Mask cleaner, screen printing device

Abstract

To provide: a mask cleaner preventing such a situation that a blade is separated from a base body due to stickiness of paste remaining on the undersurface of the blade: a screen printing method: and a screen printing method.SOLUTION: A mask cleaner 16 installed on a screen printing device and scraping paste sticking to the undersurface of a mask includes: a base body 61 which moves in a paste scraping direction parallel to the mask below the mask; a blade 62 which extends in a horizontal direction as a longitudinal direction intersecting with the paste scraping direction, the edges at both end parts and the lower side of which are supported by the base body 61, and the upside edge of which is made to come in contact with the undersurface of the mask as a paste scraping edge 62E; a pair of pressing members 63 which are mounted on the base body 61 and press both end parts in the longitudinal direction of the blade 62 from above; and a blade fixing tool 65 which is attached to the base body 61 and fixes an intermediate part in the longitudinal direction of the blade 62 to the base body 61.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mask cleaner provided in a screen printing apparatus that prints a paste on a substrate through a mask, and to a screen printing apparatus provided with this mask cleaner. [Background technology]

[0002] A screen printing apparatus brings a mask into contact with a substrate and prints paste onto the substrate through pattern holes formed in the mask. In such a screen printing apparatus, the paste is periodically scraped off from the underside of the mask to be cleaned, so as not to deteriorate the printing quality on the subsequent substrate.

[0003] A mask cleaner used for cleaning a mask includes a base body that moves below the mask in a direction parallel to the mask (referred to as the paste scraping direction), and a cleaning member that is attached to the base body and abuts against the underside of the mask. Conventionally, cleaning members have generally been made of paper (cleaning paper), but there are also known cleaning members that use a spatula-shaped resin blade (for example, see Patent Document 1 below). In the mask cleaner described in Patent Document 1, both longitudinal ends and the lower edge of the blade are supported by the base body, and both ends are pressed down from above by a pair of pressing members attached to the base body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-155674 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the mask cleaner described in Patent Document 1, when the paste adhering to the underside of the mask is removed and the base body is moved below the mask to separate the blade from the underside of the mask, the adhesiveness of the paste remaining on the underside of the mask pulls the resin blade upwards on the base body, deforming the blade so that the middle part is lifted, causing both ends to slip out from the pair of pressure members to the inside (the sides where the pressure members face each other), and there is a risk that the blade will separate from the base body.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS The present invention aims to provide a mask cleaner and a screen printing apparatus that can prevent the blade from being separated from the base body due to the stickiness of the paste remaining on the underside of the blade. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The mask cleaner of the present invention is provided in a screen printing device that prints paste on a substrate through a mask, and is a mask cleaner that scrapes off paste adhering to an underside of the mask, and includes a base body that moves below the mask in a paste scraping direction parallel to the mask, a plurality of blades that extend with their longitudinal direction being a horizontal direction intersecting the paste scraping direction, with their lower edges supported by the base body and their upper edges abutting the underside of the mask as paste scraping edges, and protrusions formed to protrude outward in the longitudinal direction of each of the plurality of blades. Since each of the plurality of blades has a vertically symmetrical shape, any one of the first edge and the second edge positioned opposite to each other in the vertical direction can be used as the paste scraping edge. . Another mask cleaner of the present invention is provided in a screen printing apparatus which prints paste on a substrate through a mask, and is a mask cleaner which scrapes off paste adhering to the underside of the mask, and comprises a base body which moves below the mask in a paste scraping direction parallel to the mask, a plurality of blades which extend with their longitudinal direction being a horizontal direction which intersects the paste scraping direction, and whose lower edges are supported by the base body and whose upper edges abut the underside of the mask as paste scraping edges, and protrusions formed to protrude outward in the longitudinal direction of each of the plurality of blades, and the protrusions have a convex shape which is symmetrical vertically.

[0008] The screen printing apparatus of the present invention is a screen printing apparatus including a print head that prints paste on a substrate through a mask, and a mask cleaner that scrapes off paste adhering to the underside of the mask, the mask cleaner including a base body that moves below the mask in a paste scraping direction parallel to the mask, a plurality of blades that extend with their longitudinal direction being a horizontal direction intersecting the paste scraping direction, with their lower edges supported by the base body and their upper edges abutting the underside of the mask as paste scraping edges, and protrusions formed to protrude outward in the longitudinal direction of each of the plurality of blades. Since each of the plurality of blades has a vertically symmetrical shape, any one of the first edge and the second edge positioned opposite to each other in the vertical direction can be used as the paste scraping edge. . Another screen printing device of the present invention is a screen printing device comprising a print head which prints paste on a substrate through a mask, and a mask cleaner which scrapes off paste adhering to the underside of the mask, the mask cleaner comprising a base body which moves below the mask in a paste scraping direction parallel to the mask, a plurality of blades which extend with their longitudinal direction being a horizontal direction which intersects the paste scraping direction, with their lower edges supported by the base body and their upper edges abutting the underside of the mask as paste scraping edges, and protrusions formed to protrude outward in the longitudinal direction of each of the plurality of blades, the protrusions having a convex shape which is symmetrical vertically. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the blade from being separated from the base body due to the stickiness of the paste remaining on the lower surface of the mask. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a side view of a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a mask cleaner provided in a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a mask. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mask cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 5] FIG. 3 is a plan view of a mask cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a mask cleaner and a moving base according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a base body of a mask cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a block member constituting a base body of the mask cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a block member constituting a base body of the mask cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a base body of a mask cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a side view of a blade of a mask cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a portion of a mask cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 13] 1A and 1B are enlarged cross-sectional views of a portion of a mask cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a mask cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a mask cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a blade fixing device provided in a mask cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2B is an exploded perspective view of the blade fixing device; [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the mask cleaner according to the embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 18] (a) and (b) are side end views of a mask cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a mask cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2B is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the mask cleaner; [Figure 20] 1A and 1B are side cross-sectional views of a mask cleaner illustrating a procedure for attaching a blade fixing device to a base body of the mask cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a mask cleaner and a moving base according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the operation of a screen printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 23] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which the underside of a mask is being cleaned by a mask cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 24]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which the underside of a mask is being cleaned by a mask cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 show a screen printing apparatus 1 in one embodiment of the present invention. The screen printing apparatus 1 is an apparatus that carries in a substrate KB supplied from an upstream process side, prints a paste Pst such as solder on each of a plurality of lands LD provided on the surface of the substrate KB, and carries it out to a downstream process side. For convenience of explanation, the front-to-rear direction of the screen printing apparatus 1 as seen from the worker OP is the Y-axis direction, the left-to-right direction (the conveying direction of the substrate KB) as seen from the worker OP is the X-axis direction, and the up-down direction is the Z-axis direction. In addition, in the Y-axis direction, the front side as seen from the worker OP is the front, and the back side as seen from the worker OP is the rear.

[0012] 1 and 2, the screen printing apparatus 1 includes a base 11, a stage 12, a mask 13, a print head 14, a camera 15, and a mask cleaner 16. The stage 12 is provided on the base 11, and the mask 13 is installed above the stage 12. The print head 14 is provided above the mask 13 so as to be movable horizontally. The camera 15 and the mask cleaner 16 are provided so as to be movable horizontally back and forth relative to the area between the stage 12 and the mask 13.

[0013] 2, the stage 12 is made up of a substrate holder 21 and a holder movement mechanism 22. The substrate holder 21 is equipped with a pair of transport conveyors 31 for transporting substrates arranged parallel to each other in the Y-axis direction, a lower support portion 32 for supporting the lower surface of the substrate KB transported by the transport conveyors 31, and a pair of clampers 33 arranged above the pair of transport conveyors 31 and capable of being opened and closed in the Y-axis direction.

[0014] The substrate holding unit 21 receives the substrate KB by the transport conveyor 31 and transports it to a predetermined position. The lower support unit 32 supports the substrate KB transported to the predetermined position by the transport conveyor 31 from below. A pair of clampers 33 clamp both ends of the substrate KB supported by the lower support unit 32 from the sides. The holder movement mechanism 22 is composed of a Cartesian coordinate table mechanism or the like, and moves the substrate holding unit 21 holding the substrate KB in the XY plane, in the Z-axis direction, and in the direction around the Z-axis.

[0015] 1 and 2, the mask 13 has a rectangular shape extending in the XY plane. The mask 13 is made of a metal plate-like member, and is supported by a frame 13W whose four sides are rectangular. In the center of the mask 13, a pattern hole 13H is provided that is formed to correspond to the arrangement of the lands LD of the substrate KB.

[0016] 1 and 2, the print head 14 is equipped with two squeegees 42 below a head base 41 that is shaped to extend in the X-axis direction. The two squeegees 42 are made of spatula-shaped members that extend in the X-axis direction and are arranged opposite each other in the Y-axis direction. A squeegee lift drive unit 43 that raises and lowers the two squeegees 42 individually is provided on the top surface of the head base 41. The head base 41 moves back and forth in the Y-axis direction above the mask 13 by the operation of a print head moving mechanism 44 (Fig. 2).

[0017] In Fig. 1, a moving beam 51 extending in the X-axis direction is disposed below the mask 13. The moving beam 51 is movable in the Y-axis direction by a beam moving mechanism 52 (Fig. 2). A camera 15 and a mask cleaner mounting part 53 are attached to the moving beam 51 (Figs. 1 and 2).

[0018] 3, camera 15 includes upper imaging section 15a for imaging an upper region and lower imaging section 15b for imaging a lower region. Camera 15 can move in the X-axis direction along moving beam 51 by a camera movement mechanism (not shown). Camera 15 moves in the horizontal plane in the region between mask 13 and stage 12 by moving moving beam 51 in the Y-axis direction and by moving camera 15 itself in the X-axis direction along moving beam 51, while imaging mask 13 from below by upper imaging section 15a and imaging substrate KB (substrate KB held by substrate holder 21) from above by lower imaging section 15b.

[0019] 2 and 3, a movable base 55 is provided on the mask cleaner mounting part 53 via a lifting mechanism 54, and the mask cleaner 16 is attached to the movable base 55. The movable base 55 moves in the Y-axis direction by the movable beam 51, thereby moving the mask cleaner mounting part 53 in the Y-axis direction, and this causes the mask cleaner 16 to move in the Y-axis direction in the area below the mask 13. When the lifting mechanism 54 lifts and lowers the movable base 55, the mask cleaner 16 lifts and lowers relative to the movable beam 51 (arrow A shown in FIG. 3).

[0020] 4, 5(a), (b), (c) and 6, the mask cleaner 16 comprises a base body 61, a plurality of (six in this case) blades 62, a pair of pressing members 63, a straightening plate 64 and a blade fixing device 65.

[0021] 6 and 7, the base body 61 has a shape extending with its longitudinal direction being the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) intersecting with the Y-axis direction which is the direction in which the paste Pst is scraped (paste scraping direction) by the mask cleaner 16. The base body 61 includes a cleaner base 71 which extends in the longitudinal direction, and a blade holding portion 72 attached to the cleaner base 71.

[0022] 6, an opening 71S penetrating in the vertical direction is provided in the center of the cleaner base 71. The blade holding part 72 is attached to the upper surface of the cleaner base 71, with the opening 71S located below it.

[0023] 5(a), 6 and 7, the blade holding portion 72 is composed of a plurality of (seven here) block members 72B that are detachably attached to the cleaner base 71 in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction). Each block member 72B has two beam portions 73 that extend in a direction that intersects obliquely with the paste scraping direction (Y-axis direction). These two beam portions 73 are arranged in a V-shape in plan view. FIG. 8 shows a diagram of the block member 72B as viewed from above, and FIG. 9 shows a diagram of the block member 72B as viewed obliquely from above.

[0024] 10, each block member 72B has a pair of parallel edges 74 that extend in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the base body 61 and face each other in the paste scraping direction (Y-axis direction). Two beams 73 arranged in a V-shape extend across and between the pair of edges 74 (see also FIGS. 8 and 9).

[0025] 8, 9, and 10, each of the two beam portions 73 of each block member 72B has multiple rows (six rows here) of groove portions 75 extending in the X-axis direction (the longitudinal direction of the base body 61) for inserting multiple blades 62. These multiple rows (six rows) of groove portions 75 are parallel to each other, and each upper end side is inclined in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the mask cleaner 16 when scraping off the paste Pst (i.e., backward).

[0026] 6 and 11, the blades 62 have a shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the base body 61. Each blade 62 is made of resin and has flexibility in the in-plane and out-of-plane directions of the blade 62. The six blades 62 are attached from above in a position extending in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) to six rows of grooves 75 of a blade holding portion 72 formed by multiple (seven) block members 72B (FIG. 12).

[0027] 11, each blade 62 has a vertically symmetrical shape and has two edges (a first edge 62a and a second edge 62b) that face each other in the vertical direction. Therefore, each blade 62 can be attached to the base body 61 so that any one edge (the first edge 62a or the second edge 62b) becomes the paste scraping edge 62E (FIGS. 13(a) and (b)).

[0028] 11 and 13(a) and (b), an identification mark 62M (identification mark) for identifying the first edge 62a and the second edge 62b is provided on the end of each blade 62. The identification mark 62M can be seen from the outside when the blade 62 is attached to the base body 61 (FIG. 12). Therefore, an operator can know whether the first edge 62a or the second edge 62b of the blade 62 is the paste scraping edge 62E without removing the blade 62 from the base body 61.

[0029] 6 and 11, a rod insertion hole 62K penetrating in the thickness direction of the blade 62 is provided in the longitudinal middle portion of each blade 62. The rod insertion hole 62K is provided at a position (the center position in the height direction of the blade 62) equidistant from both the first edge 62a and the second edge 62b positioned opposite each other in the vertical direction.

[0030] The six blades 62 are inserted into six rows of grooves 75 provided in the blade holding portion 72, and are arranged parallel to one another in the paste scraping direction (Y-axis direction) on the base body 61, as shown in Figures 12, 14, and 15. As described above, the upper end side of each groove 75 is inclined backward, so that each blade 62 inserted into the groove 75 is in a position in which the upper end side is inclined backward within the opening 71S. Here, Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow V1-V1 in Figure 12 (a cross-sectional view that crosses the entire one beam portion 73), and Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow V2-V2 in Figure 12 (a cross-sectional view that does not cross the beam portion 73).

[0031] 14 and 15, two of the six blades 62 are supported by two rows of grooves 75 located at both the front and rear ends in the traveling direction of the mask cleaner 16 when scraping off the paste Pst (to the right on the paper in FIGS. 14 and 15), and the other four of the six blades 62 are supported by four rows of grooves 75 provided in the blade holding portion 72. That is, the two blades 62 located at the front and rear ends as viewed in the traveling direction are supported over almost the entire longitudinal area by grooves 75 provided in the edge portions 74, and the four blades located between them have their longitudinal intermediate portions partially supported by grooves 75 provided in the beam portions 73.

[0032] 4, 5(a), (b), (c), 6 and 7, a pair of pressing members 63 are attached to both ends in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) of a base body 61. Each pressing member 63 is made of resin, and has a flat upper surface 63F that extends in the XY direction.

[0033] Each pressing member 63 has two screw holes 63H formed side by side in the paste scraping direction (Y-axis direction), and two screws 63S are inserted into these two screw holes 63H. Each pressing member 63 is detachably attached to the base body 61 by screwing the two screws 63S into screw mounting holes 61H (FIG. 6) provided at both ends of the base body 61 in the longitudinal direction.

[0034] 11, abutment protrusions 62H are formed on both longitudinal ends of each blade 62. The abutment protrusions 62H protrude outward in the longitudinal direction of the blade 62 and have a convex shape that is symmetrical up and down. When the pair of pressing members 63 are attached to both ends of the base body 61, the protrusions 63T of the pressing members 63 abut from above against the abutment protrusions 62H of each of the multiple blades 62 (FIGS. 13(a) and 13(b)), and the multiple (six) blades 62 are collectively fixed to the cleaner base 71.

[0035] 14, 15, and 13(a) and (b), the upper edge of each of the multiple blades 62 fixed to the cleaner base 71 by a pair of pressing members 63 protrudes upward from the upper surface of each pressing member 63. Therefore, the upper surface of each pressing member 63 attached to the base body 61 is located at a position lower than the upper edge of each blade 62, and the upper edge of the blade 62 protruding above the base body 61 becomes a paste scraping edge 62E that abuts against the lower surface of the mask 13 and scrapes off the paste Pst when cleaning the mask 13 (FIG. 11).

[0036] 5(c), 6, 14 and 15, the rectifying plate 64 is detachably attached to the base body 61 by a plurality of rectifying plate mounting screws 64S at a position covering the opening 71S of the base body 61 from below (FIGS. 6, 14 and 15). The rectifying plate 64 has a plurality of rectifying holes 64H arranged in a line in the longitudinal direction of the base body 61.

[0037] 6, a plurality of (here, two) positioning holes 55H are provided in a portion of the upper surface of the movable base 55 that comes into contact with the base body 61 (cleaner base 71). Meanwhile, a plurality of (here, two) positioning pins 61P are provided on the lower surface of the cleaner base 71, extending downward and arranged to correspond to the plurality of positioning holes 55H (FIGS. 5(b) and (c)).

[0038] 4 and 5(a), (b), and (c), the blade fixture 65 is attached to a side surface of a middle portion in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the base body 61. The blade fixture 65 includes a fixture base 81, a block portion 82, and a rod portion 83, as shown in FIGS.

[0039] 16(a), (b) and 17, fixture base 81 is formed by bending a plate-like member, and has a horizontal portion 91 and left and right vertical portions 92 extending downward from the edge of horizontal portion 91. One left or right side 92a of vertical portion 92 has its lower end bent horizontally to form a gripping portion 93 that can be held by an operator with his or her fingers. The other left or right side 92b of vertical portion 92 has a slit 94 formed therein that extends upward from the lower edge.

[0040] 16(a) and (b), block portion 82 is attached to the underside (the side on which grip portion 93 is formed) of horizontal portion 91 of fixture base 81 with multiple block fixing screws 82S. A screw insertion groove 82M extending in the Y-axis direction (i.e., the arrangement direction of multiple blades 62) is formed on the upper surface side of block portion 82. One end portion (base end portion 83a) of rod portion 83 is sandwiched between screw insertion groove 82M of block portion 82 and horizontal portion 91 of fixture base 81 and fixed to fixture base 81.

[0041] 17, a rod through hole 61Q and a rod tip receiving hole 61R arranged opposite to each other in the Y-axis direction are provided in the middle part in the longitudinal direction of the base body 61. The rod insertion holes 62K of each of the multiple (six) blades 62 attached to the base body 61 are positioned in a row between the rod through hole 61Q and the rod tip receiving hole 61R (on the line connecting the rod through hole 61Q and the rod tip receiving hole 61R).

[0042] The blade fixture 65 is attached to the base body 61 by passing the tip 83b (the end opposite to the base end 83a) of the rod portion 83 through the rod through hole 61Q and the rod insertion holes 62K of each of the blades 62 in this order, and then receiving it in the rod tip receiving hole 61R (FIG. 18(a)→FIG. 18(b)). Then, the fixture mounting screw 65S, which has been inserted through the slit 94 in the Y-axis direction, is screwed into the screw hole 61J provided in the side of the base body 61 (FIGS. 17 and 18(b)). This fixes the blade fixture 65 to the base body 61. Therefore, the blade fixture 65 can be attached to the base body 61 by attaching the fixture mounting screw 65S to the base body 61, and can be removed from the base body 61 by removing the fixture mounting screw 65S from the base body 61.

[0043] 4 and 19(a), the blade fixing device 65 is attached to approximately the center in the longitudinal direction of the base body 61. Therefore, the rod portion 83 of the blade fixing device 65 extends in the Y-axis direction approximately in the center in the longitudinal direction of the base body 61, penetrating the multiple blades 62, and is in a state where the multiple blades 62 are collectively fixed to the base body 61 (see FIG. 19(b), which is an enlarged view of an area AR in FIG. 19(a)).

[0044] In this way, each of the blades 62 has both ends pressed from above against the base body 61 by the pair of pressing members 63, and the middle part in the longitudinal direction is inserted through the rod portion 83 of the blade fixing device 65 and fixed to the base body 61. Therefore, the vertical deformation of each blade 62 with respect to the base body 61 is restricted, and even if an upward pulling force is applied, the entire blade 62 is prevented from bending significantly upward due to the force. Therefore, both ends of each blade 62 do not slip out to the inside of the pressing members 63 (the side where the pressing members face each other), and there is no risk of the blade 62 being separated from the base body 61.

[0045] When the mask cleaner 16 having the above-mentioned configuration is attached to the movable base 55, a plurality of positioning pins 61P provided on the base body 61 of the mask cleaner 16 are inserted from above into a plurality of positioning holes 55H provided on the movable base 55 (arrow B shown in FIG. 20(a)). Here, the movable base 55 is made of a magnetic material, and a plurality of magnets 61M are embedded in the base body 61 with their surfaces exposed on the lower surface (FIGS. 5(b), (c), 14 and 15). Therefore, when the mask cleaner 16 is attached to a specified position on the movable base 55, each of the plurality of magnets 61M embedded in the cleaner base 71 magnetically attracts the upper surface of the movable base 55, and the mask cleaner 16 is fixed to the movable base 55 (FIG. 20(b)).

[0046] Fig. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V3-V3 in Fig. 20(b). As shown in this figure, when the mask cleaner 16 is attached to the movable base 55, the opening 71S of the mask cleaner 16 communicates with the internal space 55S (see also Fig. 6) formed in the movable base 55.

[0047] The movable base 55 is provided with a vacuum suction pipe 55T (FIGS. 3 and 21) that extends to the outside through an air passage 55R (see also FIG. 6 and FIG. 20(a) and (b)) provided in the internal space 55S. A suction mechanism 100 is connected to this vacuum suction pipe 55T (FIGS. 3 and 21). When the suction mechanism 100 sucks air through the vacuum suction pipe 55T, the air above the mask cleaner 16 is drawn into the internal space 55S through the opening 71S and the straightening holes 64H provided in the straightening plate 64, and the paste Pst adhering to the lower surface of the mask 13 and inside the pattern holes 13H is sucked out to the mask cleaner 16.

[0048] Next, a description will be given of a procedure for performing a screen printing operation using the screen printing apparatus 1, i.e., a screen printing method. As described below, the screen printing method performed by the screen printing apparatus 1 includes a printing step of printing a paste Pst onto the substrate KB through a mask 13, and a mask cleaning step of scraping off the paste Pst adhered to the lower surface of the mask 13 in the printing step with a mask cleaner 16.

[0049] When performing screen printing work using the screen printing apparatus 1, a printing process is first performed. In the printing process, first, the transfer conveyor 31 receives the substrate KB supplied from outside the screen printing apparatus 1 and carries it to a predetermined position. Then, the lower support portion 32 rises to support the substrate KB from below, and then the clamper 33 operates to clamp the substrate KB in the Y-axis direction.

[0050] Once the substrate holder 21 holds the substrate KB in this manner, the camera 15 advances into the region between the mask 13 and the substrate KB to capture images of both the mask 13 and the substrate KB. Once the relative position of the substrate KB with respect to the mask 13 has been determined by the camera 15 capturing images of both the mask 13 and the substrate KB, the holder movement mechanism 22 moves the substrate holder 21 (i.e., the substrate KB) so that the lands LD of the substrate KB match with the pattern holes 13H of the mask 13, and brings the substrate KB into contact with the lower surface of the mask 13.

[0051] Once the substrate KB has been brought into contact with the lower surface of the mask 13, the squeegee lifting drive unit 43 is operated while the paste Pst is being supplied onto the mask 13, and one of the two squeegees 42 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the mask 13. Once the squeegee 42 has come into contact with the upper surface of the mask 13, the print head moving mechanism 44 moves the head base 41 in the Y-axis direction. As a result, the paste Pst on the mask 13 is scraped up by the squeegee 42 (FIG. 2), and the paste Pst is applied to each land LD of the substrate KB through the pattern holes 13H of the mask 13.

[0052] When the paste Pst has been applied to each land LD of the substrate KB, the holder movement mechanism 22 lowers the substrate holder 21 to separate (release) the substrate KB from the mask 13. This completes the printing of the paste Pst onto the substrate KB. When the printing of the paste Pst onto the substrate KB is completed, the transport conveyor 31 is operated to transport the substrate KB to the outside of the screen printing apparatus 1.

[0053] After the substrate KB is conveyed out of the screen printing apparatus 1 by the transport conveyor 31, a mask cleaning operation is performed by the mask cleaner 16 (mask cleaning process). In the mask cleaning operation, the beam moving mechanism 52 moves the moving beam 51 in the Y-axis direction, thereby advancing the mask cleaner 16 to an area below and behind the mask 13. Then, the lifting mechanism 54 is actuated to lift the mask cleaner 16, and the mask cleaner 16 (more specifically, the paste scraping edges 62E of the six blades 62) is brought into contact with the underside of the mask 13 (FIG. 22(a)).

[0054] At this time, the pair of pressing members 63 attached to the base body 61 function as stoppers to prevent the blade 62 from being pressed against the mask 13 with excessive force. In other words, the upper surface 63F of the pressing members 63 abuts against the lower surface of the mask 13, thereby keeping the deformation of the blade 62 within a certain range and controlling the progress of wear of the blade 62 within an expected range.

[0055] When the mask cleaner 16 comes into contact with the lower surface of the mask 13, the beam moving mechanism 52 is actuated to move the moving beam 51 forward. As a result, the six blades 62 of the mask cleaner 16 slide on the lower surface of the mask 13, and the paste Pst adhering to the lower surface of the mask 13 is scraped off by the paste scraping edge 62E of each blade 62 (FIG. 22(b) and FIG. 23). During this time (while the six blades 62 are scraping off the paste Pst adhering to the lower surface of the mask 13), the suction mechanism 100 sucks in air. As a result, the paste Pst adhering to the mask 13 is forcibly sucked out from the space between the adjacent blades 62 (FIG. 21) through the opening 71S of the mask cleaner 16, and the paste Pst adhering to the lower surface of the mask 13 is efficiently scraped off (FIG. 24). Here, FIG. 24 is an enlarged view of the dashed line region Ra shown in FIG. 23.

[0056] In addition, when the blades 62 slide over the underside of the mask 13 to perform the mask cleaning operation, the pair of pressing members 63 abut against the underside of the mask 13 from below, preventing air from flowing into the opening 71S from the sides of the space 62S sandwiched by the blades 62 during mask cleaning. This prevents the suction power of the mask cleaner 16 from being impaired by air flowing in from places that do not contribute to cleaning.

[0057] In this manner, the mask cleaner 16 of this embodiment comprises a base body 61 which moves below the mask 13 in a paste scraping direction (Y-axis direction) parallel to the mask 13, a blade 62 which extends in a horizontal direction (X-axis direction) intersecting the paste scraping direction as its longitudinal direction, with both ends and a lower edge supported by the base body 61, and whose upper edge abuts against the underside of the mask 13 as a paste scraping edge 62E, and a pair of pressing members 63 attached to the base body 61 and pressing both longitudinal ends of the blade 62 from above, so that the base body 61 moves in the paste scraping direction with the upper edge of the blade 62 abutting against the underside of the mask 13, so that the upper edge of the blade 62 scrapes off the paste Pst adhering to the underside of the mask 13 as the paste scraping edge 62E.

[0058] Here, in the screen printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the blade 62 of the mask cleaner 16 is made of resin, so even if the blade 62 is accidentally bent significantly when cleaning, it will not be plastically deformed, and there will be no inconvenience such as the paste scraping edge 62E not coming into contact with the underside of the mask 13 due to deformation of the blade 62. Therefore, deterioration of cleaning quality due to deformation of the blade 62 or the like is unlikely to occur.

[0059] In addition, since each blade 62 can use any one of two edges (first edge 62a and second edge 62b) positioned opposite each other in the vertical direction as the paste scraping edge 62E, when one edge reaches its durability limit for scraping the paste Pst, the blade 62 can be removed from the base body 61 and reattached to the base body 61 upside down, thereby increasing the durability limit (lifespan) of the blade 62. This allows for a significant reduction in the cost of the mask cleaning operation.

[0060] When the cleaning operation of the underside of the mask 13 by the mask cleaner 16 is completed as described above, the lifting mechanism 54 of the mask cleaner mounting unit 53 lowers the movable base 55. This causes the mask cleaner 16 connected to the movable base 55 to lower, and the pair of pressing members 63 attached to the base body 61 move away from the underside of the mask 13, and then the upper edges (paste scraping edges 62E) of the blades 62 move away from the underside of the mask 13. At this time, if there is paste Pst remaining on the underside of the mask 13, the adhesiveness of the paste Pst will prevent each blade 62 from moving away from the underside of the mask 13.

[0061] As a result, each blade 62 is pulled relatively upward on the base body 61, and its middle portion would tend to bend into an upwardly convex shape. However, in this embodiment, the rod portion 83 of the blade fixing device 65 is inserted into the middle portion of each blade 62, thereby preventing the bending deformation of each blade 62. Therefore, both ends do not slip out from the pair of holding members 63 to the inside (the side where the holding members face each other), and therefore there is no risk of the blade 62 becoming separated from the base body 61.

[0062] As described above, in the mask cleaner 16 provided in the screen printing apparatus 1 in this embodiment, the blade 62, whose both longitudinal ends and middle part are supported by the base body 61, is configured so that not only are both ends pressed from above by a pair of pressing members 63 attached to the base body 61, but also the middle part in the longitudinal direction is fixed to the base body 61 by a blade fixing device 65 attached to the base body 61. Therefore, even if the blade 62 is pulled upward by the adhesiveness of the paste Pst remaining on the lower surface of the mask 13, the middle part of the blade 62 will not be deformed so as to be lifted, and it is possible to prevent a situation in which both ends of the blade 62 slip out of the pair of pressing members 63 and the blade 62 is separated from the base body 61.

[0063] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described so far, the present invention is not limited to the above, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the rod insertion hole 62K is provided at a position equidistant from both the first edge 62a and the second edge 62b so that the position where the rod portion 83 passes through the blade 62 is the same regardless of whether the first edge 62a or the second edge 62b of each blade 62 is attached to be the paste scraping edge 62E. However, this is just one example, and if it is acceptable for the location through which the rod portion 83 is inserted to be different when the first edge 62a becomes the paste scraping edge 62E and when the second edge 62b becomes the paste scraping edge 62E, the blade 62 may be provided with two rod insertion holes: a first rod insertion hole through which the rod portion 83 is inserted when the first edge 62a is installed so as to become the paste scraping edge 62E, and a second rod insertion hole through which the rod portion 83 is inserted when the second edge 62b is installed so as to become the paste scraping edge 62E.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the number of blades 62 attached to the base body 61 is six, but this is merely an example and any number (even one) may be used. In the above embodiment, the number of locations where the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the blade 62 is fixed to the base body 61 is one, and therefore one blade fastener 65 is attached to the base body 61, but the number of locations where the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the blade 62 is fixed to the base body 61 may be two or more. In this case, the number of blade fasteners 65 attached to the base body 61 will also be two or more. [Industrial Applicability]

[0065] Provided are a mask cleaner, a screen printing device, and a screen printing method capable of preventing a situation in which a blade is separated from a base body due to the tackiness of paste remaining on the underside of the blade. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1 Screen printing equipment 13. Mask 14 Print Head 16 Mask Cleaner 61 Base body 62 Blade 62a First Edge 62b Second Edge 62E Paste scraping edge 62K Rod insertion hole 63 Holding member 65 Blade Fixture 83 Rod section Pst paste KB board

Claims

1. A mask cleaner that is provided in a screen printing apparatus that prints a paste on a substrate through a mask and scrapes off paste adhering to a lower surface of the mask, comprising: A base body that moves under the mask in a paste scraping direction parallel to the mask; a plurality of blades extending in a horizontal direction intersecting the paste scraping direction as a longitudinal direction, the lower edges of which are supported by the base body, and the upper edges of which are abutted against the lower surface of the mask as paste scraping edges; a protrusion formed on an outer side of each of the plurality of blades in a longitudinal direction, Each of the plurality of blades has a vertically symmetrical shape, so that any one of a first edge and a second edge positioned opposite to each other in the vertical direction can be used as the paste scraping edge. Mask cleaner.

2. A mask cleaner provided in a screen printing device that prints a paste on a substrate through a mask, the mask cleaner scraping off paste adhering to an underside of the mask, A base body that moves under the mask in a paste scraping direction parallel to the mask; a plurality of blades extending in a horizontal direction intersecting the paste scraping direction as a longitudinal direction, the lower edges of which are supported by the base body, and the upper edges of which are abutted against the lower surface of the mask as paste scraping edges; a protrusion formed on an outer side of each of the plurality of blades in a longitudinal direction, The protrusion has a vertically symmetrical convex shape. Mask cleaner.

3. The base body further includes a pressing member that is attached to the base body and presses the protrusion from above.

3. The mask cleaner according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A screen printing apparatus including a print head that prints a paste on a substrate through a mask, and a mask cleaner that scrapes off the paste adhering to a lower surface of the mask, The mask cleaner comprises: A base body that moves under the mask in a paste scraping direction parallel to the mask; a plurality of blades extending in a horizontal direction intersecting the paste scraping direction as a longitudinal direction, the lower edges of which are supported by the base body, and the upper edges of which are abutted against the lower surface of the mask as paste scraping edges; a protrusion formed on an outer side of each of the plurality of blades in a longitudinal direction, Each of the plurality of blades has a vertically symmetrical shape, so that any one of a first edge and a second edge positioned opposite to each other in the vertical direction can be used as the paste scraping edge. Screen printing equipment.

5. A screen printing apparatus comprising a print head for printing a paste onto a substrate through a mask, and a mask cleaner for scraping off the paste adhering to the underside of the mask, The mask cleaner comprises: A base body that moves under the mask in a paste scraping direction parallel to the mask; a plurality of blades extending in a horizontal direction intersecting the paste scraping direction as a longitudinal direction, the lower edges of which are supported by the base body, and the upper edges of which are abutted against the lower surface of the mask as paste scraping edges; a protrusion formed on an outer side of each of the plurality of blades in a longitudinal direction, The protrusion has a vertically symmetrical convex shape. Screen printing equipment.

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