A printing plate
By designing a grid line opening structure resembling bamboo joints on the printing plate, the problem of poor ink transfer in metal film printing plates was solved, achieving uniformity and continuity of grid line morphology, and improving printing quality and efficiency.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202522013750.9
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-09-18
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-25
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-09-18
AI Technical Summary
Existing metal film printing plates have poor ink flow properties when printing solar cell grid lines, resulting in uneven grid line morphology.
Design a printing plate structure in which the grid lines adopt a bamboo-joint shaped end opening design, the width of the end opening is not less than that of the middle opening, and it is connected to the middle opening in the length direction of the grid lines. Through the combination of organic film and metal film, the uniform flow of the ink during the printing process is ensured.
It improves the uniformity and continuity of the printing grid lines, reduces the risk of clogging, and enhances printing quality and efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure CN224675699U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of solar cell technology, specifically to a printing plate. Background Technology
[0002] Currently, the main methods for fabricating metal grid electrodes for solar cells are screen printing and metal film printing. Compared with traditional screen printing, metal film printing produces grid lines with better uniformity. However, metal film printing often suffers from uneven grid line morphology due to poor ink flow through the metal holes.
[0003] Therefore, how to design and optimize the structure of metal printing plates to improve ink transfer and uniform grid morphology is an urgent problem to be solved in this field. Utility Model Content
[0004] This utility model aims to solve one of the technical problems in related technologies to a certain extent. To this end, this utility model provides a printing plate.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model discloses a printing plate comprising a metal film with multiple grid line openings. The multiple grid line openings are arranged at intervals along the length direction of the grid lines, and the length direction of the grid line openings is consistent with the length direction of the grid lines. Each grid line opening includes at least one end opening and at least one middle opening. The length directions of the end opening and the middle opening are consistent with the length direction of the grid line openings. The opening width of the end opening is not less than the opening width of the middle opening. The end opening is disposed at at least one end of the middle opening and communicates with the middle opening.
[0006] Furthermore, along the length of the gate opening and near the connected central opening, the end openings show a decreasing trend in opening size along the width of the gate opening.
[0007] Furthermore, the grid opening includes a plurality of end openings and a plurality of central openings, the plurality of central openings being spaced apart along the length direction of the grid opening, and the plurality of central openings corresponding to the plurality of end openings.
[0008] Furthermore, the plurality of said end openings are provided at the same end of the corresponding said central opening.
[0009] Furthermore, the plurality of end openings are disposed at both ends of the corresponding central opening and are symmetrical about the central opening.
[0010] Furthermore, the interval between any two adjacent middle openings corresponding to adjacent end openings is consistent.
[0011] Furthermore, the end opening has an opening size between 1 μm and 100 μm in the length direction along the gate line opening, and the end opening has an opening size between 1 μm and 100 μm in the width direction along the gate line opening.
[0012] Furthermore, the printing plate also includes an organic film, which is stacked on the bottom surface of the metal film. The organic film has an opening area that corresponds to the grid line opening.
[0013] Furthermore, the thickness of the metal film is between 10 μm and 50 μm, and the thickness of the organic film is between 1 μm and 10 μm.
[0014] Furthermore, the printing plate also includes an outer frame and a mesh fabric, and the organic film and the metal film are fixed to the outer frame by the mesh fabric at a set tension.
[0015] The printing plate provided in this application has a grid line opening with a bamboo-like structure. The opening at the end allows for sufficient widening and deformation at the beginning or end of the opening, thereby achieving a uniform effect in terms of the shape and width of the grid lines printed at the end and the grid lines in the middle position. This can improve the problem of ink overflow difference at the discontinuity of the grid line opening in the printing plate.
[0016] These features and advantages of this utility model will be disclosed in detail in the following specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. The preferred embodiments or means of this utility model will be shown in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but are not intended to limit the technical solutions of this utility model. In addition, each of these features, elements and components appearing in the following text and drawings is multiple and is labeled with different symbols or numbers for convenience, but all represent parts with the same or similar structure or function. Attached Figure Description
[0017] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings:
[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of the printing plate provided in this application;
[0019] Figure 2(a) is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the opening of the grid lines in a traditional metal printing plate;
[0020] Figure 2(b) is a schematic diagram of another implementation of the conventional metal printing plate grid line opening;
[0021] Figure 2(c) is a micrograph of the grid morphology formed by conventional metal printing plate printing;
[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of the grid line opening on the printing plate provided in this application;
[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of the grid line opening on the printing plate provided in this application;
[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of the grid line opening on the printing plate provided in this application;
[0025] Figure 6 This is an enlarged schematic diagram of the end opening in this application;
[0026] Figure 7 These are photomicrographs of the grid lines formed by printing plates provided in this application.
[0027] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures
[0028] 1: Printing plate; 2: Metal film; 3: Organic film; 4: Mesh fabric; 5: Outer frame; 20: Grid line opening; 201: End opening; 202: Center opening. Detailed Implementation
[0029] The embodiments of this utility model are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described are intended to explain this utility model and should not be construed as limiting it.
[0030] The terms "an embodiment," "example," or "trademark" used in this specification refer to a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment itself that may be included in at least one embodiment disclosed in this application. The phrase "in an embodiment" appearing in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.
[0031] The inventors of this application have discovered that, in the modern printing industry, metal film printing plates, as a high-precision printing tool, are widely used in various fields, such as electronic component manufacturing, solar cells, flat panel displays, and fine handicrafts. Their excellent precision and durability make them an important choice for meeting high-precision printing requirements. Metal film printing plates are typically composed of a metal film combined with an organic film or other materials to form a screen structure with specific apertures. In the production process of solar cells, different types of screen aperture designs have a significant impact on grid line precision, silver paste utilization, and cell efficiency, determining the overall quality and stability of the printing effect. Although traditional screen printing technology has long been used in the manufacture of solar cell grid lines, its inherent structural limitations and process complexity have led to problems of low manufacturing precision and production efficiency. Therefore, seeking a new screen structure and manufacturing process that can overcome these shortcomings has become a current technological need.
[0032] Currently, existing metal film printing plate structures typically employ various design types, among which fully open structures, non-mesh structures, and mesh structures are the most common applications. These structural types have their own advantages and applicable ranges depending on different printing needs and process requirements. For example, the fully open structure, as shown in Figure 2(a), provides excellent printing results, especially suitable for printing patterns requiring high resolution and fine detail. However, due to its discontinuous orifices, this structure may cause gaps in the pattern, affecting the stability of the printing effect and the integrity of the pattern. Furthermore, it often requires distribution printing with a set of printing plates, increasing printing costs. The non-mesh structure, on the other hand, uses a small orifice design, as shown in Figure 2(b), which ensures pattern continuity and avoids gaps. However, due to the small orifices, it is prone to clogging, especially under high-precision and long-term use conditions, where clogging can affect printing quality.
[0033] While related technologies have made some progress in improving printing accuracy and stability—for example, the industry has proposed a new type of fine grid screen combining a fully open and knotless structure—which improves ink flow and printing smoothness by setting first and second fine grid holes on a steel sheet body, eliminating the need for traditional wire mesh and PI photosensitive film layers. However, this design, despite structural and material optimizations, still faces some challenges. For instance, the fine grid structure still suffers from blurred line edges and insufficient line smoothness, potentially leading to unclear conductive paths and affecting battery performance. Furthermore, the complex hole structure requires high processing precision, increasing manufacturing costs and making consistency control more difficult. Currently, related technologies have not effectively integrated the advantages of fully open and knotless structures, often resulting in unstable printing effects in practical applications.
[0034] To address the aforementioned problems, this application discloses a printing plate 1, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the printing plate 1 includes a metal film 2, which has multiple grid line openings 20. The multiple grid line openings 20 are arranged at intervals along the length direction of the grid lines. The length direction of the grid line openings 20 is consistent with the length direction of the grid lines. Each grid line opening 20 includes at least one end opening 201 and at least one middle opening 202. The length directions of the end opening 201 and the middle opening 202 are consistent with the length direction of the grid line opening 20. The opening width of the end opening 201 is not less than the opening width of the middle opening 202. The end opening 201 is disposed at at least one end of the middle opening 202 and is connected to the middle opening 202.
[0035] Typically, due to the robust connection of the surrounding metal membrane 2, the connection and support for the end opening 201 are stronger, and in some embodiments such as Figures 3 to 5As shown, there is a metal bridge connecting the two adjacent end openings 201. This results in the end openings 201 deforming less under printing pressure. The metal bridge also blocks the ink to a certain extent. As a result, the ink penetration effect is poor in the metal bridge and the opening area around it. The amount of ink penetration will be less in this area. Consequently, when printing continuous grid lines, less grid line ink passes through in this position, resulting in a narrower line width or even grid breakage, causing the grid lines to be discontinuous.
[0036] This application enlarges the end opening 201 relative to the middle opening 202, forming a grid line opening 20 with enlarged ends, resembling a bamboo joint shape. Firstly, the enlarged end opening 201 reduces the effect of the metal film 2 on the opening's deformation inhibition, making the widening deformation of the end opening 201 more consistent with that of the middle opening 202, resulting in a more uniform overall size and morphology of the grid lines. Secondly, the enlarged end opening 201 relatively reduces the obstruction area of the metal bridge, allowing for greater ink penetration around the metal bridge and increasing the size and continuity of the grid lines at the metal bridge. Furthermore, it avoids ink clogging caused by an excessively small grid line opening 20, reducing printing resistance and further minimizing clogging at the ends.
[0037] This application does not impose any special limitation on the specific size of the end opening 201, as long as the width is not less than the width of the middle opening 202. This is because, on the metal film 2 printing plate 1, due to the actual requirements of the grid line arrangement, each grid line opening 20 has sufficient spacing between adjacent grid line openings 20 in the width direction, which can be used to expand the size of the grid line width.
[0038] Along the length of the grid line, adjacent grid line openings 20 are connected only by metal bridges. The width of the metal bridge is generally within a few hundred micrometers. Enlarging the end openings 201 along the length increases the possibility of metal bridge breakage.
[0039] As an optional implementation, the opening size of the end opening 201 in the length direction along the gate line opening 20 is smaller than the opening size of the end opening 201 in the width direction along the gate line opening 20, such as... Figure 6 As shown, L is less than W. This setting avoids excessive ink penetration due to an overly large end opening 201. Furthermore, W in this application is set based on the reduction of the actual grid line width. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 2(c), the width of the actual formed grid line at the metal bridge position is assumed to be W1, the width of the middle grid line is W2, and the set width of the grid line opening 20 is W3. Then W satisfies W = (W2 / W1)*W3, thereby enabling the grid lines printed at the metal bridge location to have a line width approximately consistent with the width of the middle grid line. The dimension of L can be determined based on the distance between the smallest width grid line in the actual formed grid lines and the middle grid line.
[0040] This application does not impose any special limitations on how the end opening 201 communicates with the middle opening 202. As an optional implementation, a gradually narrowing transition shape can be used for communication, such as... Figures 3 to 6 As shown, along the length of the grid opening 20 and near the connected middle opening 202, the end opening 201 shows a decreasing trend in opening size along the width of the grid opening 20. This gradual transition optimizes the ink flow path, allowing the ink to pass through the opening more evenly and smoothly, preventing incomplete ink filling due to sudden narrowing or widening of the opening.
[0041] This application does not limit which side of the grid line the end opening 201 is enlarged on. It can be enlarged on one side or both sides. As an optional implementation, the end opening 201 at any end is symmetrically arranged with respect to the middle opening 202. The symmetrical enlargement makes the printed grid line shape more uniform.
[0042] This application does not impose any special limitation on the size of the gate opening 20, which can be a conventional gate size. As an optional implementation, the opening size of the end opening 201 along the length direction of the gate opening 20 is between 1 μm and 100 μm, and the opening size of the end opening 201 along the width direction of the gate opening 20 is between 1 μm and 100 μm.
[0043] This application does not impose any special limitation on how the above-mentioned grid openings 20 are arranged. For example, they can be used on grid openings 20 with a fully open structure, or on grid openings 20 without mesh knots, as shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(b).
[0044] As an alternative implementation, the grid opening includes multiple end openings and multiple center openings, such as... Figures 3 to 5 As shown, multiple central openings are arranged at intervals along the length direction of the grid line openings, and multiple central openings correspond to multiple end openings.
[0045] This application does not impose a special limitation on the number of end openings provided on the middle opening. The degree of deformation of the opening will be suppressed at the interval position of the adjacent grid line openings. Preferably, an end opening is provided at the printing start point or printing end point of each middle opening, that is, the grid line deformation at the start or end point of each middle opening can be eliminated by the end opening provided by itself or the end opening connected to the previous or next middle opening. Preferably, multiple end openings 201 are provided at the same end of the corresponding middle opening 201.
[0046] As a further preferred embodiment, multiple end openings are located at both ends of a corresponding central opening and are symmetrical about the central opening, such as... Figures 3 to 5As shown, this can minimize the restrictive effect of the edge metal film on the printing opening.
[0047] In some embodiments, for ease of processing, the interval between any two adjacent middle openings corresponding to adjacent end openings is consistent, that is, the dimensions of the metal bridges connected in the printing plate are consistent, which helps to ensure printing consistency.
[0048] As an optional implementation, the printing plate 1 also includes an organic film 3, which is stacked on the bottom surface of the metal film 2. The organic film 3 has opening areas that correspond to the grid line openings 20. The organic film 3 can prevent particulate matter on the battery surface from contaminating or damaging the printing plate 1 during printing.
[0049] This application does not impose specific limitations on the thickness of the organic film 3 and the metal film 2. Preferably, the thickness of the metal film 2 is greater than or equal to the thickness of the organic film 3. A metal film 2 of appropriate thickness can provide sufficient processing space for the grid openings 20, reduce deformation during printing, and provide sufficient rigidity. Preferably, the thickness of the metal film 2 is between 10 μm and 50 μm. The thickness of the organic film 3 is between 1 μm and 10 μm.
[0050] The printing plate 1 also includes an outer frame 5 and a mesh fabric 4. The organic film 3 and the metal film 2 are fixed to the outer frame 5 by the mesh fabric 4 with a set tension. The outer frame 5 is generally a rigid frame, and the mesh fabric 4 is generally a metal mesh.
[0051] The above are merely specific embodiments of this utility model, but the scope of protection of this utility model is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art should understand that this utility model includes, but is not limited to, the contents described in the accompanying drawings and the specific embodiments above. Any modifications that do not depart from the functional and structural principles of this utility model will be included within the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A printing plate, the printing plate (1) comprising a metal film (2), the metal film having a plurality of grid line openings (20), the plurality of grid line openings (20) being spaced apart along the length direction of the grid lines, the length direction of the grid line openings (20) being consistent with the length direction of the grid lines, characterized in that, The grid opening (20) includes at least one end opening (201) and at least one middle opening (202). The length directions of the end opening (201) and the middle opening (202) are consistent with the length direction of the grid opening. The opening width of the end opening (201) is not less than the opening width of the middle opening (202). The end opening (201) is disposed at at least one end of the middle opening (202) and communicates with the middle opening (202).
2. The printing plate according to claim 1, characterized in that, Along the length of the grid line opening (20) and close to the connected middle opening (202), the opening size of the end opening (201) tends to decrease in the width direction of the grid line opening (20).
3. The printing plate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The grid opening (20) includes a plurality of end openings (201) and a plurality of middle openings (202), the plurality of middle openings (202) are arranged at intervals along the length direction of the grid opening, and the plurality of middle openings (202) correspond to the plurality of end openings (201).
4. The printing plate according to claim 3, characterized in that, Multiple end openings (201) are provided at the same end of the corresponding middle opening (202).
5. The printing plate according to claim 3, characterized in that, The plurality of said end openings (201) are provided at both ends of the corresponding said middle opening (202) and are symmetrical about the middle opening.
6. The printing plate according to claim 5, characterized in that, The interval between any two adjacent middle openings corresponding to adjacent end openings is consistent.
7. The printing plate according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The end opening (201) has an opening size between 1 μm and 100 μm in the length direction along the gate line opening (20), and the end opening (201) has an opening size between 1 μm and 100 μm in the width direction along the gate line opening (20).
8. The printing plate according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The printing plate also includes an organic film (3), which is stacked on the bottom surface of the metal film (2). The organic film (3) has an opening area, which corresponds to the grid line opening (20).
9. The printing plate according to claim 8, characterized in that, The thickness of the metal film is between 10 μm and 50 μm, and the thickness of the organic film is between 1 μm and 10 μm.
10. The printing plate according to claim 8, characterized in that, The printing plate also includes an outer frame (5) and a mesh (4), and the organic film (3) and the metal film (2) are fixed to the outer frame (5) by the mesh (4) with a set tension.