JP7142193B2 - Screen printing equipment, mask cleaners and blades - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a screen printing apparatus that prints paste onto a substrate through a mask, a mask cleaner used for cleaning the mask of the screen printing apparatus, and a blade used in the mask cleaner.

A screen printing apparatus brings a mask into contact with a substrate and prints paste onto the substrate through pattern holes formed in the mask. Such a screen printer must be cleaned periodically by scraping the paste from the underside of the mask so as not to degrade the print quality on subsequent substrates. The mask cleaner used for cleaning the mask has a base body attached to a moving base that moves horizontally below the mask in the paste scraping direction and moves below the mask integrally with the moving base, and a base body attached to the base body. A cleaning member is provided, and paste attached to the lower surface of the mask is scraped off by moving the base member while the cleaning member is in contact with the lower surface of the mask. Conventionally, the cleaning member was a member made of paper (cleaning paper), but instead of cleaning paper, a thin “spatula”-shaped paste scraper (blade) made of metal such as SUS is used. are also known (for example, Patent Document 1 below).

As described above, in the mask cleaner that uses a blade instead of cleaning paper, the base includes a frame having an opening that opens upward, and a plurality of masks that are attached to the opening of the frame and arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the base. It has a blade retainer with a beam of . The blade holding portion holds a plurality of blades, and the plurality of beam portions supports intermediate portions in the longitudinal direction of the blades. Each of the plurality of blades is attached by being inserted from above into each of the plurality of rows of grooves formed in the blade holder. The blade held by the blade holding part is fixed to the base body by pressing both ends in the longitudinal direction with the blade holding member, and in this state, the edge protruding upward of the base body is brought into contact with the lower surface of the mask. Used as a paste scraping edge to scrape off the paste.

JP 2016-196101 A

In the screen printing apparatus, the blade used for the mask cleaner is a consumable item and directly affects the cost. Therefore, it has been desired to increase the service life of the blade.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a screen printing apparatus, a mask cleaner, and a blade that can increase the service life of the blade and reduce the cost.

The screen printing apparatus of the present invention comprises a print head that prints paste on a substrate through a mask, a moving base that moves below the mask in a horizontal paste scraping direction, and a moving base attached to the moving base. and a mask cleaner that moves under the mask to scrape off the paste adhering to the lower surface of the mask, wherein the mask cleaner is attached to the moving base to scrape the paste. a base body extending longitudinally in a horizontal direction intersecting with the paste removing direction; and a plurality of blades for contacting the lower surface of the mask with the paste scraping edge protruding into the mask. Any one of a first edge and a second edge can be used as the paste scraping edge, and the plurality of blades are a pair formed by protruding outward in the longitudinal direction from both ends in the longitudinal direction. The pair of pressed portions of each of the plurality of blades are pressed from above by a pair of end members detachably attached to the base body, and the pair of pressed portions of each of the plurality of blades are pressed from above by a pair of end members detachably attached to the base body. , each of the to-be-pressed portions has a vertically symmetrical arc shape.

The mask cleaner of the present invention is provided in a screen printing apparatus that prints paste on a substrate through a mask, and is attached to a moving base that moves below the mask in a horizontal paste scraping direction so as to be integrated with the moving base. A mask cleaner that moves under the mask and scrapes off the paste adhering to the lower surface of the mask, the base body being attached to the moving base and extending with a horizontal direction intersecting with the paste scraping direction as a longitudinal direction. , which are detachably attached to the base body, extend in the longitudinal direction and are arranged parallel to the paste scraping direction, and have a paste scraping edge projecting upward from the base body and abutting the lower surface of the mask. and a plurality of blades to be in contact with each other, and each of the plurality of blades has a shape symmetrical in the vertical direction, so that any one of the first edge and the second edge that are vertically opposed to each other can be used as the paste scraping edge, each of the plurality of blades has a pair of pressed portions formed to protrude outward in the longitudinal direction from both ends in the longitudinal direction, and each of the plurality of blades has The pair of pressed portions is pressed from above by a pair of end members that are detachably attached to the base body, and the pair of pressed portions of each of the plurality of blades has a vertically symmetrical arc shape.

The blade of the present invention is provided in a screen printing apparatus that prints paste on a substrate through a mask, is attached to a moving base that moves below the mask in a horizontal paste scraping direction, and is integrated with the moving base. A blade included in a mask cleaner that moves below a mask and scrapes off paste adhering to the lower surface of the mask, the base being attached to the moving base and extending in a horizontal direction intersecting the paste scraping direction as a longitudinal direction. It is detachably attached to the body and extends in the longitudinal direction, and the paste scraping edge protruding upward from the base body is brought into contact with the lower surface of the mask, and has a vertically symmetrical shape. Thus, any one of the first edge and the second edge, which are positioned to face each other in the vertical direction, can be used as the paste scraping edge , and protrudes outward in the longitudinal direction from both ends in the longitudinal direction. The pair of pressed portions are pressed from above by a pair of end members detachably attached to the base body, and the pair of pressed portions are vertically symmetrical. arc shape .

The present invention can increase blade life and reduce costs.

1 is a perspective view of a screen printing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a side view of a screen printing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a mask cleaner provided in a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a mask; 1 is a perspective view of a mask cleaner included in a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1(a) plan view, (b) side view, and (c) bottom view of a mask cleaner provided in a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a mask cleaner and a moving base included in a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of part of a mask cleaner included in a screen printing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; (a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of a mask cleaner included in a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a base portion of a mask cleaner provided in a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a block member forming a base portion of a mask cleaner provided in a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a block member forming a base portion of a mask cleaner provided in a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the base portion of the mask cleaner provided in the screen printing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a side view of a mask cleaner blade provided in a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a mask cleaner included in a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. (a) and (b) are enlarged side views of a part of the blade of the mask cleaner provided in the screen printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a partial perspective view of a mask cleaner included in a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. (a) and (b) are diagrams for explaining a procedure for attaching a mask cleaner included in a screen printing apparatus to a moving base according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a mask cleaner and a moving base included in a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; (a) and (b) diagrams for explaining the operation of the screen printing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the mask cleaner provided in the screen printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is cleaning the lower surface of the mask; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the mask cleaner provided in the screen printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is cleaning the lower surface of the mask;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show a screen printing apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the invention. The screen printing apparatus 1 is an apparatus for loading a substrate KB supplied from an upstream process side, printing a paste Pst such as solder on each of a plurality of lands LD provided on the surface of the substrate KB, and carrying it out to a downstream process side. is. Here, for convenience of explanation, the front-to-rear direction of the screen printing apparatus 1 seen from the operator OP is defined as the Y-axis direction, the left-right direction (conveyance direction of the substrate KB) as seen from the operator OP is defined as the X-axis direction, and the vertical direction is defined as the Z-axis direction. Axial direction. In addition, in the Y-axis direction, the front side seen from the operator OP is the front side, and the back side seen from the operator OP is the rear side.

1 and 2, the screen printing apparatus 1 has a substrate stage 12 on a base 11. As shown in FIG. A mask 13 is arranged above the substrate stage 12 , and a print head 14 is arranged above the mask 13 . A camera 15 and a mask cleaner 16 are provided between the substrate stage 12 and the mask 13 . Inside the base 11, a control unit 20 having an arithmetic unit for executing programs, a storage unit, and the like is accommodated. The control unit 20 controls the screen printing device 1 and causes the screen printing device 1 to perform screen printing work, cleaning work of the mask 13, and the like.

In FIG. 2, the substrate stage 12 is composed of a substrate holder 21 and a substrate holder moving mechanism 22 . The substrate holding portion 21 includes a pair of transport conveyors 31 for transporting substrates arranged in parallel in the Y-axis direction, a lower receiving portion 32 that supports the substrate KB transported by the pair of transport conveyors 31 from below, A pair of clampers 33 are provided above the pair of transfer conveyors 31 and can be opened and closed in the Y-axis direction. The substrate holding unit 21 receives the substrate KB received by the pair of transport conveyors 31 with the lower receiving units 32 and clamps the substrate KB with the pair of clampers 33 to hold the substrate KB. The substrate holding part moving mechanism 22 is composed of an orthogonal coordinate table mechanism or the like, and moves the substrate holding part 21 in the XY plane direction, the Z-axis direction, and the direction around the Z-axis to move the substrate KB held by the substrate holding part 21. move.

1 and 2, the mask 13 has a rectangular shape extending in the XY plane. The mask 13 is composed of a metal plate-like member, and has four sides supported by a frame member 13W. A central portion of the mask 13 is provided with a pattern hole 13H formed corresponding to the arrangement of the lands LD of the substrate KB.

1 and 2, the print head 14 has two squeegees 42 below a head base 41 extending in the X-axis direction. The two squeegees 42 are composed of "spatula"-shaped members extending in the X-axis direction, and are arranged facing each other in the Y-axis direction. A squeegee elevation drive unit 43 for individually raising and lowering the two squeegees 42 is provided on the upper surface of the head base 41 . The head base 41 is movable in the Y-axis direction, and is driven by a print head moving mechanism 44 (FIG. 2) to move above the mask 13 in the Y-axis direction.

1 and 2, a moving beam 51 extending in the X-axis direction is arranged below the mask 13, and the camera 15 is attached to the front side of the moving beam 51. As shown in FIG. The moving beam 51 is movable in the Y-axis direction, and is driven by a Y-axis direction moving mechanism 52 (FIG. 2) to move below the mask 13 in the Y-axis direction. Also, the camera 15 is moved in the X-axis direction along the moving beam 51 by an X-axis direction moving mechanism 53 (FIG. 3) provided on the moving beam 51 .

The camera 15 has a function of capturing images both upward and downward. The camera 15 moves below the mask 13 in the horizontal plane (in the XY plane) by moving the camera 15 itself in the X-axis direction and moving the moving beam 51 in the Y-axis direction, and is held by the substrate holding part 21 . The substrate KB is imaged from above, and the mask 13 is imaged from below.

1 and 2, a cleaner mounting portion 54 extending in the X-axis direction is attached to the rear of the moving beam 51. As shown in FIG. The cleaner mounting portion 54 moves along with the moving beam 51 in the Y-axis direction. A movable base 55 is provided on the rear side of the cleaner mounting portion 54 so as to be movable up and down, and the mask cleaner 16 is mounted on the movable base 55 (see also FIG. 3).

In FIG. 3, the cleaner mounting portion 54 is provided with an elevating mechanism 54K, and the moving base 55 is elevated by the elevating mechanism 54K. The lifting mechanism 54K is composed of an actuator driven by air or hydraulic pressure. When the lifting mechanism 54K raises and lowers the moving base 55, the mask cleaner 16 moves up and down with respect to the moving beam 51 (arrow A shown in FIG. 3).

4 and 5(a), (b), and (c), the mask cleaner 16 has a shape extending in the X-axis direction as a whole. The mask cleaner 16, as also shown in FIGS. etc. Here, FIG. 8(a) is a cross-sectional view (a cross-sectional view across all of one beam portion 73) viewed from the arrow V1-V1 in FIG. 7, and FIG. 8(b) is a cross-sectional view in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view viewed from V2-V2 (a cross-sectional view not crossing the beam portion 73).

5A, 6 and 9, the base body 61 has its longitudinal direction (X (corresponding to the axial direction), and is configured with a frame 71 and a blade holding portion 72 . The frame 71 is a rectangular frame-like member extending in the longitudinal direction of the base body 61, and has an opening 71S that penetrates vertically and opens upward at the central portion. The blade holding portion 72 is attached to the opening 71S of the frame 71 and has a plurality of beam portions 73 arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the base body 61 .

In this embodiment, the blade holding portion 72 is composed of a plurality of (seven in this case) block members 72B detachably attached to the frame 71 (FIGS. 5A, 6 and 9). These block members 72B have the same shape.

10, 11 and 12, the blade holding portion 72 (each block member 72B) extends in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the base body 61 and faces the paste scraping direction (Y-axis direction). It has a pair of edge portions 74 , and a plurality of beam portions 73 span and extend between the pair of edge portions 74 . The blade holding portion 72 (that is, each block member 72B) is attached to the frame 71 by placing a pair of edge portions 74 on a pair of block support portions 71B formed in an opening 71S of the frame 71 (Fig. 8(a), (b)).

When the blade holding portion 72 (seven block members 72B) is attached to the frame 71, the plurality of beam portions 73 are arranged at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the base body 61 (each beam portion 73 is They are positioned at equal intervals when viewed from the intermediate position in the paste scraping direction (FIGS. 6 and 9). Further, each of the plurality of beams 73 obliquely intersects the paste scraping direction (Y-axis direction) in a horizontal plane (slightly inclined from an orthogonal posture to the longitudinal direction of the base body 61) (Fig. 5(a) and FIG. 10). For this reason, the plurality of blades 62 are supported by the beams 73 at positions in the longitudinal direction different from each other. , and the portions not supported by the beams 73 are distributed almost evenly in the longitudinal direction of the blade 62 .

10, 11 and 12, the blade holding portion 72 is provided with a plurality of rows (here, six rows) of grooves 75 for inserting the plurality of blades 62 extending in the longitudinal direction of the base body 61, respectively. ing. In the present embodiment, one groove 75 (one row) is provided at each of the two edges 74 on the front and rear sides in the advancing direction (here, forward) of the mask cleaner 16 during scraping of the paste Pst. The beam portion 73 is provided with four rows of groove portions 75 . These four rows of grooves 75 are provided over a plurality of beams 73 arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the base body 61 (FIGS. 10 and 11).

10, 11 and 12, each groove 75 opens upward. The plurality of rows (six rows) of grooves 75 provided in the blade holding portion 72 are parallel to each other, and the upper end sides of the grooves 75 are inclined in the opposite direction (that is, backward) to the traveling direction of the mask cleaner 16 during scraping of the paste Pst. ing.

6 and 13, each blade 62 is a thin plate member extending in the longitudinal direction of the base body 61 and made of resin. As shown in FIG. 14, the six blades 62 are inserted from above into six rows of grooves 75 provided in the blade holding portion 72 . Therefore, the plurality of blades 62 supported by the blade holding portion 72 are aligned in parallel with each other in the paste scraping direction (FIGS. 4, 5A, and 14).

In FIGS. 8A and 8B, two of the six blades 62 are positioned in the direction in which the mask cleaner 16 advances when scraping off the paste Pst (the right side of the paper surface in FIGS. 8A and 8B). ), and the other four of the six blades 62 are supported by four rows of grooves 75 provided in the blade holding portion 72. . That is, the two blades 62 located at the leading end and the trailing end as viewed from the traveling direction are supported by grooves 75 provided in the edge portion 74 , and the four blades located in between are provided in the beam portion 73 . It is supported by a groove portion 75 formed in the groove. Since the upper end of each groove 75 is inclined backward as described above, each blade 62 inserted into the groove 75 assumes a posture in which the upper end is inclined rearward within the opening 71S.

Here, the groove portion 75T into which the rearmost blade 62 (indicated by reference numeral 62T in FIGS. 8A and 8B) of the intermediate four blades 62 is inserted is the rear edge portion. The upper surface of 74 is opened. As a result, an inclined seal surface 75S having substantially the same length as the blade 62 is formed along the edge 74 at the upper end of the groove 75T. As clearly shown in FIG. 12, this sealing surface 75S is also formed on the upper portion of the edge portion 74 where the beam portion 73 is not provided. Therefore, the rear surface of the blade 62T inserted into the groove portion 75T contacts the seal surface 75S.

8(a) and 8(b), each of the four intermediate blades 62 is partially supported by a plurality of beams 73 at its longitudinal intermediate portions, so that the portion protruding from the beams 73 is is positioned within the opening 71S. Therefore, a space 62S sandwiched between the leading blade 62 and the four intermediate blades 62 communicates with the opening 71S. On the other hand, the blade 62 located on the rearmost side in the advancing direction of the mask cleaner 16 is supported entirely by the blade holding portion 72 in the longitudinal direction, and the rear surface of the blade 62T located one front side is sealed. Since it is in contact with the surface 75S, the space 62ST sandwiched between the blade 62 located on the rearmost side in the traveling direction and the blade 62T located on the front side thereof is blocked from the opening 71S. Since the blade 62 positioned at the frontmost side in the advancing direction of the mask cleaner 16 is also positioned outside the opening 71S, the space on the side of the paste scraping surface is blocked from the opening 71S.

As described above, the mask cleaner 16 of this embodiment includes the base body 61 attached to the moving base 55 and extending in the horizontal direction intersecting the paste scraping direction, and the base body 61 being detachably attached to the base body 61 and extending in the longitudinal direction. It is configured to have paste scraping edges 62</b>E that extend in the direction and are arranged parallel to the paste scraping direction and protrude upward from the base body 61 . The base body 61 has a frame 71 having an opening 71S that opens upward, and a blade holding portion 72 that is attached to the opening 71S of the frame 71 and has a plurality of beams 73 arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction. The blade holding portion 72 holds a plurality of (six) blades 62, and the plurality of beams 73 hold the blades 62 (among the six blades 62, the frontmost and the rearmost in the traveling direction of the mask cleaner 16). It is configured to partially support the intermediate portions in the longitudinal direction of four blades 62 excluding the two blades 62 positioned on the side.

In the mask cleaner 16 of the present embodiment, among the plurality of spaces 62S sandwiched by the blades 62, at least the space 62ST positioned on the rearmost side in the moving direction of the mask cleaner 16 when scraping off the paste Pst is open. It has a configuration that does not lead to 71S.

4, 5(a), 5(b), 6(c), 6 and 9, the pair of end members 63 are attached to both ends of the base body 61 in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction). Each end member 63 is made of resin and has two screw holes 63H formed side by side in the paste scraping direction (Y-axis direction). Each end member 63 is formed by screwing two screws 63S through two screw holes 63H into screw mounting holes 61H (FIG. 6) provided at both ends of the base body 61 in the longitudinal direction. It is detachably attached to the body 61 . The end member 63 has a flat upper surface 63F extending in the XY directions.

In FIG. 13, pressed portions 62H are formed at both ends of each blade 62 in the longitudinal direction. The pressed portion 62</b>H has a vertically symmetrical semicircular shape that protrudes outward in the longitudinal direction of the blade 62 . When the pair of end members 63 are attached to both ends of the base body 61, the projections 63T (FIG. 15A) of the end members 63 are attached to the inclined surfaces (arc surfaces in this case) of the pressed portions 62H of the plurality of blades 62. , (b)) abut from above, and the plurality of blades 62 are fixed to the frame 71 .

As described above, in this embodiment, each of the plurality of blades 62 has a pair of pressed portions 62H formed so as to protrude from both ends in the longitudinal direction or outward in the longitudinal direction. The pressed portion 62H is pressed from above by a pair of end members 63 detachably attached to the base body 61 .

The pair of end members 63 attached to the base body 61 contact both ends of the pressed portions 62H of the plurality of blades 62, thereby providing a gap between the blades 62 adjacent in the paste scraping direction (Y-axis direction). form the sidewalls; For this reason, the inflow of air from the side of the space 62</b>S sandwiched by the blades 62 is prevented when air is sucked, which will be described later. The shape of the pressed portion 62H of the blade 62 is not limited to the vertically symmetrical semicircular shape shown in FIG. good too.

When the plurality of blades 62 are fixed to the frame 71 by the pair of end members 63, the upper edge of each of the plurality of blades 62 protrudes above the upper surface of each end member 63 (Fig. 8(a), ( b) and FIGS. 15(a) and (b)). That is, the upper surface of each end member 63 attached to the base body 61 is located at a position lower than the upper edges of the plurality of blades 62 . The upper edge protruding upward of the base body 61 serves as an edge (paste scraping edge 62E) that scrapes the paste Pst by contacting the lower surface of the mask 13 during cleaning of the mask 13 (FIG. 13).

In FIG. 13, each blade 62 has a vertically symmetrical shape and has two edges (a first edge 62a and a second edge 62b) facing each other in the vertical direction. Therefore, each blade 62 can be attached to the base body 61 so that any one edge (first edge 62a or second edge 62b) serves as a paste scraping edge 62E (Fig. 15(a), ( b)).

As shown in FIGS. 15(a) and 15(b), the end of each blade 62 is provided with an identification mark 62M (identification mark) for identifying the first edge 62a and the second edge 62b. (see also FIGS. 13 and 16). The identification mark 62M can be visually recognized from the outside while the blade 62 is attached to the base body 61 (FIG. 16). Therefore, without removing the blade 62 from the base body 61, the operator can know which of the first edge 62a and the second edge 62b of the blade 62 is the paste scraping edge 62E.

5(c), 6 and 14, the current plate 64 is positioned on the lower surface side of the base body 61. As shown in FIG. The straightening plate 64 has a plurality of straightening holes 64H arranged in the longitudinal direction of the base body 61, and is detachably attached to the base body 61 by a plurality of straightening plate mounting screws 64S (FIGS. 6 and 6). Figure 8 (a), (b)).

In FIG. 6, a plurality of (here, two) positioning holes 55H are provided in the portion of the upper surface of the moving base 55 that contacts the lower surface of the base body 61 . On the other hand, a plurality of (here, two) positioning pins 61P arranged corresponding to the plurality of positioning holes 55H are provided extending downward from the lower surface of the frame 71 that constitutes the base body 61 (see FIG. 5). (b), (c)). These positioning pins 61P are provided for positioning the base body 61 with respect to the moving base 55. As shown in FIG.

When attaching the mask cleaner 16 to the moving base 55, a plurality of positioning pins 61P provided on the base body 61 of the mask cleaner 16 are inserted from above into a plurality of positioning holes 55H provided on the moving base 55 (see FIG. 17 ( a) Arrow B) The mask cleaner 16 is thereby attached to a prescribed position on the moving base 55 (FIG. 17(b)).

5(b), (c) and FIGS. 8(a), (b), a plurality of magnets 61M are embedded in the base body 61, the surface of which is exposed on the lower surface. On the other hand, the moving base 55 is made of a magnetic material. Therefore, when the mask cleaner 16 is attached to the moving base 55 at a specified position, the plurality of magnets 61M embedded in the frame 71 are magnetically attracted to the upper surface of the moving base 55, and the mask cleaner 16 is attached to the moving base 55. It is fixed (FIG. 17(b)).

In FIG. 18 (a cross-sectional view viewed from the arrow V3-V3 in FIG. 17(b)), an opening 71S of the mask cleaner 16 is formed in the moving base 55 when the mask cleaner 16 is attached to the moving base 55. It communicates with the internal space 55S (see also FIG. 6). The moving base 55 is provided with a vacuum suction line 55T extending to the outside through an air passage 55R (see also FIG. 6) provided in the internal space 55S (FIGS. 3 and 18). A suction mechanism 80 is connected to the vacuum suction pipe 55T (FIGS. 3 and 18), and when the suction mechanism 80 sucks air through the vacuum suction pipe 55T, the air above the mask cleaner 16 opens. The paste Pst adhered to the lower surface of the mask 13 and inside the pattern holes 13H is sucked out to the mask cleaner 16 side through the rectifying holes 64H provided in the rectifying plate 64 and the 71S.

When the screen printing apparatus 1 performs a screen printing operation, first, the conveyer 31 receives the board KB supplied from the outside of the screen printing apparatus 1 and carries it to a predetermined position. Then, the lower receiving portion 32 rises to support the substrate KB from below, and the clamper 33 operates to clamp the substrate KB from the Y-axis direction. When the clamper 33 clamps the substrate KB, the camera 15 is horizontally moved by the operation of the Y-axis direction moving mechanism 52 and the X-axis direction moving mechanism 53 to image the mask 13 and the substrate KB. The control unit 20 calculates the relative positional relationship between the substrate KB and the mask 13 obtained from the image data of the substrate KB and the mask 13 captured by the camera 15, so that each land LD of the substrate KB and the pattern hole 13H of the mask 13 are vertically aligned. , and the substrate KB is brought into contact with the mask 13 .

When the substrate KB comes into contact with the mask 13 , the squeegee elevating drive unit 43 operates to bring one of the two squeegees 42 into contact with the upper surface of the mask 13 . When the squeegee 42 contacts the upper surface of the mask 13, the print head moving mechanism 44 moves the head base 41 in the Y-axis direction. As a result, the paste Pst supplied onto the mask 13 is scraped onto the mask 13 by the squeegee 42 (FIG. 2), and the paste Pst is applied to each land LD of the substrate KB through the pattern holes 13H of the mask 13. FIG.

After the paste Pst is applied to each land LD of the substrate KB, the substrate holding portion moving mechanism 22 lowers the substrate holding portion 21 to separate the substrate KB from the mask 13 (plate separation). This completes the printing of the paste Pst onto the substrate KB. When the printing of the paste Pst on the substrate KB is completed, the conveyer 31 is operated to carry the substrate KB out of the screen printing apparatus 1 .

After the substrate KB is carried out of the screen printing apparatus 1 by the transport conveyor 31, the mask cleaning operation is performed by the mask cleaner 16. FIG. In the mask cleaning operation, the Y-axis direction moving mechanism 52 moves the moving beam 51 in the Y-axis direction to position the mask cleaner 16 behind and below the mask 13 . When the mask cleaner 16 is positioned behind and below the mask 13, the elevating mechanism 54K operates to lift the mask cleaner 16 so that the mask cleaner 16 (more specifically, the paste scraping edges 62E of the six blades 62) is moved to the mask 13. (Fig. 19(a)).

When the mask cleaner 16 comes into contact with the lower surface of the mask 13, the Y-axis direction moving mechanism 52 operates to move the moving beam 51 forward. As a result, the six blades 62 of the mask cleaner 16 slide on the bottom surface of the mask 13, and the paste scraping edge 62E of each blade 62 scrapes off the paste Pst adhering to the bottom surface of the mask 13 (FIG. 19). (b) and FIG. 20). Also, while the six blades 62 are scraping off the paste Pst adhering to the lower surface of the mask 13, the suction mechanism 80 sucks air. As a result, the paste Pst adhering to the mask 13 is forcibly sucked out by the sucking mechanism 80 through the openings 71S of the mask cleaner 16 and the plurality of spaces 62S sandwiched by the blade 62, thereby improving the scraping efficiency of the paste Pst. do.

When the blade 62 slides on the lower surface of the mask 13 to clean the mask, the pair of end members 63 attached to the base body 61 is an enlarged view of the region Ra shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 21, it contacts the lower surface of the mask 13 from below. Therefore, air is prevented from flowing into the opening 71S from the side of the space 62S sandwiched by the blade 62 during mask cleaning. As a result, the suction force of the mask cleaner 16 can be prevented from being impaired by air flowing in from locations that do not contribute to cleaning.

In FIG. 21, when scraping off the paste Pst in mask cleaning, the blade 62 positioned at the frontmost in the traveling direction of the mask cleaner 16 during scraping of the paste Pst among the six blades 62 arranged side by side in the paste scraping direction. The blade 62 scrapes off the paste Pst adhering to the lower surface of the mask 13 before the other blades 62 do. Therefore, the scraping amount of the paste Pst is the largest for the blade 62 located on the frontmost side in the moving direction of the mask cleaner 16 when scraping the paste Pst. Taking less and less.

Further, each blade 62 located behind the blade 62 located at the most front side in the moving direction of the mask cleaner 16 during scraping of the paste Pst is sucked out by the suction mechanism 80 from the pattern hole 13H immediately before the blade 62 passes. The sucked paste Pst is also scraped off. Then, the paste Pst not scraped off by the blade 62 is scraped off by the blade 62 positioned behind the blade 62 .

When mask cleaning is repeated, the amount of scraped paste Pst adhering to the blade 62 gradually increases, and the ability of the blade 62 to scrape off the paste Pst also decreases as the amount of adhering paste Pst increases. Therefore, a plurality of blades 62 are used to maintain cleaning performance as long as possible. In addition to this, in the present embodiment, the amount of paste Pst adhering to the blade 62 located on the rearmost side in the advancing direction of the mask cleaner 16 is reduced to maintain the cleaning performance for a longer period of time.

In the present embodiment, as described above, of the six blades 62 arranged side by side in the paste scraping direction, the blade located at the rearmost position in the advancing direction of the mask cleaner 16 during scraping of the paste Pst. A space 62ST between 62 and a blade 62T positioned one ahead thereof is blocked from the opening 71S, and the suction force of the suction mechanism 80 hardly reaches it. Therefore, no air flow is generated in the space 62ST to move the paste Pst remaining inside the pattern hole 13H to the lower surface of the mask 13. FIG.

For this reason, the paste Pst forcibly sucked out by the sucking mechanism 80 does not flow into the paste scraping surface of the blade 62 positioned most rearward in the advancing direction among the six blades 62, and the paste scraping surface of the blade 62 positioned at the rearmost side in the traveling direction does not flow into the paste scraping surface. The amount of paste Pst scraped by the positioned blade 62 is smaller than that of the other blades 62 . In other words, since the paste Pst remaining inside the pattern hole 13H does not flow into the space 62ST positioned on the rearmost side in the direction of travel, the blade 62 positioned on the rearmost side does not flow into the space 62ST positioned on the rearmost side. It is only necessary to scrape off only a small amount of paste Pst that 62T could not scrape off. Therefore, the blade 62 positioned at the rearmost side can be kept less contaminated with the paste Pst than the other blades 62 positioned in front of it, and the paste Pst left behind by the blade 62 in front can be reliably scraped off. be able to. As a result, it is possible to maintain the cleaning performance for a long period of time, and it is possible to reduce the number of cleanings of the cleaning unit and the downtime of the cleaning printing apparatus.

In such a screen printing apparatus 1, each blade 62 becomes dirty by scraping off the paste Pst, and therefore needs to be cleaned at a predetermined timing. The blade 62 is removed from the base body 61 and cleaned. However, in the present embodiment, the blade 62 is made of resin as described above. Even if it does, it will not be plastically deformed, and the paste scraping edge 62E will not come into contact with the lower surface of the mask 13 after cleaning (after being attached to the base body 61). Therefore, it is possible to prevent deterioration of cleaning quality due to deformation of the blade 62 when cleaning the blade 62 or the like. Since an alcohol-based solvent capable of dissolving the paste Pst is used for cleaning the blade 62, it is preferable that the blade 62 is made of a resin having resistance to the alcohol-based solvent.

Further, in the present embodiment, the blade 62 has a vertically symmetrical shape, and any of the two edges (the first edge 62a and the second edge 62b) positioned facing each other in the vertical direction can be used as paste scraping edge 62E. Therefore, when one of the first edge 62a and the second edge 62b reaches the endurance limit for scraping the paste Pst, the blade 62 is removed from the base body 61, turned upside down and attached to the base body 61. By repairing it, the blade 62 can be used again up to its endurance limit. As described above, in the mask cleaner 16 of the present embodiment, the service life of the blade 62 can be increased (doubled), and the cost can be reduced.

Here, as described above, each blade 62 is provided with an identification mark 62M as an identification display for identifying the first edge 62a and the second edge 62b. By comparing the order of use of the first edge 62a and the second edge 62b, the situation of the blade 62 (before or after the blade 62 is turned upside down) can be accurately known. . In the present embodiment, the identification mark 62M is illustrated as a triangular figure with the vertical angle facing the side of the first edge 62a (FIGS. 15A and 15B), but this is only an example. However, the form of the identification mark 62M is not limited.

A plurality of beams 73 included in the blade holding portion 72 of the mask cleaner 16 each extend obliquely in a horizontal plane with respect to the paste scraping direction (Y-axis direction), and the plurality of blades 62 are arranged in different longitudinal directions. A portion is supported by the beam portion 73 . Therefore, when cleaning the mask 13 , the portions of each blade 62 supported by the beams 73 and the portions not supported by the beams 73 are dispersed in the longitudinal direction of the blades 62 , and the blades 62 hit the mask 13 . The condition of the entire mask cleaner 16 is made uniform. As a result, streaks corresponding to the positions of the beams 73 do not remain on the lower surface of the mask 13, and cleaning quality can be improved.

In the present embodiment, the blade holding portion 72 is composed of a plurality of block members 72B of the same shape that are detachably attached to the frame 71. Therefore, when cleaning the base body 61 when cleaning the blade 62, , the cleaning of the blade holding portion 72 becomes extremely easy. The blade holder 72 is often cleaned using an ultrasonic cleaner or the like. In this case, the cleaning tank should be large enough to accommodate at least one block member 72B, so the ultrasonic cleaner is small. can be used, and the cost required for cleaning can be reduced.

In addition, as described above, the amount of paste Pst scraped off by the blade 62 located on the rearmost side is smaller than that of the other blades 62, and the other blade 62 located in front of the blade 62 reliably scrapes off the paste Pst left unscraped. Since it can be removed, the cleaning quality of the mask 13 can be improved. Furthermore, since the blade 62 itself positioned at the rearmost side is less likely to leave the paste Pst scraped off, the paste Pst remaining on the lower surface of the mask 13 can be suppressed to an extremely small amount, and the mask 13 can be cleaned from this surface as well. Quality can be improved.

Further, while the moving base 55 to which the mask cleaner 16 is attached is made of a magnetic material, the base body 61 of the mask cleaner 16 is provided with a magnet 61M that attracts the upper surface of the moving base 55 by magnetic force. Therefore, the mask cleaner 16 can be attached to and detached from the moving base 55 with one touch, and workability during maintenance can be improved.

Further, as described above, while the mask cleaning is being performed, the upper surfaces 63F of the pair of end members 63 attached to the base body 61 come into contact with the lower surface of the mask 13 from below and are sandwiched between the blades 62. Since the inflow of air from the side of the space 62S is prevented, the paste Pst can be efficiently sucked out during mask cleaning. Therefore, cleaning quality can be improved also from this aspect. Also, the end member 63 functions as a stopper to prevent the blade 62 from pressing against the mask 13 with excessive force. That is, the contact between the upper surface 63F of the end member 63 and the lower surface of the mask 13 keeps the deformation of the blade 62 within a certain range and controls the progress of wear of the blade 62 within an assumed range.

As described above, in the screen printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the blade 62 has a symmetrical shape in the vertical direction, and two edges (the first edge 62a and the second edge 62a) that face each other in the vertical direction. Any one of the two edges 62b) can be used as the paste scraping edge 62E. Therefore, by using the blade 62 upside down, the service life can be increased (doubled), and the cost can be reduced.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, the present invention is not limited to the above. For example, in the embodiment described above, the number of blades 62 included in the mask cleaner 16 was six, but this is an example and the number of blades 62 is not particularly limited. Also, the print head 14 for printing the paste Pst onto the substrate KB through the mask 13 had a configuration in which the squeegee 42 slides over the mask 13. It may be of a configuration such as to release.

In the above-described embodiment, among the plurality of (six) blades 62 supported by the blade holding portion 72, the blade 62 positioned most forward in the traveling direction of the mask cleaner 16 during scraping of the paste Pst and Although the rearmost blade 62 is positioned outside the opening 71S, the frontmost blade 62 may be positioned inside the opening 71S. That is, of the plurality of spaces 62S sandwiched by the blades 62, at least the space 62S located on the rearmost side in the advancing direction of the mask cleaner 16 during scraping of the paste Pst may be blocked from the opening 71S. Just do it.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the entire moving base 55 is made of a magnetic material. A portion including at least the upper surface of the moving base 55 may be made of a magnetic material.

To provide a screen printing apparatus, a mask cleaner, and a blade capable of increasing the service life of the blade and reducing the cost.

Reference Signs List 1 screen printer 13 mask 14 print head 16 mask cleaner 61 base body 62, 62T blade 62E paste scraping edge 62a first edge 62b second edge 62H pressed portion 62M identification mark (identification display)
63 end member 71 frame 71S opening 72 blade holding portion 72B block member 73 beam portion 75, 75T groove portion KB substrate Pst paste

Claims (12)

a print head that prints paste onto a substrate through a mask; a moving base that moves below the mask in a horizontal paste scraping direction; A screen printing apparatus comprising a mask cleaner that moves and scrapes off the paste adhering to the lower surface of the mask,
The mask cleaner
a base body attached to the moving base and extending in a horizontal direction intersecting the paste scraping direction as a longitudinal direction;
The paste scraping edge is detachably attached to the base body, extends in the longitudinal direction and is arranged in parallel with the paste scraping direction, and a paste scraping edge projecting upward from the base body abuts the lower surface of the mask. a plurality of blades that allow
Each of the plurality of blades has a symmetrical shape in the vertical direction, so that any one of the first edge and the second edge that are positioned to face each other in the vertical direction can be used as the paste scraping edge,
Each of the plurality of blades has a pair of pressed portions projecting outward in the longitudinal direction from both ends in the longitudinal direction, and the pair of pressed portions of each of the plurality of blades is the base body. pressed from above by a pair of end members detachably attached to the
The screen printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pair of pressed portions of each of the plurality of blades has a vertically symmetric arc shape. 2. The screen printing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of said plurality of blades has an identification mark for identifying said first edge and said second edge. The base body has a frame having an opening that opens upward and a blade holding part that is attached to the opening and has a plurality of beams arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction, 3. The blade holding portion is provided with a plurality of rows of grooves into which the plurality of blades are inserted.1 or 2The screen printing device according to . 4. A screen printing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said blade holding portion comprises a plurality of block members detachably attached to said frame. 5. The screen printing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of block members have the same shape. It is provided in a screen printing apparatus for printing paste on a substrate through a mask, is attached to a moving base that moves below the mask in a horizontal paste scraping direction, and moves below the mask together with the moving base. , a mask cleaner for scraping off the paste adhering to the lower surface of the mask,
a base body attached to the moving base and extending in a horizontal direction intersecting the paste scraping direction as a longitudinal direction;
The paste scraping edge is detachably attached to the base body, extends in the longitudinal direction and is arranged in parallel with the paste scraping direction, and a paste scraping edge projecting upward from the base body abuts the lower surface of the mask. a plurality of blades that allow
Each of the plurality of blades has a symmetrical shape in the vertical direction, so that any one of the first edge and the second edge that are positioned to face each other in the vertical direction can be used as the paste scraping edge,
Each of the plurality of blades has a pair of pressed portions projecting outward in the longitudinal direction from both ends in the longitudinal direction, and the pair of pressed portions of each of the plurality of blades is the base body. pressed from above by a pair of end members detachably attached to the
A mask cleaner according to claim 1, wherein said pair of pressed portions of each of said plurality of blades are vertically symmetrical circular arc shapes. 7. The mask cleaner of claim 6 , wherein each of said plurality of blades has identification markings identifying said first edge and said second edge. The base body has a frame having an opening that opens upward and a blade holding part that is attached to the opening and has a plurality of beams arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction, 3. The blade holding portion is provided with a plurality of rows of grooves into which the plurality of blades are inserted.6 or 7The mask cleaner described in . 9. A mask cleaner according to claim 8 , wherein said blade holding portion comprises a plurality of block members detachably attached to said frame. 10. A mask cleaner according to claim 9 , wherein said plurality of block members have the same shape. It is provided in a screen printing apparatus for printing paste on a substrate through a mask, is attached to a moving base that moves below the mask in a horizontal paste scraping direction, and moves below the mask together with the moving base. , a blade possessed by a mask cleaner for scraping off the paste adhering to the lower surface of the mask,
A paste scraping edge that is detachably attached to a base body that is attached to the moving base and extends in a horizontal direction intersecting the paste scraping direction, extends in the longitudinal direction, and protrudes upward from the base body. is brought into contact with the lower surface of the mask,
By having a symmetrical shape in the vertical direction, any one of the first edge and the second edge located opposite to each other in the vertical direction can be used as the paste scraping edge,
It has a pair of pressed portions projecting outward in the longitudinal direction from both ends in the longitudinal direction. held down,
A blade in which each of the pair of pressed portions has a vertically symmetrical arc shape. 12. The blade of claim 11 , including identifying indicia identifying said first edge and said second edge.

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