• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.401-407
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• 2012

The recent manufacturing process in the thin wafers and flat panel necessitate new approaches to reduce handling fragile and surface-sensitive damage of components. This paper presents a new pneumatic levitation for non-contact handling of parts and substrates. This levitation can achieve non-contact handling by blowing air into an air pressure pick-up head with radial passages to generate a negative pressure region. Negative pressure is caused by the radial air flow by nozzle throat and through holes connecting to the bottom region. The numerical analysis deals with the levitational motion with different design factors. The dynamic motion is examined in terms of force balance(dynamic equilibrium) occurring to the flow field between two objects. The stable equilibrium position and the safe separation distance are determined by analyzing the local pressure distribution in the fluid motion. They make considerable design factors consisting the air pressure pick-up head. As a result, in case that the safe separation distance is beyond 0.7mm, the proposed pick-up head can levitate stably at the equilibrium position. Furthermore, it can provide little effect of torque, and obtain more wide picking region according to the head size.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.563-569
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• 2012

In the semiconductor and display device production processes, the handling of sensitive objects needs new carrying technology. Floating carrying motion is a practical alternative solution for non-contact handling of parts and substrates. This paper presents a study of through paths inside the air pressure pick-up head to generate the floating motion. The air motion by conceptual designed paths inside the head gradually develops positive pressure and vacuum between narrow objects. Positive pressure occurs through the head tip before discharging outside of the head. Negative pressure is developed by evacuating the inside head bottom as result of the radial flow connecting the vertical through-holes. The numerical analysis was done to figure out the stable levitation caused by the two acting forces between surfaces. In comparing with the standard case that the levitation gap gets 0.7-0.9 mm, it confirms the suggested head characteristics to show floating capacity in accordance with the head size, number of through-hole, and locations of through-hole in succession of conceptual design for a prototype.