JP7246677B2 - SCREEN MASK, SCREEN PRINTING APPARATUS, AND PRINTED MATERIAL MANUFACTURING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present invention relate to a screen mask, a screen printing apparatus, a method for manufacturing a printed matter, and a support member for a screen mask.

Screen printing, which is one of the printing methods, is a method of forming an arbitrary print on a printing medium using a screen mask having a predetermined opening pattern formed of a resin composition on a mesh portion. This screen printing method is used for various printing such as printing of wiring, electrodes, fluorescent materials, etc., and is used in various fields including electronic parts.

In recent years, due to the miniaturization and improvement in quality of electronic components, there is a demand for higher precision screen masks.

For example, a screen mask includes a mesh portion having holes through which a coating material can pass, and a mask film provided in the mesh portion and having an opening pattern.

In such a screen mask, a so-called combination type mesh in which a main mesh holding a patterned mask film and a support mesh arranged around the main mesh and configured to stretch more easily than the main mesh are fixed with an adhesive. It has been known. For example, the support mesh is made of a synthetic resin material and has elasticity.

JP 2013-169783 A

During printing, the screen mask holding the coating material is placed facing the print medium with a predetermined gap, and the screen mask is pressed against the print medium with a squeegee or the like, thereby transferring the coating material to the print medium and opening the screen mask. A picture corresponding to the pattern is drawn. At this time, positional deviation may occur due to stretching of the mesh portion.

An object of the present invention is to provide a screen mask capable of high-precision printing, a screen printing apparatus, a method for producing a printed matter, and a supporting member for the screen mask.

A screen mask according to an aspect of the present invention comprises: a mesh portion having a transmission portion through which a coating material passes; a mask film provided in the mesh portion and having a predetermined pattern; and at least one of a peripheral portion of the mesh portion. and a frame that supports the outer periphery of the support member.
The support member is a plate-shaped support plate made of a metal material,
The mesh portion includes a main mesh having holes through which the coating material passes, and a support mesh configured to have a lower elongation rate than the main mesh and provided on the outer periphery of the main mesh,
The main mesh and the support mesh are made of metal material.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to embodiment of this invention, the manufacturing method of the screen mask which can print with high precision, a screen printing apparatus, and a printed matter can be provided.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the screen mask according to the first embodiment; The side view of the screen printing apparatus concerning the same embodiment. The side view of the same screen printing apparatus. Explanatory drawing which shows the positional accuracy of the screen mask and printed matter concerning 1st Embodiment, other embodiment, and a comparative example.

A screen printing apparatus 10 and a screen mask 20 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a screen printing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment viewed from the Z direction, FIG. 2 is a side view of the screen printing apparatus viewed from the X direction, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the screen printing apparatus viewed from the Y direction. In addition, in each drawing, for the sake of explanation, the configuration is appropriately enlarged, reduced, or omitted. Arrows X, Y, and Z in the drawing respectively indicate three directions orthogonal to each other, the first direction being the Y direction and the second direction being the X direction.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the screen printing apparatus 10 includes a screen mask 20 and a holding member 12 that holds a printing medium 30 facing one surface (surface) of the screen mask 20, which is the printing surface side. , a squeegee 13 configured to be movable while in contact with the other surface (back surface) of the screen mask 20 opposite to the printing surface side; moving means for moving the squeegee 13; and a support means 14 that supports the .

The screen printing device 10 forms various printing materials in a predetermined pattern on the surface of the printing medium 30 . Screen printer 10, for example, chip parts (capacitors, chip resistors, inductors, thermistors, etc.), touch panels, liquid crystal substrate (Liquid crystal display, LCD) seals, LTCC (Low Temperature Co-fired ceramics) substrates, for solar cells It is used in the manufacture of electrodes and other electronic components.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the screen mask 20 includes a frame 21, a mesh portion 22 stretched on the frame 21, a mask film 23 formed on the mesh portion 22, and a mask film 23 on the mesh portion 22. and a support plate 24 as a support member arranged on the outer periphery. In the screen mask 20, the side facing the surface of the printing medium 30 when printing is performed is the front side, and the opposite side to which the coating material is supplied is the back side. In this embodiment, a 320-size screen mask 20 is used as an example.

The frame 21 has two pairs of sides parallel to each other, and is configured in a frame shape having, for example, a rectangular opening 21a of a desired size. The frame 21 is made of a metal material such as aluminum. For example, in the frame 21 of 320 size, the thickness dimension is 13 mm to 18 mm, that is, about 3.5% to 7% of the short side of the frame, and the width dimension is 16 mm to 26 mm, that is, 5 mm to the short side of the frame. % to 8%. A support plate 24 is bonded to the surface of the frame 21 with an adhesive. The frame 21 supports the outer periphery of the mesh portion 22 via the support plate 24, and stretches the mesh portion 22 in the opening 21a.

The frame 21 also functions as a frame that holds a predetermined amount of coating material on the back side of the mask film 23 .

The mesh part 22 is a so-called combination type in which a central main mesh 26 and a peripheral support mesh 27 having different elongation rates are fixed and connected with a UV-curing adhesive. The mesh portion 22 holds the mask film 23 within the opening 21 a of the frame 21 .

The main mesh 26 is a woven fabric formed by weaving warp yarns 26a and weft yarns 26b, and has a large number of holes 26c, which are permeable parts that are open to allow the application material to pass through. The warp yarns 26a and the weft yarns 26b of the main mesh 26 are composed of metal wires such as stainless steel and tungsten. The warp yarns 26a and the weft yarns 26b extend diagonally with respect to the moving direction of the squeegee 13 along arrow A, for example.

The main mesh 26 has a square or rectangular shape with a side size of 30% or more and 80% or less of the frame 21 and a side length L3 of 150 mm to 240 mm, for example. In this embodiment, as an example, a square having a side length L3 of 200 mm is used.

The support mesh 27 is bonded to the outer circumference of the main mesh 26 with an adhesive. The support mesh 27 is composed of a mesh member that is a woven fabric formed by knitting warp yarns 27a and weft yarns 27b, and has an outer peripheral edge at least partially supported by the support plate 24. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the support mesh 27 is adhered to and supported by one surface of the support plate 24 along the entire circumference. The outer shape of the support mesh 27, that is, the portion of the mesh member defined within the opening 24a of the support plate 24 has a side length L2 of 40% or more and 90% or less of the frame 21, for example, a rectangular shape of 190 mm to 280 mm. configured in shape. In this embodiment, as an example, a square having a side length L2 of 250 mm is used. The support mesh 27 is configured to have a lower elongation rate than the main mesh 26. - 特許庁The warps 27a and the wefts 27b of the support mesh 27 are made of metal wires such as stainless steel.

For example, in this embodiment, the elongation rate of the main mesh 26 is greater than the elongation rate of the support mesh 27 . For example, when pulled by a tensile tester, the elongation rate of the main mesh 26 is 1 to 5 times the elongation rate of the support mesh 27 .

The outer shape of the support mesh 27 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the opening 21a of the frame 21, and is formed in a square shape whose dimensions in the X direction and the Y direction are the same. The outer circumference of the support mesh 27 is joined to and supported by the support plate 24 with, for example, a synthetic rubber-based or cyanoacrylate-based adhesive.

The mask film 23 is a layer made of a photocurable resin composition such as PVA, PVAc, silicon resin, acrylic resin, epoxy resin, or the like. The mask film 23 is formed on the mesh portion 22 and arranged on the main mesh 26 inside the opening 24 a of the support plate 24 .

The length of one side of the mask film 23 is, for example, about 30% to 90% of the length of the opening 24a. A predetermined opening pattern 23a for printing is formed in the mask film 23 by maskless exposure. The opening pattern 23a is formed in the main mesh 26 portion. For example, in the effective area A3 of the mask film 23, the opening pattern 23a is formed by arranging a plurality of the same module patterns 23b in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, for example, 30 rows and 40 rows in a matrix. For example, each module pattern is a line pattern with a line width of 20 μm to 50 μm.

In this embodiment, an effective area A3 in which a pattern is formed is defined on the central side of the outer edge of the main mesh 26, and the opening pattern 23a is formed inside the effective area A3. A plurality of alignment marks AM are provided at predetermined locations within the effective area A3 and outside the opening pattern 23a. Alignment marks AM are provided at, for example, eight locations including corners that define a predetermined rectangular area.

The mask film 23 forms a printing portion in which the photosensitive resin does not exist in the opening pattern 23a and the coating material can pass through the holes of the mesh portion 22 from the back surface to the front surface. The portions other than the opening pattern 23a of the mask film 23, where the holes of the mesh portion 22 are closed with the photosensitive resin, form non-printing portions through which the ink as the coating material does not pass.

In a state where the coating material is held in the opening patterns 23a of the mask film 23, the mask film 23 contacts and separates from the printing medium 30 due to the deformation of the mesh portion 22, whereby the coating material is transferred from the opening patterns 23a to the printing medium 30. be.

The support plate 24 is a frame-shaped plate member made of a metal material such as aluminum and attached to the outer periphery of the mesh portion 22 . The support plate 24 is configured, for example, in a rectangular shape with an opening 24a formed in the center. The support plate 24 is attached to the outer peripheral edge of the mesh portion 22 on the back side, that is, to the outer peripheral edge of the support mesh 27 in this embodiment. The thickness of the support plate 24 is about 0.1 mm or more and 5 mm or less, and for example, the thickness is 0.2 mm in this embodiment. The support plate 24 has a rectangular opening 24a with a side length L2 of 190 mm or more and 280 mm or less. The width dimension of the support plate 24 is set to 20 mm or more and 65 mm or less, for example, 35 mm in this embodiment. For example, the extension of the support plate 24 from the frame 21 is larger than the width of the frame 21 .

The inner peripheral edge of the support plate 24 is positioned inside the inner peripheral edge of the frame 21 . Therefore, in the opening 21a of the frame 21, the outer periphery of the mesh portion 22 is adhered to the edge of the opening 24a of the support plate 24 over the entire circumference and supported.

The mesh portion 22 is supported by a support member composed of a frame 21 and a thin plate-like support plate 24 extending from the frame 21 toward the inside of the opening 21a.

The squeegee 13 is made of a material such as urethane rubber, silicon rubber, synthetic rubber, metal, plastic, or the like, and is formed in a thin plate shape, for example. For example, the squeegee 13 is chamfered to reduce the thickness of the tip. The squeegee 13 is configured to be able to reciprocate with respect to the frame 21 . For example, the squeegee 13 is configured to have a length covering the entire region of the mask film 23 in the direction orthogonal to the movement direction. The front end portion 13a of the squeegee 13 is in contact with the back surface of the screen mask 20 and pressed against the front side, and moved in the moving direction along the Y direction, thereby pressing the entire surface of the mask film 23 and filling the coating material in advance. The coating material is extruded to the front side from the opened pattern 23a.

The support means supports the frame 21 in parallel with the print medium 30 with a predetermined gap G1. The moving means moves the squeegee 13 along the first direction at a predetermined speed. Here, G1 is set to 5 mm or less, for example.

Next, a printed matter manufacturing method for manufacturing a printed matter 31 by a screen printing method using the screen printing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. First, the surface side of the screen mask 20 is arranged so as to face the surface of the printing medium 30 held by the holding member 12 .

Then, a high-viscosity paste-like coating material is supplied from the back side of the screen mask 20, that is, from the side opposite to the printing medium 30, and the opening pattern 23a is filled with the coating material.

Next, the squeegee 13 is arranged on the back surface of the screen mask 20, that is, the surface opposite to the printing surface side. At this time, for example, the squeegee 13 is arranged at a predetermined angle θ with respect to the front surface of the print medium 30 . Then, the squeegee 13 is moved along the Y direction at a predetermined speed while pressing the squeegee 13 toward the print medium 30 side with a predetermined printing pressure on the back surface of the mesh portion 22 and the mask film 23 .

The squeegee 13 presses the mask film 23 in a region covering the entire back surface of the mask film 23, for example. By pressing the squeegee 13 , the mask film 23 is deformed so that the pressed portion is displaced to the front side and comes into contact with the printing medium 30 . The coating material passed by the squeegee 13 is pushed out from the opening pattern 23a toward the print medium 30 side.

After the squeegee 13 has passed through, the mask film 23 and the mesh portion 22 are deformed so as to restore and separate from the print medium 30, and part of the coating material is transferred and left on the print medium 30 to be applied and printed. A pattern is printed on the medium 30 and a printed matter 31 is completed. Here, a plurality of the same module patterns are simultaneously drawn as the opening patterns 23a, and the printed matter is cut and divided after printing, thereby manufacturing a plurality of printed matter having the same module pattern. Note that the coating material is, for example, various materials including metal materials and resin materials, and various materials are used depending on the types of objects to be printed, such as electronic components and displays.
During printing, the squeegee 13, which is long in the X direction, is moved in the Y direction by a predetermined amount while being pressed in the Z direction. The mesh portion 22 is deformed and stretched by this movement and pressing.

Here, in the screen mask 20 , the amount of elongation of the mesh portion 22 is the sum of the amount of elongation of the main mesh 26 and the amount of elongation of the support mesh 27 . Here, since the mesh portion 22 is partially supported by the support plate 24 at its outer peripheral edge, elongation and deformation of the outer peripheral edge are suppressed. Therefore, the error between the plurality of alignment marks AM1 on the screen mask 20 and the alignment marks AM2 transferred onto the printed material 31 is reduced.

Further, by setting the gap G1 between the surface of the screen mask 20 and the print medium 30 to 5 mm or less, elongation and deformation during printing are suppressed, and misalignment is reduced.

According to the screen mask 20, the screen printing apparatus 10, and the screen printing method configured as described above, high-precision printing is possible with a simple configuration.

That is, since it is attached and supported by the support plate 24, elongation and deformation of the outer peripheral portion are suppressed, and deviation of the print shape due to deformation of the mesh can be suppressed.

Further, by setting the gap G1 to 5 mm or less, elongation and deformation during printing can be suppressed, and deviation of the printed shape can be suppressed.

In particular, it is suitable for printing by laminating many layers on the same medium. Therefore, for example, it is also suitable for lamination printing in which a plurality of screen masks having different patterns are used to overlap and print a plurality of patterns.

In addition, since the mesh portion is made of a metal material, the tensile strength is increased, so the separation of the plate is improved, and printing with high positional accuracy is possible.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the supporting state of the mesh portion 22 can be adjusted by providing the support plate 24, the existing frame 21 and the mesh portion 22 can be used. That is, by using an existing screen printing apparatus and simply adding a support plate 24 extending inwardly to the frame 21 as a support structure, printing with high positional accuracy can be achieved, so versatility is high. Further, by adjusting the width of the support plate 24 and the gap G1, the support state of the mesh portion 22 can be adjusted. Therefore, the existing frame 21 and screen printer can be used to achieve printing with high positional accuracy.

FIG. 4 shows measurement results of the positional accuracy of the screen mask 20 according to this embodiment and the screen mask A1 according to Comparative Example 1 that does not use a support plate. The screen mask A1 according to Comparative Example 1 has a structure in which a mesh member 122 composed of a support mesh 127 made of synthetic resin and a main mesh 126 made of metal is joined to a frame 121 and does not use a support plate. Other conditions were the same as those of the screen mask 20 .

FIG. 4 shows a screen mask 20 according to the present embodiment, a screen mask 20A according to a modified example, and a screen mask A1 according to a comparative example in comparison with each other in configuration, difficulty of movement, and amount of positional deviation. there is

Here, the positional deviation amount is the average of the errors between the plurality of alignment marks AM1 on the screen mask 20, A1 and the alignment marks AM2 transferred onto the printed material 31. FIG. For example, it is set at an arbitrary position that serves as a mark within the effective area and outside the drawing area in which the aperture pattern 23a is formed. That is, a total of nine points, ie, the four corners defining a square or rectangle, the midpoint thereof, and the center thereof, were set as reference points on design values.

Then, the coordinates of the alignment mark AM1 on the screen mask 20 are detected, and the relative positional relationship with the center point calculated from these coordinates is detected as actually measured outline information. An error was obtained from the positional relationship between the coordinates of the alignment mark AM2 on the printed matter 31 and its center, and the magnitude of this error was taken as the amount of positional deviation.

According to FIG. 4, the screen mask 20 according to the present embodiment has a positional deviation amount of 0 μm to 15 μm, and the screen mask A1 according to Comparative Example 1 has a positional deviation amount of more than 25 μm.
That is, the screen mask 20 according to the present embodiment has little positional deviation between the printing medium 30 and the mask film 23, and has high positional accuracy. Therefore, for example, by stacking a plurality of different printed patterns, it is possible to obtain the effect of improving the overlay accuracy when manufacturing a desired product.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying constituent elements without departing from the gist of the present invention at the implementation stage. For example, in the above-described embodiment, a combination type mesh portion was exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a single type mesh portion 22 made of one type of main mesh may be used. Even in this case, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained. That is, by providing a support plate that supports the mesh portion 22, it is possible to suppress the mesh portion from stretching and to suppress positional displacement. Moreover, by using the mesh part 22 as a metal mesh, the elongation and displacement of the mesh part 22 can be effectively suppressed.

Further, in the above embodiment, the shape of the support mesh 27 is square, but it is not limited to this. For example, even if a rectangular support mesh 27 is used as another embodiment, the same effect can be obtained. can.

Alternatively, the frame 21 and the support plate 24 may be configured integrally, and a part of the frame 21 may integrally have a plate-like extension portion projecting inward.

In the above embodiment, the support plate 24 is arranged on one side of the frame 21, and the mesh part 22 is adhered to one side of the support plate 24. The method is not limited to this. For example, the mesh portion 22 may be adhered to the frame 21 . Alternatively, the frames 21 and the support plates 24 may be stacked in order to sandwich the outer periphery of the mesh portion 22 .

In addition, each component exemplified in the above embodiment may be deleted, and the shape, structure, material, etc. of each component may be changed. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments.
The invention described in the original claims of the present application is appended below.
[1]
A mesh part having a transmission part that allows the coating material to pass through;
a mask film provided in the mesh portion and having a predetermined pattern;
a support member that supports at least part of the peripheral edge of the mesh part;
a frame that supports the outer peripheral portion of the support member;
A screen mask.
[2]
The support member is a plate-shaped support plate,
The mesh portion includes a main mesh having holes through which the coating material passes, and a support mesh configured to have a lower elongation rate than the main mesh and provided on the outer periphery of the main mesh,
The screen mask according to [1], wherein the main mesh and the support mesh are made of a metal material.
[3]
The screen mask according to [1] or [2], wherein the difference between the reference points defined on the mesh portion and the reference points transferred onto the printed matter is 15 μm or less.
[4]
a screen mask according to any one of [1] to [3];
a support for supporting the screen mask and the printing medium;
a squeegee configured to be movable in contact with the surface of the screen mask opposite to the printing surface,
The mesh portion is screen-printed in which the coating material is transferred from the pattern to the printing medium by bringing the mask film into contact with and separating from the printing medium while the coating material is held in the pattern of the mask film. Device.
[5]
[4] The mask film of the screen printing apparatus according to [4] holds the coating material,
The screen mask and the print medium are arranged to face each other with a gap of 5 mm or less;
A method of manufacturing a printed matter, wherein the coating material is applied from the pattern of the mask film to a printing medium arranged to face the surface of the mask film.
[6]
A support member for a screen mask, comprising: a plate-shaped support member that supports a peripheral portion of a mesh portion having a transmission portion through which a coating material passes; and a frame that supports the peripheral portion of the support member.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Screen printing apparatus, 12... Holding member, 13... Squeegee, 14... Support means, 20, 20A... Screen mask, 21... Frame, 21a... Opening part, 22... Mesh part, 23... Mask film, 23a... Opening pattern , 24... Support plate, 24a... Opening, 26... Main mesh, 26a... Warp, 26b... Weft, 26c... Hole, 27... Support mesh, 27a... Warp, 27b... Weft, 30... Print medium, 31... Printed matter , G1 . . . Gap.

Claims (4)

A mesh part having a transmission part that allows the coating material to pass through;
a mask film provided in the mesh portion and having a predetermined pattern;
a support member that supports at least part of the peripheral edge of the mesh part;
a frame that supports the outer peripheral portion of the support member;
with
The support member is a plate-shaped support plate made of a metal material ,
The mesh portion includes a main mesh having holes through which the coating material passes, and a support mesh configured to have a lower elongation rate than the main mesh and provided on the outer periphery of the main mesh,
The screen mask, wherein the main mesh and the support mesh are made of a metal material. 2. The screen mask according to claim 1 , wherein a difference between the reference points defined on the mesh portion and the reference points transferred onto the printed material is 15 [mu]m or less. A screen mask according to claim 1 or 2 ;
a support for supporting the screen mask and the printing medium;
a squeegee configured to be movable in contact with the surface of the screen mask opposite to the surface facing the print medium ,
The mesh portion is screen-printed in which the coating material is transferred from the pattern to the printing medium by bringing the mask film into contact with and separating from the printing medium while the coating material is held in the pattern of the mask film. Device. Holding a coating material on the mask film of the screen printing apparatus according to claim 3 ,
The screen mask and the print medium are arranged to face each other with a gap of 5 mm or less;
A method of manufacturing a printed matter, wherein the coating material is applied from the pattern of the mask film to a printing medium arranged to face the surface of the mask film.

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