Continuous strip precision electroplating mask hot melt inkjet step printing apparatus

Abstract

This utility model relates to the field of electronic manufacturing technology, specifically to a continuous tape precision electroplating mask thermal melt inkjet stepping printing device. It includes a frame module, a servo motion module, a heated dual-circulation ink path assembly, a linear drive assembly, a printhead assembly, a positive and negative pressure air path assembly, and a grating encoder assembly. All components are mounted on the frame module. After the servo motion module positions the tape, the linear drive assembly feeds the tape in steps. Then, the heated dual-circulation ink path assembly performs mask printing. Finally, the cycle resets. This eliminates the need for new mask plates when changing part numbers, minimizes manual intervention, avoids mask material waste, prints only where needed, achieves high precision, and allows for electroplating areas as small as 30µm. It can be used for continuous tape production.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of electronic manufacturing technology, and in particular to a continuous strip precision electroplating mask hot melt inkjet stepper printing device. Background Technology

[0002] To ensure the reliability of high-frequency, high-speed data transmission and the performance of precision electronic equipment, and to prevent corrosion of the contact surfaces of electronic connectors due to oxidation or chemical reactions, the pins of electronic connectors need to be electroplated with precious metals such as gold, silver, and palladium. To reduce production costs, only the contact areas need to be electroplated, which requires patterned electroplating masks. Traditional electroplating mask processes include: manually applying adhesive tape, manually applying electroplating adhesive, or using plastic wheels for spot plating. These processes have drawbacks such as wasting labor, low precision, the need to create mask templates, and difficulty in removing the mask material.

[0003] Based on the above shortcomings, this application adopts inkjet technology for fully digital production, which does not require much human intervention in the production process, eliminates the need for photomasks, and makes the photomask material easy to remove, thereby improving work efficiency and quality. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a continuous strip precision electroplating mask hot melt inkjet stepping printing device, which can achieve fully digital production by adopting inkjet technology, without much human intervention in the production process, without the need for a mask, and makes the mask material easy to remove, thereby improving work efficiency and work quality.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides a continuous strip precision electroplating mask hot melt inkjet stepping printing device, comprising a frame module, a servo motion module, a heated dual-circulation ink path assembly, a linear drive assembly, a printhead assembly, a positive and negative pressure air path assembly, and a grating encoder assembly. The servo motion module, the heated dual-circulation ink path assembly, the linear drive assembly, the printhead assembly, the positive and negative pressure air path assembly, and the grating encoder assembly are all mounted on the frame module. The linear drive assembly drives the stepping motion of the connector stamping strip product. The printhead assembly is mounted on an XYZ three-axis servo module, and micron-level positioning is achieved through the grating encoder assembly.

[0006] The linear drive assembly includes a product platform, a linear motor, and a lifting mechanism. The product platform is used to place the connector stamping strip product; the linear motor drives the connector stamping strip product to move; and the lifting mechanism is disposed on the product platform.

[0007] The lifting mechanism includes a pin lifting cylinder, a pin mounting block, and a material pulling pin. The pin lifting cylinder is fixedly mounted on the product platform; the pin mounting block is mounted on the pin lifting cylinder; and the material pulling pin is mounted on the pin mounting block.

[0008] The linear drive assembly further includes a front clamping cylinder, a rear clamping cylinder, a front support plate, a rear support plate, a rear pressing roller, and a spring. The front clamping cylinder and the rear clamping cylinder are both positioned above the connector stamping strip product. The front support plate and the rear support plate are slidably connected to the connector stamping strip product. The rear pressing roller is mounted on the rear clamping cylinder. The spring is mounted on the rear pressing roller.

[0009] The equipment frame module is equipped with a rear product pressing block, a front product pressing plate, a pressure reducing valve, and a front cylinder pressing block. The rear product pressing block and the front product pressing plate are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the upper surface of the product platform. The pressure reducing valve is located on the equipment frame module. The front cylinder pressing block is located on the front pressing cylinder.

[0010] This utility model discloses a continuous strip precision electroplating mask hot melt inkjet stepping printing device, comprising a frame module, a servo motion module, a heated dual-circulation ink path assembly, a linear drive assembly, a printhead assembly, a positive and negative pressure air path assembly, and a grating encoder assembly. The upper and lower cylinders of the ejector pins raise, causing the material-pulling ejector pin to lock the connector stamping strip product. The front clamping cylinder releases, and the rear clamping cylinder clamps, achieving initial positioning. A linear motor drives the connector stamping strip product to move a step distance, and a spring tensions to eliminate rebound, achieving step feeding. The rear clamping cylinder releases, and the front clamping cylinder clamps, spraying hot melt ink according to a preset pattern to achieve mask printing. The upper and lower cylinders of the fixed ejector pins lower the material-pulling ejector pins, repeating the steps for a reset cycle. This eliminates the need to prepare new mask plates when changing part numbers, minimizes manual intervention, avoids mask material waste, prints only where needed, achieves high precision, and allows for electroplating areas as small as 30µm, making it suitable for continuous strip production. Attached Figure Description

[0011] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the continuous strip precision electroplating mask hot melt inkjet stepper printing equipment according to the first embodiment of this utility model.

[0013] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the linear drag component of the first embodiment of this utility model.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the servo motion module according to the first embodiment of this utility model.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the nozzle assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] In the diagram: 1.0 - Equipment frame module, 1.1 - Connector stamping strip product, 3.0 - Servo motion module, 4.0 - Heated dual-circulation ink circuit assembly, 5.0 - Linear drive assembly, 7.0 - Printhead assembly, 9.1 - Positive and negative pressure air circuit assembly, 9.2 - Grating encoder assembly, 5.5 - Product platform, 5.9 - Linear motor, 5.13 - Ejector pin upper and lower cylinder, 5.11 - Ejector pin mounting block, 5.12 - Material pulling ejector pin, 5.1 - Rear clamping cylinder, 5.2 - Rear clamping roller, 5.3 - Rear support plate, 5.7 - Front clamping cylinder, 5.8 - Front support plate, 5.15 - Spring, 5.4 - Rear product pressure block, 5.6 - Front product pressure plate, 5.10 - Pressure reducing valve, 5.14 - Front cylinder pressure block. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, but should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0018] The first embodiment of this application is as follows:

[0019] Please see Figures 1 to 4 ,in Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a continuous strip precision electroplating mask thermal melt inkjet stepper printer. Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the linear drag component. Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of a servo motion module. Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the printhead assembly. This utility model provides a continuous strip precision electroplating mask thermal melt inkjet stepper printer: including a frame module 1.0, a servo motion module 3.0, a heated dual-circulation ink path assembly 4.0, a linear drive assembly 5.0, a printhead assembly 7.0, a positive and negative pressure air path assembly 9.1, and a grating encoder assembly 9.2. The linear drive assembly 5.0 includes a product platform 5.5, a linear motor 5.9, a lifting mechanism, a front clamping cylinder 5.7, a rear clamping cylinder 5.1, a front material support plate 5.8, a rear material support plate 5.3, a rear pressure roller 5.2, and a spring 5.15. The lifting mechanism includes a pin lifting cylinder 5.13, a pin mounting block 5.11, and a material pulling pin 5.12. The frame module 1.0 is equipped with a rear product pressure block 5.4, a front product pressure plate 5.6, a pressure reducing valve 5.10, and a front cylinder pressure block 5.14. The aforementioned solution addresses the shortcomings of manual tape application, manual electroplating adhesive coating, or plastic wheel dot plating processes, which are labor-intensive, have low precision, require mask fabrication, and have mask materials that are difficult to remove. Understandably, the aforementioned solution can be used for inkjet technology, enabling fully digital production that requires minimal human intervention, eliminates the need for masks, and makes mask materials easy to remove, thereby improving work efficiency and quality. It can also be used to improve printing precision and quality.

[0020] In this specific embodiment, the servo motion module 3.0, the heated dual-circulation ink path assembly 4.0, the linear drive assembly 5.0, the printhead assembly 7.0, the positive and negative pressure air path assembly 9.1, and the grating encoder assembly 9.2 are all mounted on the equipment frame module 1.0. The linear drive assembly 5.0 drives the connector stamping strip product 1.1 in stepping motion. The printhead assembly 7.0 is mounted on the XYZ three-axis servo module and achieves micron-level positioning through the grating encoder assembly 9.2. The equipment frame module 1.0 is a rigid frame used to install various mechanical components. The linear drive assembly 5.0 is used to transport the connector stamping strip product 1.1. The servo motion module 3.0 works in conjunction with the linear drive assembly 5.0 to drive the connector stamping strip product 1.1 to move. X-axis: The servo motor drives the printhead to move laterally, with a stroke of... The Z-axis servo motor fine-tunes the printhead height (0-5mm) to adapt to variations in printhead thickness. The printhead assembly 7.0 is an industrial-grade piezoelectric printhead with a minimum droplet size of 3pL and a maximum ejection frequency of 50kHz. It is used for inkjet printing on the connector stamped printhead product 1.1. The heated dual-circulation ink path assembly 4.0 is used to store ink. The main circulation provides hot-melt ink (melting point 50-80℃) at a constant temperature for ink supply. The secondary circulation features an anti-clogging backflow design with viscosity stability of ±0.5cP to prevent sedimentation. The positive and negative pressure air paths generate a pressure difference, providing +5kPa positive pressure during ejection and switching to -3kPa negative pressure to prevent dripping when ejection stops, thus facilitating ink ejection. The grating encoder is a 5000-line grating ruler with a resolution of 0.1μm, providing real-time feedback on the printhead position.

[0021] The product platform 5.5 is used to place the connector stamping strip product 1.1; the linear motor 5.9 drives the connector stamping strip product 1.1 to move; the lifting mechanism is set on the product platform 5.5, which carries the strip and transmits the driving force of the linear motor 5.9. The product platform 5.5 has a ceramic coating and a friction coefficient of <0.1. The linear motor 5.9 drives the product platform 5.5 to move in a stepping motion along the Y-axis, with a peak thrust of 200N and a repeatability of ±1μm. The lifting mechanism can adjust the height of the connector stamping strip product 1.1.

[0022] Secondly, the ejector pin lifting cylinder 5.13 is fixedly mounted on the product platform 5.5; the ejector pin mounting block 5.11 is mounted on the ejector pin lifting cylinder 5.13; the material pulling ejector pin 5.12 is mounted on the ejector pin mounting block 5.11. The ejector pin lifting cylinder 5.13 controls the lifting of the material pulling ejector pin 5.12. When it rises, it inserts into the connector stamping strip product 1.1, and when it falls, it disengages. The ejector pin mounting block 5.11 is used to mount the material pulling ejector pin 5.12 on the ejector pin lifting cylinder 5.13. The material pulling ejector pin 5.12 inserts into the positioning hole of the connector stamping strip product 1.1 to achieve precise stepping (core positioning component).

[0023] Meanwhile, both the front clamping cylinder 5.7 and the rear clamping cylinder 5.1 are positioned above the connector stamping strip product 1.1; both the front support plate 5.8 and the rear support plate 5.3 are slidably connected to the connector stamping strip product 1.1; the rear pressing roller 5.2 is mounted on the rear clamping cylinder 5.1; and the spring 5.15 is mounted on the rear pressing roller 5.2. The front clamping cylinder 5.7 clamps the starting end of the connector stamping strip product 1.1, providing stable support for the printing section, and is interlocked with the rear clamping cylinder 5.1 to prevent simultaneous release. The front support plate 5.8 supports the starting section of the connector stamping strip product 1.1, maintaining a horizontal reference plane, and has a V-shaped guide groove for alignment. With an accuracy of ±0.05mm, the rear clamping cylinder 5.1 clamps the tail of the connector stamping strip product 1.1 after it has stepped forward, preventing vibration during printing. The rear support plate 5.3 supports the tail of the connector stamping strip product 1.1, preventing it from being suspended and deformed. The rear pressing roller 5.2, driven by the rear clamping cylinder 5.1, presses down on the connector stamping strip product 1.1, increasing the friction between it and the product to prevent slippage. The surface of the rear pressing roller 5.2 is covered with polyurethane. The spring 5.15 releases tension during the stepping of the connector stamping strip product 1.1 and winds up the loose strip during the return stroke, maintaining constant tension.

[0024] In addition, the rear product pressing block 5.4 and the front product pressing plate 5.6 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the upper surface of the product platform 5.5; the pressure reducing valve 5.10 is arranged on the equipment frame module 1.0; the front cylinder pressing block 5.14 is arranged on the front clamping cylinder 5.7, the rear product pressing block 5.4 and the front product pressing plate 5.6 form an upper and lower clamping space, constraining the connector stamping strip product 1.1 to jump in the Z direction, the actuating end of the front clamping cylinder 5.7 directly contacts the connector stamping strip product 1.1 to apply pressure, and the pressure reducing valve 5.10 is used to reduce the pressure of the connector stamping strip product 1.1.

[0025] When using the continuous strip precision electroplating mask hot melt inkjet stepping printing equipment of this embodiment, the upper and lower cylinders 5.13 of the ejector pins rise, so that the material pulling ejector pin 5.12 locks the connector stamping strip product 1.1. The front clamping cylinder 5.7 is released, and the rear clamping cylinder 5.1 is clamped to achieve initial positioning. The linear motor 5.9 drags the connector stamping strip product 1.1 to move a step distance. The spring 5.15 is tensioned to eliminate rebound, realizing step feeding. The rear clamping cylinder 5.1 is released, and the front clamping cylinder 5.7 is clamped to spray hot melt ink according to the preset pattern to achieve mask printing. The upper and lower cylinders 5.13 of the fixed ejector pins lower the material pulling ejector pin 5.12. The steps are repeated to perform a reset cycle, so that switching part numbers does not require the preparation of new mask plates, with extremely low manual intervention, no waste of mask material, printing only where needed, high precision, and the electroplating area can be as small as 30um. It can be used for the production of continuous strips.

[0026] The above-disclosed embodiments are merely one or more preferred embodiments of this application and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application. Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes for implementing the above embodiments and equivalent changes made in accordance with the claims of this application still fall within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A continuous strip precision electroplating mask thermal melt inkjet stepper printing device, characterized in that, The device includes a frame module, a servo motion module, a heated dual-circulation ink path assembly, a linear drive assembly, a printhead assembly, a positive and negative pressure air path assembly, and a grating encoder assembly. The servo motion module, the heated dual-circulation ink path assembly, the linear drive assembly, the printhead assembly, the positive and negative pressure air path assembly, and the grating encoder assembly are all mounted on the frame module. The linear drive assembly is used to drive the stepping motion of the connector stamping strip product. The printhead assembly is mounted on the XYZ three-axis servo module and achieves micron-level positioning through the grating encoder assembly.

2. The continuous strip precision electroplating mask hot melt inkjet stepper printing equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The linear drive assembly includes a product platform, a linear motor, and a lifting mechanism. The product platform is used to place the connector stamping strip product; the linear motor drives the connector stamping strip product to move; and the lifting mechanism is disposed on the product platform.

3. The continuous strip precision electroplating mask hot melt inkjet stepper printing equipment as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The lifting mechanism includes a pin lifting cylinder, a pin mounting block, and a material pulling pin. The pin lifting cylinder is fixedly mounted on the product platform; the pin mounting block is mounted on the pin lifting cylinder; and the material pulling pin is mounted on the pin mounting block.

4. The continuous strip precision electroplating mask hot melt inkjet stepper printing equipment as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The linear drive assembly further includes a front clamping cylinder, a rear clamping cylinder, a front support plate, a rear support plate, a rear pressing roller, and a spring. The front clamping cylinder and the rear clamping cylinder are both located above the connector stamping strip product. The front support plate and the rear support plate are both slidably connected to the connector stamping strip product. The rear pressing roller is located on the rear clamping cylinder. The spring is located on the rear pressing roller.

5. The continuous strip precision electroplating mask hot melt inkjet stepper printing equipment as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The equipment frame module is equipped with a rear product pressing block, a front product pressing plate, a pressure reducing valve, and a front cylinder pressing block. The rear product pressing block and the front product pressing plate are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the upper surface of the product platform. The pressure reducing valve is located on the equipment frame module. The front cylinder pressing block is located on the front pressing cylinder.

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