JP3282869B2 - Conductor printing method and conductor printing machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a conductor printing method and a conductor printing machine for printing a conductor paste on a substrate in a desired pattern.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In manufacturing an electronic circuit board, a conductor printing machine is usually used as a means for forming a conductor pattern (wiring circuit, resistor, etc.) on the board. A conventional conductor printing machine is configured as described below.

This will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). In FIG.
2 is an ink return, 24 is a conductor paste, 25 is a mask on which a desired pattern is formed, and 26 is a substrate.

In the conductor printing, as shown in FIG. 4A, printing is performed on a substrate 26 by linearly moving rightward while the squeegee 21 is in contact with a mask 25 at an appropriate printing pressure. Next, as shown in FIG.
Is moved to the left while returning the ink so that the conductive paste 24 is thinly spread on the mask 25. Printing is performed by repeating the above operation.

[0005]

When conducting printing according to the above prior art, the squeegee 21 is usually moved to perform printing and the conductive paste 24 is exposed to the atmosphere in the external space. And the like, and the viscosity of the conductive paste 24 changes due to the emission of the solvent.
As a result, there has been a problem that printing defects such as printing blur occur during printing. At present, printing conditions such as squeegee pushing amount and squeegee parallelism are changed by the operator during production in order to suppress printing defects due to viscosity change. There was no problem.

In addition, in a conventional conductor printing machine, the supply of the conductor paste is performed by an operator, and the supply amount is not stable, and there is a problem that the viscosity of the conductor paste during printing is greatly changed.

Although some of the conductor printing machines are provided with an automatic supply means, there is a problem that a printing operation is not performed during the supply and the printing is stopped.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has as its object to provide a conductor printing method and a conductor printing machine which can stabilize printing conditions and can automatically supply a conductor paste during printing. I do.

[0009]

Conductor printing method of the present invention According to an aspect of the conductive paste in the conductor printing method for printing on a substrate by moving the squeegee via a mask having an opening formed in a predetermined pattern, the mask surface One that moves in contact
A pair of squeegees and a means for preventing the conductive paste from flowing out from the end of the squeegee due to movement of the squeegee are provided.
The squeegee head is supported by the head body so that it can move
The conductor paste is printed with the squeegee head shielded from the external space, and the mask of the pair of squeegees is printed.
Make sure the contact area follows the mask or substrate warpage, etc.
The squeegee is biased .

Further, according to the conductor printing machine of the present invention, in a conductor printing machine for printing a conductor paste on a substrate by moving a squeegee through a mask in which openings of a predetermined pattern are formed, the conductor printing machine moves in contact with the mask surface. A squeegee head provided with a pair of squeegees, a means for preventing the conductive paste contained between the squeegees from flowing out of the squeegee end due to the movement of the squeegee, and a squeegee head provided with an ink return can be swung by the head body. And a plurality of head balancers for biasing the squeegee head so that the mask contact portions of the pair of squeegees follow the warp of the mask or the substrate.

Preferably, a plurality of head balancers can be set individually according to printing conditions.

Further, there is provided means for automatically supplying the conductive paste into the squeegee head.

[0013]

According to the present invention, since printing is performed in a state where the conductive paste is shielded from the external space, a change in temperature in the atmosphere affecting the conductive paste and a change in viscosity due to volatilization of the solvent can be suppressed. Of printing failure can be prevented.

Further, by setting a balance condition by a plurality of head balancers, stable printing can be performed by always following a mask or substrate warpage under a constant condition. It is not necessary to adjust the printing conditions such as the parallelism, and the printing can be automatically performed on the substrate in a uniform state.

Further, various print conditions can be easily coped with by making it possible to individually set the balance conditions of a plurality of head balancers according to the print conditions.

Further, by providing the squeegee head and the means for automatically supplying the conductive paste with the same structure, the squeegee head can be supplied during the printing operation.

[0017]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a conductor printing machine according to the present invention.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 1, 1a and 1b are squeegees, 2
Is an ink return disposed between the squeegees 1a and 1b. The squeegees 1a and 1b and the ink return 2 are provided on the squeegee head 3. 4 is squeegee 1
The conductor paste contained between a and 1b, 5 is a mask on which a desired pattern is formed, and 6 is a substrate.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 7 denotes a squeegee 1a,
A squeegee head 3 is provided on the squeegee head 3 for preventing the conductive paste 4 from flowing out from both ends of the squeegee 1b. The paste 4 is shielded from the external space. The squeegee head 3 is supported by the head main body 9 so as to be able to swing in the left-right direction (printing direction) and the front-rear direction (direction perpendicular to the printing direction) around the swing axes 8a and 8b. 10a, 10b, 10c, 1
0d is the left side, right side, front side of the upper part of the squeegee head 3,
A head balancer attached to the head body 9 so as to press the rear side position, and can be set to an arbitrary pressure, and is configured to retreat when receiving a reaction force higher than the pressure to balance the pressure. It is composed of a balance cylinder.

In FIG. 3, the head body 9 is provided with a plurality of conductor paste supply means 11 in its longitudinal direction (perpendicular to the printing direction). Reference numeral 12 denotes a cartridge containing the conductive paste 4, which is mounted in a mounting hole 9 a formed in the head body 9. Reference numeral 13 denotes a constant-temperature water circulation path provided around the mounting hole 9a for controlling the temperature of the conductor paste 4, and reference numeral 14 denotes a compressed air supply pipe. Reference numeral 15 denotes a piston disposed in the cartridge 12, which is pressed by compressed air to supply the conductive paste 4 from the tip 12a of the cartridge 12 inserted into the squeegee head 3 to the space between the squeegees 1a and 1b.
Reference numeral 3a denotes an insertion hole of the cartridge tip 12a formed in the squeegee head 3, and a gap for swinging the squeegee head 3 is provided between the squeegee head 3 and the cartridge tip 12a.

In the conductor printing machine configured as described above, first, the head balancer 1 is used as initial data for printing.
0a to 10d are set. Next, after the head body 9 moves to the printing start point, the head body 9 is entirely lowered toward the mask 5 until the cylinder pressure condition set for each of the head balancers 10a to 10d is stabilized.
Then, in the lowered state, the automatic supply of the initial conductive paste 4 by the compressed air 11 is performed. As the ejection amount, an ejection pressure and an ejection time are set in advance so that the printing state becomes good.

Next, regarding printing in the right direction, FIG.
As shown in (a), the squeegee 1a moves while being in contact with the appropriate printing pressure set on the mask 5, and at the same time, the ink is returned by the ink return 2 provided between the squeegees 1a and 1b, and printing is performed. I do. The side plate 7 moves while being in contact with the mask 5 in order to suppress the influence of the air on the conductive paste 4. Next, as for the printing in the left direction, as shown in FIG. 1B, the squeegee 1b moves while being in contact with the proper printing pressure set on the mask 5 and is simultaneously provided between the squeegees 1a and 1b. Printing is performed by performing ink return using the received ink return 2. The side plate 7 moves while being in contact with the mask 5 in order to suppress the influence of the air on the conductive paste 4 as in the case of printing in the right direction. At this time, since the conductive paste 4 is shielded from the external space, it is possible to suppress a temperature change in the atmosphere affecting the conductive paste 4 and a change in viscosity due to evaporation of the solvent, thereby preventing the occurrence of printing defects such as printing bleeding. Can be prevented. Although there is a gap between the insertion hole 3a and the tip 12a of the cartridge, it has been confirmed that the gap is small, so that there is no great influence. The main body 9 and the squeegee head 3 may be connected.

When the printing in the right and left directions is repeated a certain number of times, the conductive paste 4 is automatically supplied. The supply timing is set in advance. During printing or at a certain timing, the required amount of one substrate and the amount consumed by the number of printed sheets are checked from a plurality of cartridges 12 containing the conductive paste 4 in advance, and the necessary amount is determined according to the number of printed sheets. Supply.

By repeating the above operation,
Perform continuous printing.

The head balancers 10a to 10a
Regarding the setting of d, the setting of the head balancers 10a and 10b may not be the same depending on the printing direction,
The conditions on the squeegee side for printing are changed between the head balancers 10a and 10b. The front and rear head balancers 10c and 10d are in principle the same when printing at the center of the mask 5, but in the case of a front reference or a rear reference, the front and rear head balancers 10c and 10d are basically the same. The condition of 10d differs depending on the state at that time.

[0026]

According to the conductor printing method of the present invention, since the conductor paste is printed while shielding it from the external space, a temperature change in the atmosphere affecting the conductor paste and a viscosity change due to volatilization of the solvent are suppressed. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of printing defects such as printing bleeding.

Further, according to the conductor printing machine of the present invention, by setting a balance condition by a plurality of head balancers, it is possible to always perform a stable printing following a mask or a substrate warpage under a constant condition. This eliminates the need for the operator to adjust the printing conditions such as the squeegee pushing amount and the squeegee parallelism, so that printing on the substrate can be always performed in a uniform state.

Furthermore, various print conditions can be easily handled by allowing the balance conditions of a plurality of head balancers to be individually set according to the print conditions.

Further, by providing the squeegee head and the automatic supply means of the conductor paste in the same structure, it is possible to provide effects such as the ability to supply during the printing operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a main part of a squeegee head in a conductor printing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a cross-sectional view when printing in the right direction and (b) is when printing in the left direction. FIG.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show an overall configuration of a squeegee head portion of the conductor printing machine of the embodiment, wherein FIG. 2A is a front view and FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a squeegee head according to the embodiment.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show a main part of a conventional conductor printing machine, wherein FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view when printing in the right direction, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view when printing in the left direction.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1a Squeegee 1b Squeegee 3 Squeegee head 4 Conductor paste 5 Mask 6 Substrate 7 Side plate 9 Head body 10a Head balancer 10b Head balancer 10c Head balancer 10d Head balancer 11 Conductor paste supply means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41F 15/00-15/40 H05K 3/12

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] In a conductor printing method for printing a conductor paste on a substrate by moving a squeegee through a mask in which openings of a predetermined pattern are formed, a conductor contacting a mask surface.
A squeegee head provided with a pair of moving squeegees and a means for preventing the conductive paste from flowing out from the end of the squeegee due to the movement of the squeegee can be moved by the head body.
Supported and printed in a state where the conductive paste is shielded from the external space by the squeegee head,
The contact area of the mask with the mask
A conductor printing method characterized by energizing a squeegee so as to follow . 2. A conductor printing machine for printing a conductor paste on a substrate by moving a squeegee through a mask in which a predetermined pattern of openings is formed, and a pair of squeegees moving in contact with a mask surface. A means for preventing the conductive paste contained between the squeegee from flowing out of the squeegee end due to the movement of the squeegee, and a squeegee head provided with an ink return so as to be able to move by the head body,
A conductor printing machine comprising a plurality of head balancers for urging a squeegee head so that a mask contact portion of a pair of squeegees follows a warp of a mask or a substrate. 3. The conductor printing press according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of head balancers can be individually set according to printing conditions. 4. The conductor printing machine according to claim 2, further comprising means for automatically supplying a conductor paste into the squeegee head. 5. A head balancer for a pair of squeegees is exchanged according to a printing direction.
A conductor printing machine as described. 6. A conductor printing machine for printing a conductor paste on a substrate by moving a squeegee through a mask in which openings of a predetermined pattern are formed, and a pair of squeegees moving in contact with the mask surface. A squeegee head provided with means for preventing the conductive paste contained between the squeegee from flowing out from the end of the squeegee due to movement of the squeegee is supported by the head main body so as to be able to pivot, and the mask contact portion of the pair of squeegees A conductor printing machine comprising a plurality of head balancers for urging a squeegee head to follow a warp of a mask or a substrate.