Cleaning device

Abstract

This cleaning device (1) comprises: a blade (10) that has a scraping part (11) which contacts the surface of a slit nozzle for discharging a fluid material and scrapes away the fluid material remaining on the slit nozzle; a travel mechanism (20) that causes the blade to travel along the slit nozzle; and a washing liquid supply mechanism (30) that is mounted on the travel mechanism and that supplies a washing liquid to the contact point between the blade and the slit nozzle.

Description

cleaning equipment

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cleaning device for cleaning a slit nozzle that dispenses a fluid material.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a cleaning device that reliably removes coating liquid remaining at the tip of a coating die after the coating liquid is supplied to a workpiece through a slit-shaped outlet provided at the tip of the coating die. The cleaning device includes a cleaning liquid supply device that supplies cleaning liquid to the tip of the coating die, and a cleaning blade that comes into contact with the tip of the coating die to which the cleaning liquid has been supplied and removes the coating liquid remaining at the tip of the coating die together with the cleaning liquid. The cleaning device also includes a traveling device that causes the cleaning liquid supply device and cleaning blade to travel along the tip of the coating die.

[0003] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-105849

[0004] In the cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 1, friction between the coating die and the cleaning blade is large, and the cleaning blade is easily worn out, which requires frequent replacement of the cleaning blade.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a cleaning device that reduces the frequency with which cleaning blades need to be replaced.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a cleaning device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a cleaning device for cleaning a slit nozzle that ejects a fluid material, and includes: a blade having a shape corresponding to the shape of the slit nozzle and having a scraping portion that abuts against the surface of the slit nozzle and scrapes off the fluid material remaining on the slit nozzle; a traveling mechanism that causes the blade to travel along the slit nozzle; and a cleaning liquid supply mechanism mounted on the traveling mechanism that supplies cleaning liquid to the contact point between the blade and the slit nozzle.

[0007] According to the above aspect, a cleaning device can be realized in which the frequency with which the cleaning blade needs to be replaced is reduced.

[0008] 5 is a side view showing an outline of a cleaning device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the cleaning device in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating an example of the shape of a blade provided in the cleaning device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 8 is a side view showing an outline of a cleaning device according to embodiment 2. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the cleaning device in FIG. 5. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a detailed structure of a blade provided in the cleaning device according to embodiment 2. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a blade according to embodiment 3.

[0009] First Embodiment Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a cleaning device 1 according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cleaning device 1 is used in a coating device 100. The coating device 100 is a device that applies a coating liquid, which is a fluid material, to a substrate in the process of manufacturing a product. The coating device 100 is, for example, a manufacturing device for plasma display panels, organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panels, liquid crystal display panels, or the like.

[0011] The coating device 100 includes a slit nozzle 110 that discharges a coating liquid. The slit nozzle 110 has a discharge port 111 from which the coating liquid is discharged. The slit nozzle 110 has a shape that is lowest in the vertical direction near the discharge port 111 and becomes higher with increasing distance from the discharge port 111. The slit nozzle 110 also extends in one direction in the horizontal direction.

[0012] After the coating liquid is discharged, some of the coating liquid that was not applied to the object remains in the slit nozzle 110. The coating liquid that remains in the slit nozzle 110 during the process of applying the coating liquid to one object becomes foreign matter in the process of applying the coating liquid to the next object, and has a negative impact on the quality of the product.

[0013] Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the cleaning device 1 in Fig. 1. The cleaning device 1 is a device for removing the coating liquid remaining in the slit nozzle 110. As shown in Fig. 3, the cleaning device 1 includes a blade 10, a traveling mechanism 20, and a cleaning liquid supply mechanism 30.

[0014] 4 is a plan view illustrating the shape of the blade 10. The blade 10 removes the coating liquid remaining in the slit nozzle 110 by scraping it off. The blade 10 is a plate-shaped member having a scraping portion 11 and a bolt hole 12. The scraping portion 11 abuts against the surface of the slit nozzle 110 to scrape off the fluid material remaining in the slit nozzle 110. The scraping portion 11 has a shape that is low in the center and becomes higher as it moves away from the center so as to fit along the slit nozzle 110. The bolt hole 12 is a hole through which a bolt 23, which will be described later, is inserted.

[0015] The blade 10 is made of a material that is weaker than the material of the slit nozzle 110. The slit nozzle 110 is made of, for example, stainless steel. On the other hand, the blade 10 is made of, for example, a resin such as high molecular weight polyethylene. For this reason, friction between the blade 10 and the slit nozzle 110 causes wear mainly on the blade 10.

[0016] The traveling mechanism 20 causes the blade 10 to travel along the slit nozzle 110. In the following description, the direction in which the traveling mechanism 20 causes the blade 10 to travel will be referred to as the traveling direction. As shown in FIG. 3 , the traveling mechanism 20 includes a front blade mounting plate 21, a rear blade mounting plate 22, bolts 23, and a carriage 24.

[0017] The front blade mounting plate 21 and the rear blade mounting plate 22 sandwich the blade 10 between them. The front blade mounting plate 21 and the rear blade mounting plate 22 are plate-shaped members that are approximately parallel to each other. The front blade mounting plate 21 and the rear blade mounting plate 22 may be formed of a material strong enough to stably sandwich the blade 10. The front blade mounting plate 21 is located in front of the blade 10 in the traveling direction. The rear blade mounting plate 22 is located in rear of the blade 10 in the traveling direction.

[0018] 3, the front blade mounting plate 21 is fixed to the carriage 24 so as to protrude from the carriage 24 toward the slit nozzle 110. In addition, the rear blade mounting plate 22 is attached to the front blade mounting plate 21 so as to sandwich the blade 10 between the front blade mounting plate 21 and the rear blade mounting plate 22. However, the structure for mounting the blade 10 to the traveling mechanism 20 is not limited to that shown in FIG.

[0019] The bolts 23 secure the blade 10 to the traveling mechanism 20 between the front blade mounting plate 21 and the rear blade mounting plate 22. The front blade mounting plate 21 has a bolt hole 21 a. The rear blade mounting plate 22 has a bolt hole 22 a. The bolt hole 21 a has a thread groove for threading onto the bolt 23. With the bolt holes 21 a, 22 a overlapping the bolt holes 12 of the blade 10, the bolt 23 is inserted through the bolt holes 22 a, 12 and threaded into the bolt hole 21 a, whereby the blade 10 is clamped between the front blade mounting plate 21 and the rear blade mounting plate 22.

[0020] The carriage 24 carries the front blade mounting plate 21, the rear blade mounting plate 22, the bolts 23, and the blade 10 held therebetween, and travels along a rail (not shown). The rail is located, for example, directly below the slit nozzle 110. This allows the blade 10 to move along the slit nozzle 110 and scrape off the coating liquid from the slit nozzle 110.

[0021] The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 30 supplies cleaning liquid to the contact point between the blade 10 and the slit nozzle 110. The cleaning liquid is a chemical liquid that reduces friction between the blade 10 and the slit nozzle 110. As the cleaning liquid, any known chemical liquid that can reduce friction between the blade 10 and the slit nozzle 110 can be used without any particular limitation. This reduces friction between the blade 10 and the slit nozzle 110 compared to, for example, a case in which cleaning liquid is supplied to a position on the slit nozzle 110 that is further forward in the traveling direction than the contact point with the blade 10. Therefore, the frequency of replacing the blade 10 due to wear of the scraping portion 11 can be reduced.

[0022] Specifically, the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 30 includes a first cleaning liquid supply nozzle 31 and a second cleaning liquid supply nozzle 32. The first cleaning liquid supply nozzle 31 and the second cleaning liquid supply nozzle 32 are attached to the traveling mechanism 20. Therefore, the relative positions of the first cleaning liquid supply nozzle 31 and the second cleaning liquid supply nozzle 32 with respect to the blade 10 are fixed. The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 30 also includes a pump (not shown) that sends the cleaning liquid to each of the first cleaning liquid supply nozzle 31 and the second cleaning liquid supply nozzle 32.

[0023] The first cleaning liquid supply nozzle 31 supplies cleaning liquid from the front side in the traveling direction to the contact point between the blade 10 and the slit nozzle 110. The second cleaning liquid supply nozzle 32 supplies cleaning liquid from the rear side in the traveling direction to the contact point between the blade 10 and the slit nozzle 110. This reduces friction between the blade 10 and the slit nozzle 110 compared to when cleaning liquid is supplied to the contact point between the blade 10 and the slit nozzle 110 from only one of the front side and the rear side in the traveling direction.

[0024] [Embodiment 2] Another embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. For ease of explanation, the same reference numerals will be used to designate components having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0025] Fig. 5 is a side view showing an outline of the cleaning device 2 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Fig. 5. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the cleaning device 2 is used in the coating device 100A. In other words, the coating device 100A differs from the coating device 100 in that it includes the cleaning device 2.

[0026] Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the cleaning device 2 in Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 7, the cleaning device 2 differs from the cleaning device 1 in that it includes a blade 40 instead of the blade 10 and a cleaning liquid supply mechanism 50 instead of the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 30.

[0027] 7, the blade 40 has a first blade 41 and a second blade 42. The first blade 41 and the second blade 42 overlap each other in the traveling direction of the blade 40. A flow path 43 through which the cleaning liquid flows is formed between the first blade 41 and the second blade 42.

[0028] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the detailed structure of the blade 40. In Fig. 8, reference numeral 801 denotes a plan view of the blade 40 in a state in which the first blade 41 and the second blade 42 overlap each other, as viewed from the side of the first blade 41. In Fig. 8, reference numeral 802 denotes a plan view in a state in which the first blade 41 and the second blade 42 are separated from each other.

[0029] As indicated by reference numeral 801 in Fig. 8 , each of the first blade 41 and the second blade 42 has a scraping portion 44. Similar to the scraping portion 11, the scraping portion 44 abuts against the surface of the slit nozzle 110 to scrape off fluid material remaining in the slit nozzle 110. The scraping portion 44 has a shape that is low in the center and becomes higher as it moves away from the center so as to fit along the slit nozzle 110.

[0030] As indicated by reference numeral 802 in Fig. 8 , the first blade 41 is a plate-like member having a main surface 41a. The second blade 42 is a plate-like member having a main surface 42a. The first blade 41 and the second blade 42 are overlapped with each other so that the main surfaces 41a and 42a face each other, thereby forming the blade 40.

[0031] As indicated by reference numeral 802 in Fig. 8 , a partial flow path 43a is formed in the main surface 41a. A partial flow path 43b is formed in the main surface 42a. The partial flow paths 43a and 43b each constitute half of the flow path 43. The first blade 41 and the second blade 42 overlap each other, whereby the partial flow paths 43a and 43b are combined to form the flow path 43.

[0032] Each of the first blade 41 and the second blade 42 is provided with a supply port 45 for supplying the cleaning liquid to the flow path 43. The flow path 43 is formed so as to extend from the supply port 45 toward the center of the scraping portion 44 and then extend from the center toward both ends of the scraping portion 44. Therefore, the cleaning liquid supplied to the flow path 43 eventually reaches the contact point between the scraping portion 44 and the slit nozzle 110, thereby reducing friction between the scraping portion 44 and the slit nozzle 110.

[0033] As shown in Figure 7, the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 50 supplies cleaning liquid to the flow path 43. The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 50 in Figure 7 is a conduit connected to the supply port 45 of either the first blade 41 or the second blade 42. The cleaning liquid supply mechanism 50 also includes a pump (not shown) that sends cleaning liquid to the flow path 43. When the cleaning liquid supplied to the flow path 43 by the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 50 reaches the scraping portion 44, friction between the blade 40 and the slit nozzle 110 is reduced. Therefore, the frequency of replacing the blade 40 in the cleaning device 2 is reduced.

[0034] The cleaning device 2 also includes a blocking member 55 that blocks the supply ports 45 to which the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 50 is not connected. The blocking member 55 is, for example, a rubber plug. This prevents the cleaning liquid from leaking from the supply ports 45 to which the cleaning liquid supply mechanism 50 is not connected.

[0035] 5, the blade 40 abuts against the slit nozzle 110 while being inclined with respect to the traveling direction. At this time, the blade 40 can be attached to the traveling mechanism 20 with one of the first blade 41 and the second blade 42 abutting against the slit nozzle 110 and the other not abutting against the slit nozzle 110. Therefore, of the scraping portions 44 of the first blade 41 and the second blade 42, those that do not abut against the slit nozzle 110 are not worn out due to friction between the blade 40 and the slit nozzle 110.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 8, the blade 40 has two bolt holes 46A and 46B. In the cleaning device 2, the blade 40 can be attached to the traveling mechanism 20 in two states: one in which the bolt 23 is inserted through the bolt hole 46A, and one in which the bolt 23 is inserted through the bolt hole 46B. Fig. 7 shows the state in which the bolt 23 is inserted through the bolt hole 46A.

[0037] When the bolt 23 is inserted through the bolt hole 46A, the blade 40 is attached to the traveling mechanism 20 so that the second blade 42 is located on the rear side in the traveling direction. When the bolt 23 is inserted through the bolt hole 46B, the blade 40 is attached to the traveling mechanism 20 so that the first blade 41 is located on the rear side in the traveling direction. In other words, in the cleaning device 2, the front-to-rear relationship of the first blade 41 and the second blade 42 in the traveling direction can be reversed depending on whether the bolt 23 is inserted through the bolt hole 46A or 46B to attach the blade 40 to the traveling mechanism 20.

[0038] Of the blades 40, only the one located on the rear side of the first blade 41 and the second blade 42 comes into contact with the slit nozzle 110. Therefore, in the cleaning device 2, the blade 40 that comes into contact with the slit nozzle 110 can be switched by reversing the front-to-back relationship of the first blade 41 and the second blade 42. This allows both the first blade 41 and the second blade 42 to be used to clean the slit nozzle 110. The blade 40 is replaced only when the scraping portions 44 of both the first blade 41 and the second blade 42 are worn. Therefore, the blade 40 can further reduce the frequency of replacement compared to, for example, the blade 10.

[0039] Embodiment 3 Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below.

[0040] 9 is a diagram illustrating a blade 70 according to embodiment 3. In FIG. 9, different examples of the blade 70 are indicated by reference numerals 901 and 902.

[0041] Blade 70 differs from blade 10 in that blade 70 has a plurality of scraping portions 11. In the example shown by reference numeral 901, blade 70 has scraping portions 11 in two locations. In the example shown by reference numeral 902, blade 70 has scraping portions 11 in four locations. The number of scraping portions 11 that blade 70 has is not limited to these, and may be three or five or more locations.

[0042] Furthermore, the blade 70 can be attached to the traveling mechanism 20 so as to switch which of the multiple scraping portions 11 abuts against the slit nozzle 110. Specifically, the blade 70 has multiple bolt holes 12 corresponding to each of the multiple scraping portions 11, for attaching the blade 70 to the traveling mechanism 20 so that the scraping portion 11 abuts against the slit nozzle 110. In the example shown by reference numeral 901, the blade 70 has two bolt holes 12 corresponding to each of the two scraping portions 11. In the example shown by reference numeral 902, the blade 70 has four bolt holes 12 corresponding to each of the four scraping portions 11. By inserting a bolt 23 into one of the multiple bolt holes 12, the blade 70 is attached to the traveling mechanism 20 so that the scraping portion 11 corresponding to the bolt hole 12 abuts against the slit nozzle 110.

[0043] In the blade 70, the slit nozzle 110 can be cleaned by each of the multiple scraping portions 11. That is, in the blade 70, when any of the multiple scraping portions 11 becomes worn, the blade 70 can be attached to the traveling mechanism 20 so that the other unworn scraping portions 11 abut against the slit nozzle 110, thereby further cleaning the slit nozzle 110. The blade 70 is replaced only when all of the scraping portions 11 provided on the blade 70 become worn. Therefore, the blade 70 can further reduce the frequency of replacement compared to the blade 10, etc.

[0044] The blade 70 can be used, for example, in place of the blade 10 in the cleaning device 1 described above. The blade 70 can also be used in place of the first blade 41 and the second blade 42 in the cleaning device 2.

[0045] When blade 70 is used in place of first blade 41 and second blade 42 in cleaning device 2, a supply port through which cleaning liquid is supplied is formed in the center of each blade 70. Partial flow paths are also provided on opposing surfaces of each blade 70. In this case, the flow path formed by combining the partial flow paths runs from the supply port to each of scraping units 11. In this case, cleaning device 2 further includes a blocking member that blocks the flow path that supplies cleaning liquid to scraping units 11 that do not abut against slit nozzle 110.

[0046] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

[0047] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1, 2 Cleaning device 10, 40, 70 Blade 11, 44 Scraping unit 20 Traveling mechanism 30, 50 Cleaning liquid supply mechanism 31 First cleaning liquid supply nozzle 32 Second cleaning liquid supply nozzle 41 First blade 42 Second blade 43 Flow path

Claims

1. A cleaning device for cleaning a slit nozzle that discharges a fluid material, comprising: a blade having a shape corresponding to the shape of the slit nozzle and having a scraping portion that abuts against the surface of the slit nozzle and scrapes off the fluid material remaining on the slit nozzle; a traveling mechanism that causes the blade to travel along the slit nozzle; and a cleaning liquid supply mechanism that is mounted on the traveling mechanism and supplies cleaning liquid to the contact point between the blade and the slit nozzle.

2. The cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid supply mechanism includes: a first cleaning liquid supply nozzle that supplies the cleaning liquid to the contact point from the front side in the direction of travel of the blade caused by the traveling mechanism; and a second cleaning liquid supply nozzle that supplies the cleaning liquid to the contact point from the rear side in the direction of travel.

3. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the blade comprises a first blade and a second blade, the first blade and the second blade being positioned so as to overlap each other in the direction of travel of the blade, a flow path being formed between the first blade and the second blade, and the cleaning liquid supply mechanism supplies the cleaning liquid to the flow path.

4. The cleaning device of claim 3, wherein the blade can be attached to the traveling mechanism in a state where one of the first blade and the second blade is in contact with the slit nozzle and the other is not in contact with the slit nozzle.

5. A cleaning device according to claim 4, wherein the blade that contacts the slit nozzle can be switched by reversing the front-to-back relationship of the first blade and the second blade in the traveling direction.

6. A cleaning device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the blade has a plurality of scraping portions and is attachable to the traveling mechanism so as to be able to switch which of the plurality of scraping portions contacts the slit nozzle.

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