Screen printing apparatus and screen printing method using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9393774-B2
Application number	US-201313968187-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2013
Priority date	May 13, 2013
Publication date	Jul 19, 2016
Grant date	Jul 19, 2016

Abstract

A screen printing apparatus includes a print screen including a printed pattern through which an ink passes, a scraper that coats the ink on the print screen, a squeegee that makes contact with the print screen and pushes out the ink through the printed pattern. A control unit may control a transfer of the scraper. After the ink is coated on the print screen, a lower portion of the scraper is transferred to a direction, in which the squeegee is disposed, by the control unit and disposed on the squeegee. The apparatus helps avoid uneven distribution of that could result in undesirable “stains” on a substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A screen printing apparatus comprising:
a print screen including a print area through which ink passes;
a scraper that provides the ink to the print screen; and
a squeegee that contacts the print screen and pushes the ink through the print area, the squeegee having a first side which faces the print screen and a second side which is opposite to the first side;
wherein a lower portion of the scraper is disposed on the second side to overlap with the squeegee after the ink is coated on the print screen.

2. The screen printing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising first and second transfer units that move the scraper and the squeegee in an upper direction, a lower direction, a first direction, and a second direction opposite to the first direction in response to a signal from a control unit.

3. The screen printing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the scraper and the squeegee extend in a third direction crossing the first direction and are arranged to be spaced apart from each other, the first transfer unit is disposed at one end of the scraper and one end of the squeegee, and the second transfer unit is disposed at the other end of the scraper and the other end of the squeegee.

4. The screen printing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the scraper and the squeegee are disposed at one end of the print screen by the first and second transfer units, the scraper is transferred in the lower direction to be disposed adjacent to the print screen by the first and second transfer units and the squeegee is transferred in the upper direction by the first and second transfer units.

5. The screen printing apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising:
a body;
a first frame supporter disposed on one upper end of the body;
a second frame supporter disposed on the other upper end of the body;
first and second frames extending in the first direction and arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance; and
third and fourth frames extending in the third direction and arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance,
wherein one end of the first frame, one end of the second frame, and the third frame are disposed on the first frame supporter, the other one end of the first frame, the other one end of the second frame, and the fourth frame are disposed on the second frame supporter, the third frame is disposed between the one end of the first frame and the one end of the second frame, and the fourth frame is disposed between the other one end of the first frame and the other one end of the second frame.

6. The screen printing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the print screen is disposed between the first frame supporter and the second frame supporter and between the first, second, third, and fourth frames.

7. The screen printing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first transfer unit comprises:
a first horizontal transfer part connected to an inner side surface of the first frame to move back and forth along the first direction and the second direction;
a first support part connected to an upper portion of the one end of the scraper and a lower portion of the first horizontal transfer part;
a first vertical transfer part connected to an upper portion of the first horizontal transfer part to transfer the first support part to the upper and lower directions;
a second support part connected to an upper portion of the one end of the squeegee and the lower portion of the first horizontal transfer part; and
a second vertical transfer part connected to the upper portion of the first horizontal transfer part to transfer the second support part to the upper and lower directions.

8. The screen printing apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the second transfer unit comprises:
a second horizontal transfer part connected to an inner side surface of the second frame to move back and forth along the first direction and the second direction;
a third support part connected to an upper portion of the other one end of the scraper and a lower portion of the second horizontal transfer part;
a third vertical transfer part connected to an upper portion of the second horizontal transfer part to transfer the third support part to the upper and lower directions;
a fourth support part connected to an upper portion of the other one end of the squeegee and the lower portion of the second horizontal transfer part; and
a fourth vertical transfer part connected to the upper portion of the second horizontal transfer part to transfer the fourth support part to the upper and lower directions.

9. The screen printing apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the scraper comprises:
a first scraper unit connected to the first support part and the third support part and extending in the lower direction;
a second scraper unit connected to a lower portion of the first scraper unit and extending in the lower direction; and
a rotation unit connected to an upper portion of the second scraper unit, and the ink is provided onto the print screen through a nozzle formed on a lower portion of the second scraper unit.

10. The screen printing apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the squeegee comprises:
a first squeegee unit connected to the first support part and the third support part and extending in the lower direction; and
a second squeegee unit connected to a lower portion of the first squeegee unit and inclined at a predetermined angle while extending in the lower direction, and a lower portion of the second squeegee unit is disposed to be bent to a direction in which the scraper is disposed.

11. The screen printing apparatus of claim 10 , wherein, after the ink is deposited on the print screen, the first and second scraper units are transferred in the upper direction by the first and second transfer units, the first and second squeegee units are transferred in the lower direction by the first and second transfer units, the second squeegee unit makes contact with the print screen, the rotation unit rotates the second scraper unit to form a predetermined angle with respect to the second squeegee unit, and the lower portion of the second scraper unit is disposed on an upper portion of the second squeegee unit.

12. The screen printing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the scraper and the squeegee are transferred to the other end of the print screen along the first direction by the first and second transfer units and the scraper deposits the ink on the print screen while being transferred along the first direction by the first and second transfer units.

13. The screen printing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein, after the ink is deposited on the print screen, the scraper is transferred in the upper direction at the other one end of the print screen by the first and second transfer units, the squeegee is transferred to the lower direction at the other one end of the print screen by the first and second transfer units to make contact with the print screen, and the lower portion of the scraper is transferred to the direction, in which the squeegee is disposed, by the control unit to be disposed on the squeegee.

14. The screen printing apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the scraper and the squeegee are transferred to the one end of the print screen along the second direction by the first and second transfer units, the squeegee is transferred along the second direction to push out the deposited ink, and the ink passes through the print area.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Sung Woo

Classifications

• B41F15/423

  Driving means for reciprocating squeegees · CPC title

• B41F15/42 Primary

  comprising squeegees or doctors · CPC title

• B41F15/46

  with two or more operative parts · CPC title

• B41F15/0881

  for printing on polyhedral articles · CPC title

• B41F15/0818

  with a stationary screen and a moving squeegee · CPC title