Innovative handling systems for LCD manufacture 

Manz Automation AG has been a supplier of innovative automation systems for glass substrate handling for over 15 years.

Manufacturing of LCD flat screens takes place under extreme clean-room conditions. 
Stringent quality standards call for automated handling of the glass substrates. 
Handling glass panels measuring up to 6m² in a thickness of just 0.7mm poses a particular challenge. Manz has developed innovative handling systems for this purpose in close collaboration with customers and manufacturers of process systems. These systems fully satisfy the stringent demands made on absolute purity, strict precision and minimum glass breakage.
 

		Manz concentrates particularly on applications relating to manufacture of the color filters used as the front film in TFT LCD flat screens. Most systems installed in Japan, Korea and Taiwan are used for the automatic loading and unloading of inline sputter plants of Applied Films Corporation. Manz Automation AG is the market leader of this market segment in Taiwan. Further automation solutions have been created for packaging LCD substrates as well as for the automation of laser cutting systems and Basler inspection systems. Customer-specific automation solutions are also developed on the basis of standardized robot systems. Special handling and transport systems have been developed for handling extremely large-area glass substrates (2200 mm x 2600 mm).
In close collaboration with KUKA, one of the world's leading robot manufacturers, a 6-axis industrial robot with an arm length of 3100mm has been modified for use in class 100 clean rooms.

 

Clean room suitability Clean room suitability has been verified in the laboratory of the Fraunhofer IPA Institute and the robot system certified accordingly.