JPH1086323A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer in which a size of its facility can be reduced in size by shortening conveying and printing times before and after printing and largely improving printing efficiency. SOLUTION: The printer comprises a cylindrical mask 21 rotatable around an axial center as a center and brought into contact with a thin plate 6 of an object to be printed at an outer peripheral side, a squeegee 2 disposed at an inside of the mask 21, and a tension bar 26 as a flat surface forming means for forming a predetermined flat surface part at a downstream side of the mask 21 in a rotating direction from a pressing point of the squeegee 2 by pressing the mask 21. Thus, the mask 21 is printed while rotating it.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for printing on an object to be printed such as a thin plate, and more particularly, to printing by accurately matching a mask and a pattern of the object to be printed, such as when the object to be printed is a printed circuit board. The present invention relates to a printing apparatus that performs the following.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a printing apparatus for printing on a printing object such as a printed circuit board has been required to have many functions so as to be able to cope with a high density of mounting of electronic components, and to improve productivity. There is also a need to shorten the tact time.

[0003] A conventional printing apparatus will be described below. FIG. 7 is a front view schematically showing a conventional printing apparatus. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 1 denotes a mask. A squeegee 2 is pressed against the mask 1 by a squeegee head 3 and is driven by a squeegee driving unit 4 in the Y direction. Reference numeral 5 denotes a viscous material as a printing material, which is pushed into holes of the mask 1 by the squeegee 2. Reference numeral 6 denotes a thin plate as an object to be printed, which is held by a holding unit 7. Reference numeral 8 denotes a positioning unit which moves the holding unit 7 from the loading unit A of the thin plate 6 to the printing unit B.
Is positioned. Reference numeral 9 denotes a camera, which is attached to the XYZ drive unit 10, recognizes the positioning marks 11 and 12 (see FIG. 8) provided on the mask 1 and the thin plate 6, and takes in the position correction information.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a cleaning unit, and a lever 14
To remove the printing residue on the lower surface of the mask 1. Reference numerals 15 and 16 denote conveyors for carrying the thin plate 6 in and out, and reference numeral 17 denotes an inspection machine provided on the conveyor 16 for inspecting a printing state. Reference numeral 18 denotes a dispenser that stocks the viscous material 5 and supplies the viscous material 5 onto the mask 1 when the viscous material 5 on the mask 1 is reduced. It is also possible to measure the amount of the viscous material 5 on the mask 1 by a sensor and automatically supply the viscous material 5 by a dispenser 18 based on a signal from the sensor.

[0005] The operation of the printing apparatus comprising the above components will be described. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the thin plate 6 has been fed to the printing press. When the thin plate 6 is fed, the positioning mark 12 of the thin plate 6 is recognized by the camera 9 and the position of the thin plate 6 is detected. The camera 9 is XYZ by the XYZ drive unit 10.
The positioning mark 11 on the mask 1 is recognized in advance. The accurate printing position of the thin plate 6 is calculated from the two pieces of position information, and the holding unit 7 is moved to the loading unit A.
To the printing unit B for positioning.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing a state in which the viscous body 5 is pushed into the hole of the mask 1 by the squeegee 2 with the holding unit 7 at the position of the printing unit B. When printing is completed, the holding unit 7 descends to the descending position C, and sends out the thin plate 6 to the carry-out conveyor 16. At this time, the printing state is inspected by the inspection machine 17 on the unloading conveyor 16, but in the case of ordinary conveyor conveyance, the feeding speed of the thin plate 6 is not accurate. Inspection is performed while moving at the speed.

FIG. 10 is a side view of the printing machine, showing an outline of the cleaning unit. When the positioning unit 8 is at the position of the loading unit A, the cleaning unit 13
By the swing of 4, the lower surface of the mask 1 is moved while being pressed, and the printing residue is removed. For example, a suction device (not shown) is connected to the cleaning unit 13, and as shown in FIG. 10, the cleaning unit 18 is configured to wipe the roll-shaped cleaning paper 18 while feeding it out little by little.

[0008]

However, in the configuration of the conventional printing apparatus as described above, it takes time to convey the thin plate 6 while positioning it at each place, and it also takes time to perform the positioning before printing and the printing. In each part of the part to be inspected and the part to be inspected, at least a space corresponding to the maximum size of the thin plate 6 is required, and there is a space for at least three thin plates 6 from positioning before printing to inspection. Therefore, there is a problem that the entire equipment of the printing apparatus becomes very large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, in which the transport time before and after printing and the printing time can be reduced, the printing efficiency can be greatly improved, and the size of the equipment can be reduced. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus capable of performing the following.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a cylindrical mask which is rotatable about an axis and abuts on the outer peripheral side with respect to an object to be printed. And a plane forming means for pressing the mask and forming a predetermined plane portion on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the mask from the pressing point of the squeegee by pressing the mask.

According to this configuration, the transport time before and after printing and the printing time can be reduced, the printing efficiency can be greatly improved, and the size of the equipment can be reduced.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to a first aspect of the present invention is directed to a cylindrical mask which is rotatable about an axis and which is in contact with an object to be printed on an outer peripheral side; A squeegee disposed on the inner side, and flat surface forming means for pressing the mask to form a predetermined flat portion on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the mask from the pressing pressure point of the squeegee. By synchronizing the transfer speed of the object and the rotation speed of the mask, printing can be performed while sending the print object, and further, by utilizing the fact that the print object is sent out at a constant speed, an inspection machine is provided on the unloading side. Inspection can be completed as it is if it is provided. In addition, since the structure is such that only a part of the mask is in contact with the printing target, it can be installed in a small space in the feed direction of the printing target.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the squeegee is disposed inside the mask in a position parallel to the squeegee, and can freely contact the mask while maintaining this position. A tension bar as a plane forming means capable of adjusting a distance is provided, and an adjusting means for changing a distance between the tension bar and a printing object is provided. With this configuration, rotation of the mask from a pressing pressure point of the squeegee is provided. A predetermined flat portion can be formed on the downstream side in the direction, and the angle at which the mask is removed when the printing material comes off the mask can be adjusted to an optimum angle, so that printing can be performed satisfactorily.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a first mark serving as a position reference is provided on a mask, a second mark serving as a position reference is provided on an object to be printed, and the first mark and the second mark are provided. A recognition means for reading the mark 2 is provided movably,
The position information of the first mark and the second mark from the recognizing means is arithmetically processed to recognize the respective positions of the mask and the print target, and to start the rotation of the mask, correct the position of the print target, and send the print target. An arithmetic processing unit that determines the timing is provided, and a transport unit that transports the print target while holding the print target at a position and timing according to the instruction of the arithmetic processing unit is provided. With this configuration, the mask and the print target are provided. Printing can be performed by accurately matching the pattern of the object.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning device which is disposed in a position parallel to a squeegee inside a mask and discharges air by contacting an inner peripheral portion of the mask which is not in contact with a printing object. The cleaning squeegee is provided, and a cleaning member is provided which abuts on the mask from the outer peripheral side and cooperates with the cleaning squeegee to remove the residue of the printing material. Since the residue can be removed, high-quality printing can be performed, and time loss for cleaning is eliminated.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a supply means for supplying a printing material to a portion on the inner peripheral side of the mask, which is located upstream of the squeegee abutting portion in the direction of rotation of the mask. Printing can be performed while the printing material is being supplied, and there is no time loss for the printing material.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printing state recognizing apparatus for recognizing a printing state of a printed printing object in synchronization with a transport operation of a transport unit for transporting the printing object while holding the printing object. Thus, the inspection of the printing state can be completed satisfactorily.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. Note that the same reference numerals are given to those having the same functions as the conventional ones. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in this printing apparatus, a cylindrical mask 21 having a cylindrical shape is provided rotatably about a pair of shaft bodies 22 as its axis. The cylindrical mask 21 has elasticity and can be deformed. The cylindrical mask 21 is held by a disk-shaped holder 23 having an outer fitting shaft 23a rotatably fitted on the shaft 22. The outer peripheral portion 23b of the disk-shaped holder 23 to which the cylindrical mask 21 is connected also has elasticity. It can be deformed. A gear portion 23c is formed on one outer fitting shaft 23a of the disc-shaped holder 23, and a drive gear 24c is formed on the gear portion 23c.
a rotating motor 24 with an encoder meshed with a
Accordingly, the cylindrical mask 21 is rotated in a predetermined direction (the direction a in FIG. 1) via the disk-shaped holder 23.

The squeegee 2 is disposed inside the cylindrical mask 21. The squeegee 2 is mounted via a bracket 25 provided between the shafts 22, and although not shown, the squeegee 2 can be adjusted by changing its attitude around the support shaft 2 a of the squeegee 2. The posture and position are adjusted so as to contact the lowermost position.

The bracket 25 has a cylindrical mask 21.
The tension bar 26 is provided as a plane forming means for pressing the pressure. The tension bar 26 is disposed in a posture parallel to the squeegee 2 inside the cylindrical mask 21 and is movable vertically so as to adjust the distance between the tension bar 23 and the thin plate 6 while maintaining the posture. It can be freely contacted with the cylindrical mask 21, and is supported at an appropriate position by adjusting the distance to the thin plate 6 which is a printing target by an actuator (not shown). Then, by pressing the cylindrical mask 21 with the tension bar 26, the cylindrical mask 2 is pressed from the pressing pressure point of the squeegee 2.
A fixed flat portion 21a is formed on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the first motor.

A supply pipe 28 as a supply means is attached to the bracket 25 via an auxiliary bracket 27. The shaft 22 is hollow and a tube (not shown) for supplying the viscous material 5 as a printing material is inserted through the shaft 22, and a supply pipe 28 is connected to the tube. The viscous material 5 as a printing material is supplied to the inner surface of the cylindrical mask 21 at a position upstream of the squeegee abutting position in the mask rotation direction through the shaft 22 and the supply pipe 28. The viscous body 5 is fed by applying a positive air pressure from a supply source (not shown). Instead, a helical delivery screw or the like is provided inside the supply pipe 28 to supply the viscous body 5. The screw may be rotationally driven by a motor or the like and supplied. Further, the shape of the opening of the discharge portion of the viscous body 5 from the supply pipe 28 may be a slit shape, or a plurality of holes may be arranged at equal intervals.

Further, a cleaning squeegee 29 is attached to the bracket 25. The squeegee 29 for cleaning is provided inside the cylindrical mask 21.
, And the air is discharged by contacting a portion of the cylindrical mask 21 downstream of the tension bar 26 in the rotation direction. Further, a cleaning nozzle 30 is disposed so as to face the cleaning squeegee 29 via the cylindrical mask 21, and a roll paper 31 is sandwiched between the cleaning nozzle 30 and the cylindrical mask 21. Cleaning nozzle 3
A suction unit 32 is connected to 0 to suck and remove the residue of the viscous material 5 attached to the cylindrical mask 21. As shown in FIG. 3, the roll paper 31 is sequentially wound in a predetermined direction, and a solvent for dissolving the viscous material 5 is dropped from the dispenser 33 in advance. The suction is performed by the suction unit 32.

The cylindrical mask 21 is provided with a first mark 21b (see FIG. 4 (b)) as a position reference, and each thin plate 6 has a second mark 21 as a position reference. (Not shown) is provided. A recognition camera 34 as recognition means for reading the first mark 21b and the second mark is provided so as to be movable or swingable in the XYZ directions. The recognition camera 34
May be movably provided above the cylindrical mask 21 as shown in FIG. 1, but as shown in FIG.
The first mark 21b of the cylindrical mask 21 and the second mark of the thin plate 6 may be arranged so as to be swingable on the side of the thin plate 6.

The thin plate 6 is held by an XY table 35 as a transport means movable in the XY directions, and the XY table 35 is driven by motors 36 and 37 with encoders and ball screws 38. After the thin plate 6 is carried in by the carry-in conveyor 15, it is held by the XY table 35, moved in the direction b, and delivered to the carry-out conveyor 16.

An inspection device 39 is disposed at a position above the cylindrical mask 21 on the downstream side of the XY table 35 in the direction of conveyance in order to recognize the printing state of the thin plate 6. As the inspection device 39, for example, a line sensor type or a laser scanning type is used.

In this printing apparatus, the motors 36 and 37 for driving the XY table 35, the cylindrical mask 21
Means for adjusting the posture and position of the rotation motor 24 for rotating the motor, the supply device for the viscous body 5, the squeegee 2, the tension bar 26, etc., a cleaning part for the residue of the viscous body 5,
The recognition camera 34, the inspection device 39, and the like are driven while being controlled by a control unit. The control unit includes a storage unit having a storage function and an arithmetic processing unit having an arithmetic processing function (not shown).

In the above configuration, when the thin plate 6 is carried into the XY table 35 and positioned as shown in FIG. 5A, the first mark 21b of the cylindrical mask 21 is read by the recognition camera 34. Is stored in the storage unit of the control means. In addition, the recognition camera 34 is 90 °
It is swung downward to read the second mark for recognition of the thin plate 6. Then, from two pieces of information of the arithmetic processing of the control means,
The position and timing at which the cylindrical mask 21 and the thin plate 6 are fitted are calculated. Based on the calculation processing information, the cylindrical mask 21 is rotated by a rotary motor 24 with an encoder, and at the same time, the thin plate 6 is fed below the cylindrical mask 21 by the XY table 35 while synchronizing with the rotation. The printing state at this time is shown in FIG.

According to the rotation of the cylindrical mask 21, the viscous material 5 is pushed by the squeegee 2 into a hole formed at a predetermined position of the cylindrical mask 21. Is transferred to At this time,
The viscous body 5 comes out of the hole in the mask surface, but the cylindrical mask 21
Is formed with a flat portion 21a, the draft angle is fixed at this portion, and the draft angle at this time is adjusted by the tension bar 26. The printing can be performed in a good state by adjusting the state to an optimum blanking state without breaking.

When the printing is completed, the cylindrical mask 21 is rotated as it is, and the printing squeegee 29, the roll paper 31, the cleaning nozzle 30 and the like remove the printing residue satisfactorily. Here, (c) of FIG.
Indicates a state in which printing has been completed and carried out. The thin plate 6 is fed at a constant speed, and the inspection is continuously performed by the inspection machine 39 at the same time when the printing end surface comes out.

Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B,
A case where the printing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is used and a case where a conventional printing apparatus is used will be compared. In the comparison of the time of the printing process, in the embodiment of the present invention, the printing, cleaning, and inspection are all completed by the time T1 for recognizing the position of the thin plate 6 and the cylindrical mask 21 and the time T2 for sending the thin plate 6. . That is, since cleaning and inspection are performed while printing is performed, the time is shortened. On the other hand, when the conventional printing apparatus is used, the time t1 for recognizing the position of the thin plate 6, the time t2 for sending the thin plate 6 to the printing location, the time t3 for printing, and the time t4 for sending the thin plate 6 to the inspection location. When,
An inspection time t5 and a cleaning time t6 are required. Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, only a part (lower end portion) of the cylindrical mask 21 is in contact with the thin plate 6, so that the thin plate 6 can be installed in a small space in the feed direction of the printing object. 6 requires only a space L1 corresponding to almost two sheets, whereas the conventional printing apparatus requires a space L2 for almost three thin plates 6, and according to the present invention, compared to the conventional printing apparatus. Installation space can be reduced to 2/3. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the productivity of printing, to save space, and to improve the quality.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the printing productivity and realize space saving while printing in a good condition.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the printing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a positional relationship of a cleaning member of the printing apparatus.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are front views of main parts for explaining the operation of a recognition camera of the printing apparatus and a diagram showing a cylindrical mask recognized by the recognition camera;

FIGS. 5A to 5C are front views each schematically showing an operation of the printing apparatus.

FIG. 6A is a front view schematically showing a printing time and a printing space of the printing apparatus, and FIG. 6B is a front view schematically showing a printing time and a printing space of a conventional printing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a conventional printing apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a conventional printing apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing a printing state of a conventional printing apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a main part front view schematically showing a state of cleaning of a conventional printing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Squeegee 5 Viscous material (printing material) 6 Thin plate (printing object) 21 Cylindrical mask 21a Flat portion 21b First mark 22 Shaft (axial center) 26 Tension bar (flat forming means) 28 Supply pipe (supplying means) 29 Cleaning squeegee 30 Cleaning nozzle 31 Roll paper 34 Recognition camera (recognition means) 35 XY table (transportation means) 39 Inspection machine (print state recognition means)

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A cylindrical mask rotatable around an axis and abutting on an outer peripheral side with respect to an object to be printed, a squeegee disposed inside the mask, and pressing the mask. A flat surface forming means for forming a predetermined flat portion on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the mask from the pressing force point of the squeegee. 2. A plane forming means which is disposed inside the mask in a posture parallel to the squeegee, can freely contact the mask while maintaining this posture, and can adjust the distance to the printing object via the mask. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a tension bar for adjusting the distance between the tension bar and the printing target. 3. A first mark serving as a position reference is provided on a mask, a second mark serving as a position reference is provided on an object to be printed, and recognition of reading the first mark and the second mark is performed. Means is movably provided, and the first means from the recognition means is provided.
Arithmetic processing for recognizing the respective positions of the mask and the print target by performing arithmetic processing on the position information between the mark and the second mark, and determining the rotation start timing of the mask, the position correction of the print target, and the sending-out timing The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transport unit configured to transport a print target while holding the print target at a position and timing according to an instruction of the arithmetic processing unit. 4. A cleaning squeegee which is disposed inside the mask in a position parallel to the squeegee and which abuts on an inner peripheral portion of the mask which is not in contact with a printing object to discharge air, is provided on the outer peripheral side. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a cleaning member that contacts the mask and removes a residue of the printing material in cooperation with the cleaning squeegee. 5. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a supply unit that supplies a printing material to a location on the inner peripheral side of the mask upstream of the squeegee contact location in the mask rotation direction. 6. A print state recognition device for recognizing a print state of a printed print target in synchronization with a transfer operation of a transfer unit that transfers the print target while holding the print target. A printing device according to claim 1.