Side Roller Contact Line Adjustment for Substrate Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing substrate transferring devices have a short replacement cycle for side rollers due to cracking, leading to increased costs and inefficiencies in maintaining the substrate transfer process, particularly in flat panel display manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
The substrate transferring device incorporates a side roller design with a variable contact line position, achieved through a combination of a side roller main body, a support mechanism, and a fixing member, allowing the side rollers to be reused by adjusting their position when a crack occurs, thereby extending their replacement cycle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If side rollers are used to prevent substrate deviation during transfer, then substrate positioning accuracy is improved, but the rollers crack after short usage time requiring frequent replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The side roller is divided into two separate components: a roller body and a support structure with a fixing member. This segmentation allows the fixing member to be replaced independently when cracked, while the roller body can be reused, thereby extending the overall service life of the side roller assembly while maintaining substrate positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The position of the contact line between the substrate and side roller is made adjustable by changing the vertical position of the support structure. This parameter change allows optimization of the contact point to distribute stress more effectively, reducing crack formation and extending roller service life while maintaining precise substrate positioning.
2Reliability
If side rollers are frequently replaced due to cracking, then substrate transfer reliability is maintained, but manufacturing cost and downtime increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the side roller into a reusable roller body and a replaceable fixing member, the system maintains reliability through easy replacement of the fixing member while minimizing downtime. The roller body can remain in service longer, reducing the frequency of complete roller replacements and associated maintenance interruptions.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixing member is designed as a consumable component that is discarded when cracked, while the roller body is recovered and reused. This approach maintains substrate transfer reliability by ensuring the roller function is always available, while significantly reducing maintenance time and cost compared to replacing entire roller assemblies.
3Device complexity
If the contact line position is fixed on the side roller, then the structure is simple, but the roller cannot be reused after cracking at the contact point
Solution Approach 1:
The side roller is segmented into a roller body and a support structure with a fixing member. This segmentation enables the support structure to be repositioned vertically to change the contact line position, and allows the fixing member to be replaced independently when cracked, extending the roller replacement cycle with only minimal increase in structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure is made vertically adjustable to dynamically change the contact line position on the substrate. This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt to different operating conditions and extend roller life by moving the contact point away from cracked areas, with only a simple adjustable mechanism added to the structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate transferring device is disclosed. In one aspect, the substrate transferring device includes substrate to transfer the substrate in one direction and a plurality of side rollers. Each roller includes a side roller main body configured to rotate while contacting a side surface of the substrate to prevent the substrate from being deviated from the one direction. The roller also includes a side roller support which is coupled to a lower part of the side roller main body or a lower part of the side roller main body when the side roller main body is turned upside down in a vertical direction to vary a position of a contact line where the side surface of the substrate is in contact with the side roller main body. The roller further includes a fixing member which is coupled to the side roller support inside the side roller main body.