Method for manufacturing printed wiring board and system for manufacturing printed wiring board

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a printed wiring board according to one aspect of the present disclosure involves the use of a printed wiring board sheet having a plurality of printed wiring board pieces, the method comprising: a step for assessing, through an electrical inspection, whether each of the plurality of printed wiring board pieces are good-quality articles or poor-quality articles; a step for selectively cutting good-quality articles from the printed wiring board sheet after the assessment step; and a step for inspecting the external appearance of the good-quality articles that were cut out in the cutting step. The method furthermore comprises a step for handing over data pertaining to the good-quality articles or the poor-quality articles in the assessment step to the cutting step. The good-quality articles are cut in the cutting step on the basis of the data handed over in the handover step.

Description

Printed wiring board manufacturing method and printed wiring board manufacturing system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method and system for manufacturing a printed wiring board. This application claims priority to Japanese Application No. 2022-147170, filed September 15, 2022, and incorporates by reference all of the contents of the above-mentioned Japanese application.

[0002] A known efficient method for manufacturing printed wiring boards involves preparing a single large printed wiring board sheet and cutting a plurality of individual printed wiring board pieces from this printed wiring board sheet (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-319067

[0004] A method for manufacturing a printed wiring board according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a printed wiring board using a printed wiring board sheet having a plurality of individual printed wiring board pieces, and includes the steps of: determining whether each of the plurality of individual printed wiring board pieces is a good product or a defective product by electrical testing; selectively cutting the good products from the printed wiring board sheet after the determining step; and visually inspecting the good products cut in the cutting step; and further including the step of transferring data regarding the good products or defective products in the determining step to the cutting step, and cutting the good products in the cutting step based on the data transferred in the transferring step.

[0005] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram showing a method for manufacturing a printed wiring board according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a judging step in the method for manufacturing a printed wiring board of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which a printed wiring board sheet is held by a first jig in the judging step of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view corresponding to FIG. 3 showing a state after judgment in the judging step of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a cutting step in the method for manufacturing a printed wiring board of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a schematic partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which a non-defective product has been cut in the cutting step of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a visual inspection step in the method for manufacturing a printed wiring board of FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a flow diagram showing a method for manufacturing a printed wiring board according to an embodiment different from the method for manufacturing a printed wiring board of FIG. 1.

[0006] [Problem to be Solved by the Present Disclosure] Patent Literature 1 describes a method for manufacturing a printed wiring board using a workpiece having a plurality of singulated substrate portions, in which the workpiece is subjected to a continuity test and then the singulated substrate portions are punched out from the workpiece.

[0007] In the method for manufacturing a printed wiring board described in Patent Document 1, both singulated substrate portions determined to be good by a continuity test and singulated substrate portions determined to be defective by the continuity test are punched out. Therefore, with the configuration described in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that defective substrates will be mixed in with good substrates due to punching out of the defective substrates. Furthermore, with the configuration described in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that manufacturing efficiency will not be sufficiently improved.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made in light of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a method for manufacturing printed wiring boards that can suppress the mixing of defective products among good products and increase the manufacturing efficiency of printed wiring boards.

[0009] Effect of the Present Disclosure A method for manufacturing a printed wiring board according to an aspect of the present disclosure can suppress the mixing of defective products among good products and can increase the manufacturing efficiency of printed wiring boards.

[0010] [Description of Embodiments of the Present Disclosure] First, embodiments of the present disclosure will be listed and described.

[0011] (1) A method for manufacturing a printed wiring board according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a printed wiring board using a printed wiring board sheet having a plurality of individual printed wiring board pieces, and includes the steps of: determining whether each of the plurality of individual printed wiring board pieces is a good product or a defective product by electrical testing; selectively cutting the good products from the printed wiring board sheet after the determining step; and visually inspecting the good products cut in the cutting step; and further including the step of transferring data regarding the good products or defective products in the determining step to the cutting step, and cutting the good products in the cutting step based on the data transferred in the transferring step.

[0012] The method for manufacturing a printed wiring board includes a step of transferring data regarding good or defective products in the determining step to the cutting step, in which the good products are selectively cut from the printed wiring board sheet based on the data transferred in the transferring step. The method for manufacturing a printed wiring board does not cut the defective products from the printed wiring board sheet, thereby preventing the defective products from being mixed in with the good products. Furthermore, the method for manufacturing a printed wiring board can improve the manufacturing efficiency of printed wiring boards because the appearance inspection step can inspect only the good products cut in the cutting step.

[0013] (2) In the above (1), an identification mark may be applied to the defective product in the determining step. By applying an identification mark to the defective product in this way in the determining step, it is possible to more reliably prevent the defective product from being mixed with the non-defective products.

[0014] (3) In the method of (2) above, the determining step may apply the identification mark with a first laser beam, and the cutting step may cut the non-defective product with a second laser beam having a higher intensity than the first laser beam. In this way, the determining step may apply the identification mark with a first laser beam, and the cutting step may cut the non-defective product with a second laser beam having a higher intensity than the first laser beam, thereby making it possible to easily and reliably apply the identification mark and cut the non-defective product.

[0015] (4) In any of (1) to (3) above, in the determining step, the printed wiring board sheet may be held using a first jig, and a contactless tag capable of storing pass / fail determination data in the determining step may be disposed on the first jig. In this way, by holding the printed wiring board sheet using a first jig in the determining step and disposing a contactless tag on the first jig that can store pass / fail determination data in the determining step, it is possible to more reliably prevent the defective products from being mixed in with the non-defective products.

[0016] (5) In any of (1) to (4) above, the cutting step may involve using a second jig to hold the printed wiring board sheet, and the second jig may have a receiving portion for receiving the non-defective products cut from the printed wiring board sheet. In this way, by using a second jig to hold the printed wiring board sheet in the cutting step and the second jig having a receiving portion for receiving the non-defective products cut from the printed wiring board sheet, the non-defective products can be easily and reliably separated from the printed wiring board sheet with the defective products attached.

[0017] (6) In any of (1) to (5) above, the method may further include a step of feeding back data about defective products in the determining step to a step prior to the determining step so as to reduce the number of defective products. By providing a step of feeding back data about defective products in the determining step to a step prior to the determining step so as to reduce the number of defective products, it becomes easier to suppress the occurrence of defective products. As a result, the manufacturing efficiency of printed wiring boards can be further improved.

[0018] (7) A printed wiring board manufacturing system according to another aspect of the present disclosure is a printed wiring board manufacturing system that uses a printed wiring board sheet having a plurality of individual printed wiring board pieces, and includes a determination device that determines whether each of the plurality of individual printed wiring board pieces is a good product or a defective product by electrical testing, a cutting device that selectively cuts the good products from the printed wiring board sheet, and an appearance inspection device that performs an appearance inspection on the good products cut by the cutting device, and further includes a data control device that transfers data on the good products or defective products from the determination device to the cutting device, and the cutting device cuts the good products based on the data transferred from the data control device.

[0019] According to the printed wiring board manufacturing system, the cutting device can selectively cut the non-defective products from the printed wiring board sheet based on the data transferred from the data control device. The printed wiring board manufacturing system can prevent the non-defective products from being mixed in with the non-defective products by not cutting the defective products from the printed wiring board sheet. Furthermore, according to the printed wiring board manufacturing system, the appearance inspection device can inspect only the non-defective products cut by the cutting device, thereby improving the manufacturing efficiency of printed wiring boards.

[0020] [Details of the embodiment of the present disclosure] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that each drawing is a schematic view and may not correspond to the actual shape, dimensions, ratio, etc. Furthermore, in this disclosure, the terms "first," "second," etc. do not imply a priority order.

[0021] [First embodiment] <Method for manufacturing a printed wiring board> A method for manufacturing a printed wiring board according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a printed wiring board using a printed wiring board sheet having a plurality of printed wiring board pieces. In this method for manufacturing a printed wiring board, a plurality of printed wiring boards are manufactured from a single large-sized printed wiring board sheet.

[0022] 1, the method for manufacturing a printed wiring board includes a step S1 of determining whether each of the plurality of printed wiring board pieces is a pass or a fail by electrical testing, a step S3 of selectively cutting the pass or fail pieces from the printed wiring board sheet after the determining step S1, and a step S4 of visually inspecting the pass or fail pieces cut in the cutting step S3. The method for manufacturing a printed wiring board also includes a step S2 of transferring data on the pass or fail pieces in the determining step S1 to the cutting step S3. The method for manufacturing a printed wiring board includes cutting the pass or fail pieces in the cutting step S3 based on the data transferred in the transferring step S2.

[0023] The method for manufacturing a printed wiring board includes a step S2 of transferring data regarding good or defective products in the determining step S1 to a cutting step S3, in which the good products are selectively cut from the printed wiring board sheet based on the data transferred in the transferring step S2. The method for manufacturing a printed wiring board does not cut the defective products from the printed wiring board sheet, thereby preventing the defective products from being mixed with the good products. This configuration also reduces losses associated with processing the defective products. Furthermore, the method for manufacturing a printed wiring board can improve the manufacturing efficiency of printed wiring boards by inspecting only the good products cut in the cutting step S3 in the visual inspection step S4.

[0024] In the method for manufacturing a printed wiring board, the printed wiring board pieces determined to be non-defective in the visual inspection step S4 are manufactured into a printed wiring board after undergoing other steps as necessary. For example, the plurality of printed wiring board pieces are arranged regularly on the printed wiring board sheet. The lower limit of the number of printed wiring board pieces arranged on the printed wiring board sheet may be, for example, 10, 30, or 50. The upper limit of the number of printed wiring board pieces arranged on the printed wiring board sheet may be, for example, 500, 300, or 100.

[0025] The printed wiring board piece has an insulating substrate and a conductive pattern disposed on the substrate. The substrate may be a rigid substrate, a flexible substrate having flexibility, or a composite substrate in which a rigid substrate and a flexible substrate are integrated. The conductive pattern has one or more wiring portions. The conductive pattern may be disposed on only one side of the substrate, or on both sides of the substrate. The main component of the conductive pattern is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, copper.

[0026] Each step in the method for manufacturing the printed wiring board will be described in detail below.

[0027] 2 and 3, in the determining step S1, an electrical inspection device 10 is used to electrically inspect the multiple printed wiring board pieces 110 included in the printed wiring board sheet 100. The specific configuration of the electrical inspection device 10 is not particularly limited, but may be configured to have multiple probes, for example. The electrical inspection device 10 inspects the conductive patterns 120 for short circuits using the multiple probes, for example.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3 , the printed wiring board sheet 100 has an array section 100a in which a plurality of printed wiring board pieces 110 are arranged in a matrix, and an annular peripheral section 100b arranged around the array section 100a. The printed wiring board sheet 100 has lattice-shaped connection sections in the array section 100a. The connection sections extend from the inner peripheral edge of the peripheral section 100b. The plurality of printed wiring board pieces 110 are connected to the connection sections. In other words, adjacent printed wiring board pieces 110 in the array section 100a are connected to each other by the connection sections. Furthermore, the printed wiring board piece 110 located at the outermost periphery of the array section 100a is connected to the peripheral section 100b by the connection sections. The plurality of printed wiring board pieces 110 are arranged at intervals across the connection sections.

[0029] In the determining step S1, an electrical test is performed on the conductive patterns 120 of each of the multiple printed wiring board pieces 110 included in the printed wiring board sheet 100. In the determining step S1, a single electrical test may be performed on each printed wiring board piece 110, or multiple electrical tests may be performed. When multiple electrical tests are performed on each printed wiring board piece 110 in the determining step S1, the wiring portions to be tested in each electrical test may be the same or different. Note that the method for manufacturing a printed wiring board does not need to include a step of performing an electrical test on the conductive patterns 120 after the determining step S1. In the method for manufacturing a printed wiring board, by completing the electrical test on the conductive patterns 120 in the determining step S1, printed wiring boards can be manufactured more efficiently.

[0030] 3 , in the judgment step S1, an electrical inspection is performed while the printed wiring board sheet 100 is held using a first jig 20. The first jig 20 is, for example, a plate member capable of supporting the printed wiring board sheet 100. The first jig 20 may have a positioning portion for determining the position of the printed wiring board sheet 100 relative to the first jig 20 and the position of the first jig 20 relative to the electrical inspection device 10.

[0031] A non-contact tag 21 capable of storing pass / fail judgment data in the judgment step S1 is disposed on the first jig 20. An example of the non-contact tag 21 is an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag. By disposing the non-contact tag 21 on the first jig 20, it is possible to more reliably prevent the defective products from being mixed with the non-defective products in a subsequent process.

[0032] Non-contact tag 21 stores pass / fail determination data for each printed wiring board piece 110. Non-contact tag 21 may store, as the pass / fail determination data, information indicating at which portion on one printed wiring board sheet 100 printed wiring board pieces 110 have been determined to be defective. In other words, non-contact tag 21 may store, as the pass / fail determination data, data on the location of defective pieces on printed wiring board sheet 100.

[0033] When electrical testing is performed multiple times on each printed wiring board piece 110 in the evaluation step S1, the electrical test results of each electrical test are stored in the non-contact tag 21. Furthermore, the electrical test results may be overwritten for each electrical test in the non-contact tag 21. By using the non-contact tag 21 in the evaluation step S1, it is possible to easily trace whether or not there is a risk of defective products being mixed in with the printed wiring board pieces 110 cut in the cutting step S3 described below, for example.

[0034] 4, in the judgment step S1, an identification mark may be attached to the defective products 140. With this configuration, it is possible to more reliably prevent the defective products 140 from being mixed with the non-defective products 130.

[0035] When an identification mark is applied to the defective product 140 in the determining step S1, the identification mark may be applied using a first laser light in the determining step S1. In Fig. 4, the first laser light is irradiated onto the conductive pattern 120 of the defective product 140, and the conductive pattern 120 is partially or entirely burned to form the identification mark. That is, in the determining step S1, the identification mark is applied to the printed wiring board piece 110 itself that has been determined to be a defective product 140. This configuration makes it easy to distinguish between good products 130 and defective products 140 by appearance through electrical testing.

[0036] As described above, in the transferring step S2, data on the non-defective product 130 or the defective product 140 in the determining step S1 is transferred to the cutting step S3. The transferring step S2 can be performed by the data control device 30 shown in FIG.

[0037] Data control device 30 is provided so that data about printed wiring board pieces 110 determined to be good products 130 or defective products 140 in an electrical inspection by electrical inspection device 10 can be transferred to cutting step S3. Data control device 30 has a receiving unit that receives data about the electrical inspection results by electrical inspection device 10, and a transmitting unit that transmits the data received by the receiving unit to cutting step S3. Note that data control device 30 may be configured so that the data received by the receiving unit is transmitted directly by the transmitting unit, or may be configured so that the data received by the receiving unit is transmitted by the transmitting unit after being processed as necessary.

[0038] In the transfer step S2, only data about printed wiring board pieces 110 determined to be good products 130 in the above electrical inspection may be transferred, or only data about printed wiring board pieces 110 determined to be defective products 140 in the above electrical inspection may be transferred, or both data about printed wiring board pieces 110 determined to be good products 130 in the above electrical inspection and data about printed wiring board pieces 110 determined to be defective products 140 may be transferred.

[0039] When electrical tests are performed multiple times on each printed wiring board piece 110 in the judging step S1, in the transferring step S2, printed wiring board pieces 110 that are judged to have failed at least one of all the electrical tests are treated as defective products 140. This configuration allows for more efficient manufacturing of printed wiring boards.

[0040] The data transferred in the transferring step S2 may be different from, or may be the same as, the pass / fail judgment data stored in the non-contact tag 21. In the transferring step S2, for example, the judgment result of each electrical test may be transferred to the cutting step S3, or the final judgment result in the judgment step S1 may be transferred to the cutting step S3. In the transferring step S2, the data can be transferred to the cutting step S3 without going through the non-contact tag 21 (i.e., independently of the non-contact tag 21). On the other hand, if the data transferred in the transferring step S2 is the same as the pass / fail judgment data, the pass / fail judgment data stored in the non-contact tag 21 can also be used in the transferring step S2.

[0041] 5 and 6 , in the cutting step S3, all printed wiring board pieces 110 determined to be defective 140 in the determining step S1 are left on the printed wiring board sheet 100, while all printed wiring board pieces 110 determined to be non-defective 130 in the determining step S1 are cut from the printed wiring board sheet 100. In the cutting step S3, the non-defective pieces 130 are cut along their outer edges. Note that in this printed wiring board manufacturing method, for example, a portion of the outer edges of all printed wiring board pieces 110 may be cut in advance before the determining step S1. That is, each printed wiring board piece 110 may be arranged so as to be connected to the above-mentioned connection portion by a seam. In this case, in the cutting step S3, the seam provided on the outer edge of the non-defective pieces 130 may be cut.

[0042] In cutting step S3, non-defective products 130 are cut by cutting device 40. Cutting device 40 has a cutting unit that cuts non-defective products 130 and a receiving unit that receives data on non-defective products 130 or defective products 140 transmitted from data control device 30. Cutting device 40 selectively cuts all printed wiring board pieces 110 determined to be non-defective products 130 by electrical inspection device 10 from printed wiring board sheet 100, based on the data on non-defective products 130 or defective products 140 received from data control device 30.

[0043] The specific configuration of the cutting unit is not particularly limited, and may include, for example, a die that supports the printed wiring board sheet 100 and a punch that punches out non-defective products 130 from the printed wiring board sheet 100 supported by the die. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5 , the cutting unit may be configured to cut the non-defective products 130 using laser light. In this case, the cutting unit may include, for example, a laser head 41 that can irradiate laser light and a scanning unit (not shown) that can scan the laser light irradiated from the laser head 41. Using laser light makes it easier to selectively cut only the non-defective products 130. The cutting device 40 may also include a camera that can recognize the arrangement of the printed wiring board pieces 110. This configuration makes it easier to selectively cut only the non-defective products 130.

[0044] When the non-defective product 130 is cut by laser light in the cutting step S3, the non-defective product 130 may be cut by a second laser light having an intensity greater than that of the first laser light described above. This configuration allows the above-described identification mark to be provided and the non-defective product 130 to be cut easily and reliably. That is, by providing the identification mark using the first laser light, the identification mark can be provided easily and reliably at low cost while preventing damage to the printed wiring board sheet 100 and the first jig 20. Furthermore, by using the second laser light to cut the non-defective product 130, the non-defective product 130 can be cut easily and reliably along its outer edge. The "intensity" of the laser light is defined as the pulse energy (J) multiplied by the pulse width (S) and the irradiation area (cm ２) and the product of these two.

[0045] The second laser beam used in the cutting step S3 may be, for example, a YAG laser beam or a fiber laser beam, and the YAG laser beam may be, for example, a UV-YAG laser beam.

[0046] The lower limit of the wavelength of the second laser light may be, for example, 280 nm or 320 nm. On the other hand, the upper limit of the wavelength may be, for example, 500 nm or 400 nm. Furthermore, the wavelength of the second laser light may be fixed.

[0047] In the cutting step S3, the printed wiring board sheet 100 is held using a second jig 50. In other words, in the cutting step S3, the printed wiring board sheet 100 is held using a second jig 50 different from the first jig 20 used in the judging step S1. This configuration makes it possible to easily and reliably perform both the electrical inspection in the judging step S1 and the cutting of the non-defective products 130 in the cutting step S3. The second jig 50 may have a positioning portion for determining the position of the printed wiring board sheet 100 relative to the second jig 50 and the position of the second jig 50 relative to the cutting device 40. The second jig 50 does not necessarily have to include the above-mentioned non-contact tag 21.

[0048] The second jig 50 has a receiving portion 51 that receives the non-defective products 130 cut from the printed wiring board sheet 100. With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 6 , the non-defective products 130 can be easily and reliably separated from the printed wiring board sheet 100 in a state in which the defective products 140 have not been cut.

[0049] The second jig 50 is a plate member having recesses corresponding to the plurality of printed wiring board pieces 110. The second jig 50 is mainly made of a metal such as aluminum. The recesses are configured as receiving portions 51. In the cutting step S3, the printed wiring board sheet 100 may be sucked toward the second jig 50 when cutting the non-defective products 130.

[0050] The recesses are recessed from the plate surface of the second jig 50 (the surface of the portion where the recesses are not formed). The recesses are, for example, deep enough that the surfaces of the non-defective products 130 cut from the printed wiring board sheet 100 protrude from the plate surface. This configuration may allow the non-defective products 130 supported by the receiving unit 51 to be easily moved to the next process. For example, with the printed wiring board sheet 100 held by the second jig 50 and multiple non-defective products 130 supported by the receiving unit 51, these non-defective products 130 can be easily sucked in the normal direction to the plate surface. As a result, only the multiple non-defective products 130 cut in the cutting step S3 can be easily and reliably moved to the next process. From this perspective, the printed wiring board manufacturing method may include a step of sucking the non-defective products 130 cut in the cutting step S3. The suction step can be performed, for example, using a robot hand that can approach the multiple non-defective products 130 in the normal direction to the plate surface.

[0051] 7 , in the visual inspection step S4, a visual inspection is performed on the plurality of non-defective products 130 that have been cut in the cutting step S3 and separated from the printed wiring board sheet 100. That is, in the visual inspection step S4, a visual inspection is performed only on the plurality of non-defective products 130 that have been separated from the printed wiring board sheet 100.

[0052] <Printed Wiring Board Manufacturing System> A printed wiring board manufacturing system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a printed wiring board manufacturing system that uses a printed wiring board sheet having a plurality of printed wiring board pieces. The printed wiring board manufacturing system can perform the above-described printed wiring board manufacturing method. The printed wiring board manufacturing system is configured to be able to manufacture a printed wiring board from the above-described printed wiring board sheet 100.

[0053] The printed wiring board manufacturing system includes a determination device that determines whether each of the plurality of printed wiring board pieces is a pass or a fail through electrical testing, a cutting device that selectively cuts the pass or fail pieces from the printed wiring board sheet, and an appearance inspection device that performs an appearance inspection on the pass or fail pieces cut by the cutting device. The printed wiring board manufacturing system also includes a data control device that transfers data on pass or fail pieces from the determination device to the cutting device. The printed wiring board manufacturing system cuts the pass or fail pieces in the cutting device based on the data transferred from the data control device.

[0054] According to the printed wiring board manufacturing system, the cutting device can selectively cut the non-defective products from the printed wiring board sheet based on data received from the data control device. The printed wiring board manufacturing system can prevent the non-defective products from being mixed in with the non-defective products by not cutting the defective products from the printed wiring board sheet. This configuration can also reduce losses from processing the defective products. Furthermore, according to the printed wiring board manufacturing system, the appearance inspection device can inspect only the non-defective products cut by the cutting device, thereby improving the manufacturing efficiency of printed wiring boards.

[0055] (Determination device) The determination device is configured to be able to carry out the determination step S1 described above. The determination device includes the electrical inspection device 10 described above. The determination device is configured to perform an electrical inspection while holding the printed wiring board sheet 100 using a first jig 20. A non-contact tag 21 is disposed on the first jig 20. The determination device may be configured to apply an identification mark to the defective product 140. In this case, the determination device may be configured to apply the identification mark by the first laser light described above.

[0056] (Data Control Device) The data control device is configured to be able to carry out the above-mentioned transferring step S2. As the data control device, the data control device 30 shown in FIG. 2 can be used.

[0057] (Cutting Device) The cutting device is configured to be able to carry out the cutting step S3 described above. As the cutting device, the cutting device 40 shown in Fig. 5 can be used. The cutting device is configured to cut the non-defective product 130 while holding the printed wiring board sheet 100 using the second jig 50.

[0058] (Appearance Inspection Apparatus) The appearance inspection apparatus is configured to be able to carry out the appearance inspection step S4 described above. The specific configuration of the appearance inspection apparatus is not particularly limited, and a known configuration can be adopted.

[0059] 8 is a method for manufacturing a printed wiring board using a printed wiring board sheet having a plurality of printed wiring board pieces. In this method for manufacturing a printed wiring board, a plurality of printed wiring boards are manufactured from a single large-sized printed wiring board sheet.

[0060] The method for manufacturing a printed wiring board includes a step S10 of forming a conductive pattern on each of a plurality of printed wiring board pieces, a step S11 of determining whether each of the plurality of printed wiring board pieces is a pass or a fail by electrical testing of the conductive pattern, a step S13 of selectively cutting the pass or fail products from the printed wiring board sheet after the determining step S11, and a step S14 of visually inspecting the pass or fail products cut in the cutting step S13. The method for manufacturing a printed wiring board also includes a step S12 of transferring data regarding pass or fail products in the determining step S11 to a cutting step S13, and a step S15 of feeding back data regarding the fail products in the determining step S11 to a step prior to the determining step S11 so as to reduce the number of fail products. The method for manufacturing a printed wiring board includes cutting the pass or fail products in the cutting step S13 based on the data transferred in the transferring step S12.

[0061] This method for manufacturing a printed wiring board can suppress the mixing of defective products with non-defective products, similar to the method for manufacturing a printed wiring board in the first embodiment. Furthermore, since this method for manufacturing a printed wiring board includes a feedback step S15, it becomes easier to suppress the occurrence of defective products. As a result, the manufacturing efficiency of printed wiring boards can be further improved.

[0062] The determining step S11, the transferring step S12, the cutting step S13, and the visual inspection step S14 in the method for manufacturing a printed wiring board can be performed in the same procedures as in the method for manufacturing a printed wiring board in the first embodiment. Therefore, only the forming step S10 and the feedback step S15 will be described below.

[0063] (Forming Step) In the forming step S10, the conductive pattern is formed by, for example, a semi-additive method or a subtractive method. In the semi-additive method, for example, a conductive base layer is formed on a substrate, a resist pattern is formed on the conductive base layer, a plating layer is formed in the openings of the resist pattern, the resist pattern is removed, and then the non-laminated areas of the plating layer on the conductive base layer are etched using the plating layer as a mask, thereby forming the conductive pattern. In the subtractive method, for example, a conductive base layer is formed on a substrate, a plating layer is formed on the conductive base layer, a resist pattern is formed on the plating layer, the plating layer and the conductive base layer are etched using the resist pattern as a mask, and then the resist pattern is removed, thereby forming the conductive pattern.

[0064] (Feedback Process) In the feedback process S15, data on the defective products in the determination process S11 is fed back to the forming process S10. In the feedback process S15, for example, layout data of the defective products on the printed wiring board sheet is fed back to the forming process S10. More specifically, in the feedback process S15, the layout data of the defective products on the printed wiring board sheet is stored on a server or the like and fed back to the forming process S10 so that the occurrence of defective products can be suppressed in the manufacture of other printed wiring boards. In the printed wiring board manufacturing method, if the frequency of defective products at the same position on the printed wiring board sheet is high, this may be due to the photofabrication method or plating method in the forming process S10. In this case, if the same photofabrication method or the same plating method is continued to be used, there is a high risk that the defective products will continue to occur at the same position on the printed wiring board sheet. In contrast, in the feedback step S15, the data is fed back to the step S10 of forming layout data of the defective products on the printed wiring board sheet, so that defects in the photofabrication method or plating method can be found early, thereby suppressing the occurrence of the defective products.

[0065] When electrical testing is performed multiple times on each printed wiring board piece in the evaluation step S11, the results of each electrical test may be fed back to the forming step S10 in the feedback step S15. This configuration makes it easier to identify the cause of defects in the forming step S10.

[0066] <Printed Wiring Board Manufacturing System> The printed wiring board manufacturing system of this embodiment is a printed wiring board manufacturing system using a printed wiring board sheet having a plurality of printed wiring board pieces. The printed wiring board manufacturing system includes a conductive pattern forming device that forms a conductive pattern on each of the plurality of printed wiring board pieces, a determination device that determines whether each of the plurality of printed wiring board pieces is good or defective by electrical testing of the conductive pattern, a cutting device that selectively cuts the good pieces from the printed wiring board sheet, and an appearance inspection device that performs an appearance inspection on the good pieces cut by the cutting device. The printed wiring board manufacturing system also includes a data control device that transfers data on good or defective pieces from the determination device to the cutting device, and a feedback device that feeds back data on defective pieces from the determination device to the conductive pattern forming device so as to reduce the number of defective pieces. The printed wiring board manufacturing system cuts the good pieces in the cutting device based on the data transferred from the data control device.

[0067] The printed wiring board manufacturing system can have the same configuration as the printed wiring board manufacturing system in the first embodiment, except that it includes the conductive pattern forming device and the feedback device.

[0068] Similar to the printed wiring board manufacturing system of the first embodiment, the printed wiring board manufacturing system can prevent the inclusion of defective products among the non-defective products. Furthermore, since the printed wiring board manufacturing system includes the feedback device that can feed back data on defective products from the determination device to the conductive pattern forming device, it becomes easier to prevent the occurrence of defective products. As a result, the manufacturing efficiency of printed wiring boards can be further improved.

[0069] [Other Embodiments] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0070] The specific configuration and arrangement of the multiple printed wiring board pieces in the printed wiring board sheet are not limited to those described in the above embodiment. For example, the printed wiring board pieces may be formed by arranging the substrates in multiple layers. Furthermore, the procedure for forming the conductive pattern, the procedure for the electrical inspection, the procedure for cutting the printed wiring board pieces, the procedure for the visual inspection, etc. can be set according to the quality required for the printed wiring board.

[0071] In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which an identification mark is applied to the printed wiring board pieces in the determining step. However, in the determining step, the identification mark may also be applied to a portion of the printed wiring board sheet other than the printed wiring board pieces. The identification mark may also be applied by a method other than laser light. Furthermore, it is also possible not to apply the identification mark in the determining step.

[0072] In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the first jig is used in the determining step and the second jig is used in the cutting step. However, the specific configurations of the jigs used in the determining step and the cutting step are not limited. For example, the jig used in the determining step does not need to have the non-contact tag described above. Furthermore, the same jig may be used to hold the printed wiring board sheet in the determining step and the cutting step. In this case, a jig having the above-mentioned receiving portion for receiving the non-defective product cut from the printed wiring board sheet may be used.

[0073] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Electrical inspection device 20 First jig 21 Non-contact tag 30 Data control device 40 Cutting device 41 Laser head 50 Second jig 51 Receiving section 100 Printed wiring board sheet 100a Array section 100b Peripheral section 110 Printed wiring board piece 120 Conductive pattern 130 Good product 140 Defective product

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a printed wiring board using a printed wiring board sheet having a plurality of printed wiring board pieces, comprising: determining whether the plurality of printed wiring board pieces are non-defective or defective by electrical inspection; a step of selectively cutting the non-defective product from the printed wiring board sheet after the step of determining; a step of visually inspecting the non-defective product cut in the cutting step; Equipped with The method further includes a step of transferring data on whether the product is good or bad in the step of determining to the step of cutting. The method for manufacturing a printed wiring board, wherein cutting of the non-defective products in the cutting step is performed based on the data transferred in the transferring step.

2. 2. The method for manufacturing a printed wiring board according to claim 1, wherein said determining step includes providing an identification mark to said defective products.

3. In the determining step, the identification mark is provided by a first laser beam; 3. The method for manufacturing a printed wiring board according to claim 2, wherein in the cutting step, the non-defective product is cut by a second laser beam having an intensity greater than that of the first laser beam.

4. In the step of determining, the printed wiring board sheet is held using a first jig; 3. The method for manufacturing a printed wiring board according to claim 1, wherein the first jig is provided with a non-contact tag capable of storing pass / fail judgment data in the judging step.

5. In the cutting step, the printed wiring board sheet is held using a second jig; 3. The method for manufacturing a printed wiring board according to claim 1, wherein the second jig has a receiving portion for receiving the non-defective product cut from the printed wiring board sheet.

6. 3. The method for manufacturing a printed wiring board according to claim 1, further comprising the step of feeding back data on defective products in said determining step to a step preceding said determining step so as to reduce the number of defective products.

7. A system for manufacturing a printed wiring board using a printed wiring board sheet having a plurality of printed wiring board pieces, a determination device for determining whether the plurality of printed wiring board pieces are non-defective or defective by electrical inspection; a cutting device for selectively cutting the non-defective products from the printed wiring board sheet; an appearance inspection device that performs an appearance inspection on the non-defective product cut by the cutting device; Equipped with A data control device is further provided for transferring data on whether the product is good or bad from the determination device to the cutting device, A printed wiring board manufacturing system in which cutting of the non-defective products is performed in the cutting device based on data transferred from the data control device.