JP6373967B2 - Screen printing machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a screen printer provided with a cleaning head that consumes a cleaning liquid .

  Conventionally, as a working device having a movable part that consumes liquid, there is a screen printer cleaner. The cleaner includes a cleaner head that moves horizontally below the screen printing mask and cleans the mask. This cleaner head constitutes the movable part described above. The cleaner head is supported by the base of the screen printing machine so as to be movable in the horizontal direction, and is driven by a driving device to move relative to the mask.

  The cleaner head includes a cleaning tape for wiping off the dirt on the mask. This cleaning tape is pressed against the mask while containing the cleaning liquid. The cleaning liquid is stored in a tank attached to the base and is supplied from the tank to the cleaning tape at the time of cleaning. The tank and the cleaning head are connected by a flexible hose. A pump is provided in the middle of the flexible hose.

This pump is provided on the base side, sucks the cleaning liquid in the tank, and discharges it toward the cleaning head.
The cleaner cleans the mask by supplying cleaning liquid to the cleaning tape and then moving the cleaning head while the cleaning tape is pressed against the mask. When the cleaning head moves, the flexible hose is bent and deformed.

JP 2007-307759 A

  In the screen printing machine described in Patent Document 1, when the cleaning head moves along the mask during cleaning, the flexible hose is deformed. When the deformed flexible hose comes into contact with another member, the contact portion may be worn. If this wear proceeds excessively and a hole is opened in the flexible hose, the cleaning liquid pumped by the pump will leak. When the cleaning liquid leaks, the cleaning liquid blown off by the discharge pressure of the pump may contaminate the lower part of the mask over a wide range, and the current-carrying part of the electronic device located below the mask may be short-circuited by the cleaning liquid. For this reason, in a working device that consumes liquid at a movable part such as a screen printing machine, it is required to reliably prevent the liquid from leaking from the flexible hose.

The present invention has been made to meet such a demand, and an object of the present invention is to provide a screen printing machine in which liquid does not leak even if a hole is formed in a tubular member that guides liquid from a tank to a movable part. And

In order to achieve this object, a screen printing machine according to the present invention includes a base, a movable part supported movably on the base, and a liquid supply configured to supply liquid to the movable part. A movable tank, a working section that consumes liquid, the liquid supply section disposed at a position lower than the movable section, and a liquid tank that is restricted from moving relative to the base; A tubular member having flexibility and extending from the liquid tank to the movable portion, and provided in the movable portion, and configured to supply liquid in the liquid tank to the working portion through the tubular member. A cleaner head configured to move relative to a screen printing mask to clean the mask, and the liquid supply unit includes the pump provided in the cleaner head. use To inhalation of the cleaning liquid in said liquid tank, it is intended to be supplied to the cleaner head.

In the screen printing machine according to the present invention, the inside of the tubular member becomes negative pressure by the operation of the pump. When a hole is opened in the tubular member, air is sucked into the tubular member from the hole when the pump is operating. After the pump stops, air enters the tubular member through this hole, and the liquid in the tubular member returns to the tank located on the base side.
Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a screen printing machine in which liquid does not leak even if a hole is formed in the tubular member that guides the liquid from the tank to the movable part.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a configuration of a working device according to a reference example . FIG. 1 is drawn with the tank broken. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the screen printer according to the embodiment of the present invention . FIG. 3 is a front view showing the configuration of the screen printing machine according to the embodiment of the present invention . FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the screen printer according to the embodiment of the present invention . FIG. 5 is a side view showing the configuration of the cleaner unit according to the embodiment of the present invention . FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the cleaner unit according to the embodiment of the present invention . FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the screen printer according to the embodiment of the present invention . FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the printing operation of the screen printer according to the embodiment of the present invention . FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the cleaning operation of the screen printer according to the embodiment of the present invention .

( Prerequisite technology )
Hereinafter, detailed description of the technology underlying the present invention by reference example shown in FIG.
The working device 1 shown in FIG. 1 consumes the liquid 4 in the working part 3 a included in the movable part 3 provided on the base 2. Examples of this type of work apparatus 1 include a coating liquid coating apparatus that coats a coating liquid onto a portion to be coated with a movable nozzle, and a cleaning apparatus that supplies a cleaning liquid to a movable cleaning head. In this case, the movable nozzle and the movable cleaning head constitute a part of the movable portion 3.

The working device 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a base 2, a movable part 3, and a liquid supply part 5 that supplies a liquid 4 to the movable part 3. The base 2 is placed on the floor 6 of a factory (not shown).
A support frame 7 is provided on the base 2. The support frame 7 includes a slide rail 8 that extends horizontally above the base 2. The movable part 3 described above is supported by the slide rail 8 so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. The movable unit 3 includes a working unit 3 a that consumes the liquid 4. The movable portion 3 is connected to a drive device (not shown), and is driven by the drive device to move along the slide rail 8.

The liquid supply unit 5 includes a liquid tank 9 located beside the base 2, a tubular member 10 extending from the tank 9 to the movable unit 3, and a pump 11 provided in the movable unit 3.
The tank 9 is disposed on the side of the base 2 and at a position lower than the movable portion 3, and is attached to the base 2 by a bracket (not shown). That is, the movement of the tank 9 relative to the base 2 is restricted.

The tubular member 10 is formed of a flexible material. As this tubular member 10, it can comprise with a rubber hose, for example. The tubular member 10 according to this reference example is provided between the base 2 and the movable part 3 in a state in which the slack part 12 is formed in order to prevent excessive tension from being applied due to the movement of the movable part 3. ing. The slack portion 12 is formed in a U-shape that is horizontally placed when viewed from the side.

  The pump 11 operates using an electric motor (not shown) as a drive source, and the suction port 11 a of the pump 11 is connected to the tank 9 by a tubular member 10. The discharge port 11b is connected to the liquid supply path 3b. The pump 11 sucks the liquid 4 through the tubular member 10 and discharges it to the liquid supply path 3 b of the movable portion 3. In other words, the pump 11 supplies the liquid 4 in the tank 9 to the movable part 3 using the tubular member 10. The liquid supply path 3b connects the discharge port 11b of the pump 11 and the working part 3a. A sensor 13 for detecting the presence or absence of the liquid 4 is provided in the liquid supply path 3b. The electric motor that drives the pump 11 is integrally assembled with the pump 11 and is supported by the movable portion 3 together with the pump 11.

In the working device 1 configured as described above, when the pump 11 is operated, the liquid 4 in the tank 9 is sucked into the pump 11 through the tubular member 10 and is then passed from the pump 11 through the liquid supply path 3b. 3a. The liquid 4 is consumed in the working unit 3a. The inside of the tubular member 10 becomes negative pressure when the pump 11 operates.
When the movable part 3 moves along the slide rail 8, the tubular member 10 moves relative to the base 2. The tubular member 10 repeatedly contacts the base 2 and other peripheral members (not shown) as the movable portion 3 reciprocates between one end and the other end of the slide rail 8. For this reason, as for the tubular member 10, the part which contacts the base 2 and another member may wear, and a hole may open.

When a hole is formed in the tubular member 10, if the pump 11 is operating, air (atmosphere) is sucked into the tubular member 10 from this hole. After the pump 11 stops, air enters the tubular member 10 through this hole, and the liquid 4 in the tubular member 10 returns to the tank 9 located on the base 2 side by gravity.
Therefore, according to this reference example , even if a hole is opened in the tubular member 10 that guides the liquid 4 from the tank 9 to the movable portion 3, it is possible to provide a working device in which the liquid 4 does not leak.

When the hole is formed in the tubular member 10, the amount of the liquid 4 flowing through the liquid supply path 3b decreases. When the amount of the liquid 4 decreases, air enters the liquid supply path 3b or the liquid 4 does not exist. Such a state where the liquid 4 is insufficient is detected by a sensor. For this reason, the working device 1 according to this embodiment can notify the driver that the tubular member 10 has a hole. Therefore, according to this reference example , it is possible to provide a work device with high work reliability.

(Embodiment of the present invention )
The screen printer according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
The screen printing machine 21 shown in FIG. 2 includes a base 22 and various devices mounted on the base 22.
The various devices mounted on the base 22 are a conveyor unit 25 having a conveyor 23 and a cleaner head 24 for substrate conveyance, a squeegee unit 26 for printing, and the like. Although details will be described later, the squeegee unit 26 is supported on the base 22 via a squeegee support frame 27.

  The conveyor 23 is configured to support and convey both ends of the printed circuit board 6. The conveying direction of the conveyor 23 is a direction orthogonal to the paper surface of FIG. In this embodiment, the conveying direction of the conveyor 23 is referred to as the X direction, and the horizontal direction orthogonal to the X direction is referred to as the Y direction. The conveyor 23 conveys the printed circuit board 6 in the X direction by driving by a conveyance driving unit 23a (see FIG. 7).

  The conveyor unit 25 is movably supported on a guide rail 28 extending in the Y direction on the base 22. The conveyor unit 25 includes an X-direction drive unit 31 (see FIG. 7) and a Y-direction drive unit 32, and the X-direction and Y-direction are driven by the X-direction drive unit 31 and the Y-direction drive unit 32. Move in the direction and. The X direction driving unit 31 and the Y direction driving unit 32 are connected to a controller unit 33 (to be described later) of the screen printing machine 21, as shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the conveyor unit 25 corresponds to the “movable part” in the present invention.

  The conveyor unit 25 moves the printed circuit board 34 on the conveyor unit 25 between a printing position in contact with the upper mask 35 and a conveyance position lower than the mask 35 (see FIG. 2). (See FIG. 7). The vertical drive unit 36 can clamp the printed circuit board 34 on the conveyor 23.

The mask 35 is attached to a squeegee support frame 27, and is supported on the base 22 via the squeegee support frame 27. This mask 35 corresponds to the “screen printing mask” in the present invention .
On the squeegee support frame 27, a squeegee unit 26 is provided so as to be movable in the Y direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the squeegee unit 26 includes a squeegee head 38 having a squeegee 37, and an actuator 39 (see FIG. 7) for moving the squeegee 37. The squeegee 25 is for applying a solder paste (not shown) on the upper surface of the mask 35. As shown in FIG. 7, the actuator 39 of the squeegee unit 26 includes a Y-direction drive unit 39a, an up-down direction drive unit 39b, and a rotation-direction drive unit 39c. These drive parts 39a-39c are connected to the controller part 33 mentioned later.

  The cleaner head 24 provided in the conveyor unit 25 constitutes a part of the cleaner unit 41 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) provided in the screen printer 21. In this embodiment, the cleaner head 24 constitutes a “working part” in the present invention. The cleaner unit 41 is for removing excess solder paste attached to the mask 35, and includes a dry cleaner 42 and a wet cleaner 43.

  The dry cleaner 42 includes a suction member 44 (see FIG. 5) that sucks and removes the solder paste from the lower surface of the mask 35. The suction member 44 is connected to a blower motor (not shown) via a blower hose (not shown). The blower motor discharges air sucked from the suction member 44 via the blower hose. The suction member 44 is driven by a lifting device (not shown) and moves up and down with respect to the cleaner head 24 together with a discharge nozzle 48 described later during cleaning.

As shown in FIG. 6, the wet cleaner 43 includes a tank 45, a movable part hose 46, a pump 47, and a discharge nozzle 48. In this embodiment, the wet cleaner 43 corresponds to the “liquid supply unit” in the present invention.
The tank 45 is for storing the cleaning liquid 49 (see FIG. 5), and is attached to the outer portion of the base 22 as shown in FIGS. The tank 45 according to this embodiment is also restricted from moving relative to the base 22. The tank 45 is positioned at a position lower than the cleaner head 24. The cleaning liquid 49 is a cleaning solvent that dissolves the solder paste. In this embodiment, the tank 45 corresponds to a “liquid tank” in the present invention.

  The movable part hose 46 is formed of a flexible hose and communicates the outlet pipe 45a of the tank 45 and the suction pipe 47a of the pump 47 as shown in FIG. The movable part hose 46 is connected to the outlet pipe 45a and the suction pipe 47a in a state where the slack part 50 is formed in order to prevent an excessive tension from being applied when the cleaner head 24 moves together with the conveyor unit 25. ing. The slack part 50 is arrange | positioned on the one end part of the X direction of the base 22, as shown in FIGS. 2-4, and is formed in the horizontal U shape seeing from the side. In this embodiment, the movable part hose 46 corresponds to a “tubular member” in the present invention.

  The pump 47 is attached to the lower end of the cleaner head 24 as shown in FIG. The pump 47 operates using an electric motor (not shown) as a drive source. The pump 47 sucks the cleaning liquid 49 from the movable part hose 46 and discharges it to the liquid supply path 51 (see FIG. 5) of the cleaner head 24. In other words, the pump 47 supplies the cleaning liquid 49 in the tank 45 to the cleaner head 24 using the movable part hose 46. The electric motor that drives the pump 47 is integrally assembled with the pump 47 and is supported by the cleaner head 24 together with the pump 47.

The liquid supply path 51 communicates a discharge port 47b of the pump 47 with a discharge nozzle 48 described later. A solvent arrival sensor 52 is provided in the liquid supply path 51. The solvent arrival sensor 52 detects the presence or absence of the cleaning liquid 49 in the liquid supply path 51 and sends a detection signal to the controller unit 33 described later.
The discharge nozzle 48 is provided at the upper end of the cleaner head 24 via a lifting device (not shown). The lifting device lifts and lowers the discharge nozzle 48 and the suction member 44 described above with respect to the cleaner head 24 during cleaning. The operation of the lifting device is controlled by the controller unit 33.

  A cleaning tape 53 is overlaid on the discharge nozzle 48. The discharge nozzle 48 is for supplying the cleaning liquid 49 to the cleaning tape 53. The discharge nozzle 48 protrudes upward from the cleaner head 24 during cleaning, and presses the cleaning tape 53 against the mask 35 from below. The cleaning tape 53 is driven by a tape supply device (not shown) and is fed onto the discharge nozzle 48 by a predetermined length.

  The controller unit 33 is for controlling the operation of the screen printing machine 21, and is constituted by a computer having a CPU (not shown). As shown in FIG. 7, the controller unit 33 according to this embodiment includes a drive control unit 61, an IO control unit 62, a camera control unit 63, a main control unit 64, and a storage unit 65. A display unit 66 and an input unit 67 are connected to the controller unit 33.

  The drive control unit 61 controls operations of various actuators provided in the conveyor unit 25, the squeegee unit 26, and the board camera unit 68. The board camera unit 68 is for imaging an identification mark, a fiducial mark, etc. of the printed circuit board 34, and includes a board camera unit 69 and a board camera driving unit 70. The imaging range of the board camera unit 69 is changed by being driven by the board camera driving unit 70.

The IO control unit 62 controls operations of an electric motor for driving a pump provided in the cleaner unit 41, a lifting device for a dry cleaner, a lifting device for a wet cleaner, a tape supply device, and the like. The solvent arrival sensor 52 of the cleaner unit 41 is connected to the IO control unit 62.
The camera control unit 63 controls the operations of the mask camera unit 71 provided in the conveyor unit 25 and the substrate camera unit 69 provided in the substrate camera unit 68. The mask camera unit 71 is for imaging an identification mark or fiducial mark provided on the mask 35. The imaging range of the mask camera unit 71 is changed by being driven by the mask camera driving unit 72.

The main control unit 64 controls the operations of the drive control unit 61, the IO control unit 62, and the camera control unit 63 as described above.
The storage unit 65 stores substrate data 73 and machine data 74. The board data 73 is data such as the type and size of the printed board 34 to be used. The machine data 74 is data such as the performance and usage history of each part of the screen printing machine 21.

Next, the operation of the screen printing machine 21 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.
When the screen printing machine 21 prints the solder paste on the printed circuit board 34, first, the printed circuit board 34 is carried into the screen printing machine 21 by the conveyor 23 as shown in step S1 of the flowchart shown in FIG. Next, the printed circuit board 34 is fixed on the conveyor 23 in step S2. In step S3, the board camera unit 69 images the fiducial mark of the printed board 34, and the controller unit 33 recognizes the position of the printed board 34.

  Thereafter, in step S4, the mask camera unit 71 captures the fiducial mark of the mask 35, and the controller unit 33 recognizes the position of the mask 35. Next, in step S5, plate alignment is performed. This plate alignment is performed by the conveyor unit 25 moving the printed circuit board 34 in the X direction and the Y direction and aligning the position of the printed circuit board 34 with the mask 35.

  After plate alignment is performed in this manner, squeezing is performed in step S6, and solder paste is applied to the printed circuit board. The squeegee is an operation in which the squeegee 37 scrapes the solder paste on the mask 35. Next, in step S7, plate separation is performed. This plate separation is an operation of pulling the printed board 34 downward from the mask 35. Thereafter, the fixing of the printed circuit board 34 is released (step S8), and the printed circuit board 34 is carried out by the conveyor 23 (step S9).

  Thus, after screen printing is completed for one printed circuit board 34, the number of sheets produced is added in the controller unit 33 in step S10. In step S <b> 11, the controller unit 33 determines whether or not the number of printed circuit boards 34 that have undergone screen printing has reached a predetermined production number. At this time, if the production number has reached the planned number, the printing operation is terminated. If the number of produced sheets has not reached the planned number, the process proceeds to step S12 and a cleaning process is performed.

  The cleaning process is performed as shown in the flowchart of FIG. In performing the cleaning process, first, in Step P1, the controller unit 33 determines whether or not it is a timing for performing the cleaning. If the controller unit 33 determines that it is not the timing for performing the cleaning process, the cleaning process ends. If it is time to execute the cleaning process, in step P2, the controller unit 33 selects a cleaning method.

The cleaning method includes a method using a dry cleaner 42 and a method using a wet cleaner 43. This selection operation includes, for example, a case where a cleaning method set in advance by the driver is selected, and a case where the controller unit 33 selects a method suitable for the size of the printed circuit board 34, the number of printed portions, and the like.
When the cleaning method using the dry cleaner 42 is selected, the cleaner head 24 moves to the cleaning start position in Step P3, and the cleaner head 24 moves up in Step P4. At this time, the suction member 44 is also raised with respect to the cleaner head 24.

  Thereafter, in step P5, the dry cleaner 42 starts suction, and the cleaner head 24 moves to the cleaning end position while maintaining this state (step P6). After the cleaner head 24 reaches the cleaning end position, suction is stopped in the dry cleaner 42 (step P7), and the cleaner head 24 is lowered. At this time, the suction member 44 is also lowered (step P8). As the cleaner head 24 moves down in this way, the dry cleaning process is completed.

  When the method using the wet cleaner 43 is selected in Step P2, the cleaner head 24 moves to the cleaning start position in Step P9, and the cleaner head 24 moves up in Step P10. At this time, the discharge nozzle 48 is also raised with respect to the cleaner head 24. As the discharge nozzle 48 moves up, the cleaning tape 53 is pressed against the lower surface of the mask 35.

  Next, in step P <b> 11, the pump 47 starts operating, and the cleaning liquid 49 is sucked into the pump 47 from the tank 45 through the movable part hose 46 and is pumped to the discharge nozzle 48 through the liquid supply path 51. The cleaning liquid 49 is supplied to the discharge nozzle 48 by a predetermined amount. The cleaning liquid 49 supplied to the discharge nozzle 48 is discharged from the discharge nozzle 48 to the cleaning tape 53 and sucked into the cleaning tape 53. At this time, the solvent arrival sensor 52 detects the presence or absence of the cleaning liquid 49 and sends the detection result to the controller unit 33 as a detection signal.

The controller unit 33 displays the detection result on the display unit 66. This display includes a display indicating that the cleaning liquid 49 flows through the liquid supply path 51 (normal) and a display indicating that the cleaning liquid 49 does not flow through the liquid supply path 51 (abnormal).
Thereafter, in step P12, the cleaner head 24 moves to the cleaning end position. When the cleaner head 24 moves while the cleaning tape 53 is pressed against the mask 35, the lower surface of the mask 35 is wiped and cleaned by the cleaning tape 53. When the cleaner head 24 moves, the slack portion 50 of the movable portion hose 46 is deformed, so that an excessive tensile force is not applied to the movable portion hose 46.

After the cleaner head 24 has moved to the cleaning end position, the cleaner head 24 is lowered in Step P13. At this time, the discharge nozzle 48 is also lowered. As the cleaner head 24 moves down in this way, the wet cleaning process ends.
By repeatedly performing wet cleaning, the cleaning liquid 49 in the tank 45 is reduced. The tank 45 is attached to the outer portion of the base 22. For this reason, the replenishment of the cleaning liquid 49 can be performed without stopping the screen printing machine 21 because the operator can perform it from outside the screen printing machine 21.

The slack portion 50 of the movable portion hose 46 is deformed as the cleaner head 24 moves. For this reason, the movable part hose 46 which comprises the slack part 50 may be worn by contact with another member, and a hole may be opened in this movable part hose 46.
In the screen printing machine 21 according to this embodiment, when the pump 47 operates, the inside of the movable part hose 46 becomes negative pressure. When a hole is opened in the movable part hose 46, if the pump 47 is operating, air (atmosphere) is sucked into the movable part hose 46 from this hole. After the pump 47 is stopped, air enters the movable part hose 46 from this hole, and the cleaning liquid 49 in the movable part hose 46 returns to the tank 45 by gravity.

  Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a screen printing machine in which the cleaning liquid 49 does not leak even if a hole is formed in the movable portion hose 46 that guides the cleaning liquid 49 from the tank 45 to the cleaner head 24. .

  In the screen printing machine 21 according to this embodiment, when a hole is opened in the movable part hose 46, air enters the movable part hose 46, and there is no cleaning liquid 49 in the cleaning liquid supply path 51 connected to the discharge port of the pump 47. It becomes. Here, the state without the cleaning liquid 49 includes the flow of bubbles together with the cleaning liquid 49. A solvent arrival sensor 52 that detects the presence or absence of the cleaning liquid 49 is provided in the cleaning liquid supply path. That is, it can be detected by the solvent arrival sensor 52 that the hole of the movable part hose 46 is opened, and the driver can be notified. For this reason, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a screen printer having a high cleaning operation reliability.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Work apparatus 2,22 ... Base, 3 ... Movable part, 3b, 51 ... Liquid supply path, 5 ... Liquid supply part, 9, 45 ... Tank, 10 ... Tubular member, 11, 47 ... Pump, 13 ... Sensor: 21 ... Screen printer, 24 ... Cleaner head, 25 ... Conveyor unit, 46 ... Moving part hose, 48 ... Discharge nozzle, 52 ... Solvent arrival sensor.

Claims (2)

The base,
A movable part supported movably on the base;
A liquid supply part configured to supply liquid to the movable part,
The movable part includes a working part that consumes liquid,
The liquid supply unit is
A liquid tank which is disposed at a position lower than the movable part and whose movement with respect to the base is restricted;
A tubular member having flexibility and extending from the liquid tank to the movable part;
A pump provided in the movable part and configured to supply liquid in the liquid tank to the working part through the tubular member ;
The working unit is a cleaner head configured to move relative to a screen printing mask to clean the mask;
The screen printer according to claim 1, wherein the liquid supply unit sucks the cleaning liquid in the liquid tank using the pump provided in the cleaner head and supplies the liquid to the cleaner head . The screen printing machine according to claim 1.
A screen printing machine comprising: a sensor provided in a liquid supply path between the pump and the working unit and configured to detect the presence or absence of liquid flowing through the liquid supply path.

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