JP2015074139A - Ink dryer, pattern printer and pattern printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink dryer and a pattern printer capable of realizing a high-quality printing pattern by small and simple configurations, and a pattern printing method.SOLUTION: An ink dryer comprises: a stage for loading a printed matter; a printing unit which performs pattern printing on the printed matter loaded on the stage by ink; a drying unit which covers the printed matter and the stage, and forms a closed space; and a replacement mechanism for replacing the printing unit and the drying unit at an upper part of the printed matter. The drying unit includes: an air supply and exhaust mechanism for supplying the air to the closed space and exhausting the air from the closed space; an infrared lamp and a far-infrared cut filter which heat the inside of the closed space; and a stage temperature control mechanism for heating or cooling the stage.

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink drying apparatus, a pattern printing apparatus, and a pattern printing method capable of efficiently drying ink in a short time while maintaining the quality of a printing pattern.

  In the electronic device manufacturing process, when pattern printing is performed on a ceramic green sheet, for example, a circuit pattern is printed by screen printing and dried. Recently, in order to simplify the printing process, there are an increasing number of cases where a circuit pattern is printed on a substrate (ceramic green sheet) by an inkjet method.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an ink jet printer that effectively dries ink on a recording medium (ceramic green sheet) printed by an ink jet method and improves glossiness of a printed image. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a conventional inkjet printer.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the ceramic green sheet 11 before printing is conveyed in the direction of the arrow by a plurality of rollers 42, and a circuit pattern or the like is printed by an ink discharge unit (printing unit) 17. After printing, the ceramic green sheet 11 is conveyed again in the direction of the arrow by the roller 42, and the ink is dried by the fan 41 of the drying unit 4. In order to prevent the ink in the nozzles of the ink discharge unit 17 from being dried by the air blown from the fan 41, a protective member 43 for controlling the wind direction is provided.

  In Patent Document 2, a substrate coated with a resist solution or the like is moved into an inert gas supply chamber, and the supply amount and exhaust amount of the inert gas are adjusted in the inert gas supply chamber. A substrate heat treatment apparatus for performing heat treatment is disclosed. Since the inert gas is blown from above the coating film on the substrate, phenomena such as bleeding of pattern lines after development hardly occur.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-237044 JP 2000-091188 A

  However, in the ink jet printer of Patent Document 1, the protective member 43 cannot completely control the wind direction of the fan 41, and a part of the air blows out toward the ink ejection unit 17. Therefore, there is a possibility of causing nozzle shortage due to drying of the ink in the nozzles of the ink discharge unit 17. In addition, there is a possibility that the print quality may be deteriorated due to fluctuations in the landing (dropping) position of the ink droplets due to the air blown from the fan 41 or fluttering of a relatively thin printed material such as the ceramic green sheet 11. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to improve the quality of the print pattern.

  In addition, it is conceivable to dispose the ink discharge unit 17 and the drying unit 4 including the fan 41 separately, but in that case, the entire apparatus cannot be downsized. Further, the solvent volatilized in the drying unit 4 may enter the ink discharge unit 17 together with the air blown from the fan 41. In this case, the inside of the ink discharge unit 17 becomes dirty, and when the volatilized solvent is flammable, there is a risk of fire.

  Further, in the substrate heat treatment apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, since an inert gas is sprayed from directly above the coating film on the substrate, a phenomenon such as bleeding of a pattern line after development hardly occurs. However, the coating film on the substrate is undried until the substrate is moved into the inert gas supply chamber after the resist solution is applied, and the undried coating film may flow out depending on the handling. There is a problem that it is difficult to improve the quality of the print pattern.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an ink drying apparatus, a pattern printing apparatus, and a pattern printing method capable of realizing a high quality printing pattern with a small and simple configuration. To do.

  In order to achieve the above object, an ink drying apparatus according to the present invention includes a stage on which a printed material to which ink is applied is placed, and a drying unit that covers the printed material and the stage to form a sealed space. In the apparatus, the drying unit includes an air supply / exhaust mechanism that supplies air to the sealed space and exhausts air from the sealed space.

  In the above configuration, airflow is generated only in the sealed space, so that air does not leak to the outside of the drying unit. Therefore, the print quality is not deteriorated due to the flutter of a relatively thin substrate such as a ceramic green sheet, and the quality of the print pattern can be improved.

  Furthermore, since the generation of airflow is limited to the enclosed space, air does not leak outside the drying unit even if the amount of air supply is increased. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the drying time by increasing the air supply amount. Moreover, even if the volatile solvent is flammable, there is no risk of fire because it does not leak out of the sealed space during drying.

  In the ink drying apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the drying unit includes an infrared lamp and a far-infrared cut filter that heat the inside of the sealed space.

  In the above configuration, since drying can be performed by heating with an infrared lamp in addition to air supply, not only drying of the surface of the ink but also drying of the inside of the ink can be promoted. In particular, near-infrared rays are effective for organic solvent-based inks and can be dried in a relatively short time. Moreover, since a far-infrared ray can be cut with a far-infrared cut filter, heating of the stage can be suppressed.

  In the ink drying apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the drying unit includes a stage temperature control mechanism for heating or cooling the stage.

  In the above configuration, even when far-infrared rays cannot be completely cut, the stage temperature control mechanism heats or cools the stage, thereby causing ink drying unevenness due to variations in the temperature distribution on the stage surface. It can be prevented in advance.

  Next, in order to achieve the above object, a pattern printing apparatus according to the present invention includes a stage on which a printed material is placed, a printing unit that performs pattern printing with ink on the printed material placed on the stage, and the printed material. And a pattern printing apparatus comprising: a drying unit that covers the stage to form a sealed space; and a replacement mechanism that replaces the printing unit and the drying unit above the substrate to be printed, wherein the drying unit includes the sealed space. And an air supply / exhaust mechanism that exhausts air from and into the sealed space.

  In the above configuration, once the substrate is placed on the stage, the processes from pattern printing to drying can be performed without replacing the substrate. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the flow of undried ink, and even a thin substrate such as a ceramic green sheet may be deformed by static electricity generated during handling, and the printed pattern may be disturbed. Absent. In addition, since airflow is generated only in the sealed space, air does not leak outside the drying unit. Therefore, it is possible to improve the quality of the print pattern without causing a drop in print quality due to so-called nozzle shortage, fluctuation of the ink dropping position, or fluttering of a relatively thin substrate such as a ceramic green sheet. .

  Furthermore, since the generation of airflow is limited to the enclosed space, air does not leak outside the drying unit even if the amount of air supply is increased. Therefore, the pattern printing apparatus can be reduced in size by bringing the printing unit and the drying unit close to each other, and the drying time can be shortened by increasing the air supply amount. Moreover, even if the volatile solvent is flammable, there is no risk of fire because it does not leak out of the sealed space during drying.

  In the pattern printing apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the drying unit includes an infrared lamp and a far-infrared cut filter that heat the inside of the sealed space.

  In the above configuration, since drying can be performed by heating with an infrared lamp in addition to air supply, not only drying of the surface of the ink but also drying of the inside of the ink can be promoted. In particular, near-infrared rays are effective for organic solvent-based inks and can be dried in a relatively short time. Moreover, since a far-infrared ray can be cut with a far-infrared cut filter, heating of the stage can be suppressed.

  In the pattern printing apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the drying unit includes a stage temperature control mechanism for heating or cooling the stage.

  In the above configuration, even when far-infrared rays cannot be completely cut, the stage temperature control mechanism heats or cools the stage, thereby causing ink drying unevenness due to variations in the temperature distribution on the stage surface. It can be prevented in advance.

  Next, in order to achieve the above object, a pattern printing method according to the present invention includes a stage on which a printing material is placed, a printing unit that performs pattern printing with ink on the printing material placed on the stage, and the printing material And a pattern printing method that can be executed by a pattern printing apparatus that includes a drying unit that covers the stage and forms a sealed space, and a replacement mechanism that replaces the printing unit and the drying unit above the substrate. The pattern printing apparatus is characterized in that air is supplied to the sealed space and exhausted from the sealed space.

  In the above configuration, once the substrate is placed on the stage, the processes from pattern printing to drying can be performed without replacing the substrate. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the flow of undried ink, and even a thin substrate such as a ceramic green sheet may be deformed by static electricity generated during handling, and the printed pattern may be disturbed. Absent. In addition, since airflow is generated only in the sealed space, air does not leak outside the drying unit. Therefore, it is possible to improve the quality of the print pattern without causing a drop in print quality due to so-called nozzle shortage, fluctuation of the ink dropping position, or fluttering of a relatively thin substrate such as a ceramic green sheet. .

  Furthermore, since the generation of airflow is limited to the enclosed space, air does not leak outside the drying unit even if the amount of air supply is increased. Therefore, the pattern printing apparatus can be reduced in size by bringing the printing unit and the drying unit close to each other, and the drying time can be shortened by increasing the air supply amount. Moreover, even if the volatile solvent is flammable, there is no risk of fire because it does not leak out of the sealed space during drying.

  In the pattern printing method according to the present invention, it is preferable that the pattern printing apparatus heats the sealed space with an infrared lamp.

  In the above configuration, since drying can be performed by heating with an infrared lamp in addition to air supply, not only drying of the surface of the ink but also drying of the inside of the ink can be promoted. In particular, near-infrared rays are effective for organic solvent-based inks and can be dried in a relatively short time.

  In the pattern printing method according to the present invention, it is preferable that the pattern printing apparatus heats or cools the stage.

  In the above configuration, even when far-infrared rays cannot be completely cut, by heating or cooling the stage, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of uneven ink drying due to variations in the temperature distribution on the stage surface. Can do.

  In the above configuration, airflow is generated only in the sealed space, so that air does not leak to the outside of the drying unit. Therefore, the print quality is not deteriorated due to the flutter of a relatively thin substrate such as a ceramic green sheet, and the quality of the print pattern can be improved.

  Furthermore, since the generation of airflow is limited to the enclosed space, air does not leak outside the drying unit even if the amount of air supply is increased. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the drying time by increasing the air supply amount. Moreover, even if the volatile solvent is flammable, there is no risk of fire because it does not leak out of the sealed space during drying.

It is sectional drawing which shows typically the structure of the ink drying apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and a pattern printing apparatus with a printing process. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of a structure of the replacement mechanism of the pattern printing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other example of a structure of the replacement mechanism of the pattern printing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the other structure of the ink drying apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and a pattern printing apparatus with a printing process. It is a time chart which shows the on-off state of the operation source of each mechanism of the pattern printing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the conventional inkjet printer.

  Hereinafter, an ink drying apparatus and a pattern printing apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of an ink drying apparatus and a pattern printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a printing process. 1A shows a pattern printing process, FIG. 1B shows a unit replacement process, and FIG. 1C shows a drying process.

  In the pattern printing apparatus according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1A, first, a ceramic green sheet 11 that is a substrate to be printed is placed on a stage 15, and a printing unit (ink ejection unit) 17 is a pattern. Accordingly, the ink 16 is discharged, and pattern printing is performed on the ceramic green sheet 11 with the ink 16. The printing unit 17 can be an ink jet apparatus including, for example, an ink head that ejects ink, an ink tank that stores ink, and the like, and is attached to a replacement mechanism (not shown) such as a rotating arm. It can be moved directly above the ceramic green sheet 11 only during printing. The stage 15 preferably includes a suction mechanism (not shown) that can fix the ceramic green sheet 11, for example. Thereby, the possibility that the ceramic green sheet 11 moves on the stage 15 due to the airflow generated during the drying described below is reduced.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 1B, the printing unit 17 and the drying unit 21 are exchanged by the replacement mechanism (see FIG. 2), and the drying unit 21 is moved immediately above the ceramic green sheet 11. The drying unit 21 covers the ceramic green sheet 11 and the stage 15 and forms a sealed space 23 to be described later, an infrared heater (infrared lamp) 22 disposed inside the sealed portion 23, and gas to the sealed space Are constituted by a supply pipe 26 for supplying (supplying) air and a discharge pipe 24 for sucking and discharging (exhausting) air in the sealed space. One end of the supply pipe 26 is connected to the sealed space from the side surface of the sealed portion 23, and the other end of the supply pipe 26 is connected to a supply / exhaust control device described later. One end of the discharge pipe 24 is connected to the sealed space near the center of the sealed portion 23, and the other end of the discharge pipe 24 is connected to a supply / exhaust control device described later. The supply pipe 26 and the discharge pipe 24 together constitute a supply / exhaust mechanism 40.

  In order to discharge the volatile solvent, the discharge pipe 24 is preferably connected to the sealed space from the center of the top surface of the sealed portion 23. However, this is merely an example, and the discharge pipe 24 may be connected to the side surface of the sealed portion 23, or the supply pipe 26 may be connected to the top surface of the sealed portion 23. A plurality of discharge pipes 24 and a plurality of supply pipes 26 may be provided, and a plurality of discharge pipes 24 and a plurality of supply pipes 26 may be connected to the sealing portion 23.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the replacement mechanism of the pattern printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the replacement mechanism 20 includes an arm portion 51 that supports the printing unit 17 and the drying unit 21 in a substantially orthogonal direction, and a motor 52 that rotates the arm portion 51. Above the stage 15, an elevating mechanism (not shown) for raising and lowering the printing unit 17 or the drying unit 21 is provided. By rotating the arm portion 51 by the motor 52, the printing unit 17 or the drying unit 21 is moved immediately above the ceramic green sheet 11 placed on the stage 15 whose position is fixed, and pattern printing or drying is performed. .

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of the configuration of the replacement mechanism of the pattern printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the replacement mechanism 20 </ b> A includes a printing unit 17 and a drying unit 21 that are fixed at predetermined positions, an arm unit 51 that supports the stage 15, and a motor 52 that rotates the arm unit 51. ing. Above the printing unit 17 and the drying unit 21, an elevating mechanism (not shown) for lowering and raising the printing unit 17 or the drying unit 21 is provided. By rotating the arm portion 51 by the motor 52, the stage 15 is moved directly below the printing unit 17 and the drying unit 21, and pattern printing or drying is performed.

  Returning to FIG. 1, at the time of drying, the drying unit 21 is lowered in the direction of the white arrow in FIG. A packing 27 made of an elastic body is provided on the peripheral edge of the lower end of the sealing part 23 of the drying unit 21. As shown in FIG. 1C, the packing unit 27 is deformed by pressing by lowering the drying unit 21 until it comes into contact with the stage 15 and coming into contact with the surface of the stage 15 on which the ceramic green sheet 11 is placed. Thus, the sealed space 30 is formed inside the sealed portion 23. Then, the ceramic green sheet 11 pattern-printed with the ink 16 is built in the formed sealed space 30.

  In this state, gas is supplied (supplyed) to the sealed space 30 through the supply pipe 26 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1C, and air in the sealed space 30 is sucked and discharged (exhaust) through the discharge pipe 24. As a result, an air flow is generated in the sealed space 30. Thereby, the ink 16 on the ceramic green sheet 11 can be dried.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, once the ceramic green sheet 11 as the printing material is placed on the stage 15, the process from pattern printing to drying can be performed without replacing the ceramic green sheet 11. Can be executed. When the ceramic green sheet 11 after pattern printing is replaced with respect to the stage 15, the flow of the ink 16 is likely to occur when the ceramic green sheet 11 is bent or inclined. However, according to the present embodiment, since the ceramic green sheet 11 is not replaced between the pattern printing and the drying, the flow of the undried ink 16 can be suppressed. Further, even a thin substrate such as the ceramic green sheet 11 is not deformed by static electricity generated during handling, and the printed pattern is not disturbed. In addition, since airflow is generated only in the sealed space 30, air does not leak outside the drying unit 21. Therefore, the quality of the print pattern can be improved without causing a drop in print quality due to so-called nozzle shortage, fluctuation of the dropping position of the ink 16, or fluttering of the ceramic green sheet 11.

  Furthermore, since the generation of the airflow is limited to the sealed space 30, the air does not leak outside the drying unit 21 even if the air supply amount is increased. Therefore, the pattern printing apparatus can be downsized by bringing the printing unit 17 and the drying unit 21 close to each other, and the drying time can be shortened by increasing the air supply amount. Further, even if the volatilized solvent is flammable, there is no risk of fire because it does not leak out of the sealed space 30 during drying.

  Moreover, in the state of FIG.1 (c), the air supply to the sealed space 30 and the heating by the infrared heater 22 can also be used together.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another configuration of the ink drying apparatus and the pattern printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention together with the printing process. FIG. 4A shows a pattern printing process, and FIG. 4B shows a unit replacement process. In the configuration of FIG. 4, air supply to the sealed space 30 and heating by the infrared heater 22 are used in combination.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4A, a ceramic green sheet 11 that is a substrate to be printed is placed on a stage 15, and a printing unit (ink ejection unit) 17 ejects ink 16 according to a pattern, thereby producing a ceramic. A pattern is printed on the green sheet 11 with ink 16. The temperature of the stage 15 is controlled by a stage temperature control device (stage temperature control mechanism) 32 so that the ink 16 can be printed without bleeding by being heated or cooled.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the printing unit 17 and the drying unit 21 are switched by the replacement mechanism 20, and the drying unit 21 is moved immediately above the ceramic green sheet 11. The supply / exhaust mechanism 40 of the drying unit 21 has a supply pipe 26 and a discharge pipe 24 connected to the supply / exhaust control device 31, and supplies (supply) gas to the sealed space 30 through the supply pipe 26. Air is generated in the sealed space 30 by sucking and discharging (exhausting) the air in the sealed space 30 through the air.

  Further, an air flow is generated and the ink 16 in the sealed space 30 of the drying unit 21 is heated by the infrared heater 22. In this case, compared with the case where it dries only with the generated airflow, the drying efficiency can be further improved, and “bleeding” at the time of printing can be suppressed as much as possible. When it can be sufficiently dried only by the air flow, it is not necessary to perform heating by the infrared heater 22 in particular. However, more aggressive drying is performed when the printed pattern has a high density or the printed ink 16 is thick. It is effective when necessary.

  Therefore, since it can be dried not only by supplying air to the sealed space 30 but also by heating by the infrared heater 22, not only the surface of the ink 16 but also the inside of the ink 16 can be promoted. . In particular, near-infrared rays are effective for the organic solvent-based ink 16 and can be dried in a relatively short time.

  However, when near infrared rays are generated, far infrared rays are also generated at the same time. Since the stage 15 is heated by the far-infrared rays, the temperature distribution varies on the surface of the stage 15, and there is a possibility that drying unevenness occurs in the ink 16. Therefore, in the pattern printing apparatus according to the present embodiment, it is preferable that a far-infrared cut filter 25 for cutting infrared rays having a wavelength (4 μm or more) unnecessary for drying is provided below the infrared heater 22. The far-infrared cut filter 25 is fixed to the inside of the sealed portion 23 with a heat-resistant adhesive. As the far-infrared cut filter 25, for example, a far-infrared ray can be cut by providing a plate member made of quartz glass or the like.

  Further, the stage 15 may be cooled by the stage temperature control device 32. This is because heating of the stage 15 can be suppressed by cooling the stage temperature control device 32 even when far infrared rays that could not be completely cut by the far infrared cut filter 25 remain. Further, not only cooling but heating may be conducted so that the temperature of the surface of the stage 15 becomes uniform. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of uneven drying of the ink 16 due to variations in the temperature distribution on the surface of the stage 15.

  FIG. 5 is a time chart showing the on / off state of the operation source of each mechanism of the pattern printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, t = 0 indicates the time measurement start time, and the time has passed as it goes to the right. The hatched portion in FIG. 5 indicates that each function is on or being executed.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5, “heating / cooling of the stage” is always on so that the temperature of the stage 15 is maintained constant. Then, pattern printing is performed (“printing” on state), and the drying unit 21 is moved directly above the ceramic green sheet 11 (“moving” on state).

  Then, the drying unit 21 is lowered until it comes into contact with the stage 15 to form the sealed space 30 (the “sealed space” is on). Further, the air in the sealed space 30 is sucked to start exhausting (“exhaust” on state), and heating by the infrared heater 22 is started almost simultaneously (“lamp” on state) to start drying. Of course, the exhaust from the sealed space 3 and the heating by the infrared heater 22 do not have to start simultaneously.

  Next, the timing is slightly delayed to start supplying air to the sealed space 30 (“air supply” is on), and an air flow is generated. At this time, the inside of the sealed space 30 is maintained at a constant pressure (for example, −20 kPa) by the balance between supply air and exhaust. This negative pressure state is maintained for a while, and the ink 16 is dried.

  When the drying is finished, the exhaust from the sealed space 30 is stopped (“exhaust” off state), and the heating by the infrared heater 22 is stopped almost simultaneously (“lamp” off state). Then, the air supply to the sealed space 30 is stopped with a slight delay (the “air supply” off state). Since the timing of stopping the supply of air is delayed from the stop of exhaust, the negative pressure state in the sealed space 30 is canceled and approaches normal pressure. Thereafter, the drying unit 21 is lifted away from the stage 15 and the sealed space 30 is released (“sealed space” is in an off state). At this time, since the inside of the sealed space 30 is close to normal pressure, it can be easily released. .

  Thus, by using the air supply to the sealed space 30 and the heating by the infrared heater 22 in combination, the undried ink 16 can be efficiently dried, and the quality of the print pattern can be improved. .

  In addition, it goes without saying that the embodiment described above can be changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In the embodiment described above, the case where the ceramic green sheet 11 is used as the substrate to be printed has been described. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this. For example, a resin substrate made of epoxy resin or the like, polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate The present invention can also be applied to various printed materials such as a resin film made of etc., a ceramic substrate made of alumina or the like. Moreover, although the case where an inkjet apparatus is used as the printing unit 17 has been described in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is not particularly limited to this, and for example, a non-inkjet apparatus other than an inkjet apparatus such as a dispenser or a micropipette. Various printing devices such as a contact printing device, a contact printing device such as a screen printing device, and a stamp device can be used.

11 Ceramic green sheet (printed material)
15 Stage 16 Ink 17 Ink ejection part (printing unit)
20 Replacement mechanism 21 Drying unit 22 Infrared heater (infrared lamp)
23 Sealing part 24 Discharge pipe 25 Far-infrared cut filter 26 Supply pipe 27 Packing 30 Sealed space 31 Supply / exhaust control device 32 Stage temperature control device (stage temperature control mechanism)
40 Air supply / exhaust mechanism

Claims (9)

A stage on which a substrate to be printed with ink is placed;
An ink drying apparatus comprising: a drying unit that covers the substrate and the stage to form a sealed space;
The ink drying apparatus, wherein the drying unit includes an air supply / exhaust mechanism that supplies air to the sealed space and exhausts air from the sealed space.   The ink drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drying unit includes an infrared lamp that heats the sealed space and a far-infrared cut filter.   The ink drying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the drying unit includes a stage temperature control mechanism that heats or cools the stage. A stage on which the substrate is placed;
A printing unit for printing a pattern with ink on a substrate to be printed placed on the stage;
A drying unit that covers the substrate and the stage to form a sealed space;
A pattern printing apparatus comprising: a replacement mechanism that replaces the printing unit and the drying unit above the substrate to be printed,
The pattern printing apparatus, wherein the drying unit includes an air supply / exhaust mechanism that supplies air to the sealed space and exhausts air from the sealed space.   The pattern printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the drying unit includes an infrared lamp that heats the inside of the sealed space, and a far-infrared cut filter.   The pattern printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the drying unit includes a stage temperature control mechanism that heats or cools the stage. A stage on which the substrate is placed;
A printing unit for printing a pattern with ink on a substrate to be printed placed on the stage;
A drying unit that covers the substrate and the stage to form a sealed space;
A pattern printing method that can be executed by a pattern printing apparatus comprising: a replacement mechanism that replaces the printing unit and the drying unit above the substrate,
The pattern printing method according to claim 1, wherein the pattern printing apparatus performs air supply to the sealed space and exhaust from the sealed space.   The pattern printing method according to claim 7, wherein the pattern printing apparatus heats the sealed space with an infrared lamp.   The pattern printing method according to claim 8, wherein the pattern printing apparatus heats or cools the stage.

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