JP7503535B2 - Method for processing laminate, method for producing processed film, and laminate processing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for processing a laminate, a method for manufacturing a processed film, and a laminate processing device.

It has been known to ensure dimensional accuracy by cutting laminates of optical films, such as polarizing plates, with a tool that has a rotating blade, such as an end mill.

JP 2019-018308 A

However, there are cases where debris from the optical film adheres to the blade of a tool such as an end mill. This tendency is particularly pronounced when the optical film contains an adhesive layer.

If debris adheres to the tool blade, machining precision will decrease, which is undesirable.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a method for processing a laminate, a method for manufacturing a processed film, and a laminate processing device that can suppress adhesion of debris to the blade of a rotating tool such as an end mill.

The method of processing a laminate having a plurality of optical films according to the present invention with a tool includes step A in which a rotating tool having a blade is moved relative to the laminate while being in contact with the laminate to cut or polish the laminate, and step B in which dry ice particles are collided with the tool during step A.

Here, the tool can include a columnar portion having a blade portion and a handle portion and extending in the axial direction of the rotation, and the blade is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the blade portion.

Further, a direction of discharging chips from the tool is a direction from a tip of the blade portion toward the handle portion or a direction from the handle portion toward the tip of the blade portion,
In the collision step, the dry ice particles can be collided against the blade portion in a direction opposite to a direction in which the processing waste is discharged and in a direction oblique to the axis of the columnar portion.

The direction in which the tool discharges machining chips is from the tip of the blade toward the handle, and in the collision process, the dry ice particles can be collided against the blade in a direction from the handle toward the tip of the blade and at an angle to the axis of the columnar portion.

The blade can also be right-handed and rotated clockwise when viewed from the handle, or the blade can be left-handed and rotated counterclockwise when viewed from the handle.

In addition, in step A, the shaft can be arranged parallel to the thickness direction of the laminate, and the outer circumferential surface of the blade can be brought into contact with the end surface of the laminate.

In addition, in step A, the columnar portion can be moved relative to the laminate along the end face of the laminate and in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the laminate.

In addition, in step A, the direction of movement of the columnar portion can be an up-cut direction relative to the direction of rotation of the tool.

In addition, in step B, the angle θ between a line B connecting the axis Q of the tool rotation and a point A where the blade of the tool leaves the end face, and the spray direction EJ of the dry ice particles, as viewed from the axial direction of the tool rotation, can be 0 to 180° when measured in the direction of the tool rotation starting from line B.

In addition, in step A, the tool can be brought into contact with a convex portion, a concave portion, or a non-linear portion of the end surface when viewed from the thickness direction of the laminate.

In addition, in step B, dry ice particles can be sprayed from a nozzle having a slot-shaped opening, and the opening can be positioned facing the blade portion.

In addition, in the step A, the axis is arranged parallel to the thickness direction of the laminate,
The columnar portion can be moved relative to the stack so that the columnar portion penetrates the stack.

Here, at least one of the optical films may have one or more pressure-sensitive adhesive layers.

The thickness of the adhesive layer can be 50 μm or more.

The ratio of the total thickness of the adhesive layers to the thickness of the laminate can be 30% or more.

The manufacturing method of the processed film according to the present invention includes a step of processing a laminate in which multiple optical films are stacked, using any of the above-mentioned methods for processing a laminate with a tool.

The laminate processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises:
a fixing mechanism that clamps and fixes a laminate in which a plurality of optical films are laminated from both sides in a stacking direction;
A tool having a blade;
A rotating unit that rotates the tool;
a moving section that moves the rotating tool relative to the stack while contacting the stack;
and a nozzle configured to project dry ice particles against the blade.

Here, the nozzle can be configured to spray the dry ice particles at the blade while moving together with the tool relative to the stack.

The tool may also have a columnar portion having a blade portion and a handle portion and extending in the axial direction of the rotation, and the blade provided on the outer peripheral surface of the blade portion.

Further, a direction of discharging chips from the tool is a direction from a tip of the blade portion toward the handle portion or a direction from the handle portion toward the tip of the blade portion,
The nozzle may be configured to collide the dry ice particles against the blade portion in a direction opposite to a direction in which the machining chips are discharged and in a direction oblique to an axis of the columnar portion.

The moving unit can be configured to rotate the tool with the axis of rotation parallel to the thickness direction of the stack, and to bring the outer circumferential surface of the columnar portion into contact with the end surface of the stack.

The moving unit can also be configured to move the rotating tool relative to the stack along the end face of the stack and in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

The moving unit can also be configured to move the rotating tool in an upcut direction relative to the direction of rotation of the tool.

The nozzle can also be configured such that, when viewed from the axial direction of the tool's rotation, the angle θ between the axis of the nozzle and a line B connecting the axis Q of the tool's rotation and a point A where the blade of the tool leaves the end face is 0 to 180° when measured in the direction of the tool's rotation starting from the line B.

The nozzle opening can also have an elongated hole shape and be configured to face the blade portion.

The nozzle may also be connected to a dry ice particle supply unit.

The present invention provides a laminate processing method, a processed film manufacturing method, and a laminate processing device that can suppress adhesion of debris to the blade of a rotating tool such as an end mill.

FIG. 1 is an end view of a laminate according to one embodiment. 2(a) to 2(e) are each a top view of a laminate according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a laminate processing apparatus according to one embodiment. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views perpendicular to the axis near the end mill, showing the cases where the movement direction of the end mill is up-cutting and down-cutting, respectively, relative to the rotation direction of the end mill. 5A to 5D are schematic diagrams showing the ejection direction EJ of dry ice particles when the blade of the end mill has a right blade with a right twist, a right blade with a left twist, a left blade with a right twist, and a left blade with a left twist, respectively. FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing the configuration of a dry ice particle supply unit according to one embodiment. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams each showing one embodiment of machining using an end mill. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of machining using an end mill. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a nozzle and end mill 44 according to another embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a nozzle and end mill 44 according to another embodiment.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, with reference to FIG. 1, the laminate 10 to be processed will be described. In FIG. 1, the Z direction is the thickness direction, and the X and Y directions are directions perpendicular to the Z direction.

The laminate 10 has multiple optical films 12. Each optical film 12 may be a single layer film or a laminate film.

An example of a monolayer film is a resin film. Examples of resins include cellulose-based resins (such as triacetyl cellulose), polyolefin-based resins (such as polypropylene-based resins), cyclic olefin-based resins (such as norbornene-based resins), acrylic-based resins (such as polymethyl methacrylate-based resins), polyester-based resins (such as polyethylene terephthalate-based resins), and polyimide-based resins (polyimide, polyamideimide). These monolayer films can be optical films such as protective films, substrate films, retardation films, and window films.

A laminated film is a film that has multiple layers. Examples of laminated films are polarizing films, circular polarizers, and touch sensors.

For example, a polarizing film includes at least a substrate and a polarizer.

A circular polarizing plate has, for example, a polarizer and a phase difference (1/4λ) film.

The touch sensor may include a transparent substrate, a sensing pattern layer, and a sensing line.

The laminated film may further include layers such as an adhesive layer, an adhesive layer, a release film, and a protective film.

At least one laminate film typically has one or more adhesive layers. An adhesive is a layer that has adhesive properties and can be attached to other members at room temperature as is. Examples of adhesives are acrylic adhesives, silicone adhesives, and urethane adhesives. The adhesive layer in the laminate 10 has adhesive properties at the time of processing in the laminate processing device.

The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer in the present invention may be one which is crosslinkable and curable by heat, light, or the like.
The adhesive layer is adhesive before curing, can be attached to other members at room temperature, and has improved adhesive strength when crosslinked and cured by heat, light, or other methods. An example of such an adhesive is an acrylic adhesive. At the time of processing in the laminate processing device, the adhesive in the laminate 10 is adhesive before curing.

When the laminate 10 contains an adhesive layer, debris from the adhesive layer tends to adhere to the blade, making the present invention more effective.

There are no particular limitations on the thickness of each optical film 12, but it can be, for example, 20 μm to 500 mm, preferably 50 μm to 500 μm, and more preferably 50 μm to 200 μm.

When the laminated film includes an adhesive layer, the thickness of each adhesive layer can be 50 μm or more, and can also be 100 μm or more. The thickness of each adhesive layer can also be 250 μm or less.

As described above, the laminate 10 includes a plurality of such optical films 12. The number of optical films 12 in the laminate 10 is not particularly limited as long as it is 2 or more, but is usually 5 or more, may be 10 or more, or may be 50 or more. The optical films 12 in the laminate 10 usually have the same laminate structure, but it is also possible to laminate optical films 12 having different laminate structures.

The thickness of the laminate 10 can be, for example, 10 mm to 60 mm, and preferably 20 mm to 50 mm.

The ratio of the total thickness of the adhesive layers to the thickness of the laminate 10 can be 30% or more, and can also be 40% or more. The thicker the total thickness of the adhesive layers, the more effective they are because they adhere more easily to the blade.

The laminate 10 may have a protective film 14 on one or both ends in the stacking direction in addition to the multiple optical films 12 to prevent the optical films 12 from being damaged when the laminate 10 is fixed between a pair of contact members 22 (described in detail below) of the laminate processing device 100.

An example of the protective film 14 is a resin film. Examples of the resin include the resins exemplified above for the resin film, as well as polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, etc.

The thickness of the protective film 14 can be, for example, 0.2 mm to 1.0 mm, preferably 0.3 mm to 0.8 mm, and more preferably 0.3 mm to 0.6 mm.

The external shape of the optical film 12 (shape viewed from the thickness direction) is not particularly limited. Figure 2 shows various examples of the laminate 10 viewed from the thickness direction (Z direction). The external shape of the laminate 10 may be a rectangle, a rectangle with rounded corners, a shape having a recess PD, a shape having a protrusion PP, or a shape having a hole TH, as shown in (a) to (e) of Figure 2, respectively. Here, an example of a non-linear portion is the rounded portion R.

The outer shape of each optical film 12 in one laminate 10 is usually substantially the same.
For example, by cutting out each optical film 12 from a roll of film using a Thomson blade or the like, a large number of optical films 12 having substantially the same outer shape can be obtained. In the laminate 10, the optical films 12 are laminated so that the outer shapes face the same direction, as shown in Fig. 2, and the outer end faces of the optical films 12 form the outer end face EF of the laminate 10, as shown in Fig. 1. Note that, when each optical film 12 has a hole TH as shown in (e) of Fig. 2, in addition to the outer end face EF, an inner end face EF is also formed within the hole TH, as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 1.

There is no particular limitation on the size of each optical film 12, and for example, the length of one side of the film can be, for example, 100 mm or more.

Next, an example of a laminate processing device 100 that processes the laminate 10 will be described. Figure 3 is a side view of the laminate processing device 100 according to this embodiment.

The laminate processing device 100 according to this embodiment has a fixing mechanism 20 for fixing the laminate 10 and a processing section 40.

The fixing mechanism 20 is configured to clamp and fix the laminate 10 from both sides in the stacking direction. Specifically, the fixing mechanism 20 mainly comprises a pair of contact members 22, a fixing portion 61, and a pressing portion 60.

The pair of contact members 22 are each a plate-like member, and are arranged with their thickness direction in the Z direction (the pressing direction and the thickness direction of the laminate), and are spaced apart in the vertical direction so as to sandwich the film laminate 10 from both sides in the thickness direction. In FIG. 3, the X and Y directions are horizontal directions, and the Z direction is vertical.

The size of the contact member 22 when viewed from the Z direction can be set appropriately within a range smaller than the outer shape of the surface (plane perpendicular to the thickness direction) of the film laminate 10 to which it is fixed.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the laminate 10 is sandwiched between a pair of contact members 22 before processing, the amount of protrusion T by which the outer end face EF of the laminate 10 protrudes from the end face AP of the contact members 22 is preferably 0.8 mm to 1.5 mm. For example, the amount of protrusion T before processing can be 1 mm. The amount of protrusion T of the laminate after processing can be 0.3 to 0.8 mm, or can be 0.5 mm.

The contact members 22 are preferably each a metal member. Examples of metals include aluminum, steel, stainless steel, alloy tool steel (e.g., SKD11), etc.

The lower contact member 22 is fixed to the fixed part 61 via the connecting part 24, and the upper contact member 22 is fixed to the pressing part 60 via the connecting part 24.

The pressing portion 60 is disposed above the fixed portion 61, and is configured to be able to move the upper contact member 22 in the up-down direction relative to the fixed portion 61. Therefore, the pressing portion 60 can press the upper contact member 22 toward the lower contact member 22. In other words, the laminate 10 can be fixed between the pair of contact members 22 by pressing it from both sides in the thickness direction.

There are no particular limitations on the specific configuration of the pressing unit 60, and any known moving mechanism such as a screw jack or hydraulic jack can be used. It may be of either a single-axis or multi-axis type.

The processing unit 40 has an end mill (a tool with a blade) 44, a rotating unit 42 that rotates the end mill, a moving unit 46 that moves the rotating end mill 44 relative to the laminate, and a nozzle 420 that sprays dry ice particles.

There is no particular limitation on the shape of the end mill 44, but typically, as shown in FIG. 3, it has a columnar portion 44z having a blade portion 44b and a handle (shank) portion 44a, extending in the axial direction of rotation, and a blade 44c provided on the outer surface of the blade portion 44b. For example, a router-type end mill or the like can be suitably used as the end mill 44. It is preferable that the length (Z-axis direction) of the blade portion 44b of the end mill 44 is longer than the thickness of the laminate 10. The blade portion 44b of the end mill has a blade 44c on its outer peripheral surface, but can also have a blade at the tip 44t.

The rotating unit 42 rotates the end mill 44 around its axis. In this embodiment, the rotating unit 42 rotates the end mill 44 around an axis parallel to the thickness direction (Z direction) of the laminate 10.

The moving unit 46 moves the rotating end mill 44 along the end face EF in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the laminate 10, with the outer peripheral surface of the blade portion 44b of the end mill 44 in contact with the end face EF of the laminate 10. Examples of the moving unit 46 are a three-axis (XYZ) drive device or a robot arm.

Here, the moving unit 46 may move the end mill 44 in the up-cut direction or the down-cut direction relative to the rotation of the end mill.

Figures 4(a) and (b) show the state in which the rotating end mill 44 is moved while in contact with the laminate 10, and are horizontal cross-sections of the laminate 10 and the blade 44b in Figure 3 as viewed from the handle 44a side (top to bottom). The blade 44b rotates in the direction of arrow D1, and moves along the end face EF in the direction of arrow D2 relative to the laminate 10.

Figure 4(a) is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the state in which the end mill 44 is moving in the up-cut direction. When the direction in which the blade 44c advances when the blade 44c comes into contact with the laminate 10 at point P is the same as the direction of movement D2 of the end mill 44, the end mill 44 is said to be moving in the up-cut direction. In contrast, Figure 4(b) is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing the state in which the end mill 44 is moving in the down-cut direction. When the direction in which the blade 44c advances when the blade 44c leaves the laminate 10 at point P is opposite to the direction of movement D2 of the end mill 44, the end mill 44 is said to be moving in the down-cut direction.

From the viewpoint of suppressing the adhesion of debris to the end face of the laminate 10 after processing, it is preferable that the moving unit 46 moves the end mill 44 in the up-cut direction relative to the rotation of the end mill 44.

As shown in FIG. 3, the nozzle 420 is connected to the dry ice particle supply unit 300, which will be described later, and can spray dry ice particles.

The nozzle 420 is fixed to the moving part 46 by the connecting part 424. The axis of the nozzle 420, i.e., the spraying direction EJ of the dry ice particles, faces the blade portion 44b of the end mill 44. Therefore, even when the end mill 44 is moving, the spraying direction EJ of the nozzle 420 faces the blade portion 44b of the end mill 44, making it possible to continuously remove debris adhering to the blade portion 44b during cutting. The opening of the nozzle 420 is circular. The diameter of the opening of the nozzle 420 can be 1 to 10 mm.

Next, referring to FIG. 5, the axial direction of the nozzle 420, i.e., the ejection direction EJ of the dry ice particles from the nozzle 420, will be described in detail.

Specifically, it is preferable that the injection direction EJ is opposite to the direction in which the machining chips are discharged from the end mill 44 and is oblique to the axis of the columnar portion 44z of the end mill.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5(a), when the end mill has a right-hand blade and right-hand twist, that is, when viewed from the handle 44a side, the blade 44c is formed in a spiral shape so that it runs clockwise from the handle 44a to the tip of the blade 44b, and the clearance surface 44d is provided closer to the tip of the blade 44b than the blade 44c, the end mill 44 rotates clockwise when viewed from the handle 44a, and the direction of discharge of machining chips is from the tip of the blade 44b toward the handle 44a.

As shown in FIG. 5(b), when the end mill 44 has a right-hand blade and left-hand twist, that is, when viewed from the handle 44a side, the blade 44c is formed in a spiral shape so that it runs counterclockwise from the handle 44a to the tip of the blade 44b, and the clearance surface 44d is provided on the handle 44a side from the blade 44c, the end mill 44 rotates clockwise when viewed from the handle 44a, and the direction of discharge of machining chips is from the handle 44a to the tip of the blade 44b.

As shown in FIG. 5(c), when the end mill has a left-hand blade and right-hand twist, that is, when viewed from the handle 44a side, the blade 44c is formed in a spiral shape so that it runs clockwise from the handle 44a to the tip of the blade 44b, and the relief surface 44d is provided on the handle 44a side from the blade 44c, the end mill 44 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the handle 44a, and the direction of discharge of machining chips is from the handle 44a to the tip of the blade 44b.

As shown in FIG. 5(d), when the end mill 44 has a left-hand blade and left-hand twist, that is, when viewed from the handle 44a side, the blade 44c is formed in a spiral shape from the handle 44a toward the tip of the blade 44b in a counterclockwise direction, and the clearance surface 44d is provided closer to the tip of the blade 44b than the blade 44c, the end mill 44 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the handle 44a, and the direction of discharge of machining chips is from the tip of the blade 44b toward the handle 44a.

Therefore, the dry ice particle injection direction EJ is opposite to the chip discharge direction of the end mill 44 and is arranged diagonally to the axis of the columnar portion 44z of the end mill as follows. That is, as in (a) and (d) of FIG. 5, when the chip discharge direction is from the tip of the blade portion 44b toward the handle portion 44a, the injection direction EJ is from the handle portion 44a toward the tip of the blade portion 44b and is diagonal to the axis of the columnar portion 44z. On the other hand, as in (b) and (c) of FIG. 5, when the chip discharge direction is from the handle portion 44a toward the tip of the blade portion 44b, the injection direction EJ is from the tip of the blade portion 44b toward the handle portion 44a and is diagonal to the axis of the columnar portion 44z.

For ease of waste disposal during processing, it is preferable that the direction of waste disposal be from the tip of the blade portion 44b toward the handle portion 44a, as shown in Figure 5 (a) or (d).

In FIG. 5, the angle (acute angle) α between the axis of the columnar portion 44z and the injection direction EJ can be 5 to 85°, and is preferably 10 to 65°.

Next, the injection direction EJ when viewed from the axial direction of the columnar portion 44z of the end mill 44 will be explained with reference to FIG. 4.

When viewed from the axial direction of the tool's rotation, the spray direction EJ of the dry ice particles, i.e., the direction of the axis of the nozzle 420, needs only to be directed toward the blade portion 44b, and it is preferable that the spray direction EJ passes through the rotation axis Q.

It is preferable that the angle θ between the line B connecting the rotation axis Q of the end mill 44 and the point A where the blade 44c of the end mill 44 leaves the end face EF and the direction EJ of the dry ice particles is 0 to 180° when measured in the direction of rotation of the end mill 44 starting from line B. This is the same for both up-cutting and down-cutting.

In the case of up-cutting in FIG. 4(a), the angle θ is preferably 45 to 135° from the viewpoint of preventing processing waste from adhering to the end face of the laminate, and in the case of down-cutting in FIG. 4(b), the angle θ is preferably 90 to 180° from the same viewpoint. Processing waste includes film waste, adhesive waste, etc.

Next, the dry ice particle supply unit 300 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the dry ice particle supply unit 300 includes a liquid carbon dioxide source 310, a carrier gas source 330, a line L1 connecting the liquid carbon dioxide source 310 and the nozzle 420, and a line L2 connecting the carrier gas source 330 and the nozzle 420.

Line L1 is provided with a valve 340 and an orifice 350, and line L2 is provided with a valve 360.

The valve 340 is opened to adiabatically expand the liquid in the liquid carbon dioxide source 310 through the orifice 350 to generate dry ice particles (dry ice snow), which are then sent to the nozzle 420. The valve 360 is opened to supply gas from the carrier gas source 330 to the nozzle 420, causing the dry ice particles to be blown out of the nozzle 420 by the gas, and then sprayed toward the blade portion 44b of the end mill 44, causing them to collide with the blade portion 44b.

The average particle size of the dry ice particles to be collided is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of efficiently removing the processing debris, especially the adhesive debris, it is preferably 100 μm or more. Also, from the viewpoint of preventing the adhesive layer from chipping due to the collision of the dry ice, it is preferably 1000 μm or less. The average particle size of the dry ice particles can be measured by a laser Doppler velocimeter.

The speed of the colliding dry ice particles can be between 5 m/sec and 100 m/sec.

The gas used to transport the dry ice is not particularly limited and can be, for example, nitrogen, air, or carbon dioxide.

The particle size of the dry ice particles can be adjusted by the distance (adiabatic expansion distance) between when they are adiabatically expanded by the orifice 350 and when they are blown out by the nozzle 420, and the distance (spray distance) between the nozzle 420 and the target to which the dry ice particles are to be supplied.

It is preferable that the distance between the nozzle 420 and the blade portion 44b (spray distance) is less than 20 mm. The adiabatic expansion distance can be, for example, 10 to 500 mm.

(Method of processing edge surface and method of manufacturing edge surface processed film)
Next, an edge processing method and an edge processed film manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

First, prepare the laminate 10 described above. The end surface EF of the laminate is the object to be processed in this embodiment.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the laminate 10 is sandwiched between a pair of contact members 22, and one of the contact members 22 is pressed toward the other contact member 22 by the pressing portion 60, thereby fixing the laminate 10.

Next, while the laminate 10 is fixed, the outer circumferential surface of the blade portion 44b of the end mill 44, which rotates around an axis parallel to the thickness direction of the laminate 10, is brought into contact with the end face EF of the laminate 10, and the end mill 44 is moved along the end face EF in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction, for example in the long side or short side direction, to process each end face EF (step A). A specific example of processing is cutting. This allows the planar shape (dimensions, perpendicularity, etc.) of each optical film 12 constituting the laminate 10 to be precisely shaped as desired.

Here, 75% or more of all end faces EF of the laminate 10 can be processed, and 90% or more, 95% or more, 99% or more, or 100% of all end faces EF may be processed.

At the same time as this cutting process, dry ice particles are sprayed from the nozzle 420 and collided with the blade portion 44b (step B). Here, it is preferable to continue spraying the dry ice particles onto the blade portion 44b of the end mill 44 while the end mill 44 is moving relatively along the end face EF of the laminate 10 to perform grinding.

After cutting is completed, the pressure applied by the pressing unit 60 is released and the laminate 10 is removed from between the pair of contact members 22, thereby obtaining a laminate 10 with precisely machined end faces. If necessary, each optical film 12 is separated from the laminate 10, thereby obtaining a separated optical film 12.

According to this embodiment, dry ice particles are collided with the blade portion 44b of the end mill 44 during cutting, so that chips generated during grinding can be removed from the blade portion 44b of the end mill 44 each time. This prevents chips adhering to the blade portion from causing a decrease in machining accuracy.

In particular, when the laminate 10 has an adhesive layer, adhesive debris is likely to adhere to the blade portion, but this embodiment is highly effective because it can remove adhesive debris from the blade portion during cutting.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible.

For example, the shape of the film and laminate 10 is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 2 and can be any shape. For example, the outer shape may be an ellipse (including an oval) or a circle. It is preferable that the cutting step of step A is performed by contacting an end mill with a convex portion, a concave portion, or a non-linear portion of the end face of the laminate 10 when viewed from the thickness direction of the laminate.

In the above embodiment, the object to be processed in step A is the outer end face EF of the laminate 10, but it does not have to be the end face EF, and it may be an inner end face such as the inside of a hole.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7(a), in step A, the axis of the end mill 44 may be arranged parallel to the thickness direction of the laminate 10, and the columnar portion 44z may be moved relative to the laminate 10 so that the columnar portion 44z forms a recess in the upper surface 10S of the laminate 10 in the thickness direction, thereby drilling a hole in the laminate 10. At this time, in step A, the columnar portion 44z may be moved relative to the laminate 10 so that the columnar portion 44z penetrates the laminate 10 in the thickness direction. This allows a through hole to be formed in the laminate 10, and a through hole to be drilled in each optical film 12.

Also, as shown in FIG. 7(b), in step A, after penetration, the end mill 44 may be rotated in a spiral shape to widen the diameter of the hole TH.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, in step A, the axis of the end mill 44 can be arranged parallel to the thickness direction of the laminate 10, and the end mill 44 can be moved helically (spiral-like) from the upper surface 10S to the lower surface 10B of the laminate 10. This allows the columnar portion 44z to increase the diameter and depth of the recess from the upper surface 10S in the thickness direction of the laminate 10, forming a large through hole.

Even when performing each of the above-mentioned A steps, by performing the above-mentioned B step, adhesion of debris to the cutting edge 44b of the end mill can be suppressed.

Furthermore, the shape of the opening of the nozzle 420 is not limited to a circle. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the shape of the opening 42a of the nozzle 420 may be an elongated hole. In this case, it is preferable that the axial direction of the elongated hole is parallel to the axis of the columnar portion 44z, that is, the opening 42a is configured to face the blade portion 44b. The axial length of the elongated hole can be set appropriately according to the length of the blade portion 44b.

In the above embodiment, the nozzle 420 is fixed to the moving part 46 to spray dry ice particles onto the tool that moves during cutting, but it may also be fixed to the rotating part 42.

As shown in FIG. 10, it is also possible to have a moving part 46' for the nozzle 420 separate from the moving part 46 of the end mill 44. In this case, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the axis of the columnar part 44z of the end mill 44, the spray direction EJ of the nozzle 420 may be perpendicular to the columnar part 44z of the end mill, and the nozzle 420 may perform a reciprocating scanning motion along the axial direction of the columnar part of the end mill 44.

Needless to say, the configuration of the processing unit 40 and the pressing unit 60 is not limited to the above. For example, in the above embodiment, an end mill 44 is used as a tool, but a tool other than an end mill, such as a planer blade, can also be used. A surface grinding tool with a cutting blade on one side of a rotating disk can also be used. A tool with abrasive grains as a blade can also be used, in which case a polishing process can be performed instead of a cutting process. Even in such cases, the deterioration of cutting accuracy and the deterioration of polishing efficiency due to the adhesion of processing debris can be suppressed by colliding dry ice particles with the tool blade during cutting or polishing.

In the above embodiment, the fixing part 61 is on the bottom and the pressing part 60 is on the top, but they may be arranged the other way around, or there may be no fixing part and a pair of pressing parts 60 may be arranged above and below.

In the above embodiment, the end mill 44 is moved relative to the laminate 10 by the moving part 46, but it is sufficient that the end mill and the laminate 10 move relative to each other. For example, it is also possible to fix the end mill 44 and move the laminate 10 relative to the end mill by the moving part.

The laminate processing device 100 may have one processing unit 40, but may have two or more processing units 40 in order to perform processing quickly. In this case, a nozzle 420 can be provided at each processing unit.

(Film and Laminate Preparation)
A raw film having a layer structure of separator film (PET)/adhesive layer/protective film (TAC)/polarizer (PVA)/protective film (TAC)/optically functional film layer (laminate including adhesive layer)/adhesive layer/separator film (PET) was prepared.
The protective film and the polarizer were bonded with a water-based adhesive. The thickness of the raw film was 367 μm.

The original film was punched out with a Thomson blade into a rectangular shape measuring 155.6 x 75.6 mm to obtain the optical film 12. Next, 50 sheets of the optical film 12 were stacked to obtain the laminate 10.

The ratio of the total thickness of the adhesive layers to the thickness of the laminate 10 was 47%.

Example 1
The laminate processing device 100 shown in Fig. 1 was prepared. The end mill 44 had a right-hand blade with right-hand twist as shown in Fig. 5(a), the direction of discharge of machining waste was from the tip of the blade toward the handle, and the end mill was rotated clockwise.

The blade 44b of the end mill 44 was placed with the axis of the columnar portion 44z parallel to the thickness direction of the laminate 10, and the outer peripheral surface of the columnar portion 44z was brought into contact with the end face of the laminate 10. The columnar portion 44z was then moved along the end face EF of the laminate 10 and in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the laminate 10 relative to the laminate 10 to cut the end face (cutting depth 0.4 mm). The cut length was the length of the long side, i.e. 155.6 mm. Here, the movement direction of the end mill was set to the up-cut direction relative to the rotation direction of the end mill, as shown in FIG. 4(a).

While the laminate 10 was being cut with the end mill, dry ice particles were blown out of the nozzle 420 by air and collided with the blade portion 44b of the end mill. As shown in Fig. 5(a), the blowing direction EJ of the dry ice particles was opposite to the direction of discharge of the processing waste and oblique to the axis of the columnar portion 44z, so that the dry ice particles collided with the blade portion 44b. The angle α was set to 60°.
In addition, θ in FIG. 4 is set to about 70°.

After cutting, the state of adhesive residue on the blade of the end mill and the state of adhesive residue on the edge of the laminate were visually checked.

Example 2
The procedure was the same as in Example 1, except that the movement direction of the end mill was set to the down-cut direction relative to the rotation direction of the end mill as shown in FIG. 4(b).

Example 3
The procedure was the same as in Example 1, except that air not containing dry ice particles was ejected from the nozzle 420 .

(Comparative Example 2)
The procedure was the same as in Example 1, except that no gas or particles were ejected from the nozzle 420 .

The results are shown in Table 1. ◎ means that no adhesive was attached, ◎ means that a small amount of adhesive was attached, and × means that a large amount of adhesive was attached.

10...Laminate, 12...Optical film, 20...Fixing mechanism, 42...Rotating section, 42a...Opening, 44a...Shank, 44b...Blade, 44c...Blade, 44t...Tip, 44z...Columnar section, 44...End mill (tool), 46, 46'...Moving section, 100...Laminate processing device, 300...Dry ice particle supply section, 420...Nozzle, AP...End face, EF...End face, PD...Concave, PP...Convex, R...Non-linear section, Q...Axis.

Claims (14)

1. A method for tooling a laminate having a plurality of optical films, comprising:
A step A includes moving a rotating tool having a blade relative to the laminate while contacting the laminate to cut or polish the laminate;
and a step B of colliding dry ice particles against the tool during the step A.
The tool includes a columnar portion having a blade portion and a handle portion and extending in the axial direction of the rotation, and the blade is provided on an outer circumferential surface of the blade portion,
In the step A, the axis is arranged parallel to a thickness direction of the laminate, and the tool is moved relative to the laminate so that the columnar portion rotates in a spiral shape along an inner surface of a through hole provided in the laminate, thereby widening a diameter of the through hole;
In the step A, the direction of movement of the columnar portion is a direction of up-cut with respect to the direction of rotation of the tool,
a method in which, in step B, an angle θ formed by a line B connecting the axis Q of rotation of the tool and a point A at which the blade of the tool leaves the inner surface of the through hole, and a spray direction EJ of the dry ice particles, as viewed from the axial direction of the rotation of the tool, is 45 to 135° when measured in the rotation direction of the tool from the starting point of the line B. a direction in which chips are discharged from the tip of the cutting portion toward the shank or from the shank toward the tip of the cutting portion;
The method according to claim 1 , wherein in the collision step, the dry ice particles are collided against the blade portion in a direction opposite to a direction in which the processing chips are discharged and in a direction oblique to an axis of the columnar portion. A direction in which cutting chips are discharged from the tip of the cutting portion toward the handle portion of the tool,
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein in the collision step, the dry ice particles are collided against the blade portion in a direction from the handle portion toward the tip of the blade portion and in a direction oblique to the axis of the column portion. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the blade is right-handed and rotated clockwise when viewed from the handle, or the blade is left-handed and rotated counterclockwise when viewed from the handle. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein in the step B, dry ice particles are sprayed from a nozzle having an elongated opening, and the opening is positioned facing the blade portion. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein at least one of the optical films comprises one or more adhesive layers. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the adhesive layer has a thickness of 50 μm or more. The method according to claim 6 or 7 , wherein a ratio of a total thickness of the pressure-sensitive adhesive layers to a thickness of the laminate is 30% or more. A method for producing a processed film, comprising a step of processing a laminate in which a plurality of optical films are laminated, by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 . a fixing mechanism that clamps and fixes a laminate in which a plurality of optical films are laminated from both sides in a stacking direction;
A tool having a blade;
A rotating unit that rotates the tool;
a moving section that moves the rotating tool relative to the stack while contacting the stack;
a nozzle configured to project dry ice particles against the blade ;
The tool has a columnar portion having a blade portion and a handle portion and extending in the axial direction of the rotation, and the blade is provided on an outer circumferential surface of the blade portion,
the moving unit is configured to dispose the rotating tool with an axis of rotation parallel to a thickness direction of the stack, and to move the tool relative to the stack so that the columnar portion rotates in a spiral shape along an inner surface of a through hole provided in the stack, thereby widening a diameter of the through hole ,
The moving unit is configured to move the rotating tool in a direction of upcut with respect to a direction of the rotation of the tool,
The nozzle is configured such that, when viewed from the axial direction of the tool's rotation, an angle θ between a line B connecting the axis Q of the tool's rotation and a point A at which the blade of the tool leaves the inner surface of the through hole, and the axis of the nozzle, is 45 to 135° when measured in the direction of the tool's rotation starting from the line B. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the nozzle is configured to project the dry ice particles against the blade while moving with the tool relative to the stack. a direction in which chips are discharged from the tip of the cutting portion toward the shank or from the shank toward the tip of the cutting portion;
12. The apparatus according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the nozzle is configured to collide the dry ice particles against the blade portion in a direction opposite to a direction of debris discharge and oblique to an axis of the column portion. The device according to any one of claims 10 to 12 , wherein the nozzle opening has an oblong shape and is configured so that the opening faces the blade portion. The apparatus of any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein a supply of dry ice particles is connected to the nozzle.

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