Fastar, Ltd.

Darwin R Frerking

Gregory M Gibson

John E Hawes

Altaf A Poonawala

Zi-Qin Wang

Ocie T Snodgrass

Samer Mahmoud Kabbani

Carl W Newquist

Rene Soliz

Scott A Snodgrass

Eric E Anderson

The invention pertains to a coating apparatus and method in which most of the relative movement between a dispensing head and the substrate to be coated is provided by the coating head. The moving head configuration reduces the system footprint and diminishes leveling problems. A powered shuttle mechanism carries a dispensing head above a substrate to be coated while riding on a bearing located underneath the chuck holding the substrate thereby providing rigidity and reducing the system footprint. Chuck support is designed to accommodate anticipated vertical sag in the dispensing head by supporting the chuck at points along its periphery thereby permitting the chuck to sag in conjunction with the dispensing head. The shuttle mechanism is equipped with means for automatically adjusting the height of the dispensing head with respect to substrate to compensate for substrate placement error, substrate dimensional variation, and mechanical drift in the mechanical machine parts. Coating consistency is enhanced using such height adjustment. A part of the apparatus containing the fluid delivery equipment and in communication with the dispensing head may be placed on a cart and removably attached to the rest of the apparatus. There is a utility station comprising equipment for cleaning and priming the dispensing head which may be located on the removable cart. A pump in addition to main remote pumping means may be integrally mounted on the dispensing head to more precisely control fluid flow to the dispensing head. The chuck may be configured to be micro deformable so as to maintain the surface of a substrate upon it at a constant height. Fluid may be dispensed along openings of selected lengths along the length of the dispensing head using die lips attached to the dispensing head or by cutting a plurality of slots in a single dispensing head.

Moving head, coating apparatus

Moving head coating apparatus and method

The inventive mechanism adjusts a working distance between a tool and a work surface. The provision for automatically setting and adjusting the working distance between two parts of an apparatus, possibly a coating apparatus, permits the mechanism to adjust in real time for unknown and possibly random variations in the dimensions of the work surface, the apparatus supporting the work surface, and imperfect leveling of the tool or the work surface. In a preferred embodiment, the inventive mechanism is used to accurately set and maintain the working distance of a dispenser above a substrate so as to provide that a consistent coating thickness is applied across the substrate. The mechanism preferably employs direct precision distance sensing means independent of the motor of drive means to continuously measure the working distance in real time with a high degree of resolution and accuracy. When the sensor reports that the working distance has deviated from the ideal setting, a control system employs a standard P.I.D. control scheme to precisely restore the ideal working distance. The mechanism may perform the working distance control function using the main or host software, or, more preferably delegate this function to a dedicated processor for the duration of the process during which working distance is being precisely adjusted. The host preferably resumes control of the drive means in the direction of the working distance once the precision adjustment scheme is concluded, and may then perform larger scale motion of the tool using feedback from the position reporting means integral to the motor or drive means.

System and method for adjusting a working distance to correspond with the work surface

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Garland, TX, United States of America

Darwin R Frerking