Carrying method and device for cleaning foup

Abstract

A Carrying Method and device for cleaning the FOUP is planed by a one-time handling path for a handler of the robot, comprising: simultaneously carrying the FOUP from a load port to an unlock station for unlocking the foup to become a shell and a door, and simultaneously carrying the shell and the door to a plurality of cleaning stations to accept the cleaning, and then transporting the shell and the door be cleaned to the unlocking station and locks them become the foup, so as to simplify the handling path and reduce the handling man-hours.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to material box handling technology, and particularly to a method and apparatus for handling clean material boxes. Prior Technology

[0002] A front-opening unified pod (hereinafter referred to as a pod) consists of a shell that latches onto a door. In semiconductor manufacturing, pods are commonly used to house wafers and fill them with special gases. They are then transported to various workstations by overhead cranes (OHTs) for semiconductor wafer processing. In addition, pods are increasingly being used to house substrates, panels, or other precision components, facilitating their transport by OHT to different processing stations for necessary processing.

[0003] In semiconductor manufacturing processes, the basic structure and specifications of material boxes have been standardized. Further, please refer to Figure 1, which reveals the integrated design of the material box 10's housing 11 and door panel 12. The housing 11 is generally a hollow quadrilateral with an opening 13 that the door panel 12 closes after locking. A flange 15 (commonly known as a mushroom head) is formed on one end wall of the housing 11 for external equipment (such as an overhead crane) to clamp and transport the material box. This flange 15 is designed to withstand clamping and transporting forces.

[0004] Furthermore, the surface of the door panel 12 is provided with a pair of keyholes 14, which allow a matching key to be inserted to unlock the door panel 12 on the housing 11, so as to open the opening 13 of the housing 11 and thereby accommodate the aforementioned process components, or to remove the process components from the housing 11. It should be noted that when the housing 11 and the door panel 12 are locked together, the door panel 12 (including the keyholes 14) and the flange 15 are respectively located on different end walls of the housing 11; more specifically, the door panel 12 (including the keyholes 14) and the flange 15 are respectively located on different end walls of the housing 11 that are adjacent to each other at approximately a 90-degree angle.

[0005] The aforementioned material boxes must be cleaned after a period of use to remove harmful substances accumulated or remaining on the housing and door panels. These harmful substances include particulate matter, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ammonia, acids, and NH3, etc., to maintain the production yield of the process components during the manufacturing process. Therefore, most processing stations that transport process components using material boxes have a dedicated cleaning station to maintain the cleanliness of the material boxes.

[0006] The cleaning station typically has at least one load port for receiving and transporting material boxes brought in by an overhead crane. Specifically, the overhead crane moves the material boxes to be cleaned to the load port. The cleaning station is equipped with an automated machine, usually a multi-axis robotic arm, which has a handle 16 (or fixture, as shown in Figure 1) attached to it. This handle automatically picks up, transports, and places each material box 10 to be cleaned, performing the cleaning process within the station. After cleaning, the material box 10 is transported to the load port for the overhead crane to retrieve.

[0007] Before a material box can be cleaned, the door panel 12 on the housing 11 must be unlocked, allowing both the housing 11 and the door panel 12 to be cleaned independently. In existing material box cleaning technologies, an unlocking station is established within the cleaning zone. After the automatic machine's handle 16 picks up the material box to be cleaned from the loading port, it first transfers the material box to the unlocking station, which is equipped with a key for unlocking the door panel 12 on the housing 11. Once unlocked, the door panel 12 remains at the unlocking station, and the housing 11 remains on the handle 16. The automatic machine first transports the housing 11 to a cleaning chamber within the cleaning zone, and then returns to the unlocking station to retrieve the door panel 12 and transport it to the cleaning chamber for cleaning. The housing 11 and the door panel 12 can be cleaned in the same or different cleaning chambers.

[0008] However, in the prior art, once the material box is unlocked, the handle 16 must repeatedly carry the material box's housing 11 and door 12 into and out of the cleaning chamber, which increases the handling time and reduces the operating efficiency of the cleaning station.

[0009] To address the aforementioned issues, the more advanced patent CN102804332B provides a technique for reducing the operating time of the handle 16 in the cleaning station when handling material boxes. Furthermore, this patent discloses a handle 16 driven by a multi-axis robotic arm, with a pair of grippers 162 disposed on one end face 161, and an unlocking mechanism 163 disposed on the end face 161, which includes the key for opening the aforementioned door panel 12.

[0010] Accordingly, the multi-axis robotic arm can rotate the handle 16 shown in Figure 1 by 180 degrees, so that the pair of grippers 162 on the end face 161 can clamp the two opposite ends A and B around the housing 11 (as shown in Figure 1) to transport the entire material box 10. During the transport process, or before the grippers 162 release the entire material box 10, the unlocking mechanism 163 on the end face 161 can be inserted into the keyhole 14 of the door panel 12 to unlock the door panel 12 on the housing 11. At the same time, the pair of grippers 162 on the end face 161 can also clamp the unlocked door panel 12, thereby transporting and placing the housing 11 and the door panel 12 to the predetermined cleaning position. In other words, this patent can eliminate the need to set up an unlocking station in the cleaning area by using only the handle 16, and overcome the time-consuming problem caused by the handle 16 repeatedly carrying the housing 11 and the door panel 12 in and out of the cleaning chamber.

[0011] However, since the unlocking mechanism 163 disclosed in the above patent is disposed on the handle 16, during the unlocking process of the door panel 12, the end face 161 of the handle 16 must cover the door panel 12 in order to use the pair of grippers 162 to clamp the two opposite ends A and B around the housing 11 (as shown in Figure 1). The purpose of the end face 161 of the handle covering the door panel 12 is to allow the key of the unlocking mechanism 163 to be inserted into the keyhole 14 on the door panel 12 nearby.

[0012] However, the weight of the housing 11 is much heavier than that of the door panel 12, and after the housing 11 locks the door panel 12, the weight of the entire material box 10 is much heavier than that of the door panel 12. Furthermore, the edges A and B around the housing 11 are not provided for clamping external equipment as specified in the standard material box 10 specifications. In other words, this patent does not follow the standard material box 10 specifications to clamp the flange 15 on one side of the housing 11. This patent is prone to deformation and damage of the housing 11, which reduces the durability and service life of the material box 10. Therefore, it urgently needs to be improved. Summary of the Invention

[0013] The technical challenge that this invention aims to overcome is as follows: Since the weight of the entire material box and its unlocked and separated housing is relatively heavier than that of the door panel, during the handling and unlocking of the material box for cleaning, it is necessary to avoid gripping and handling parts of the entire material box and its unlocked and separated housing that are not subject to external force contact. In particular, since the weight of the door panel is relatively lighter than that of the entire material box and housing, and there is no flange on the door panel, it is permissible to grip the edges of the door panel when using a gripper to hold the unlocked door panel.

[0014] In addition, the technical challenges to be overcome by the present invention also include simplifying the handling path of the material box and its unlocked and separated housing and door panels to improve handling efficiency.

[0015] Therefore, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for handling cleaning material boxes, which utilizes an independent unlocking station within the cleaning zone and follows the flange on the material box's predetermined structure that can be clamped by an overhead crane as the object to be clamped by the handle, so as to avoid deformation or damage to the material box.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a handling method for handling a material box for cleaning. Before cleaning, the material box includes a housing and a door piece locked to the housing. The weight of the material box and the housing is relatively heavier than that of the door piece. The handling method includes constructing a one-time handling path for handling and disassembling the material box between a loading port, an unlocking station, and a cleaning station. The two ends of the handle are respectively provided with a first gripper and a second gripper. The one-time handling path of the handle includes, in sequence: (1) using the first gripper to grip the housing from the loading port to handle the material box to be cleaned to the unlocking station to unlock the door piece on the housing, and lifting the housing while leaving the unlocked door piece at the unlocking station; (2) using the second gripper to grip the unlocked door piece from the unlocking station, and then simultaneously handling the housing and the door piece to the cleaning station for placement; (3) The first clamp is used to grip the housing at the cleaning station, and the second clamp is used to grip the door panel at the cleaning station, thereby simultaneously transporting the housing and the door panel to the unlocking station to lock them into the cleaned material box; and (4) the first clamp is used to grip the housing at the unlocking station to transport the cleaned material box to the loading port for placement; wherein, a flange is formed on one side of the housing, and the first clamp is provided by the flange when the handle is transporting the material box and the housing; when the handle is transporting the door panel, the second clamp is used to grip the door panel; the handle is rotated back and forth at a specific angle so that the first clamp can grip the flange and the second clamp can grip the door panel.

[0017] In another preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a handling device for handling a material box for cleaning. Before cleaning, the material box includes a housing and a door panel locked to the housing. The weight of the material box and the housing is relatively heavier than that of the door panel. The handling device includes: an automatic tool, a first gripper, and a second gripper. The automatic tool is connected to a handle and is located in a cleaning station. At least one loading port, at least one unlocking station, and multiple cleaning stations are respectively arranged around the automatic tool in the cleaning station. The first gripper is disposed on one end face of the handle and is used to clamp and release a flange on the housing in the loading port, the unlocking station, and the cleaning station. The second gripper is disposed on the other end face of the handle and is used to clamp and release the door panel in the unlocking station and the cleaning station. The handle is reciprocated at a specific angle so that the first gripper can clamp the flange and the second gripper can clamp the door panel.

[0018] In a further embodiment, the specific angle is 180 degrees; furthermore, the two end faces of the handle are parallel to each other. Also, the two side edges of the door panel provide gripping for the second clamp.

[0019] The key technical point and effectiveness of this invention are: by repeatedly rotating the handle at a specific angle of 180 degrees, the handle can simultaneously grip the door panel, the housing, or the entire material box within the loading port, the unlocking station, and the cleaning station without changing the exit path, thereby simplifying the handling path and reducing handling time; moreover, the position of the handle gripping the flange fully conforms to the standard specifications of the material box, preventing the material box from deforming or being damaged under durable use.

[0020] The implementation details and technical effects disclosed above will be presented in detail in the following diagrams and implementation methods. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0021] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an existing material box and a handle, revealing that the material box is formed by a locking door on a housing, and the position of the housing on which the handle holds the material box. Figure 2 is a top view of the configuration of the present invention in a cleaning area station, revealing that the cleaning area station is equipped with a hand-collecting device and multiple cleaning stations. Figure 3 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the first angle of the handle shown in Figure 2, revealing that one end face of the handle is provided with a clamp that can hold the flange on the housing. Figure 4 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the second angle of the handle shown in Figure 2, revealing that the other end face of the handle is provided with a clamp that can hold the opposite end edge of the door panel. Figure 5 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the handle holding the housing and door panel shown in Figures 3 and 4, revealing that the handle can be rotated 180 degrees to grip and place the housing and door panel on different end faces. Figure 6 is a transport path diagram of the present invention, revealing the transport steps and process of the handle shown in Figure 2 running in the clean area station. Figure 7 is an auxiliary explanatory diagram of Figure 6, illustrating the state of the continuous action of the hand from (a) to (i) in Figure 7. Implementation

[0022] Please refer to Figure 2 first, which discloses the material box handling method and device of the present invention. It is implemented in a cleaning station 20. An automatic machine 30 is configured in the cleaning station 20. The automatic machine 30 can be composed of a multi-axis robotic arm and is equipped with a handle 40 (or jig).

[0023] The automatic machine 30 in the cleaning station 20 is surrounded by at least one load port 21, at least one unlocking station 22, and multiple cleaning stations 23. This allows the automatic machine 30 to drive the handle 40 to the load port 21 to pick up and place the material box 10, and to transport the material box 10 to the unlocking station 22 to unlock it into the housing 11 and door 12 shown in Figure 5. Then, the housing 11 and door 12 are simultaneously transported to the multiple cleaning stations 23 for cleaning.

[0024] Furthermore, the loading port 21 is used to connect the material box 10 transported by a vehicle (not shown) to the cleaning station 20 for entry and exit. The unlocking station 22 is used to unlock the door 12 on the housing 11 of the material box 10 (as shown in Figure 1), and the unlocking station 22 can also lock the material box 10 with the housing 11 after the door 12 is placed. Multiple cleaning stations 23 may comprise at least one washing machine 231 and at least one vacuum dryer 232. Wherein:

[0025] Each of the aforementioned cleaning machines 231 is used to accommodate the unlocked housing 11 and door panel 12, or the unlocked housing 11 and door panel 12 are respectively accommodated in different cleaning machines 231 for washing the housing 11 and door panel 12. In known practices, the cleaning machine 231 also serves to remove water from the washed housing 11 and door panel 12; or, at least one dewatering machine (not shown) is configured between the cleaning machine 231 and the vacuum dryer 232 to remove water from the washed housing 11 and door panel 12 first, so as to shorten the subsequent drying time.

[0026] Each of the vacuum dryers 232 is used to house the housing 11 and door panel 12 after washing or dehydration, or to house the housing 11 and door panel 12 after washing or dehydration in different vacuum dryers 232, in order to dry the water molecules on the surface of the housing 11 and door panel 12 after washing.

[0027] Please refer to Figures 3 and 4 together; Figure 3 shows the three-dimensional form of the first angle of the handle 40 shown in Figure 2, illustrating that the handle 40 can be formed as a frame shape with two end faces 41 and 42. The two end faces 41 and 42 can be implemented in a corresponding form that is parallel to each other. One side of the handle 40 has a connecting seat 43 for locking the automatic tool 30. One end face 41 of the handle 40 is provided with a first clamp 44 that can clamp the flange 15 on the housing 11. Figure 4 shows that the other end face 42 of the handle 40 is provided with another second clamp 45 that can clamp the opposite end edge of the door panel 12. The first clamp 44 and the second clamp 45 are driven by a driver 441 and a driver 451 respectively, and have the ability to expand and contract the clamping jaws.

[0028] As shown in Figure 5, the first gripper 44 and the second gripper 45, which expose the double end faces 41 and 42 of the handle 40, can perform a 180-degree flipping action via the handle 40 to respectively grip the flange 15 on the housing 11 and the opposite end edges 121 and 122 of the door panel 12.

[0029] Please refer to Figures 6 and 7 together; Figure 6 shows that the handle 40 can perform a one-time transport path within the clean zone station 20 (the one-time transport path is represented by an arrow segment in Figure 6), which includes the following steps S10 to S60; Figure 7 further illustrates the actions performed by the handle 40 during steps S10 to S60.

[0030] Furthermore, in steps S10 to S30 described later, please refer to Figures 7(a) to (i), where the action of the take-up hand 40 is indicated by a solid dashed arrow and the sequence of (a) to (i) is indicated by a hollow dashed arrow.

[0031] [step] [S10] [:Grab the material box to be cleaned and unlock the door panel on the housing.]

[0032] In this step, the automatic tool 30 drives the handle 40 to the loading port 21 to pick up the material box 10 to be cleaned. At this time, the housing 11 of the material box 10 has not yet unlocked the door 12, and the handle 40 picks up the material box 10 at the flange 15 located on the housing 11, so as to move the entire material box 10 to the unlocking station 22 to unlock the door 12 on the housing 11.

[0033] Further, as shown in Figure 7(a), the handle 40 moves to the loading port 21 and clamps the flange 15 on the housing 11 by means of the first gripper 44. Continuing, as shown in Figure 7(b), the handle 40 lifts the housing 11 away from the loading port 21 by means of the first gripper 44; wherein, the housing 11 and the door piece 12 on the housing 11 are lifted away from the loading port 21 together. Continuing, as shown in Figure 7(c), the handle 40 is then moved to the unlocking station 22 by means of the multi-axial automatic tool 30, so that the door piece 12 faces downward and is placed on the platform of the unlocking station 22. It is known that the platform of the unlocking station 22 is provided with a key 211 for the unlocking mechanism. Therefore, with the downward movement of the door piece 12, the key 21 is inserted into the keyhole of the door piece, thereby unlocking the door piece 12.

[0034] [step] [S20] [:Flip the housing and clamp the door panel.]

[0035] In this step, the handle 40 lifts the housing 11 of the unlocked door panel 12 away from the platform of the unlocking station 22 and performs a 180-degree flipping action, so that the second gripper 45 of the handle 40 can grip the opposite end edges 121 and 122 of the door panel 12.

[0036] Further, as shown in Figure 7(d), the handle 40 lifts the housing 11 of the unlocked door piece 12 away from the platform of the unlocking station 22, leaving the door piece 12 on the platform of the unlocking station 22, thus separating the housing 11 and the door piece 12. Continuing as shown in Figure 7(e), following the action of lifting the housing 11 away from the platform of the unlocking station 22, the handle 40 then rotates the clamped housing 11 180 degrees, so that the second gripper 45 on the handle 40 faces downwards and aligns with the door piece 12 on the unlocking station 22. Then, the handle 40 moves downwards, and the second gripper 45 clamps the opposite ends 121 and 122 of the door piece 12, so that the two end faces of the handle 40 can respectively clamp the housing 11 and the door piece 12.

[0037] [step] [S30] [Repost] [The housing and door panels are placed at the cleaning station.]

[0038] In this step, the handle 40, which already holds the housing 11 and the door panel 12, is used to move the housing 11 and the door panel 12 away from the unlocking station 22 and to the cleaning station 23 to place the housing 11 and the door panel 12 thereafter. As shown in Figure 2, the multiple cleaning stations 23 include a cleaning machine 231 and a vacuum dryer 232. Therefore, the handle 40 can first place the housing 11 and the door panel 12 in the same or different cleaning machines 231. After cleaning is completed, the handle 40 will then pick up the housing 11 and the door panel 12 from the cleaning machine 231 and move them to another vacuum dryer 232 for placement. This process is repeated to allow the handle 40 to place and pick up the housing 11 and the door panel 12 among the multiple cleaning stations 23, thus completing the predetermined cleaning process for the housing 11 and the door panel 12.

[0039] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7(f), the handle 40 carries the housing 11 and the door piece 12 away from the unlocking station 22 and transports the housing 11 and the door piece 12 to the cleaning machine 231 in one of the multiple cleaning stations 23 [as shown in Figure 7(g)]. Taking the cleaning machine 231 as an example, which is planned to have a housing cleaning chamber 231a and a door piece cleaning chamber 231b, the handle 40 can first place the housing 11 in the housing cleaning chamber 231a [as shown in Figure 7(g)], and then place the door piece 12 in the door piece cleaning chamber 231b [as shown in Figure 7(h)], so that the housing 11 and the door piece 12 can be accommodated in the cleaning machine 231 for cleaning [as shown in Figure 7(i)].

[0040] Furthermore, in steps S40 to S60 described later, please refer in reverse to Figures 7(i) to (a), where the action of taking the hand 40 is indicated by solid arrows and the sequence of (i) to (a) is indicated by hollow arrows.

[0041] [step] [S40] [After moving and cleaning] [From the housing and door panel to the unlocking station.]

[0042] In this step, the handle 40 simultaneously picks up the housing 11 and door piece 12 that have completed the cleaning process and removes them from the cleaning station 23, and simultaneously transports the housing 11 and door piece 12 to the unlocking station 22 for placement.

[0043] Furthermore, please refer back to Figure 7(i) to Figure 7(f) in sequence. It is explained that the housing 11 and door panel 12, which have been cleaned in the cleaning machine 231 [as shown in Figure 7(i)], can be gripped by the handle 40 one by one and leave the housing cleaning chamber 231a and the door panel cleaning chamber 231b [as shown in Figure 7(h) to (g)]. The handle 40 then transports the housing 11 and door panel 12 to the unlocking station 22 [as shown in Figure 7(f)] to place the door panel 12 on the platform of the unlocking station 22.

[0044] [step] [S50] [Flip the housing and] [Lock the material box.]

[0045] In this step, the door piece 12 is held in place by the unlocking station 22, and the handle 40 drives the housing 11 to move upward, rotate 180 degrees, and then move downward to lock the door piece 12, thereby completing the assembly of the material box 10.

[0046] Furthermore, once the door panel 12 is placed on the platform of the unlocking station 22, the key 211 on the unlocking station 22 can be inserted into the keyhole of the door panel 12, so that the door panel 12 can remain on the platform of the unlocking station 22 as the handle 40 moves the housing 11 upward. The handle 40, which is still holding the housing 11, rotates 180 degrees during the upward movement [as shown in Figure 7(e)], so that the opening of the housing 11 faces downward and corresponds to the door panel 12 on the platform of the unlocking station 22 [as shown in Figure 7(d)]. This causes the handle 40 to move the housing 11 downward and lock the door panel 12 on the platform of the unlocking station 22, thereby allowing the housing 11 and the door panel 12 to be locked back into the material box 10.

[0047] [step] [S60] [Transfer the material box to the loading port.]

[0048] In this step, the handle 40 is used to grip the flange 15 of the housing 11 from the unlocking station, and then the material box 10 is moved to the loading port 21 for placement.

[0049] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7(c), the handle 40 grips the flange 15 of the housing 11 from the unlocking station, thereby moving the cleaned and locked material box 10 away from the unlocking station 22. Continuing as shown in Figure 7(b), the handle 40 then moves the cleaned and locked material box 10 to the loading port 21, and then releases the material box 10 after placing it in the loading port 21, thus completing the one-time transport path operation of the handle 40.

[0050] The cleaning machine 231 shown in Figures 7(g) to 7(i) is only one embodiment of the multiple cleaning stations 23; in other words, any changes such as the cleaning machine 231 having only a single cleaning chamber for cleaning the housing 11 or a multi-slot cleaning chamber for cleaning the door panel 12 are all simple replacements conceived in this invention.

[0051] Furthermore, the above description of taking and placing the housing 11 and door 12 in the cleaning machine 231 also applies to the description of placing and clamping the housing 11 and door 12 inside the vacuum dryer 232, and is described therein.

[0052] Furthermore, as described above, since the handle 40 can clamp and move the housing 11 and the door panel 12 at once, the handle 40 only needs to perform a single back-and-forth movement between the unlocking station 22 and the cleaning station 23 to complete the work of picking up and placing the housing 11 and the door panel 12. In this way, when the handle 40 needs to move a heavier housing 11 or the entire material box 10, it can still maintain the clamping of the flange 15 on the housing 11 to meet the standard specifications of the material box 10, thereby maintaining the durability of the material box 10.

[0053] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of preferred embodiments of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention should be determined by the claims as defined in the patent claims.

[0054] 10: Material Box

[0055] 11: Shell

[0056] 12: Door panel

[0057] 121, 122: End edges

[0058] 14: Keyhole

[0059] 15: Flange

[0060] 16: Take the hand

[0061] 161: End face

[0062] 162: Gripper

[0063] 163: Unlocking mechanism

[0064] A, B: End edges

[0065] 20: Cleaning Zone Station

[0066] 21: Loading Port

[0067] 211: Key

[0068] 22: Unlock Station

[0069] 23: Cleaning Station

[0070] 231: Cleaning machine

[0071] 231a: Housing cleaning chamber

[0072] 231b: Door panel cleaning chamber

[0073] 232: Vacuum Dryer

[0074] 30: Automated machinery

[0075] 40:Take the hand

[0076] 41, 42: End face

[0077] 43: Connector

[0078] 44: First clamp

[0079] 45: Second clamp

[0080] 441,451: Drivers

[0081] S10~S60: Step-by-step instructions

Claims

1. A method for handling a material box for cleaning, the material box comprising a housing and a door latch locked to the housing before cleaning, a flange formed on the housing, the weight of the material box and the housing being relatively heavier than the door latch; the handling method comprising constructing a one-time handling path for handling and disassembling the material box via a handle between a loading port, an unlocking station and a cleaning station, the handle having a first gripper and a second gripper respectively on its two end faces, the one-time handling path of the handle sequentially comprising: (1) Using the first clamp, the housing with the locked door piece is gripped from the loading port to transport the material box to be cleaned to the unlocking station to unlock the door piece on the housing, and the housing is lifted while leaving the unlocked door piece at the unlocking station; (2) Using the second clamp, the unlocked door piece is gripped from the unlocking station, and the housing and the door piece are transported to the cleaning station for placement; (3) Using the first clamp, the housing is gripped from the cleaning station, and using the second clamp, the door piece is gripped from the cleaning station, and the housing and the door piece are transported to the unlocking station to lock the cleaned material box; and (4) Using the first clamp, the housing is gripped from the unlocking station to transport the cleaned material box to the loading port for placement; When the handle is used to move the material box and the housing, the flange provides the first clamp for gripping. The two end faces are located at opposite ends of the handle. The handle is rotated at a specific angle to change the relative positions of the first clamp and the second clamp, so that the first clamp can grip the flange and the second clamp can grip the door panel.

2. The method of handling the material box as described in claim 1, wherein the specific angle is 180 degrees.

3. The method of handling the material box as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the two end faces of the handle are parallel to each other.

4. The method for handling the material box as described in claim 1, wherein the second gripper grips both ends of the door panel.

5. A material box handling device for handling the material box for cleaning, the material box comprising, before cleaning, a housing and a door latch locked to the housing, the weight of the material box and the housing being relatively heavier than the door latch; the handling device comprising: An automated machine, connected to a handle, is located within a cleaning station. The automated machine within the cleaning station is surrounded by at least one loading port, at least one unlocking station, and multiple cleaning stations. A first gripper is disposed on one end face of the handle for gripping and releasing a flange on a housing in the loading port, the unlocking station, and the cleaning stations. A second gripper is disposed on the other end face of the handle for gripping and releasing a door panel in the unlocking station and the cleaning station. The handle is frame-shaped, and the two end faces are respectively located at opposite, open ends of the handle. The handle reciprocates at a specific angle, changing the relative positions of the first and second grippers, thereby enabling the first gripper to grip and release the flange, and enabling the second gripper to grip and release the door panel.

6. The material box conveying device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the specific angle is 180 degrees.

7. A material box handling device as described in claim 5 or 6, wherein the two end faces of the handle are parallel to each other.

8. The material box handling device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second gripper grips both ends of the door panel.

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