Screen printing apparatus and screen printing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10850498-B2
Application number	US-201816159959-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2018
Priority date	Oct 19, 2017
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

There is provided a screen printing apparatus including: a mask plate on which a plurality of pattern holes are formed; a carrier supporter which supports a carrier which has a plurality of first openings and in which a plurality of workpieces are disposed on the plurality of first openings; a backup unit which has a plurality of workpiece supporters; a raising and lowering unit which lifts up the plurality of workpieces from the carrier and returns the plurality of lifted-up workpieces to the carrier; an aligner which aligns the plurality of workpieces in accordance with arrangement of the plurality of pattern holes; an overlapper which relatively moves the backup unit and the mask plate; and a print head which prints a paste on the plurality of workpieces on the plurality of workpiece supporters through the plurality of pattern holes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A screen printing apparatus comprising:
a mask plate on which a plurality of pattern holes for printing are formed;
a carrier supporter which supports a carrier through which a plurality of first openings vertically penetrate and in which a plurality of workpieces are disposed on the plurality of first openings;
a backup unit which has a plurality of workpiece supporters that support the plurality of workpieces from below and have a size insertable into the plurality of first openings, and which is configured to be raised and lowered to lift up and lower the plurality of workpieces relative to the carrier;
an aligner which aligns the plurality of workpieces lifted up by the plurality of workpiece supporters in accordance with arrangement of the plurality of pattern holes; and
the aligner including a workpiece position detector that images the plurality of workpieces on the plurality of workpiece supporters, detects positions of the plurality of workpieces after being acted on by the aligner, and verifies said alignment relative to the plurality of pattern holes.

2. The screen printing apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the aligner includes
a workpiece position detector which includes a camera that images the plurality of workpieces on the plurality of workpiece supporters, detects positions of the plurality of workpieces by an image obtained by the camera, and detects a positional deviation from an ideal position of each of the plurality of workpieces,
a workpiece pickup unit which picks up at least one of the plurality of workpieces on the plurality of workpiece supporters, and
a workpiece alignment mechanism which relatively moves the workpiece pickup unit and the workpiece supporter in an XYθ direction based on the positional deviation detected by the workpiece position detector.

3. The screen printing apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising:
a moving mechanism which moves the workpiece pickup unit in a space between the mask plate and the carrier supporter.

4. The screen printing apparatus of claim 3 ,
wherein the moving mechanism includes a moving member that moves in a space between the mask plate and the carrier supporter, and
wherein the camera and the workpiece pickup unit are installed on the moving member.

5. The screen printing apparatus of claim 2 ,
wherein the overlapper includes an alignment mechanism that moves the backup unit in the XYθ direction, and
wherein the alignment mechanism functions as the workpiece alignment mechanism.

6. The screen printing apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the backup unit includes a workpiece suctioner that holds the plurality of workpieces under a negative pressure.

7. The screen printing apparatus of claim 6 ,
wherein the workpiece suctioner is configured such that introduction and block of the negative pressure is selectable for each of the plurality of workpiece supporters, and
wherein the aligner aligns the workpieces that correspond to the workpiece supporter in which the negative pressure is blocked among the plurality of workpiece supporters.

8. The screen printing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a mask plate supporter which supports a part of a lower surface of the mask plate when the print head prints the paste on the plurality of workpieces.

9. The screen printing apparatus of claim 8 ,
wherein the mask plate supporter and the plurality of workpiece supporters are installed on a raising and lowering base which rises and lowers relative to the carrier supporter, and
wherein, when the raising and lowering unit lifts up the plurality of workpieces from the carrier, an upper surface of the mask plate supporter protrudes above an upper surface of the carrier.

10. The screen printing apparatus of claim 9 ,
wherein a height of the mask plate supporter is higher than a height of an upper surface of the plurality of workpiece supporters by an amount that corresponds to a thickness of the plurality of workpieces.

11. The screen printing apparatus of claim 8 ,
wherein the mask plate supporter is disposed at a position that corresponds to a second opening which vertically penetrates the carrier.

12. A screen printing method comprising:
arranging a plurality of workpieces on a plurality of first vertical openings of a carrier below a mask plate on which a plurality of pattern holes for printing are formed;
lifting up the plurality of workpieces from the carrier while supporting the plurality of workpieces by a plurality of workpiece supporters by inserting the plurality of workpiece supporters from below through the plurality of first openings;
aligning the plurality of workpieces such that arrangement of the plurality of workpieces lifted up by the plurality of workpiece supporters and arrangement of the plurality of pattern holes match each other;
after the aligning, imaging and detecting positions of the plurality of workpieces on the plurality of workpiece supporters, and verifying the alignment relative to the plurality of pattern holes;
and
a returning step of returning the plurality of workpieces to the carrier by drawing out the plurality of workpiece supporters downward from the plurality of first openings after printing on the plurality of workpieces.

13. The screen printing method of claim 12 ,
wherein the aligning step includes
a workpiece position detecting step of detecting a positional deviation from an ideal position of each of the plurality of workpieces by detecting positions of the plurality of workpieces on the plurality of workpiece supporters,
a workpiece pickup step of picking up at least one workpiece among the plurality of workpieces after completing the workpiece position detecting step, from the plurality of workpiece supporters by a workpiece pickup unit,
a position correcting step of relatively moving the pickup unit and the plurality of workpiece supporters based on the positional deviation detected in the workpiece position detecting step, and
a placing step of placing at least one workpiece picked up by the workpiece pickup unit on the plurality of workpiece supporters, after the position correcting step.

14. The screen printing method of claim 13 ,
wherein it is further determined whether or not the positional deviation detected in the workpiece position detecting step is within an allowable range, and when the positional deviation is within the allowable range, the workpiece pickup step and the position correcting step for at least one workpiece are skipped.

15. The screen printing method of claim 12 ,
wherein, at least during the printing step, a lower surface of the mask plate is supported by a mask plate supporter.

16. A screen printing method comprising:
a carrier carry-in step of disposing a carrier through which a plurality of first openings vertically penetrate and in which a plurality of workpieces are disposed on the plurality of first openings, below a mask plate on which a plurality of pattern holes for printing are formed;
a lifting-up step of lifting up the plurality of workpieces from the carrier while supporting the plurality of workpieces by the plurality of workpiece supporters by inserting the plurality of workpiece supporters from below the plurality of first openings;
an aligning step of aligning the plurality of workpieces such that arrangement of the plurality of workpieces lifted up by the plurality of workpiece supporters and arrangement of the plurality of pattern holes match each other;
an alignment step of relatively moving the plurality of workpiece supporters and the mask plate so as to position the p

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Mantani Masayuki
• Isobata Yoshinori
• Sakaue Takaaki
• Morita Yuusuke
• Tomeoku Shuichi

Classifications

• B41P2215/50

  Screen printing machines for particular purposes · CPC title

• B41F15/26

  for articles with flat surfaces · CPC title

• B41F15/0881 Primary

  for printing on polyhedral articles · CPC title

• B41F15/20

  with suction-operated elements · CPC title

• B41F15/36

  flat · CPC title