Mold support unit for manufacturing microstructures and microstructure manufacturing apparatus including the same

Abstract

A mold support unit is disclosed. The mold support unit supports a mold for manufacturing a micro-structure, and includes a support plate in which a plurality of support regions on which the mold is placed are formed to be spaced apart from each other. The support regions include a first support region in which an upper surface on which the mold is placed is disposed at a first angle, and a second support region in which an upper surface on which the mold is placed is disposed at a second angle different from the first angle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a mold support unit for manufacturing a microstructured body and a microstructured body manufacturing apparatus including the same, and more particularly, to a mold support unit for manufacturing a microstructured body that can fill a composition into a mold using centrifugal force and a microstructured body manufacturing apparatus including the same.

Background Art

[0002] Administration routes for delivering drugs to the body include oral, injection, transdermal, and the like. Oral administration is a convenient administration that can increase the patient's medication compliance, and the active ingredient is delivered to the body in the form of capsules, tablets, or syrup. However, the active ingredient may be inactivated due to first-pass metabolism in the liver, etc., and the actual absorption rate of biopharmaceuticals is relatively low. Therefore, in order to accurately and quickly exhibit the efficacy of drugs and therapeutic agents, etc., they are administered to the human body by puncturing the skin barrier in an injection type. When delivered by injection type, there is an advantage that the activity of the active ingredient is maintained, but there are disadvantages such as the risk of infection, inaccurate dosage administration, phobia, pain, etc.

[0003] To overcome the limitations of existing oral and injection route administrations, various microstructured transdermal drug delivery systems including minimally invasive micro needles have been developed. Microstructured bodies are mainly produced in the form of biodegradable / dissolving, solid, coating, and hollow. Biodegradable microstructured bodies are transdermal delivery systems that formulate various substances including polymers and active ingredients (API / cosmetics or pharmaceuticals) into the form of fine needles, and after being inserted into the skin, the substances loaded are dissolved by body fluids to transmit drugs without pain.

[0004] Mold casting is used as a method for manufacturing microstructures. In mold casting, the composition is filled into a mold using centrifugal force or vacuum, and then dried.

[0005] However, with the vacuum method, the composition may not spread throughout the mold, or air bubbles may form in the composition due to the vacuum, causing problems with the uniformity of microstructure manufacturing.

[0006] Furthermore, in the centrifugal force method, the composition is accurately filled into molds located in the direction of the rotational radius of the rotating device, but in molds not located in the direction of rotational radius, the composition tilts to one side. To solve this problem, more composition is loaded into the mold to create microstructures, but as the amount of composition increases, the base of the microstructure becomes thicker. When the thickness of the base increases, the elasticity of the microstructure array decreases, making it highly likely that the microneedles will not be accurately inserted into the skin, resulting in the problem of the loaded drug not being quantitatively delivered.

[0007] There is a need for a method for manufacturing microstructures that can overcome the limitations of existing microstructure fabrication methods, enable mass production, allow for quantitative drug loading, and produce microstructures with high uniformity. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] The present invention provides a mold support unit for manufacturing microstructures that can uniformly fill the entire area of ​​a mold with a composition, and a microstructure manufacturing apparatus including the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The mold support unit according to the present invention supports a mold for manufacturing microstructures and includes a support plate in which a plurality of support areas on which the mold is placed are formed spaced apart from each other, and the support area includes a first support area in which the upper surface on which the mold is placed is positioned at a first angle, and a second support area in which the upper surface on which the mold is placed is positioned at a second angle different from the first angle.

[0010] Furthermore, the support region may further include a third support region in which the upper surface on which the mold is placed is positioned at a third angle different from the first and second angles.

[0011] Furthermore, the upper surface of the first support region may be positioned alongside the upper surface of the support plate, the upper surface of the second support region may be positioned at a second angle relative to the upper surface of the support plate, and the upper surface of the third support region may be positioned at a third angle relative to the upper surface of the support plate.

[0012] Furthermore, the third support region may be located on the opposite side of the second support region, with the first support region in between, and the upper surfaces of the second support region and the third support region may be symmetrical with respect to the first support region.

[0013] Furthermore, the first to third support regions are sequentially located in one direction, and the third angle with respect to the upper surface of the support plate may be greater than the second angle.

[0014] The loading plate may further include a loading plate having a plurality of openings formed on its interior into which the support regions can be individually inserted, and support jaws formed on the inner surface of the openings into which the mold is placed.

[0015] Furthermore, the support region and the opening may correspond one-to-one.

[0016] Furthermore, the bottom surface of the support plate may have a plurality of support legs extending to a predetermined length at its lower end.

[0017] Furthermore, multiple support plates may be stacked vertically, and the support legs may be placed on the upper surface of the support plate located below them.

[0018] The microstructure manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention includes a rotating unit rotatable about a first rotation axis, and a mold support unit coupled to the rotating unit at a predetermined distance from the first rotation axis, capable of relative rotation with respect to the rotating unit about a second rotation axis, and supporting a mold for manufacturing a microstructure, wherein the mold support unit includes a support plate in which a support area on which the mold is placed is formed, and the mold support unit may rotate about the second rotation axis due to the centrifugal force of the rotating unit rotating about the first rotation axis, so that the support area faces the first rotation axis.

[0019] Furthermore, multiple mold support units may be arranged in a ring shape around the first rotation axis and all be located at the same distance from the first rotation axis.

[0020] Furthermore, the support region may include a first support region in which the upper surface on which the mold is placed is positioned at a first angle, and a second support region in which the upper surface on which the mold is placed is positioned at a second angle different from the first angle.

[0021] Furthermore, the upper surface of the first support region may be aligned parallel to the upper surface of the support plate, and the upper surface of the second support region may be inclined at a second angle with respect to the upper surface of the support plate.

[0022] Furthermore, the upper surface of the first support region may be positioned alongside the upper surface of the support plate, and the upper surface of the second support region may be positioned at an angle to the upper surface of the support plate.

[0023] The mold support unit may further include a loading plate having an opening formed on its interior into which the support area can be inserted, and a support jaw formed on the inner surface of the opening into which the mold is placed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] According to the present invention, when the rotating unit rotates about the first rotation axis, the mold placed in the support area of the support plate is arranged toward the first rotation axis, and the composition spreads to each area of the mold with a constant thickness by the centrifugal force of the rotating unit, and can be accurately filled in the needle groove of the mold.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing a micro-structure manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing the high-speed rotation state of the micro-structure manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing a micro-structure manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing the mold support unit of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing the rotation state of the micro-structure manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing a support plate according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing a micro-structure manufactured using the mold support unit according to the embodiment of FIG. 4. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing a micro-structure manufactured using the mold support unit according to the comparative example. [Figure 9] It is a plan view showing a mold support unit according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] It is a cross-sectional view showing the mold support unit of FIG. 9. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing a mold support unit according to still another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] It is an exploded view showing the mold support unit of FIG. 11. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing a mold support unit according to still another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14]This figure shows how multiple mold support units, as shown in Figure 13, are stacked on top of each other. [Figure 15] This figure shows the mold support unit in Figure 13 rotated 90 degrees around the second rotation axis. [Figure 16] This figure shows a mold support unit according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] This figure shows a microstructure manufacturing apparatus according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] This figure shows a microstructure manufacturing apparatus according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0026] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. However, the technical idea of ​​the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and can be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments presented herein are provided so that the disclosure may be thorough and complete, and so that the idea of ​​the present invention may be fully conveyed to those skilled in the art.

[0027] In this specification, when one component is described as being on another component, it means that it may be formed directly on the other component or that a third component may be interposed between them. Furthermore, in the drawings, the thicknesses of films and regions are exaggerated for the sake of effective explanation of the technical content.

[0028] Furthermore, in various embodiments of this specification, terms such as first, second, third, etc., are used to describe various components, but these components should not be limited by such terms. These terms are used merely to distinguish one component from another. Thus, what is referred to as the first component in one embodiment may be referred to as the second component in another embodiment. Each embodiment described and illustrated herein also includes its complementary embodiments. Also, in this specification, "and / or" is used to mean that it includes at least one of the components that appear before or after it.

[0029] In this specification, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, terms such as “includes” and “possesses” are intended to indicate the existence of features, figures, steps, components, or combinations thereof described in this specification, and should not be understood as excluding the existence or possibility of adding one or more other features, figures, steps, components, or combinations thereof. In addition, in this specification, “connection” is used to include both indirect and direct connection of multiple components.

[0030] In describing the present invention below, if it is determined that a specific description of a related known function or configuration would unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, such detailed description will be omitted.

[0031] The microstructure manufacturing apparatus, according to various embodiments described below, can manufacture microstructures capable of delivering drugs to the body. The microstructure is a structure comprising a thin base layer and a plurality of needles formed on one surface of the base layer, the needles being inserted into skin tissue to deliver drugs. Such microstructures are manufactured by filling the needle grooves of a microstructure manufacturing mold (hereinafter referred to as the "mold") with a composition. The composition may be a biocompatible or biodegradable substance. Biocompatible or biodegradable substances are substantially non-toxic to the human body, chemically inert, non-immunogenic, and have the advantage of ultimately dissolving after penetrating the body.

[0032] The types of such biocompatible substances are not particularly limited, and include, for example, hyaluronic acid, polyester, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), poly(α-hydroxy acids), poly(β-hydroxy acids), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-valerate; PHBV), poly(3-hydroxypropionate; PHP), poly(3-hydroxyhexanoate; PHH), poly(4-hydroxy acids), poly(4-hydroxybutyrate), poly(4-hydroxyvalerate), poly(4-hydroxyhexanoate), poly(esteramide), polycaprolactone, polylactide, polyglycolide, poly(lactide-co-glycolide;PLGA), polydioxanone, polyoltoester, polyetherester, polyanhydride, poly(glycolic acid-co-trimethylene carbonate), polyphosphoester, polyphosphoester urethane, poly(amino acid), polycyanoacrylate, poly(trimethylene carbonate), poly(iminocarbonate), poly(tyrosine carbonate), polycarbonate, poly(tyrosine arylate), polyalkylene oxalate, polyphosphazene, PHA-PEG, ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) Polyurethane, silicone, polyester, polyolefin, polyisobutylene and ethylene-alphaolefin copolymer, styrene-isobutylene-styrene triblock copolymer, acrylic polymers and copolymers, vinyl halide polymers and copolymers, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl ether, polyvinyl methyl ether, polyvinylidene halide, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyfluoroalkenes, polyperfluoroalkenes, polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl ketone, polyvinyl aromatics, polystyrene, polyvinyl ester, polyvinyl acetate, ethylene-methyl methacrylate copolymer, acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer, ABS resin and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyamide, alkyd resin, polyoxymethylene, polyimide, polyether, polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, polyacrylic acid-co-maleic acid, chitosan, dextran, cellulose, heparin, alginate, inulin, starch or glycogen can be used, as well as hyaluronic acid, polyester, poly Hydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), poly(α-hydroxy acids), poly(β-hydroxy acids), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-valerate; PHBV), poly(3-hydroxypropionate; PHP), poly(3-hydroxyhexanoate; PHH), poly(4-hydroxy acids), poly(4-hydroxybutyrate), poly(4-hydroxyvalerate), poly(4-hydroxyhexanoate), poly(esteramides), polycaprolactone, polylactide, polyglycolide, poly(lactide-co-glycolide;One or more substances selected from the group consisting of PLGA, polydioxanone, polyorthoester, polyetherester, polyanhydride, poly(glycolic acid-co-trimethylene carbonate), polyphosphoester, polyphosphoester urethane, poly(amino acid), polycyanoacrylate, poly(trimethylene carbonate), poly(iminocarbonate), poly(tyrosine carbonate), polycarbonate, poly(tyrosine arylate), polyalkylene oxalate, polyphosphazene, PHAPEG, chitosan, dextran, cellulose, heparin, alginate, inulin, starch, and glycogen may be used. If the microstructure is a solid microneedle containing biocompatible or biodegradable material, it can further contain drugs. The term "drug" is a broad concept and includes not only therapeutic agents for therapeutic purposes in the narrow sense, but also energy, nanocomponents, cosmetic ingredients (e.g., wrinkle reducers, skin aging inhibitors, and skin whitening agents), cell culture media, and the like.

[0033] Specifically, the therapeutic agents include chemical drugs, protein / peptide drugs, peptide drugs, nucleic acid molecules for gene therapy, and the like.

[0034] For example, therapeutic agents may include anti-inflammatory agents, analgesics, anti-arthritis agents, antispasmodics, antidepressants, antipsychotics, tranquilizers, anxiolytics, narcotic antagonists, antiparkinson's disease drugs, cholinergic agonists, anticancer agents, anti-angiogenic inhibitors, immunosuppressants, antivirals, antibiotics, appetite suppressants, analgesics, anticholinergics, antihistamines, anti-migraine drugs, hormones, coronary, cerebral, or peripheral vasodilators, contraceptives, antithrombotic agents, diuretics, antihypertensive agents, and cardiovascular disease treatments.

[0035] In particular, protein / peptide drugs may include hormones, hormone analogs, enzymes, enzyme inhibitors, signaling proteins or parts thereof, antibodies or parts thereof, single-chain antibodies, binding proteins or their binding domains, antigens, adhesion proteins, structural proteins, regulatory proteins, toxin proteins, cytokines, transcription regulators, blood coagulation factors, and vaccines. More specifically, the aforementioned protein / peptide drugs include insulin, IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), growth hormone, erythropoietin, G-CSFs (granulocyte-colony stimulating factors), GM-CSFs (granulocyte / macrophagecolony stimulating factors), interferon alpha, interferon beta, interferon gamma, interleukin-1 alpha and beta, interleukin-3, interleukin-4, interleukin-6, interleukin-2, EGFs (epidermal growth factors), calcitonin, ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone), TNF (tumor necrosis factor), atobisban, buserelin, cetrorelix, deslorelin, desmopressin, and dynorphin A. A) (1-13), elcatonin, eleidosin, eptifibatide, GHRH-II (growth hormone releasingHormone-II, gonadorelin, goserelin, histrelin, leuprorelin, lypressin, octreotide, oxytocin, pitressin, secretin, sincalide, terlipressin, thymopentin, thymosine α1, triptorelin, bivalirudin, carbetocin, cyclosporine, exedine, lanreotide, LHRH (luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone) It may include parathyroid hormone, nafarelin, pramlintide, T-20 (enfuvirtide), thymalfasin, and diconotide.

[0036] The mold can have a variety of shapes. In the drawings of this invention, the mold is shown as rectangular, but it is not limited to this and may have a circular or polygonal shape. Depending on the shape of the mold, rectangular, circular, and polygonal base layers can be manufactured.

[0037] The microstructure manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0038] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a microstructure manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a diagram showing the high-speed rotation state of the microstructure manufacturing apparatus of Figure 1.

[0039] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the microstructure manufacturing apparatus 10 includes a rotating unit 100 and a mold support unit 200.

[0040] The rotating unit 100 is configured to rotate around a first rotation axis 20 and can be provided in various shapes. According to one embodiment, the rotating unit 100 can be provided as a circular frame that can rotate around the first rotation axis 20. According to another embodiment, the rotating unit 100 can be provided as a circular frame that can rotate around the first rotation axis 20. The first rotation axis 20 can be provided perpendicular to the ground.

[0041] The rotating unit 100 has a housing space 110 in which a mold support unit 200 can be positioned. According to this embodiment, multiple housing spaces 110 are formed and arranged in a circle around the first rotation axis 20. Each housing space 110 can be located at the same distance from the first rotation axis 20.

[0042] The mold support units 200 support the mold 50. Each mold support unit 200 is located in the housing space 110 and is rotatably connected to the rotating unit 100 around the second rotation axis 30. The second rotation axis 30 is positioned tangentially to the circular shape, which is the arrangement direction of the mold support units 200. The second rotation axis 30 can be positioned perpendicular to the rotational radius direction of the mold support units 200.

[0043] The mold support unit 200 includes a support plate 210. The support plate 210 has a predetermined area and is a thin plate with a support area 211 formed on one surface. The mold 50 is placed on the upper surface of the support area 211. The upper surface of the support area 211 is provided as a flat surface.

[0044] With the mold 50 placed in the support area 211, the composition 60 is supplied to the upper surface of the mold 50. Due to its high viscosity, the composition 60 is not immediately injected into the needle grooves 51 of the mold 50. In this state, when the rotating unit 100 rotates at high speed around the first rotation axis 20, the centrifugal force causes the mold support unit 200 to rotate 90 degrees around the second rotation axis 30, so that the support plate 210 is positioned perpendicular to the rotational radius direction of the rotating unit 100, and the support area 211 is positioned toward the first rotation axis 20. The centrifugal force of the rotating unit 100 acts perpendicularly to the upper surface of the mold 50 and then spreads radially, so that the composition 60 can spread uniformly to each region of the mold 50 and be injected into the needle grooves 51. The composition 60 can penetrate deeply into the needle grooves 51 in the direction of the centrifugal force of the rotating unit 100.

[0045] Figure 3 is a drawing showing a microstructure manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a drawing showing the mold support unit of Figure 3, and Figure 5 is a drawing showing the rotation state of the microstructure manufacturing apparatus of Figure 4.

[0046] First, referring to Figures 3 and 4, the rotating unit 100 has multiple storage spaces 110. According to this embodiment, four storage spaces 110 are formed and arranged at a 90-degree angle. The storage spaces 110 are formed to a predetermined length, and their length is perpendicular to the radial direction of the rotating unit 100.

[0047] Each mold support unit 200 is located in the housing space 110 and is rotatably connected to the rotating unit 100 around the second rotation axis 30. The mold support unit 200 includes a support plate 210. The support plate 210 has an area corresponding to the housing space 110, and a plurality of support regions 211, 212, and 213 are formed on one surface. Molds 50 are placed in the support regions 211, 212, and 213, respectively. According to one embodiment, three support regions 211, 212, and 213 are provided on the upper surface of the support plate 210, with the first support region 211 located in the center of the support plate 210, and the second support region 212 and the third support region 213 located on either side of the first support region 211, respectively.

[0048] The upper surface of the first support region 211 is positioned at a first angle θ1. According to this embodiment, the first angle 211 is an angle that makes 0° with the upper surface of the support plate 210, and the upper surface of the first support region 211 is positioned parallel to the upper surface of the support plate 210.

[0049] The upper surface of the second support region 212 is positioned at a second angle θ2. The second angle θ2 is a different angle from the first angle θ1 and can form an angle greater than 0° and less than 90° with respect to the center of the support plate 210 and the upper surface of the support plate 210. According to the embodiment, the second angle θ2 can form an angle greater than 1° and less than 60° with respect to the upper surface of the support plate 210. As a result, the upper surface of the second support region 212 can be positioned inclined with respect to the upper surface of the support plate 210 at a second angle θ2. Specifically, the second support region 212 is provided with a front end adjacent to the first support region 211 that is lower in height than the rear end, and its upper surface is provided inclined downward toward the first support region 211 at a second angle θ1.

[0050] The upper surface of the third support region 213 is positioned at a third angle θ3. The third angle θ3 is different from the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2, and can form an angle greater than 90° and less than 180° with respect to the center of the support plate 210 and the upper surface of the support plate 210. According to the embodiment, the third angle θ3 can form an angle greater than 91° and less than 150° with respect to the upper surface of the support plate 210. As a result, the upper surface of the third support region 213 can be positioned inclined with respect to the upper surface of the support plate 210 at a third angle θ3. Specifically, the third support region 213 is provided with a front end adjacent to the first support region 211 that is lower in height than the rear end, and its upper surface is provided inclined downward toward the first support region 211 at a third angle θ3. The upper surface of the third support region 213 can be symmetrical with respect to the upper surface of the second support region 212 with respect to the first support region 211.

[0051] Referring to Figure 5, when the rotating unit 100 rotates at high speed around the first rotation axis 20, the mold support unit 200 rotates 90 degrees around the second rotation axis 30 due to centrifugal force, and one surface of the support plate 210 is positioned perpendicular to the rotational radius direction of the rotating unit 100. At this time, the upper surfaces of the support regions 211, 212, and 213 are positioned tangentially to a virtual circle 70 with radius equal to the shortest distance r connecting the upper surfaces of the support regions 211, 212, and 213 on the first rotation axis 20. Therefore, the centrifugal force of the rotating unit 100 is applied perpendicularly to the upper surface of the mold 50, allowing the composition 60 to spread uniformly to each region of the mold 50.

[0052] In this embodiment, it has been explained that the support plate 210 is provided with three support regions 211, 212, and 213, but the number of support regions can be changed in various ways. As an example, referring to Figure 6, the support plate 210 can be provided with nine support regions 211 to 219. Four support regions 212 to 219 can be provided on each side of the first support region 211 located in the center of the support plate 210. The upper surfaces of the support regions 211 to 219 are arranged at different angles to each other, and the angle gradually increases as they move away from the center of the support plate 210. Furthermore, the inclination angles of the support regions 212 to 219 can be symmetrical with respect to the first support region 211.

[0053] Figure 7 is a diagram showing a microstructure manufactured using the mold support unit according to the embodiment of Figure 4, and Figure 8 is a diagram showing a microstructure manufactured using the mold support unit according to the comparative example. In the comparative example, the mold support unit 300 has upper surfaces of the first to third support regions 311 to 313 all provided as flat surfaces.

[0054] First, referring to Figure 7, it can be seen that the centrifugal force of the rotating unit 100 is provided in a direction perpendicular to the upper surfaces of the first to third support regions 211 to 213, so that the compositions 61 to 63 spread uniformly in each region of the mold 50 and are uniformly fed into the needle grooves 51.

[0055] In contrast, referring to Figure 8, it can be seen that composition 71 spread uniformly in the mold 50 placed in the first support region 311, but in the molds 50 placed in the second and third support regions 312 and 313, compositions 72 and 73 concentrated in the outer regions. This is understood to be a result of compositions 72 and 73 spreading in the direction of the centrifugal force of the rotating unit 100 because the upper surfaces of the second and third support regions 312 and 313 are not positioned toward the first rotation axis 20.

[0056] Figure 9 is a plan view showing a mold support unit according to another embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the mold support unit of Figure 9.

[0057] Referring to Figures 9 and 10, the support plate 100 of the mold support unit 200 can be provided with the first to third support regions 211 to 213 described above in multiple rows. The first support regions 211 are arranged in a row in the Y-axis direction, the second support regions 212 are arranged in a row, and the third support regions 213 are arranged in a row. The upper surface of the first support region 211 is provided as a flat plane, the upper surface of the second support region 212 is inclined at a second angle, and the upper surface of the third support region 213 is inclined at a third angle.

[0058] When manufacturing microstructures using the mold support unit 200 described above, multiple microstructures can be manufactured simultaneously in a single manufacturing process.

[0059] Figure 11 is a drawing showing a mold support unit according to another embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 12 is an exploded view showing the mold support unit of Figure 11.

[0060] Referring to Figures 11 and 12, the mold support unit 200 includes a support plate 210 and a loading plate 220.

[0061] The support plate 210 can be any one of the support plates described in Figures 3 to 10.

[0062] The loading plate 220 has an area corresponding to that of the support plate 210 and has a plurality of openings 221 to 223 formed thereon. The openings 221 to 223 are holes that penetrate the upper and lower surfaces of the loading plate 220 and, according to the embodiment, are provided in a rectangular shape. The opening 211 is formed in a position, number, and size corresponding to the support areas 211 to 213 of the support plate 210. Support jaws 231 to 233 are formed on the inner surface of the loading plate 220 that forms the openings 221 to 223. The support jaws 231 to 233 can be formed on at least a pair of opposing inner surfaces of the inner surface of the loading plate 220 that forms the openings 221 to 223. When the mold 50 is inserted into the openings 221 to 223, the support jaws 231 to 233 support the bottom surface of the mold 50.

[0063] The process of attaching the mold 50 to the mold support unit 200 according to the above embodiment will be described below.

[0064] First, with the support plate 210 and the loading plate 220 separated, the mold 50 is positioned in the openings 221-223 of the loading plate 220. Then, with the support plate 210 and the loading plate 220 positioned so that the support areas 211-213 and the openings 221-223 are aligned, the loading plate 220 is moved downward. During this process, the support areas 211-213 are inserted into the openings 221-223, and the mold 50 placed in the openings 221-223 is fixed to the upper surface of the support areas 211-213.

[0065] As previously explained, the upper surfaces of parts 212 and 213 of the support areas 211 to 213 are provided as inclined surfaces. Due to the degree of inclination, it is not easy to secure the mold 50 in a fixed position on the inclined surface. To solve this problem, a loading plate 220 is used. With the mold 50 positioned in the openings 221 to 223 of the loading plate 220, the mold 50 is transferred to the upper surface of the support areas 211 to 213 by the connection of the loading plate 220 and the support plate 210. In this process, the mold 50 can always be secured at a fixed point on the upper surface of the support areas 211 to 213.

[0066] Figure 13 is a drawing showing a mold support unit according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 14 is a drawing showing multiple mold support units of Figure 13 stacked on top of each other, and Figure 15 is a drawing showing the mold support unit of Figure 13 rotated 90 degrees around the second rotation axis.

[0067] Referring to Figures 13 and 14, support legs 240 are formed on the bottom surface of the support plate 210. The support legs 240 are provided at a predetermined length below the bottom surface of the support plate 210. Multiple support legs 240 are provided and are arranged spaced apart from each other at predetermined points on the support plate 210.

[0068] Multiple mold support units 200 having the structure described above may be stacked. Specifically, the support plate 210 included in the upper mold support unit 200 is placed on the upper surface of the loading plate 220 of the lower mold support unit 200, with the support legs 240 being placed on the upper surface of the loading plate 220 of the lower mold support unit 200. Multiple such stacked mold support units 200 are joined together by coupling means (not shown) and can rotate together as a single unit around the second rotation axis 30.

[0069] All of the first support regions 211 formed on the mold support unit 200 have their upper surfaces aligned with the upper surface of the support plate 210. The second support regions 212 and the third support regions 213 are provided by the mold support unit 200 with different inclination angles. Specifically, the inclination angles of the second support regions 212 and the third support regions 213 gradually decrease as they move away from the first rotation axis 20. Therefore, the upper surfaces of the second support regions 212 and the third support regions 213 of the lower mold support unit 200 have a smaller inclination angle than the upper surfaces of the second support regions 212 and the third support regions 213 of the upper mold support unit 200.

[0070] Referring to Figure 15, when the rotating unit 100 rotates at high speed around the first rotation axis 20, the mold support unit 200 rotates 90 degrees around the second rotation axis 30 due to centrifugal force, and the support plate 210 is positioned perpendicular to the radial direction of the rotating unit 100. Then, with the inclination angle arrangement of the upper surfaces of the first to third support regions 211, 212, and 213 described above, the upper surfaces of the first to third support regions 211, 212, and 213 can be positioned toward the first rotation axis 20.

[0071] Figure 16 shows a mold support unit according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

[0072] Referring to Figure 16, the support legs 240 can be formed not only in the bottom edge region of the support plate 210 but also in the central region. The support legs 240 are placed on the upper surface of the loading plate 220 located below them. By arranging the support legs 240 at regular intervals across the entire area of ​​the support plate 210, the mold can be stably supported during high-speed rotation.

[0073] Figure 17 shows a microstructure manufacturing apparatus according to one or another embodiment of the present invention.

[0074] Referring to Figure 17, the mold support unit 200 is fixed to the second rotation axis 30 such that the upper surface of the mold 50 faces the first rotation axis 20. Therefore, while the composition 60 is being supplied to the mold 50 or while the rotation unit 100 is rotating at high speed, the upper surface of the mold 50 is always positioned facing the first rotation axis 20. During the process of supplying the composition 60 to the mold 50, the composition 60 may flow downward due to its own weight. Therefore, the microstructure manufacturing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment is suitable for compositions 60 with high viscosity. The high-speed rotation of the rotation unit 100 transmits a sufficient amount of centrifugal force to the upper surface of the mold 50, so that even highly viscous compositions 60 can spread uniformly on the upper surface of the mold 50.

[0075] Figure 18 shows a microstructure manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0076] Referring to Figure 18, the rotating unit 100 has its first rotation axis 20 aligned with the ground (XY plane). Therefore, the mold support units 200 are positioned at different heights around the first rotation axis 20. This structure of the rotating unit 100 allows the composition 60 to be supplied to the mold 50 which is attached to the mold support unit 200 located below the first rotation axis 20. For other mold support units 200 which are not supplied with composition, a weight-forming jig 90 can be provided. The weight-forming jig 90 has a configuration that has the combined weight of the mold 50 and the composition 60 and is provided to align the center of gravity of the rotating unit 100 around the first rotation axis 20.

[0077] Although the present invention has been described in detail above using preferred embodiments, the scope of the present invention is not limited to any particular embodiment and should be analyzed by the appended claims. Furthermore, anyone with ordinary skill in the art should understand that many modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. In a mold support unit that supports a mold for manufacturing microstructures, The support plate includes a plurality of support regions on which the mold is placed, which are formed spaced apart from each other. The aforementioned support region is A first support region in which the upper surface on which the mold is placed is positioned at a first angle with respect to the upper surface of the support plate, A mold support unit comprising: a second support region, the upper surface on which the mold is placed is positioned at a second angle different from the first angle with respect to the upper surface of the support plate.

2. The aforementioned support region is The mold support unit according to claim 1, further comprising a third support region in which the upper surface on which the mold is placed is positioned at a third angle different from the first and second angles with respect to the upper surface of the support plate.

3. The upper surface of the first support region is arranged parallel to the upper surface of the support plate. The upper surface of the second support region is positioned at a second angle relative to the upper surface of the support plate, The mold support unit according to claim 2, wherein the upper surface of the third support area is inclined at the third angle with respect to the upper surface of the support plate.

4. The third support region is located on the opposite side of the second support region, with the first support region in between. The mold support unit according to claim 3, wherein the upper surface of the second support region and the upper surface of the third support region are arranged symmetrically with respect to the first support region.

5. The first to third support regions are sequentially located in one direction. The mold support unit according to claim 2, wherein the third angle with respect to the upper surface of the support plate is greater than the second angle.

6. The mold support unit according to claim 1, further comprising a loading plate having a plurality of openings formed on the inside into which the support regions can be individually inserted, and a support jaw formed on the inner surface of the openings into which the mold is placed.

7. The mold support unit according to claim 6, wherein the support area and the opening correspond one-to-one.

8. The mold support unit according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of support legs extending to a predetermined length are formed on the bottom surface of the support plate.

9. The mold support unit according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of support plates are stacked vertically, and the support legs are placed on the upper surface of the support plate located below them.

10. A rotating unit that can rotate around a rotation axis, It includes a mold support unit that is coupled to the rotating unit at a predetermined distance from the rotation axis, is rotatable relative to the rotating unit about a pivot axis, and supports a mold for manufacturing microstructures, The pivot axis is positioned tangentially to the circle centered on the rotation axis and penetrates the interior of the mold support unit. The mold support unit includes a support plate in which a support area on which the mold is placed is formed. A microstructure manufacturing apparatus in which the mold support unit rotates around the pivot axis due to the centrifugal force of the rotating unit which rotates around the pivot axis, causing the support area to face the pivot axis.

11. The microstructure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of mold support units are arranged in a ring shape around the rotation axis and are located at the same distance from the rotation axis.

12. The aforementioned support region is A first support region in which the upper surface on which the mold is placed is positioned at a first angle with respect to the upper surface of the support plate, The microstructure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising: a second support region on which the mold is placed, the second support region being positioned at a second angle different from the first angle with respect to the upper surface of the support plate.

13. The upper surface of the first support region is aligned parallel to the upper surface of the support plate. The microstructure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the upper surface of the second support region is inclined at a second angle with respect to the upper surface of the support plate.

14. The mold support unit is, The microstructure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a loading plate having an opening formed on the inside into which the support region can be inserted, and a support jaw formed on the inner surface forming the opening on which the mold is placed.

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