JP6152287B2 - Intermittent coating apparatus and coating film forming system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an intermittent coating apparatus that intermittently applies a coating liquid from a nozzle toward a substrate, and a coating film forming system having the intermittent coating apparatus.

  Conventionally, in the manufacture of chemical batteries such as lithium ion batteries, a coating apparatus that forms a coating film by discharging a coating liquid of a relatively high viscosity electrode material from a nozzle onto a metal foil as a base material Is used. Among such coating apparatuses, there is an apparatus that intermittently coats an electrode material to alternately form a coating region and a non-coating region (for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the apparatus for performing intermittent coating disclosed in Patent Document 1, the coating liquid is intermittently discharged from a slot die having minute slit-shaped discharge ports. In this apparatus, a relief path is provided by branching from a liquid feed path connected from the coating liquid storage means to the slot die, and intermittent coating is performed by repeatedly switching the path by a three-way valve. The coating liquid that has flowed into the relief path during non-coating is returned to the coating liquid storage means.

  Further, Patent Document 2 is disclosed as a technique related to the present invention.

JP 2012-30193 A JP 2011-83719 A

  When performing intermittent coating, it is important to accurately maintain the distance between the slot die outlet and the substrate. This is because if the discharge port fluctuates with respect to the base material, the coating region cannot be formed with a desired shape with high accuracy.

  Now, intermittent coating is performed, for example, by repeatedly switching the path by a three-way valve. Since the path switching involves a mechanical operation (opening and closing of piping), the three-way valve vibrates in accordance with the switching. When this vibration is transmitted to the discharge port, the interval between the discharge port and the base material may fluctuate. This is not preferable as described above.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, and it aims at providing the intermittent coating apparatus which can reduce the vibration transmitted to the nozzle from a switching means.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention of claim 1 is an intermittent coating apparatus for intermittently coating a coating liquid from a nozzle toward a substrate, the nozzle being connected to the nozzle, A switching unit that intermittently discharges the coating liquid from the nozzle toward the substrate by repeatedly switching between opening and closing of the supply pipe through which the liquid flows toward the nozzle and the supply pipe; A nozzle base to be placed; a switching means base on which the switching means is placed; and a nozzle movement for adjusting the position of the nozzle relative to the substrate by moving the nozzle base this provided a means and a switching means for moving the said switching means to follow the movement of the nozzle by moving the switching means in the same direction as the moving direction of the nozzle base by said nozzle moving means The features.

Further, the invention of claim 2, in the intermittent coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle moving means moves said nozzle base in a horizontal direction, the switching means for moving the switching means in an arbitrary horizontal direction It is possible to move freely, and the movement of the nozzle is transmitted through the supply pipe, whereby the switching means is moved in the same direction as the movement direction.

The invention according to claim 3 is the intermittent coating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , further comprising: a vibration suppressing means provided on the switching means base for suppressing vibration transmission from the switching means to the nozzle. It is further provided with the feature.

Moreover, invention of Claim 4 is with respect to the said base material with which the said coating liquid was apply | coated by the intermittent coating apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3 , and the said intermittent coating apparatus. Drying means for drying the coating liquid by heat treatment, and conveying means for sequentially conveying the base material to the intermittent coating apparatus and the drying means.

  In the intermittent coating apparatus, the supply pipe between the nozzle and the switching means is set short. This is for promptly reflecting the switching of the supply pipe by the switching means to intermittent discharge (that is, discharge / stop) at the nozzle. And the member arrange | positioned at a short distance mutually is normally mounted in the base form of the same body.

On the other hand, according to the first and fourth aspects of the invention, the nozzle and the switching means arranged at a short distance in this way are placed on the separate nozzle base and the switching means base, respectively. Since the switching of the opening and closing of the supply pipe by the switching means is accompanied by a mechanical change, vibration is generated, and this vibration is hardly transmitted to the nozzle through the base. The vibration of the nozzle deteriorates the accuracy of intermittent coating, and can suppress the deterioration of accuracy of intermittent coating.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the positional relationship between the nozzle and the switching means is unlikely to change, so that the stress generated in the supply pipe can be reduced. In particular, in the intermittent coating apparatus, the distance between the nozzle and the switching means is short. Therefore, if the position of the switching means is fixed, stress is generated in the relatively large supply pipe as the nozzle moves. Accordingly, the invention of claim 1 can reduce the stress will become one particularly preferred in the intermittent coating apparatus.

On the other hand, in the invention of claim 1 , the switching means moves. Therefore, the relative position between the switching means and the member on the upstream side (opposite side of the nozzle) of the switching means, for example, the storage means for storing the coating liquid, can change. However, from the viewpoint of improving the accuracy of intermittent coating, it is not necessary to set the pipe length on the upstream side of the switching means to be short. Therefore, the pipe length can be set long. If the pipe length is set to be long in this way, the stress of the pipe accompanying the movement of the switching means is small, and it does not become a problem.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the switching moving means can freely move the switching means in an arbitrary horizontal direction, it is possible to make the positioning of the switching moving means unnecessary with respect to the nozzle moving means.

  Also, when the nozzle position is fixed and intermittent coating is performed, the switching means can move in the horizontal direction due to its own switching operation, so that vibrations are transmitted to the nozzle via the switching means base. Hateful.

According to the invention of claim 3 , vibration transmission can be further suppressed.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the coating-film formation system incorporating the intermittent coating apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the intermittent coating apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the one part schematic structure of the intermittent coating apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the one part schematic structure of the intermittent coating apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the one part schematic structure of the intermittent coating apparatus which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<Overall configuration of coating film formation system>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a coating film forming system 1 incorporating an intermittent coating apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 1 and the subsequent drawings, the size and number of each part are exaggerated or simplified as necessary for easy understanding.

  In this coating film forming system 1, an active material coating liquid, which is an electrode material, is applied onto a metal foil as a base material, and the coating liquid is dried to produce an electrode for a lithium ion secondary battery. It is a device that performs. The coating film forming system 1 includes an intermittent coating apparatus 10, a drying unit 70, and a transport mechanism 80. The coating film forming system 1 includes a control unit 90 that manages the entire system.

  The base material 5 is a metal foil that functions as a current collector of a lithium ion secondary battery. When the positive electrode of the lithium ion secondary battery is manufactured by the coating film forming system 1, for example, an aluminum foil (Al) can be used as the base material 5. Moreover, when manufacturing a negative electrode with the coating-film formation system 1, copper foil (Cu) can be used as the base material 5, for example. The substrate 5 is a long sheet-like metal foil, and the width and thickness thereof are not particularly limited. For example, the width may be 600 mm to 700 mm and the thickness may be 10 μm to 20 μm.

  The long base material 5 is fed from the unwinding roller 81 and wound by the winding roller 82, so that the intermittent coating apparatus 10 and the drying unit 70 are conveyed in this order. The transport mechanism 80 includes the unwind roller 81, the take-up roller 82, and a plurality of auxiliary rollers 83. Note that the number and arrangement position of the auxiliary rollers 83 are not limited to the example of FIG. 1 and can be increased or decreased as necessary.

  The drying unit 70 performs a drying process on the coating film of the coating liquid formed on the substrate 5 by the intermittent coating apparatus 10. The drying unit 70 performs the drying process by evaporating the solvent from the coating liquid by heating the substrate 5 conveyed by the conveyance mechanism 80. The drying unit 70 includes, for example, a preheating unit that gradually raises the coating film of the coating liquid, a main drying unit that raises the coating film to a predetermined temperature and performs main heating, and heats the coating film to a higher temperature. You may provide the annealing part which removes the distortion and residual stress in a film | membrane, the cooling part which cools the heated coating film, etc.

<Coating device>
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the intermittent coating apparatus 10 according to the present invention. The intermittent coating apparatus 10 includes a coating nozzle 11, a storage tank 20, supply pipes 30 and 37, and a circulation pipe 40 as main elements. The storage tank 20 stores a solution of an active material that is an electrode material of a lithium ion secondary battery as a coating liquid. When the positive electrode is manufactured by the coating film forming system 1, as a positive electrode material coating liquid, for example, lithium cobaltate (LiCoO ₂ ) as a positive electrode active material, carbon (C) as a conductive additive, binder A mixed liquid of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as a solvent and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as a solvent is stored. Instead of lithium cobaltate, lithium nickelate (LiNiO ₂ ), lithium manganate (LiMn ₂ O ₄ ), lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO ₄ ), or the like can be used as the positive electrode active material.

On the other hand, when the negative electrode is manufactured by the coating film forming system 1, as a negative electrode material coating liquid, for example, a mixed liquid of graphite (graphite) as a negative electrode active material, PVDF as a binder, and NMP as a solvent. Is stored in the storage tank 20. Instead of graphite, hard carbon, lithium titanate (Li ₄ Ti ₅ O ₁₂ ), silicon alloy, tin alloy, or the like can be used as the negative electrode active material. In both the positive electrode material and the negative electrode material, styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) or the like can be used as a binder instead of PVDF, and water (H ₂ O) or the like can be used as a solvent instead of NMP. be able to. Furthermore, when using SBR as a binder and water as a solvent, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) can be used in combination as a thickener. The coating liquid for these positive electrode material and negative electrode material is a slurry in which solids (fine particles) are dispersed, the viscosity of which is 1 Pa · s (pascal second) or more, and generally has thixotropic properties.

  The storage tank 20 may be provided with a stirrer, an air pressurization unit, and the like. The stirrer agitates the coating liquid stored in the storage tank 20 to make the concentration distribution uniform. The air pressurization unit pressurizes the liquid level of the coating liquid stored by sending high-pressure air into the gas phase portion in the storage tank 20.

  The storage tank 20 and the coating nozzle 11 are connected in communication by supply pipes 30 and 37. The supply pipe 37 supplies the coating liquid stored in the storage tank 20 toward the supply valve 32. The supply pipe 30 supplies the coating liquid from the supply valve 32 toward the coating nozzle 11. As the supply pipes 30 and 37, stainless steel pipes or resin pipes (including flexible pipes, the same applies below) can be used. A pump 31 is inserted in the middle of the path of the supply pipe 37, and a filter 33 and a syringe 36 are inserted in the middle of the path of the supply pipe 30. Further, a circulation pipe 40 is provided branching from the middle of the route of the supply pipe 37. The proximal end side of the circulation pipe 40 is connected to the supply pipe 37 at a position downstream of the pump 31 (side closer to the coating nozzle 11), and the distal end side is connected to the storage tank 20.

  The pump 31 is provided on the upstream side (side closer to the storage tank 20) than the connection site of the circulation pipe 40, and is controlled by the control unit 90 to be applied to the electrode material coating liquid stored in the storage tank 20. To the supply pipe 37. The supply valve 32 is controlled by the control unit 90 to repeatedly open and close the flow path of the supply pipe 30. Thereby, supply / stop of the coating liquid to the coating nozzle 11 is repeatedly switched. The filter 33 is inserted between the supply valve 32 and a connection site of the circulation pipe 40 in the path of the supply pipe 30, and removes foreign matters from the coating liquid flowing toward the coating nozzle 11 through the supply pipe 30. The syringe 36 is provided between the supply valve 32 and the coating nozzle 11. The syringe 36 is controlled by the control unit 90 and draws the coating liquid from the supply pipe 30 when the supply valve 32 is closed. Thereby, discharge of the coating liquid from the coating nozzle 11 can be stopped rapidly.

  The coating nozzle 11 is a slit nozzle provided with a slit-like discharge port 11 a along the width direction of the substrate 5. The coating nozzle 11 applies the coating liquid fed through the supply pipes 37 and 30 to the surface of the base material 5 that is running while being pressed and supported by the backup roller 12 from the discharge port 11a. The coating nozzle 11 is provided with a nozzle moving mechanism 51 that adjusts the distance between the backup roller 12 and the discharge port 11a and a posture adjusting mechanism (not shown) that defines the posture.

  The front end side of the circulation pipe 40 provided by branching from the middle of the path of the supply pipe 37 is connected to the storage tank 20. Similar to the supply pipes 30 and 37, a stainless steel pipe or a resin pipe can be used as the circulation pipe 40. The circulation pipe 40 causes the coating liquid sent from the storage tank 20 and flowing from the supply pipe 30 to return to the storage tank 20. A circulation valve 41 and a filter 43 are inserted in the circulation pipe 40. The circulation valve 41 is controlled by the control unit 90 to open and close the flow path of the circulation pipe 40. The filter 43 is provided between the circulation valve 41 and the storage tank 20, and removes foreign substances from the coating liquid flowing toward the storage tank 20 through the circulation pipe 40.

  When the supply valve 32 is opened while the circulation valve 41 is closed, the coating liquid sent from the storage tank 20 flows over the entire supply pipes 37 and 30 and is supplied to the coating nozzle 11.

  On the other hand, when the circulation valve 41 is opened while the supply valve 32 is closed, the coating liquid delivered from the storage tank 20 flows partway through the supply pipe 37 and flows into the circulation pipe 40 and is returned to the storage tank 20 again. The In other words, the supply valve 32 intermittently switches the coating liquid from the coating nozzle 11 by repeatedly switching the sending / stopping of the coating liquid fed from the storage means to the coating nozzle 11 via the supply pipe 30. It functions as a switching means that discharges automatically.

  Further, as the supply valve 32 is closed, the syringe 36 draws the coating liquid from the supply pipe 30. Thereby, it is suppressed that the coating liquid of the discharge port 11a is attracted | sucked to the supply valve 32 side, and a coating liquid droops.

  The opening / closing timing of the supply valve 32 and the circulation valve 41 is appropriately controlled by the control unit 90, and the coating liquid is intermittently applied to the predetermined position of the substrate 5 with the predetermined width by repeatedly switching the opening / closing.

  In the illustration of FIG. 2, a pressure gauge 35 is attached. For example, the pressure gauge 35 is provided in the supply pipe 37 at a position between the connection portion with the circulation pipe 40 and the pump 31. The measurement value measured by the pressure gauge 35 is output to the control unit 90. For example, the control unit 90 can control the driving speed (rotational speed) of the pump 31 so that the pressure becomes a desired value.

  In the intermittent coating apparatus, as described above, the intermittent coating from the coating nozzle 11 provided at the distal end of the supply pipe 30 is controlled by opening and closing the supply valve 32 provided at the proximal end of the supply pipe 30. To do. Further, when the supply valve 32 is closed, the syringe 36 draws the coating liquid from the supply pipe 30, thereby quickly stopping the discharge from the coating nozzle 11.

  Therefore, the pipe length of the supply pipe 30 affects the responsiveness of intermittent coating. The responsiveness here refers to the temporal responsiveness from the opening / closing of the supply valve 32 to the discharge / stop of the coating liquid from the coating nozzle 11. This responsiveness becomes lower as the pipe length is longer. The reason will be described in more detail. The coating liquid flowing through the supply pipe 30 contains microbubbles. The microbubbles serve as a cushion, and the coating liquid dripping from the coating nozzle 11 is used. Make it difficult to retract. And the longer the pipe length, the more microbubbles are contained, making it more difficult for the coating liquid to be drawn. Therefore, even if the syringe 36 draws the coating liquid when the supply valve 32 is closed, the coating liquid may drip from the coating nozzle 11 if the pipe length is long. Thereby, responsiveness deteriorates.

  In addition, it takes time to transmit the pressure change of the coating liquid accompanying opening and closing of the supply valve 32 provided at the base end of the supply pipe 30 to the coating nozzle 11 provided at the front end of the supply pipe 30. It can be considered as a factor of sex degradation. Also from this viewpoint, the longer the supply pipe 30 is, the more the response is deteriorated.

  And in an intermittent coating apparatus, since the timing of the discharge / stop of the coating liquid from the coating nozzle 11 affects the formation position and shape of a coating film, it is desirable that responsiveness is high. Therefore, in the intermittent coating apparatus, the distance between the supply valve 32 and the coating nozzle 11 is set short.

  As described above, since the distance between the supply valve 32 and the coating nozzle 11 is set short in the intermittent coating apparatus, the supply valve 32 and the coating nozzle 11 are usually placed on the same base. The

  FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a part of the intermittent coating apparatus. In FIG. 3, the storage tank 20, the pump 31, the filters 33 and 43, the pressure gauge 35, the syringe 36, and the moving mechanisms 51 and 61 are omitted for easy understanding of the drawing.

  In the present embodiment, the supply valve 32 and the coating nozzle 11 are mounted on separate valve base 60 and nozzle base 50, respectively, as shown in FIG. The nozzle base 50 and the valve base 60 are separated from each other.

  Now, since the opening and closing of the supply valve 32 is accompanied by a mechanical operation, the supply valve 32 generates vibration due to repeated opening and closing operations. This switching between opening and closing is performed, for example, several times per second, so that vibration of several Hz or more occurs.

  However, in the present embodiment, the valve base 60 on which the supply valve 32 is placed is separate from the nozzle base 50 on which the coating nozzle 11 is placed. Therefore, the vibration transmitted from the supply valve 32 to the coating nozzle 11 through the base can be suppressed as compared with the structure in which the supply valve 32 and the coating nozzle 11 are placed on the same base.

  If the coating nozzle 11 vibrates, the accuracy with respect to the shape of the coating film (also referred to as a coating film) is reduced. In this embodiment, the vibration of the coating nozzle 11 can be suppressed. Can be suppressed. In other words, in order to improve the accuracy of the shape of the coating film, it is possible to reduce the necessity of adopting a valve that does not vibrate as the supply valve 32, and it is possible to employ a cheaper valve.

  Since the circulation valve 41 is closed when the supply valve 32 is opened as described above, and is opened when the supply valve 32 is closed, the circulation valve 41 generates the same vibration as the supply valve 32. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, it is desirable that the circulation valve 41 is also placed on a base separate from the nozzle base 50. Thereby, it can suppress that the vibration from the supply valve 32 and the circulation valve 41 is transmitted to the coating nozzle 11. In the illustration of FIG. 3, the supply valve 32 and the circulation valve 41 are mounted on the same valve base 60.

  The nozzle base 50 and the valve base 60 may be attached to a common base, or may be attached to separate bases. Even in the former case, since the nozzle base 50 and the base are separate, and the valve base 60 and the base are separate, the supply valve 32 or further circulation is possible as compared with the case where these are integrated. Vibration transmitted from the valve 41 to the coating nozzle 11 can be suppressed.

  The syringe 36 may be provided on either the nozzle base 50 or the valve base 60. From the viewpoint of responsiveness, the syringe 36 is preferably provided near the coating nozzle 11, and thus is preferably provided on the nozzle base 50. On the other hand, since the drawing of the coating liquid by the syringe 36 also involves a mechanical operation, the syringe 36 may be provided on the valve base 60 from the viewpoint of vibration suppression.

<Movement mechanism>
As described above, the coating nozzle 11 is provided with the nozzle moving mechanism 51 for adjusting the position with respect to the backup roller 12 (see FIG. 2). As the nozzle moving mechanism 51, for example, a known moving mechanism that is biaxially movable and actively controlled can be employed. The nozzle moving mechanism 51 is attached to the nozzle base 50 and moves the nozzle base 50. As a result, the coating nozzle 11 whose position is fixed with respect to the nozzle base 50 also moves. For example, the coating nozzle 11 is moved away from the backup roller 12 to widen the space between them, and the coating nozzle 11 is maintained.

  In order to improve the responsiveness in the intermittent coating apparatus, it is necessary to set the distance between the supply valve 32 and the coating nozzle short. That is, the pipe length of the supply pipe 30 is set short. However, in order to allow the coating nozzle 11 to move flexibly while the position of the supply valve 32 is fixed, a flexible pipe can be considered as the supply pipe 30, but a flexible pipe with a short pipe length is generally acceptable. Low flexibility. For this reason, the types of pipes that can be employed as the supply pipe 30 are narrowed, resulting in an increase in cost.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a part of the intermittent coating apparatus. In FIG. 4, as in FIG. 3, each component is omitted as appropriate to make the drawing easier to see. In the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, it is desirable to provide a valve moving mechanism 61 for moving the supply valve 32. The valve moving mechanism 61 is attached to, for example, the valve base 60 so that the valve base 60 can move. As a result, the supply valve 32 whose position is fixed with respect to the valve base 60 can also be moved.

  The valve moving mechanism 61 moves the supply valve 32 in the same direction as the moving direction of the nozzle moving mechanism 51. In other words, the valve moving mechanism 61 moves the supply valve 32 following the movement of the coating nozzle 11. Thereby, the coating nozzle 11 can be moved while suppressing the fluctuation | variation of the relative position of the coating nozzle 11 and the supply valve 32. FIG. Therefore, the bending stress of the supply pipe 30 that occurs with the movement of the coating nozzle 11 can be suppressed.

  Therefore, for example, a pipe (for example, a stainless steel pipe) having a fixed shape can be employed as the supply pipe 30. Also, flexible piping having a short piping length and relatively difficult to bend can be employed. That is, the types of pipes that can be employed can be increased.

  For example, in the illustration of FIG. 4, the supply pipe 30 is bent at a substantially right angle. In this intermittent coating apparatus, since the distance between the coating nozzle 11 and the supply valve 32 is short, the supply pipe 30 needs to be bent with a very small radius of curvature. Bending a flexible pipe with such a small radius of curvature is difficult with a flexible pipe that is generally distributed. Therefore, in this case, it is desirable to employ a pipe whose shape is fixed, such as stainless steel, which is manufactured in a bent shape in advance. In other words, by using the valve moving mechanism 61, it is possible to adopt a pipe whose shape is fixed as the supply pipe 30, and thereby to supply the supply valve 32 as compared with the case of adopting a flexible pipe. The degree of freedom of installation with the coating nozzle 11 can be increased.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the supply valve 32 moves, the positional relationship between the upstream side element (for example, the storage tank 20 or the pump 31) of the supply pipe 30 and the supply valve 32 varies. Therefore, it is desirable to employ flexible piping in the piping between the element and the supply valve 32. However, on the upstream side of the supply valve 32, there is little need to limit the length of the pipe from the viewpoint of improving the responsiveness in intermittent coating. Therefore, the length of the flexible pipe adopted on the upstream side of the supply valve 32 can be set sufficiently long. As described above, the pipe length in the initial state can be set long, so that even if the supply valve 32 moves, the bending stress generated in the flexible pipe is small. Therefore, there is no problem even if the position of this element is fixed.

<Specific example of valve moving mechanism>
The valve moving mechanism 61 may adopt any moving mechanism that performs a following function that follows the movement of the nozzle moving mechanism 51. For example, when the nozzle moving mechanism 51 and the valve moving mechanism 61 are known moving mechanisms controlled by the control unit 90, the following function of the valve moving mechanism 61 may be realized by the control unit 90. Alternatively, the valve moving mechanism 61 may be realized by mechanically interlocking the nozzle moving mechanism 51 and the valve moving mechanism 61.

  However, it is desirable that the nozzle moving mechanism 51 moves the nozzle base 50 in the horizontal direction, and the valve moving mechanism 61 can freely move the supply valve 32 in an arbitrary horizontal direction. According to such a valve moving mechanism 51, the movement of the coating nozzle 11 is transmitted to the supply valve 32 via the supply pipe 30, so that the supply valve 32 is in the same direction as the movement direction of the coating nozzle 11. Will move.

  A roller structure can be adopted as the valve moving mechanism 61. Such a roller structure has a predetermined rolling element (for example, a sphere), and this rolling element is provided between the valve base 60 and the base 63. Further, the rolling element is fixed to the valve base 60 so as to be rotatable. The rolling element rolls so that the valve base 60 can freely move in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base 63. The rolling element may be fixed to the base 63 so as to be rotatable.

  When such a valve moving mechanism 61 is employed, the supply valve 32 freely moves in the horizontal direction in accordance with its own opening / closing operation when intermittent coating is performed. Therefore, the vibration energy accompanying the opening and closing of the supply valve 32 is consumed as the horizontal movement of the supply valve 32, so that the vibration transmitted to the supply pipe 30 side is also suppressed. Now, in terms of suppressing vibration transmission through the supply pipe 30, a flexible pipe may be adopted. Here, since vibration transmitted to the supply pipe 30 is suppressed as described above, the rigidity is higher, for example, stainless steel. You may employ | adopt piping formed by etc.

  Further, since the supply valve 32 moves freely in the horizontal direction, the vibration transmitted from the supply valve 32 to the valve base 60 side (and thus the base 63 side) is also suppressed as compared with the case where the supply valve 32 is fixed. The Therefore, vibrations transmitted to the coating nozzle 11 via the base 63 can be further reduced. Further, a configuration may be added in which the nozzle base 50 and the valve base 60 are connected and connected by a flexible support member.

  Further, it is not necessary to align the nozzle moving mechanism 51 and the valve moving mechanism 61. In order to explain in more detail, for example, consider adopting a moving mechanism capable of moving in one direction as the nozzle moving mechanism 51 and the valve moving mechanism 61. At this time, in order to move the coating nozzle 11 without changing the relative position between the coating nozzle 11 and the supply valve 32, it is necessary to arrange the nozzle moving mechanism 51 and the valve moving mechanism 61 in parallel with high accuracy. is there. However, in the illustration of FIG. 4, the valve moving mechanism 61 can freely move in an arbitrary horizontal direction. Therefore, if the coating nozzle 11 is moved without positioning, the moving force is transmitted to the supply valve 32 via the supply pipe 30, and the supply valve 32 moves in the same direction as the coating nozzle 11. It will be. Therefore, workability when the valve moving mechanism 61 is attached can be improved.

  In the example of FIG. 4, three valve moving mechanisms 61 are provided, and the three valve moving mechanisms 61 support the valve base 60 at three locations. If the valve base 60 is supported at four or more locations, the valve base 60 rattles due to variations in the height of the valve moving mechanism 61. In this case, the valve base 60 is supported at three locations. Can be avoided.

  The valve moving mechanism 61 is not limited to a roller structure, and may include a pair of plate members that can slide sideways in the horizontal direction. For example, when the mating surfaces of the pair of plate members come into contact with each other with a low coefficient of friction, the pair of plate members can slide sideways relatively. One of the plate members is fixed to the lower surface of the valve base 60, and the other is fixed to the upper surface of the base 63. As a result, the valve base 60 can freely move in an arbitrary horizontal direction with respect to the base 63.

  However, if the roller structure is adopted, the contact area between the rolling element and the valve base 60 or the base 63 is small, so that they are not easily worn. Therefore, the lifetime is relatively long.

<Vibration suppression member>
A vibration suppressing member that suppresses vibration transmission from the supply valve 32 to the coating nozzle 11 may be provided. For example, as the vibration suppressing member 64, a member that is formed of rubber, a gel-like material, or foamed polystyrene, and absorbs vibration can be used. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a schematic configuration of a portion that supports the supply valve 32. In the illustration of FIG. 5, the vibration suppressing member 64 has a plate shape and is interposed between the supply valve 32 and the valve base 60. Thereby, transmission of vibration from the supply valve 32 to the valve base 60 is suppressed, and as a result, vibration transmission from the supply valve 32 to the coating nozzle 11 can be further suppressed. Alternatively, the vibration suppressing member is provided between the valve base 60 and the base 63 (between the valve base 60 and the valve moving mechanism 61 or between the valve moving mechanism 61 and the base 63). Also good. This can also suppress vibration.

  4 and 5, the valve moving mechanism 61 that can freely move in any horizontal direction suppresses vibration transmission, and therefore can be grasped as one type of vibration suppressing member.

  Moreover, in the illustration of FIG. 4, the supply piping 30 is comprised by several piping. A vibration suppression member that is formed of, for example, rubber, a gel-like material, or polystyrene foam, and absorbs vibration may be inserted into the joint of these pipes. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the vibration of the supply valve 32 from being transmitted to the coating nozzle 11 via the supply pipe 30.

  Moreover, the installation position of the filter in the piping is not limited to the example of the above embodiment, and between the connection portion of the circulation piping 40 and the pump 31 in the path of the supply piping 30, or between the supply valve 32 and the coating nozzle 11. It may be between. Furthermore, the filter is not essential and may not be provided.

  Further, the coating nozzle 11 is not limited to a slit nozzle having a single slit-like discharge port 11a, and may have a plurality of slits. The nozzle which discharges may be sufficient.

  Moreover, the coating liquid used as the object which performs the coating process using the technique which concerns on this invention is not limited to the electrode material of a lithium ion secondary battery, For example, solar cell material (electrode material, sealing material) Or a coating solution containing an insulating film or a protective film of an electronic material, or a catalyst for a fuel cell. The technique according to the present invention can be suitably applied to apply a coating liquid having a relatively high viscosity to a substrate. Therefore, the technique according to the present invention may be used to apply a pigment or adhesive coating solution.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coating film formation system 5 Base material 10 Intermittent coating apparatus 11 Coating nozzle 30 Supply piping 32 Switching means (supply valve)
50 Nozzle base 51 Nozzle moving means (nozzle moving mechanism)
60 Switching means base (valve base)
61 Switching movement means (valve movement mechanism)
70 Drying unit 80 Transport mechanism

Claims (4)

An intermittent coating apparatus for intermittently coating a coating liquid from a nozzle toward a substrate,
A nozzle,
A supply pipe connected to the nozzle and in which a coating liquid flows toward the nozzle;
Switching means for intermittently discharging the coating liquid from the nozzle toward the base material by repeatedly switching the opening and closing of the supply pipe,
A nozzle base on which the nozzle is placed;
A switching means base that is separate from the nozzle base and on which the switching means is mounted;
Nozzle moving means for adjusting the position of the nozzle relative to the substrate by moving the nozzle base;
Switching movement means for moving the switching means in accordance with the movement of the nozzle by moving the switching means in the same direction as the movement direction of the nozzle base by the nozzle moving means. Intermittent coating device. In the intermittent coating apparatus according to claim 1,
The nozzle moving means moves the nozzle base in a horizontal direction,
The switching movement means can freely move the switching means in an arbitrary horizontal direction, and the movement of the nozzle is transmitted via the supply pipe, so that the switching means is moved in the same direction as the movement direction. An intermittent coating apparatus characterized by being moved. In the intermittent coating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
An intermittent coating apparatus, further comprising: a vibration suppressing unit that is provided in the switching unit base and suppresses vibration transmission from the switching unit to the nozzle. The intermittent coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Drying means for drying the coating liquid by performing a heat treatment on the substrate on which the coating liquid has been applied by the intermittent coating apparatus;
Transport means for transporting the base material in turn to the intermittent coating apparatus and the drying means;
A coating film forming system comprising:

Images