GB2280147A

GB2280147A - Squeegee for screen printing

Info

Publication number: GB2280147A
Application number: GB9412163A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Takehiko Murakami; Kunio Kondo
Original assignee: MINAMI ENGINEERING CO Ltd
Current assignee: MINAMI ENGINEERING CO Ltd
Priority date: 1993-07-22
Filing date: 1994-06-17
Publication date: 1995-01-25
Anticipated expiration: 2014-06-17
Also published as: GB9412163D0; KR950003336U; GB2280147B; KR200193956Y1; JPH0711338U

Abstract

A squeegee (1) for a screen printing machine has a body (2) of polyurethane rubber faced by a thin metal plate (3). The plate projects slightly beyond the free end of the body, and may be of stainless steel less than 0.2 mm thick, and projects by between 5 and 10 times its thickness. <IMAGE>

Description

SQUEEGEE FOR SCREEN PRINTING MACHINE o The present invention relates to a squeegee for a screen printing machine.

In general, a squeegee for a screen printing machine is made of polyurethane rubber, in particular, hard polyurethane rubber. Accordingly, the frictional resistance of the squeegee is quite high, and it is likely that when the squeegee is slidingly moved on and along a mask, the latter would become rolled up and wavy. This causes a printing non-uniformity. In addition, it is likely that paste such a cream solder, adhesives, ink and the like can only be applied with difficulty to a predetermined position of printed matter such as a print substrate.

In view of the foregoing defects, an aim of the present invention is to provide a squeegee for a screen printing machine, which can reduce frictional resistance.

According to the present invention, in order to attain this and other aims, this is achieved by interposing a thin metal plate in a contact portion between a mask and the squeegee.

Hence, according to the present invention, there is provided a squeegee for a screen printing machine wherein a portion, to be contacted with a mask, of a squeegee body made of polyurethane rubber is somewhat projected from the body of the squeegee and a thin metal plate is attached to the projected portion.

According to the present invention, the projected portion of the thin metal plate attached to the squeegee body is caused to contact with the mask. Metal has a lower frictional resistance than that of rubber. Also, the thin metal plate is made very thin, at a thickness of preferably less than lmm, 0.5mm or 0.2mm, and more 0preferably at a thickness of about 0.lmm, to thereby reduce the frictional resistance yet further. Accordingly, when the squeegee is slidingly moved on and along the mask, its frictional resistance can be very low to thereby solve the problems inherent in the conventional squeegee.

Also, since the metal plate is made very thin as mentioned above, a sufficient flexibility or resilience is well maintained, and since the squeegee body portion behind the metal plate is made of rubber, in the case where the mask is wavy, the metal plate can deform somewhat to follow the delicate curve of the mask.

Preferred features of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a squeegee body held by a squeegee holder in accordance with the present invention.

A squeegee 1 is made of a squeegee body 2 and a thin metal plate 3. The squeegee body 2 is made of an elastomeric material (in the preferred embodiment a hard polyurethane rubber) and the thin metal plate 3 is attached to a front face of the squeegee body 2 in the moving direction thereof. The thin metal plate 3 is made of stainless steel in the embodiment shown. Also, it is preferable that the thickness of the thin metal plate is O.lmm, and that the thin metal plate projects beyond a lower end of the squeegee body 2. In the preferred embodiment, the thin metal plate projects by about 0.65mm beyond the end of the squeegee body, but it may project as much as, say, 10 or 20 times its thickness (1 or 2mm) or as little as 3 or 5 times its thickness (0.3 or 0.5mm). It is also preferable that any burrs are removed off the thin metal plate 3 by electrolytic polishing. A squeegee holder 4 holds the squeegee 1.

Since the squeegee is constructed as mentioned above and the thin metal plate is attached to the squeegee body so as to contact with the mask, it is possible to considerably reduce the frictional resistance therebetween.

Accordingly, it is possible to overcome the defects inherent in the conventional squeegee. Also, since the metal plate is made thin and has flexibility or resilience, and the squeegee body behind the metal plate is made of rubber, in the case where the mask is wavy, the metal plate can follow the wavy curve of the mask well.

In summary, a squeegee for a screen printing machine is provided wherein a portion, to be contacted with a mask, of a squeegee body made of polyurethane rubber is somewhat projected from the other portions and a thin metal plate is attached to the projected portion, and, in the case where the mask is wavy, the metal plate is somewhat deformed to well follow the delicate curve of the mask.

It will be understood that the present invention has been described above purely by way of example, and modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention.

Each feature disclosed in the description, and (where appropriate) the claims and drawings may be provided independently or in any appropriate combination.

Claims

1. A squeegee for a screen printing machine having a mask, comprising a squeegee body made of rubber material, and a thin metal plate somewhat projected from said squeegee body, said thin metal plate being contacted with said mask.

2. The squeegee according to Claim 1, wherein said thin metal plate is made of stainless steel.

3. The squeegee according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein said rubber material is polyurethane rubber.

4. A squeegee for a screen printing machine having a mask, comprising a squeegee body made of a resilient material, and a metal plate, for contacting the mask, attached to said body.

5. A squeegee according to Claim 4 wherein the metal plate projects from the squeegee body.

6. A squeegee according to Claim 1, 2, 3 or 5 wherein the metal plate projects by a distance between three and twenty times the thickness of the metal plate.

7. A squeegee according to Claim 6 wherein the metal plate projects by a distance between five and ten times the thickness of the metal plate.

8. A squeegee according to any of the preceding claims wherein the metal plate has a thickness of less than lmm.

9. A squeegee according to Claim 8 wherein the metal plate has a thickness of less than 0.5mm.

10. A squeegee according to Claim 9 wherein the metal plate has a thickness of less than 0.2mm.

11. A screen printing machine having a mask and including a squeegee according to any of the preceding claims for contacting the mask.

12. A squeegee for a screen printing machine having a mask, substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.