Resin sealing device and workpiece supply method

Abstract

This invention provides a technology related to a resin sealing device (1) capable of shortening takt time by efficiently supplying a workpiece (W). The resin sealing device (1) comprises: an in-module (2) that supplies the workpiece (W); a mold (30) for resin-sealing the workpiece (W); and a loader (15) that moves along a first rail (11) and conveys the workpiece (W) into the mold (30). A pre-heater (14) that heats the workpiece (W) is configured to move along the first rail (11) together with the loader (15).

Description

Resin sealing device and work supply method

[0001] The present invention relates to a resin sealing apparatus and a workpiece supply method using the apparatus.

[0002] The in-module pushes workpieces such as lead frames stored in a supply magazine to an initial position on a turntable or the like using a pusher, and then transports the workpieces to the preheater by pushing them out with the pusher and pulling them with pinch rollers. The workpieces slide horizontally along side rails from the initial position toward the preheater (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] JP 2018-198289 A

[0004] The in-module transports workpieces sequentially, with each workpiece passing through an initial position and a preheater. Therefore, a workpiece cannot be placed on the preheater until there is free space in the preheater. Even if free space becomes available in the preheater, there is a travel time from the initial position to the preheater, so there is a waiting time during which the preheater is not in use, from the time free space becomes available until a workpiece is placed on it. Similarly, a workpiece cannot be pushed out of the supply magazine to its initial position until there is free space in the initial position. This creates a waiting time during which no workpiece is being supplied from the storage magazine. When waiting time occurs, the takt time, which is the time required to seal each workpiece with resin, becomes longer.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a technique relating to a resin sealing apparatus that can efficiently supply workpieces and shorten the takt time.

[0006] A resin sealing device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises an in-module that supplies a workpiece, a mold that seals the workpiece with resin, and a loader that moves along a first rail and transports the workpiece into the mold, and a preheater that heats the workpiece is configured to move along the first rail together with the loader.

[0007] A work supply method according to one aspect of the present invention includes moving a preheater configured to move along a first rail together with a loader to a transfer position closer to the mold than directly below the standby position, receiving a work from the preheater with the loader moved to the transfer position and transporting it into the mold, and moving the preheater from the transfer position to a position directly below the standby position.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique relating to a resin sealing apparatus that can efficiently supply workpieces and shorten the takt time.

[0009] Fig. 4 is a plan view showing an example of a resin sealing apparatus equipped with an in-module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a left side view showing an example of an in-module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a pick-and-place mechanism and a preheater shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a preheater shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a flow chart showing an example of a workpiece supply method using an in-module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, components with the same reference numerals have the same or similar configurations. For the sake of clarity and understanding of the positional relationships between components, each drawing is conveniently illustrated with an orthogonal coordinate system consisting of an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis. The plane including the X-axis and the Y-axis is referred to as the "XY plane," and the direction of the Z-axis arrow is defined as the vertically upward direction, while the direction opposite to the Z-axis arrow is defined as the vertically downward direction. When viewed from the front side of the resin sealing device 1, the X-axis direction is, for example, the left-right direction, and the Y-axis direction is, for example, the front-rear direction. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0011] 1 is a plan view showing an example of a resin sealing apparatus 1 including an in-module 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The resin sealing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is a resin sealing apparatus for sealing a workpiece W with resin, and as shown in FIG. 1, includes at least an in-module 2. The resin sealing apparatus 1 may further include a press module 3, an out-module 4, a loader mechanism 10, etc. as optional components.

[0012] The loader mechanism 10 includes a first rail 11 that extends across the in-module 2, press module 3, and outer module 4, and a loader 15 and unloader 16 that move along the first rail 11. The in-module 2 includes a work supply device 21 that supplies workpieces W such as lead frames, a resin supply device 22 that supplies resin material such as resin tablets, etc. The loader 15 transports the workpieces W and resin material supplied from the in-module 2 to a mold (resin sealing mold) 30 of the press module 3.

[0013] The press module 3 clamps the supplied workpiece W between dies 30 and applies pressure to resin-seal (mold). The resin sealing apparatus 1 may include a plurality of press modules 3. In the illustrated example, the resin sealing apparatus 1 includes four press modules 3.

[0014] The mold 30 is, for example, a mold for transfer molding. A resin tablet is heated in a pot inside the mold 30, and pressure is applied with a plunger to move the resin into the cull, where it is further heated and pressurized. The resin molded into the tablet shape then softens and melts, and moves from the cull into the cavity through a runner. A workpiece W is placed in the cavity by a loader 15. By continuing to heat the resin in the cavity, the resin hardens over time, sealing the workpiece W.

[0015] The out-module 4 includes a degator 41, a workpiece storage device 42, etc. The unloader 16 removes the resin-sealed workpiece W from the mold 30 and transports it to the degator 41. The degator 41 separates unnecessary resin from the resin-sealed workpiece W. The workpiece storage device 42 receives the workpiece W from which unnecessary resin has been separated from the degator 41 and stores it in a storage magazine 420.

[0016] 2 is a left side view showing an example of the in-module 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the in-module 2 is divided into upper and lower sections by a horizontally extending frame 20. A resin supply device 22 and other components are arranged in the lower space of the in-module 2. The resin supply device 22 supplies resin material stored in a hopper 220 to the loader 15.

[0017] A work supply device 21, a loader mechanism 10, etc. are arranged in the space above the in-module 2. The work supply device 21 includes a supply magazine 210, a turntable 211, a pick-and-place mechanism 212, etc. The supply magazine 210 supplies the work W to an initial position 212A. In the illustrated example, the turntable 211 is arranged at the initial position 212A.

[0018] The pick-and-place mechanism 212 is an example of a transport mechanism, and lifts up the workpiece W placed at an initial position 212A, and transports the workpiece W via a standby position 212B to a target position 212C, which is the preheater 14. The pick-and-place mechanism 212 is configured to be movable in both the horizontal Y-axis direction and the vertical Z-axis direction.

[0019] The pick-and-place mechanism 212 moves vertically to lift the workpiece W from the initial position 212A, and moves horizontally to transport the lifted workpiece W to the standby position 212B. The pick-and-place mechanism 212 moves vertically from the standby position 212B to lower the workpiece W onto the preheater 14, which is positioned at the target position 212C directly below the standby position 212B, and places the workpiece W on the preheater 14. In other words, the pick-and-place device 212 approaches the preheater 14 from above and places the workpiece W on the preheater 14. The preheater 14 heats (preheats) the placed workpiece W.

[0020] 3 is a perspective view showing the pick-and-place mechanism 212 and the preheater 14 shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the turntable 211 has a pair of side rails 211L, 211R that restrict movement of the workpiece W in the X-axis direction. The turntable 211 rotates one workpiece W by 180 degrees and aligns the pair of workpieces W, consisting of one workpiece W and the other workpiece W, so that they are point symmetric. One workpiece W is placed on one side rail 211L, and the other workpiece W is placed on the other side rail 211R.

[0021] In the case of transfer molding, a row of pots into which resin tablets are poured is arranged in the center row of the mold, and the turntable has the function of arranging the workpieces W opposite each other so that the distance from the pot to the cavity is the same for both workpieces W and resin is fed evenly to both workpieces W. Note that a turntable may not be required in the case of compression molding. Also, in this embodiment, the workpieces W are arranged opposite each other using the turntable 211, but the workpieces W may also be arranged opposite each other by providing a rotation mechanism in the pick and place mechanism 212 and holding each workpiece W one by one.

[0022] The turntable 211 is an example of an alignment device that aligns the workpieces W supplied from the supply magazine 210. The pick-and-place mechanism 212 transports the workpieces W aligned by the turntable 211 to the preheater 14.

[0023] In the illustrated example, the preheater 14 is mounted on the base 12 together with the loader 15 and configured to move along the first rail 11. The entire moving section is referred to as a loader moving section 17. The preheater 14 delivers the heated workpiece W to the loader 15 at delivery positions 111, 112, 113, and 114 (shown in FIG. 1 ) on the first rail 11 corresponding to each of the four press modules 3. In the illustrated example, the loader mechanism 10 includes a base 12 that moves along the first rail 11. The preheater 14 and the loader 15 are mounted on the base 12.

[0024] 3, the pick-and-place mechanism 212 includes a horizontal drive mechanism 213, a vertical drive mechanism 214, and a hand 215. The hand 215 is configured to be able to grip the workpiece W. The horizontal drive mechanism 213 moves the hand 215 together with the vertical drive mechanism 214 along the Y-axis direction, which is the horizontal direction. The vertical drive mechanism 214 moves the hand 215 along the Z-axis direction, which is the vertical direction.

[0025] 4 is a perspective view showing the preheater 14 shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the preheater 14 is configured to be able to reciprocate between a first position 131 and a second position 132 on the second rail 13 laid on the base 12. The preheater 14 heats the workpiece W at the first position 131, then moves to the second position 132 directly below the loader 15 and delivers the workpiece W to the loader 15. The preheater 14 that has moved to the second position 132 is located directly above the delivery positions 111, 112, 113, and 114 described above. When the loader transport unit 17 is at the left end of the first rail 11 and at the receiving position 110 on the first rail that receives the workpiece W, the target position 212C of the workpiece W is the same as the first position 131 on the second rail. This position is called the home position.

[0026] In the illustrated example, the preheater 14 includes a heating plate 141, support pins 142, a cover 143, etc. The support pins 142 protrude upward from the heating plate 141 by the biasing force of a coil spring or the like. The support pins 142 can support the workpiece W so as to float above the heating plate 141. When the heating plate 141 is moved to the first position 131 on the second rail 13 described above, the cover 143 can press the workpiece W downward against the biasing force so as to sink the support pins 142 into the heating plate 141.

[0027] When the workpiece W is lowered to retract the support pins 142 and reduce the distance between the heating plate 141 and the workpiece W, the temperature of the workpiece W rises. When the support pins 142 are protruded by the biasing force and the distance between the heating plate 141 and the workpiece W increases, the temperature of the workpiece W drops. By operating the cover 143, the preheater 14 can adjust the rate at which the temperature of the workpiece W rises or interrupt heating of the workpiece W. Note that in the case of a workpiece W that does not need to be heated slowly, the support pins 142 do not need to be installed.

[0028] 5 is a flow chart showing an example of a workpiece supply method using the in-module 2 of one embodiment of the present invention. In the workpiece supply method, first, a workpiece W in the supply magazine 210 is supplied to the initial position 212A (step S1). Next, the transport mechanism 212 moves vertically to lift the workpiece W from the initial position 212A (step S2). A transport mechanism such as the pick-and-place mechanism 212 moves horizontally to transport the lifted workpiece W to the standby position 212B (step S3). The pick-and-place mechanism 212 moves vertically to lower the workpiece W onto the preheater 14, which is located directly below the standby position 212B, and place the workpiece W on the preheater 14 (step S4).

[0029] The loader moving part 17 on which the preheater 14 and the loader 15 are mounted is configured to move along the first rail 11. The workpiece supply method involves moving the loader moving part 17 each time to a delivery position 111, 112, 113, or 114 that is closer to the mold 30 than the receiving position 110 directly below the standby position 212B (step S5), and when the loader 15 has moved to the delivery position 111, 112, 113, or 114, the heating plate 141 of the preheater 14 moves laterally to the second position 132 on the second rail. The loader hand 18 below the loader 15 receives the workpiece W that has arrived at the second position 132 on the second rail, advances toward the mold 30, and transports it into the mold 30 (step S6). The heating plate 141, now empty of the workpiece W, returns to the first position 131 on the second rail, and the loader moving unit 17 moves it from the delivery positions 111, 112, 113, 114 to the receiving position 110 for the workpiece W, so that the heating plate 141 of the preheater 14 is positioned directly below the standby position 212B (step S7).

[0030] According to the in-module 2 of this embodiment, the resin sealing apparatus 1 including the apparatus, and the workpiece supply method using them, which are configured as described above, the pick-and-place mechanism 212 is configured to be movable vertically as well as horizontally, so that by lifting the workpiece W vertically, the workpiece W can wait in a state where its horizontal movement is complete until it is time to place the workpiece W on the preheater 14. While horizontal movement from the supply magazine 210 to the preheater 14 takes time, when the pick-and-place mechanism 212 moves the workpiece W vertically, the turntable 211 and other workpieces at the initial position 212A become empty, and the supply magazine 210 can supply the workpiece W to the initial position 212A without waiting for the workpiece W to move horizontally. By moving horizontally at a timing when the workpiece W cannot be placed on the preheater 14 and moving vertically at a timing when the workpiece W can be placed on the preheater 14, the time required for horizontal movement can be shortened, allowing the workpiece W to be supplied efficiently and the takt time to be reduced.

[0031] If the preheater 14 moves to the mold 30 together with the loader 15, the workpiece W can be heated until just before being transported into the mold 30. On the other hand, in the past, a new workpiece W supplied from the supply magazine 210 could not be placed on the preheater 14 except when the loader 15 returned to its home position (the same position as the target position 212C of the workpiece W). According to this embodiment, the transport mechanism 212 is provided which is configured to be movable in the Z-axis direction, which is the vertical direction, in addition to the Y-axis direction, which is the horizontal direction, and therefore the workpiece W can wait in a state where its horizontal movement has been completed until it is time for the loader 15 to return to its home position. This is particularly suitable for a configuration in which the preheater 14 moves together with the loader 15.

[0032] By dividing steps S2 to S4, which transport the workpiece W from its initial position 212A to the preheater 14, into smaller steps, steps S5 to S7, which move the preheater 14, and steps S2 to S3, which transport the workpiece W, can be partially overlapped, thereby shortening the takt time. Compared to a conventional system in which the preheater 14 is fixed in front of the loader 15, the workpiece W heated by the preheater 14 travels a longer distance when transported to the mold, and the transport distance to each mold is different, resulting in inconsistent temperature drops of the workpiece W. According to this embodiment, the loader transport unit 17 carrying the workpiece W heated by the preheater 14 moves to the workpiece W delivery positions 111, 112, 113, and 114, and the heating plate 141 moves from the first position 131 on the second rail 13 to the second position 132 on the second rail 13, and the loader hand 18 below the loader 15 grasps the workpiece W and transports it to the mold 30. This allows the heated workpiece W to be placed in the mold 30 with only a small drop in temperature.

[0033] The above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. The elements of the embodiments, as well as their arrangement, materials, conditions, shapes, sizes, etc., are not limited to those illustrated and can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, configurations shown in different embodiments can be partially substituted or combined with each other.

[0034] [Note 1] The system includes an in-module (2) that supplies the workpiece, a mold (30) that seals the workpiece (W) with resin, and a loader (15) that moves along a first rail (11) and transports the workpiece (W) into the mold (30), and the preheater (14) is configured to move along the first rail (11) together with the loader (15).

[0035] According to the above supplementary note 1, the preheater (14) moves to the mold (30) together with the loader (15), so that the work (W) can be heated until just before being transported into the mold (30).

[0036] [Supplementary Note 2] In the above-mentioned Supplementary Note 1, the preheater (14) may be configured to reciprocate between a first position (131) and a second position (132) on a second rail (13) that moves along the first rail (11), heat the workpiece (W) at the first position (131), and deliver the workpiece (W) to the loader (15) at the second position (132).

[0037] According to the above-mentioned supplementary note 2, the preheater (14) can heat the work (W) until just before it is transferred into the mold (30).

[0038] [Supplementary Note 3] In the above-mentioned Supplementary Note 1 or 2, the in-module (2) includes a supply magazine (210) that supplies the work (W) to an initial position (212A), and a transport mechanism (212) that transports the work (W) from the initial position (212A) to the preheater (14), and the transport mechanism (212) is configured to be movable in the horizontal direction (Y) and the vertical direction (Z), and the work (W) may be placed on the preheater (14) by approaching it from above.

[0039] The horizontal movement from the supply magazine (210) to the preheater (14) takes time. According to Supplementary Note 3 above, since the conveyance mechanism (212) is configured to be movable in the vertical direction (Z) in addition to the horizontal direction (Y), by lifting the workpiece (W) in the vertical direction (Z), the workpiece (W) can wait in a state where its horizontal movement is completed until the timing when it can be placed on the preheater (14). When the conveyance mechanism (212) moves the workpiece (W) in the vertical direction (Z), the workpiece (W) at the initial position (212A) is emptied, and the supply magazine (210) can supply the workpiece (W) to the initial position (212A) without waiting for the workpiece (W) to move horizontally. By moving horizontally when the workpiece (W) cannot be placed on the preheater (14) and moving vertically when the workpiece (W) can be placed on the preheater (14), the time required for horizontal movement can be shortened, allowing the workpiece (W) to be efficiently supplied and the takt time to be reduced.

[0040] [Appendix 4] In the above-mentioned appendix 3, the in-module (2) may further include an alignment device (211) that aligns the work (W) supplied from the supply magazine (210) at the initial position (212A), and the conveying mechanism (212) may convey the aligned work (W) to the preheater (14).

[0041] According to the above-mentioned supplementary note 4, since a plurality of aligned workpieces (W) can be transported at once, the transport time can be shortened.

[0042] [Supplementary Note 5] In the above-mentioned Supplementary Note 4, the alignment device (211) may align one of the workpieces (W) by rotating it by 180° so that the pair of workpieces (W, W) consisting of one workpiece (W) and the other workpiece (W) are point symmetric.

[0043] According to the above-mentioned supplementary note 5, the resin can be filled uniformly, so that a high-quality resin-sealed product can be obtained.

[0044] [Note 6] This includes moving the preheater (14), which is configured to move along the first rail (11) together with the loader (15), to a delivery position (111, 112, 113, 114) that is closer to the mold (30) than the position (110) directly below the standby position (212B); receiving the work (W) from the preheater (14) in a state where the loader (15) has moved to the delivery position (111, 112, 113, 114) and transporting it into the mold (30); and moving the preheater (14) from the delivery position (111, 112, 113, 114) to a state where it is located directly below the standby position (212B).

[0045] According to Supplementary Note 6, the preheater (14) can move between the receiving position (110) where it receives the workpiece (W) from the transport mechanism (212) and the delivery positions (111, 112, 113, 114) where it delivers the workpiece (W) to the loader (15), so that the workpiece (W) can be heated until just before the loader (15) supplies the workpiece (W) into the mold (30). Although the preheater (14) moves to a position other than the receiving position (110), once it returns to the receiving position (110), it can quickly receive the workpiece (W) from the transport mechanism (212) waiting at the standby position (212B) directly above the receiving position (110).

[0046] [Appendix 7] In the above-mentioned Appendix 6, the work supply method may further include supplying the work (W) in the supply magazine (210) to the initial position (212A), lifting the work (W) from the initial position (212A) by vertical movement of the transport mechanism (212), transporting the lifted work (W) to the standby position (212B) by horizontal movement of the transport mechanism (212), and lowering the work (W) onto the preheater (14) located directly below the standby position (212B) by vertical movement of the transport mechanism (212), and placing the work (W) on the preheater (14).

[0047] According to the above-mentioned supplementary note 7, the time taken for the work supply device (21) to supply the work (W) to the initial position (212A) can be compressed, thereby minimizing the waiting time.

[0048] 1...resin sealing device, 2...in-module, 3...press module, 4...out-module, 10...loader mechanism, 11...first rail, 12...base, 13...second rail, 14...preheater, 15...loader, 16...unloader, 17...loader moving part, 18...loader hand, 20...frame, 21...work supply device, 22...resin supply device, 30...mold, 41...degater, 42...work storage device, 110...receiving position on first rail, 111, 112, 113, 114...delivery position on first rail, 131...second First position on rail, 132...second position on second rail, 141...heating plate, 142...support pin, 143...cover, 210...supply magazine, 211...turntable (an example of an alignment device), 211L, 211R...side rails, 212...pick and place mechanism (an example of a transport mechanism), 212A...initial position of work, 212B...waiting position of work, 212C...target position of work, 213...horizontal drive mechanism, 214...vertical drive mechanism, 215...hand, 220...hopper, 420...storage magazine, W...work.

Claims

1. A resin sealing device comprising: an in-module for supplying a workpiece; a die for resin sealing the workpiece; and a loader that moves along a first rail and transports the workpiece into the die, wherein a preheater that heats the workpiece is configured to move along the first rail together with the loader.

2. The resin sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the preheater is configured to reciprocate between a first position and a second position on a second rail that moves along the first rail, heat the workpiece at the first position, and deliver the workpiece to the loader at the second position.

3. The resin sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the in-module comprises a supply magazine that supplies a workpiece to an initial position, and a transport mechanism that transports the workpiece from the initial position to the preheater, the transport mechanism being configured to be movable in horizontal and vertical directions and approaching the preheater from above to place the workpiece thereon.

4. The resin sealing device according to claim 3, wherein the in-module further comprises an alignment device that aligns the workpieces supplied from the supply magazine at the initial position, and the transport mechanism transports the aligned workpieces to the preheater.

5. The resin sealing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the alignment device aligns one of the workpieces by rotating it 180 degrees so that the pair of workpieces consisting of the one workpiece and the other workpiece are point symmetric.

6. A method for supplying a workpiece, comprising: moving a preheater configured to move along a first rail together with a loader to a delivery position closer to a mold than directly below a standby position; the loader receiving a workpiece from the preheater in a state where the preheater has moved to the delivery position and transporting it into the mold; and moving the preheater from the delivery position to a state where the preheater is located directly below the standby position.

7. The work supply method according to claim 6, further comprising: supplying a work in a supply magazine to an initial position; lifting the work at the initial position by vertical movement of a transport mechanism; transporting the lifted work to the standby position by horizontal movement of the transport mechanism; and lowering the work onto a preheater located directly below the standby position by vertical movement of the transport mechanism, and placing the work on the preheater.

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