JP2005335002A - Squeegee polishing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a squeegee polishing device which removes burrs and notches on a squeegee end face and an edge face that cause problems at the time of printing, during squeegee polishing, and maintains uniform polishing surface. <P>SOLUTION: The squeegee polishing device carries out polishing of a squeegee 11 for use in screen printing, and is formed of: a polishing means 31 for polishing the squeegee 11; an angle adjusting mechanism 50 for adjusting a contact angle of the squeegee 11 with the polishing surface of the polishing means 31 during polishing operation; a paralleling mechanism 60 for adjusting the end face of the squeegee 11, closer to the polishing means 31 so as to be parallel with the polishing surface; and a pressing mechanism 70 for energizing and pressing the squeegee 11 to the polishing surface with a variable pressing force. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a squeegee polishing apparatus that automatically polishes a screen printing squeegee for a display surface of a color plasma display, for example.

  For example, there is a screen printing method as a method for printing on the display surface of a color plasma display.

  Screen printing is a printing technique that performs predetermined printing on a display surface by printing paste-like ink dropped on a mesh-like screen using a squeegee.

  Here, the squeegee has elasticity, and constitutes a squeegee unit together with a metal squeegee holder that is fixed so as to sandwich one end of the squeegee.

  The squeegee is generally made of rubber or a material having elasticity similar to rubber, and the ink is imprinted on the screen using the edge portion during printing, so that the edge portion is worn by use.

  Therefore, the edge of the squeegee needs to be maintained in a desired shape by polishing the squeegee with a squeegee polishing device, for example, every certain number of uses.

  However, if there are scratches, flashes, or chips on the polished surface of the squeegee after polishing, particularly on the edge portion, it becomes a factor that causes print streaks or uneven printing.

  Therefore, in the squeegee polishing apparatus, it is one of the important elements to polish so that scratches, flashes, and chips are not generated on the edge surface of the squeegee.

  FIG. 10 shows a technique of Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-358413 as a conventional squeegee polishing apparatus.

  The squeegee unit 10 includes a metal squeegee holder 12 and an elastic squeegee 11 fixed so that one end of the squeegee holder 12 is sandwiched between the squeegee holder 12 and the squeegee unit 12.

  The squeegee unit 10 is fixed to the polishing apparatus by clamping the squeegee holder 12 with a holder fixing cylinder 100 of the squeegee polishing apparatus.

  The polishing grindstone 101 has a disk shape and polishes the squeegee 11 by rotating operation.

  Further, the polishing grindstone 101 is disposed in the upper part of the apparatus, and is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction, the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 10), and the longitudinal direction of the squeegee 11 (depth direction in FIG. 10).

  The edge polishing grindstone 102 is disposed on the upper part of the apparatus so as to face the polishing grindstone 101.

  After the squeegee holder 12 is fixed by the holder fixing cylinder 100, when the start switch is pressed, the up and down polishing grindstone 101 starts to descend from the origin position. Eventually, when the end surface of the squeegee 11 is detected by the detection sensor 103 disposed at the same height as the lowermost surface of the polishing grindstone 101, the descent of the polishing grindstone 101 stops.

  That is, the polishing grindstone 101 descends to the height of the end face of the squeegee and stops. In this state, the end surface of the squeegee 11 is polished by the polishing grindstone 101.

  After the polishing of the end face of the squeegee 11 is completed in this way, the polishing grindstone 101 moves to the standby position, and the edge polishing grindstone 102 is attached to the side surface of the squeegee 11 and supported by the edge polishing grindstone 102. Polish the edge surface.

  By the way, the conventional technique described above is intended to remove burrs and chips at the edge of the squeegee 11 that are generated when the end face of the squeegee 11 is polished by the polishing grindstone 101 by the edge polishing grindstone 102.

  Further, since the support bar 104 holds the side surface of the squeegee 11, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the squeegee 11 that occurs when the edge polishing grindstone 102 abuts the squeegee 11, and to obtain an effect that the edge portion is in a uniform polishing state. ing.

  However, during printing, the squeegee 11 is in contact with the screen while maintaining a constant angle (squeegee angle), but this angle varies depending on the material and conditions.

  Moreover, during printing, the squeegee 11 is applied with printing pressure when contacting the screen, and the squeegee 11 is deformed. For this reason, the angle of the edge part of the squeegee 11 which contacts a to-be-printed object also changes with the difference in printing conditions. Therefore, in order to make the edge part of the squeegee 11 an ideal polishing state, it is necessary to polish the edge part in consideration of the deformation of the squeegee 11 together with the squeegee angle set by printing.

  However, in the method of Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-358413, the purpose of making the polished state of the edge portion uniform is achieved, but it is not sufficient for dealing with various squeegee angles.

  Further, deformation of the squeegee 11 is not taken into consideration.

  In addition, the method of adjusting the heights of the squeegee 11 and the grindstone surface also depends on the parallelism in the design of the apparatus with respect to the parallelism between both ends of the squeegee 11 and the polishing grindstone 101. Depending on the state of attachment to the squeegee and the state of attachment of the squeegee holder 12 to the polishing apparatus, the grinding amount differs at both ends of the squeegee 11, and the finished state of polishing differs at both ends of the squeegee 11.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and can remove burrs and chips at the edge of the squeegee, which are important causes of printing streaks, and can be polished with high accuracy. The main purpose is to provide a squeegee polishing apparatus.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides a squeegee polishing apparatus capable of easily adjusting the angle and parallelism with respect to the polishing means regardless of the difference between a plurality of squeegees having different shapes such as the shape of the squeegee holder and the thickness of the squeegee. It is also aimed to do.

  In order to solve the above problems, a squeegee polishing apparatus according to the present invention is a squeegee polishing apparatus for polishing a screen printing squeegee, wherein the squeegee polishing means is configured to polish the squeegee and the polishing surface of the polishing means during a polishing operation And an angle adjusting mechanism for adjusting a contact angle of the squeegee.

  In the squeegee polishing apparatus of the present invention, the squeegee polishing apparatus includes a holding unit that holds the squeegee during a polishing operation, and the angle adjusting mechanism adjusts the angle of the holding unit to adjust the squeegee held by the holding unit. It is preferable to adjust a contact angle with respect to the polishing surface.

  In the squeegee polishing apparatus of the present invention, the angle adjusting mechanism includes a support portion that rotatably supports the holding portion, and a turning force applying portion that applies turning force to the holding portion, It is a preferable example to adjust the contact angle of the squeegee held by the holding unit with respect to the polishing surface by adjusting the rotation angle of the holding unit by the turning force applying unit.

  In this case, the turning force applying unit includes a rack that moves forward and backward, and a pinion that is configured integrally with the holding unit and that is rotated as the rack moves forward and backward. A preferable example is that a rotational force is applied to the holding portion along with the movement.

  In this case, it is a preferable example that the turning force applying unit includes a ball screw that is rotationally driven and a moving unit that is moved forward and backward with the rack by the rotational driving of the ball screw.

  In this case, it is preferable that the turning power applying unit includes a rotation driving unit that rotationally drives the ball screw.

  In the squeegee polishing apparatus of the present invention, a pair of the angle adjusting mechanisms are provided, and the pair of angle adjusting mechanisms are arranged to be separated from each other in the longitudinal direction of the end of the squeegee on the polishing means side. Is preferred.

  In the squeegee polishing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the pair of angle adjusting mechanisms operate independently of each other and adjust the angle of the squeegee by cooperation.

  In the squeegee polishing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the squeegee polishing apparatus includes a paralleling mechanism that adjusts an end portion of the squeegee on the polishing means side in a state parallel to the polishing surface.

  In the squeegee polishing apparatus according to the present invention, the paralleling mechanism includes a distance adjusting mechanism that adjusts a distance between the end of the squeegee and the polishing surface in the longitudinal direction of the end of the squeegee on the polishing means side. It is preferable that a pair is provided apart from each other.

  In this case, the paralleling mechanism includes a pair of position detection sensors that detect the position of the end of the squeegee, spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the squeegee, and the pair of distance adjusting mechanisms includes: It is a preferable example that the end of the squeegee is adjusted to be parallel to the polishing surface by moving the squeegee to a position where the end of the squeegee is detected by a pair of position detection sensors. .

  In addition, the distance adjusting mechanism is preferably configured to include a ball screw that is rotationally driven and a moving unit that is moved forward and backward with the squeegee by the rotational driving of the ball screw.

  Further, it is preferable that the pair of distance adjusting mechanisms operate independently of each other and collaborate to parallel the squeegee.

  In the squeegee polishing apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the squeegee polishing apparatus includes a pressing mechanism configured to press the squeegee against the polishing surface and the pressing force is variably configured.

  In the squeegee polishing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the squeegee polishing apparatus further includes a moving mechanism that performs a polishing operation by linearly moving the squeegee along the polishing surface in a state where the squeegee is in contact with the polishing surface.

  The moving mechanism preferably performs the polishing operation by moving the squeegee in the same direction as the relative movement direction with respect to the screen during the printing operation.

  In the squeegee polishing apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the squeegee polishing apparatus further includes a moving speed adjusting means for adjusting a relative moving speed of the squeegee with respect to the polishing surface during a polishing operation.

  In the squeegee polishing apparatus of the present invention, the squeegee polishing apparatus includes an input operation means for performing an input operation of the set value of the squeegee angle, and the angle adjusting mechanism adjusts the angle of the squeegee so as to be the input set value. It is preferable.

  According to the present invention, since the angle adjusting mechanism for adjusting the contact angle of the squeegee with the polishing surface of the polishing means during the polishing operation is provided, it is automatically and highly accurate without relying on the manual adjustment of the operator. In addition, the polishing operation can be performed in a state in which the squeegee is adjusted to a desired contact angle, that is, a contact angle that is substantially the same as the contact angle with respect to the screen in the actual printing operation, for example. Therefore, it is possible to perform polishing with high accuracy to remove burrs and chips on the edge portion of the squeegee, which is an important cause of printing streaks. In addition, the contact angle can be adjusted regardless of the shape of the squeegee holder, the thickness of the squeegee, and the like. In addition, polishing can be performed by appropriately adjusting the contact angle of the squeegee according to the squeegee material and printing conditions.

  In addition, a pair of angle adjustment mechanisms are provided, and the pair of angle adjustment mechanisms are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the end of the squeegee on the polishing means side, so that the contact angle of the squeegee can be adjusted more accurately. can do.

  In addition, the pair of angle adjusting mechanisms operate independently of each other and adjust the angle of the squeegee by cooperation, so that the contact angle of the squeegee can be adjusted with higher accuracy.

  In addition, since it includes a paralleling mechanism that adjusts the longitudinal direction of the end of the squeegee on the polishing means side to be parallel to the polishing surface, variations in the squeegee mounting state with respect to the squeegee holder and the squeegee holder to the squeegee polishing device The polishing operation can be performed with the parallelism of the squeegee with respect to the polishing surface in a good state regardless of the variation in the attached state and the shape or length of the squeegee. Therefore, the grinding amount in the longitudinal direction of the squeegee can be made uniform, and the finished state of polishing can be made uniform in the longitudinal direction of the squeegee.

  The paralleling mechanism includes a pair of distance adjusting mechanisms that adjust the distance between the end of the squeegee and the polishing surface, spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the squeegee. The degree can be adjusted.

  Further, the squeegee is urged so as to be pressed against the polishing surface, and a pressing mechanism having a variable pressing force is provided, so that the squeegee is pressed to have a desired pressing force, for example, a screen during an actual printing operation. Can be pressed against the polishing surface with substantially the same pressing force as the pressing force (printing pressure) against, and the polishing operation can be performed in that state. That is, since the polishing operation can be performed in a state in which the same squeegee deflection as in the actual printing operation is reproduced, the portion (surface) that contacts the screen in the actual printing operation can be polished.

  In addition, since the moving speed adjusting means for adjusting the relative moving speed of the squeegee with respect to the polishing surface during the polishing operation is provided, the polishing operation can be performed in a state where the deflection of the squeegee similar to that in the actual printing operation is reproduced with higher accuracy. It can be carried out.

  In short, according to the present invention, the contact angle, parallelism, pressing force, and moving speed of the squeegee are substantially the same as the contact angle, parallelism, pressing force (printing pressure), and moving speed with respect to the screen during the actual printing operation. Regardless of the shape and material of the squeegee or squeegee holder, the contact angle, parallelism, and pressing force can be adjusted optimally, and the edge portion of the squeegee can be polished to an ideal state.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a squeegee polishing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
1 is a front view showing a squeegee polishing apparatus according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the squeegee polishing apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a side view of a squeegee angle adjusting mechanism of the squeegee polishing apparatus of FIG. .

  As shown in FIG. 3, the squeegee 11 is made of, for example, rubber or a material having elasticity similar to rubber, and constitutes the squeegee unit 10 together with, for example, a metal squeegee holder 12 that holds the squeegee 11.

  Among these, the squeegee 11 is configured in a plate shape elongated in the left-right direction in FIG. The squeegee holder 12 holds the squeegee 11 by sandwiching the front and back surfaces thereof in the longitudinal direction.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the squeegee polishing apparatus according to the first embodiment includes a clamp mechanism 20 that clamps the squeegee unit 10 during a polishing operation for polishing the squeegee 11, and a state of being clamped by the clamp mechanism 20. A polishing unit 30 including an abrasive (polishing means) 31 for polishing the squeegee 11 of the squeegee unit 10 and moving the squeegee unit 10 along the abrasive 31 while the squeegee 11 is in contact with the abrasive 31. A squeegee unit traveling mechanism (moving mechanism) 40 that performs a polishing operation of the squeegee 11 by an angle, an angle adjusting mechanism 50 that adjusts a contact angle of the squeegee 11 with respect to the polishing material 31 during the polishing operation, and a polishing material during the polishing operation A parallelism mechanism 60 that adjusts the parallelism of the squeegee 11 with respect to 31 (performs parallelism), and the abrasive 3 during the polishing operation. A pressing force adjusting mechanism 70 that adjusts the pressing force of the squeegee 11 against the squeegee 11, and an operation unit (including input operation means) 80 for performing various operations including input operations of various adjustment conditions (described later) during the polishing operation. 8), and a control unit 90 (FIG. 8) that comprehensively controls the clamp mechanism 20, the squeegee unit traveling mechanism 40, the angle adjusting mechanism 50, the paralleling mechanism 60, and the pressing force adjusting mechanism 70. Yes.

  Among these, as shown in FIG. 3, the clamp mechanism 20 includes a clamp portion (holding portion) 21 that clamps the squeegee holder 12 of the squeegee unit 10, and holder fixing that applies power to the clamp portion 21 to perform a clamping operation. And a cylinder 22 for use.

  The clamp part 21 is driven by the holder fixing cylinder 22 and holds the squeegee unit 10 downward, for example, by holding the front and back surfaces of the squeegee holder 12 in the longitudinal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the polishing unit 30 includes an abrasive 31 that polishes an end (edge) of the squeegee 11 and a polishing table 32 on which the abrasive 31 is placed. ing.

  The polishing unit 30 is disposed, for example, so as to be positioned below the squeegee unit 10 clamped by the clamp mechanism 20, and the polishing table 32 supports the polishing material 31 on the upper surface thereof in a substantially horizontal state.

  The abrasive 31 is set to have a width larger than the length of the squeegee 11 in the longitudinal direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1) (see FIG. 2), and the moving distance of the squeegee 11 during the polishing operation (polishing shown in FIG. 7). It is formed longer than the stroke S).

  The abrasive 31 is substantially parallel to the moving surface of the squeegee 11 that is moved by the squeegee unit travel mechanism 40 (the surface formed by the movement locus of the tip of the squeegee 11) (for example, a parallelism of ± 50 μm). Arranged to keep).

  The abrasive 31 is made of, for example, a grindstone, and the particle size is preferably about # 200 to # 1000, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the squeegee unit traveling mechanism 40 includes a pair of traveling motors 41 that are composed of, for example, servomotors and can be rotated in forward and reverse directions, and a pair of left and right drive shafts 42 of the traveling motor 41. Pulley 43, a pair of pulleys 44 paired with each of the pulleys 43, a pair of timing belts 45 spanned between the two sets of pulleys 43, 44, and rotation of the pair of timing belts 45 As a result, the travel bar 46 travels in the travel direction of the squeegee 11 (the direction of the arrows A and B in FIG. 2 and along the surface direction of the abrasive 31), and the travel bar 46 is guided in the travel direction of the squeegee 11. And a pair of LM guides 47.

  Among these, the pair of LM guides 47 are configured to be long in the traveling direction, and are respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the abrasive 31 so that each longitudinal direction is along the traveling direction. Further, the pulleys 43 and 44 are disposed at both end positions of the LM guide 47, and the traveling bar 46 is disposed above the abrasive 31.

  In such a squeegee unit traveling mechanism 40, the pulley 44 is moved in a state where the timing belt 45 is bridged between the pulleys 43 and 44 as the pulley 43 rotates in conjunction with the driving of the traveling motor 41. As the timing belt 45 rotates, the traveling bar 46 is guided by the LM guide 47 above the abrasive 31 and linearly moves in the traveling direction.

  Here, the traveling bar 46 is integrally provided with a paralleling mechanism 60, an angle adjusting mechanism 50, and a clamping mechanism 20. For this reason, the squeegee unit 10 that is clamped by the clamp portion 21 of the clamp mechanism 20 also moves linearly in the traveling direction as the traveling bar 46 moves.

  Note that the clamp unit 21 and the squeegee unit 10 can be moved in the traveling direction of either the arrow A direction or the B direction according to the rotational direction of the traveling motor 41 (the rotational direction of the traveling motor 41 is controlled). To select the direction of travel).

  Further, the movable area of the squeegee 11 by the squeegee unit traveling mechanism 40 is almost the entire polishing surface of the abrasive 31 and the position of a parallel contact sensor 68 (described later) disposed on the side of the abrasive 31 (FIG. 2). Are parallel regions H).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the angle adjusting mechanism 50 includes, for example, a pulse motor, an angle control motor (rotation drive means) 51 that can be rotated forward and backward, and a ball screw 52 that is rotationally driven around the axis by the angle control motor 51. The moving part 53 screwed to the ball screw 52 in an extrapolated state, a rack gear (rack) 54 provided integrally with the moving part 53, and meshed with the rack gear 54 and the clamping mechanism 20. A pinion gear (pinion) 55 provided integrally with the clamp portion 21, a squeegee angle adjusting dog 56 as a detected portion provided integrally with the moving portion 53, and a squeegee angle adjusting dog 56. The angle origin sensor 57 that detects the angle origin by detecting the upper limit position and the lower limit position of the squeegee angle adjustment dog 56 are detected. An overrun sensor 58 for detecting an overrun of the portion 53 in advance, a rack LM base 59 for guiding the rack gear 54 in the linear movement direction, and the clamp portion 21 are supported so as to be rotatable around the longitudinal direction of the clamp portion 21. And a support portion 5 (FIG. 1).

  In the above description, the angle control motor 51, the ball screw 52, the moving unit 53, the rack gear 54, the pinion gear 55, and the rack LM base 59 constitute a turning force applying unit that applies turning force to the clamp unit 21.

  In addition, the angle adjustment mechanism 50 of such a configuration is provided, for example, at both left and right ends of the clamp portion 21. That is, the squeegee polishing apparatus includes a pair of angle adjusting mechanisms 50 that are separated from each other in the longitudinal direction of the squeegee 11 (at the end on the abrasive 31 side).

  In such an angle adjustment mechanism 50, when the ball screw 52 is rotationally driven by the angle control motor 51, the moving unit 53 linearly moves up or down along the axial direction of the ball screw 52. With this linear movement, the rack gear 54 also moves linearly up or down. As the rack gear 54 moves, the pinion gear 55 rotates in the direction of arrow C or D in FIG. Then, the clamp part 21 that is integrated with the pinion gear 55 and is rotatably supported by the support part 5 rotates in the arrow E direction or the F direction. Accordingly, the squeegee unit 10 held by the clamp portion 21 also rotates in the arrow E direction or the F direction.

  Note that the rotation direction of the squeegee unit 10 (the direction of arrows E and F) is a direction included in a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the end of the squeegee 11. In other words, in the case of the present embodiment, in the state where parallelism described later is performed, the rotation direction of the squeegee unit 10 is a direction included in a substantially vertical plane.

  Here, the linear movement amounts of the moving unit 53 and the rack gear 54 and the rotational movement amounts (rotation angles) of the pinion gear 55, the clamp unit 21, and the squeegee unit 10 depend on the number of drive pulses of the angle control motor 51, respectively.

  Further, the moving direction of the moving unit 53 and the rack gear 54 and the rotating direction of the pinion gear 55, the clamp unit 21 and the squeegee unit 10 depend on the rotating direction of the angle control motor 51, respectively.

  That is, the angle control motor 51 is driven by appropriately controlling the rotation direction and the number of drive pulses, so that the angle of the squeegee 11 in the state clamped by the clamp portion 21 with respect to the abrasive 31 is changed in the rotation direction (arrow E). , F direction).

  The pair of angle adjustment mechanisms 50 can be adjusted independently of each other. That is, the number of drive pulses of each angle control motor 51 can be controlled independently. Since the squeegee angle is adjusted by the cooperation of the pair of angle adjusting mechanisms 50, the squeegee angle (contact angle) of the squeegee 11 with respect to the polishing surface of the abrasive 31 during the polishing operation can be adjusted with high accuracy. it can.

Here, the squeegee angle (squeegee angle θ ₁ ) during the polishing operation is shown in FIG.

  Note that the squeegee angle varies depending on the shape of the squeegee holder 12 that holds the squeegee 11 even when the rotational phase of the clamp portion 21 is the same, and the optimum squeegee angle with respect to the abrasive 31 varies depending on the printing conditions. Therefore, it is preferable that the angle of the clamp portion 21 (the angles in the directions of arrows E and F) can be adjusted, for example, in the range of 0 to 90 degrees.

  Next, the paralleling mechanism 60 adjusts the parallelism between the end of the squeegee 11 on the abrasive 31 side and the polishing surface of the abrasive 31.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the parallel running mechanisms 60 are provided at both left and right ends of the clamp portion 21, and a pair of heights for adjusting the heights (vertical positions) of both ends of the clamp portion 21. As shown in FIG. 2, the height adjusting mechanism (distance adjusting mechanism) 6 and the squeegee 11 in the running direction (arrows A and B directions) are adjacent to the abrasive 31 and spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the clamp portion 21. And a pair of parallel out sensors (position detection sensors) 68 arranged at positions.

  That is, the paralleling mechanism 60 includes a pair of the height adjusting mechanism 6 and the paralleling sensor 68 that are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the squeegee 11 (at the end on the abrasive 31 side).

  Among them, the height adjusting mechanism 6 includes, as shown in FIG. 5, a parallel motor 61 made of, for example, a pulse motor, a ball screw 62 that is driven to rotate around the axis by the parallel motor 61, and the rotation of the ball screw 62. Accordingly, the moving origin 63 is moved up and down, the parallel dog 64 as a detected portion provided integrally with the moving portion 63, and the upper position of the parallel dog 64 are detected by detecting the upper limit position of the parallel dog 64. A height origin sensor 65 for detecting the overrun sensor 66, an overrun sensor 66 for detecting an overrun of the moving unit 63 by detecting a lower limit position of the parallel dog 64, and a guide for the moving unit 63 in the linear movement direction. And an LM guide 67.

  The optical axes 68a of the two parallel alignment sensors 68 are adjusted in advance so as to be the same as the height of the polishing surface of the abrasive 31.

  In such a paralleling mechanism 60, when the ball screw 62 is rotationally driven by the paralleling motor 61, the moving unit 63 linearly moves up or down along the axial direction of the ball screw 62.

  Here, one end of each of the angle adjusting mechanism 50 and the clamp part 21 is integrally provided in the moving part 63 of each paralleling mechanism 60.

  For this reason, with the movement of the moving part 63 of one paralleling mechanism 60, one end side of the squeegee unit 10 clamped by the clamp part 21 moves up or down. Similarly, the other paralleling mechanism 60 As the moving unit 63 moves, the other end of the squeegee unit 10 clamped by the clamp unit 21 moves up or down.

  Here, the moving amount of the moving unit 63 and the angle adjusting mechanism 50 and the clamp unit 21 associated with the moving unit 63 depends on the number of driving pulses of the paralleling motor 61.

  Further, the moving direction of the moving unit 63, the angle adjusting mechanism 50, and the clamp unit 21 depends on the number of driving pulses of the paralleling motor 61.

  Further, the pair of height adjustment mechanisms 6 can perform height adjustment operations independently of each other. That is, the number of drive pulses of each parallel motor 61 can be controlled independently.

  Accordingly, the abrasive 31 of the squeegee 11 in the state of being clamped by the clamp portion 21 by appropriately adjusting the number of driving pulses and the rotation direction of each paralleling motor 61, that is, by the cooperation of each height adjusting mechanism 6. The degree of parallelism of the side edge with respect to the polishing surface can be adjusted.

  Specifically, for example, after the squeegee 11 is lifted at one end, the squeegee 11 is lowered by the pair of height adjusting mechanisms 6 to positions where the ends of the squeegee 11 are respectively detected by the pair of parallel sensors 68. By controlling and lowering the amount, the parallelism of the squeegee 11 can be adjusted.

  In addition, the pressing force adjusting mechanism 70 urges the squeegee unit 10 to press the squeegee 11 against the polishing surface of the abrasive 31, and a squeegee lifting cylinder 71 configured to vary the pressing force, The power transmission bar 72 (FIG. 1) spanned between the pair of height adjusting mechanisms 6 of the paralleling mechanism 60 is provided.

  The squeegee elevating cylinder 71 moves the pair of height adjusting mechanisms 6 up and down via the power transmission bar 72, and moves the angle adjusting mechanism 50, the clamp mechanism 20, and the squeegee unit 10 together with the height adjusting mechanism 6. .

  Then, by adjusting the descending amount of the squeegee unit 10 by the squeegee raising / lowering cylinder 71, it is possible to adjust the pressing force for pressing the squeegee 11 against the polishing surface of the abrasive 31.

  Next, the operation unit 80 (FIG. 8) includes, as various adjustment conditions during the polishing operation, for example, a squeegee angle, a pressing force that presses the squeegee 11 against the polishing surface of the abrasive 31, a pressing amount (described later), and a squeegee. In addition to being able to perform input operations such as the moving speed of 11 and the number of polishing operations, a start operation of a polishing operation and an instruction operation of a clamping operation can be performed.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 90 includes an operation detection signal from the operation unit 80, an angle origin sensor 57 of each angle adjustment mechanism 50, an overrun sensor 58, and each height adjustment mechanism 6 of the paralleling mechanism 60. The detection signals from the parallel origin sensor 68 of the height origin sensor 65, the overrun sensor 66, and the parallel translation mechanism 60 are input.

  Based on these input signals, the control unit 90 includes a holder fixing cylinder 22 of the clamping mechanism 20, a traveling motor 41 of the squeegee unit traveling mechanism 40, an angle control motor 51 of each angle adjusting mechanism 50, and a parallel mechanism 60. Operation control of the parallel driving motor 61 of each height adjusting mechanism 6 and the squeegee lifting cylinder 71 of the pressing force adjusting mechanism 70 is performed.

  The control unit 90 includes, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. Among these, the CPU executes a control operation, the ROM stores a CPU control program, and the RAM is a CPU work area. Function as.

  Next, the operation of the squeegee polishing apparatus configured as described above will be described.

  In order to polish the squeegee 11, first, as shown in FIG. 3, the squeegee holder 12 of the squeegee unit 10 is clamped and held by the clamp portion 21 of the clamp mechanism 20.

  The subsequent adjustment operation is automatically performed under the control of the control unit 90, for example, in the following manner.

Polishing conditions such as a desired squeegee angle θ ₁ , pressing force, pressing amount (described later), moving speed of the squeegee 11 during the polishing operation, and the number of polishing operations are input by operating the operation unit 80 in advance. Shall.

First, in order to adjust the squeegee angle θ ₁ , the squeegee unit 10 is rotated in the direction of the arrow E in FIG. 3 by the angle control motor 51 (FIG. 4A), and the angle origin sensor 57 causes the squeegee angle adjustment dog 56 to move. The angle control motor 51 stops at the detected position (FIG. 4B).

The angle of the squeegee at this time is set to the origin angle θ _0, and the count number of the drive pulses of the angle control motor 51 is reset.

If the moving angle for moving from this position to any desired squeegee angle θ ₁ is θ ₂ , θ ₂ can be obtained by the following equation.

θ ₂ = θ ₁ −θ ₀
The origin angle θ ₀ is a fixed value determined by a design value, and the squeegee angle θ ₁ is also input in advance by operating the operation unit 80. The control unit 90 converts the movement angle θ ₂ obtained using the above equation into the number of drive pulses of the angle control motor 51, drives the angle control motor 51 by the converted number of pulses, and the clamp unit 21 is shown in FIG. Rotate in the direction of arrow F.

As a result, the squeegee 11 of the squeegee unit 10 can be adjusted to a desired squeegee angle θ ₁ , that is, the same squeegee angle θ ₁ as the contact angle with the screen during the printing operation.

  Next, in order to adjust the parallelism of the squeegee 11, the squeegee unit traveling mechanism 40 moves the squeegee 11 to the parallel position H (FIG. 2: upper part of the parallel sensor 68).

  Subsequently, the paralleling motor 61 raises the squeegee 11 (FIG. 6A). The paralleling motor 61 stops when the height origin sensor 65 detects the paralleling dog 64 (FIG. 6B).

  In this state, the squeegee lifting cylinder 71 lowers each angle adjusting mechanism 50, the clamp mechanism 20 and the squeegee unit 10 together with each height adjusting mechanism 6 (FIG. 6 (b) → FIG. 6 (c)).

  Subsequently, each paralleling motor 61 of each height adjusting mechanism 6 lowers the squeegee 11 (FIG. 6 (c) → FIG. 6 (d)). Each paralleling motor 61 stops when the pair of paralleling sensors 68 detect the ends of the squeegee 11 (FIG. 6D). As a result, the end of the squeegee 11 on the abrasive 31 side and the polished surface of the abrasive 31 become parallel. At this time, the count number of the number of pulses of each parallel motor 61 is reset.

  Thereafter, the squeegee elevating cylinder 71 raises each angle adjusting mechanism 50, the clamp mechanism 20 and the squeegee unit 10 together with each height adjusting mechanism 6 to the positions shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b).

  Here, in actual printing, the pushing amount of the squeegee 11 with respect to the printing surface is adjusted. The push-in amount is a descending amount of the squeegee 11 from the printing surface such that a predetermined printing pressure (printing pressure) is applied from the squeegee 11 to the printing surface.

  Therefore, the control unit 90 converts the push amount input in advance by operating the operation unit 80 into the number of pulses of the parallel motor 61, and the left and right parallel drive motors 61 lower the squeegee 11 by the same amount as the push amount. .

  Thereby, the pushing amount of the squeegee 11 with respect to the polishing surface can be set while maintaining the parallelism between the squeegee 11 and the polishing surface.

As described above, the adjustment of the angle of the squeegee 11 (adjustment of the squeegee angle θ ₁ ), the adjustment of the parallelism, and the adjustment of the push-in amount are completed, and these parameters can be set to substantially the same values as in printing.

  Next, the polishing operation of the edge portion of the squeegee 11 will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, after the squeegee 11 is moved to the polishing start position K above the abrasive 31 by the traveling motor 41, the squeegee 11 is lowered by the squeegee lifting cylinder 71, and the edge of the squeegee 11 is placed on the upper surface of the abrasive 31. Make contact.

  Here, the squeegee lifting cylinder 71 adjusts the output via the electropneumatic proportional valve so that the pressing force applied to the abrasive 31 from the squeegee 11 becomes the pressing force input in advance by the operation of the operation unit 80. .

  Here, the pressing force is preferably set to a pressing force substantially the same as the printing pressure (printing pressure) of the squeegee 11 against the screen plate during the actual printing operation. By setting the pressing force to the same force as the printing pressure during the actual printing operation, the deformation of the squeegee 11 is brought into the same state as during the printing operation together with the set values of the squeegee angle and the pressing amount. be able to.

  With the squeegee 11 pressed against the abrasive 31 in this way, the squeegee 11 is moved to the polishing end position L by the traveling motor 41. That is, the polishing operation is performed by moving the squeegee 11 linearly along the polishing surface in a state where the squeegee 11 is in contact with the polishing surface.

  Here, the traveling motor 41 is controlled so that the moving speed of the squeegee 11 becomes the moving speed input in advance by the operation of the operation unit 80. That is, here, the control unit 90 and the squeegee unit traveling mechanism 40 function as a moving speed adjusting unit that adjusts the relative moving speed of the squeegee 11 with respect to the polishing surface during the polishing operation.

  In addition, it is preferable that the moving speed of the squeegee 11 can be appropriately adjusted, for example, in the range of 10 mm / sec to 200 mm / sec so that the actual printing state can be reproduced.

  When the squeegee 11 has moved to the polishing end position L, the squeegee 11 is raised by the squeegee lifting cylinder 71 and returned to the polishing start position K by the traveling motor 41 again.

  By repeating this operation as many times as the number of polishing operations specified in advance by operating the operation unit 80, the edge of the squeegee 11 is polished.

  The number of polishing operations is preferably in the range of about 10 to 20 times where the polishing state of the edge portion of the squeegee 11 is stabilized.

According to the first embodiment as described above, the angle adjustment mechanism 50 for adjusting the contact angle (squeegee angle θ ₁ ) of the squeegee 11 with the polishing surface of the abrasive 31 during the polishing operation is provided. A state in which the squeegee 11 is adjusted to a desired contact angle, that is, a contact angle substantially the same as, for example, a contact angle with respect to a screen during an actual printing operation, without relying on manual adjustment of a person. Thus, a polishing operation can be performed.

  Therefore, it is possible to perform polishing with high accuracy to remove burrs and chips on the edge portion of the squeegee 11 which is an important generation factor of printing stripes. Moreover, the contact angle can be adjusted regardless of the shape of the squeegee holder 12 or the thickness of the squeegee 11. In addition, polishing can be performed by appropriately adjusting the contact angle of the squeegee 11 according to the material of the squeegee 11 and printing conditions.

  Further, a pair of angle adjusting mechanisms 50 are provided, and the pair of angle adjusting mechanisms 50 are arranged apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the end portion of the abrasive 31 of the squeegee 11, so that the squeegee 11 can be more accurately arranged. The contact angle can be adjusted.

  In addition, the pair of angle adjusting mechanisms 50 operate independently of each other and adjust the angle of the squeegee 11 by cooperation, so that the contact angle of the squeegee 11 can be adjusted with higher accuracy.

  In addition, since the parallel squeezing mechanism 60 that adjusts the longitudinal direction of the end of the squeegee 11 on the abrasive 31 side to be in a parallel state with respect to the polishing surface is provided, the squeegee holder 12 is not properly attached to the squeegee holder 12 and the squeegee holder 12 is not aligned. The polishing operation can be performed with the parallelism of the squeegee 11 with respect to the polishing surface in a good state regardless of the variation in the mounting state of the squeegee polishing apparatus to the clamp portion 21 and the shape or length of the squeegee 11. Therefore, the grinding amount in the longitudinal direction of the squeegee 11 can be made uniform, and the finished state of polishing can be made uniform in the longitudinal direction of the squeegee 11.

  The paralleling mechanism 60 includes a pair of distance adjusting mechanisms 6 that adjust the distance between the end portion of the squeegee 11 and the polishing surface and are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the squeegee 11. The parallelism of the squeegee 11 can be adjusted.

  Further, the squeegee 11 is urged so as to be pressed against the polishing surface, and the pressing force adjusting mechanism 70 configured to vary the pressing force is provided, so that the squeegee 11 has a desired pressing force, that is, for example, actual printing. It is possible to press against the polishing surface with substantially the same pressing force as the pressing force (printing pressure) against the screen plate during the operation, and the polishing operation can be performed in that state. That is, for example, the polishing operation can be performed in a state where the deflection of the squeegee 11 similar to that in the actual printing operation is reproduced. Therefore, the portion (surface) that contacts the screen in the squeegee 11 during the actual printing operation can be polished. it can.

  Further, since the squeegee unit travel mechanism 40 performs the polishing operation by moving the squeegee 11 in the same direction as the relative movement direction with respect to the screen plate during the actual printing operation, the actual printing operation in the squeegee 11 can be performed with higher accuracy. Sometimes the part (surface) that contacts the screen can be polished.

  In addition, since the squeegee unit traveling mechanism 40 performs the polishing operation at the same movement speed as the relative movement speed with respect to the screen plate during the actual printing operation, the actual printing operation in the squeegee 11 can be performed with higher accuracy. Sometimes the part (surface) that contacts the screen can be polished.

  In short, according to the present embodiment, the contact angle, parallelism, pressing force, and moving speed of the squeegee 11 are determined from the contact angle, parallelism, pressing force (printing pressure), and moving speed with respect to the screen plate during the actual printing operation. Regardless of the shape and material of the squeegee 11 and the squeegee holder 12, the contact angle, parallelism, and pressing force can be adjusted regardless of the shape and material of the squeegee 11, and the edge of the squeegee 11 is polished to an ideal state. can do.

  Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of printing streaks caused by the difference in conditions between printing and polishing (bending of squeegee 11, contact angle, etc.), and it is possible to prevent occurrence of printing streaks and production loss due to squeegee replacement. .

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the parameters such as the squeegee angle θ ₁ , the pressing force, and the pressing amount are set to the same values as in the printing has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and each parameter is set as necessary. The parameter may be corrected and input.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the pair of angle adjusting mechanisms 50 is provided has been described. However, only one angle adjusting mechanism may be provided.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, the example in which the abrasive is the abrasive 31 made of a grindstone has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the abrasive can be a mesh.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, an example in which a mesh is used as an abrasive will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a side view of a squeegee polishing apparatus according to the second embodiment.

  Note that the squeegee polishing apparatus according to the second embodiment is different from the polishing section 30 in the squeegee apparatus according to the first embodiment only in the polishing section 230, and is otherwise squeegee according to the first embodiment. It is configured in the same way as the device. Therefore, below, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component similar to the thing in the squeegee apparatus concerning 1st Embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the squeegee device according to the second embodiment includes a polishing unit 230 instead of the polishing unit 30 in the first embodiment.

  The polishing unit 230 includes a polishing table 32, a polishing material 231 made of a mesh and disposed on the polishing table 32, and a fixing jig 232 that fixes the polishing material 231 to the polishing table 32. .

  The abrasive 231 is, for example, a tetron mesh or a stainless mesh, and is fixed to the polishing table 32 by a fixing jig 232 so as to maintain a constant distance (for example, about 5 mm to 10 mm) and a constant tension.

  Such a polishing unit 230 is arranged so as to be positioned below the squeegee unit 10 clamped by the clamp mechanism 20, similarly to the polishing unit 30 in the first embodiment.

  Further, the polishing table 32 is substantially parallel to the moving surface of the squeegee 11 that is moved by the squeegee unit traveling mechanism 40 (the surface formed by the movement locus of the tip of the squeegee 11) (for example, a parallelism of ± 50 μm). Arranged to keep).

  The abrasive 231 is set to have the same dimensional area as the abrasive 31 in the first embodiment.

  The advantage of the method in which the abrasive 231 is a mesh is that the abrasive 231 is pushed by the pressure from the squeegee 11 to follow the shape (that is, the plane) of the upper surface of the abrasive table 32, so that the position of the surface of the abrasive 231 is increased. It is not necessary to adjust the accuracy, and most of the polishing scraps of the squeegee 11 generated during polishing remain on the abrasive 231. Therefore, the apparatus can be easily replaced by replacing the abrasive 231 and simply cleaning the upper surface of the polishing table 32. It is a point that can be cleaned.

  According to the second embodiment as described above, in addition to the same effects as those in the first embodiment described above, there is an advantage that the squeegee polishing apparatus can be easily cleaned.

  In the second embodiment, the example in which polishing is performed in a state where the abrasive 231 made of mesh is fixed to the polishing table 32 with a fixed jig 232 so as to maintain a constant distance and a constant tension has been described. However, the same effect can be obtained by using a (flexible) sheet-like grindstone instead of the abrasive 231.

1 is a front view showing a squeegee polishing apparatus according to a first embodiment. It is a top view of the squeegee polisher of FIG. It is a side view of an angle adjustment mechanism. It is a side view which shows a series of operation | movement of an angle adjustment mechanism. It is a side view of a parallel dosing mechanism. It is a side view which shows a series of operation | movement of a paralleling mechanism. It is a side view which shows the grinding | polishing operation | movement by the squeegee grinding | polishing apparatus of FIG. It is a main control block diagram of the squeegee polishing apparatus of FIG. It is a side view which shows the principal part of the squeegee grinding | polishing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a side view of the conventional squeegee polishing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Squeegee unit 11 Squeegee 12 Squeegee holder 20 Clamp mechanism 21 Clamp part (holding part)
22 Holder fixing cylinder 30 Polishing part 31 Abrasive material (polishing means)
32 Polishing table 40 Squeegee unit travel mechanism (moving mechanism, moving speed adjusting means)
41 travel motor 50 angle adjustment mechanism 5 support section 51 angle control motor (rotation drive means, rotational power application section)
52 Ball screw (rotating power application part)
53 Moving part (rotating power applying part)
54 Rack gear (rack, rotating power application part)
55 Pinion gear (pinion, rotating power application part)
59 rack LM base (rotation power application part)
60 Parallel alignment mechanism 6 Height adjustment mechanism (distance adjustment mechanism)
61 Parallel motor 62 Ball screw 63 Moving unit 68 Parallel sensor (position detection sensor)
70 Pressing force adjustment mechanism (pressing mechanism)
71 Squeegee lifting / lowering cylinder 80 Operation section (input operation means)
90 control unit (moving speed adjusting means)
230 Polishing part 231 Abrasive (polishing means)

Claims (18)

In a squeegee polishing apparatus for polishing screen printing squeegees,
Polishing means for polishing the squeegee;
An angle adjusting mechanism for adjusting a contact angle of the squeegee with respect to a polishing surface of the polishing means during a polishing operation;
A squeegee polishing apparatus comprising: A holding portion for holding the squeegee during a polishing operation;
2. The squeegee polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the angle adjusting mechanism adjusts a contact angle of the squeegee held by the holding unit with respect to the polishing surface by adjusting an angle of the holding unit. The angle adjustment mechanism includes:
A support portion that rotatably supports the holding portion;
A turning force applying portion that applies turning force to the holding portion;
Configured with
3. The squeegee polishing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a contact angle of the squeegee held by the holding unit with respect to the polishing surface is adjusted by adjusting a rotation angle of the holding unit by the turning force applying unit. . The turning power application unit is
A rack that moves forward and backward, and a pinion that is configured integrally with the holding portion and that rotates as the rack moves forward and backward, and the rotational force is applied to the holding portion as the pinion rotates. The squeegee polishing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the squeegee polishing apparatus is provided. The turning power application unit is
5. The squeegee polishing apparatus according to claim 4, comprising: a ball screw that is rotationally driven; and a moving unit that is moved forward and backward with the rack by the rotational driving of the ball screw. The turning power application unit is
The squeegee polishing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a rotation driving unit that rotationally drives the ball screw.   7. A pair of the angle adjusting mechanisms are provided, and the pair of angle adjusting mechanisms are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the end of the squeegee on the polishing means side. The squeegee polishing apparatus according to any one of the above.   The squeegee polishing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the pair of angle adjustment mechanisms operate independently of each other and adjust the angle of the squeegee by cooperation.   The squeegee polishing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a paralleling mechanism that adjusts an end portion of the squeegee on the polishing means side to be parallel to the polishing surface. The parallel running mechanism is
A distance adjusting mechanism for adjusting the distance between the end of the squeegee and the polishing surface is provided with a pair spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the end on the polishing means side of the squeegee. The squeegee polishing apparatus according to claim 9. The parallel running mechanism includes a pair of position detection sensors for detecting the position of the end of the squeegee, spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the squeegee,
The pair of distance adjusting mechanisms move the squeegee end to a position parallel to the polishing surface by moving the squeegee to a position where the pair of position detection sensors detect the end of the squeegee. The squeegee polishing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the squeegee polishing apparatus is adjusted.   12. The distance adjusting mechanism includes a ball screw that is rotationally driven and a moving unit that is moved forward and backward with the squeegee by the rotational driving of the ball screw. Squeegee polishing equipment.   The squeegee polishing apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the pair of distance adjusting mechanisms operate independently of each other and collaborate to parallel the squeegee.   The squeegee polishing according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising a pressing mechanism configured to urge the squeegee to be pressed against the polishing surface and to change the pressing force. apparatus.   The moving mechanism for performing a polishing operation by linearly moving the squeegee along the polishing surface in a state where the squeegee is in contact with the polishing surface. Squeegee polishing equipment.   The squeegee polishing apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the moving mechanism performs a polishing operation by moving the squeegee in the same direction as a relative movement direction with respect to the screen during a printing operation.   17. The squeegee polishing apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a moving speed adjusting unit that adjusts a relative moving speed of the squeegee with respect to the polishing surface during a polishing operation. An input operation means for performing an input operation of a set value of the angle of the squeegee;
The squeegee polishing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the angle adjustment mechanism adjusts an angle of the squeegee so as to be an input set value.

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