LAMINATOR

Abstract: The present invention provides a laminater for laminat­ ing a film (4) cut to a predetermined length on a substrate (1) with positioning holes (guiding holes), in which a punching device (30) for forming holes (through-holes) of predeter­ mined sizes by punching the film (4) at positions corres­ ponding to the positioning holes on the substrate (1) is disposed at a predetermined position on a film feeding passage along which the film (4) is fed from a film feeding apparatus to the substrate (1). With this construction, the present invention can improve work efficiency because holes can be formed by punching the film (4) at the punching positions corresponding to the positions of the positioning holes on the substrate (1) prior to or during the lamination of the film (4) on the substrate (1). The laminater is also equipped with an apparatus for removing chips of the film (4) resulting from the punching of the film (4) with the punching device (30). With this construc­ tion, a manufacturing yield can be improved because holes can be formed by punching at the punching positions of the film (4) prior to and during the lamination of the film (4) on the substrate (1) and the chips of the film (4) can be removed at this moment.

Description: The present invention relates to the lamination of film to substrates, and particularly to the use of a device in such laminations for punching holes in the film in correspondence with holes in the substrate. Printed-wiring boards to be used for electronic equipment such as computers are those prepared by forming a determined pattern of wiring of copper or the like on one or both sides of an insulating substrate. Printed-wiring boards of this kind may be prepared by the following manufacturing steps. First, a laminated film consisting of a photosensitive resin (photoresist) layer and a translucent resin film (protective layer) protecting the photosensitive resin layer is laminated by thermocompression bonding on a conductive layer mounted on an insulating substrate. The lamination by thermocompression bonding may be conducted on a large scale using a film laminating apparatus or a so-called laminater. Thereafter, a wiring pattern film is superposed on the laminated film, and the photosensitive resin layer is exposed for a determined period of time through the wiring pattern film and the translucent resin film. After the translucent resin film is peeled off using a peeling device, the exposed photosensitive resin layer is developed to form an etching mask pattern. Thereafter, unnecessary portions of the conductive layer are removed by means of etching and further the remaining photosensitive resin layer is removed, thereby leading to a printed-wiring board with a predetermined wiring pattern. In the manufacturing steps of printed-wiring boards as described above, it is necessary to use the step of exposing the photosensitive resin layer by superposing the wiring pattern film on the laminated film laminated on the substrate by thermocompression bonding. This superposition is carried out by fitting a positioning pin in a guide hole (or a positioning hole) formed at a corner or end portion of the substrate and a guide hole (or a positioning hole) formed on the wiring pattern film so as to correspond to the above guide hole. Since the laminated film is laminated on the substrate, a hole for fitting the positioning pin is formed on the laminated film by punching at the position corresponding to the guide hole on the substrate prior to the fitting of the positioning hole. The punching on the laminated film may be effected by way of manual work using a drill or a punch or by way of mechanical work using a punching device for exclusive use after the laminated film was laminated on the substrate by thermocompression bonding. However, the punching on the laminated film is effected by manual work or by way of another mechanical work after lamination so that it causes the problem that work efficiency is extremely poor. In the work of forming a hole by punching the laminated film, chips of the laminated film are caused to scatter on the laminated film on which a wiring pattern is formed and it is extremely hard to clear such chips. This prevents the wiring pattern from being drawn accurately on the photosensitive resin layer so that the problem arises in terms of a decrease in a yield in the manufacture of printed-wiring boards. Apparatus useful in the manufacture of electronic components which employs a lamination technique is described in US Patent No. 4,264,397. This patent discloses the lamination of two continuous films which are formed with perforations prior to lamination, and means are provided for ensuring proper registration of the perforations. A laminater according to the present invention for laminating a length of film onto a substrate has means for feeding a substrate with positioning holes therein along a feed path, means for feeding a film from a source thereof along a film feed path, and means for bonding the film onto a surface of the substrate. The laminater also includes a device for punching holes in the film corresponding to the holes in the substrate, and means for cutting the required length of film. The bonding means is operative to secure the leading edge of the film to the leading edge of the substrate, and progressively bond the length of film with the respective holes in registry. The cutting means is disposed adjacent the film feed path upstream of the bonding means, and is operative to cut said length of film after securement of the leading edge to the substrate, and prior to securement of the trailing edge thereto. Provision may also be made for removing chips formed by the punching of the film and to collect such chips, including means for directing a gaseous fluid against the formed chips. A laminater according to the present invention can form through holes at the through-hole positions on the film corresponding to the positions of the positioning holes on the substrate prior to or during lamination of the film on the substrate so that work efficiency can be improved. The punching device can form through-holes of predetermined sizes on the film at positions corresponding to the positioning holes of the substrate and is normally disposed at a predetermined position on a film feeding passage along which the film is fed from a film feeding apparatus to the substrate. With this arrangement, the present invention can improve manufacturing yield because the through-holes are formed at the through-hole positions prior to or during the lamination of the film on the substrate and the chips of the film can be removed at this moment. An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic diagrammatical view illustrating a laminater according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a sectional view illustrating the punching device of the laminater in Figure 1 in a plane perpendicular to the film surface; Figure 3 is a side view illustrating the punching device of Figure 2, taken on the line III-III in Figure 2; Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating the portion A in Figure 2; and Figure 5 is an enlarged bottom view illustration the portion A in Figure 2. The laminater of Figure 1 is constructed such that a substrate 1 having usually a plate thickness of about 1.6 mm is fed by inlet feeding rolls 2 in the direction of the arrow 3 and delivered by delivery rolls 6 while a film (a laminated film) 4, 4 being fed in upward and downward directions of the substrate 1 from the both upper and lower sides is bonded thermocompressively by a pair of heat rolls 5, 5 consisting of induction heat jacket rollers. There is no difference between the above construction and the conventional one. Whilst the apparatus is constructed symmetrically at the both upper and lower sides of the substrate 1, the one disposed at the upper side will be described here for brevity of description. In an apparatus for feeding the film 4, the film 4 formed in a three-layer structure consisting of a photoresist (photosensitive resin) layer as a middle layer, a polyethylene (translucent resin) layer on the surface thereof as a cover film and a polyethylene terephthalate film (translucent resin) layer as a carrier film is wound on a feeding roll 7. In order to remove the polyethylene layer from the film layers of the three-layer construction, the feeding apparatus of the film 4 is provided with a take-up roll 8. In a film feeding passage along which the film 4 of a predetermined length is fed onto the substrate 1 of a predetermined length from the feeding apparatus is provided a free roller 9 designed to be able to move the position in the up-and-down direction. Each time the film 4 is fed to a newly supplied substrate 1, the free roller 9 is displaced in a state where a tension is applied in the downward direction to feed to the substrate 1 the film 4 of a particular length corresponding to the length of the movement. At a vertically downward location of the free roller 9 is provided a main vacuum plate 10 formed integrally with a vacuum chamber for enabling a suction force to be applied to the surface. The main vacuum plate 10 is connected in a manner movably in the up-and-down direction to (a piston rod of) a first air cylinder 11 through a connecting member 12 and constructed so as to hold the film 4 by suction when the vacuum chamber formed therewithin communicates with a vacuum pump (not shown) The first air cylinder 11 is connected through connecting members 14a, 14b to a second air cylinder 15. The second air cylinder 15 is in turn connected to a rotary cutter apparatus 16 through the connecting members 14a, 14b, to a subvacuum plate 17 having a suction action on the surface thereof and located under the lower end portion 10a of the main vacuum plate 10 so as to face a cutter 16a of the rotary cutter apparatus 16, and to a third air cylinder 18 causing the subvacuum plate 17 to be operated in the horizontal direction through a piston rod 18a. It is noted, however, that the lower end portion 10a of the main vacuum plate 10 is formed in an arc in a cross section and is provided with a heater 13. In the neighborhood of the circumferential surface of the heat roll 5 is provided a film suction member 20. The film suction member 20 has a length virtually equivalent to the breadth of the heat roll 5 and is of a hollow body having a nearly triangular cross section. It is provided with a number of suction holes 21 on the side surfaces facing the film and is supported by supporting arms 22 mounted in parallel to the both surfaces of the heat roll 5. The supporting arms 22 are rotated at a velocity equal to or a little bit slower than that of the heat roll 5 after the film 4 was cut (while the rear end portion of the film remains still stuck) and are provided therein with through-holes (not shown) communicating the hollow chamber of the film suction member 20 with an exterior source of vacuum. Furthermore, on the film feeding passage, more specifically, at a position above the main vacuum plate 10, a punching device 30 with a cutter supporter 32 having a cutter 31 and a die supporter 34 having a die 33 corresponding to the cutter 31 mounted adjacent to both sides of the film 4 is mounted to a frame 42 constituting the main body in a manner as being movable in the up-and-down direction by a driving mechanism. Figs. 2 to 5 are illustrations of the details of the punching device 30, in which Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view cut by the plane perpendicular to the film surface, Fig 3 is a side view in the direction of the line III-III, Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion A in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged bottom view of the portion A in Fig. 2. In the drawings, the cutter 31 having a cylindrical cross section is accommodated in a cutter holding member 32a so as to be movable in a back-and-forth direction by compressed air pressure or other appropriate means. The cutter holding member 32a is in turn mounted on predetermined positions (4 positions in the drawings) of the cutter supporter 32. The cutter supporter 32, on the one hand, is mounted and held at a predetermined distance on a frame member 37 supported on the frame 42 of the main body of the laminater through arms 36, 36 using two supporting bolts 38, 38. The die supporter 34 equipped with a die 33 through which the cutter 31 passes, on the other hand, is supported by a driving apparatus such as a hydraulic cylinder or the like so as to face the cutter supporter 32 and to move with the two supporting bolts 38, 38 serving as guiding shafts. At one end of the frame member 37, as shown in Fig. 3, a gear apparatus 41 for moving the frame member 37 vertically in an up-and-down direction is arranged in a manner engageable with a screw shaft 40 supported on the laminater body through the arm 36. At the other end of the frame member 37 is mounted a guiding member 44 engageable with a groove portion 43 formed on the arm 36. These mechanisms are utilized for adjustment in selecting punching positions because substrates 1 to be used are in various sizes and, moreover, the punching positions vary with the sizes of films 4 corresponding to the sizes of the substrates. It is to be noted here that chips of the film 4 resulting from the punching of the film 4 are designed so as to be blown off by means of compressed air introduced through the through-hole 32b of the cutter holding member 32a and passing through the inside of the cylindrical cutter 31 and retained in a space under the die 33. The chips retained in the space are then removed by a chips removing apparatus, for instance, by accommodating the chips in a chips accommodating box by means of a suction force, although not shown in the drawings. It may also be possible to manually remove the chips retained in the space. It is also to be noted in the present invention that a photoelectric sensor (not shown) for detecting a length of the substrate 1 may be mounted in the vicinity of the feeding rolls 2 and signals detected thereby are fed to positioning means for each of the punching device and a cutting apparatus, thereby setting the punching arid cutting positions of the film automatically in accordance with lengths of the substrates being conveyed. Thus, the laminater for laminating the film 4 cut to a predetermined length on the substrate 1 with positioning holes (guide holes) can improve work efficiency because the film 4 can be punched at the punching positions in accordance with the positions of the positioning holes of the substrate 1 prior to or during the lamination of the film 4 by mounting the punching device 30 for forming holes (through-holes) in predetermined sizes by punching the film 4 at the positions corresponding to the positioning holes on the substrate 1 at predetermined positions on the film feeding passage for feeding the film to the substrate 1 from the film feeding apparatus. By mounting the apparatus for removing the chips of the film 4 resulting from the punching of the film 4 with the punching device 30, it is also to be noted that work efficiency can be improved because holes can be formed by punching the film 4 at the punching positions prior to or during the lamination of the film 4 on the substrate 1 and the chips of the film 4 can be removed at this moment. The operations in this embodiment are conducted in the following order, provided that a description will be made on the upper portion of the substrate for brevity of description and it is understood that the thoroughly identical operations can be applied to the lower portion of the substrate. (I) The film 4 composed of the three-layer construction wound on the feeding roll 7 is caused, after the polyethylene layer thereof was wound by the take-up roll 8, to manually pull down via the free roller 9 to position the front end of the film 4 via the free roller 9 at the lower end portion 10a of the main vacuum plate 10 located underneath, that is, at a position of the cutter 16a. (II) When the substrate 1 is transferred by means of the inlet feeding rolls 2 to a predetermined position, the inside of the subvacuum plate 17 is caused to communicate with the vacuum pump so that it catches the front end of the film 4 pulled down (the film 4 cut with the cutter 16a when a continuous operation is being run) by the suction force. While carrying the film 4, it is caused to be retracted by means of the third air cylinder 18 to thereby allow the front end of the film 4 to be caught on an arcuate surface of the lower end portion 10a of the main vacuum plate 10 where the vacuum suction action is working. At the same time, the free roller 9 looses the film of a length long enough to give a slight margin for a stroke of the main vacuum plate 10. As the front end portion of the substrate 1 is conveyed to a position nearly directly below the main vacuum plate 10, the rotation of the feeding rolls 2 stop, thereby leading to stopping the substrate 1. Then two pressing members (not shown) come down to press the substrate 1. (III) By operating the first air cylinder 11, the film 4 stuck on the main vacuum plate 10, in particular, the arcuate surface at the lower end portion 10a thereof, where a suction action is working, is caused to come down to the position of the substrate 1 and temporarily bonded thermocompressively on the substrate 1. (IV) After the front end portion of the film 4 was temporarily bonded thermocompressively on the substrate 1, the vacuum suction action of the main vacuum plate 10 is stopped temporarily to allow the film 4 to be in a free state and then the main vacuum plate 10 is raised by the first air cylinder 11 upwards from the substrate 1. At the same time, the second air cylinder 15 is operated to move the rotary cutter apparatus 16, the subvacuum plate 17 and the connecting member 14a of the first air cylinder 11 in the upward direction away from the substrate 1. (V) At the same time as the main vacuum plate 10 is apart away from the substrate 1 in a predetermined distance in the upward direction, the rotating heat roll 5 approaches to the substrate 1 and clamps the substrate 1 to which the front end of the film 4 is bonded temporarily by thermocompression. At the same time, the feeding rolls 2 start rotating again, and the film 4 is bonded by thermocompression and then delivered. At this moment, the subvacuum plate 17 stops its vacuum suction action and returns to the original position in the left direction as shown in the drawing where it faces the cutter 16a. (VI) The free roller 9 is return to the original position in a state in which the film 4 is clamped sufficiently with the heat roll 5 (during this time, the film 4 is continuously laminated on the substrate 1). (VII) As a particular amount (a particular length) of the film 4 is fed, the second air cylinder 15 is operated and the whole apparatus starts coming down and approaching to the substrate 1. At this time, the film 4 is caught by means of vacuum action of the main vacuum plate 10 and the subvacuum plate 17 as well as the main vacuum plate 10 and the subvacuum plate 17 are caused to come down by way of the second air cylinder 15 at a speed faster than a speed for laminating the film 4 on the substrate 1 (equal to the circumferential speed of the heat roll 5). As coming down to a particular position (the bottom point), the main vacuum plate 10 and the subvacuum plate 17 stop coming down. At this moment, the film 4 is in a loose state between the subvacuum plate 17 and the heat roll 5. During a period of time until that portion of the film 4 in the loose state is fully delivered to the heat roll, a portion of the film located on the cutter apparatus portion is kept still in a stopped state so that the film 4 in the stopped state is cut by transferring the rotary cutter 16a in the widthwise direction of the continuous film 4. It is provided, however, that it may be constructed such that, while the cutter 16a is caused to come down integrally with the main vacuum plate 10 and the subvacuum plate 17 and a speed of coming is set to be substantially equal to or a little faster than the circumferential speed of the heat roll 5, the film is cut during the course of falling strokes by displacing the rotary cutter 16a in the widthwise direction of the continuous film 4. In this case, the film positioned on the cutter apparatus portion does not make a relative movement with the rotary cutter in the film feeding direction so that the film can be cut in the same manner as the film is in the stopped state as described above. After the film was cut, the die supporter 34 of the punching device 30 is caused to approach to the cutter supporter 32 by means of the driving apparatus 39. When approached by a distance of about 2 mm, the cutter 31 is caused to insert in the die 33, thereby forming holes by punching the film 4. At the same time, air is blown in from the hole 32b to remove small pieces arid minute chips of the film 4 resulting from the punching thereof. It is noted here that the size of the hole to be formed on the film by punching is designed so as to be a little larger than the corresponding positioning hole formed previously by punching the substrate 1. (VIII) In order to prevent the film 4 cut as above from coming down and to ensure a normal compressive bonding action without causing any bubbles and wrinkles when the rear end portion of the cut film 4 is laminated on the substrate 1 by thermocompression bonding, the rear end portion of the cut film 4 is transferred near the substrate 1 along the circumferential surface of the heat roll 5 while it is supported by suction by the suction hole 21 of the film suction member 20 and then the suction is released to effect the thermocompression bonding. (IX) Thereafter, the clamping action of the heat rolls 5 is released and a pair of the heat rolls 5 are separated from each other and returned to the original positions. It is to be noted here that, at this moment, the first and third air cylinders are returned to the position for the preparation for the next stage (the position as shown in Fig. 1) As have been described above, the film 4 can be punched at the positions coninciding with the positions of the holes previously punched on the substrate 1 and the film 4 can be cut in accordance with a length of the substrate, thereby eliminating adverse effects exerted heretofore upon the punching of holes on the substrate in conventional devices, particularly adverse effects resulting from chips. It is also noted that an influence of heat on the film from the heat rolls 5 can be excluded and work efficiency can be improved because the film 4 can be laminated on the substrate continuously without stoppage. It is to be understood that, in the embodiment above, an example has been described, in which the cutter supporter 32 is secured and the die supporter 34 is caused to approach to the cutter supporter 32; however, the present invention includes the case that the relationship of the movement of the both supporters is in a reversed manner. Although the above embodiment describes the structure in which the punching device 30 is constructed so as to be movable in the up-and-down direction with the driving apparatus in accordance with a size of the substrate; however, it is to be noted that the present invention can be performed if holes could be formed by punching at the positions coinciding with the positions of the holes formed by punching on the substrate. For example, it is possible to allow the punching device to be moved in coupling with the first or second transferring apparatus or to be mounted on a member capable of moving at a speed equal to the film. It is also possible that the present invention is constructed so as to provide a laminater with a punching device which can form holes on the film 4 by way of laser beams.

Claims: 1. A laminater for laminating a length of film (4) onto a substrate (1) and having feed means (2) for feeding the substrate along a substrate feed path, the substrate having positioning holes therein; means (10, 11) for feeding film from a source (7) thereof along a film feed path; means (5) for bonding the film onto a surface of the substrate; means (16) for cutting said length of film from said source (7); and a device (30) for punching holes in the film corresponding to the holes in the substrate wherein the bonding means (5) is operative to secure the leading edge of the film (4) to the leading edge of the said substrate (1) and progressively bond the remainder of said length to said substrate with the respective holes in registry and wherein the cutting means (16) is disposed adjacent the film feed path upstream of the bonding means (5), and is operative to cut said length of film after securement of the leading edge to the substrate, and prior to securement of the trailing edge thereto. 2. A laminater according to Claim 1 CHARACTERISED IN THAT the bonding means comprises a heated roller (5) which defines with a said substrate (1) a nip in which the length of film (4) is held against said substrate. 3. A laminater according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 CHARACTERISED IN THAT the cutting means (16) moves along the film feed path as a said film length is bonded to a said substrate. 4. A laminater according to Claim 3 CHARACTERISED IN THAT the feeding means comprises a vacuum plate (10) and an air cylinder mechanism (11) for moving the vacuum plate along the film feed path, the air cylinder mechanism (11) being coupled to the cutting means (16) to effect simultaneous movement of the cutting means (16) and the vacuum plate (10). 5. A laminater according to any preceding Claim CHARACTERISED IN THAT the punching device (30) includes a plurality of cutters (31), each coacting with a respective die (33) to form said holes in the film (4), each cutter (31) having a flow passage therein for directing gaseous fluid against the formed chips. 6. A laminater according to Claim 5 CHARACTERISED IN THAT the cutters (31) are adjustably positioned on a cutter support (32) disposed adjacent one surface of the film feed path, and the dies (33) are adjustably positioned on a die support (34) disposed adjacent the other surface of the film feed path.

Inventors: MATSUO, TAKAO 17-3-103, KARATODAI 4-CHOME
Applicants: SOMAR CORPORATION
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B26F1
IPC codes: B29C63, B26D7, B32B37, B32B43, B26F1, B29L9, B32B38, H05K3