WO2018139465A1 - Electronic component separation device and electronic component separation method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic component separation device 1 and an electronic component separation method, configured so that heating efficiency is good, and an electronic component can be easily separated from a printed substrate without requiring complex machinery such as vibratory equipment. The electronic component separation device 1 comprises: a conveying unit 2 that conveys a printed substrate 10 to which an electronic component EP is attached; a heating unit 3 that heats the printed substrate 10 during conveying by the conveying unit 2; and a separating unit 4 that causes the printed substrate 10 to drop onto a dropping surface 6 below the conveying unit 2 from the conveying unit 2 during heating or after heating, and that separates the electronic component EP from the printed substrate 10.

Description

Electronic component separation device and electronic component separation method

The present invention relates to an electronic component separation device and an electronic component separation method for separating an electronic component from a printed circuit board.

In general, a printed circuit board is used inside a car, a home appliance, a communication device, a computer, etc., and lead solder, tin, bismuth, indium, silver, zinc, and the like are used to connect the printed circuit board and electronic parts. Lead-free solder containing copper, antimony and the like is used. The waste printed circuit board is valuable as a resource because it contains precious metals such as copper, gold, silver, palladium and the like.

As mentioned above, although some lead-free solder alloys have been put to practical use, wastes such as waste electronic parts using lead-tin-based solder alloys that have been used in large amounts up to now are In the treatment method of the above, there is a possibility that the elution of the lead component may adversely affect the environment, organisms and the like, so it is required to treat the lead after recovery.

In addition, metal elements such as tin, bismuth, indium, silver, zinc, copper and antimony used for lead-free solder are less expensive than lead solder, but are economically expensive and resources are exhausted. There are problems such as concern.

Therefore, semiconductor printed circuit boards conventionally used for automobiles, home appliances, etc. are crushed as they are and treated as shredder dust, they are removed by crushing the boards, and further they are melted by melting solder from the boards, IC chips etc. The precious metals are recovered by a method such as removing and crushing the members of the

Thus, from the viewpoint of environmental protection, there is a technology for separating solder and electrical / electronic parts (hereinafter simply referred to as "electronic parts") from printed circuit boards of used electrical products and recovering useful materials for reuse. It is proposed and implemented, and this technology is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.

In Patent Document 1, an apparatus for collecting solder that connects and fixes electronic components mounted on a printed circuit board, a conveying apparatus that suspends, holds and conveys the printed circuit board vertically, and heats the printed circuit board SUMMARY A structure is disclosed that includes an apparatus, a vibrating device that continuously applies vibration to a printed circuit board.

Patent Document 2 discloses a processing method in which solder is melted by heating while placing and conveying a printed circuit board vertically or appropriately inclined on a mesh board, and as a result, the solder is dropped and the electronic component is recovered and recovered. It is done.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-17948 Japan JP 2013-230437 gazette

In the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, although the removal and recovery of the solder can be performed by heating and vibration, the electronic component inserted into the substrate body through the lead wire or the like is separated from the substrate body even if the solder is melted. It is difficult to do. Further, in the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, in order to reliably vibrate the printed circuit board, a structure is adopted in which a spring member is used to fix the board body so as to sandwich it. Therefore, if it is intended to separate electronic components more reliably using this apparatus, it will be necessary to apply vibration for a longer period of time under heating. In this case, it is necessary to apply the vibration. In addition to the need for the device, the spring member for holding the printed circuit board and other components are exposed to high temperatures for a long time, and there is a problem that the functions of the spring and other components are degraded. Also, when vibration is applied, the separation process takes time and the workability is poor.

In the processing method disclosed in Patent Document 2, a method is shown in which the surface on which the electronic component is mounted is vertically or downwardly inclined in the printed circuit board, but some time is required for dropping and separating the electronic component. Are needed, and it is desirable to improve the working efficiency.

As the heat treatment of the printed circuit board, a method is employed in which heating means are disposed on both sides of the printed circuit board transported together with Patent Documents 1 and 2. As this heating device, there are infrared heating, hot air heating, combustion gas heating, high frequency heating, superheated steam heating and the like. Among them, superheated steam heating is considered to be relatively efficient, but heat treatment can be performed in a shorter time than in the past, and a large amount of heat energy required for heating can be reduced, which contributes to cost reduction. Methods and apparatus capable of such heat treatment are desired.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to make it possible to easily separate an electronic component from a printed circuit board without requiring a complicated machine such as a vibration device, and to provide an electronic device with good heating efficiency. A component separation device and an electronic component separation method are provided.

The above problems can be achieved by the following means. That is, the present invention is as follows.
[1] A transport unit for transporting a printed circuit board to which an electronic component is attached, a heating unit for heating the printed circuit board during transport by the transport unit, and the transfer unit from the transport unit during or after heating the printed circuit board An electronic component separation device comprising: a separation unit that drops the light onto the lower surface of the transport unit and separates the electronic component from the printed circuit board.

[2] The transport unit includes a suspension holding unit for suspending and holding the printed circuit board, and the suspension release unit configured to release the suspension holding by the separation unit is provided in [1]. Electronic component separation device.

[3] The electronic component separation device according to [1] or [2], wherein the heating unit includes a preheating unit and a main heating unit with heating steam downstream of the preheating unit.

[4] A heating step of heating while transporting the printed circuit board to which the electronic component is attached, and during or after the heating step, the printed circuit board is dropped to apply a drop impact to the printed circuit board, and And a separation step of separating electronic parts.

[5] The electronic component separation method according to [4], wherein the printed circuit board is transported by hanging the corner of the printed circuit board downward.

[6] The electronic component separation method according to [5], wherein the conveyance by the conveyance means is suspended using a printed board mounting hole provided in advance at a corner of the printed board.

According to the electronic component separation device of [1], since the printed circuit board heated by the heating unit is dropped to the throwing surface at the separation unit, the electronic component can be instantaneously and easily removed from the printed circuit board by the drop impact. It can be separated. As a result, when separating the electronic component from the printed circuit board, the accuracy of the electronic component separation can be dramatically improved and the separation processing speed is dramatically improved without the need for a machine such as a vibration device. be able to.

According to the electronic component separation device of [2], since the transport unit includes the suspension holding unit that suspends and holds the printed circuit board, the printed circuit board can be easily dropped with a simple structure. Further, according to the hanging and holding portion, the heating member can be disposed close to the printed circuit board in the transport path, so that the heating efficiency can be improved, and the heat processing speed and the running cost can be reduced. it can.

According to the electronic component separation device of [3], by arranging the preheating unit in front of the main heating unit in the heating unit, heating efficiency can be improved by performing heating in two steps, and By performing heating with superheated steam after preheating, higher-speed and uniform heating can be performed, and speeding-up of the heat treatment and reduction of the running cost can be achieved.

According to the electronic component separation method of [4], the printed circuit board is dropped during or after the heating step to apply a drop impact to the printed circuit board to separate the electronic component from the printed circuit board. Since the printed circuit board can be shocked easily and instantaneously after it is heated and the connecting means such as the solder is melted, the electronic component can be separated from the printed circuit board extremely easily and quickly.

According to the electronic component separation method of [5], since the printed circuit board is suspended and held with the corner of the printed circuit board facing downward, the corner of the printed circuit board can be brought into contact with the projection surface when dropped. Can be received at the corners and effectively transmitted to the entire printed circuit board. Further, according to the hanging and holding of the printed circuit board, the heating means can be easily approached to the printed circuit board, and the heating efficiency can be enhanced.

According to the electronic component separation method of [6], since the hole formed in advance at the time of attachment of the printed circuit board is used, the corner of the printed circuit board is hung obliquely downward without processing the printed circuit board It can be lowered.

It is a principal part perpendicular sectional view showing a schematic structure of an electronic component separation device of one embodiment of the present invention. In the electronic component separation apparatus shown in FIG. 1, it is the principal part schematic of the heating part seen from the traveling direction of the conveyance part. It is an expansion perspective view of the suspension release part in the electronic component separation apparatus shown in FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of the isolation | separation part in the electronic component separation apparatus shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an electronic component separation method of the present invention and an electronic component separation device in which the method is implemented will be described. 1 is a main part vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the electronic component separating apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a main part of the heating unit as viewed from the traveling direction of the transport part in the electronic component separating apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view, FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a suspension release part in the electronic component separation device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a separation part in the electronic component separation device shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic component separation device 1 according to the present embodiment heats the printed circuit board 10 during conveyance by the conveyance unit 2 that conveys the printed circuit board 10 to which the electronic component EP is attached. And the separating unit 4 which causes the printed circuit board 10 to drop from the transport unit 2 onto the light emitting surface 6 immediately after heating and separate the electronic component EP from the printed circuit board 10.

In other words, the electronic component separation device 1 applies a drop impact to the printed circuit board 10 during or after the heating step of heating while transporting the printed circuit board 10 to which the electronic component EP is attached, and printing. And a separation step of separating the electronic component EP from the substrate 10.

Here, examples of the electronic component EP include an IC chip, a capacitor, a resistor, a wireless tag, a coil, a transistor, a diode, a transformer, an LED, a vibrator, a speaker, a motor, a liquid crystal, a camera, a connector, a contact, and the like.

Moreover, as resin which comprises the substrate main body P of the printed circuit board 10, For example, nylon, polyacetal, modified polyphenylene ether, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyphenylene sulfide, polyamide, polyether sulfone, liquid crystal polymer, polyethylene, Polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, ABS resin, acrylonitrile styrene copolymer resin, MBS resin, and any one or more of these polymer alloys or polymer blends. The printed circuit board 10 and the electronic component EP may include a glass fiber layer.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transport unit 2 includes an endless transport main body 2a rotationally driven by a drive system (not shown) such as a drive motor, and the printed circuit board 10 is suspended from the transport main body 2a. A hanging holder 2b is provided which can be held. The suspension holding portion 2b is a substantially L-shaped member including a vertical portion 2bv extending downward from the transfer main body portion 2a and a horizontal portion 2bh extending substantially horizontally from the lower end of the vertical portion 2bv. It is. Further, a large number of the suspension holding portions 2 b are provided at appropriate intervals over the entire length of the transport main body portion 2 a. Further, the horizontal portion 2bh of the suspension holding portion 2b extends in the left-right direction with respect to the traveling direction of the transport body 2a, and the tip of the horizontal portion 2bh is provided facing the outside of the traveling loop of the transport body 2a. ing.

The horizontal portion 2bh of the suspension holder 2b penetrates the printed board mounting hole 10h formed in the substrate body P of the printed circuit board 10 and holds the printed circuit board 10 in a suspended manner. And conveyance of the printed circuit board 10 is suspended with the corner part Pc of the board | substrate main body P facing down (refer FIG. 1).

The board mounting holes 10 h referred to here are holes that are previously opened for screwing when the printed board 10 is mounted on an electrical product in many cases. In the printed circuit board 10, the substrate body P is substantially rectangular or a combination of rectangular shapes, and the substrate mounting holes 10h are formed in most corner portions Pc of the substrate body P. Therefore, when the suspension holder 2b is penetrated and held in one of the board mounting holes 10h, the corner portion Pc opposite to the side through which the suspension holder 2b is penetrated is held facing downward Be done.

In the present embodiment, since the horizontal portion 2bh of the suspension holding portion 2b extends in the left-right direction with respect to the traveling direction of the transfer main body portion 2a as described above, the suspended printed circuit board 10 is The sheet is conveyed with the front and back sides parallel to the conveying direction. Therefore, the space on the left and right of the conveyance when the printed circuit board 10 is conveyed may be slightly larger than the thickness of the printed circuit board 10, and does not require a large space. That is, the distance d between the front and back surfaces of the printed board 10 with the hot air heaters 3aa and the like of the heating unit 3 described later can be set small, and the substrate passage opening 1s formed in the partition 1w of the heating unit 3 can be small.

The heating unit 3 includes a conveyance unit 2 at the upper part, and a preheating unit 3a that heats the printed circuit board 10 to a predetermined temperature while the printed circuit board 10 is moving at a predetermined speed; And a main heating unit 3b disposed downstream. The preheating unit 3a is provided with, for example, a hot air heater 3aa capable of emitting hot air, and supplies hot air heated to a predetermined temperature to the front and back surfaces of the printed circuit board 10. As a heat source of hot air heater 3aa, an infrared ray, a high frequency, a combustion gas etc. are mentioned, for example. Further, a superheated steam generation unit 3bb is provided in the main heating unit 3b, and the superheated steam generation unit 3bb supplies the superheated steam.

Here, the space of the heating unit 3 is preferably configured as small as possible. For example, the bottom 7 is set higher than the bottom of the casing 1 a of the electronic component separation device 1 so as to approach the printed circuit board 10. Is desirable. In addition, although the means to collect | recover the molten falling things, such as solder S fuse | melted by heating, is suitably provided in the bottom part 7, illustration is abbreviate | omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the separation unit 4 is disposed adjacent to the heating unit 3 and on the downstream side thereof. That is, the separation unit 4 is disposed so that separation processing can be performed in a state where the printed circuit board 10 is heated to a predetermined temperature. The separating unit 4 is provided with a hanging release unit 5 for separating the printed circuit board 10 from the transport unit 2 and dropping it. Further, below the suspension release portion 5, a throwing surface 6 is provided at a distance sufficient for the printed circuit board 10 to reach a predetermined speed.

In the present embodiment, the throwing surface 6 is configured using the bottom surface of the casing 1a, is made of metal and has a predetermined hardness, and is configured as a substantially horizontal surface.

As shown in FIG. 3, the suspension release unit 5 is a wedge-shaped block structure disposed along the transport body 2 a. In detail, the suspension release unit 5 is disposed immediately below the position through which the horizontal portion 2bh of the suspension support unit 2b passes, and contacts the back surface side of the printed substrate 10 being transported to carry out the printing. The substrate 10 is moved in the horizontal direction (arrow R direction) orthogonal to the transport direction. That is, the lifting unit 5 is in contact with the printed circuit board 10 along the transport movement direction of the transport body 2a and pushes the printed circuit board 10 away from the suspension holder 2b along with the transport movement. An inclined substrate pressing tapered surface 5t is provided. Therefore, the printed board 10 is pushed by the board pressing tapered surface 5t of the suspension release unit 5 only by being transported and moved, and is dropped from the horizontal portion 2bh and falls automatically.

Further, the temperature of the region is set lower than that of the heating unit 3 because the separation unit 4 is substantially separated from the heating unit 3 by the partition wall 1 w.

The separation operation of the electronic component EP by the drop of the printed circuit board 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
First, as shown in FIG. 4, the printed circuit board 10 whose suspension has been released by the suspension release portion 5 falls with the corner portion Pc facing downward and the substrate body P standing almost vertically (arrow D direction ) And go. Then, the substrate main body P collides with the throwing surface 6 in a substantially upright state. In addition to the entire weight of the printed circuit board 10 being concentrated at one point of the corner portion Pc, this collision has an extremely important function of collision in the substantially vertical state of the substrate body P.

The reason for this is that when the substrate body P collides with the projection surface 6 with the substrate body P standing substantially vertically, an impact is applied in the direction along the surface of the substrate body P. The direction along the surface of the substrate body P is the direction in which the substantial rigidity of the substrate body P is the highest. By applying an impact in this direction, the substrate body P receives an impact with the least amount of deflection. As a result, since the substrate body P hardly bends and strikes the lower surface 6, its impact is strong (the negative acceleration with respect to the drop acceleration is large), and the substrate body P is instantaneously stopped falling and recoiled upward Bounce back to At this time, the electronic component EP moves downward due to the inertia in the falling direction, and most of the electronic components EP are separated or detached from the substrate body P by the first impact.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the printed circuit board 10 heated by the heating unit 3 is dropped to the discharge surface 6 at the separation unit 4, the electronic component EP is removed from the printed circuit board 10 by the drop impact. Can be separated instantly and easily. As a result, when the electronic component EP is separated from the printed circuit board 10, separation of the electronic component EP can be reliably performed without the need for a machine such as a vibrating device or a reversing device (device for reversing the printed substrate). The speed can be dramatically improved.

Moreover, since the conveyance part 2 is provided with the suspension holding part 2b which suspends the printed circuit board 10, the fall of the printed circuit board 10 can be made easy by simple structure. Further, according to the hanging and holding portion 2b, since the heating means can be disposed close to the printed circuit board 10 in the transport path, the heating efficiency can be improved, and the heating processing speed and the running cost can be reduced. be able to.
Further, since the horizontal portion 2bh of the suspension holding portion 2b is held so as to hook the printed circuit board 10, the printed circuit board 10 can be easily separated from the transport unit 2.
Further, since the horizontal portion 2bh of the suspension holding portion 2b is provided to face the outside of the traveling loop of the transfer main body portion 2a, when the printed circuit board 10 is attached to the suspension holding portion 2b, the mounting is easy Workability can be improved.
Furthermore, since the suspending and releasing unit 5 includes the substrate pressing tapered surface 5t, it can be pushed out in a direction to separate the printed circuit board 10 from the horizontal portion 2bh of the suspended holding unit 2b as the printed circuit board 10 is transported and moved. The movement of the transport unit 2 can easily drop the printed circuit board 10 without the need for a complicated mechanism.

Further, by arranging the preheating unit 3a in front of the main heating unit 3b in the heating unit 3, heating efficiency can be improved by performing heating in two steps, and heating by superheated steam after preheating is also possible. As a result, high-speed and uniform heating can be performed by latent heat heating having a high heat transfer coefficient, and faster and more uniform heating can be performed as compared with the prior art. Therefore, the heat treatment can be speeded up to improve the productivity, and the running cost can be reduced.

In addition, since the printed circuit board 10 is dropped during the heating process or after the heating process and a drop impact is applied to the printed circuit board 10 to separate the electronic component EP from the printed circuit board 10, the printed circuit board 10 is heated by dropping. Immediately after the connection means is melted, impact can be applied to the printed circuit board 10 easily and instantaneously, and separation of the electronic component EP from the printed circuit board 10 can be performed extremely easily and quickly. Moreover, since this separation process can be performed continuously, productivity can be remarkably improved.

In addition, since the printed circuit board 10 is suspended by holding the corner portion Pc of the printed circuit board 10 downward, the corner portion Pc of the printed circuit board 10 can be applied to the projection surface 6 at the time of drop, It can be effectively transmitted to the entire receiving printed circuit board 10 at the corner portion Pc. Further, according to the hanging and holding portion 2b of the printed circuit board 10, the heating means can be easily approached to the printed circuit board 10, and the heating efficiency can be enhanced.

Further, since the hanging and holding of the printed circuit board 10 utilizes the board mounting holes 10 h formed for screwing when the printed circuit board 10 is mounted on an electric product, there is no need to process the printed circuit board 10. The corner portion Pc of the printed circuit board 10 can be hung downward.

(Experimental example)
Hereinafter, an experiment of separating the electronic component EP from the printed circuit board 10 using the electronic component separation device 1 shown in FIG. 1 was performed under the following conditions.
conditions:
(1) Printed circuit board is 250g in weight when electronic parts are mounted
(2) Transport speed of transport section: Speed of 0.6 m / min (3) Preheating section is hot air heating, residence time is 3.8 minutes, heating temperature 250 degrees (4) Main heating section is superheated steam heating The retention time was 1.8 minutes, and the heating temperature was 280 ° C. (5) The hanging holder was held so as to penetrate the hole for mounting the printed circuit board so that the corner was at the bottom.
(6) The falling distance at the separation section (the distance from the lower end of the printed circuit board to the projection surface) is 0.9 m
(7) Number of Dropped Samples of Printed Circuit Board: 133 As a result of the experiment, the substrate main body and the electronic component were able to be separated in all the samples.

As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to this, It can change suitably. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the printed circuit board 10 is dropped from the transport unit 2 to the discharge surface 6 immediately after heating, but the printed circuit board 10 may be dropped during heating.
Further, in the above embodiment, although the heating unit 3 and the separation unit 4 are arranged in a straight line in the drawing, the conveyance unit 2 may be arranged in a loop and may be arranged along the loop shape. .

In the above-mentioned embodiment, although the method of causing the throwing surface 6 to fall naturally is adopted, in the present invention, for example, the air is blown from above to the printed circuit board 10 separated from the suspension holding portion 2b. The configuration may be such that a greater acceleration is applied to the printed circuit board 10.
In the embodiment described above, the hanging of the printed circuit board 10 in the transport unit 2 is carried in a single row, but may be carried in a plurality of rows.

Further, although the method of dropping the printed circuit board 10 in the above-described embodiment adopts a method of dropping and applying an impact while keeping the printed circuit board 10 in a substantially vertical state from a suspended holding state, the present invention is limited thereto. For example, the printed circuit board placed on the belt conveyor may be dropped to the side of the belt conveyor while being offset. That is, as long as the printed circuit board 10 is heated while being transported, and dropped from the transport unit 2 during or after heating, it belongs to the category of the present invention.

According to the present invention, it is possible to easily separate an electronic component from a printed circuit board without requiring a complicated machine such as a vibration device, and to provide an electronic component separation device and an electronic component separation method with good heating efficiency. .

Although the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-014698) filed on Jan. 30, 2017, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electronic component separation device 2 Conveying part 2a Conveying main part 2b Hanging holding part 3 Heating part 3a Preheating part 3aa Hot air heater 3b Main heating part 3bb Heating water vapor generation part 4 Separation part 5 Hanging release part 6 Projection surface 10 Printed circuit board 10h PCB mounting hole P PCB body EP electronic component S solder

Claims (6)

A transport unit that transports the printed circuit board to which the electronic component is attached;
A heating unit that heats the printed circuit board during conveyance by the conveyance unit;
A separation unit that drops the printed circuit board from the transfer unit to the lower end of the transfer unit during or after heating, and separates the electronic component from the printed circuit board;
Electronic component separating apparatus comprising: The electronic component separation according to claim 1, wherein the transport unit includes a suspension holding unit that suspends and holds the printed circuit board, and a suspension release unit configured to release the suspension holding by the separation unit. apparatus. 3. The electronic component separation device according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit includes a preheating unit and a main heating unit with superheated steam downstream of the preheating unit. A heating step of heating while transporting the printed circuit board to which the electronic component is attached;
A separation step of dropping the printed circuit board during or after the heating step and applying a drop impact to the printed circuit board to separate the electronic component from the printed circuit board;
Electronic component separation method including: The electronic component separation method according to claim 4, wherein the printed circuit board is suspended by hanging the corner of the printed circuit board downward. 6. The electronic component separation method according to claim 5, wherein the transfer of the printed circuit board is suspended using a printed circuit board mounting hole provided in advance at a corner of the printed circuit board.

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