Printing device

Abstract

To remove paste adhering to a blade which cleans a mask.SOLUTION: A printer printing paste on a substrate using a mask where a prescribed opening is formed, includes: a substrate holding part for holding the substrate and positioning the substrate to the opening; a printing head for charging the opening with the paste and printing the paste on the substrate; a mask cleaning unit provided with a blade for scraping the paste adhering to the back surface of the mask; a mask cleaning unit movement mechanism for performing an operation of scraping the paste adhering to the back surface of the mask using the blade by moving the mask cleaning unit along the back surface of the mask; a blade cleaning unit for cleaning the blade; and a blade cleaning unit moving mechanism for moving the blade cleaning unit along the edge of the blade. The blade cleaning unit includes: a wiping material coming into contact with the blade; and a contact part changing mechanism for changing a part coming into contact with the blade of the wiping material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to printing devices. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a screen printing machine equipped with a cleaning device that removes paste adhering to the underside of a screen mask (hereinafter referred to as the mask). This cleaning device includes multiple scraping members that slide along the underside of the mask in a cleaning direction to scrape off paste adhering to the underside of the mask, and a holder that holds the multiple scraping members. The multiple scraping members are held by the holder and aligned in series in the cleaning direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-196101 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the scraping member used to clean the mask may still retain the scraped paste, and if the mask is cleaned again with a scraping member that has paste on it, the paste that was on the scraping member may be transferred to the mask.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide a printing apparatus that can remove paste adhering to a member that cleans a mask. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A printing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a printing device that prints paste on a substrate using a mask having predetermined openings formed therein, and includes: a substrate holding section that holds the substrate and aligns it with the openings; a print head that fills the openings with paste and prints the paste on the substrate; a mask cleaning unit having a blade that scrapes off the paste adhering to the back surface of the mask; a mask cleaning unit moving mechanism that moves the mask cleaning unit along the back surface of the mask to scrape off the paste adhering to the back surface of the mask with the blade; a blade cleaning unit that cleans the blade; and a blade cleaning unit moving mechanism that moves the blade cleaning unit along the edge of the blade, wherein the blade cleaning unit has a wiping material that contacts the blade and a contact portion changing mechanism that changes the portion of the wiping material that contacts the blade. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a printing device that can remove paste adhering to a member that cleans a mask. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of the configuration of a printing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of a printing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of a blade cleaning unit and a blade cleaning unit moving mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the positional relationship between a rotary gear and a gear contact member of a blade cleaning unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of the configuration of a blade cleaning unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is an exploded side view showing an example of the configuration of a blade cleaning unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7]5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the operational relationship between the mask cleaning unit and the blade cleaning unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 8A] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a printing operation performed by a printing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8B] FIG. 8B is a diagram showing the printing operation and cleaning operation subsequent to FIG. 8A. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the blade according to the embodiment when scraping off paste adhering to the underside of the mask. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the state of the blade after cleaning the mask according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the operation of the gear contact member and the rotary gear according to the embodiment; [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an operation for inspecting remaining paste adhering to openings in a mask according to the present embodiment; [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a blade cleaning unit according to a modified example of the present embodiment; [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control system of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with appropriate reference to the drawings. However, more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of well-known matters and redundant descriptions of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Note that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) <Printing device configuration> First, a configuration example of a printing device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a side view showing the configuration example of a printing device 1 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a plan view showing the configuration example of a printing device 1 according to this embodiment.

[0011] In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the transport direction of the substrate 2 is defined as the X direction, the direction perpendicular to the X direction in a horizontal plane as the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to the XY plane as the Z direction. Also, for convenience of explanation, the positive direction of the X axis may be referred to as the "right," the negative direction of the X axis as the "left," the positive direction of the Y axis as the "front," the negative direction of the Y axis as the "rear," the positive direction of the Z axis as the "up," and the negative direction of the Z axis as the "down." Note that these directional expressions are used for convenience of explanation and are not intended to limit the orientation of the structure during actual use.

[0012] The printing apparatus 1 includes a mask frame 11, a substrate holding table 12, a substrate holding table moving mechanism 13, a printing unit 20, a printing unit moving mechanism 30, a camera unit 40, a camera unit moving mechanism 50, a mask cleaning unit 60, a mask cleaning unit moving mechanism 70, a blade cleaning unit 80, and a blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the mask frame 11 is formed as a rectangular frame when the printing apparatus 1 is viewed from above. A flexible screen mask (hereinafter simply referred to as "mask") 3 is stretched over the mask frame 11. The mask 3 has a plurality of openings 4 corresponding to the shapes and positions of the electrodes to be printed on the substrate 2. A paste 5 is supplied onto the mask 3 by a paste supply mechanism (not shown). The paste 5 may be a solder paste containing solder particles. Alternatively, the paste 5 may be a conductive paste.

[0014] The substrate holding table 12 is located in the area below the mask 3 and holds (supports) the substrate 2 on its upper surface.

[0015] The substrate-holding-table moving mechanism 13 has a mechanism for freely moving the substrate-holding table 12 in the X direction (see arrow bx in FIG. 1), the Y direction (see arrow by in FIG. 1), the Z direction (see arrow bz in FIG. 1), and the rotational direction about the Z axis (see arrow bθ in FIG. 1). The substrate-holding-table moving mechanism 13 moves the substrate-holding table 12 in the X and Y directions so that the positions of the electrodes to be printed on the substrate 2 coincide with the positions of the openings 4 in the mask 3. The substrate-holding-table moving mechanism 13 then moves (lifts) the substrate-holding table 12 in the Z direction to bring the upper surface (front surface) of the substrate 2 into contact with the lower surface (rear surface) of the mask 3. The substrate-holding table 12 and the substrate-holding-table moving mechanism 13 may be collectively referred to as a substrate holding unit.

[0016] The printing unit 20 includes a squeegee 21 and a print head 22. The squeegee 21 is a rectangular flat plate extending in the X direction, with its short side tilted at a predetermined angle with respect to the surface of the mask 3. Two squeegees 21 are connected to the underside of the print head 22. The print head 22 has the function of raising and lowering each of the two squeegees 21 (see arrows a1 and a2 in Figure 1).

[0017] The print head 22 is connected to the print unit movement mechanism 30. The print unit movement mechanism 30 has a mechanism for moving the print head 22 in the Y direction (see arrow ay in FIG. 1). For example, the print unit movement mechanism 30 is configured to include a Y-axis beam (not shown) that moves the print head 22 in the Y direction.

[0018] The camera unit 40 includes a camera 41 and a prism 42. The camera 41 can capture images of the upper surface (front surface) of the substrate 2 and the lower surface (rear surface) of the mask 3 via the prism 42.

[0019] The camera unit moving mechanism 50 has a mechanism for freely moving the camera unit 40 in the X direction (see cx in FIGS. 1 and 2) and the Y direction (see cy in FIGS. 1 and 2). For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the camera unit moving mechanism 50 includes an X-axis beam 51 and a Y-axis beam 52. The camera unit 40 is connected to the X-axis beam 51. The X-axis beam 51 is connected to the Y-axis beam 52. The control unit 200 (see FIG. 14) controls the X-axis beam 51 to move along the Y-axis beam 52, and controls the camera unit 40 to move along the X-axis beam 51, thereby freely moving the camera unit 40 in the X and Y directions. Note that, as shown in FIG. 2, the printing apparatus 1 may be provided with two rails 53 extending in the Y-axis direction on the left and right sides of the mask frame 11. The X-axis beam 51 may have two sliders 54 that can slide on the two rails 53. This allows the X-axis beam 51 to move smoothly in the Y direction along the two rails 53.

[0020] The mask cleaning unit 60 includes a blade 61, a blade holder 62, a mask contact surface 66, and a moving base 63. The blade 61 is a rectangular, flexible metal flat plate extending in the X direction, with its short side inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the surface of the mask 3. The blade 61 may be formed from an elastic material such as urethane rubber. The blade holder 62 holds multiple blades 61. The moving base 63 supports the blade holder 62. When not cleaning a mask, the mask cleaning unit 60 waits at a predetermined waiting location located further forward than the front edge of the mask frame 11, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0021] The mask cleaning unit 60 is connected to the mask cleaning unit moving mechanism 70. The mask cleaning unit moving mechanism 70 has a mechanism for moving the mask cleaning unit 60 in the Z direction (see arrow d1 in FIG. 1) and the Y direction (see arrow dy in FIGS. 1 and 2).

[0022] The blade cleaning unit 80 is a unit for cleaning the blade 61. The configuration of the blade cleaning unit 80 will be described in detail later.

[0023] The blade cleaning unit 80 is connected to the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100. The blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100 includes an X-axis beam 105 that moves the blade cleaning unit 80 in the X direction (see arrow ex in FIG. 2). When the blade cleaning unit 80 is not performing blade cleaning, it waits at a predetermined waiting location located at the right end of the waiting location of the mask cleaning unit 60, as shown in FIG. 2. In other words, the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100 can move the blade cleaning unit 80 to a waiting position that is not above the mask cleaning unit 60. The blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100 will be described in detail later.

[0024] <Details of the configuration of the blade cleaning unit and the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism> Next, the configurations of the blade cleaning unit 80 and the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 3 to 6. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of the blade cleaning unit 80 and the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100 according to this embodiment. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 3) showing an example of the positional relationship between the rotary gear 85 of the blade cleaning unit 80 and the gear contact member 103 according to this embodiment. Fig. 5 is a side view showing an example of the configuration of the blade cleaning unit 80 according to this embodiment. Fig. 6 is an exploded side view showing an example of the configuration of the blade cleaning unit 80 according to this embodiment.

[0025] The blade cleaning unit 80 includes a wiping material 81, a wiping material holding rod 82, a flange 83, a shaft 84, a rotating gear 85, a one-way clutch 86, a block 87, a bolt 88, a wiping material holding base 89, and a positioning pin 90. The wiping material 81, the wiping material holding rod 82, the flange 83, the shaft 84, the rotating gear 85, the one-way clutch 86, and the block 87 may be collectively referred to as a wiping material holding part 94.

[0026] The wiping material 81 has a cylindrical shape. However, the three-dimensional shape of the wiping material 81 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and may be, for example, a rectangular pillar shape. The wiping material 81 may be made of a porous material (for example, urethane foam). When the paste 5 is a solder paste containing solder particles, the average size of the pores in the porous material of the wiping material 81 may be larger than the solder particles. This allows the wiping material 81 to more thoroughly wipe away the paste 5 adhering to the blade 61. The wiping material 81 may have four elongated holes extending from one bottom surface of the cylindrical shape to the other bottom surface, with four holes formed on either side of the center of the bottom surface.

[0027] The four wiping material holding rods 82 are each rod-shaped and are inserted into four holes formed in the wiping material 81. This allows the wiping material 81 to be detachably attached to the wiping material holding rods 82. Note that the number of holes in the wiping material 81 and the number of wiping material holding rods 82 are not limited to four, and may be any number equal to or greater than two.

[0028] The flange 83 has a disk shape parallel to the YZ plane. The wiping material holding rod 82 is connected perpendicularly to the surface of the flange 83 facing in the negative direction of the Y axis. In other words, the wiping material holding rod 82 is connected to the surface of the flange 83 so as to protrude in the negative direction of the Y axis.

[0029] Shank 84 has a shaft shape. Shank 84 is connected to the center of the surface of flange 83 in the positive direction of the Y axis, perpendicular to said surface. In other words, shaft 84 is connected to the center of the surface of flange 83 so as to protrude in the positive direction of the Y axis.

[0030] The rotary gear 85 is connected to the shaft portion 84 so that the rotation axis coincides with the shaft portion 84. In other words, the shaft portion 84 passes through the center of the rotary gear 85. The shaft portion 84 rotates about its axis as the rotary gear 85 rotates.

[0031] One-way clutch 86 is connected to the end of shaft 84, which extends from the center of rotary gear 85 in the opposite direction to flange 83. One-way clutch 86 allows shaft 84 and rotary gear 85 to rotate in only one direction. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, one-way clutch 86 allows shaft 84 to rotate only counterclockwise and not clockwise when viewed in the negative direction of the Y axis.

[0032] The block 87 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and houses the one-way clutch 86 .

[0033] The wiping unit holding base 89 is connected to a blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100. The wiping unit holding base 89 can be moved in the X direction (see ex in FIG. 2) by the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100.

[0034] The block 87 is connected to the wiping unit holding base 89 by bolts 88. For example, as shown in Fig. 6, the block 87 has a through hole 91 formed in the Z direction, and the wiping unit holding base 89 has a tapped hole 92 formed downward from the top surface. Then, the block 87 is connected to the wiping unit holding base 89 by inserting the bolts 88 from above into the through hole 91 of the block 87 and the tapped hole 92 of the wiping unit holding base 89. This makes the wiping material holding part 94 detachable from the wiping unit holding base 89.

[0035] Furthermore, a positioning pin 90 may be provided on the upper surface of the wiping unit-holding base 89 so that the block 87 is connected in the correct position. This allows the user to easily connect the wiping material-holding unit 94 to the wiping unit-holding base 89 in the correct position.

[0036] In this way, by making the wiping material holding part 94 easily attachable to and detachable from the wiping part holding base 89, the user can easily attach and detach the wiping material 81 to and from the wiping material holding rod 82.

[0037] The blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100 includes an X-axis beam 105 that moves the wiping unit holding base 89 in the X direction. The blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100 moves the wiping unit holding base 89 in the X direction along the X-axis beam 105, thereby moving the wiping material 81 connected to the wiping unit holding base 89 in the longitudinal direction of the blade 61 (X direction).

[0038] 3 and 4, the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100 includes a base 101, a spring hinge 102, and a gear contact member 103 near the standby position of the blade cleaning unit 80.

[0039] The base 101 is provided at the end of the X-axis beam 105 included in the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100, on the side of the standby position of the blade cleaning unit 80.

[0040] One end of spring hinge 102 in the positive X-axis direction is connected to the upper surface of base 101. The other end of spring hinge 102 in the negative X-axis direction moves upward with the hinge as the axis of rotation when a force is applied from below to above, and returns to its original position by the spring force (elastic force) when the force is no longer applied.

[0041] One end of the gear contact member 103 in the positive direction of the X axis is connected to the other end of the spring hinge 102. The other end of the gear contact member 103 in the negative direction of the X axis is formed with a hole (hereinafter referred to as gear hole) 104 with which one tooth 93 of the rotary gear 85 meshes. The operational relationship between the gear contact member 103 and the rotary gear 85 will be described later (see FIG. 11).

[0042] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operational relationship between the mask cleaning unit 60 and the blade cleaning unit 80 according to this embodiment.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 7, the blade holder 62 constituting the mask cleaning unit 60 includes a frame 64 that holds a plurality of blades 61, and mask receiving portions 65 provided on the left and right sides of the frame 64. A mask contact surface 66, which is the upper surface of the mask receiving portion 65, contacts the underside of the mask 3 during mask cleaning. Furthermore, the blade 61 protrudes slightly above the mask contact surface 66 in the height direction. This allows the blade 61 to scrape off the paste 5 adhering to the underside of the mask 3 during mask cleaning.

[0044] Furthermore, the blade cleaning unit 80 is configured so that the wiping material 81 comes into contact with the edge of the portion of the blade 61 that protrudes above the mask contact surface 66 during blade cleaning. The height position of the wiping material 81 may be adjustable by a bolt 88.

[0045] Furthermore, the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100 moves the blade cleaning unit 80 from the standby position while the mask cleaning unit 60 is not at the standby position. That is, while the mask cleaning unit 60 is cleaning the mask 3, the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100 moves the blade cleaning unit 80 from the standby position to the end opposite the standby position (hereinafter referred to as the cleaning start position) (see arrow M1 in FIG. 7). In this way, the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100 can move the blade cleaning unit 80 to the cleaning start position without bringing the wiping material 81 into contact with the blade 61.

[0046] Then, after the mask cleaning unit 60 finishes mask cleaning and returns to the standby position, the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100 moves the blade cleaning unit 80 from the cleaning start position toward the standby position (see arrow M2 in FIG. 7). At this time, the wiping material 81 moves while contacting the upper edge of the blade 61 due to its own elastic force, and wipes off the paste 5 adhering to the blade 61.

[0047] <Printing and cleaning operations> Next, the printing operation and cleaning operation by the printing device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 8A and 8B. Figure 8A is a diagram showing the printing operation by the printing device 1 according to this embodiment. Figure 8B is a diagram showing the printing operation and cleaning operation following Figure 8A. Note that this operation is controlled by the control unit 200 (see Figure 14).

[0048] First, as shown in FIG. 8A(a), the control unit 200 controls the camera unit moving mechanism 50 to move the camera unit 40, captures an image of the substrate 2 with the camera 41, and recognizes the position of the substrate 2 based on the captured image.

[0049] Next, as shown in FIG. 8A(b), the control unit 200 controls the substrate holding table moving mechanism 13 to move the substrate holding table 12 so that the position of the printing target on the substrate 2 is aligned with the opening 4 of the mask 3.

[0050] 8A(c), the control unit 200 controls the printing unit movement mechanism 30 to move the print head 22 and the squeegee 21 of the printing unit 20 so that the squeegee 21 spreads the paste 5 on the mask 3. The paste 5 spread by the squeegee 21 is filled into the openings 4 of the mask 3.

[0051] 8B(d), the control unit 200 controls the substrate holding table moving mechanism 13 to lower the substrate holding table 12 and the substrate 2. The paste 5 filled in the openings 4 of the mask 3 is transferred to the upper surface of the lowered substrate 2 at positions corresponding to the openings 4 of the mask 3.

[0052] Next, as shown in FIG. 8B(e), the control unit 200 controls the mask cleaning unit moving mechanism 70 to move the mask cleaning unit 60 from the standby position to the end of the mask frame 11 in the negative direction of the Y axis, and then moves the mask cleaning unit 60 to its original standby position while bringing the blade 61 into contact with the underside of the mask 3 (see arrow M1 in FIG. 8B(e)). At this time, the blade 61 scrapes off the remaining paste 5 adhering to the underside of the mask 3. While the mask cleaning unit 60 is returning to its original standby position, the control unit 200 controls the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100 to move the blade cleaning unit 80 to the cleaning start position.

[0053] Next, as shown in Fig. 8B(f), after the mask cleaning unit 60 returns to the standby position, the control unit 200 controls the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100 to move the blade cleaning unit 80 from the cleaning start position to the original standby position (see arrow M2 in Fig. 5B(f)). At this time, the wiping material 81 moves while abutting against the upper edge of the blade 61, and wipes off the paste 5 adhering to the blade 61.

[0054] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the operation of blade 61 according to this embodiment when scraping off paste 5 adhering to the lower surface of mask 3.

[0055] When cleaning the mask, the blade 61 moves from the position shown in FIG. 9(a) to the position shown in FIG. 9(b). That is, when cleaning the mask, the blade 61 moves from the negative direction of the Y axis to the positive direction of the Y axis. The blade 61 is flexible and protrudes slightly above the mask contact surface 66 of the mask receiving portion 65, so that the blade 61 moves while slightly bending with its edge contacting the underside (rear surface) of the mask 3, scraping off the paste 5 remaining on the underside of the mask 3. In addition, the mask cleaning unit 60 uses the suction force of air to suck out the paste 5 remaining in the opening 4 of the mask 3.

[0056] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the state of the blade 61 after the mask has been cleaned according to this embodiment.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 10, after cleaning the mask, some of the scraped paste 5 may remain on the blade 61. If the mask 3 is re-cleaned using the blade 61 with the paste 5 thus adhering, the paste 5 adhering to the blade 61 may be transferred to the mask 3. For this reason, in this embodiment, as described above, the printing apparatus 1 is provided with a blade cleaning unit 80, and as shown in FIG. 8B(f), the blade cleaning unit 80 is operated to remove the paste 5 adhering to the blade 61 with a wiping material 81. This makes it possible to prevent the paste 5 from being transferred from the blade 61 to the mask 3 the next time the mask is cleaned.

[0058] <Relationship between gear contact members and rotating gears> Next, FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the gear contact member and the rotary gear according to this embodiment.

[0059] If only one surface of the wiping material 81 is used, the paste 5 wiped off from the blade 61 will accumulate on that surface. Figure 11 illustrates a method for changing the surface of the wiping material 81 that contacts the blade 61 using a rotating gear 85.

[0060] The rotating gear 85 provided in the blade cleaning unit 80, and the spring-loaded hinge 102 and gear contact member 103 provided in the base 101 are a mechanism for automatically changing the blade contact surface of the wiping material 81. Therefore, the rotating gear 85 may be included in a contact portion changing mechanism, which is a mechanism for changing the blade contact surface of the wiping material 81. The rotating gear 85 may be read as a rotation mechanism. The gear contact member 103 may be read as a feed mechanism.

[0061] First, as shown in FIG. 11( a ), when the blade cleaning unit 80 moves in a direction (positive direction of X) approaching the standby position while cleaning the blade 61 , the rotary gear 85 also approaches the gear contact member 103 .

[0062] Next, as shown in FIG. 11( b ), when the rotary gear 85 moves further in the positive direction of the X-axis, one tooth 93 A of the rotary gear 85 comes into contact with the left end of the gear contact member 103 .

[0063] 11(c), when the rotary gear 85 moves further in the positive direction of the X-axis, the left end of the gear contact member 103 applies a rotational force to the rotary gear 85, causing the rotary gear 85 to rotate counterclockwise by one tooth 93A. At this time, the wiping material 81 also rotates counterclockwise, changing the blade contact surface. As a result, the edge of the blade 61 can be wiped with a clean surface of the wiping material 81 the next time the blade is cleaned.

[0064] 11(d), when the blade cleaning unit 80 moves in a direction away from the standby position (negative direction of the X-axis) toward the cleaning start position, the rotating gear 85 also moves away from the gear contact member 103. At this time, the one-way clutch 86 prevents the rotating gear 85 from rotating clockwise, so one tooth 93B fitted in the gear hole 104 of the gear contact member 103 pushes up the gear contact member 103, causing it to move in the negative direction of the X-axis. In other words, the wiping material 81 does not rotate at this time. After being pushed up using the hinge portion of the spring-loaded hinge 102 as the rotation axis, the gear contact member 103 returns to its original position by the spring force (elastic force).

[0065] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an operation for inspecting the remaining paste 5 adhering to the opening 4 of the mask 3 according to this embodiment.

[0066] The blade cleaning unit 80 may clean the blade 61 at any of the following times (A1), (A2), and (A3). The printing device 1 may also allow the user to set which of the following times (A1), (A2), and (A3) the blade 61 will be cleaned at.

[0067] (A1) The blade cleaning unit 80 cleans the blade 61 every time after the mask cleaning unit 60 operates.

[0068] (A2) The blade cleaning unit 80 cleans the blade 61 every time the mask cleaning unit 60 operates a predetermined number of times. This predetermined number of times may be set by the user.

[0069] (A3) As shown in Fig. 12(a), the control unit 200 captures an image of the opening 4 of the mask 3 with the camera 41 of the camera unit 40, and determines whether or not to clean the blade 61 depending on the amount of paste 5 remaining in the opening 4. For example, as a result of analyzing the captured image, if it is determined that smears of paste 5 remain around the opening 4 or that paste 5 is clogged inside the opening 4, as shown in the captured image of Fig. 12(b), the control unit 200 determines to clean the blade 61.

[0070] <Modification> FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a blade cleaning unit 80 according to a modified example of this embodiment.

[0071] The blade cleaning unit 80 according to the modified example of this embodiment includes a wiping material 131, a sheet supply unit 132, a sheet winding unit 133, and a sheet pressing unit .

[0072] The wiping material 131 is made of a long sheet of paper or cloth. The wiping material 131 is wound around a sheet supply unit 132, passes through the gap between the sheet pressing unit 134 and the blade 61, and is connected to a sheet winding unit 133.

[0073] The blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100 moves the blade cleaning unit 80 along the blade 61 (i.e., in the X direction). At this time, the wiping material 81 pressed against the upper edge of the blade 61 by the sheet pressing part 134 wipes the paste 5 off the blade 61 as it moves.

[0074] After wiping off the paste 5 from the blade 61, the sheet winding unit 133 winds up the wiping material 131, thereby changing the blade contact surface of the wiping material 131. This allows the edge of the blade 61 to be wiped off with a clean surface of the wiping material 131 the next time the blade is cleaned.

[0075] <Control system configuration> Next, the configuration of the control system of the printing device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control system of the printing device 1 according to this embodiment.

[0076] The control unit 200 provided in the printing device 1 includes a storage unit 201, a mechanism drive unit 202, and a recognition processing unit 203.

[0077] The memory unit 201 stores printing work data used to print the paste 5 on the substrate 2, mask cleaning work data used to clean the underside of the mask 3, blade cleaning work data used to clean the edge of the blade 61, etc.

[0078] The mechanism driving unit 202 is controlled by the control unit 200 to drive the substrate holding table moving mechanism 13, the printing unit moving mechanism 30, the print head 22, the camera unit moving mechanism 50, the mask cleaning unit moving mechanism 70, and the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 100. When the printing apparatus 1 has the configuration shown in Fig. 13, the mechanism driving unit 202 may be controlled by the control unit 200 to further drive the sheet winding unit 133 and the like.

[0079] The recognition processing unit 203 analyzes the image captured by the camera 41 and recognizes the positions of the substrate 2 and the mask 3, etc.

[0080] Summary of the Disclosure The contents of this disclosure can be expressed as follows:

[0081] <Appendix 1> A printing device (1) according to the present disclosure, which prints paste (5) on a substrate (2) using a mask (3) having predetermined openings (4) formed therein, includes: a substrate holding section (12, 13) which holds the substrate (2) and aligns it with the openings (4); a print head (22) which fills the openings with paste and prints the paste on the substrate; a mask cleaning unit (60) having a blade (61) which scrapes off paste adhering to the back surface of the mask; a mask cleaning unit moving mechanism (70) which moves the mask cleaning unit along the back surface of the mask to scrape off paste adhering to the back surface of the mask with the blade; a blade cleaning unit (80) which cleans the blade; and a blade cleaning unit moving mechanism (100) which moves the blade cleaning unit along the edge of the blade, and the blade cleaning unit has a wiping material (81) which contacts the blade and a contact part changing mechanism (85) which changes the part of the wiping material which contacts the blade. According to this configuration, the paste adhering to the blade of the mask cleaning unit is removed by the wiping material of the blade cleaning unit. In addition, the contact portion changing mechanism changes the portion of the wiping material that comes into contact with the blade. Therefore, the paste adhering to the blade is removed by a clean surface that has changed the portion of the wiping material that comes into contact with the blade. This prevents the paste adhering to the blade from being transferred to the mask the next time the mask is cleaned.

[0082] <Appendix 2> In the printing device described in Appendix 1, the wiping material may have a three-dimensional shape, and the blade cleaning unit may have a holding portion (82, 83, 84) that holds the wiping material, and a rotation mechanism (85) that rotates the wiping material as the contact part changing mechanism. As a result, the portion of the three-dimensional wiping material that comes into contact with the blade is changed by rotation by the rotation mechanism.

[0083] <Appendix 3> In the printing device described in Appendix 2, the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism can move the blade cleaning unit to a standby position away from above the mask cleaning unit, and the rotation mechanism can rotate the wiping material holder at the standby position. This allows the wiping material to be rotated at a standby position away from above the mask cleaning unit, thereby changing the portion of the wiping material that comes into contact with the blade.

[0084] <Appendix 4> The printing device described in Appendix 2 or 3 may further include a feed mechanism (103) that contacts the rotation mechanism to apply a rotational force and rotate the wiping material, thereby changing the portion of the wiping material that contacts the blade. This allows the rotating mechanism and the wiping material to be rotated by the feeding mechanism, thereby changing the portion of the wiping material that comes into contact with the blade.

[0085] <Appendix 5> In the printing apparatus described in Supplementary Note 3, the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism may move the blade cleaning unit from the standby position while the mask cleaning unit is cleaning the mask. This allows the blade cleaning unit to be moved from the standby position without the wiping material coming into contact with the blade.

[0086] <Appendix 6> In the printing device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 5, the wiping material may be a porous material. According to this configuration, the wiping material can wipe off more of the paste adhering to the blade.

[0087] <Appendix 7> In the printing device described in Supplementary Note 6, the paste may be a solder paste containing solder particles, and the average size of the pores of the porous material may be larger than the solder particles. According to this configuration, the wiping material can more effectively wipe away solder paste adhering to the blade.

[0088] <Appendix 8> In the printing device described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 7, the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism may clean the edge by moving the wiping material of the blade cleaning unit along the edge while bringing it into contact with the edge of the blade. In this way, by moving the wiping material along the edge of the blade while bringing it into contact with the blade, the wiping material can wipe away the paste adhering to the edge of the blade.

[0089] Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications, alterations, substitutions, additions, deletions, and equivalents within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the components in the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0090] The technology of the present disclosure is useful in the field of mounting components onto a substrate on which a paste is printed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 1 Printing device 2 boards 3. Mask 4 aperture 5. Paste 11 Mask Frame 12 Substrate holding table 13 Substrate holding table movement mechanism 20 printing units 21 Squeegee 22 Print head 30 Printing unit movement mechanism 40 Camera Unit 41 Camera 42 Prism 50 Camera unit movement mechanism 51 X-axis beam 52 Y-axis beam 53 Rail 54 Slider 60 Mask cleaning unit 61 Blade 62 Blade holder 63 Mobile Base 64 Frame 65 Mask holder 66 Mask contact surface 70 Mask cleaning unit movement mechanism 80 Blade Cleaning Unit 81 Wiping material 82 Wiping material holding rod 83 Tsuba 84 Shaft 85 Rotating Gear 86 One-way clutch 87 blocks 88 volts 89 Wiping part holding base 90 Locating pin 91 Through hole 92 tapped holes 93 teeth 94 Wiping material holder 100 Blade cleaning unit moving mechanism 101 Pedestal 102 Spring hinge 103 Gear contact member 104 gear hole 105 X-axis beam 131 Wiping material 132 Sheet supply unit 133 Sheet winding section 134 Sheet pressing part 200 control section 201 Storage section 202 Mechanism drive unit 203 Recognition processing section

Claims

1. A printing apparatus that prints a paste on a substrate using a mask having a predetermined opening formed therein, a substrate holder that holds the substrate and aligns it with the opening; a print head that fills the opening with paste and prints the paste on the substrate; a mask cleaning unit having a blade for scraping off the paste adhering to the rear surface of the mask; a mask cleaning unit moving mechanism that moves the mask cleaning unit along the rear surface of the mask to scrape off the paste adhering to the rear surface of the mask with the blade; a blade cleaning unit for cleaning the blade; a blade cleaning unit moving mechanism that moves the blade cleaning unit along the edge of the blade, The blade cleaning unit includes: a wiping material contacting the blade; a contact portion changing mechanism for changing a portion of the wiping material that comes into contact with the blade, Printing device.

2. 2. The printing device according to claim 1, The wiping material has a three-dimensional shape, The blade cleaning unit has a holding part that holds the wiping material, and a rotation mechanism that rotates the wiping material as the contact part changing mechanism. Printing device.

3. 3. The printing device according to claim 2, the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism can move the blade cleaning unit to a standby position away from above the mask cleaning unit, The rotation mechanism rotates the holder of the wiping material at the standby position. Printing device.

4. 4. The printing device according to claim 2, wherein: The wiper further includes a feeding mechanism that changes the portion of the wiper that contacts the blade by contacting the rotation mechanism to apply a rotational force to rotate the wiper. Printing device.

5. 4. The printing device according to claim 3, the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism moves the blade cleaning unit from the standby position while the mask cleaning unit is cleaning the mask. Printing device.

6. The printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The wiping material is a porous material. Printing device.

7. 7. The printing device according to claim 6, The paste is a solder paste containing solder particles, and the average size of the pores of the porous material is larger than the solder particles. Printing device.

8. The printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the blade cleaning unit moving mechanism moves the wiping material of the blade cleaning unit along the edge of the blade while bringing the wiping material into contact with the edge, thereby cleaning the edge. Printing device.

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