阅读说明：本技术 薄膜取出装置以及柔性印刷电路板的制造方法 (Film take-out device and method for manufacturing flexible printed circuit board ) 是由 藤村隆之 高木弘喜 冈修平 于 2019-07-26 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供的薄膜取出装置和柔性印刷电路板的制造方法,能够以薄膜状部件上不产生歪扭的状态,防止同时取出多个薄膜状部件；薄膜取出装置(10)具备：能够吸引保持薄膜状部件(S)的一边缘部侧的第一吸引构件(30)、能够吸引保持薄膜状部件(S)的另一边缘部侧的第二吸引构件(130)、使第一吸引构件(30)上升或下降的第一升降构件(60)、使第二吸引构件(130)上升或下降的第二升降构件(160)、控制第一升降构件(60)和第二升降构件(160)的动作的控制部(210)；控制部(210)进行如下控制：通过第一吸引构件(30)和第二吸引构件(130),从层叠体(PS)中吸引保持最上面的薄膜状部件(S1),然后,使第一吸引构件(30)和第二吸引构件(130)中的任意一者相对于任意另一者相对地上升或下降。(The invention provides a film taking-out device and a manufacturing method of a flexible printed circuit board, which can prevent a plurality of film-shaped components from being taken out simultaneously in a state that the film-shaped components are not twisted; a film take-out device (10) is provided with: a first suction member (30) capable of sucking and holding one edge of the film-like component (S), a second suction member (130) capable of sucking and holding the other edge of the film-like component (S), a first lifting member (60) for lifting or lowering the first suction member (30), a second lifting member (160) for lifting or lowering the second suction member (130), and a control unit (210) for controlling the actions of the first lifting member (60) and the second lifting member (160); the control unit (210) performs the following control: the uppermost film-like component (S1) is sucked and held from the laminate (PS) by the first suction member (30) and the second suction member (130), and then either one of the first suction member (30) and the second suction member (130) is relatively moved up or down with respect to the other.)

1. A film take-out device for taking out a film-like member used for manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board,

the film take-out device is characterized in that,

the disclosed device is provided with:

a first suction member capable of sucking and holding one edge portion side of the film-like component,

a second suction member capable of sucking and holding the other edge portion side of the film-like member,

a first elevating member that elevates or lowers the first suction member,

a second lifting member which lifts or lowers the second suction member, an

A control unit that controls operations of the first lifting member and the second lifting member;

the control unit performs a first control of controlling operations of the first elevation member and the second elevation member so that the film-like component stacked on the uppermost surface is sucked and held by the first suction member and the second suction member from a stacked body in which the plurality of film-like components are stacked, and,

after the first control, the control unit performs a second control of controlling the operation of at least one of the first elevating member and the second elevating member so that one of the first suction member and the second suction member is relatively moved up or down with respect to the other one of the first elevating member and the second elevating member, thereby shaking off the other film-like component other than the film-like component sucked and held.

2. The film take-out device according to claim 1,

after the first control, the control unit performs a third control of moving the film-like component sucked and held by the first suction member and the second suction member in a direction of separating the film-like component from the laminate by controlling the operations of the first elevation member and the second elevation member,

and the control unit performs the second control after the third control.

3. The film take-out device according to claim 1,

the first lifting member includes: a first lifting member for lifting or lowering one side of the first suction member in the longitudinal direction and a first lifting member for lifting or lowering the other side of the first suction member in the longitudinal direction,

the second lifting member includes: a first lifting member for lifting or lowering one side of the second suction member in the longitudinal direction and a second lifting member for lifting or lowering the other side of the second suction member in the longitudinal direction,

in the second control, the control unit performs control such that:

controlling the operation of the first lifting/lowering member on one side to lift one side in the longitudinal direction of the first suction member, and after the start of the operation, controlling the operation of the first lifting/lowering member on the other side to lift the other side in the longitudinal direction of the first suction member,

and, after the operation is started, the operation of the second lifting and lowering member on the other side is controlled to lift the other side in the longitudinal direction of the second suction member.

4. The film take-out apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

in the second control, the operation of the first lifting member and the second lifting member is controlled so that either one of the first suction member and the second suction member is moved in a direction of separating from the stacked body and the other one of the first suction member and the second suction member is not moved,

after the start of the operation, the operations of the first lifting member and the second lifting member are controlled so that either one of the first suction member and the second suction member is not moved and the remaining one of the first suction member and the second suction member is moved in a direction to separate from the stacked body.

5. The film take-out device according to claim 2,

the film take-out device is provided with:

a separating member inserted between the adjacent film-like members to prevent the film-like members from being adsorbed to each other,

a moving member that moves the separating member to insert the separating member between the adjacent film-like members;

the control section controls the operation of the moving member, and,

after the third control, the controller performs a fourth control of controlling the operation of the moving member so that the separating member is disposed between the film-like component held by the first suction member and the second suction member and the uppermost film-like component of the laminate.

6. The film take-out device according to claim 5,

the film take-out device includes a suction base which can suction and hold the film-like member in a planar shape and can be raised or lowered with respect to the laminate, and the operation of the suction base is controlled by the control unit,

after the fourth control, the control unit performs a fifth control of controlling the operations of the first suction member and the second suction member to release the holding of the film-like component held by the first suction member and the second suction member, thereby laminating the film-like component on the laminate,

after the fifth control, the control section performs control as follows:

the suction base is lowered to press the laminate, and,

controlling the operation of the suction base to suck and hold the uppermost film-like member of the stacked body.

7. The film take-out apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

the first and second suction members include suction pads made of an elastic member and provided in a corrugated shape.

8. A method for manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board by taking out an uppermost film-like member from a laminate in which a plurality of film-like members are laminated,

the method of manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board is characterized in that,

the method comprises the following steps:

a suction step of controlling operations of the first lifting member and the second lifting member so that the uppermost film-like component stacked on the stack is sucked and held by a first suction member capable of sucking and holding one edge portion side of the film-like component and a second suction member capable of sucking and holding the other edge portion side of the film-like component;

and a shaking-off step of moving at least one of a first lifting and lowering member that lifts or lowers the first suction member and a second lifting and lowering member that lifts or lowers the second suction member, so as to move one of the first suction member and the second suction member relatively up or down with respect to the other one of the first suction member and the second suction member, thereby shaking off the other film-like component other than the film-like component sucked and held.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a film take-out device and a method for manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board.

Background

In a manufacturing process of a flexible printed circuit board, there are: and a step of taking out one film-like member from a portion where a plurality of film-like members such as copper foils are laminated and supplying the film-like member to another processing portion. As an apparatus for taking out a film-like member used for manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board, there is an apparatus disclosed in patent document 1. In the configuration disclosed in patent document 1, as a mechanism for preventing two film-like members from being taken out simultaneously, specifically, the following is made: in a state where a plurality of film-like members are stacked, the film-like member located at the uppermost position in the stacking sequence is sucked by a vacuum chuck, and then the first cylinder is operated to raise the moving frame.

[ Prior art documents ]

[ patent document ]

Patent document 1: japanese Kokai and JP 59-108744A

However, in the configuration disclosed in patent document 1, the vacuum chucks on the fixed frame side and the moving frame side are pressed in a state where a plurality of film-like members are stacked, and in this pressed state, the moving frame side is raised without raising the fixed frame side. Therefore, the film-like member may be bent and twisted. In particular, since the copper foil is easily deformed such as bent or folded, if one side of the moving frame is raised in a pressed state by the vacuum chuck, the copper foil becomes a cause of the distortion.

Such distortion is not preferable because it causes a failure in the production of a flexible printed wiring board.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide: a film take-out device and a method of manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board are provided which can prevent a plurality of film-like members from being taken out simultaneously without causing distortion in the film-like members.

In order to solve the above problem, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a film take-out device for taking out a film-like member used for manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board, the film take-out device having the following features.

The film take-out device of the present invention includes: a first suction member capable of sucking and holding one edge portion side of the film-like component, a second suction member capable of sucking and holding the other edge portion side of the film-like component, a first elevation member that raises or lowers the first suction member, a second elevation member that raises or lowers the second suction member, and a control unit that controls operations of the first elevation member and the second elevation member; the control unit performs a first control in which the operations of the first lifting/lowering member and the second lifting/lowering member are controlled so that the film-like component stacked on the top side is sucked and held by the first suction member and the second suction member from the stacked body in which the plurality of film-like components are stacked, and after the first control, performs a second control in which the operation of at least one of the first lifting/lowering member and the second lifting/lowering member is controlled so that one of the first suction member and the second suction member is relatively raised or lowered with respect to the other one of the first suction member and the second suction member, thereby shaking off the other film-like component other than the film-like component sucked and held.

In another aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, it is preferable that: after the first control, the control unit performs a third control of controlling the operations of the first lifting member and the second lifting member so as to move the film-like component sucked and held by the first suction member and the second suction member in a direction of separating from the stacked body, and after the third control, the control unit performs the second control.

In another aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, it is preferable that: the first lifting member includes a first lifting member for lifting or lowering one side of the first suction member in the longitudinal direction and a first lifting member for lifting or lowering the other side of the first suction member in the longitudinal direction, the second lifting member includes a second lifting member for lifting or lowering one side of the second suction member in the longitudinal direction and a second lifting member for lifting or lowering the other side of the second suction member in the longitudinal direction, and the control unit performs the following control in the second control: the operation of the first lifting member on one side is controlled to lift one side in the longitudinal direction of the first suction member, after the start of the operation, the operation of the first lifting member on the other side is controlled to lift the other side in the longitudinal direction of the first suction member, the operation of the second lifting member on one side is further controlled to lift one side in the longitudinal direction of the second suction member, and after the start of the operation, the operation of the second lifting member on the other side is controlled to lift the other side in the longitudinal direction of the second suction member.

In another aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, it is preferable that: in the second control, the operations of the first lifting member and the second lifting member are controlled so that either one of the first suction member and the second suction member is moved in a direction of separating from the stacked body and the other one of the first suction member and the second suction member is not moved, and after the start of the operation, the operations of the first lifting member and the second lifting member are controlled so that either one of the first suction member and the second suction member is not moved and the remaining one of the first suction member and the second suction member is moved in a direction of separating from the stacked body.

In another aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, it is preferable that: a film take-out device is provided with: a separating member which is inserted between adjacent film-like members to prevent the film-like members from being adsorbed to each other, and a moving member which moves the separating member to insert the separating member between the adjacent film-like members; the control unit controls the operation of the moving member, and after the third control, the control unit performs a fourth control in which the operation of the moving member is controlled so that the separating member is disposed between the film-like member held by the first suction member and the second suction member and the uppermost film-like member of the stacked body.

In another aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, it is preferable that: the film take-out device comprises an adsorption base which can suck and hold the film-shaped component in a plane shape and can ascend or descend relative to the laminated body, and the action of the adsorption base is controlled by a control part; after the fourth control, the control unit performs a fifth control of controlling the operations of the first suction member and the second suction member to release the holding of the film-like component held by the first suction member and the second suction member, thereby laminating the film-like component on the laminate, and after the fifth control, the control unit performs: the suction base is lowered to press the laminate, and the operation of the suction base is controlled to suck and hold the uppermost film-like member of the laminate.

In another aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, it is preferable that: the first and second suction members are provided with suction pads made of an elastic member and formed in a corrugated shape.

In addition, according to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a flexible printed wiring board by taking out an uppermost film-like member from a laminated body in which a plurality of film-like members are laminated.

The method for manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board is characterized by comprising the following steps: a suction step of controlling the operations of the first lifting member and the second lifting member so that the film-like component stacked on the top is sucked and held from the stacked body by the first suction member capable of sucking and holding one edge portion side of the film-like component and the second suction member capable of sucking and holding the other edge portion side of the film-like component; and a shaking-off step of moving at least one of the first lifting and lowering member and the second lifting and lowering member so as to lift or lower one of the first suction member and the second suction member relative to the other one of the first suction member and the second suction member, thereby shaking off the other film-like component other than the film-like component sucked and held, wherein the first lifting and lowering member lifts or lowers the first suction member and the second lifting and lowering member lifts or lowers the second suction member.

(effect of the invention)

According to the present invention, there can be provided: a film take-out device and a method of manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board are provided which can prevent a plurality of film-like members from being taken out simultaneously without causing distortion in the film-like members.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a film take-out apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view showing a schematic configuration of the suction holding portion of the thin film take-out apparatus shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view showing a schematic configuration of the suction holding portion, the rotating mechanism, the suction mechanism, and the elevating mechanism of the film take-out apparatus shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a separation plate unit of the film take-out apparatus shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing a configuration of the film take-out apparatus including the mounting table unit and the suction base included in the film take-out apparatus shown in fig. 1, and is a view of a state of the film take-out apparatus as viewed from a side surface.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the mounting table is raised to a predetermined raised position in the thin film take-out apparatus shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the film-like member at the uppermost surface is sucked and held by the suction pad and is raised in the film take-out apparatus shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a first operation example of the operation timings of the lift cylinder on the first suction unit side and the lift cylinder on the second suction unit side of the thin film take-out apparatus shown in fig. 1, and is a diagram showing a relationship between the operation time and the height position of each lift cylinder.

Fig. 9 is a view showing a state in which the suction-holding portion on the first suction unit side is raised and the suction-holding portion on the second suction unit side is not raised in the film take-out apparatus shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the suction-holding portion on the second suction unit side is raised from the state shown in fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which the suction-holding portion on the first suction unit side is lowered while maintaining the state in which the suction-holding portion on the second suction unit side is raised from the state shown in fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a view showing a state in which the suction-holding portion on the second suction unit side is lowered from the state shown in fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a second operation example of the operation timings of the lift cylinder on the first suction unit side and the lift cylinder on the second suction unit side of the thin film take-out apparatus shown in fig. 1, and is a diagram showing a relationship between the operation time and the height position of each lift cylinder.

Fig. 14 is a view showing a state in which the suction-holding portion on the second suction unit side is raised and then lowered from the state shown in fig. 9, and the suction-holding portion on the first suction unit side is maintained in a stopped state.

Fig. 15 is a view showing a state in which the separation plate is inserted between the film-like member sucked and held and the uppermost film-like member of the laminate after the state shown in fig. 10.

Fig. 16 is a view showing a state in which the suction holding of the film-like member held by suction is released after the state shown in fig. 15.

Fig. 17 is a view showing a state in which the suction holding portion is positioned at the retracted position and the suction base is lowered to press the suction plate toward the stacked body after the state shown in fig. 16.

Fig. 18 is a perspective view showing a state in which the suction-holding portion located on the side of the arrangement direction among the suction-holding portions located on the first suction unit side is raised in the film take-out apparatus shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 19 is a perspective view showing a state in which, after the state shown in fig. 18, the suction-holding portion located on the other side in the arrangement direction among the suction-holding portions present on the first suction unit side is raised.

Fig. 20 is a view showing a state in which, after the state shown in fig. 19, the suction-holding portion located on the side of the arrangement direction among the suction-holding portions present on the second suction unit side is raised.

Fig. 21 is a view showing a state in which, after the state shown in fig. 20, the suction-holding portion located on the other side in the arrangement direction among the suction-holding portions present on the second suction unit side is raised.

(symbol description)

A 10 … film taking-out device, a 20 … first suction unit, a 30 … suction holding portion (corresponding to a part of a first suction member), a 31 … suction cup, a 31a … film contact portion, a 32 … support arm, a 40 … rotation mechanism, a 41 … support shaft, a 42 … support column, a 43 … rotation driver, a 44 … frame, a 45 … drive transmission mechanism, a 50 … suction mechanism (corresponding to a part of a first suction member), a 51 … suction pump, a 52 … suction duct, a 60 … lifting mechanism (corresponding to a first lifting member), a 61 … suspension member, a 62 … lifting cylinder, a 70 … separation plate unit, a 71 … separation plate (corresponding to a separation member), a 72 … support arm, a 73 … connection beam, a 74 … separation plate driver (corresponding to a movement member), a 75 … guide member, a 120 second suction unit, a 130 120 … suction holding portion (corresponding to a part of a second suction holding member), and a 130 … suction holding portion (corresponding to a part of a second suction member), 131 … suction pad, 131a … film contact section, 132 … support arm, 140 … rotation mechanism, 141 … support shaft, 142 … support column, 143 … rotation driver, 144 … frame, 145 … drive transmission mechanism, 150 … suction mechanism (corresponding to a part of the second suction member), 151 … suction pump, 152 … suction duct, 160 … lifting mechanism (corresponding to the second lifting member), 161 … suspension unit, 36162 lifting cylinder, 170 … separation plate unit, 171 … separation plate (corresponding to the separation member), 172 … support arm, 173 … connection beam, 174 … separation plate driver (corresponding to the movement member), 175 … guide unit, 200 … platform unit, 201 … platform, 202 … lifting guide, 203 … platform cylinder, 210 … control section, 220 … suction base, 221 … suction plate, 222 … movement connection section, PS … movement section, S, S1, S2 … film-like member

Detailed Description

The film take-out apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the following description, the longitudinal direction of the support shaft 41 is defined as the X direction, the X1 side is the right side of the drawing sheet in fig. 1, and the X2 side is the left side of the drawing sheet in fig. 1. The direction connecting the first suction unit 20 and the second suction unit 120 is the Y direction, the Y1 side is the front side of the sheet in fig. 1, and the Y2 side is the rear side of the sheet in fig. 1. The direction (vertical direction) connecting the suction base 220 and the mounting table unit 200 in fig. 5 is defined as the Z direction, the Z1 side is the rear side (upper side) of the drawing sheet in fig. 5, and the Z2 side is the front side (lower side) of the drawing sheet in fig. 5.

(construction of film take-out device)

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a film take-out apparatus 10. As shown in fig. 1, the main constituent elements of the film take-out apparatus 10 include: the first suction unit 20, the second suction unit 120, the mounting table unit 200, the control unit 210, and the suction base 220 (see fig. 5).

The first adsorption unit 20 includes: a suction holding portion 30, a rotation mechanism 40, a suction mechanism 50, a lifting mechanism 60, and a separation plate unit 70. Here, the suction holding portion 30 corresponds to a part of the first suction member. In addition, the first suction member corresponds to not only the suction holding portion 30 but also the suction mechanism 50.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the suction holding portion 30. The suction holding portion 30 shown in fig. 2 is a portion for suction holding the film-like member S, and the suction holding portion 30 is attached to the support shaft 41 constituting the rotating mechanism 40. The suction holding portion 30 includes a suction cup 31, and the suction cup 31 is attached to a support arm 32.

The suction pad 31 is made of an elastic member having elasticity, such as rubber or an elastic body. Therefore, the structure is as follows: even if the film contact portion 31a on the tip side of the suction pad 31 contacts the film-like member S, the film-like member S is not damaged. The suction pad 31 is a cylindrical member provided in a bellows shape. Therefore, the direction of the film contact portion 31a can easily change following the film-like member S, and thus even if deformation such as warpage occurs in the film-like member S, the deformation can be followed.

Further, the suction pad 31 is attached to the distal end side (one end side) of the support arm 32. The support arm 32 is formed of a rigid member such as metal, and the support arm 32 can support the suction pad 31 and the suction branch pipe. Further, the support arm 32 is rotated by the rotating mechanism 40, and thereby: the contact operation of bringing the suction pad 31 into contact with the film-like member S and the retreat operation of separating the suction pad 31 from the film-like member S can be performed.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the suction holding portion 30, the rotating mechanism 40, the suction mechanism 50, and the elevating mechanism 60. The turning mechanism 40 includes a support shaft 41, a support column 42, and a turning actuator 43. The support shaft 41 is a portion to which the other end side of the support arm 32 is attached, and is a member that is rotated by operation of a rotation actuator 43 described later. The support shaft 41 is a shaft member rotatably supported at least at two positions on the support column 42. The support column 42 is a member standing from the frame 44, and supports the support shaft 41 or the suction holding portion 30. The frame 44 is a member for supporting the support column 42, and for example, a long member made of metal disposed on the lower side of the support column 42 is a frame.

Further, a rotation actuator 43 is attached to one end side of the support shaft 41 via a drive transmission mechanism 45. The support shaft 41 is rotated by the operation of the rotation actuator 43. One end portion of the rotation is an end point of the contact operation in which the suction pad 31 contacts the film-like member S, and the other end portion of the rotation is an end point of the retreat operation in which the suction pad 31 separates from the film-like member S. Here, as the turning actuator 43, for example, an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, an electromagnetic coil, a motor, or the like can be used. The turning actuator 43 may be directly coupled to the support shaft 41.

The suction mechanism 50 includes a suction pump 51 and a suction duct 52. The suction pump 51 is a member that applies a negative pressure for sucking and holding the film-like member S by the suction pad 31. One end side of a suction pipe 52 is connected to the suction pump 51, and the other end side of the suction pipe 52 is connected to the suction cup 31. Therefore, when the suction pump 51 is operated and the suction pad 31 is in contact with the film-like member S, the film-like member S can be sucked and held by the suction pad 31.

The suction duct 52 may be any tubular member that can allow air to flow, such as a duct made of an elastic material or a metal or resin pipe. In addition, when the support arm 32 is provided in a cylindrical shape, the support arm 32 is also one of the components of the suction duct 52.

The elevating mechanism 60 is a mechanism for elevating or lowering at least a part of the suction holding portion 30, the rotating mechanism 40, and the suction duct 52. Further, the following may be configured: the lifting mechanism 60 may lift or lower the suction pump 51 as well as at least a part of the suction duct 52. In addition, the elevating mechanism 60 corresponds to a first elevating member. The elevating mechanism 60 is disposed on both ends in the longitudinal direction of the frame 44. The lifting mechanism 60 includes a suspension member 61 and a lifting cylinder 62.

The suspension member 61 is a mechanism for connecting the end of the frame 44 and the distal end of the piston rod of the lift cylinder 62, and for example, a link mechanism, a bearing, or the like may be used as the suspension member 61. In particular, when the link mechanism is used, the lift cylinder 62 on the one end side of the frame 44 and the lift cylinder 62 on the other end side of the frame 44 can be moved up and down at different timings (timing), and thus the frame 44, the suction holding portion 30 supported by the frame 44, and the like can be tilted.

However, the suspension member 61 may be connected between the frame 44 and the lift cylinder 62 by using, for example, a metal columnar member, instead of using a link mechanism or a bearing. Further, since the rod of the lift cylinder 62 is normally not tiltable, when the suspension member 61 is formed of a metal columnar member, it is preferable that: the lift cylinder 62 on one end side of the frame 44 and the lift cylinder 62 on the other end side of the frame 44 are raised and lowered at the same timing.

The lift cylinder 62 is a member that applies a driving force, and the frame 44, the suction holding portion 30, and the like are raised or lowered by the driving force. As the lift cylinder 62, for example, an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, an electromagnetic coil, a motor, or the like can be used.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the separation plate unit 70. As shown in fig. 4, the separation plate unit 70 is provided with a separation plate 71, a support arm 72, a connecting cross member 73, a separation plate driver 74, and a guide member 75. The separation plate 71 is a plate-like member that: when the uppermost film-like member S of the stacked body PS (see fig. 5) is lifted while maintaining the state of being held by the suction holding section 30, the lifted film-like member S and the film-like member S positioned directly below the lifted film-like member S are interposed therebetween. By the insertion of the separating plate 71, even if the film-like member S held by the suction holding portion 30 is lowered thereafter, the film-like member S held by the suction holding portion 30 can be prevented from coming into close contact with the film-like member S immediately below and becoming inseparable. In addition, the separation plate 71 corresponds to a separation member.

Here, the separating plate 71 is formed of a material that is less likely to damage the film-like member S. Specifically, the separation plate 71 is formed of: the film-like member S can be easily deformed even when a pressing force is applied thereto. Examples of such a material include spring steel and elastic resin. In addition, the material of the separating plate 71 is preferably spring steel from the viewpoint of preventing dust from adhering to the film-like member S.

The support arm 72 is a member that supports the separation plate 71, and the support arm 72 holds one end side of the separation plate 71. The connecting cross member 73 is a member that connects a plurality of (three in fig. 1 and 4) support arms 72. The separating plate driver 74 corresponds to a moving member, and is a portion that moves the support arm 72 closer to or away from the film-like member S. As such a separation plate driver 74, for example, an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, an electromagnetic coil, a motor, and the like can be used. In the present embodiment, the separator actuator 74 is attached to be able to move the connecting beam 73. The guide member 75 is a member for guiding the movement of the connecting beam 73 by the operation of the separator actuator 74, and the guide member 75 is, for example, a rail-shaped member, a linear guide, or the like.

In addition, as shown in fig. 1, the second adsorption unit 120 has the same configuration as the first adsorption unit 20. Specifically, the second adsorption unit 120 includes: a suction holding portion 130, a rotation mechanism 140, a suction mechanism 150, a lift mechanism 160, and a separation plate unit 170.

That is, the suction holding portion 130 includes: a suction cup 131 having a film contact portion 131a, and a support arm 132. In addition, the suction holding portion 130 corresponds to a part of the second suction member. The pivoting mechanism 140 includes a support shaft 141, a support column 142, a pivoting actuator 143, and a frame 144. The suction mechanism 150 includes a suction pump 151 and a suction duct 152. In addition, the suction mechanism 150 corresponds to a part of the second suction member. The lifting mechanism 160 includes a suspension member 161 and a lifting cylinder 162. In addition, the elevating mechanism 160 corresponds to a second elevating member. The separator plate unit 170 includes a separator plate 171, a support arm 172, a connecting beam 173, a separator plate driver 174, and a guide member 175. In addition, the separation plate 171 corresponds to a separation member, and the separation plate driver 174 corresponds to a moving member. These portions have the same configuration as the corresponding portions of the first adsorption unit 20, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

The film take-out apparatus 10 includes a mounting table unit 200. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the film take-out apparatus 10 including the mounting table unit 200 and the suction base 220, and is a diagram of a state in which the film take-out apparatus 10 is viewed from the side. As shown in fig. 5, the table unit 200 has a table 201, a lifting guide 202, and a table cylinder 203.

The mounting table 201 is a member having a flat plate shape, and a plurality of film-like members S are mounted on the upper surface side of the mounting table 201. In addition, the lifting guide 202 is a member that: by being disposed at a predetermined interval on the edge portion side of the stage 201 (for example, a recess portion provided on the edge portion side of the stage 201), the stage 201 can be guided to be raised or lowered in the vertical direction (Z direction) without being displaced. The stage cylinder 203 is a member that applies a driving force to move the stage 201 in the vertical direction (Z direction). As the table cylinder 203, for example, an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, an electromagnetic coil, a motor, or the like can be used.

The film take-out apparatus 10 further includes a control unit 210. The control unit 210 controls the driving of the driving portions of the first adsorption unit 20 and the second adsorption unit 120. Specifically, the control unit 210 controls the driving of the rotation actuators 43 and 143, the suction pumps 51 and 151, the lift cylinders 62 and 162, and the separation plate actuators 74 and 174.

The control unit 210 is, for example, a computer, and the control unit 210 can execute various control operations by executing predetermined control data and a predetermined control program stored in a memory including an external storage device. The control operation performed by the control unit 210 will be described later.

As shown in fig. 5, the suction base 220 includes a suction plate 221, a moving mechanism connecting portion 222, a suction member not shown, and a moving mechanism not shown. The suction plate 221 is provided with a plurality of suction holes, not shown. Therefore, the suction plate 221 can suck the film-like member S in a planar manner. The moving mechanism connecting portion 222 is a portion connected to a moving mechanism not shown. Therefore, the movement mechanism operates to lower the suction plate 221, or to convey the film-like member S sucked by the suction base 220 to another processing portion.

The film-like member S is a film-like member used for manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board, and is, for example, a copper foil sheet, a polyimide sheet, or the like. In addition, as for the film-like member S such as a copper foil sheet or a polyimide film, for example, other film members such as a release film (protective film) or a protective film may be attached to a base material such as a copper foil film or a polyimide film, but such film members may not be attached. When another film member is attached to a base material such as a copper foil material or a polyimide material in the film-like member S, the film-like member S is likely to be warped due to a difference in thermal shrinkage rate between the base material and the film member.

(regarding control action)

A method for manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board using the film take-out apparatus 10 configured as above will be described below. In the following description, the first to seventh steps are described in order, but it goes without saying that various other steps may be present in addition to these steps.

(1) A first step: suction holding of the uppermost film-like member S (first control)

First, as shown in fig. 5, a laminate PS in which a plurality of film-like members S are laminated is disposed at a predetermined placement position. Thereafter, as shown in fig. 6, the controller 210 operates the stage cylinder 203 to raise the stage 201 to a predetermined raised position, thereby bringing the tip end portion of the suction pad 31 of the suction/holding unit 30 into contact with the uppermost film-like member S of the laminate PS (hereinafter, this film-like member S is referred to as a film-like member S1). At this time, the control unit 210 operates the suction pump 51 of the suction mechanism 50 to suck and hold the uppermost film-like member S by the suction pad 31.

Here, the uppermost film-like member S1 in contact with the suction pad 31 may be warped such that the end portion side thereof faces upward (Z1 side). However, the suction cup 31 is provided in a bellows shape so as to be elastically deformable. Therefore, even if the tip of the suction pad 31 comes into contact with the portion of the film-like member S1 where the warpage occurs, the suction pad 31 can be deformed to follow the warpage. Therefore, when the tip of the suction pad 31 comes into contact with the uppermost film-like member S1, the contact portion can be prevented from being damaged.

The controller 210 may lower the suction pad 31 toward the film-like member S1 by operating the lift cylinder 62 without operating the table cylinder 203. Even in this case, the uppermost film-like member S1 can be sucked and held.

(2) A second step: the uppermost film-like member S1 is separated from the laminate PS (third control)

Next, as shown in fig. 7, the controller 210 operates the stage cylinder 203 and the lift cylinder 62 to separate the uppermost film-like member S from the stacked body PS in a state where the suction pad 31 sucks and holds the uppermost film-like member S (i.e., in a state where the suction pump 51 is operated).

Specifically, the control unit 210 operates the table cylinder 203 to lower the table 201 to a predetermined retracted position. This forms a relatively large space between the stacked body PS and the film-like member S1 sucked and held. At this time, even if the film-like member S positioned at the uppermost surface of the remaining stacked body PS (hereinafter, the film-like member S is referred to as a film-like member S2) is largely warped within a virtual range after the film-like member S1 is lifted, a space in which a gap can be reliably formed is formed between the film-like member S and the film-like member S2.

(3) A third step: shaking action implementation (second control)

However, when the uppermost film-like member S1 is lifted, the next film-like member S2 adjacent to the uppermost film-like member S1 may be lifted together. In addition, a plurality of film-like members S including the next film-like member S2 may be lifted. In particular, when the surface roughness of the film-like member S is extremely small (when the film-like member S is extremely smooth), air is less likely to enter between adjacent film-like members S, and therefore, such a situation that the film-like members S are closely held to each other (hereinafter, referred to as simultaneous taking out of a plurality of film-like members S) is likely to occur.

Therefore, assuming that the film-like member S1 is closely attached to the other film-like member S after the uppermost film-like member S1 of the stacked body PS is raised, a shaking-off operation for shaking off the other film-like member S is performed. Specifically, the control unit 210 controls the lift cylinder 62 on the first adsorption unit 20 side and the lift cylinder 162 on the second adsorption unit 120 side such that: the operation is not performed at the same timing but at different timings. The shaking-off operation (first operation example and second operation example) will be described below.

(3-1) first operation example of Shake-off operation

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a first operation example of the operation timings of the lift cylinder 62 on the first adsorption unit 20 side and the lift cylinder 162 on the second adsorption unit 120 side. As shown in fig. 8, the control unit 210 first operates the lift cylinder 62 to raise the suction-holding portion 30 on the first suction unit 20 side, but stops the operation of the lift cylinder 162 at the same timing without raising the suction-holding portion 130 on the second suction unit 120 side. This situation is illustrated in fig. 9. Then, when the suction-holding portion 30 on the first suction unit 20 side is raised, the film-like member S1 is inclined obliquely. Therefore, air easily enters between the film-like member S1 and the other film-like member S in close contact therewith, and thus most of the other film-like member S falls off from the film-like member S1.

Next, as shown in fig. 8 and 10, the control unit 210 operates the lift cylinder 162 to raise the suction-holding portion 130 on the second suction unit 120 side to a predetermined position, in succession to the operation of raising the suction-holding portion 30 on the first suction unit 20 side to a predetermined position. Then, the suction-holding portion 30 on the first suction unit 20 side and the suction-holding portion 130 on the second suction unit 120 side are both raised.

Next, the control unit 210 controls: the lift cylinder 62 on the first adsorption unit 20 side and the lift cylinder 162 on the second adsorption unit 120 side are again operated at different timings. Specifically, as shown in fig. 8 and 11, the suction-holding portion 30 on the first suction unit 20 side is lowered to a predetermined position while maintaining the state in which the suction-holding portion 130 on the second suction unit 120 side is raised. At this time, the film-like member S1 is inclined obliquely such that the suction holding portion 30 side on the first suction unit 20 side is positioned on the lower side (Z2 side), and the film-like member S1 is in a state of being spaced apart from the next film-like member S2 without being in contact with the first suction unit 20 side.

Next, as shown in fig. 8 and 12, the control unit 210 operates the lift cylinder 162 to lower the adsorption and holding part 130 on the second adsorption unit 120 side to a predetermined position while maintaining the state in which the adsorption and holding part 30 on the first adsorption unit 20 side is lowered, in succession to the operation in which the adsorption and holding part 30 on the first adsorption unit 20 side is lowered to a predetermined position. At this time, the second suction unit 120 side of the film-like member S1 is also spaced apart from the next film-like member S2 in the same manner as the first suction unit 20 side of the film-like member S1.

Next, as shown in fig. 8 and 9, the control section 210 performs control such that: the lift cylinder 62 is operated to raise again the adsorption and holding part 30 on the first adsorption unit 20 side, successively to the operation of lowering the adsorption and holding part 130 on the second adsorption unit 120 side to the predetermined position, but at the same timing, the operation of the lift cylinder 162 is stopped without raising the adsorption and holding part 130 on the second adsorption unit 120 side.

Next, as shown in fig. 8 and 10, the control section 210 performs control such that: the lift cylinder 162 is operated to raise the suction-holding portion 130 on the second suction unit 120 side again to the predetermined position, in succession to the operation of raising the suction-holding portion 30 on the first suction unit 20 side to the predetermined position. Then, the suction-holding portion 30 on the first suction unit 20 side and the suction-holding portion 130 on the second suction unit 120 side are both raised. Thereby, a large gap is formed between the film-like member S1 sucked and held and the next film-like member S2. Further, by repeating the raising and lowering of the first suction unit 20 and the second suction unit 120 as described above, air more easily enters between the film-like member S1 and the other film-like member S in close contact therewith, and thereby the other film-like member S falls from the film-like member S1.

Thereafter, the process proceeds to a fourth step described later. However, the shaking-off operation shown in fig. 8 may be repeated again in order to more reliably drop the other film-like member S from the film-like member S1.

(3-2) second operation example of Shake-off operation

Next, a second operation example of the shake-off operation will be described. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a second operation example of the operation timings of the lift cylinder 62 on the first adsorption unit 20 side and the lift cylinder 162 on the second adsorption unit 120 side. As shown in fig. 13, the lift cylinder 62 is first operated to raise the suction-holding portion 30 on the first suction unit 20 side to a predetermined position, but the operation of the lift cylinder 162 is stopped at the same timing without raising the suction-holding portion 130 on the second suction unit 120 side. In this case, as in the case already illustrated in fig. 9, when the suction-holding portion 30 on the first suction unit 20 side is raised, the film-like member S1 is inclined obliquely. Therefore, air easily enters between the film-like member S1 and the other film-like member S in close contact therewith, and most of the other film-like member S falls off from the film-like member S1.

Next, as shown in fig. 13 and 14, the control unit 210 operates the lift cylinder 162 to raise the suction-holding portion 130 on the second suction unit 120 side to a predetermined position, and then lowers the suction-holding portion 130 on the second suction unit 120 side to a predetermined position, but stops the operation of the lift cylinder 62 at the same timing without lowering the suction-holding portion 30 on the first suction unit 20 side. Then, the suction holding portion 130 having reached the raised top portion is again lowered, and therefore, the film-like member S1 is in the same state as in the case of the floating, and air easily enters between the film-like member S and another film-like member S in close contact therewith. Thereby, most of the other film-like member S falls off the film-like member S1. When the suction-holding portion 130 on the second suction unit 120 side is lowered to the predetermined position, the second suction-holding portion 120 side of the film-like member S1 is spaced apart from the next film-like member S2 without coming into contact with the next film-like member.

Further, as shown in fig. 13 and 12, the control unit 210 operates the lift cylinder 62 to lower the suction-holding portion 30 on the first suction unit 20 side to a predetermined position in succession to the operation of lowering the suction-holding portion 130 on the second suction unit 120 side to a predetermined position, but stops the operation of the lift cylinder 162 without raising the suction-holding portion 130 on the second suction unit 120 side at the same timing. At this time, the first suction unit 20 side of the film-like member S1 is also spaced apart from the next film-like member S2, similarly to the second suction unit 120 side of the film-like member S1.

Next, as shown in fig. 13 and 11, the control unit 210 operates the lift cylinder 162 to raise the adsorption and holding portion 130 on the second adsorption unit 120 side in succession to the operation of lowering the adsorption and holding portion 30 on the first adsorption unit 20 side to a predetermined position, but stops the operation of the lift cylinder 62 at the same timing without raising the adsorption and holding portion 30 on the first adsorption unit 20 side.

Next, as shown in fig. 13 and 10, the control unit 210 operates the lift cylinder 62 to raise the suction-holding portion 30 on the first suction unit 20 side to the predetermined position again while maintaining the state of raising the suction-holding portion 130 on the second suction unit 120 side. Then, the suction-holding portion 30 on the first suction unit 20 side and the suction-holding portion 130 on the second suction unit 120 side are both raised. Thereby, a large gap is formed between the film-like member S1 sucked and held and the next film-like member S2. Further, by repeating the raising and lowering of the first suction unit 20 and the second suction unit 120 as described above, air more easily enters between the film-like member S1 and the other film-like member S in close contact therewith, and thereby the other film-like member S falls from the film-like member S1.

Thereafter, the process proceeds to a fourth step described later. However, the shaking-off operation shown in fig. 13 may be repeated again in order to more reliably drop the other film-like member S from the film-like member S1.

The control method of operating the lift cylinder 62 on the first adsorption unit 20 side and the lift cylinder 162 on the second adsorption unit 120 side at different timings, not at the same timing, is not limited to the control method described above. That is, the operation timing of the lift cylinder 62 on the first adsorption unit 20 side and the lift cylinder 162 on the second adsorption unit 120 side may be any timing as long as the other film-like member S in close contact with the uppermost film-like member S1 can be satisfactorily dropped.

(4) A fourth step: insertion of separation plate 71 (fourth control)

Next, as shown in fig. 15, the controller 210 causes the separation plate driver 74 to operate so as to insert the separation plate 71 between the film-like member S1 sucked and held (lifted) by the suction-holding sections 30 and 130 and the uppermost film-like member S2 of the remaining stacked body PS.

(5) A fifth step: the suction holding of the uppermost film-like member S1 is released (fifth control), and then the control unit 210 operates the stage cylinder 203 to raise the stage 201. At the same time, the control unit 210 stops the operations of the suction pump 51 on the first adsorption unit 20 side and the suction pump 151 on the second adsorption unit 120 side, and releases the suction holding of the uppermost film-like member S1. At this time, the suction holding portions 30 and 130 may be lowered by controlling the lift cylinders 62 and 162.

Then, as shown in fig. 16, by releasing the suction holding of the uppermost film-like member S1, the uppermost film-like member S1 falls toward the film-like member S2 (laminate PS). At this time, the separation plate 71 is sandwiched between the uppermost film-like member S1 and the film-like member S2. Further, since the separating plate 71 is formed of an elastically deformable member, even if the separating plate 71 abuts on the film-like members S1 and S2, damage to the film-like members can be prevented. After releasing the suction holding of the film-like member S1, the control unit 210 operates the turning actuators 43 and 143 to position the suction holding units 30 and 130 at the retracted positions (see fig. 17). This prevents interference between the suction holders 30 and 130 and the suction base 220 even if the suction base 220 is lowered in the next step.

(6) A sixth step: next, the uppermost film-like member S1 is sucked and held by the suction base 220, and the control unit 210 lowers the suction base 220 while operating a suction means and a moving mechanism, not shown. Then, the suction plate 221 is pressed against the stack PS, and the stack PS is sandwiched between the suction plate 221 and the mounting table 201. At this time, even if the uppermost film-like member S1 is warped, the uppermost film-like member S1 is sucked and held by the suction plate 221 in a state in which the warp is corrected by the sandwiching operation. This situation is illustrated in fig. 17. In addition, even in the state shown in fig. 17, the separation plate 71 is sandwiched between the uppermost film-like member S1 and the film-like member S2, as in the state shown in fig. 16.

Here, when the suction plate 221 is strongly pressed, the separation plates 71 and 171 are sandwiched between the stacked body PS and the suction plate 221, and thus scratches may be generated. In order to prevent such scratches, the suction base 220 includes a suction blower (not shown) and the suction plate 221 is gradually lowered while being sucked by the suction blower. Then, it is preferable that: immediately before the adsorption plate 221 presses the uppermost film-like member S1 downward (Z2 side), only the uppermost film-like member S1 is sucked to be raised. The suction plate 221 gradually descends until the uppermost film-like member S1 is sucked and held, and after the film-like member S1 is sucked and held, the descending of the suction plate 221 is stopped. Here, in order to determine whether or not the uppermost film-like member S1 is suction-held, the suction base 220 may be provided with a vacuum sensor, not shown.

When the uppermost film-like member S1 and the other film-like members S are warped, the vacuum sensor does not determine that the uppermost film-like member S1 is sucked and held by the suction blower unless the suction plate 221 is lowered until the uppermost film-like member S1 is flat. In this case, the uppermost film-like member S1 is pressed in a flat state until the uppermost film-like member S1 is sucked by the suction blower. However, even if the film-like member S1 is pressed in a flat shape, the further pressing toward the lower side (Z2 side) of the film-like member S1 is stopped when the film-like member S1 is sucked and held, and therefore, the generation of the scratch as described above can be prevented.

After the uppermost film-like member S1 is sucked by the suction plate 221, a not-shown moving mechanism is operated to raise the suction base 220, and then the uppermost film-like member S1 is conveyed to another processing portion.

(7) A seventh step: lowering of the table 201 (returning to the initial position)

Next, the controller 210 moves the table 201 to the initial position by operating the table cylinder 203 and lowering the table 201. Then, the operations of the first to seventh steps are repeated, and the film-like member S is sequentially taken out from the laminate PS.

(with respect to other control actions)

However, the operation of dropping the other film-like member S on the first suction unit 20 side and the second suction unit 120 side as described above may be performed as follows.

First, the first step (the suction and holding of the uppermost film-like member S) similar to the step described above with reference to fig. 6 is performed. The first step is already described, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted. Next, as an operation combining the second step (separating the uppermost film-like member S1 from the stacked body PS) and the third step (performing the shake-off operation), the following operations of the eighth step to the eleventh step are performed.

(8) An eighth step: the first adsorption unit 20 is arranged on the one side (X1 side) of the suction holding portion 30

After the first step, the controller 210 controls the operation of the lift cylinder 62 to raise, for example, the suction-holding portion 30 located on the one side in the arrangement direction (the X1 side) among the suction-holding portions 30 present on the first suction unit 20 side. This state is illustrated in fig. 18. Then, the support shaft 41 is inclined, and therefore the height position of the suction holding portion 30 gradually becomes lower from one side (X1 side) to the other side (X2 side) in the arrangement direction of the suction holding portion 30. At this time, the suction holding portions 130 existing on the second suction unit 120 side are arranged in a state where the height positions are aligned, and therefore: the film-like member S1 sucked and held is not sucked and held in a planar shape, but is sucked and held in a state where the back side (Y2 side) is twisted.

By performing such an operation of twisting the film-like member S1, air easily enters between the film-like member S1 and the other film-like member S closely attached thereto, and thus most of the other film-like members S fall off the film-like member S1.

(9) A ninth step: the suction-holding portion 30 on the other side (X2 side) in the arrangement direction of the first suction units 20 is raised

Next, the control unit 210 controls the operation of the lift cylinder 62 to raise the suction-holding portion 30 positioned on the other side (X2 side) in the arrangement direction among the suction-holding portions 30 present on the first suction unit 20 side. This state diagram is shown in fig. 19. Then, the whole of the suction-holding portion 30 on the first suction unit 20 side is raised. At this time, a gap is formed between the film-like member S1 sucked and held and the next film-like member S2 on the first suction unit 20 side.

At this time, the film-like member S1 is restored from the twisted state, and the entire rear side (Y2 side) thereof is raised. By performing this operation, air is likely to enter between the film-like member S1 and the other film-like member S in close contact therewith, and thus most of the other film-like member S falls off the film-like member S1.

(10) A tenth step: the suction holding portion 130 on the side (X1 side) of the arrangement direction of the second suction unit 120 is raised

Next, the controller 210 controls the operation of the lift cylinder 162 to raise the suction-holding portion 130 positioned on the one side in the arrangement direction (the X1 side) among the suction-holding portions 130 present on the second suction unit 120 side. This state diagram is shown in fig. 20. Then, the support shaft 141 is inclined, and therefore, the height position of the suction holding portion 130 gradually becomes lower from one side (X1 side) to the other side (X2 side) in the arrangement direction of the suction holding portion 130. At this time, since the plurality of suction-holding portions 30 on the first suction unit 20 side have already risen to the same height, they become: the film-like member S1 sucked and held is not sucked and held in a planar shape, but is sucked and held in a state where the outer side (Y1 side) is twisted.

By performing such an operation of twisting the film-like member S1, air more easily enters between the film-like member S1 and the other film-like member S in close contact therewith, and thus most of the other film-like member S falls off from the film-like member S1.

(11) An eleventh step: the suction holding portion 130 on the other side (the side of X2) in the arrangement direction of the second suction unit 120 is raised

Next, the controller 210 controls the operation of the lift cylinder 162 to raise the suction-holding portion 130 positioned on the other side (X2 side) in the arrangement direction among the suction-holding portions 130 present on the second suction unit 120 side. This state diagram is shown in fig. 21. Then, the whole of the suction holding portion 130 on the second suction unit 120 side is raised. At this time, the whole of the suction-holding portion 30 on the first suction unit 20 side has already risen. Therefore, a gap (space) in a substantially parallel state is formed between the film-like member S1 sucked and held and the next film-like member S2.

At this time, the film-like member S1 is restored from the twisted state, and the entire rear side (Y2 side) thereof is raised. By performing such an operation, air easily enters between the film-like member S1 and another film-like member S in close contact therewith, and the other film-like member S falls off from the film-like member S1.

By performing the operations of the eighth step to the eleventh step as described above, air easily enters between the film-like member S1 and the other film-like member S adhered thereto, and thus the other film-like member S adhered to the film-like member S1 falls off from the film-like member S1.

After the eleventh step, the fourth step (insertion of the separation plate 71), the fifth step (release of suction and holding of the uppermost film-like member S1), the sixth step (suction and holding of the uppermost film-like member S1 by the suction base 220), and the seventh step (lowering (returning to the initial position) of the mounting table 201) are sequentially performed as described above.

In addition, after the above-described respective steps, the respective steps for manufacturing the flexible printed circuit board are performed, thereby manufacturing the flexible printed circuit board as a product.

(regarding Effect)

The film take-out apparatus 10 configured as above is capable of taking out a film-like member S used for manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board, and the film take-out apparatus 10 includes: the film-like component S includes a suction holding portion 30 (first suction member) capable of suction-holding one edge portion side of the film-like component S, a suction holding portion 130 (second suction member) capable of suction-holding the other edge portion side of the film-like component S, an elevating mechanism 60 (first elevating member) for raising or lowering the suction holding portion 30 (first suction member), an elevating mechanism 160 (second elevating member) for raising or lowering the suction holding portion 130 (second suction member), and a control portion 210 for controlling operations of the elevating mechanism 60 (first elevating member) and the elevating mechanism 160 (second elevating member).

The control unit 210 performs a first control of controlling the operations of the lifting mechanism 60 (first lifting member) and the lifting mechanism 160 (second lifting mechanism), so that the uppermost film-like component S1 stacked in the stack PS is sucked and held by the suction holding section 30 (first suction member) and the suction holding section 130 (second suction member), after the first control, the control unit 210 performs a second control in which, by controlling the operation of at least one of the lifting mechanism 60 (first lifting member) and the lifting mechanism 160 (second lifting member), as a result, either one of the suction holding portion 30 (first suction member) and the suction holding portion 130 (second suction member) is relatively raised or lowered with respect to the other, and the other film-like member S than the film-like member sucked and held is thereby shaken off.

Therefore, after the uppermost film-like component S1 is sucked and held by the suction holding section 30 (first suction member) and the suction holding section 130 (second suction member) by the first control, by the second control, after the first control, by raising or lowering either one of the suction holding section 30 (first suction member) and the suction holding section 130 (second suction member) relative to the other one, air easily enters between the sucked and held film-like component S and the other film-like component S in close contact therewith, and thereby most of the other film-like components S fall off from the film-like component S1. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a plurality of film-like members S from being taken out at the same time.

In order to prevent such simultaneous removal of a plurality of film-like members S, the film-like members S have been manually removed in the related art, but in the present embodiment, the film-like members S can be automatically removed by using the film removing apparatus 10. Therefore, it is possible to prevent human error in the operation of taking out the film-like member S and to improve the production efficiency of the flexible printed circuit board by performing the automatic taking-out operation.

In addition, since the operation for preventing the simultaneous removal of the plurality of film-like components S is performed by the relative vertical movement between the suction holding portion 30 (first suction member) and the suction holding portion 130 (second suction member), the film-like components S can be formed without being twisted.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 210 performs the third control after the first control, and performs the second control after the third control while controlling the operations of the elevating mechanism 60 (first elevating member) and the elevating mechanism 160 (second elevating member) to move the film-like component S sucked and held by the suction holding unit 30 (first suction member) and the suction holding unit 130 (second suction member) in the direction of separating from the stacked body PS.

Therefore, even if deformation such as warpage occurs in the film-like member S, a space for dropping the other film-like member S adhered to the film-like member S1 can be secured. Further, a sufficient space for performing the relative elevating operation between the suction holding portion 30 (first suction member) and the suction holding portion 130 (second suction member) can be secured, and thus the other film-like member S adhering to the film-like member S1 can be favorably dropped.

Further, in the present embodiment, the lifting mechanism 60 (first lifting member) includes a lifting cylinder 62 (first lifting member on one side) for raising and lowering one side in the longitudinal direction of the suction holding portion 30 (first suction member), and a lifting cylinder 62 (first lifting member on the other side) for raising and lowering the other side in the longitudinal direction of the suction holding portion 30 (first suction member). The lifting mechanism 160 (second lifting member) includes a lifting cylinder 162 (one second lifting member) for raising or lowering one side in the longitudinal direction of the suction holding portion 130 (second suction member) and a lifting cylinder 162 (the other second lifting member) for raising or lowering the other side in the longitudinal direction of the suction holding portion 130 (second suction member). In the second control, the control unit 210 performs the following control: the operation of the elevation cylinder 62 (first elevation member on one side) is controlled to raise one side in the longitudinal direction of the suction-holding portion 30 (first suction member), the operation of the elevation cylinder 62 (first elevation member on the other side) is controlled to raise the other side in the longitudinal direction of the suction-holding portion 30 (first suction member), the operation of the elevation cylinder 162 (second elevation member on one side) is controlled to raise one side in the longitudinal direction of the suction-holding portion 130 (second suction member), and the operation of the elevation cylinder 162 (second elevation member on the other side) is controlled to raise the other side in the longitudinal direction of the suction-holding portion 130 (second suction member) after the start of the operation. Therefore, the suction holding portion 30 (first suction member) positioned on one side (X1 side) in the longitudinal direction (X direction) rises relative to the suction holding portion 30 (first suction member) positioned on the other side (X2 side) in the longitudinal direction (X direction), and thus, as shown in fig. 18, an operation of twisting the film-like component S1 is performed. Further, since the suction holding portion 130 (second suction member) positioned on one side (X1 side) in the longitudinal direction (X direction) is raised relative to the suction holding portion 130 (second suction member) positioned on the other side (X2 side) in the longitudinal direction (X direction), as shown in fig. 20, an operation of twisting the film-like component S1 is performed. By performing such an operation, air is likely to enter between the film-like member S1 and the other film-like member S in close contact therewith, and thus most of the other film-like member S falls off the film-like member S1. Therefore, it is possible to favorably prevent the plurality of film-like members S from being taken out simultaneously.

In the present embodiment, in the second control, the operations of the elevation mechanism 60 (first elevation member) and the elevation mechanism 160 (second elevation member) are controlled to move one of the suction-holding portion 30 (first suction member) and the suction-holding portion 130 (second suction member) in the direction of separating from the stacked body PS and to move the other of the suction-holding portion 30 (first suction member) and the suction-holding portion 130 (second suction member) in the non-moving state, and after the start of the operation, the operations of the elevation mechanism 60 (first elevation member) and the elevation mechanism 160 (second elevation member) are controlled to move the other of the suction-holding portion 30 (first suction member) and the suction-holding portion 130 (second suction member) in the non-moving state and to move the remaining one of the suction-holding portion 30 (first suction member) and the suction-holding portion 130 (second suction member) in the direction of separating from the stacked body PS And (4) moving.

Therefore, as shown in fig. 8 or 13, since either one of the suction-holding portion 30 (first suction member) and the suction-holding portion 130 (second suction member) is in a state of being raised or lowered with the other one as a fulcrum, air easily enters between the film-like member S1 and the other film-like member S in close contact therewith. This enables the other film-like member S to be favorably dropped from the uppermost film-like member S1, and thus, the simultaneous removal of a plurality of film-like members S can be favorably prevented.

Further, in the present embodiment, the film take-out apparatus 10 includes: a separation plate 71 (separation member) which is inserted between adjacent film-like members S and prevents the film-like members S from being attracted to each other, and a separation plate driver 74 (moving member) which moves the separation plate 71 (separation member) so as to insert the separation plate 71 (separation member) between the adjacent film-like members S. Further, the control unit 210 controls the operation of the separation plate driver 74 (moving member), and the control unit 210 performs a fourth control in which the operation of the separation plate driver 74 (moving member) is controlled and the separation plate 71 (separation member) is disposed at a position where: the film-like component S1 held by the suction holding section 30 (first suction member) and the suction holding section 130 (second suction member) and the uppermost film-like component S2 of the stacked body PS.

Therefore, when the holding of the film-like member S1 sucked and held by the suction and holding section 30 and the suction and holding section 130 (the first suction member and the second suction member) is released and the film-like member S1 falls toward the uppermost film-like member S2 of the stacked body PS, the separation plate 71 is sandwiched between the film-like member S1 and the film-like member S2. Therefore, film-like member S1 and film-like member S2 can be prevented from being stuck again, and film-like member S1 and film-like member S2 can be separated well.

In the present embodiment, the film take-out apparatus 10 includes the suction base 220, the suction base 220 can suck and hold the film-like member S in a planar shape and can be raised or lowered with respect to the stacked body PS, and the operation of the suction base 220 is controlled by the control unit 210. After the fourth control, the controller 210 performs a fifth control of releasing the holding of the film-like component held by the suction holder 30 and the suction holder 130 (the first suction member and the second suction member) by controlling the operations of the suction mechanism 50 (the first suction member) and the suction mechanism 150 (the second suction member) and laminating the film-like component S1 on the laminate PS. Further, after the fifth control, the control unit 210 performs the following control: the suction base 220 is lowered to press the stacked body PS (stacked body), and the operation of the suction base 220 is controlled to suck and hold the uppermost film-like member S1 of the stacked body PS.

Therefore, as shown in fig. 17, by performing the operation of pressing the stack PS by lowering the suction base 220, the stack PS is sandwiched between the suction plate 221 and the mounting table 201. Thus, even if the uppermost film-like member S1 is warped, the sandwiching operation can correct the warping of the uppermost film-like member S1. Therefore, the uppermost film-like member S1 can be sucked and held on the suction base 220 in a planar state. This enables the position of the film-like member S1 to be accurately positioned in the process after the flexible printed circuit board is manufactured.

In the present embodiment, the suction holding portion 30 and the suction holding portion 130 (the first suction member and the second suction member) include suction pads 31 and 131, and the suction pads 31 and 131 are formed in a bellows shape by using an elastic member as a material. Therefore, the suction pads 31 and 131 can easily follow the change of the film-like member S, and therefore, even if deformation such as warpage occurs in the film-like member S, the deformation can be followed. Therefore, even if the suction pads 31 and 131 come into contact with the film-like member S, the film-like member S can be prevented from being damaged.

In addition, the method for manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board according to the present embodiment includes: a suction step of controlling the operations of the lifting mechanism 60 (first lifting means) and the lifting mechanism 160 (second lifting means) so that the uppermost film-like component S1 stacked on the stack PS is sucked and held by the suction holding section 30 (first suction means) capable of sucking and holding one edge portion side of the film-like component S1 and the suction holding section 130 (second suction means) capable of sucking and holding the other edge portion side of the film-like component S1; and a shaking-off step of, after the suction step, shaking off the other film-like component S other than the film-like component sucked and held by the suction holding portion 30 (first suction member) by operating at least one of the elevating mechanism 60 (first elevating member) and the elevating mechanism 160 (second elevating member) so as to raise or lower the other one of the suction holding portion 30 (first suction member) and the suction holding portion 130 (second suction member) relative to the other one of the two members, the elevating mechanism 60 (first elevating member) raising or lowering the suction holding portion 30 (first suction member) and the elevating mechanism 160 (second elevating member) raising or lowering the suction holding portion 130 (second suction member).

Therefore, after the suction step is performed to bring the uppermost film-like component S1 into a state of being sucked and held by the suction holding section 30 (first suction member) and the suction holding section 130 (second suction member), the shake-off step is performed to cause either one of the suction holding section 30 (first suction member) and the suction holding section 130 (second suction member) to be raised or lowered relative to the other one, so that air easily enters between the sucked and held film-like component S1 and the other film-like component S in close contact therewith, and most of the other film-like component S is dropped from the film-like component S1. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a plurality of film-like members S from being taken out at the same time.

In order to prevent such simultaneous removal of a plurality of film-like members S, the film-like members S are conventionally removed manually, but in the present embodiment, the film-like members S can be automatically removed by using the film removing apparatus 10. Therefore, it is possible to prevent human error in the operation of taking out the film-like member S and to improve the production efficiency of the flexible printed circuit board by performing the automatic taking-out operation.

In addition, since the operation for preventing the simultaneous removal of the plurality of film-like components S is performed by the relative vertical movement between the suction holding portion 30 (first suction member) and the suction holding portion 130 (second suction member), the film-like components S can be formed in a state where no distortion occurs.

(modification example)

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention may be modified in various ways. This will be explained below.

In the above embodiment, the first suction member corresponds to the suction holding portion 30 and the suction mechanism 50, and the second suction member corresponds to the suction holding portion 130 and the suction mechanism 150. However, the above correspondence relationship may be reversed. That is, the first suction member corresponds to the suction holding portion 130 and the suction mechanism 150, and the second suction member corresponds to the suction holding portion 30 and the suction mechanism 50. Similarly, the following may be configured: the first elevation member corresponds to the elevation mechanism 160, and the second elevation member corresponds to the elevation mechanism 60.

In the above embodiment, the suction pad 31 is formed in a bellows shape. However, the suction pad 31 is not limited to such a configuration, and may be configured such that: suction holes and the like are provided at a predetermined pitch in a rubber tube having a predetermined length.

The film take-out apparatus 10 according to the above embodiment may further include another configuration. For example, the following may be configured: in order to cope with the adhesion of the film-like members S to each other due to static electricity, an ionizer (static elimination blower) is provided, and air having a predetermined electric charge is blown from the ionizer to remove the static electricity.

In addition, although each of the control operations described above may be performed such that the next control operation is started after a certain control operation is completed, the next control operation may be started at the same time as the certain control operation is completed or before the certain control operation is completed.

The film-like member S in the above embodiment may be a single-sided copper foil material in which a copper foil is present only on one side of a base material such as a polyimide film, a double-sided copper foil material in which copper foils are present on both sides of the base material, or a multilayer material having a multilayer copper foil of a double-sided copper foil material or more. The film-like member S may include an adhesive layer or a release film for protecting the adhesive layer, in addition to the base material and the copper foil. When such an adhesive layer or release film is provided, the thickness of the film-like member S is increased as compared with the case where the adhesive layer or release film is not provided. Therefore, even if the film-like member S is warped, scratches are less likely to be generated when the suction plate 221 is lowered to suction and hold the uppermost film-like member S1.