JP2014024196A - Screen printing apparatus and method for cleaning screen printing plate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a screen printing apparatus in which a screen printing plate is cleaned without being detached from the printing apparatus, the time for cleaning the screen printing plate is shortened, degradation in production efficiency due to the cleaning of the screen printing plate is suppressed.SOLUTION: The screen printing apparatus includes a screen printing plate provided with ink through-holes for printing, a support part for supporting the screen printing plate by supporting at least a portion of the peripheral edge of the screen printing plate, and a lower cover member for forming a lower space communicating with the ink through-holes under the screen printing plate by coming in close contact with a portion of a lower surface of the screen printing plate while the support part supports the screen printing plate. The lower cover member discharges air from the lower space.

Description

  The present invention relates to a screen printing apparatus and a screen plate cleaning method.

  Electronic circuits of devices for electronic devices such as displays, touch panels, and sensors are manufactured by semiconductor process technology using vapor deposition or photolithography. However, there are problems such as expensive equipment, high energy consumption, and a lot of wasted material. For this reason, in a field called printable electronics or printed electronics, attention is focused on a technique for directly forming an electronic circuit on a film or glass substrate by printing or coating. Among them, the screen printing is widely used because of the advantage that printing and thick film formation are possible on a wide variety of substrates that can cope with printing of a large area.

  When screen printing is used in applications such as electronic circuits, functional ink materials are used and high printing accuracy is required. However, there are changes over time such as the particles contained in the functional ink material aggregate and damage the printing plate, the paste dries on the screen plate and the required printing accuracy cannot be obtained, and the plate is clogged with ink. The time is the limit point for continuous printing. In this case, it is necessary to clean the screen plate.

  For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-230864) discloses a cleaning method in which a plate is erected vertically in a sealed booth and a cleaning liquid is jetted.

  In Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-110499) and Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-255091), the screen plate is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the cleaning tank, and the cleaning liquid is jetted from the nozzle. A method of cleaning by applying ultrasonic waves is disclosed.

  Further, Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-132562) discloses a method of cleaning by providing a sealable cover on a screen printing machine and spraying a solvent in the cover.

JP 2004-230864 A JP 60-110499 A JP-A-6-255091 JP 58-132562 A

  The present inventor has obtained the following knowledge while earnestly studying the method for cleaning the screen plate.

  When the screen plate is removed from the printing apparatus for cleaning, there are problems that all the paste on the screen plate has to be discarded, and it takes time for cleaning and lowers the production efficiency. On the other hand, it is disadvantageous in terms of cost to prepare a plurality of screen plates for the same purpose in order not to reduce the production efficiency.

  Further, when using the cleaning liquid, it is necessary to spray a large amount of the cleaning liquid onto the plate, and since it is necessary to completely remove the cleaning liquid from the screen plate, some drying means is required after rinsing. In addition, when a cleaning liquid is used, the ink removed from the screen plate by cleaning is mixed with the cleaning liquid, so that it cannot be reused or is difficult. Furthermore, some screen plates cannot be used with a cleaning solution in the first place.

  The present invention has been made based on such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a screen printing apparatus capable of cleaning a screen plate on a printing apparatus. A further object of the present invention is to provide a screen plate cleaning method capable of cleaning a screen plate on a printing apparatus.

  The present invention includes a screen plate provided with ink through holes for printing, a support unit that supports at least a part of the periphery of the screen plate and supports the screen plate, and the support unit uses the screen plate. In a supporting state, a lower space communicating with the ink through hole is formed below the screen plate by closely contacting a part of the lower surface of the screen plate (moving below the screen plate). And a cover member, wherein the lower cover member exhausts gas from the lower space.

  According to the present invention, since the screen plate is washed on the printing device, it is not necessary to remove the screen plate from the printing device. Further, since the gas is used for cleaning the screen plate, it is not necessary to dry the screen plate after cleaning. Accordingly, the time required for cleaning the screen plate is shortened, and a decrease in production efficiency due to the cleaning of the screen plate is suppressed. Further, since the gas is used for cleaning the screen plate, the ink collected from the screen plate at the time of cleaning can be reused, and the apparatus required for cleaning the screen plate can be made compact. Further, a screen plate that cannot be cleaned using a cleaning solution can also be cleaned.

  Preferably, the screen printing apparatus includes an ink supply mechanism and / or a squeegee mechanism provided above the screen plate, and the lower cover member does not interfere with the ink supply mechanism and / or the squeegee mechanism during printing. Saved from below the screen version.

  Preferably, the screen printing apparatus has an upper space communicating with the ink through hole above the screen plate by closely contacting a part of the upper surface of the screen plate in a state where the support portion supports the screen plate. The upper cover member is configured to supply gas into the upper space.

  Preferably, the gas is air, nitrogen, or argon, and the pressure of the gas is 0.1 Mpa to 1.0 Mpa.

  Preferably, the screen printing apparatus includes an ink supply mechanism and / or a squeegee mechanism provided above the screen plate, and the upper cover member does not interfere with the ink supply mechanism and / or the squeegee mechanism during printing. Evacuated from above the screen version.

  Preferably, the screen printing apparatus includes a wiper that slides on the lower surface of the screen plate.

  Preferably, the screen printing apparatus includes a mechanism for supplying the ink collected from the lower space to the ink supply mechanism.

  Alternatively, the present invention provides a screen plate having ink through-holes for printing, a support unit that supports at least a part of the periphery of the screen plate and supports the screen plate, and the support unit is the screen. In a state where the plate is supported, a lower space communicating with the ink through hole is formed below the screen plate by moving closely to a part of the lower surface of the screen plate (moving below the screen plate). A screen plate cleaning method for a screen printing apparatus, comprising: a step of forming the lower space by the lower cover member; and a step of exhausting gas from the lower space. This is a method of cleaning a screen plate.

  According to the present invention, since the screen plate is washed on the printing device, it is not necessary to remove the screen plate from the printing device. Further, since the gas is used for cleaning the screen plate, it is not necessary to dry the screen plate after cleaning. Accordingly, the time required for cleaning the screen plate is shortened, and a decrease in production efficiency due to the cleaning of the screen plate is suppressed. Further, since the gas is used for cleaning the screen plate, the ink collected from the screen plate at the time of cleaning can be reused, and the apparatus required for cleaning the screen plate can be made compact. Further, a screen plate that cannot be cleaned using a cleaning solution can also be cleaned.

  Preferably, the gas is air, nitrogen or argon, and the pressure of the gas is 0.1 Mpa to 1.0 Mpa.

  Preferably, the screen printing apparatus includes an ink supply mechanism and / or a squeegee mechanism provided above the screen plate.

  Preferably, the screen plate cleaning method includes a step of removing the ink from the lower surface of the screen plate with a wiper.

  Preferably, the screen plate cleaning method includes a step of supplying the ink collected from the lower space to the ink supply mechanism.

  According to the present invention, since the screen plate is washed on the printing device, it is not necessary to remove the screen plate from the printing device. Further, since the gas is used for cleaning the screen plate, it is not necessary to dry the screen plate after cleaning. As a result, the time required for cleaning the screen plate is shortened, and a decrease in production efficiency due to the cleaning of the screen plate is suppressed. On the other hand, since the gas is used for cleaning the screen plate, the ink collected from the screen plate at the time of cleaning can be reused, and the apparatus required for cleaning the screen plate can be made compact. In addition, a screen plate that cannot be cleaned using a cleaning solution can also be cleaned.

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view schematically showing the screen printing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3A is a schematic view for explaining a screen plate cleaning method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3B is a schematic view for explaining a screen plate cleaning method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing a moving mechanism of the screen plate cleaning box according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a side view schematically showing the moving mechanism of FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing an ink supply mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view schematically showing a wiper mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a side view schematically showing the wiper mechanism of FIG. 7 when the screen plate is wiped.

  1 and 2 are diagrams schematically showing the structure of a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the screen printing apparatus 1 includes a screen plate 10 provided with ink through holes for printing, and a support unit 20 that supports a pair of opposed peripheral edges of the screen plate and supports the screen plate. It has. In the screen printing apparatus 1, a place where the screen plate 10 is installed at the time of printing and printing is performed on the printing material is referred to as a printing unit 1a.

  The ink through hole (not shown) of the screen plate 10 has, for example, a slit shape or a mesh shape, depending on the application.

  In the present embodiment, the support unit 20 supports the screen plate 10 horizontally. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the screen plate 10 may be supported vertically.

  As a feature of the present embodiment, the screen printing apparatus 1 has a lower portion of the screen plate 10 by being in close contact with a part of the lower surface of the screen plate 10 in a state where the support unit 20 supports the screen plate 10. A lower cover member 31 that forms a lower space 311 that communicates with the ink through hole is provided.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the screen printing apparatus 1 further includes an upper part of the screen plate 10 by being in close contact with a part of the upper surface of the screen plate 10 in a state where the support unit 20 supports the screen plate 10. An upper cover member 32 that forms an upper space 321 communicating with the ink through hole is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the lower cover member 31 and the upper cover member 32 are retracted from the printing unit 1a so as not to interfere with the screen plate 10 during printing. Hereinafter, a position where the lower cover member 31 and the upper cover member 32 are retracted during printing is referred to as a retracted position 1b.

  The lower cover member 31 and the upper cover member 32 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

  In this embodiment, the lower cover member 31 is moved from the retracted position 1b to the printing unit 1a in the direction of arrow A (horizontal direction) in FIG. 2 before the screen plate 10 is cleaned. The lower space 311 is formed below the screen plate 10 by being moved in the B direction (vertical direction). In the present embodiment, the length of the lower space 311 is 1500 mm or less, the width is 1000 mm or less, and the height is 300 mm or less. The lower cover member 31 is provided with an exhaust blower 312 that exhausts gas from the lower space 311, and ink that collects ink discharged from the lower space 311 between the exhaust blower 312 and the lower space 311. A recovery filter 313 is provided.

  The lower cover member 31 has a suction nozzle 314 inside. Thus, the ink on the screen plate 10 can be sucked when the exhaust blower 312 exhausts. Specifically, the suction nozzle 314 can be constituted by, for example, a perforated pipe or a perforated plate.

  In the present embodiment, the upper cover member 32 is moved from the retracted position 1b to the printing unit 1a in the arrow A direction (horizontal direction) before the screen plate 10 is cleaned, and in the printing unit 1a, the arrow B direction (vertical direction). The upper space 321 is formed above the screen plate 10. In the present embodiment, the length of the upper space 321 is 1500 mm or less, the width is 1000 mm or less, and the height is 300 mm or less. The upper cover member 32 is provided with an air supply blower 322 that supplies gas into the upper space 321. Accordingly, a gas flow in the direction of arrow D (vertical direction) in FIG. 3B can be generated from the upper space 321 to the lower space 311, and ink clogged in the ink through holes of the screen plate 10 is pushed out to the lower space 311. Can be done. The gas supplied by the air supply blower 322 is, for example, air, nitrogen, argon, or the like. The air supply blower 322 may supply pressurized gas. In this case, the pressure of the pressurized gas is, for example, 0.1 Mpa to 1.0 Mpa.

  The upper cover member 32 of the present embodiment includes an outlet nozzle 323 inside. Thereby, the gas supplied from the air supply blower 322 can be dispersed on the upper surface of the screen plate 10.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the moving mechanism of the lower cover member 31 and the upper cover member 32 in this Embodiment is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the screen printing apparatus 1 has a pair of upper guide rails 61 on both the left and right sides of the printing unit 1a (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). The pair of upper guide rails 61 extend so as to cover an area from the retracted position 1b of the upper cover member 32 to the printing unit 1a.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the screen printing apparatus 1 has a pair of lower guide rails 62 on both the left and right sides of the printing unit 1a (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). The pair of lower guide rails 62 extends so as to cover the region from the retracted position 1b of the lower cover member 31 to the printing unit 1a.

  The upper cover member 32 is provided with a suspension support member 63 that suspends and supports the upper cover member 32 from the upper guide rail 61. The lower cover member 31 is placed on the lower guide rail 62, but may be suspended from the lower guide rail 62 by a suspension support member.

  The printing apparatus 1 includes a drive mechanism that moves the lower cover member 31 and the upper cover member 32 along the upper and lower guide rails 61 and 62. However, the lower cover member 31 and the upper cover member 32 may be manually moved from the retracted position 1b to the printing unit 1a along the upper and lower guide rails 61 and 62.

  In the screen printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, an air cylinder 64 is provided between the upper cover member 32 and the suspension support member 63. The air cylinder 64 has a function of moving the upper cover member 32 in the direction of arrow C (vertical direction) so as to be in close contact with the screen plate 10.

  In the screen printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, an air cylinder 65 is provided between the lower cover member 31 and the lower guide rail 62. The air cylinder 65 has a function of moving the lower cover member 31 in the direction of the arrow B (vertical direction) so as to be in close contact with the screen plate 10.

  In the screen printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, a surface plate 40 is provided in the printing unit 1a, and a printing material is placed on the surface plate 40 for printing.

  Further, the screen printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a squeegee mechanism 50. The squeegee mechanism 50 applies ink supplied to one side of the screen plate 10 so as to be uniform in the surface, and slides on the screen plate 10 installed in the printing unit 1a. It has become.

  The screen printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment further includes an ink supply mechanism 70 that supplies ink onto the screen plate 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the ink supply mechanism 70 includes an ink supply tank 71, a pump 72, and a nozzle 73. The ink stored in the ink supply tank 71 is sucked up by the pump 72 to the nozzle 73. The nozzle 73 is supplied onto the screen plate 10.

  The screen printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment further includes a recovered ink supply mechanism (not shown). The recovered ink supply mechanism supplies the ink recovered by the lower cover member and the ink recovery filter 313 to the ink supply mechanism 70. It supplies to the tank 71 for supply.

  Here, the retracted position 1 b of the lower cover member 31 and the upper cover member 32 is set to a position where the lower cover member 31 and the upper cover member 32 do not interfere with the squeegee mechanism 50 and / or the ink supply mechanism 70.

  Further, the screen printing apparatus 1 includes a wiper mechanism 80 that wipes ink adhering to the lower surface of the screen plate 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the wiper mechanism 80 includes a wiper 81 and a wiper transport unit 82, and the wiper 81 can be moved by the wiper transport unit 82. The wiper mechanism 80 is retracted from the printing unit 1a so as not to interfere with the screen plate 10 during printing (see FIG. 5), but is moved to the printing unit 1a as needed during cleaning (see FIG. 8). In 1a, the ink is slid on the lower surface of the screen plate 10 to wipe the ink adhering to the lower surface of the screen plate 10. Further, the wiper mechanism 80 includes a wiper cleaning unit 83, and the wiper 81 soiled with ink is cleaned by the wiper cleaning unit 83.

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described.

  First, at the time of printing, the screen plate 10 is supported by the printing unit 1 a by the support unit 20, and the substrate is placed on the surface plate 40. At this time, the lower cover member 31 and the upper cover member 32 are retracted to the retracted position 1b. The wiper mechanism 80 is also retracted from the printing unit 1a. In this situation, ink is supplied to the upper surface of the screen plate 10 by the ink supply mechanism 70 and the squeegee machine 50 and is applied. The ink applied to the upper surface of the screen plate 10 passes through the ink through holes and adheres to the printing material, whereby a desired pattern is printed. When printing is completed, the substrate is removed from the surface plate 40, a new substrate is placed on the surface plate 40, ink is again applied to the upper surface of the screen plate 10, and printing is repeated.

  If printing on the substrate is repeated, the particles contained in the functional ink aggregate to damage the screen plate 10, the ink is dried on the screen plate 10, and the required printing accuracy cannot be obtained. Ink is clogged in the ink through hole of the plate 10. Before this happens, the screen plate 10 needs to be cleaned.

  When the screen plate 10 needs to be cleaned, the lower cover member 31 and the upper cover member 32, which have been retracted at the retracted position 1b, are moved from the retracted position 1b to the printing unit 1a on the upper and lower guide rails 61 and 62, respectively. To the arrow A direction (horizontal direction). In the printing unit 1 a, the lower cover member 31 and the upper cover member 32 are moved in the directions of arrows B and C (vertical directions) by the air cylinders 64 and 65 and are in close contact with the lower surface and the upper surface of the screen plate 10. Thereby, a lower space 311 and an upper space 321 are formed below and above the screen plate 10.

  Thereafter, gas is supplied from the air supply blower 322 to the upper space 321, the air in the upper space 321 is moved in the direction of arrow D, and the ink in the ink through hole of the screen plate 10 is pushed out to the lower space 311. Thus, the screen plate 10 is washed. The gas and ink in the lower space 311 are discharged from the lower space 311 by the exhaust blower 312.

  The ink discharged from the lower space 311 is recovered through the ink recovery filter 313 and the suction nozzle 314. The recovered ink is supplied to the ink supply tank 71 by the recovered ink supply mechanism 70 and reused.

  If the ink cannot be sufficiently removed by one cleaning, the upper cover member 32 is returned to the retracted position 1b, and the squeegee mechanism 50 is used to smooth out the ink still remaining on the screen plate 10. It is preferable to clean the screen plate 10 again. Ink adhering to the lower surface of the screen plate 10 is wiped by moving the wiper mechanism 80 to the printing unit 1a and sliding the wiper 81 on the lower surface of the screen plate 10 when the lower cover member 31 is retracted. .

  Note that the screen printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment only needs to include the exhaust-side cover member (the lower cover member 31 in the present embodiment), and therefore the upper cover member 32 may not be included.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Screen printer 1a Printing part 1b Retreat position 10 Screen plate 20 Support part 31 Lower cover member 32 Upper cover member 40 Surface plate 50 Squeegee mechanism 61 Upper guide rail 62 Lower guide rail 63 Suspension support member 64 Air cylinder 65 Air cylinder 70 Ink Supply mechanism 71 Ink supply tank 72 Pump 73 Nozzle 80 Wiper mechanism 81 Wiper 82 Wiper transport mechanism 83 Wiper cleaning unit 311 Lower space 312 Exhaust blower 313 Ink recovery filter 314 Suction nozzle 321 Upper space 322 Air supply blower 323 Blowout nozzle

Claims (13)

A screen plate provided with ink through holes for printing; and
A support portion that supports at least a part of the periphery of the screen plate and supports the screen plate;
A lower cover member that forms a lower space communicating with the ink through hole below the screen plate by being in close contact with a part of the lower surface of the screen plate in a state where the support portion supports the screen plate; ,
With
The screen printing apparatus, wherein the lower cover member exhausts gas from the lower space. The screen printing apparatus includes an ink supply mechanism and / or a squeegee mechanism provided above the screen plate,
The screen printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower cover member is retracted from below the screen plate so as not to interfere with an ink supply mechanism and / or a squeegee mechanism during printing. In the state where the support portion supports the screen plate, the screen printing apparatus has an upper space communicating with the ink through hole above the screen plate by being in close contact with a part of the upper surface of the screen plate. Including an upper cover member to be formed,
The screen printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper cover member supplies gas into the upper space. The screen printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the gas is air, nitrogen, or argon, and the pressure of the gas is 0.1 Mpa to 1.0 Mpa. The screen printing apparatus includes an ink supply mechanism and / or a squeegee mechanism provided above the screen plate,
5. The screen printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the upper cover member is retracted from above the screen plate so as not to interfere with an ink supply mechanism and / or a squeegee mechanism during printing. The screen printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the screen printing apparatus includes a wiper that slides on a lower surface of the screen plate. The screen printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the screen printing apparatus includes a mechanism for supplying ink collected from the lower space to the ink supply mechanism. A screen plate provided with ink through holes for printing; and
A support portion that supports at least a part of the periphery of the screen plate and supports the screen plate;
A lower cover member that forms a lower space communicating with the ink through hole below the screen plate by being in close contact with a part of the lower surface of the screen plate in a state where the support portion supports the screen plate; ,
A screen plate cleaning method for a screen printing apparatus comprising:
Forming the lower space with the lower cover member;
Exhausting gas from within the lower space;
A screen plate cleaning method comprising: In the state where the support portion supports the screen plate, the screen printing apparatus has an upper space communicating with the ink through hole above the screen plate by being in close contact with a part of the upper surface of the screen plate. Including an upper cover member to be formed,
The screen plate cleaning method includes the step of forming the upper space by the upper cover member;
The screen plate cleaning method according to claim 8, wherein the screen plate cleaning method includes a step of supplying a gas into the upper space. 10. The screen plate cleaning method according to claim 9, wherein the gas is air, nitrogen, or argon, and the pressure of the gas is 0.1 Mpa to 1.0 Mpa. 11. The screen plate cleaning method according to claim 8, wherein the screen printing apparatus includes an ink supply mechanism and / or a squeegee mechanism provided above the screen plate. 12. The screen plate cleaning method according to claim 8, wherein the screen plate cleaning method includes a step of removing the ink from the lower surface of the screen plate with a wiper. The screen plate cleaning method according to claim 8, wherein the screen plate cleaning method includes a step of supplying ink collected from the lower space to the ink supply mechanism.

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