JP2017014013A - Prepreg transportation device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a prepreg transport device capable of preventing powder generated when transporting a prepreg from being melted and solidified by heat around a suction member such as a fan and causing this block to cause an abnormality to the suction member. To do. SOLUTION: A suction means such as a fan 32 for sucking a laminated prepreg, a transport means such as a transport belt 28 for transporting the prepreg sucked by the suction means, and a heat sink 41 for suppressing a temperature rise around the suction means. A prepreg transport apparatus 100 having temperature rise suppression means such as the above. The heat sink 41 is provided on the installation surface 40 on which the fan 32 is installed. The heat sink 41 is provided on the back side 42 opposite to the conveyor belt side 43 with the installation surface 40 of the fan 32 interposed therebetween. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a prepreg conveying apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a prepreg conveying apparatus that can convey a prepreg is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus in which a suction member provided on a moving plate of a suction transporter sucks up a prepreg by vacuum suction, and then separates the sucked prepreg and places it on an empty pallet delivered to a conveyor for transport. Has been.

When the laminated prepreg is sucked and conveyed, prepreg powder is generated. Among these powders, there are powders originally produced during processing of the prepreg before separation and conveyance, and powders generated by hitting fences and guides during conveyance. This powder contains a resin component and the like, and a plurality of powders are melted and adhered by heat around the suction member, resulting in a problem with the suction member.
More specifically, when a fan or the like is used as the suction member for suction conveyance, the temperature around the fan drive unit becomes high even if the room temperature is about 20 to 25 ° C. When the powder melts and collects in this high temperature state and the fan is turned off and cooled, it becomes a certain size of mass. There is a possibility that the mass having a certain size may cause an abnormality to the fan.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the situation mentioned above, and it aims at suppressing that the powder generate | occur | produced when conveying a prepreg becomes solid.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a suction means for sucking the laminated prepreg, a transport means for transporting the prepreg sucked by the suction means, and a temperature that suppresses an increase in temperature around the suction means. A prepreg transport device having a rise suppression means.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can suppress that the powder generate | occur | produced when conveying a prepreg becomes solid.

(A) is a schematic diagram which shows the arrangement | positioning state of the conveyance belt in the Embodiment 1, a fan, an installation surface, and a heat sink, (b) is a disassembled perspective view which shows the principal part of the prepreg conveyance apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 somewhat somewhat. It is. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state where a duct and a fan are removed from the prepreg conveying apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing a state where a duct and a fan are removed from the prepreg conveying apparatus according to the first embodiment. (A) is a schematic diagram which shows the arrangement | positioning state of the conveyance belt in the modification 1, a fan, an installation surface, and a heat sink, (b) is a disassembled perspective view which shows the principal part of the prepreg conveyance apparatus which concerns on the modification 1 somewhat somewhat. It is. It is the perspective view which looked at the prepreg conveyance apparatus which concerns on Example 1 from diagonally upward right. (A) is the schematic diagram which shows the arrangement | positioning state of the conveyance belt, a fan, an installation surface, and a heat sink in Example 1, (b) is the figure which looked at the prepreg conveyance apparatus from the back side, Comprising: Illustration of an air injection nozzle apparatus It is the perspective view which abbreviate | omitted. It is a partial cross section side view of the adsorption conveyance apparatus used in Example 1. FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the same adsorption conveyance device from the lower side. It is a perspective view explaining the flow of the suction air of the suction conveyance device. It is a perspective view explaining the belt holding area of the some conveyance belt of the adsorption conveyance apparatus. It is a front view which shows the state which has separated and separated the prepreg with the adsorption conveyance apparatus of Example 1. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a prepreg transport apparatus according to Embodiment 2. FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the adsorption conveyance apparatus used in Example 2 from diagonally right above. (A) is a schematic diagram which shows the arrangement | positioning state of the conveyance belt, fan, installation surface, and heat sink in Example 2, (b) is a side view of the adsorption conveyance apparatus used in Example 2. FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the prepreg conveyance apparatus provided with the several adsorption holding unit which concerns on Example 3 from diagonally right below. It is the perspective view which looked at the prepreg conveyance apparatus from diagonally right above. It is the perspective view which looked at the back side of the prepreg conveyance apparatus from diagonally right above. It is a schematic diagram explaining the effect | action of various air in a prepreg conveying apparatus. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a prepreg conveying apparatus according to Embodiment 4. FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the suction unit used in Example 4 from diagonally right above. It is the perspective view which looked at the fan of the suction unit used in Example 4 from the diagonally lower right. It is the perspective view which looked at the fan and heat sink of the suction unit used in Example 4 from diagonally lower right. It is a typical front view of the prepreg conveyance apparatus provided with the prepreg separation apparatus which concerns on another example of embodiment. It is a typical top view of the prepreg conveyance apparatus of FIG. (A)-(c) is a schematic diagram which shows the operation transition state of a prepreg conveyance apparatus. (A)-(c) is a schematic diagram which shows the operation transition state of the prepreg conveying apparatus following FIG.25 (c).

  Embodiments of the present invention including examples of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In each of the embodiments and examples, components (members and components) having the same function and shape are denoted by the same reference numerals as long as there is no possibility of confusion, and the description thereof is omitted.

(Embodiment 1)
The prepreg conveyance apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement state of the conveyor belt, the fan, the installation surface, and the heat sink in the first embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of the main part of the prepreg conveying apparatus according to the first embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view shown. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a duct and a fan are removed from the prepreg conveying apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which a duct and a fan are removed from the prepreg conveying apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  The prepreg that is the separation / conveyance object of the present invention is a thin plate-like member, and includes all known prepregs. As a prepreg, for example, a fibrous reinforcing material such as carbon fiber or glass cloth is impregnated with a thermosetting resin mixed with additives such as a curing agent and a coloring agent, and heated or dried to be in a semi-cured state. Sheet-like reinforced plastic molding material. As is clear from the problems and objects of the present invention, the prepreg can be expressed in a broad sense as any separation / conveyance object (for example, an electronic circuit board) that generates prepreg powder when the separation / conveyance object is conveyed. Including a circuit board sheet such as a plate material).

As an example of the width size of the prepreg, a width of about 100 mm to 700 mm is used. The thickness is about 0.02 mm to 0.2 mm.
The size and size of the prepreg that can be used in the first embodiment are, for example, a width size of about 148 to 210 mm in the width direction Y and a length of about 210 to 297 mm in the transport direction X. The prepreg can be separated and transported. The width size and thickness of the prepreg are merely examples, and it is needless to say that those having a size or thickness outside the above range are used (the same applies to large sizes described later).

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the prepreg conveying apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment includes an air injection nozzle device 300 as a levitation unit for levitating the prepreg 1 </ b> A, and an adsorption that holds and lifts the prepreg 1 </ b> A that has floated. And a transport device 23.
The suction conveyance device 23 includes a main body frame 24, a drive motor 25, a rotation drive shaft 26, a drive roller 26a, a driven shaft 27, a driven roller 27a, a conveyance belt 28, a guide plate 29, a duct 31, a fan 32, and the like. .
The rotational drive shaft 26 is rotatably supported by the main body frame 24 and is rotationally driven by a drive motor 25 connected to one end of the rotational drive shaft 26 via a driving force transmission means such as a belt and a pulley. A plurality of drive rollers 26 a are fixed to the rotation drive shaft 26. A driven shaft 27 that is rotatably supported by the main body frame 24 is provided on the upstream side in the transport direction X of the rotation drive shaft 26. A plurality of driven rollers 27 a are supported on the driven shaft 27. A plurality of conveying belts 28 are stretched between the driving roller 26 a and the driven roller 27 a, and the conveying belt 28 is rotationally driven along the conveying direction X by the rotational driving of the driving motor 25.

A guide plate 29 is disposed inside the loop of the conveyor belt 28, and the plurality of conveyor belts 28 are supported by the guide plate 29. The guide plate 29 is formed with a number of openings 33 for sucking air when the fan 32 is rotated and generating an adsorption force for the prepreg 1A.
Above the guide plate 29 and the conveying belt 28, a duct 31 for guiding the suction air Ad and a fan 32 as an example of a suction member / suction means for generating the suction air Ad for sucking the prepreg 1A are arranged. As shown in the figure, the fan 32 is, for example, a sirocco fan, which is a centrifugal blower, provided with an air suction port 32a for sucking suction air Ad and an air discharge port 32b for discharging suction air Ad. The duct 31 has a plurality of partition plates 34, and a ventilation opening 35 is formed between the partition plates 34. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 40 indicated by a two-dot chain line indicates an installation surface on which the fan 32 is installed in the apparatus main body (the same applies to FIG. 4 described later).
A centrifugal blower (sirocco fan) provided with a multiblade fan is small and inexpensive, and has an advantage that it is easy to obtain a large pressure increase in one stage and less noise than an axial blower. As long as the fan 32 does not need the advantage of the sirocco fan, an axial-flow fan may be used.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the prepreg bundle 1 is obtained by stacking a plurality of prepregs. In the prepreg transport apparatus 100, the prepreg bundle 1 is stacked and arranged in a stacked state on a stacking plate 136 that is a bottom plate.
The loading table 136 can be moved in the vertical direction Z by an elevating mechanism which is a prepreg loading unit driving means. The prepreg transport apparatus 100 includes a detection sensor 20 as a prepreg detection unit that detects the upper surface position of the prepreg bundle 1, and a prepreg position control unit that controls the upper surface position of the prepreg bundle 1 by controlling the driving of the lifting mechanism. Prepare. Thus, when the upper surface of the prepreg bundle 1 on the loading table 136 occupies a predetermined height position detected by the detection sensor 20, the uppermost prepreg 1A is separated and transported through an operation described later.

The prepreg transport apparatus 100 is provided with a pair of side fences 137, 137, a front end guide plate 138, and an end fence 139, which are prepreg position regulating members. The side fences 137 and 137 are arranged on both sides in the width direction Y of the stacking table 136 and perform positioning in the width direction Y intersecting (orthogonal) with the transport direction X of the arranged prepreg bundle 1. The front end guide plate 138 positions the front end in the length direction corresponding to the transport direction X of the prepreg bundle 1. Further, the end fence 139 also positions the rear end in the length direction.
The side air nozzle 370 indicated by a broken line in FIG. 3 functions as a second air ejection member that is a blower blowing means and an air ejection means for blowing and blowing the side air Ac to the side end of the prepreg bundle 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the side air nozzle 370 is provided on both side fences 137 and 137, and is connected to a side air generating means for generating side air Ac or a side blower 380 which is a side air blowing means. . As the side blower 380, for example, a sirocco fan that is a centrifugal blower is used, but an axial flow blower may be used.

  At a position facing the front end of the stacked prepreg bundle 1, an air injection nozzle device 300 that is also air blowing means is arranged. The air injection nozzle device 300 is provided with an air chamber 320 in which air (hereinafter, also referred to as air) that is pressurized gas from an external floating blower is sent and stored. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the air chamber 320 is provided with two floating nozzles 322.

  As described above, the air injection nozzle device 300 functions as a floating means for floating the prepreg loaded and prepared on the loading table 136. Further, the air injection nozzle device 300 functions as an air injection means for floating an end portion of the air injection prepreg on the loaded prepreg and a first air injection member for injecting air in the direction opposite to the transport direction X. . The air that is a gas includes air that has been neutralized, and other gases that are used to float the prepreg and separate them one by one. Since the prepregs in the laminated state are in close contact with each other by the action of static electricity and are not easily separated, it is effective to blow the discharged air onto the prepreg bundle 1 in the laminated state.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the levitation nozzle 322 blows levitation air Aa toward the front end portion of the prepreg bundle 1 to lift the prepreg from the prepreg bundle 1. If the blown-out air is warm air, a dehumidifying effect is added to the prepreg, and the prepreg can be separated and baked more effectively.

Next, main operations / processes of the prepreg transport apparatus 100 will be described.
(1) First, a preparation step for preparing a prepreg in a laminated state is performed. Specifically, the prepreg bundle 1 is loaded on the loading table 136 by the operator, and its front end surface is abutted against the front end guide plate 138 so as to be set according to the prepreg size, and is aligned as a reference surface. Further, by operating the side fences 137 and 137 and the end fence 139, the side end face and the rear end face of the prepreg bundle 1 are aligned.

  When a prepreg feed command is received from the control unit provided in the prepreg transport apparatus 100, the blower means for the firewood including the floating blower and the side blower of the air injection nozzle device 300 operates. Thereby, the levitation | floating process which blows the air to each edge part of a prepreg is started. Simultaneously with the floating air Aa from the floating nozzle 322 of the air chamber 320, the side air Ac is blown from the side air nozzle 370, so that the uppermost prepregs 1A, 1B, and 1C on the loading platform 136 are floated. Thereby, the contact area of the uppermost prepregs 1A, 1B, and 1C can be changed. At the same time, a holding process for holding the floating prepreg is started. When the fan 32 is operated, the air in the duct 31 is sucked to generate a flow of the suction air Ad, the inside of the duct 31 becomes negative pressure, and air suction is started through the plurality of openings 33 of the guide plate 29. As a result, the uppermost prepreg 1 </ b> A floats and the uppermost prepreg 1 </ b> A is adsorbed and held on the conveyor belt 28.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the floating air Aa from the floating nozzle 322 is injected, and the air pressure is uniformly applied to the prepreg bundle 1 to suppress over-levitation and disturbance of behavior, and the double feed at the beginning of spraying is performed. It is preventing. At the same time, a step of separating the prepreg held by the conveyor belt 28 is performed, which is performed by the blowing unit including the side air nozzle 370.
(2) Next, the driving of the transport belt 28 is started, and a transport process for transporting the prepreg 1A held by the transport belt 28 is performed.

With the configuration described above, the prepreg 1A can be adsorbed and conveyed without fluttering during conveyance. Further, there is no need to convey the prepreg 1A by a conveying roller or the like. If the prepreg is subjected to pressing marks or scratches, the thickness is not uniform when an electronic circuit board or the like is produced, resulting in an electrical resistance problem, and the prepreg is not adopted. The suction conveyance of the first embodiment is suitable for such a conveyance problem peculiar to the material sheet used for the electronic circuit board material / circuit board sheet.
Here, the circuit board sheet is a thin plate-like member and means a sheet containing a prepreg, and includes sheets used for all known circuit boards in addition to the electronic circuit board material.

  During the conveyance of the prepreg 1A, the powder that the prepreg 1A has come out of the fence, the guide, and the like, and the powder that was originally emitted during the processing of the prepreg before separation and conveyance are sucked from the opening 33, pass through the ventilation port 35, and close to the fan 32 It will be carried. Since the temperature in the vicinity of the fan 32 is high, the powder of the prepreg is melted and collected, and when the fan is turned off and cooled, it becomes a certain size. There is a possibility that this fixed mass will cause an abnormality in the fan 32.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, a temperature rise suppression unit that suppresses the temperature rise around the fan 32 is provided so as not to cause the above-described prepreg mass. As an example of the temperature rise suppression means, a heat sink 41 shown in FIG. 1A is provided on the installation surface 40 on which the fan 32 is installed. The heat sink 41 suppresses the temperature rise around the fan 32. The heat sink 41 is provided on the back side 42 opposite to the conveyor belt side 43 with the installation surface 40 of the fan 32 interposed therebetween.
The installation surface 40 that is the installation site of the heat sink 41 is basically in the vicinity of the heat source generation site. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1A, the rotation of the fan motor that is the rotation drive source of the fan 32 is rotated. Examples include the vicinity of the shaft portion 32c and the fan case portion 32d.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the temperature rise around the fan 32 is suppressed by the heat sink 41 provided on the installation surface 40 of the fan 32. Therefore, according to Embodiment 1, it can suppress that the powder which generate | occur | produces when conveying a prepreg becomes solid.

(Modification 1)
A prepreg transport apparatus according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement state of the conveyor belt, the fan, the installation surface, and the heat sink in the first modification, and FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of the main part of the prepreg conveying apparatus according to the first modification. It is a disassembled perspective view shown.
4A and 4B, the prepreg transport apparatus 100A of Modification 1 uses a suction transport apparatus 23A instead of the suction transport apparatus 23 as compared with the prepreg transport apparatus 100 of the first embodiment. The point is different. Furthermore, the suction conveyance device 23 </ b> A is different from the suction conveyance device 23 in that a heat radiation guide 44 is used instead of the heat sink 41. That is, as shown in FIG. 4A, in the first modification, the installation surface 40 on which the fan 32 is installed is provided with a heat radiation guide 44 as an example of a heat radiation guide member as a temperature rise suppression means. Suppresses the temperature rise. The heat radiation guide 44 penetrates the installation surface 40 of the fan 32, and a part of the heat radiation guide 44 is exposed on the back side 42 of the installation surface 40 where the conveyor belt 28 is not located.
As described above, the heat heated by the fan 32 can be released to the space on the back side 42 by the heat radiation guide 44. At this time, a shorter distance between the fan 32 and the heat radiation guide 44 is more suitable for heat radiation.

As described above, according to the first modification, the heat radiation guide 44 provided through the installation surface 40 of the fan 32 can release the heat warmed by the fan 32 to the space on the rear side 42. The temperature rise around is suppressed. Therefore, according to the modification 1, it can suppress that the powder which generate | occur | produces when conveying a prepreg becomes solid.
The suction conveyance device 23 according to the first embodiment and the suction conveyance device 23A according to the first modification are not limited to this, and are provided in the conveyance belt 28 with a large number of openings (suction holes) for passage of suction air, and the guide plate 28. A configuration in which the opening 33 is removed may be used. When configured in this way, it is preferable to set the width in the width direction Y of the conveyor belt 28 to be larger than the width of the guide plate 28.

Example 1
With reference to FIGS. 5 to 13, the prepreg transport device including the prepreg separation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described focusing on differences from the prepreg transport device 100 of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the prepreg conveying apparatus according to the first embodiment when viewed obliquely from the upper right, and FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement state of the conveying belt, the fan, the installation surface, and the heat sink in the first embodiment. FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the prepreg transport device as viewed from the back side, and the air injection nozzle device 300 is not shown. FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the suction conveyance device used in the first embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the suction conveyance device viewed from below. FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating the flow of suction air in the suction conveyance device. FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating belt holding areas of a plurality of conveyance belts of the suction conveyance device. FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing a state in which the prepreg is separated and separated by the prepreg separation apparatus. A solid line arrow shown as appropriate in each figure represents an air flow direction. 5 and 6B, the heat sink 41 is schematically shown in a rectangular parallelepiped shape (the same applies to the drawings of the embodiments described later).

  The first embodiment is mainly different from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that a prepreg transport apparatus 100B shown in FIG. 5 or the like is used instead of the prepreg transport apparatus 100. The prepreg transport apparatus 100B is different from the prepreg transport apparatus 100 in that the suction transport apparatus 160 is used instead of the suction transport apparatus 23.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 9, the suction conveyance device 160 is different from the suction conveyance device 23 of FIG. 1B in that the conveyance belts 161 a and 161 b are formed with suction holes 164 as shown in FIGS. 5 to 9. , 161c is used, and the guide plate 29 is removed. Further, the suction conveyance device 160 is different from the suction conveyance device 23 in that a negative pressure air chamber 310 and a suction duct 311 connected thereto are used instead of the duct 31. Furthermore, the suction conveyance device 160 is different from the suction conveyance device 23 in that two fans 32A and 32B are used as suction means instead of the single fan 32, and two heat sinks are used instead of the single heat sink 41. The difference is that 41 is used.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 11, the conveyance belts 161 a, 161 b, and 161 c are common conveyance belts having the same peripheral length divided into three, and constitute a holding unit 165. The conveyor belt 161a and the conveyor belt 161b are arranged on both outer sides in the width direction Y with the central conveyor belt 161c interposed therebetween. The conveying belt 161c is stretched between a free roller 162c having a smaller diameter than the driving roller 162a and the driving roller 162b, a driven roller 163c having the same diameter as the driven roller 163a and the driven roller 163b, and a tension roller 167. . The tension roller 167 is disposed further above the upper surface of the transport belts 161a and 161b at a position closer to the downstream side in the transport direction X, and is rotatably supported by the main body frame via a shaft 167s. The conveyor belt 161a is stretched between the driving roller 162a and the driven roller 163a. The conveyor belt 161b is stretched between the driving roller 162b and the driven roller 163b.

The drive rollers 162a and 162b and the free roller 162c are respectively disposed on the same drive shaft 162s, but only the free roller 162c is guided and supported so as to be freely rotatable with a predetermined gap with respect to the drive shaft 162s. . Each drive roller 162a, 162b is fixed to a drive shaft 162s. Each driven roller 163a, 163b, 163c is formed integrally with the same driven shaft 163s, and is disposed on the driven shaft 163s. The drive shaft 162s and the driven shaft 163s are rotatably supported by the main body frame 101 via bearings.
As described above, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, each belt holding of the conveyor belt 161c located in the center in the width direction Y and the conveyor belt 161a and the conveyor belt 161b arranged on both outer sides of the conveyor belt 161c. On the surface, a step D is formed in the vertical direction Z.

  The drive shaft 162s is connected to a drive motor 168, which is a conveyance belt drive unit, via a toothed pulley, which is a rotation transmission unit, and a toothed belt. By this drive motor 168, the conveyor belt 161a and the conveyor belt 161b are rotationally driven via the drive rollers 162a and 162b. The conveyor belt 161c is rotationally driven by a driven rotational force of a driven roller 163c that is driven to rotate as the conveyor belt 161a and the conveyor belt 161b are rotationally driven. As a result, the conveyor belts 161a, 161b, and 161c rotate and rotate at the same peripheral speed in the same rotational direction indicated by arrows in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the conveying belts 161a, 161b, and 161c are formed with a number of suction holes 164 so that the prepreg can be held. 8 to 10, the suction holes 164 are depicted as being formed in a part of the lower side in the drawings of the conveyor belts 161 a, 161 b, and 161 c, but all of the conveyor belts 161 a, 161 b, and 161 c are illustrated. Of course, it is formed over the lap.
The negative pressure air chamber 310 is provided inside the loop of the conveyor belts 161a, 161b, and 161c, and opens in the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. 5, the right end of the negative pressure air chamber 310 is connected to the lower end of the suction duct 311. In the drawing of the suction duct 311, the upper end portion is connected to the air suction port 32 </ b> Aa of the upstream fan 32 </ b> A. The air discharge port 32Ab of the upstream fan 32A communicates with the air suction port 32Ba of the adjacent downstream fan 32B, and the suction air Ad is discharged from the air discharge port 32Bb of the fan 32B. Each fan 32A, 32B is mainly different from the fan 32 shown in FIG. 1 only in the shape of the air suction port and the air discharge port, and the static pressure specifications are the same.
Thus, for example, the upstream fan 32A and the downstream fan 32B made of a sirocco fan are connected in series. As a result, the prepreg can be sufficiently sucked and held so as to be transported by increasing the static pressure and suction force.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the upstream fan 32A and the downstream fan 32B (hidden and not visible in FIG. 9) are driven together, the suction air Ad flows, and the suction connected to the fan 32A. The negative pressure air chamber 310 connected to the duct 311 and the suction duct 311 has a negative pressure. Thereby, the suction air Ad is sucked from the suction holes 164 of the transport belts 161a, 161b, and 161c, whereby the prepreg is sucked and held on the belt holding surfaces of the transport belts 161a, 161b, and 161c.
As shown in FIG. 10, in the width direction Y of the suction conveyance device 160, a transparent holding area 166 for holding the prepreg is formed. The holding area 166 is an area where a number of suction holes 164 are formed in the transport belts 161a, 161b, and 161c.

Here, a supplementary explanation will be given of the levitation process of Example 1 performed in substantially the same manner as the levitation process described in (2) of the first embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the floating air Aa is blown from the floating nozzle 322 of the air injection nozzle device 300 and the side air Ac is simultaneously blown from the side air nozzle 370, the prepreg floats as shown in FIG. To separate. Due to the suction air Ad from the belt holding surface of the divided central conveying belt 161c, only the front end central portion 1Ac of the prepreg 1A is curved and deformed into a convex shape (inverted U shape). FIG. 11 shows a state in which the tip center portion 1Ac of the prepreg 1A is attracted and held on the transport belt 161c at the center step portion in a convex shape.
In the central both sides 1Aa and 1Ab of the prepreg 1A corresponding to the conveyance belts 161a and 161b on both sides of the center, the prepreg 1A is adsorbed and held along the step D of the belt holding surface by the suction air Ad from the belt holding surface. Then, both ends 1Aaa and 1Abb of the tip portion away from the belt holding surface have a shape that sags toward the end of the prepreg 1A.

  On the other hand, in the first prepreg 1A, the holding surface by the suction conveyance device 160 disappears toward the rear end portion of the prepreg 1A, so that the prepreg 1A becomes substantially horizontal with respect to the belt holding surface. Further, the prepreg 1A faces the rear end of the prepreg, and maintains the floating form by the inflow of side air, so that the central portion of the prepreg 1A swells, and when viewed from the rear end portion of the prepreg 1A, an upwardly convex arch shape (half (Circular shape).

  As shown in FIG. 11, the second and subsequent prepregs 1B and 1C are curved into an upwardly convex shape (inverted U shape) by floating air and side air, and both end portions As it becomes, it floats to hang down by its own weight. The floating separation state shown in FIG. 11 is merely an example in which the thickness of a prepreg of a certain material type is within 0.02 mm to 0.2 mm. That is, although depending on the type of material, the degree of bending increases as the thickness approaches 0.02 mm and becomes thinner, and the degree of bending decreases as the thickness approaches 0.2 mm and rises in a substantially horizontal state. Become. When the side air stops working, the prepregs 1B and 1C cannot float and are held in the same state as in the initial stage of loading.

In the above-described levitation process, holding process, and buckling process, as a separated state, a shape difference occurs between the first prepreg 1A and the second prepreg 1B, and the prepreg is deformed in the belt holding direction. They are reliably separated from each other. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent prepreg double feeding.
On the other hand, during the conveyance of the first prepreg 1A, the conveyance shape of the first prepreg 1A changes from moment to moment, along with the conveyance in which the holding shape of the first prepreg 1A is maintained by the belt holding force. By always applying stress to the first prepreg 1A, it becomes easy to separate the prepregs. The prepreg after floating in the levitation process had a shape in a direction in which the end portion was separated from the prepreg held in the holding process and the prepreg in the laminated state.

  During the transport of the prepreg 1A by the suction transport device 160, the powder that comes out on the fence, the guide, etc., or the powder that originally comes out during the processing of the prepreg before the separation transport is sucked air Ad from the suction holes 164 of the transport belts 161a, 161b, 161c. Is sucked together. The prepreg powder passes through the negative pressure air chamber 310 and the suction duct 311 and is carried to the vicinity of the fan 32A and the fan 32B. At this time, if the temperature in the vicinity of the fan 32A and the fan 32B is high, the powder of the prepreg is melted and collected, and when the fan 32A and the fan 32B are turned off and cooled, they become a certain size. There is a possibility that the mass having a certain size may cause abnormality in the fans 32A and 32B.

  However, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, heat sinks 41 and 41 are provided corresponding to the installation surface 40 on which the fans 32 </ b> A and 32 </ b> B are installed. As shown in the plan view of FIG. 6A, the fans 32A and 32B are disposed on the downstream side 47 in the transport direction X across the installation surface 40 of the fans 32A and 32B, and the heat sinks 41 are disposed on the upstream side 46 in the transport direction X. , 41 are provided. These heat sinks 41 and 41 can suppress the temperature rise around the fans 32A and 32B.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the heat rise around the fans 32A and 32B is suppressed by the heat sinks 41 and 41 provided on the installation surfaces 40 of the fans 32A and 32B. Therefore, according to Example 1, it can suppress that the powder which generate | occur | produces when conveying a prepreg becomes solid.

In the first embodiment as well, it is needless to say that the heat radiation guide 44 is provided as a temperature rise suppression means similar to that shown in FIG. 4, and the temperature rise around the fans 32A and 32B can be suppressed to achieve the above-described effect. It is.
In the suction conveyance device 160 of the first embodiment, if it is not necessary to improve the separation performance as described above, instead of the conveyance belts 161a, 161b, and 161c that generate a step, a second embodiment described later that does not generate a step. These three conveyor belts 161 may be used.

(Example 2)
In some cases, the suction transport device 160 of the first embodiment alone cannot transport the suction-held prepreg to the target place (for example, transport further away or change the direction). In some cases, it is necessary to install a suction conveyance device. Thus, Example 2 was created in which an adsorption conveyance device was additionally installed so that the adsorption-held prepreg could be conveyed to a target location.
With reference to FIGS. 12 to 14, the prepreg transport apparatus 100 </ b> C according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described focusing on differences from the prepreg transport apparatus 100 </ b> B according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the prepreg conveying apparatus according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the suction conveying apparatus used in the second embodiment when viewed from the upper right. FIG. 14A is a schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement state of the conveyance belt, the fan, the installation surface, and the heat sink in the second embodiment, and FIG. 14B is a side view of the suction conveyance device used in the second embodiment.

  The second embodiment is mainly different from the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 to 11 in that a prepreg carrying device 100C shown in FIG. 12 is used instead of the prepreg carrying device 100B. The prepreg conveyance device 100C is different from the prepreg conveyance device 100B in that a suction conveyance device 160A is newly provided on the downstream side in the conveyance direction X of the adsorption conveyance device 160.

As shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the suction conveyance device 160A includes a plurality of (three in FIG. 13) conveyance belts 161, a negative pressure air chamber 310, a suction duct 311, and two fans 32C and 32D as suction means. It comprises.
The suction conveyance device 160A is arranged upside down with respect to the prepreg conveyance route XR, as compared with the suction conveyance device 160 on the upstream side. That is, the suction conveyance device 160A uses three conveyance belts 161 provided below the prepreg conveyance path XR instead of the conveyance belts 161a, 161b, 161c provided above the prepreg conveyance path XR. The holding belts 161a, 161b, and 161c of the suction conveyance device 160 are configured to generate a step, but the three conveying belts 161 of the second embodiment are configured to have no step. The suction conveyance device 160A includes the negative pressure air chamber 310 and the suction duct 311 similar to those of the suction conveyance device 160, but the arrangement positions of the negative pressure air chamber 310 and the suction duct 311 are lower than the prepreg to be sucked and held and conveyed. Has been placed.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the three conveyor belts 161 are common conveyor belts having the same circumference. Each conveyor belt 161 is stretched between a driving roller 162 fixed on the driving shaft 162s and a driven roller 163 supported on the driven shaft 163s. The drive shaft 162s is connected to a drive motor 169, which is a conveyance belt drive unit, via a toothed pulley, which is a rotation transmission unit, and a toothed belt.

As shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the negative pressure air chamber 310 is provided inside the loop of the conveyor belt 161 and opens in the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14B, the lower end portion of the negative pressure air chamber 310 is connected to the upper end portion of the suction duct 311. In the drawing of the suction duct 311, the lower end portion is in communication with the fans 32 </ b> C and 32 </ b> D. Further, the fans 32C and 32D are connected in communication with the air suction port of the downstream side fan 32D (which is hidden and not visible in FIG. 13) where the air discharge ports 32 of the fans 32C and 32D are adjacent to each other, and the fans 32C, 32D and 32D Are connected in series. The fans 32C and 32D are made of sirocco fans, for example.
As described above, the suction conveyance device 160A does not attract and hold and convey the prepreg against the gravity as in the adsorption conveyance device 160, but receives the prepreg conveyed from the adsorption conveyance device 160 and receives a skew or misalignment. Adsorbed and transported so as not to occur. The conveyance speed by the adsorption conveyance device 160A is controlled to be slightly faster than that of the adsorption conveyance device 160.

  In FIGS. 12 and 14B, the fans 32C and 32D are driven to cause the suction air Ad to flow, and the negative pressure air chamber 310 becomes negative pressure. As a result, the suction air Ad is sucked from the suction holes 164 of the respective transport belts 161 so that the prepreg is sucked and held on the belt holding surfaces of the respective transport belts 161.

  In the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the heat sink 41 is provided on the installation surface 40 on which the fans 32C and 32D are installed. The heat sink 41 can suppress the temperature rise around the fans 32C and 32D.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, also in the suction conveyance device 160A, the temperature increase around the fans 32C and 32D is suppressed by the heat sink 41 provided on the installation surface 40 of the fans 32C and 32D. Therefore, according to Example 2, it can suppress that the powder which generate | occur | produces when conveying a prepreg becomes solid.
Further, by being sucked and transported by the suction transport device 160A installed on the downstream side of the suction transport device 160, compared to pressing and transporting the prepreg 1A with a roller or the like, no pressing marks or scratches are attached to the prepreg. . Therefore, the conveyance problem peculiar to the material sheet used for the electronic circuit board material can be solved.

  In the second embodiment as well, it is needless to say that the heat radiation guide 44 is provided as a temperature rise suppression means similar to that shown in FIG. 4 and the temperature rise around the fans 32C and 32D can be suppressed to achieve the above-described effect. is there.

(Example 3)
A prepreg transport apparatus 100D including a plurality of suction holding units according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described focusing on differences from the prepreg transport apparatus 100B according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a prepreg transport apparatus including a plurality of suction holding units according to the third embodiment as viewed from the lower right, and FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the prepreg transport apparatus as viewed from the upper right. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the back side of the prepreg transport apparatus as viewed from the upper right, and FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram for explaining the action of various airs in the prepreg transport apparatus.
As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the prepreg transport device 100D includes suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C obtained by unitizing the suction transport device 160 of the first embodiment as compared with the prepreg transport device 100B of the first embodiment. The main difference is that three are arranged side by side in the width direction Y. In other words, the prepreg transport apparatus 100D includes the suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C so that a large size (for example, horizontal size 700 mm × vertical size 700 mm) prepreg can be separated and transported. 15 to 17 show a state in which the air injection nozzle device 300 and the like shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are removed, and the air injection nozzle device 300 is arranged for each of the suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C. .

  As shown in FIG. 17, also in the third embodiment, the heat sinks 41 and 41 are provided corresponding to the installation surfaces 40 on which the fans 32A and 32B are installed for the suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C, respectively. Yes. For each of the suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C, as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), the fans 32A are arranged downstream of the conveyance direction X with the installation surface 40 of the fans 32A and 32B interposed therebetween. 32B, the heat sinks 41, 41 are provided on the upstream side in the transport direction X. By providing the heat sinks 41 and 41 to the fans 32A and 32B for the suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C, the temperature rise around the fans 32A and 32B for the suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C can be reduced. Can be suppressed.

  The operation | movement of the principal part of prepreg conveying apparatus 100D is demonstrated using FIG. When a prepreg feeding command is received from the control unit provided in the prepreg transport apparatus 100D, the floating blower and side blower of the air injection nozzle device disposed at three locations in the width direction Y (not shown in FIGS. 15 and 16) The air blowing means including the sabaki operates. Thereby, the levitation | floating process which blows the air to each edge part of a prepreg is started. The uppermost prepregs 1A, 1B, and 1C on the prepared loading table 136 are floated by flying air Aa from the floating nozzle and simultaneously blowing side air from the side air nozzle. Thereby, the contact area of the uppermost prepregs 1A, 1B, and 1C can be changed.

  At the same time, a holding process for holding the prepreg floating is started, and suction air Ad is generated by operating each of the fans 32A and 32B in all three suction holding units 3A to 3C. Thereby, air suction by the conveyance belts 161a, 161b, and 161c of the suction holding units 3A to 3C is started. As a result, in all the suction holding units 3A to 3C, the uppermost prepreg 1A floats, and as shown in FIG. 18, the uppermost prepreg 1A is sucked and held by the three conveying belts 161a, 161b, 161c.

  Next, in all the suction holding units 3A to 3C, driving of the three conveying belts 161a, 161b, 161c is started, and a conveying step of conveying the prepreg 1A held by the three conveying belts 161a, 161b, 161c is performed. Will be started.

  In the above-described first to third embodiments, the conveyance belt 161a, the conveyance belt 161b, and the conveyance belt 161c constituting the holding unit 165 are formed as common parts. Different widths that share the same height may be used.

  Various arrangements of the suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C according to the third embodiment are conceivable. If the suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C are configured in common, the number of parts and the cost can be reduced. Further, depending on the size of the prepreg, the suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C may be configured to be detachable, configured to be movable, or further installed downstream in the transport direction. Further, the suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C may be selectively driven according to the size of the prepreg. Furthermore, the suction conveyance device 160 may be selectively driven according to the size of the prepreg in a state where the suction conveyance device 160 is not attached as a unit but is attached and fixed as it is.

  In the third embodiment described above, the conveyor belt 161c has a characteristic step in the vertical direction Z with respect to the conveyor belt 161a and the conveyor belt 161b constituting the holding unit 165. If the advantage is not desired, there may be no step in the vertical direction Z depending on the size of the prepreg, and there may be holding means / transport means such as a plurality of transport belts in the width direction. .

In the third embodiment, a plurality of suction means such as the fans 32A and 32B are provided in the width direction Y orthogonal to the direction of sucking the prepreg, and the heat sinks 41 and 41 are provided in the suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C, respectively. It is arranged for each of the fans 32A and 32B.
As described above, according to the third embodiment, the heat sinks 41 and 41 provided on the installation surfaces 40 of the fans 32A and 32B for each of the suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C are arranged around the fans 32A and 32B. Temperature rise is suppressed. Therefore, according to Example 3, it can suppress that the powder which generate | occur | produces when conveying a prepreg becomes solid.

  In the third embodiment as well, a heat radiation guide 44 is provided for each of the fans 32A and 32B for each of the suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C as temperature rise suppression means similar to that in FIG. 4, and the ambient temperature around each of the fans 32A and 32B. Of course, it is possible to suppress the increase and achieve the above effect.

Example 4
A prepreg transport apparatus 100E according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described mainly with respect to differences from the prepreg transport apparatus 100D of the third embodiment, with reference to FIGS. FIG. 19 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the prepreg conveying apparatus according to the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the suction unit used in the fourth embodiment when viewed from the upper right side. FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the fan of the suction unit used in the fourth embodiment when viewed from the diagonally lower right side, and FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the fan and heat sink of the suction unit used in the fourth embodiment when viewed from the diagonally lower right side. 20-22, illustration of adsorption | suction holding | maintenance unit 3A, 3B, 3C etc. is abbreviate | omitted, and only suction unit 6A, 6B, 6C is shown in figure.

As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the prepreg transport apparatus 100E has suction units 6A and 6B on the downstream side in the transport direction X of the suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C as compared with the prepreg transport apparatus 100D of the third embodiment. , 6C is mainly different in that three are arranged in the width direction Y.
The suction units 6 </ b> A, 6 </ b> B, and 6 </ b> C are units of the suction conveyance device 160 </ b> A according to the second embodiment, and are held by the main body frame 101. In addition to the suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C, the suction units 6A, 6B, and 6C are configured so that a large-size prepreg can be sucked and conveyed to a target location.

  As shown in FIG. 22, also in Example 4, each heat sink 41 and 41 is provided corresponding to the installation surface 40 in which each fan 32C and 32D is installed for each of the suction units 6A, 6B, and 6C. . For each of the suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C, as shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b), each fan 32C is located upstream in the transport direction X with the installation surface 40 of each fan 32C and 32D interposed therebetween. 32D, heat sinks 41, 41 are provided on the downstream side in the transport direction X. The heat sinks 41 and 41 provided for the fans 32C and 32D of the suction units 6A, 6B, and 6C can suppress an increase in temperature around the fans 32C and 32D.

  As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, also in the suction units 6A, 6B, and 6C, the temperature increase around the fans 32C and 32D is suppressed by the heat sink 41 provided on the installation surface 40 of the fans 32C and 32D. . Therefore, according to Example 4, it can suppress that the powder which generate | occur | produces when conveying a prepreg becomes solid.

  In the fourth embodiment as well, it is needless to say that the heat radiation guide 44 can be provided as a temperature rise suppression means similar to that shown in FIG. 4 to suppress the temperature rise around the fans 32C and 32D. In addition, by being sucked and transported by suction units 6A, 6B, and 6C installed on the downstream side of the suction holding units 3A, 3B, and 3C, compared to the case where the prepreg 1A is pressed and transported by a roller or the like, the pressure marks and scratches are reduced. Will not stick to the prepreg. Therefore, the conveyance problem peculiar to the material sheet used for the electronic circuit board material can be solved.

  The temperature rise suppression means such as the heat sink 41 and the heat radiation guide 44 described above may be configured to be detachable for the following purposes. That is, in order to facilitate the cleaning of the powder of the prepreg, the temperature rise suppressing means adopts a shape with less unevenness and a fastener that can be attached and detached with one touch instead of fastening with screws etc. It is good also as a mechanism made into the mechanism or the attachment or detachment possible by a slide.

  Embodiment examples different from the various prepreg conveying apparatuses shown in FIGS. 1 to 22 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 23 to 26. FIG. 23 is a schematic front view of a prepreg transport device 230 including an adsorption transport device 260 as a prepreg separation device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 24 is a schematic plan view of the prepreg transport device 230 of FIG. 23, FIGS. 25A to 25C are schematic views showing the operation transition state of the prepreg transport device 230, and FIGS. FIG. 26C is a schematic diagram showing an operation transition state of the prepreg transport device 230 subsequent to FIG.

23 and FIG. 24 differs from the prepreg transport apparatus 100 of FIGS. 1 to 3 in that a prepreg transport apparatus 230 is used instead of the prepreg transport apparatus 100.
The prepreg transport device 230 is similar to the prepreg transport device 100 of FIGS. 1 to 3, and includes a prepreg position control unit that controls the position of the top surface of the prepreg bundle 1 by controlling the detection sensor 20 and the lifting mechanism, and a front end guide plate 138. Although not shown in FIG. 23 and the like. The prepreg transport device 230 includes a pair of side fences 137, end fences 139, side air nozzles 370, side blowers 380, and the like, similar to the prepreg transport device 100, but is not shown in FIG. . Similarly, the prepreg transport device 230 includes an air injection nozzle device 300 having an air chamber 320 and a floating nozzle 322, which is the same as the prepreg transport device 100, but is not shown in FIG.

  The prepreg transport device 230 shown in FIGS. 23 and 24 is different from the prepreg transport device 100 in that a suction transport device 260 is used instead of the suction transport device 23 of FIGS. The suction conveyance device 260 is mainly different from the suction conveyance device 23 in FIGS. 1 to 3 in that a suction roller 261 shown in FIGS. 23 and 24 is used instead of the conveyance belt 28. Hereinafter, a detailed configuration of the suction conveyance device 260 different from the suction conveyance device 23 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 23 and FIG. 24, the suction conveyance device 260 is a suction air generation unit that generates suction air, a suction roller 261, a negative pressure air chamber 263, a shutter 270, an air pipe 235 that is a suction duct. The suction fan 280 is provided. The suction fan 280 is not limited to this, and suction air generation means such as an air compressor may be used.
The suction roller 261 has a shaft 261s rotatably supported on the main body frame. The shaft 261 s is connected to a drive motor 268 as a drive unit, and the suction roller 261 rotates in a direction in which the prepreg is fed out and conveyed by the rotational drive of the drive motor 268.
The shutter 270 is a valve member that performs on / off control of suction air generated by driving the suction fan 280 from the downstream negative pressure air chamber 263 and the suction roller 261.

  The suction roller 261 is a roller-like suction rotation member in which a large number of suction holes 264 are formed on the outer periphery. A negative pressure air chamber 263 is provided inside the suction roller 261. The negative pressure air chamber 263 communicates with the shutter 270 through the air pipe 235, and communicates with and is connected to the suction fan 280 through the air pipe 235. The suction roller 261 has a suction hole 264 disposed at an upper position facing the front end of the prepreg bundle 1 stacked in a stacked state on the stacking table 136. Thus, the suction roller 261 communicates with the shutter 270 via the air pipe 235 connected to the negative pressure air chamber 263 and is connected to the suction fan 280. The suction roller 261 sucks and sucks the uppermost prepreg 1 </ b> A through the suction hole 264 of the suction roller 261 when the negative pressure air chamber 263 is sucked air from the external suction fan 280 and maintains a negative pressure state.

As described above, the adsorption roller 261 of the adsorption conveyance device 260 functions as a holding unit / holding member that adsorbs and holds and separates the floated prepreg by negative pressure by air suction, and a conveyance unit that conveys the held prepreg. Have.
The suction conveyance device 260 may increase the size of the suction conveyance device 260 according to the size of the prepreg.

The operation of the prepreg transport device 230 including the suction transport device 260 will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 and 26.
When a prepreg feeding command is received from the control unit provided in the prepreg conveying device 230 in FIG. 25, the loading table 136 is lifted as indicated by a thick arrow in FIG. 25A and stopped at a predetermined position. The predetermined position is a position where the uppermost prepreg 1A of the prepreg bundle 1 loaded on the loading table 136 floats and can be sucked by the suction roller 261 as will be described later. At this time, the shutter 270 is closed.
Next, as shown in FIG. 25 (b), when the flying air Aa is blown from the floating nozzle of the air chamber toward the front end surface of the prepreg bundle 1 loaded on the loading table 136 with the shutter 270 closed. At the same time, side air is blown by the side air nozzle. This wind causes the prepregs 1A, 1B, and 1C on the upper portion of the loading table 136 to float, and the prepreg 1A on the uppermost surface of the prepreg bundle 1 floats to the vicinity of the height of the suction roller 261 (prepreg holding unit). By bringing the uppermost prepregs 1A, 1B, and 1C on the prepared loading table 136 to float, the contact area between the uppermost prepregs 1A, 1B, and 1C can be changed (the floating process).

Then, the suction fan 280 is activated and operated while the shutter 270 is closed to generate suction air to generate negative pressure. Next, as shown in FIG. 25C, the suction roller 261 is brought into a negative pressure state by opening the shutter 270, and the uppermost prepreg 1A is sucked and held by the suction roller 261 (holding step).
At this time, the uppermost prepreg 1A held by the suction roller 261 is not limited to a single sheet, and may be held in a state where the prepregs are in close contact with each other. Therefore, side air is blown by a side air nozzle, which is a blowing air blowing means provided on the side fence, and the prepreg 1A held on the suction roller 261 is separated into one sheet (baking process).

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 26 (a), the suction roller 261 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in the drawing, so that the prepreg 1A sucked and held / separated is moved to the target transport destination downstream in the transport direction X. It is conveyed (conveying process).
When it is determined that the prepreg 1A has reached the target conveyance destination by a feed sensor that detects the arrival of the prepreg provided downstream in the conveyance direction X of the prepreg conveyance device 230, as shown in FIG. Then, the shutter 270 is closed, and the inside of the negative pressure air chamber 263 is set to atmospheric pressure.
After the prepreg 1A passes through the suction roller 261 after a predetermined time has elapsed, the rotation conveyance drive of the suction roller 261 is stopped (FIG. 26C). In addition, when conveying a prepreg continuously, operation | movement of Fig.26 (a) will continue.

  With the above-described configuration, the prepreg conveyance device 230 including the adsorption conveyance device 260 can adsorb the prepreg 1A and convey the prepreg 1A without fluttering during conveyance. Further, there is no need to convey the prepreg 1A by a conveying roller or the like. If the prepreg is subjected to pressing marks or scratches, the thickness is not uniform when an electronic circuit board or the like is produced, resulting in an electrical resistance problem, and the prepreg is not adopted. The suction conveyance of the above-described embodiment is suitable for such a conveyance problem peculiar to the material sheet used for the electronic circuit board material / circuit board sheet.

  During the conveyance of the prepreg 1A, the powder emitted from the prepreg 1A and the powder emitted during the processing of the prepreg are sucked from the suction hole 264 of the suction roller 261 in the same manner as described above, and pass through the negative pressure air chamber 263 and the air pipe 235. Then, it is carried to the vicinity of the suction fan 280. Since the temperature in the vicinity of the suction fan 280 is high, the powder of the prepreg is melted and gathered, and when the suction fan 280 is turned off and cooled, it becomes a certain size. There is a possibility that the mass having a certain size may cause an abnormality in the suction fan 280.

  Therefore, also in the above-described embodiment, temperature rise suppression means for suppressing the temperature rise around the suction fan 280 is provided so as not to cause the above-described lumping of the prepreg. As an example of this temperature rise suppression means, it is possible to arrange a heat sink and a heat dissipation guide in the same manner as described above. Also in the above embodiment, by configuring in this way, it is possible to prevent the powder generated when the prepreg is conveyed from becoming hard.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and the present invention described in the claims is not specifically limited by the above description. Various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the above. For example, the technical matters described in the above-described embodiments and modifications may be appropriately combined.

  The effects appropriately described in the embodiments of the present invention are merely a list of the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention. It is not a thing.

1 Pre-preg bundle 1A, 1B, 1C Pre-preg 2A, 2B, 2C Air injection nozzle device (levitation means / air injection means)
3A, 3B, 3C Adsorption holding unit (an example of holding means / conveying means, prepreg separation device)
6A, 6B, 6C Suction unit (an example of conveying means)
28 Conveying belt (an example of holding means and conveying means)
23, 23A Adsorption conveyance device (an example of holding means / conveyance means, prepreg separation device)
32, 32A, 32B, 32C, 32D Fan (a suction means, an example of a suction member, suction air generation means)
40 Installation surface 41 Heat sink (an example of temperature rise suppression means)
42 Rear side 43 Conveyor belt side 44 Heat radiation guide (an example of a heat radiation guide member and temperature rise suppression means)
46 Upstream side in transport direction 47 Downstream side in transport direction 100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D Pre-preg transport device 101 Main body frame 136 Loading platform (preparation means)
137 Side fence 138 Front end guide plate 139 End fence 160, 160A, 160B Adsorption conveyance device 161, 161a, 161b, 161c Conveyance belt (an example of holding means and conveyance means)
162 Driving roller 163 Driven roller 164 Suction hole 165 Holding unit 166 Holding area 310 Negative pressure air chamber 311 Suction duct 322 Floating nozzle (air ejection means, first air ejection member)
370 Side Air Nozzle (Sabaki Air Blowing Unit, Air Blowing Unit, Second Air Blowing Member)
380 Side blower (side air generating means, side air blowing means)
Aa Floating air Ac Side air Ad Suction air X Conveying direction (Example of prepreg conveying direction)
Y width direction (an example of a direction orthogonal to the prepreg transport direction and the prepreg stacking direction)
Z Vertical direction (example of prepreg lamination direction)

JP-A-8-026482

Claims (5)

A suction means for sucking the laminated prepreg;
Conveying means for conveying the prepreg sucked by the suction means;
Temperature rise suppression means for suppressing temperature rise around the suction means;
A prepreg conveying apparatus having The suction means has a plurality in the direction orthogonal to the direction of sucking the prepreg,
The prepreg transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature rise suppression unit is arranged for each of the plurality of suction units.   The prepreg transport apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the temperature rise suppression means is a heat sink or a heat radiation guide member arranged around the suction means.   The prepreg transport apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the temperature rise suppression means is detachable with a single touch.   The prepreg separation device comprising: an air jetting unit for levitating an end of an air jetting prepreg to the laminated prepreg; and a holding unit for holding and separating the floated prepreg. The prepreg conveying apparatus according to any one of 1 to 4.

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