a "molded substrate W" or a "resin molded product P."

[0023] Here, the substrate W has, for example, a rectangular shape in a plan view, and examples of the substrate W include a metal substrate, a resin substrate, a glass substrate, a ceramic substrate, a circuit board, a semiconductor substrate, a lead frame, a silicon wafer, and a glass wafer. Alternatively, the substrate W may be a carrier without wiring. The substrate W may also have another shape, such as a circular shape, in a plan view.

[0024] Examples of the resin material J include powdered or granular resin (including granular resin), liquid resin, etc. Examples of the electronic component Wx include electronic elements such as semiconductor chips, resistor elements, and capacitor elements, or electronic components in which at least one of these electronic elements is sealed with resin.

[0025] 1, this resin molding apparatus 100 includes, as its components, a substrate supply / storage module A, two resin molding modules B, and a resin material supply module C. Each component (each of modules A to C) is detachable and replaceable relative to the other components.

[0026] The substrate supply / storage module A has a substrate receiving section 11 that receives pre-molded substrates W from the outside, a substrate storage section 12 that stores molded substrates W (resin molded products P), a transport mechanism 13 that transports the pre-molded substrates W and the resin molded products P, and a transfer mechanism 14, such as a transport robot, that transfers the pre-molded substrates W and the resin molded products P to the transport mechanism 13.

[0027] The transport mechanism 13 transports the pre-molding substrate W from the substrate supply / storage module A to the resin molding module B, and transports the resin molded product P from the resin molding module B to the substrate supply / storage module A. In addition, the delivery mechanism 14 delivers the pre-molding substrate W from the substrate receiving unit 11 to the transport mechanism 13, and delivers the resin molded product P from the transport mechanism 13 to the substrate storage unit 12.

[0028] Each resin molding module B has a lower mold 2 which is a first mold having a cavity 2C, an upper mold 3 which is a second mold arranged opposite the lower mold 2 and which holds the substrate W, and a mold clamping mechanism 4 which clamps the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3. The specific configuration will be described later.

[0029] The resin material supply module C has a movable table 15, a resin material accommodation unit 16 placed on the movable table 15, a resin material supply mechanism 17 that measures the resin material J and supplies the measured resin material J to the resin material accommodation unit 16, and a resin material transport mechanism 18 that transports the resin material accommodation unit 16 and supplies the resin material J to the cavity 2C of the lower mold 2. The resin material accommodation unit 16 has a release film F and a frame 161 that is placed on the release film F. Supplying the resin material J to the resin accommodation unit 16 means supplying the resin material J onto the release film F within the frame 161.

[0030] The moving table 15 moves within the resin material supply module C between a resin charging position where a resin material supply mechanism 17 charges the resin and a transfer position where the resin material accommodation section 16 is handed over to the resin material transport mechanism 18. The resin material transport mechanism 18 also transports the resin material accommodation section 16 containing the resin material J from the resin material supply module C to the resin molding module B, and transports the resin material accommodation section 16 after the resin material J has been supplied from the resin molding module B to the resin material supply module C.

[0031] <Specific configuration of resin molding module B> Next, a specific configuration of the resin molded module B in this embodiment will be described below.

[0032] As described above, as shown in FIG. 2, the resin molding module B has a lower mold 2 in which a cavity 2C is formed, an upper mold 3 that holds the substrate W, and a mold clamping mechanism 4 to which the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3 are attached and which clamps the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3.

[0033] The mold clamping mechanism 4 has an upper fixed platen 41 to which the upper mold 3 is attached, a movable platen 42 to which the lower mold 2 is attached, and a drive mechanism 43 for moving the movable platen 42 up and down.

[0034] The upper fixed platen 41 has the upper mold 3 attached to its lower surface, and is fixed at the upper ends of a plurality of support columns 45 so as to face the movable platen 42 .

[0035] The movable platen 42 has the lower mold 2 attached to its upper surface, and is supported so as to be movable up and down by a plurality of support columns 45 provided upright on the lower fixed platen 44. Note that, instead of the plurality of support columns 45, two plate-like members with surfaces facing each other may be used.

[0036] The drive mechanism 43 is provided between the movable platen 42 and the lower fixed platen 44, and moves the movable platen 42 up and down to clamp the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3. The drive mechanism 43 in this embodiment is of a linear motion type that moves the movable platen 42 up and down using a ball screw mechanism 431 that converts the rotation of a servo motor or the like into linear movement, but may be of a link type that transmits a power source such as a servo motor to the movable platen 42 using a link mechanism such as a toggle link.

[0037] An upper mold holding part 46 is provided between the upper mold 3 and the upper fixed platen 41. This upper mold holding part 46 has a heater plate 461 which is an upper mold heating part that heats the upper mold 3, a heat insulating member 462 provided on the upper surface of the heater plate 461, a side wall member 463 provided on the lower surface of the heater plate 461 and surrounding the periphery of the upper mold 3, and a seal member 464 provided at the lower end of the side wall member 463.

[0038] Here, one or more cartridge heaters are built into the heater plate 461, which is an upper mold heating section. The heater plate 461 is also provided with an upper mold temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the temperature of the heater plate 461. The temperature of the heater plate 461 is adjusted by a control section such as a control device CTL (described later) so that the temperature detected by the upper mold temperature sensor becomes a first set temperature.

[0039] Meanwhile, a lower mold holding part 47 is provided between the lower mold 2 and the movable platen 42. This lower mold holding part 47 has a heater plate 471 which is a lower mold heating part that heats the lower mold 2, a heat insulating member 472 provided on the lower surface of the heater plate 471, a side wall member 473 provided on the upper surface of the heater plate 471 and surrounding the periphery of the lower mold 2, and a seal member 474 provided on the upper end of the side wall member 473.

[0040] Here, one or more cartridge heaters are built into the heater plate 471, which is a lower mold heating unit. The heater plate 471 is also provided with a lower mold temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the temperature of the heater plate 471. The temperature of the heater plate 471 is adjusted by a control unit such as a control device CTL (described later) so that the temperature detected by the lower mold temperature sensor becomes a second set temperature.

[0041] When the drive mechanism 43 clamps the molds, the seal member 464 of the upper mold holding part 46 and the seal member 474 of the lower mold holding part 47 come into close contact with each other, and the space accommodating the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3 is isolated from the outside air. Note that it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which one of the seal member 464 and the seal member 474 is not provided.

[0042] 2, a cavity 2C is formed in the lower mold 2 to accommodate the electronic component Wx mounted on the substrate W and the resin material J. Specifically, the lower mold 2 has a bottom member 201 that forms the bottom surface of the cavity 2C, and a frame-shaped side member 202 that surrounds the bottom member 201. The upper surface of the bottom member 201 and the inner peripheral surface of the side member 202 form the cavity 2C.

[0043] The side surface members 202 are provided so as to be movable up and down relative to the bottom surface member 201. Specifically, the side surface members 202 are supported on a base plate 203 of the lower mold 2 by a plurality of elastic members 204 such as coil springs. As the plurality of elastic members 204 expand and contract, the side surface members 202 move up and down relative to the bottom surface member 201. Furthermore, the lower mold 2 is covered with a release film F to improve the releasability of the resin molded product P.

[0044] The lower mold 2 is provided with a suction mechanism 5 that suctions the release film F to the surface of the cavity 2C. Here, the surface of the cavity 2C refers to the upper surface of the bottom member 201 and the inner peripheral surfaces of the side members 202 that form the cavity 2C.

[0045] This suction mechanism 5 has a suction port 51 formed on the upper surface of the side member 202 of the lower mold 2, and a suction flow path 52 formed inside the side member 202 and connected to the suction port 51. In addition, a suction port 53 is formed between the bottom member 201 and the side member 202 so as to surround the bottom member 201, and a suction flow path 54 is connected to the suction port 53. These suction flow paths 52 and 54 are connected to an external suction device (not shown). This suction mechanism 5 causes the release film F to adhere to the entire surface of the cavity 2C.

[0046] Furthermore, an air vent (not shown) for discharging air or gas may be provided on the upper surface of the side surface member 302 (the surface where the side surface member 302 and the substrate W come into contact).

[0047] The upper mold 3 suctions and holds the back surface (the surface on which the electronic components Wx are not fixed) of the substrate W. A suction port (not shown) is formed in the lower surface of the upper mold 3, and a suction flow path (not shown) connected to the suction port is formed inside the upper mold 3. This suction flow path is connected to an external suction device (not shown).

[0048] <Measurement of temperature distribution on the surface of cavity 2C> The resin molding apparatus 100 of this embodiment has a configuration for measuring the temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C.

[0049] Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the resin molding apparatus 100 is equipped with a covering material supply section 7 that supplies a sheet-like or film-like covering material 6 having a higher emissivity than the lower mold 2 to the lower mold 2, and a thermographic camera 8 that acquires a thermographic image showing the temperature distribution of the covering material 6 attached to the lower mold 2.

[0050] The covering member 6 in this embodiment is a release film F that is adhered to the surface of the cavity 2C. This release film F is made of a heat-resistant resin. The release film F has an emissivity of, for example, 0.8 or more, and a thickness of, for example, 50 μm or more and 100 μm or less. The emissivity of the lower mold 2 (specifically, the metal bottom member 201 and side member 202) is, for example, 0.25 or less.

[0051] The covering material supply unit 7 of this embodiment is configured using a resin material conveying mechanism 18. As a result, the covering material supply unit 7 supplies the release film F (covering material 6) on which the resin material J is placed to the lower mold 2.

[0052] The thermographic camera 8 is an infrared camera that receives infrared rays emitted from the covering member 6 (here, release film F) that is the subject of the image capture, and obtains a thermographic image that shows the temperature distribution of the covering member 6 that is the subject of the image capture.

[0053] The thermographic camera 8 of this embodiment acquires a thermographic image showing the temperature distribution on the surface of the release film F while the release film F is adsorbed to the surface of the cavity 2C by the adsorption mechanism 5. Here, since the release film F is adsorbed to and in close contact with the surface of the cavity 2C, the temperature distribution of the release film F is substantially the same as the temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C.

[0054] Here, because the resin material J is supplied to the cavity 2C of the lower mold 2 together with the release film F, it is not possible to measure the temperature distribution of the release film F before the mold is closed. For this reason, the thermographic camera 8 of this embodiment measures the temperature distribution by acquiring a thermographic image of the used release film F adsorbed to the surface of the cavity 2C in the lower mold 2 that has been opened after resin molding. Note that when the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3 are opened after resin molding, the resin molded product P is adsorbed and held by the upper mold 3, and the used release film F is adsorbed and held by the lower mold 2.

[0055] The thermographic camera 8 of this embodiment is provided on a transport mechanism 13 that carries the pre-molding substrate W into the upper mold 3 and carries the resin molded product P out of the upper mold 3. In other words, the thermographic camera 8 is configured to move with the transport mechanism 13 relative to the lower mold 2 and upper mold 3.

[0056] The thermographic camera 8 measures the temperature distribution by acquiring a thermographic image of the used release film F adsorbed on the surface of the cavity 2C of the lower mold 2 when the transfer mechanism 13 carries out the resin molded product P (this may be before or after receiving the resin molded product P from the upper mold 3) or when the pre-molding substrate W is carried in (this may be before or after delivering the pre-molding substrate W to the upper mold 3). The thermographic image can be displayed on a display (not shown) provided in the resin molding apparatus 100 or on a display (not shown) connected to the resin molding apparatus 100 by wire or wirelessly.

[0057] Here, the thermographic camera 8 may be configured to capture images of the entire used release film F while scanning it while the conveying mechanism 13 is moving, or may be configured to capture images of the entire used release film F while the conveying mechanism 13 is temporarily stopped.

[0058] <Resin molding operation of resin molding device 100> Next, an example of the operation of the resin molding apparatus 100 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 3. The operation described below is performed by a control device CTL provided in, for example, the substrate supply / storage module A, which controls each part of the resin molding apparatus 100. The control device CTL is a dedicated or general-purpose computer having a CPU, internal memory, an input / output interface, an AD converter, etc.

[0059] (1) Substrate supply process before molding In the substrate supply / storage module A, the transfer mechanism 14 transfers the pre-molding substrate W from the substrate receiving section 11 to the transport mechanism 13 located at a predetermined standby position. The transport mechanism 13 then transports the pre-molding substrate W to the resin molding module B and transfers the pre-molding substrate W to the opened upper mold 3. The transport mechanism 13 then returns to the predetermined standby position.

[0060] (2) Resin material supply process In the resin material supply module C, the resin material supply unit 21 supplies the resin material J to the resin material accommodation unit 16. As a result, the resin material J is supplied onto the release film F inside the frame 161. Thereafter, the resin material conveying mechanism 18 conveys the resin material accommodation unit 16 to the resin molding module B, and supplies the resin material J together with the release film F to the cavity 2C of the opened lower mold 2. The resin material conveying mechanism 18 then returns to a predetermined standby position. Once the resin material J has been supplied to the cavity 2C, the resin material J is heated by the lower mold 2.

[0061] (3) Resin molding process After the above steps, in the resin molding module B, the mold clamping mechanism 4 clamps the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3 with a predetermined mold clamping pressure. As a result, the pre-molding substrate W and the resin material J are heated by the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3. The resin material J is thermosetting. When the resin material J is heated, the viscosity of the resin material J temporarily decreases, and the resin material J melts. As a result, the cavity 2C is filled with the molten resin. The molten resin then hardens. After a predetermined time (e.g., the hardening time of the resin material J) has elapsed since the mold clamping, the mold clamping mechanism 4 lowers the lower mold 2 and opens the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3. The covering member 6 is heat-resistant to at least the melting temperature at which the resin material J melts and the first and second set temperatures described above. Therefore, the physical properties of the covering member 6 are maintained regardless of whether the temperature of the covering member 6 is the melting temperature, the first set temperature, or the second set temperature.

[0062] (4) Process for removing the molded substrate In the molded substrate carrying-out process, the transport mechanism 13 moves to the resin molding module B and receives the resin molded product P from the opened upper mold 3. Then, the transport mechanism 13 that has received the resin molded product P moves to the substrate supply / storage module A. Thereafter, the delivery mechanism 14 delivers the resin molded product P from the transport mechanism 13 to the substrate storage section 12 for storage.

[0063] In this embodiment, the transport mechanism 13 is provided with a thermographic camera 8, and when the transport mechanism 13 enters between the opened lower mold 2 and upper mold 3, the thermographic camera 8 acquires a thermographic image of the used release film F on the lower mold 2. In other words, while the transport mechanism 13 is positioned between the lower mold 2 and upper mold 3, a thermographic image of the used release film F is acquired, and the temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C is measured.

[0064] (5) Used release film collection process In the used release film recovery process, the resin material transport mechanism 18 recovers the used release film F from the opened lower mold 2. Then, after recovering the used release film F, the resin material transport mechanism 18 moves to the resin material supply module C and discards the used release film F in a disposal section.

[0065] <Effects of this embodiment> According to the resin molding apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the release film F, which is the covering member 6 having a higher emissivity than the lower mold 2 in which the cavity 2C is formed, is adsorbed onto the surface of the cavity 2C. Therefore, the temperature of the covering member 6 adsorbed onto the surface of the cavity 2C is substantially the same as the surface temperature of the cavity 2C. Furthermore, because the emissivity of the covering member 6 is higher than the emissivity of the lower mold 2, specifically, the material constituting the surface of the cavity 2C, the intensity of the infrared rays emitted by the covering member 6 is stronger than the intensity of the infrared rays emitted by the lower mold 2 and varies significantly depending on the temperature of the covering member 6, i.e., the surface temperature of the cavity 2C. As a result, even when a general-purpose thermographic camera that cannot precisely detect infrared intensity is used as the thermographic camera 8, a thermographic image of the release film F corresponding to the temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C can be obtained, and the temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C can be accurately measured without contact. Furthermore, since the temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C can be measured without contact, various problems that arise when using a conventional contact thermometer can be solved at once.

[0066] <Other Modified Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0067] 4, the lower mold 2 in which the cavity 2C is formed may be configured to be movable outward from the mold clamping mechanism 4. Specifically, the lower mold 2 may be configured to be movable outward from the movable platen 42 of the mold clamping mechanism 4 in a plan view. In this case, the lower mold 2 may be configured to move outward from the movable platen 42 together with the lower mold holding part 47, or may be configured to move outward from the movable platen 42 separately from the lower mold holding part 47. Note that a release film F on which a resin material J is placed may be supplied to the lower mold 2 that has moved outward from the mold clamping mechanism 4, or a used release film F may be collected.

[0068] In a plan view, when the lower mold 2 is located outside the movable platen 42, the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3 do not overlap and are not opposed to each other in the vertical direction. In a plan view, when the lower mold 2 is located inside the movable platen 42, the lower mold 2 and the upper mold 3 overlap and are opposed to each other in the vertical direction.

[0069] In this case, the thermographic camera 8 measures the temperature distribution by acquiring a thermographic image of the covering member 6 (used release film F) adsorbed onto the surface of the cavity 2C when the lower mold 2 has moved outward from the mold clamping mechanism 4. The thermographic camera 8 is configured to capture an image of the lower mold 2 that has moved outward from above. In this case, the thermographic camera 8 may be fixed to the upper fixed platen 41 or the like.

[0070] Furthermore, in a stage prior to resin molding, a release film F on which no resin material J is placed may be supplied to the lower mold 2, and with the release film F adsorbed to the surface of the cavity 2C, a thermographic image of the release film F may be acquired to measure the temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C. The release film F on which no resin material J is placed may be supplied to the lower mold 2 by the resin material conveying mechanism 18 of the above embodiment.

[0071] Furthermore, instead of the release film F, a sheet- or film-like covering member 6 other than the release film F may be supplied to the lower mold 2, and a thermographic image of the covering member 6 may be acquired to measure the temperature distribution. In this case, the resin molding apparatus 100 is configured to have a covering member supply unit separate from the resin material conveying mechanism 18. The covering member 6 is preferably a non-metallic material such as a resin with an emissivity of 0.8 or higher. The thickness of the covering member 6 is such that it adheres closely to the surface of the cavity 2C when adsorbed, and is preferably, for example, between 50 μm and 100 μm.

[0072] The reflectivity of the covering member 6 with respect to infrared rays is preferably lower than that of the surface of the lower mold 2, specifically, the cavity 2C. A shiny metal may be used as the material constituting the surface of the cavity 2C. In this case, the reflectivity of the infrared rays reflected by the surface of the cavity 2C is high. When a heat source is present near the metal, the heat source emits infrared rays, which are reflected by the metal. When a heat source is present near the metal and the thermographic camera 8 directly photographs the metal, the infrared rays reflected by the metal enter the lens of the thermographic camera 8. The infrared rays reflected by the metal act as noise in the temperature distribution measured using the thermographic camera 8. When the surface of the cavity 2C is covered with a covering member 6 with low reflectivity, the intensity of the infrared rays reflected by the covering member 6 is weak, and therefore the noise contained in the temperature distribution measured using the thermographic camera 8 is small.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the thermographic camera 8 is provided in the conveying mechanism 13, but it may also be provided in the resin material conveying mechanism 18. When the thermographic camera 8 is provided in the resin material conveying mechanism 18, it is possible to acquire a thermographic image of the used release film F during the operation of collecting the used release film F by the resin material conveying mechanism 18. Specifically, after the thermographic camera 8 acquires a thermographic image of the used release film F in a state where it is adsorbed to the surface of the cavity 2C, the used release film F is collected.

[0074] Furthermore, the thermographic camera 8 may be provided on a moving mechanism other than the conveying mechanism 13 and the resin material conveying mechanism 18. This moving mechanism is adapted to enter between the opened upper mold 3 and lower mold 2. The timing of entering between the opened lower mold 2 and upper mold 3 may be either before or after the resin molded product P is conveyed, as long as the used release film F is adsorbed to the cavity 2C.

[0075] In addition, in a configuration in which the lower mold 2 does not move outside the mold clamping mechanism 4, the thermographic camera 8 may be fixed at a position where it can acquire a thermographic image of the covering member 6 adsorbed onto the surface of the cavity 2C.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the release film F on which the resin material J is placed is supplied to the lower mold 2 by the resin material conveying mechanism 18, but the resin material J and the release film F may be supplied separately to the lower mold 2. In this case, before supplying the resin material J to the cavity 2C, a thermographic image of the release film F adsorbed to the surface of the cavity 2C can be acquired to measure the temperature distribution. It is also possible to acquire a thermographic image of the used release film F after resin molding to measure the temperature distribution.

[0077] Here, a so-called roll-to-roll type release film supply mechanism can be considered as a method for supplying the release film F to the lower mold 2. This release film supply mechanism has a feed roller that feeds the release film F wound in a roll to the lower mold 2, and a take-up roller that takes up the used release film F that has passed through the lower mold 2. Note that one or more conveying rollers are provided between the feed roller and the take-up roller for conveying the release film F. Another method for supplying the release film F to the lower mold 2 can be a pre-cut type release film supply mechanism. This release film supply mechanism supplies the lower mold 2 with a release film that has been cut to a predetermined size in advance.

[0078] Furthermore, the resin molding apparatus 100 may have an abnormality determination unit that determines an abnormality in the temperature distribution based on a thermographic image captured by the thermographic camera 8. The abnormality determination unit may be implemented by a function of the control device CTL or by a computer separate from the control device CTL. For example, the abnormality determination unit may determine an abnormality in the temperature distribution based on the difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures of the cavity region in the thermographic image. The abnormality determination unit may also determine whether the temperature distribution of the cavity region in the thermographic image falls within a predetermined temperature range (e.g., 175°C ± 3°C). A first example of an operation performed by the abnormality determination unit when it determines that the temperature distribution of the cavity region does not fall within the predetermined temperature range is to wait until the temperature distribution of the cavity region falls within the predetermined temperature range. A second example of this operation is to adjust the second set temperature of the heater plate 471, which is the lower mold heating unit, based on the determination result by the abnormality determination unit.

[0079] Furthermore, the resin molding module B may have a configuration having one molding die consisting of a lower die 2 and an upper die 3, or may have a configuration having two or more molding dies arranged one above the other, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. In this case, the configuration may have multiple thermographic cameras 8 corresponding to the respective lower dies 2 of the multiple molding dies, or may have one thermographic camera 8 shared by those lower dies 2.

[0080] For example, as shown in Figure 5, if the transport mechanism 13 has a substrate transport section 131 corresponding to each of the upper and lower tiers of molds, it is possible to provide a thermographic camera 8 for each of the substrate transport sections 131. This makes it possible to simultaneously measure the temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C of the lower die 2 of each of the multiple molds.

[0081] 6, in the case where at least the lower mold 2 of each of the upper and lower two-stage molding dies is configured to be movable outward from the mold clamping mechanism 4, it is conceivable to move each of the lower molds 2 outward in sequence and capture images of the lower molds 2 that have been moved outward using a common thermographic camera 8. This makes it possible to measure the temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C of the lower mold 2 of each of the multiple molding dies.

[0082] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the cavity 2C is formed in the lower mold 2, but the cavity may be formed in the upper mold 3. In this case, by obtaining a thermographic image of the covering member 6, such as a release film F, in a state where the covering member 6 is adsorbed onto the cavity of the upper mold 3, the temperature distribution on the surface of the cavity 2C of the upper mold 3 can be measured.

[0083] Furthermore, even if a cavity is not formed in the upper mold 3, the temperature distribution of the mold surface of the upper mold 3 can be measured by adsorbing the covering member 6 onto the mold surface of the upper mold 3 (the surface facing the lower mold 2) and acquiring a thermographic image of the covering member 6. Similarly, even if a cavity is not formed in the lower mold 2, the temperature distribution of the mold surface of the lower mold 2 can be measured by adsorbing the covering member 6 onto the mold surface of the lower mold 2 (the surface facing the upper mold 3) and acquiring a thermographic image of the covering member 6. In these cases, the covering member 6 may be a film-like member such as a release film F, or may be a sheet-like member such as a dummy substrate such as a glass epoxy substrate. When a glass epoxy substrate is used as the covering member 6, it is considered that the thickness of the covering member 6 is approximately 0.3 mm, which is substantially the same as the temperature of the mold surface.

[0084] The resin molding device in the above embodiment is of a compression molding type, but it may also be of a transfer type.

[0085] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 100...Resin molding equipment P...Resin molded product J...Resin material F···Release film 2. Lower die (first die) 2C cavity 3... Upper mold (2nd mold) 4. Mold clamping mechanism 13. Conveyance mechanism (conveyance object conveyance section) 18. Resin material transport mechanism 5...Adsorption mechanism 6. Covering material 7. Covering material supply section 8. Thermography camera

Claims

1. A resin molding apparatus having a first mold having a cavity and a second mold disposed opposite the first mold, wherein the first mold and the second mold are clamped together to mold a resin, a covering material supply unit that supplies a sheet-shaped or film-shaped covering material having an emissivity higher than that of the first mold to the first mold; a suction mechanism for suctioning the covering member onto the surface of the cavity; a thermographic camera that acquires a thermographic image representing a temperature distribution of the coating member while the coating member is adsorbed onto the surface of the cavity by the adsorption mechanism.

2. The resin molding apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the covering member is a release film.

3. The resin molding apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the thermographic camera acquires a thermographic image representing a temperature distribution of the used release film adsorbed on the surface of the cavity after the resin molding.

4. further comprising a transport unit for transporting an object to be transported to the first mold or the second mold; The resin molding apparatus of claim 3, wherein the thermographic camera is provided in the transport object transport section and acquires a thermographic image representing the temperature distribution of the used release film during a period when the transport object transport section is positioned between the first mold and the second mold.

5. The resin molding apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the object transfer section transfers a resin molded product to the first mold or the second mold.

6. further comprising a mold clamping mechanism that clamps the first mold and the second mold; the first mold is configured to be movable outward from the mold clamping mechanism, 2. The resin molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thermographic camera acquires a thermographic image representing the temperature distribution of the covering member adsorbed onto the surface of the cavity when the first mold has moved outward from the mold clamping mechanism.

7. A method for manufacturing a resin molded product using the resin molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, obtaining a thermographic image representing a temperature distribution of the coating member adsorbed on the surface of the cavity; and clamping the first mold and the second mold to manufacture the resin molded product.

Images