Resin encapsulation device

Abstract

To provide a resin sealing apparatus that can improve productivity and simplify the apparatus configuration.SOLUTION: A resin sealing apparatus 1 according to the present invention seals a workpiece W with a resin R using a pressing device 250 having a sealing mold having an upper mold 204 and a lower mold 206, and processes it into a molded product Wp. The resin sealing apparatus is equipped with a loader 122 that reciprocates in a left-right direction along a guide 120 to convey the workpiece W and the molded product Wp. The loader 122 has an in-loader part 124 that is movable in a front-back direction and carries the workpiece W into the sealing mold 202, and an out-loader part 126 that is movable in the front-back direction and carries the molded product Wp out of the sealing mold 202; the in-loader part 124 and out-loader part 126 are arranged in parallel along the left-right direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a resin encapsulation device.

Background Art

[0002] As an example of a resin encapsulation device that encapsulates a work in which an electronic component is mounted on a substrate with a sealing resin (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "resin") and processes it into a molded product, those using a transfer molding method or a compression molding method are known.

[0003] The transfer molding method is a technique in which a pot for supplying a predetermined amount of resin is provided in a pair of sealing regions (cavities) provided in a sealing mold including an upper mold and a lower mold, and a work is placed at a position corresponding to each of the sealing regions, and then clamped by the upper mold and the lower mold and the resin is poured from the pot into the cavity for resin encapsulation. Further, the compression molding method is a technique in which a predetermined amount of resin is supplied to a sealing region (cavity) provided in a sealing mold including an upper mold and a lower mold, and a work is placed in the sealing region, and then clamped by the upper mold and the lower mold for resin encapsulation (see Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-145550). As an example, when using a sealing mold provided with a cavity in the upper mold, a technique of supplying resin all at once to the central position on the work for molding is known. On the other hand, when using a sealing mold provided with a cavity in the lower mold, a technique of supplying a film covering the mold surface including the cavity and resin for molding is known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Conventional resin encapsulation equipment had the following problems. Specifically, in resin encapsulation equipment that encapsulates workpieces with relatively large external dimensions (for example, 600 mm square, etc.), the following process is usually performed when unloading the molded product (molded part) from the encapsulation mold and loading the next workpiece to be molded. Specifically, in the case of a single loader, the molded part is unloaded from the encapsulation mold and transported to the next process stage, and then the loader is used again to load the next workpiece into the encapsulation mold. As a result, it is not possible to load workpieces into the encapsulation mold and mold (resin encapsulation) until the molded part is transported to the next process stage, resulting in a problem of reduced productivity. In particular, when two or more press units equipped with encapsulation molds are installed, the transport distance of the molded part (and workpiece) becomes even longer, and the decrease in productivity becomes more pronounced. On the other hand, in the case of two loaders (i.e., an in-loader and an out-loader configured separately and independently), the decrease in productivity is suppressed, but the internal structure of the equipment becomes more complex and the cost of the equipment increases.

[0006] To address the above issues, it has been considered to suppress productivity reduction by providing a separate workpiece holding mechanism and a molded product holding mechanism on a single loader. For example, as shown in Patent Document 1, a configuration has been considered in which the workpiece holding mechanism and the molded product holding mechanism are arranged side by side in the front-to-back direction of the loader (the direction that coincides with the loading and unloading direction to and from the sealing mold). However, this results in a loader shape that is long in the front-to-back direction, and especially when considering large workpieces, the cantilever support structure results in a long overhang, which may create a new problem of having to be made larger in order to ensure strength. On the other hand, a configuration has also been considered in which the workpiece holding mechanism and the molded product holding mechanism are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the loader, respectively. However, this results in a loader shape that is thick vertically, which may create a new problem of the distance between the upper and lower molds becoming large, causing the mold opening and closing to take a long time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a resin encapsulation apparatus that can shorten the cycle time in a series of processes, from loading a workpiece into a encapsulation mold using a loader to unloading a molded product from the encapsulation mold, thereby improving productivity, and that can also simplify the apparatus configuration.

[0008] The present invention solves the above problem by a solution described below as one embodiment.

[0009] The resin sealing apparatus according to the present invention is a resin sealing apparatus that processes a workpiece into a molded product by sealing it with resin using a pressing apparatus equipped with a sealing die having an upper die and a lower die, and comprises a loader that reciprocates in the left-right direction along a guide to transport the workpiece and the molded product, the loader being configured to be movable in the front-rear direction and to transport the workpiece into the sealing die, and an out-loader section being configured to be movable in the front-rear direction and to transport the molded product out of the sealing die, A workpiece heater for preheating the aforementioned workpiece, The inloader section and the outloader section are arranged in parallel along the left-right direction. Furthermore, the in-loader section has a workpiece holding section on its lower surface for holding the workpiece, the out-loader section has a molded product holding section on its lower surface for holding the molded product, and the loader has a first lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the in-loader section up and down, and a pressing mechanism for pressing the workpiece held in the workpiece holding section of the in-loader section against the workpiece heater. This is a requirement.

[0010] According to this design, the molded product can be unloaded from the sealing mold by the outloader unit while the workpiece is held in the inloader unit. Subsequently, the workpiece can be loaded into the sealing mold by the inloader unit by simply moving it slightly to a position that aligns with the sealing mold. Therefore, the cycle time in the processes of loading the workpiece and unloading the molded product can be shortened.

[0011] Also In a device configuration comprising a sealing mold in which a cavity is provided in the upper mold and a workpiece holding section is provided in the lower mold, it is possible to realize a configuration in which a workpiece holding section for holding a workpiece and a molded product holding section for holding a molded product are arranged in parallel on a single loader.

[0012] AlsoWith the workpiece held in the workpiece holding section located on the underside of the inloader section, preheating of the workpiece by the workpiece heater becomes possible.

[0013] Also In particular, since preheating can be performed under pressure on workpieces made of glass panels, it is possible to prevent the workpiece from cracking.

[0014] Furthermore, it is preferable that the pressing mechanism is configured to allow the pressure used to press the workpiece against the workpiece heater to be changed in stages during the pressing process. This makes it possible to further prevent breakage, especially when preheating workpieces made of glass panels.

[0015] Furthermore, it is preferable that the loader includes a second lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the outloader section, and a single motor that drives both the first and second lifting mechanisms. This allows a single motor to be used as the drive source for both the first and second lifting mechanisms, thus simplifying the structure and reducing the cost of the device.

[0016] Preferably, the system consists of two presses and one loader, and includes a control unit for controlling the operation of the presses and the loader. The control unit controls the resin sealing process in the two presses to be performed with a time delay, and also controls the loading of workpieces into the two presses and the unloading of molded products using the single loader. This allows the loading of workpieces into the other press and the unloading of molded products to the other press using the single loader while molding is being performed in the other press. This eliminates the need for a configuration that drives the two loaders separately and independently, thus simplifying the system and reducing costs. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, in particular, by improving the efficiency of the operation of loading the workpiece and unloading the molded product using a loader, the tact time in a series of processes for resin sealing can be shortened, and the productivity can be improved. In addition, the device configuration can be simplified.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] It is a plan view showing an example of a resin sealing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a front sectional view showing an example of a sealing die of the resin sealing device of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a front sectional view showing an example of a loader of the resin sealing device of FIG. 1.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0019] (Overall Configuration) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view (schematic view) showing an example of a resin sealing device 1 according to the present embodiment. For convenience of explanation, in the figure, the front, rear, left, right, up, and down directions in the resin sealing device 1 may be described by arrows. In addition, in all the drawings for explaining each embodiment, members having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations thereof may be omitted.

[0020] The resin sealing device 1 according to the present embodiment is a device for resin-sealing a workpiece (molded product) W using a sealing die 202 including an upper die 204 and a lower die 206. Hereinafter, as the resin sealing device 1, an example of a compression molding device will be described, in which the workpiece W is held by the lower die 206, the cavity 208 (including a part of the die surface 204a) provided in the upper die 204 in a corresponding arrangement is covered with a release film (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as "film") F, the clamping operation between the upper die 204 and the lower die 206 is performed, and the workpiece W is sealed with the resin R.

[0021] First, the workpiece W to be molded has a configuration in which multiple electronic components Wb are mounted in a matrix on a base material Wa. More specifically, examples of the base material Wa include plate-shaped members such as rectangular or circular resin substrates, ceramic substrates, metal substrates, carrier plates, lead frames, and wafers. Examples of electronic components Wb include semiconductor chips, MEMS chips, passive elements, heat sinks, conductive members, and spacers. However, the material is not limited to these.

[0022] Examples of methods for mounting electronic components Wb onto a substrate Wa include wire bonding and flip-chip mounting. Alternatively, in configurations where the substrate (glass or metal carrier plate) Wa is peeled off the molded product Wp after resin encapsulation, the electronic components Wb can be attached using heat-release adhesive tape or UV-curable resin that hardens upon UV irradiation.

[0023] On the other hand, an example of resin R is a liquid thermosetting resin (for example, an epoxy resin containing a filler). However, resin R is not limited to the above state, and may be in other states (shapes) such as granular (used as a general term for granular, crushed, powdered, etc.), plate-like, or sheet-like, and may be a resin other than an epoxy thermosetting resin.

[0024] Furthermore, suitable examples of film F include film materials with excellent heat resistance, ease of peeling, flexibility, and stretchability, such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), ETFE (polytetrafluoroethylene polymer), PET, FEP, fluorine-impregnated glass cloth, polypropylene, and polyvinylidine chloride. In this embodiment, a roll-shaped film is used as film F. As another example, a configuration using strip-shaped film may also be used (not shown).

[0025] Next, an overview of the resin encapsulation apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in Figure 1, the resin encapsulation apparatus 1 mainly comprises a work unit 100A that primarily supplies the workpiece W and resin R to be encapsulated (including feeding from the previous process), a press unit 100B that primarily processes the workpiece W into a molded product Wp by encapsulating it with resin, and a molded product unit 100C that primarily stores the molded product Wp after resin encapsulation (including sending it to the next process). Furthermore, it is equipped with a transport mechanism 100D that moves between each unit to transport the workpiece W, resin R, and molded product Wp. Although the control unit 150 that controls the operation of each mechanism is located in the work supply unit 100A, it may be located in another unit.

[0026] Furthermore, the resin encapsulation device 1 can be modified by changing the configuration of its units. For example, the configuration shown in Figure 1 is an example where two press units 100B are installed, but it is also possible to install only one press unit 100B, or three or more press units 100B, etc. It is also possible to install other units in addition (none of which are shown).

[0027] (Work Unit) Next, we will explain in detail the work unit 100A provided by the resin encapsulation apparatus 1.

[0028] The work unit 100A includes, for example, a work stocker 102 used to store workpieces W, and a supply table 104 on which the workpieces W are placed. This configuration allows workpieces W to be removed from the work stocker 102 using a known pusher or the like (not shown) and placed on the supply table 104. The work stocker 102 may utilize a known stack magazine, slit magazine, or the like, and is capable of storing multiple workpieces W at once.

[0029] Alternatively, as another example, the workpiece W may be transported from another unit performing a preceding process using a moving device (such as a conveyor) and placed on the supply table 104 (not shown).

[0030] Furthermore, the work unit 100A (or any other unit) is equipped with a dispenser (not shown) that supplies resin R to the upper surface of the workpiece W placed on the supply table 104 (a separate resin dispensing table may also be provided). The workpiece W, with resin R placed on its upper surface, is transported to the sealing mold 202 by the loader 122. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and a resin loader that directly delivers resin R into the sealing mold 202 separately from the workpiece W may also be provided (not shown).

[0031] Furthermore, the work unit 100A, etc., may be configured to include an inspection mechanism for visually inspecting the workpiece W (neither of which is shown in the diagram).

[0032] (Press Unit) Next, we will explain in detail the press unit 100B provided in the resin encapsulation apparatus 1. Here, Figure 2 shows a front cross-sectional view (schematic diagram) of the encapsulation mold 202 of the resin encapsulation apparatus 1.

[0033] The press unit 100B includes a sealing die 202 having a pair of dies that open and close (for example, a set of multiple blocks, plates, pillars, or other components assembled together). In this embodiment, the pair of dies consists of an upper die 204 located vertically upward and a lower die 206 located downward. The dies are closed and opened by the movement of the upper die 204 and lower die 206 toward and away from each other. In other words, the vertical direction (up and down direction) is the direction in which the dies open and close.

[0034] The sealing die 202 is opened and closed by a known press device 250. For example, the press device 250 is configured to include a pair of platens, a plurality of connecting mechanisms (tie bars and columns) on which the pair of platens are mounted, and a drive source (e.g., an electric motor) and a drive transmission mechanism (e.g., a ball screw or toggle link mechanism) for moving (raising and lowering) the platens (none of which are shown). The sealing die 202 is positioned between the pair of platens of the press device 250. In this embodiment, the upper die 204, which is a fixed die, is assembled to a fixed platen (a platen fixed to the connecting mechanism), and the lower die 206, which is a movable die, is assembled to a movable platen (a platen that moves up and down along the connecting mechanism). However, the configuration is not limited to this.

[0035] Next, the upper mold 204 of the sealing mold 202 will be described in detail. As shown in Figure 2, the upper mold 204 is composed of an upper plate 222, a cavity piece 226, a clamper 228, etc., which are assembled together. In this embodiment, a cavity 208 is provided on the lower surface of the upper mold 204 (the surface on the lower mold 206 side).

[0036] More specifically, the cavity piece 226 is fixedly assembled to the lower surface of the upper plate 222. On the other hand, the clamper 228 is configured in an annular shape to surround the cavity piece 226 and is assembled via a biasing member 232 so as to be able to move up and down while floating away from the lower surface of the upper plate 222. The cavity piece 226 constitutes the back (bottom) of the cavity 208, and the clamper 228 constitutes the side of the cavity 208. In this embodiment, one cavity 208 is provided in one upper mold 204. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and multiple cavities may be arranged side by side in the left-right direction (or front-back direction).

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a suction mechanism is provided to hold the film F supplied from the film supply mechanism 214 (described later) to the upper die 204 by suction. This suction mechanism is connected to a suction device (not shown) via suction passages 230a and 230b arranged through the clamper 228, and a suction passage 230c arranged through the upper plate 222 and cavity die 226, as an example. A sealing member 234 (for example, an O-ring) is provided between the inner circumferential surface of the clamper 228 and the outer circumferential surface of the cavity die 226.

[0038] In this way, by providing a film F that covers the inner surface of the cavity 208 and (part of) the mold surface 204a of the upper mold 204, the resin R portion on the upper surface of the molded product Wp can be easily peeled off, making it possible to easily remove the molded product Wp from the sealing mold 202 (upper mold 204).

[0039] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an upper mold heating mechanism is provided to heat the upper mold 204 to a predetermined temperature. This upper mold heating mechanism includes a heater (e.g., an electric heating wire heater), a temperature sensor, a power supply, etc. (all not shown), and heating is controlled by the control unit 150. For example, the heater is built into the upper plate 222 or the mold base (not shown) that houses them, and is configured to mainly apply heat to the entire upper mold 204 and the resin R (described later). As a result, the upper mold 204 is heated to a predetermined temperature (e.g., 100°C to 200°C).

[0040] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a film supply mechanism 214 is provided for transporting (supplying) a roll-shaped film F with no openings (holes) on its sheet surface into the sealing mold 202. This film supply mechanism 214 is configured such that unused film F is fed out from the unwinding section 214A and supplied to the opened sealing mold 202, used for resin sealing in the sealing mold 202, and then wound up as used film F in the winding section 214B. Note that the unwinding section 214A and the winding section 214B may be arranged in the opposite direction in the left-right direction (not shown).

[0041] Next, the lower mold 206 of the sealing mold 202 will be described in detail. As shown in Figure 2, the lower mold 206 is composed of a lower plate 224, a retaining plate 236, etc., which are assembled together. Here, the retaining plate 236 is fixedly assembled to the upper surface of the lower plate 224 (the surface on the upper mold 204 side).

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a workpiece holding portion 205 is provided to hold the workpiece W at a predetermined position on the upper surface of the holding plate 236 (i.e., the mold surface 206a). This workpiece holding portion 205 is, for example, connected to a suction device (not shown) via a suction passage 240a that penetrates the holding plate 236 and the lower plate 224. Alternatively, in addition to the configuration with the suction passage 240a, a configuration may be provided with holding claws that grip the outer circumference of the workpiece W (not shown).

[0043] In this embodiment, corresponding to the configuration of the upper mold 204 described above (a configuration in which one cavity 208 is provided), one workpiece holding section 205 is provided in one lower mold 206, and the workpieces W are resin-sealed one by one. However, the embodiment is not limited to this configuration.

[0044] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a lower mold heating mechanism is provided to heat the lower mold 206 to a predetermined temperature. This lower mold heating mechanism includes a heater (e.g., an electric heating wire heater), a temperature sensor, a power supply, etc. (all not shown), and heating is controlled by the control unit 150. As an example, the heater is built into the lower plate 224 or the mold base (not shown) that houses them, and is configured to mainly apply heat to the entire lower mold 206 and the workpiece W. As a result, the lower mold 206 is heated to a predetermined temperature (e.g., 100°C to 200°C).

[0045] Furthermore, the press unit 100B is equipped with a work heater 116 that heats the workpiece W, which is transported by the loader 122 (details of which will be described later), from the bottom side (the base material Wa side) (however, it is also possible to have a configuration without the work heater 116). In this embodiment, the work heater 116 is positioned at a predetermined position in the left-right direction along the guide 120 (in this embodiment, the position where the in-loader portion 124 of the loader 122 and the sealing mold 202 coincide in the left-right direction), and is positioned vertically below the loader 122.

[0046] As an example, the work heater 116 has a heating table 117 with a flat top surface that can be heated and maintained at a predetermined temperature. With this configuration, the lower surface of the workpiece W can be brought into contact with the heating table 117 using the loader 122, thereby heating the workpiece W. Therefore, the workpiece W can be preheated before being loaded into the sealing mold 202. A known heating mechanism (e.g., electric heating wire heater, sheathed heater, etc.) can be used as the mechanism for raising the temperature of the heating table 117.

[0047] Alternatively, as another example, the work heater 116 may be configured to heat the workpiece W held by the loader 122 in a non-contact manner by having an infrared heater or an electric heating wire heater on its upper surface (not shown).

[0048] (Molded parts unit) Next, we will explain in detail the molded product unit 100C provided by the resin encapsulation device 1.

[0049] The molded product unit 100C includes, for example, a storage table 114 on which molded products Wp are placed, and a molded product stocker 112 used for storing the molded products Wp. This configuration allows molded products Wp, transported using the loader 122, to be placed on the storage table 114 using a known pickup or the like (not shown), and then loaded into the molded product stocker 112 using a known pusher or the like (not shown). The molded product stocker 112 may utilize a known stack magazine, slit magazine, or the like, enabling it to store multiple molded products Wp at once.

[0050] Alternatively, as another example, the molded product Wp may be transported from the storage table 114 using a moving device (such as a conveyor) and moved to another unit that performs the next process (not shown).

[0051] Furthermore, the molded product unit 100C, etc., may be configured to include an inspection mechanism for visual inspection of the molded product Wp (not shown).

[0052] (Conveying mechanism) Next, we will explain in detail the transport mechanism 100D provided by the resin encapsulation device 1.

[0053] As an example, the transport mechanism 100D is configured to reciprocate in the left-right direction along the guide 120 and includes a loader 122 that transports the workpiece W and resin R to the press unit 100B and unloads the molded product Wp from the press unit 100B. Here, Figure 3 shows a front cross-sectional view of the loader 122 (cross-sectional view along line III-III in Figure 1).

[0054] Specifically, the loader 122 includes an in-loader section 124 for holding the workpiece W and an out-loader section 126 for holding the molded product Wp. Thus, the loader 122 receives the workpiece W (with the resin R placed on it) at the workpiece unit 100A (for example, the supply table 104) and transports it to the press unit 100B. Furthermore, at the press unit 100B, it receives the molded product Wp and transports it to the molded product unit 100C (for example, the storage table 114). Note that known pickup mechanisms and the like may be used in conjunction as appropriate.

[0055] Here, the in-loader section 124 has a workpiece holding section 125 capable of holding the workpiece W, and is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction relative to the main body of the loader 122. As a result, the workpiece W (with the resin R placed on it) held on the supply table 104 can be received and held by the workpiece holding section 125, transported into the sealing mold 202, and placed on the lower mold 206.

[0056] Furthermore, the outloader section 126 has a molded product holding section 127 capable of holding the molded product Wp, and is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction relative to the body of the loader 122. This allows the molded product Wp held in the upper mold 204 to be received and held by the molded product holding section 127, transported out of the sealing mold 202, and placed on the storage table 114.

[0057] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the inloader section 124 and the outloader section 126 are arranged in parallel along the left-right direction (i.e., side by side in the left-right direction).

[0058] The loader 122, having the above configuration, can solve the aforementioned problems. Specifically, with the loader 122 configured in such a way that the in-loader section 124 and the out-loader section 126 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, the molded product Wp can be unloaded from inside the sealing mold 202 by the out-loader section 126 while the workpiece W is held in the in-loader section 124. Subsequently, by moving the in-loader section 124 only slightly (i.e., a distance approximately the distance between the centers of the in-loader section 124 and the out-loader section 126) to a position where it coincides with the sealing mold 202 in the left-right direction, the workpiece W can be loaded into the sealing mold 202 by the in-loader section 124. Therefore, compared to the conventional configuration, i.e., a configuration in which both workpiece loading and molded product unloading are performed by a single loader with a single holding section, the cycle time in a series of processes can be significantly reduced, and productivity can be improved. In particular, the greater the number of press units 100B, the greater the effect that can be obtained.

[0059] Furthermore, this embodiment offers advantages over conventional configurations where a workpiece holding mechanism and a molded product holding mechanism are separately provided on a single loader. For example, compared to conventional configurations where they are arranged in the front-to-back direction of the loader, the device configuration can be made smaller and simpler, reducing the device cost. Alternatively, compared to conventional configurations where they are arranged on the top and bottom surfaces of the loader, the mold opening and closing time can be shortened, reducing the cycle time. In particular, when resin sealing (molding) a large workpiece W is performed using two or more press devices 250, molding takes about 3 to 10 minutes. In this respect, according to this embodiment, while molding is being performed in one press device 250, the loading of the workpiece W into another press device 250 and the unloading of the molded product Wp can be performed by a single loader 122, eliminating the need for configurations such as driving two loaders (in-loader and out-loader) separately and independently. Thus, a major advantage is that while molding is being performed in one press machine 250, the loading of workpieces W and the unloading of molded products Wp in other press machines 250 can be carried out. Therefore, even in cases where there are three or more press machines (not shown), by staggering the timing of the resin sealing process in each press machine, it is possible to transport the workpieces W and unload the molded products Wp using a single loader.

[0060] In this embodiment, the loader 122, as shown in Figure 3, has a workpiece holding section 125 for holding a workpiece W on the lower surface of the in-loader section 124, and a molded product holding section 127 for holding a molded product Wp on the lower surface of the out-loader section 126. For example, the workpiece holding section 125 is configured to clamp the workpiece W with a chuck 125A and a support section (frame, etc.) 125B, and the molded product holding section 127 is configured to clamp the molded product Wp with a chuck 127A and a support section (frame, etc.) 127B, but is not limited to this, and may also be configured to hold multiple workpieces W and molded products Wp (not shown).

[0061] According to the above configuration, in a device configuration comprising a sealing mold 202 in which a cavity 208 is provided in the upper mold 204 and a workpiece holding section 205 is provided in the lower mold 206, it is possible to realize a configuration in which a workpiece holding section 125 for holding the workpiece W and a molded product holding section 127 for holding the molded product Wp are arranged in parallel on a single loader 122.

[0062] Furthermore, the loader 122 has the following configuration in order to preheat the workpiece W using the work heater 116 provided in the aforementioned press unit 100B. Specifically, the loader 122 is configured such that the workpiece W (in this case, the bottom surface) held in the workpiece holding section 125 of the in-loader section 124 is exposed to the work heater 116. With this configuration, the workpiece W held in the workpiece holding section 125 can be heated (preheated) by the heat emitted by the work heater 116.

[0063] As described above, the work heater 116 according to this embodiment includes a heating table 117 that heats the lower surface of the workpiece W by contacting it. Corresponding to this configuration, the loader 122 according to this embodiment includes a first lifting mechanism 131 that raises and lowers the in-loader section 124 (either the whole or the workpiece holding section 125), and a pressing mechanism 133 that presses the workpiece W held by the workpiece holding section 125 of the in-loader section 124 against the work heater 116 (in this case, the upper surface of the heating table 117). With this configuration, preheating can be performed under pressure, especially when the workpiece W is made of glass panels, and breakage of the workpiece W can be prevented. As a modification, the first lifting mechanism may also serve as the pressing mechanism, or the configuration may not include a pressing mechanism (not shown).

[0064] Furthermore, it is preferable that the pressing mechanism 133 described above is configured to allow the pressure used to press the workpiece W against the work heater 116 to be changed in stages during the pressing process (in other words, the control unit 150 is configured to control the pressure used to press the workpiece W against the work heater 116 to be changed in stages during the pressing process). This allows the workpiece W to be preheated while the pressure is changed in stages, thus further preventing breakage, especially for workpieces W that are constructed using glass panels as described above.

[0065] On the other hand, the loader 122 is equipped with a second lifting mechanism 132 that raises and lowers the outloader section 126 (either the entire unit or the molded product holding section 127). This allows it to receive, hold, and transport the resin-sealed molded product Wp held in the sealing mold 202 (in this case, the upper mold 204).

[0066] In this embodiment, both the first lifting mechanism 131 and the second lifting mechanism 132 are driven by a single drive source (for example, a motor 134). With this configuration, the drive source for both the first lifting mechanism 131 and the second lifting mechanism 132 can be shared by a single motor 134, thus simplifying the device structure and reducing costs. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and the first lifting mechanism 131 and the second lifting mechanism 132 may be driven by separate drive sources (not shown).

[0067] (Resin encapsulation process) Next, the operation of performing resin sealing using the resin sealing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Here, we will take as an example a configuration in which one upper mold 204 is provided with one set of cavities 208, and one workpiece W is placed in one lower mold 206 to perform resin sealing and obtain one molded product Wp. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and a configuration in which multiple workpieces W are placed and resin sealed is also possible.

[0068] As a preparation step, a heating step (upper mold heating step) is performed in which the upper mold 204 is heated to a predetermined temperature (for example, 100°C to 200°C) using the upper mold heating mechanism. In addition, a heating step (lower mold heating step) is performed in which the lower mold 206 is heated to a predetermined temperature (for example, 100°C to 200°C) using the lower mold heating mechanism. Furthermore, a film supply step (film supply step) is performed in which the film F is transported (fed out) from the unwinding section 214A to the winding section 214B and supplied to a predetermined position (a position between the upper mold 204 and the lower mold 206) in the sealing mold 202 using the film supply mechanism 214.

[0069] Next, a known pusher or the like (not shown) is used to unload the workpieces W one by one from the workpiece stocker 102 and place them on the supply table 104 (a known pickup mechanism or the like may also be used in combination). Alternatively, as described above, the workpieces W may be fed from the execution unit of the previous process and placed on the supply table 104.

[0070] Next, a resin supply process is performed in which a specified amount of resin R is supplied from a dispenser (not shown) to the upper surface of the workpiece W placed on the supply table 104. Note that the resin supply process may be performed on a separate resin spraying table (not shown) instead of on the supply table 104, or it may be performed in a separate unit (for example, the unit that performs the preceding process).

[0071] Next, the loader 122 performs a process (workpiece transport process) in which the workpiece W is transported to the press unit 100B. More specifically, the loader 122 moves so that the in-loader section 124 is aligned with the supply table 104 in the left-right direction. Next, the in-loader section 124 holds the workpiece W (in this embodiment, with the resin R placed on it) that is placed on the supply table 104. Next, the loader 122 moves so that the in-loader section 124 is aligned with the workpiece heater 116 in the left-right direction (in this embodiment, it is also aligned with the position of the sealing mold 202 in the left-right direction). Next, in the stopped state of the loader 122, the in-loader section 124 moves so that the workpiece holding section 125 is aligned with the workpiece heater 116 in the front-rear direction (or, the loader 122 may be set so that the workpiece holding section 125 and the workpiece heater 116 are aligned in the stopped position). Next, the first lifting mechanism 131 and the pressing mechanism 133 of the inloader section 124 are driven to lower the workpiece W so that its lower surface contacts the upper surface of the heating table 117 of the workpiece heater 116, and a pressure corresponding to the workpiece W (which may be changed in stages) is applied to preheat the workpiece W. At this time, the heating table 117 is preheated to a predetermined temperature corresponding to the workpiece W. Note that the above preheating step can be omitted.

[0072] Next, the loader 122 is used to load the workpiece W into the sealing mold 202 and set it in the lower mold 206 (workpiece setting process). More specifically, the in-loader unit 124 is moved so that the workpiece holding unit 125 is aligned with the sealing mold 202 (in this embodiment, the lower mold 206) in the front-rear direction. Then, the workpiece W held in the workpiece holding unit 125 of the in-loader unit 124 is placed on the workpiece holding unit 205 of the lower mold 206.

[0073] Next, the sealing mold 202 is closed, and the workpiece W is clamped between the upper mold 204 and the lower mold 206 to perform a resin sealing process (resin sealing process). At this time, in the cavity 208, the cavity piece 226 descends relatively, heating and pressurizing the resin R against the workpiece W. As a result, the resin R heat-cures, resin sealing (compression molding) is performed, and the molded product Wp is formed.

[0074] In this embodiment, the second workpiece transport process is performed while the resin sealing process is being carried out.

[0075] Next, the sealing mold 202 is opened, and the loader 122 performs the process of removing the molded product Wp from inside the sealing mold 202 (molded product removal process). More specifically, the loader 122 moves so that the outloader section 126 is aligned with the sealing mold 202 in the left-right direction. Next, the outloader section 126 moves so that the molded product holding section 127 is aligned with the sealing mold 202 (upper mold 204 in this embodiment) in the front-rear direction. Next, the molded product holding section 127 of the outloader section 126 receives and holds the molded product Wp held in the upper mold 204. Next, the outloader section 126, with the molded product Wp still holding it, moves back to the predetermined storage position (forward position) of the loader 122. With the above configuration, the molded product Wp can be unloaded from inside the sealing mold 202 by the outloader section 126 while the workpiece W is held in the inloader section 124.

[0076] Furthermore, in parallel with (or afterward) the molded product removal process, the film supply mechanism 214 transports the film F from the unwinding section 214A to the winding section 214B, thereby performing a process to discharge the used film F.

[0077] In this embodiment, the second workpiece setting process is performed after the molded product removal process. At this time, after the molded product removal process, the loader 122 is stopped at a position where the outloader section 126 is aligned with the sealing mold 202 in the left-right direction. However, upon the start of the second workpiece setting process, the loader 122 moves to a position where the inloader section 124 is aligned with the sealing mold 202 in the left-right direction. With this configuration, the workpiece W can be loaded into the sealing mold 202 by the inloader section 124 by moving the loader 122 only a short distance (the distance between the centers of the inloader section 124 and the outloader section 126) to a position where the inloader section 124 is aligned with the sealing mold 202. Therefore, compared to a conventional configuration in which both workpiece loading and molded product loading are performed by a single loader with a single holding section, the cycle time in a series of processes can be significantly reduced, and productivity can be improved. In particular, the greater the effect, the greater the effect that can be obtained as the number of press units 100B increases.

[0078] Next, the loader 122 performs a process (molded product transport process) to transport the molded product Wp to the molded product unit 100C. More specifically, the loader 122 moves so that the outloader section 126, holding the molded product Wp, is aligned with the storage table 114 in the left-right direction. Then, the outloader section 126 places the molded product Wp onto the storage table 114 (a known pickup mechanism or the like may also be used in combination). Furthermore, a process for post-curing the molded product Wp may be included during the above molded product transport process.

[0079] Next, a process is carried out in which the molded product Wp is loaded into the molded product stocker 112 using a known pusher or the like (not shown). Alternatively, as described above, this may be a process in which the molded product Wp on the storage table 114 is sent to the execution unit for the next process.

[0080] The above describes the series of operations for resin sealing performed using the resin sealing apparatus 1. However, the above process is just one example, and the order can be changed or the operations performed in parallel as long as there is no impediment. For example, in this embodiment, since there are two press units 100B, efficient molded product formation is possible by performing the above operations in parallel. Specifically, in this embodiment, where two press units 100B (i.e., two press devices 250) and one loader 122 are provided, the control unit 150 controls the resin sealing process performed using the two press devices 250 to be performed with a time difference (so that they are not at the exact same timing), and controls the loading of workpieces W to the two press devices 250 and the unloading of molded products Wp to the two press devices 250 using one loader to be performed with a time difference (so that they are not at the exact same timing).

[0081] As described above, the resin encapsulation apparatus according to the present invention can improve productivity by streamlining the loading of workpieces and unloading of molded products using a loader, thereby shortening the cycle time in the series of processes for resin encapsulation. Furthermore, the apparatus configuration can be simplified.

[0082] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and can be modified in various ways without departing from the present invention. In particular, although a compression molding apparatus equipped with a cavity in the upper mold has been described as an example, it is not limited thereto. For example, it can also be applied to a configuration in which a workpiece is held on a loader and supplied to the upper mold, and a molded product is removed from the upper mold. Furthermore, it can also be applied to resin encapsulation apparatus using a transfer molding method. In addition, the number of workpieces molded in a single press is not limited to one. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1. Resin encapsulation device 116 Work Heater 122 Loader 124 Inloader section 126 Outloader Section 202 Sealing mold 250 Pressing device Double job

Claims

1. A resin sealing apparatus that processes a workpiece into a molded product by sealing it with resin using a pressing device equipped with a sealing die having an upper die and a lower die, The loader is provided to reciprocate along a guide in the left-right direction to transport the workpiece and the molded product. The loader comprises an in-loader section configured to be movable in the front-rear direction for loading the workpiece into the sealing mold, an out-loader section configured to be movable in the front-rear direction for unloading the molded product out of the sealing mold, and a work heater for preheating the workpiece. The inloader section and the outloader section are arranged in parallel along the left-right direction. The in-loader section has a workpiece holding section on its lower surface for holding the workpiece, The outloader section has a molded product holding section on its lower surface for holding the molded product, The loader includes a first lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the in-loader section, and a pressing mechanism that presses the workpiece held in the workpiece holding section of the in-loader section against the workpiece heater. A resin encapsulation device characterized by the following.

2. The pressing mechanism is configured such that the pressure used to press the workpiece against the workpiece heater can be changed in stages during the pressing process. The resin encapsulation apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the following:

3. The loader includes a second lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the outloader section, and a single motor that drives both the first and second lifting mechanisms. The resin encapsulation apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the following:

4. Two of the aforementioned press devices are installed. One loader is installed. The press device and the loader are equipped with a control unit that controls their operation, The control unit controls the execution of the resin sealing process in each of the two press machines with a time delay, and controls the loading of the workpieces into the two press machines and the unloading of the molded products using a single loader. The resin encapsulation apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the following:

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