Sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material conveyance device, sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material conveyance method, sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material stack, and non-conductive Anti-adhesion insertion sheet

Abstract

In order to reliably take out sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material one sheet at a time, this sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material conveyance device comprises a sheet conveyance unit, a static elimination ion generation unit, and a storage unit. A plurality of sheets of sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material and a non-conductive insertion sheet are alternately stacked and stored in single-sheet form in the storage unit. The sheet conveyance unit includes a holding part for holding the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material and the upper surface of the non-conductive insertion sheet. The non-conductive insertion sheet has a recessed part or a projecting part formed on one side surface thereof facing at least the static elimination ion generation unit, or has a plurality of through holes penetrating the plane of the non-conductive insertion sheet. After the static elimination ion generation unit has performed static elimination by spraying a static elimination ion-containing gas toward the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material or the non-conductive insertion sheet disposed on the upper surface of the storage unit, the sheet conveyance unit conveys the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material or the non-conductive insertion sheet that has been subjected to static elimination.

Description

Sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material conveying device, sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material conveying method, sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material stack, and adhesion prevention insertion non-conductive sheet

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material transport device, a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material transport method, a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material stack, and an anti-sticking non-conductive insert sheet.

[0002] The sheet-like flexible substrate material is not limited to that supplied by a roll-to-roll method during manufacturing, but may also be supplied one by one. The prior art document shown below (Patent Document 1) describes a sheet take-out device that can prevent multiple sheet-like members from being taken out.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-19635

[0004] However, when the sheet-like flexible substrate material is non-conductive, strong static electricity may be generated depending on the properties of the material, resulting in the production of two or more sheets.

[0005] Therefore, at least one aspect of the problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material conveying device, a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material conveying method, a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material stack, and an adhesion prevention non-conductive sheet, which are capable of reliably removing sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material one sheet at a time. Note that, when a divisional application based on the present disclosure is filed, problems that are obvious to a person skilled in the art and can be read from the embodiments and their descriptions that are characteristic of the present disclosure and are described in the specification, drawings, etc. of the present disclosure may also become problems to be solved by the divided invention.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material transport device of the present disclosure is a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material transport device comprising a sheet transport unit, a static elimination ion generating unit, and a storage unit, in which a plurality of sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate materials and inserted non-conductive sheets are stored in an alternating stack in the form of sheets, the sheet transport unit comprises a holding unit that holds the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material and the upper surface of the inserted non-conductive sheet, and the inserted non-conductive sheet has a recess or protrusion formed on at least one side facing the static elimination ion generating unit, or a plurality of through holes that penetrate the plane of the inserted non-conductive sheet, and the static elimination ion generating unit blows a static elimination ion-containing gas towards the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material or the inserted non-conductive sheet placed on the upper surface of the storage unit to eliminate static electricity, and then the sheet transport unit transports the de-staticized sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material or the inserted non-conductive sheet.

[0007] The present disclosure also provides a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material transport method, which uses a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate transport device including a sheet transport section, a static elimination ion generating section, and a storage section to take out from the storage section a plurality of sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate materials stored in an alternating stack of sheets and an inserted non-conductive sheet, the sheet transport section including a holding section that holds the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material and the upper surface of the inserted non-conductive sheet, the inserted non-conductive sheet having a recess or protrusion, or a through-hole penetrating the inserted non-conductive sheet, on at least one side surface facing the static elimination ion generating section, and when the inserted non-conductive sheet is placed on the upper surface of the storage section, the static elimination ion generating section blows a static elimination ion-containing gas toward the upper surface. The storage unit performs a discharge step, and an inserted non-conductive sheet removal step in which the sheet conveying unit holds and removes the inserted non-conductive sheet that has been discharged by the discharge ion-containing gas. When a sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material is placed on the upper surface of the storage unit, the storage unit performs a sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material lifting step in which the sheet conveying unit lifts one side of the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material that faces the discharge ion generating unit. The discharge ion generating unit then blows discharge ion-containing gas between the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material lifted by the sheet conveying unit and the inserted non-conductive sheet placed therebelow. The storage unit also performs a sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material transport step in which the sheet conveying unit transports the discharged sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material.

[0008] In addition, the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material stack of the present disclosure is packaged by stacking multiple sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate materials and inserted non-conductive sheets alternately in a sheet-like manner, and the inserted non-conductive sheet has a recess or protrusion formed on at least one side, or multiple through holes formed through the plane of the inserted non-conductive sheet.

[0009] In addition, the multiple sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate materials disclosed herein are anti-adhesion non-conductive insertion sheets that are inserted one by one between multiple sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate materials for a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material stack that is stacked and packaged in a sheet-like manner, and the insertion non-conductive sheet has a recess or protrusion formed on at least one side, or multiple through holes formed that penetrate the plane of the insertion non-conductive sheet.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material can be reliably taken out one by one.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material transport device according to the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an inserting non-conductive sheet according to the present disclosure. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a sheet pickup position. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the process flow of a sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material transport method according to the present disclosure. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing static elimination when an inserting non-conductive sheet is placed on the upper surface. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing static elimination when a sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material is placed on the upper surface. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a modified example of an inserting non-conductive sheet according to the present disclosure.

[0012] The sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material conveying device 100 (hereinafter referred to as conveying device 100) of the present disclosure can be incorporated as a substrate conveying unit in various manufacturing devices that use sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrates as materials. Specifically, it is suitable for use as a conveying unit in a printing device that forms metal wiring on a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate. The following description will be given using the conveying device 100 as an example of a printing device that forms metal wiring on the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate to manufacture electric and electronic circuits. However, the embodiments described in this disclosure are presented merely as examples and do not limit the overall scope of protection of the disclosed technology.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a conveying device 100. The conveying device 100 includes at least a sheet conveying section 110, a charge-removing ion generating section 120, and a storage section 130 that stores a substrate material stack in which multiple sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate materials P and insert non-conductive sheets S are alternately stacked one on top of the other. Furthermore, a printing device (not shown) or other processing device for processing the substrate material is disposed at the destination of the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material P conveyed by the conveying device 100. The conveying device 100 removes multiple sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate materials P and insert non-conductive sheets S one by one from the storage section 130 and conveys them to their destination. The conveying device 100 also functions to remove static electricity to prevent problems caused by static electricity at the destination.

[0014] The sheet conveying section 110 may be, for example, an automatic conveying unit, such as a machine called a robot arm or handler, and includes a holding section 111. The holding section 111 can hold the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P and the insertion non-conductive sheet S by contacting only the upper surface of the material. Specifically, it is equipped with a vacuum pad (suction cup) in the center, such as a vacuum suction pad or suction cup gripper, and can hold the sheet by removing the air from the suction cup with a vacuum pump to generate a vacuum suction force, which can then be released by releasing the vacuum. This type of gripper is suitable for handling flexible sheet objects because it is less likely to damage the surface of the object.

[0015] The drive direction and mechanism of the sheet conveying unit 110 are not limited to any particular one, and it is sufficient that the lifting mechanism and conveying mechanism (not shown) are configured to be movable in the X, Y, and Z directions as shown. This allows the sheets to be picked up and held one by one by the operation described below and conveyed to the destination. For example, the destination may be a stage or workpiece receiving portion of a printing device or other manufacturing device, and the sheet can be placed flat on it.

[0016] The static elimination ion generator 120 may be, for example, a corona discharge type equipped with a blower fan, a discharge electrode, etc., and has the function of ionizing molecules in the air by high-voltage discharge and blowing ion-containing air. This ion-containing air is blown onto sheets in the substrate material stack that are charged with one polarity or the other, thereby neutralizing and eliminating static electricity. The static elimination ion generator 120 may be, for example, a so-called bar-type ionizer having a blower section along the width direction of the sheets, and can be installed with the blowing direction facing the top surface of the substrate material stack.

[0017] The storage unit 130 is used to hold and store a substrate material stack in which the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material P and the insertion non-conductive sheet S are laminated together. Specifically, it may have a box-like housing structure with an open top, or a column-like structure with frames supporting the four corners and erected vertically (in the Z direction). In this figure, the latter structure is used as an example, and the dotted lines indicate that it does not block the ion-containing air blown from the static elimination ion generator 120. The lower part of the storage unit 130 may also have a lifting mechanism that raises the substrate material stack as the number of sheets gradually decreases.

[0018] Suitable materials for the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P include polymers and polymeric compounds such as polyimide (PI), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN). Other materials may include non-conductive or dielectric materials, such as paper or bioplastic films such as cellulose nanofiber (CNF) and polylactic acid (PLA), that are difficult to remove sheet by sheet due to static electricity. The primary use of such sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P is to form a metal wiring pattern on it and use it as part of an electric or electronic circuit, but it may also be used for other purposes. For reference, the thickness may be 200 μm or less (excluding 0 μm).

[0019] Here, the terms "non-conductor," "sheet," and "flexible" in this disclosure may be interpreted as follows: "Non-conductor" may be understood to exclude conductors such as metals, and may include insulators, dielectrics, and non-conductors. A "sheet" is a thin, wide-sided object with a certain width that is cut to an appropriate length to form individual sheets, and may be rectangular or have a generally two-dimensional shape. The thickness is selected by those skilled in the art depending on the application. "Flexible" is interpreted as having flexibility, not having significant resistance to bending or compression, and being able to be easily bent while maintaining durability and functionality.

[0020] When such sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material P is processed in a sheet-like manner, it is assumed that the material is stored in a stacked state as a substrate material stack in the storage section 130, and is then removed and transported one sheet at a time from the top surface by the sheet transport section 110.

[0021] However, when such sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material P is stacked and overlapped in a sheet-like manner, it easily becomes statically charged due to friction, and the electrostatic force that attracts the charged substrates to each other creates strong resistance when peeling them apart, so that even if you try to remove them one by one, multiple sheets will end up being removed all at once.

[0022] To address this issue, various mechanical or physical methods of removal, such as shaking or bending, are known, as in Patent Document 1. However, depending on the properties of the material itself, such as its dielectric constant, viscosity, adhesion, and surface structure, the electrostatic force may be so strong that it is impossible to peel it off by force. In such cases, it is preferable to solve the problem by using an electrostatic removal approach in order to avoid damaging the substrate.

[0023] Specifically, in order to prevent the substrates from adhering to each other, when multiple sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate materials P are stacked one by one to form a material stack, an insertion non-conductive sheet S is inserted between each two sheets of sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate materials P.

[0024] The insertion non-conductive sheet S is a sheet whose length and width dimensions are roughly the same as those of the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material P, and can be made of, for example, a polymer resin such as polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or polypropylene (PP), or a resin material containing these. Furthermore, if the application involves transport in a clean room, any material that generates little dust may be used, such as clean paper or dust-free paper of a predetermined thickness or greater. For reference, an example of the thickness may be thicker than the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material P and 2 mm or less (excluding 0 mm).

[0025] The insertion non-conductive sheet S may have fine irregularities on its surface, and may be subjected to a surface treatment such as matte finish, satin finish, sandblasting, etching, etc., depending on the thickness of the sheet itself, so that the arithmetic mean roughness Ra is 1 μm to 1 mm, thereby reducing adhesion to the sheet-like non-conductive flexible circuit board material P.

[0026] The resistivity of the inserted non-conductive sheet S is generally 10 ５ The material may have a resistivity of Ω·m or more. If the resistivity is too high, the adhesion prevention function will be weakened. １０ The material may have a resistivity of Ω·m or less, which has the effect of reducing adhesion to the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material P.

[0027] Such an insertion non-conductive sheet S is inserted one by one between sheets of non-conductive flexible substrate material in a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material stack in which multiple sheets of non-conductive flexible substrate material P are stacked and packaged in a sheet-like manner.

[0028] 2 is a top view of the insert non-conductive sheet S of the present disclosure. The insert non-conductive sheet S may have a recess or a protrusion formed on at least one side surface, or may have a plurality of through holes formed through the plane of the insert non-conductive sheet.

[0029] 2, the non-conductive insert sheet S of the present disclosure has irregularities recognized as recesses CC or protrusions CV on its end surface in the left-right direction (X direction) of the paper. It also has openings in the form of a plurality of through holes H. The effects of the interaction between these recesses CC or protrusions CV, or the through holes H, and the static elimination ion generating unit 120 will be described later.

[0030] 2 can be defined as follows. The recess CC can be recognized as a cutout in the first front end face SFL1 or the first rear end face SBL1 in the left-right direction (X direction) on the page. Conversely, the protrusion CV can be recognized as a protrusion in the second front end face SFL2 or the first rear end face SBL2. As will be described in detail later, the recess CC or the protrusion CV is provided on one side surface facing the static elimination ion generating unit 120, thereby facilitating the entry of ion-containing air emitted from the static elimination ion generating unit 120.

[0031] Furthermore, since the convex portions CV are peninsula-shaped portions provided on the front or rear sides of the outer periphery of each of the four sides of the non-conductive sheet S, they can also be used as non-openings that can be picked up and held by the holding portion 111 of the sheet conveying portion 110. Specifically, the holding portion 111, which is, for example, a suction pad, can suck the area of ​​the convex portions CV to hold and lift the non-conductive sheet S.

[0032] The multiple through holes H are openings that penetrate in the direction toward the front and rear of the paper surface (Z direction). In the illustrated example, the openings are circular in shape, but are not limited to this and may be openings of various shapes. The multiple through holes H facilitate the entry of ion-containing air released from the static elimination ion generating unit 120. Furthermore, this also has the effect of preventing the rigidity of the inserted non-conductive sheet S from being too high and allowing the inserted non-conductive sheet S itself to be made lighter.

[0033] From the viewpoint of preventing adhesion, it is preferable that the opening ratio of the inserted non-conductive sheet S due to the plurality of through holes H, that is, the ratio of the total area of ​​all the through holes H to the entire area of ​​the inserted non-conductive sheet S, is 25 to 75%.

[0034] The inserted non-conductive sheet S preferably has a greater bending stiffness than the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material P. In this disclosure, bending stiffness refers to the ability of a material to resist a bending load, or the degree of resistance to bending, and can be quantitatively compared, for example, by the following method. The following test method is merely an example.

[0035] (Test method) 1. Prepare a test piece with the dimensions that will actually be used. 2. Conduct a bending test with one end fixed and the other end open, applying a specified force (gravity is acceptable). 3. Measure the amount of deflection (change) caused by the bending test. 4. A material with a smaller amount of deflection (change) is considered to have higher bending rigidity.

[0036] The bending rigidity also depends on the thickness of the material. Therefore, the condition that the bending rigidity of the inserted non-conductive sheet S is higher than that of the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P can be met, for example, by making the inserted non-conductive sheet S thicker than the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P and by making the bending strength or bending modulus of the inserted non-conductive sheet S higher than that of the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P. Note that the measuring methods for bending strength and bending modulus are specified in JIS K 7171.

[0037] As will be described later, by making the bending rigidity of the inserted non-conductive sheet S higher than that of the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P in this manner, when the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P is exposed on the top surface of the substrate material stack, the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material can be reliably removed one sheet at a time.

[0038] Furthermore, if the inserted non-conductive sheet S is too thick, the number of sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate materials P that can be stacked will be reduced, so it is preferable that the thickness of the inserted non-conductive sheet S be 10 times or less and 1 time or more the thickness of the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material P.

[0039] 3 is a diagram showing the sheet pick-up position. In this figure, the outline of the inserted non-conductive sheet S is shown by a dotted line, and the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P is shown by a solid line. The inserted non-conductive sheet S and the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P are shown in a top view in a superimposed state, and the outer dimensions of the superimposed state are the same.

[0040] 3, at this stage, the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P basically has no openings or the like formed therein, and the entire sheet is non-open. As can be seen from the top view, the outer periphery of the inserted non-conductive sheet S has no through holes H or recesses CC formed therein, and is also non-open. This allows both the inserted non-conductive sheet S and the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P to be picked up by a plurality of holding units 111 that are raised and lowered from above and positioned at the positions shown in the figure. In other words, there is no need to change the pickup position depending on whether the inserted non-conductive sheet S or the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P is alternately taken out, and efficient removal is possible.

[0041] Regarding the pickup position determined by the arrangement of the holding portion 111, it is preferable to hold at least the four corners as shown in the figure in order to hold a rectangular sheet.

[0042] Furthermore, while the sheet conveying section 110 is holding and lifting the sheet, or while it is being held in the air, the sheet may flutter due to the wind of ion-containing air blown by the de-ionizing ion generating section 120. Therefore, in order to hold the sheet more firmly, the sheet may be held at three or more points at each of the front and rear ends in a direction perpendicular to the air blowing direction, as shown in the figure.

[0043] Next, a method for transporting a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material using the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material transport device of the present disclosure will be described with reference to figures and flowcharts. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the process flow of the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material transport method of the present disclosure, and Fig. 5 is a diagram showing static elimination when an inserted non-conductive sheet is placed on the upper surface.

[0044] First, a case will be described in which an inserted non-conductive sheet S is placed on the upper surface of the storage section 130. In step S101, the static elimination ion generating section 120 sprays a gas containing static elimination ions toward the upper surface of the storage section 130 (first static elimination step). As a result, the ion-containing air enters through the recesses CC and through-holes H and eliminates static electricity, thereby significantly reducing static adhesion between the inserted non-conductive sheet S and the sheet-like non-conductive flexible board material P.

[0045] Next, in step S102, the sheet conveying unit 110 holds and removes the inserted non-conductive sheet S that has been neutralized by the neutralizing ion-containing gas (inserted non-conductive sheet removal step). The removed inserted non-conductive sheet S is transported to a location different from the destination of the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P, and is stored together. The inserted non-conductive sheet S may then be reused.

[0046] As a result, the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P is placed on the upper surface of the storage section 130 .

[0047] 6 shows the static elimination process when a sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible printed circuit board material P is placed on the upper surface. In this case, in step S103, the sheet conveying unit 110 lifts up one side of the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible printed circuit board material P that faces the static elimination ion generating unit 120 (a step of lifting up the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible printed circuit board material).

[0048] In this case, the recesses CC and through holes H formed in the inserted non-conductive sheet S reduce the contact area and reduce sticking due to static electricity to some extent, and the front end can be partially lifted by the holding portion 111.

[0049] Furthermore, as described above, if the bending rigidity of the insertion non-conductive sheet S is greater than the bending rigidity of the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P, a certain degree of resistance is generated when the holding portion 111 lifts up a portion of the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P, causing the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P to be released from the tightly adhered state and remain in place. This allows the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P to be removed one piece at a time more reliably.

[0050] Next, in step S104, the static elimination ion generating unit 120 blows a gas containing static elimination ions between the sheet-like non-conductive flexible printed circuit board material P lifted by the sheet conveying unit 110 and the inserted non-conductive sheet S placed underneath (second static elimination step). If even a part of the edge of the sheet-like non-conductive flexible printed circuit board material P can be lifted, the ion-containing air can enter through the gap between the sheet-like non-conductive flexible printed circuit board material P and the inserted non-conductive sheet S, thereby eliminating static electricity.

[0051] Then, the sheet conveying section 110 conveys the neutralized sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material P (sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material conveying step).

[0052] In this way, the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material can be reliably taken out one by one. In the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material conveying method of the present disclosure, steps S101 to S105 are basically repeated.

[0053] For reference, the processing steps for the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material after it has been transported are as follows: a printing device prints an ink composition containing a metal nanoink onto the surface of the transported sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material to form a wiring pattern. Furthermore, using the wiring pattern as a base, electroless plating or the like is used to build up metal that will become the wiring, thereby enhancing the conductive paths of the wiring pattern.

[0054] 7 is a diagram showing a modified example of the insertion non-conductive sheet of the present disclosure. In this example, assuming that the left side of the paper is the front side and the right side is the rear side, the through holes H are formed so that the aperture ratios are different on the front side and the rear side. In this way, the aperture ratio distribution may be set to be different within the same sheet.

[0055] 7, the front region on the left side of the page is the low aperture ratio region LR, and the rear region on the right side of the page is the high aperture ratio region HR. In this case, even if ion-containing air is blown from the front side, the aperture ratio increases, thereby enhancing the static elimination effect on the rear side.

[0056] (Modification of Embodiment) The sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material stack and the non-conductive sheet for preventing adhesion, which are used in the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material transport device and the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material transport method of the present disclosure, can be packaged and sold individually as a product. Here, packaging is not limited to being physically wrapped, but may be interpreted to mean being a united product.

[0057] The new technology of this disclosure can be realized in various other forms, and part of the content can be omitted, modified, or replaced within the scope of the gist of this disclosure. The embodiments and modifications shown in this disclosure are also within the scope and gist of this disclosure, and are treated as technologies that should be protected by the claims, and are equivalent or similar to them.

[0058] <Supplementary Notes> The matters described in the above embodiments are supplemented below. (Supplementary Note 1) A sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible board material transport device including a sheet transport unit, a static elimination ion generating unit, and a storage unit, wherein the storage unit stores a plurality of sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible board materials and inserted non-conductive sheets stacked alternately one on top of another, the sheet transport unit includes a holding unit that holds the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible board material and an upper surface of the inserted non-conductive sheet, the inserted non-conductive sheet has a recess or a protrusion formed on at least one side facing the static elimination ion generating unit, or a plurality of through holes that penetrate a plane of the inserted non-conductive sheet, the static elimination ion generating unit blows a static elimination ion-containing gas toward the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible board material or the inserted non-conductive sheet placed on the upper surface of the storage unit to eliminate static electricity, and then the sheet transport unit transports the static eliminated sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible board material or the inserted non-conductive sheet. (Supplementary Note 2) The sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material transport device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the inserted non-conductive sheet has a bending rigidity greater than that of the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material. (Supplementary Note 3) The sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material transport device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the inserted non-conductive sheet is formed with both a concave or convex portion on one side facing the static-eliminating ion generating unit and a plurality of through holes penetrating a plane of the inserted non-conductive sheet. (Supplementary Note 4) The sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material transport device according to Supplementary Note 2 or 3, wherein non-opening portions for holding by the holding unit are formed on the outer periphery of the inserted non-conductive sheet, and when viewed from above, the plurality of sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate materials and the inserted non-conductive sheet stacked alternately in a sheet-like manner are also non-opening portions.(Supplementary Note 5) A sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material transport method using a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate transport device including a sheet transport unit, a static elimination ion generating unit, and a storage unit to remove from the storage unit a plurality of sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate materials stored in an alternating stack of sheets and an inserting non-conductive sheet, wherein the sheet transport unit includes a holding unit that holds the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material and an upper surface of the inserting non-conductive sheet, and the inserting non-conductive sheet has a recess or a protrusion, or a through hole penetrating the inserting non-conductive sheet, on at least one side facing the static elimination ion generating unit, and when the inserting non-conductive sheet is placed on the upper surface of the storage unit, the method comprises: a first static elimination step in which the static elimination ion generating unit blows a static elimination ion-containing gas toward the upper surface; and an inserting non-conductive sheet removal step in which the sheet transport unit holds and removes the inserted non-conductive sheet that has been neutralized by the static elimination ion-containing gas, and when the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material is placed on the upper surface of the storage unit, 1. A method for transporting a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material, comprising: a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material lifting step in which the sheet transporting unit lifts one side of the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material facing the static-eliminating ion generating unit; a second static-eliminating step in which the static-eliminating ion generating unit blows a gas containing static-eliminating ions between the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material lifted by the sheet transporting unit and the inserted non-conductive sheet disposed therebelow; and a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material transporting step in which the sheet transporting unit transports the neutralized sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material. (Appendix 6) A sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material stack, wherein a plurality of sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate materials and an inserted non-conductive sheet are alternately stacked and packaged, and the inserted non-conductive sheet has a recess or a protrusion formed on at least one side, or a plurality of through holes formed through a plane of the inserted non-conductive sheet.(Supplementary Note 7) The sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material stack according to Supplementary Note 6, wherein the outer periphery of the insert non-conductive sheet is formed with non-openings for holding by a holding section, and when viewed from above, the plurality of sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate materials and the insert non-conductive sheet, which are stacked alternately, are also non-openings in the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material. (Supplementary Note 8) An adhesion-preventing insert non-conductive sheet, which is inserted one by one between a plurality of sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate materials for a sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material stack in which the plurality of sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate materials are stacked one by one and packaged, wherein the insert non-conductive sheet has a recess or protrusion formed on at least one side surface, or a plurality of through holes penetrating the plane of the insert non-conductive sheet. (Supplementary Note 9) The adhesion-preventing insert non-conductive sheet according to Supplementary Note 8, wherein the insert non-conductive sheet has a bending rigidity greater than that of the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material. (Appendix 10) The adhesion-preventing non-conductive insert sheet according to Appendix 9, wherein the non-conductive insert sheet has both a recess or protrusion on one side and a plurality of through holes penetrating the plane of the non-conductive insert sheet.

[0059] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Conveying device 110 Sheet conveying section 111 Holding section 120 Discharge ion generating section 130 Storage section P Sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible circuit board material S Inserted non-conductive sheet CC Concave section CV Convex section H Through hole

Claims

1. A sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material conveying apparatus including a sheet conveying unit, a static elimination ion generation unit, and a storage unit, wherein in the storage unit, a plurality of sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate materials and insertion non-conductive sheets are alternately stacked in a single-sheet manner and stored, the sheet conveying unit includes a holding unit that holds the upper surfaces of the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material and the insertion non-conductive sheet, the insertion non-conductive sheet has a concave portion or a convex portion formed on at least one side surface facing the static elimination ion generation unit, or a plurality of through-holes penetrating the plane of the insertion non-conductive sheet are formed, after the static elimination ion generation unit sprays a static elimination ion-containing gas toward the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material disposed on the upper surface of the storage unit or the insertion non-conductive sheet to eliminate static electricity, the sheet conveying unit conveys the statically eliminated sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material or insertion non-conductive sheet.

2. The sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the insertion non-conductive sheet has a greater bending rigidity than the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material.

3. The sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein both a concave portion or a convex portion on one side surface of the insertion non-conductive sheet facing the static elimination ion generation unit and a plurality of through-holes penetrating the plane of the insertion non-conductive sheet are formed.

4. A non-opening portion for holding by the holding unit is formed at the outer peripheral portion of the insertion non-conductive sheet, and in a top view of the plurality of sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate materials and the insertion non-conductive sheets alternately stacked in a single-sheet manner, a region of the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material overlapping the non-opening portion of the insertion non-conductive sheet is also a non-opening portion. The sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material conveying apparatus according to claim 2 or 3.

5. A method for transporting a sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material, which uses a sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate transport device including a sheet transport unit, a static elimination ion generation unit, and a storage unit, and takes out a plurality of sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate materials and an insertion non-conductive sheet that are alternately stacked and stored in a sheet-by-sheet manner from the storage unit. The sheet transport unit includes a holding unit that holds the upper surface of the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material and the insertion non-conductive sheet. The insertion non-conductive sheet has a concave portion or a convex portion formed on at least one side surface facing the static elimination ion generation unit, or a through hole penetrating the insertion non-conductive sheet. When the insertion non-conductive sheet is disposed on the upper surface of the storage unit, a first static elimination step is performed in which the static elimination ion generation unit blows a static elimination ion-containing gas toward the upper surface, and an insertion non-conductive sheet taking-out step is performed in which the sheet transport unit holds and takes out the insertion non-conductive sheet that has been statically eliminated by the static elimination ion-containing gas. When the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material is disposed on the upper surface of the storage unit, a sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material lifting step is performed in which the sheet transport unit lifts one side surface side of the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material facing the static elimination ion generation unit, and a second static elimination step is performed in which the static elimination ion generation unit blows a static elimination ion-containing gas between the sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material lifted by the sheet transport unit and the insertion non-conductive sheet disposed thereunder, and a sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material transport step is performed in which the sheet transport unit transports the statically eliminated sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate material.

6. A stack of sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate materials, in which a plurality of sheet-shaped non-conductive flexible substrate materials and an insertion non-conductive sheet are alternately stacked and packaged in a sheet-by-sheet manner, and the insertion non-conductive sheet has a concave portion or a convex portion formed on at least one side surface, or a plurality of through holes penetrating the plane of the insertion non-conductive sheet.

7. An outer peripheral portion of the insertion non-conductive sheet is formed with a non-opening portion for holding by a holding portion. In a top view of the plurality of sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate materials stacked alternately in a single-leaf shape and the insertion non-conductive sheet, a region of the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material overlapping the non-opening portion of the insertion non-conductive sheet is also a non-opening portion. The sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material stack according to claim 6.

8. A close-contact prevention insertion non-conductive sheet inserted one by one between the plurality of sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate materials for a sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material stack in which the plurality of sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate materials are stacked in a single-leaf shape and packaged. At least one side surface of the insertion non-conductive sheet is formed with a concave portion or a convex portion, or a plurality of through holes penetrating the plane of the insertion non-conductive sheet are formed. A close-contact prevention insertion non-conductive sheet.

9. The insertion non-conductive sheet has a higher bending rigidity than the sheet-like non-conductive flexible substrate material. The close-contact prevention insertion non-conductive sheet according to claim 8.

10. Both a concave portion or a convex portion on one side surface and a plurality of through holes penetrating the plane of the insertion non-conductive sheet are formed in the insertion non-conductive sheet. The close-contact prevention insertion non-conductive sheet according to claim 9.

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