Screen printer batch alignment device and batch alignment method using the same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a batch alignment device for a screen printer and a batch alignment method using the same. Since a plurality of printed circuit boards can be aligned simultaneously and quickly in alignment holes formed in a single alignment jig, simplification of parts and weight reduction of the device are possible, shortening of the production process and time, improvement of productivity, and mass production through this are possible. By aligning only the X-axis and Y-axis on the plane of an intermediate printed circuit board where the mask and the alignment jig coincide within the alignment jig, alignment of a plurality of printed circuit boards is completed, and at the same time, high-quality printing that coincides with the printing pattern of the alignment jig and the mask can be quickly performed on a plurality of printed circuit boards simultaneously.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a batch alignment device for a screen printer and a batch alignment method using the same. More specifically, for a plurality of printed circuit boards of small to medium sizes, solder printing can be performed batchwise through a single screen printer. By precisely and batchwise aligning the X-axis and Y-axis of a plurality of printed circuit boards on a plane simultaneously, it is possible to produce a plurality of printed circuit boards with high printing quality through a single printing operation, and it relates to a batch alignment device for a screen printer and a batch alignment method using the same that enable mass production and cost reduction of production by improving productivity and shortening the overall production process time.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, with the development of the semiconductor industry, printed circuit boards are mainly produced depending on the surface mount (Surface Mount Technology; SMT) process. Such a surface mount process is a soldering pretreatment operation for printing a specific pattern on a printed circuit board by a screen printer. In order to solder a wafer chip on the printed circuit board, it includes a side conveyor for transferring the printed circuit board from when it is put in to the working position, a squeegee for pressing the lead balls (solder cream) placed on the mask, a working plate, a working conveyor, and an alignment device, and is composed of a screen printing working part provided under the mask.

[0003] In a screen printer with this configuration, a printed circuit board is fed in via a side conveyor on the input side. An alignment device is used to align each solder surface on the printed circuit board with the corresponding lead input holes perforated in the mask. Subsequently, the work conveyor is raised, and at the same time, the mask and squeeze are lowered to bring the mask and printed circuit board into close contact. The squeeze is then moved back and forth so that the lead balls placed on the mask pass through the lead input holes on the mask, arranging the lead balls on the solder surface of the printed circuit board. Finally, the printed circuit board with the arranged lead balls is transported from the central conveyor to the discharge side conveyor and discharged to the outside.

[0004] Conventional alignment devices used in such screen printers use linear motors to move each multi-stage jig on which the printed circuit board is fixed along the θ, X, and Y axes, thereby aligning each solder side of the printed circuit board with the lead input port of the mask.

[0005] However, conventional screen printers employ alignment devices that require alignment of the X, Y, and θ axes increase alignment time, resulting in increased printing time through the screen printer and a significant decrease in productivity.

[0006] Furthermore, the process involves the cumbersome task of individually aligning each print target. When attempting to align multiple targets simultaneously, numerous alignment devices are required, leading to increased equipment costs and decreased productivity. Specifically, the need to individually adjust the X, Y, and θ axes for each print target creates time constraints, and the installation of individual additional equipment for aligning each target increases equipment costs, frequently negatively impacting production efficiency and product quality. Moreover, when attempting to print multiple targets at once, the precision of individually operating alignment devices decreases, resulting in printing defects on the printed circuit boards. This leads to product defects and a significant increase in the defect rate. This, in turn, results in production losses and ultimately reduces productivity.

[0007] As a technology to improve such problems, Korean Published Patent No. 10-2013-0051609 (Publication date: May 21, 2013, "Screen Printer Alignment Apparatus") is disclosed. The alignment apparatus comprises a suction-fixed table having X-axis and Y-axis aligned elongated holes formed on a main table having X-axis and Y-axis movable elongated holes formed on it, X-axis and Y-axis locking reference members being coupled to the upper surface of the suction-fixed table, and X-axis and Y-axis alignment means moving in the X-axis and Y-axis directions in the X-axis and Y-axis aligned elongated holes that communicate with the X-axis and Y-axis movable elongated holes on the same vertical line.

[0008] To explain the operation relationship through the above configuration, after the printed circuit board is placed on the suction fixing table, the X-axis alignment shaft of the X-axis alignment means, which is coupled to the X-axis alignment slot via the X-axis moving slot, pushes the printed circuit board toward the X-axis locking reference member on the suction fixing table in the X-axis direction, aligning it to correspond to the X-axis locking reference member, and the Y-axis of the printed circuit board is also aligned in the same manner.

[0009] While the alignment device described above has the advantage of being able to align a large number of printed circuit boards simultaneously, it also has several problems, as follows.

[0010] Firstly, during the alignment operation for printing multiple printed circuit boards, the precision of the X-axis and Y-axis alignment decreases. Specifically, when the X-axis and Y-axis movable slots are machined continuously during the manufacturing process of the main table, the distances between the movable slots do not match precisely, which reduces precision. As the alignment progresses, the portion corresponding to the distance error between the movable slots is directly reflected, making manufacturing practically difficult, which leads to printing defects in the printed circuit boards. Furthermore, the same problem exists when machining the X-axis and Y-axis aligned slots of the suction-fixed table, and the X-axis and Y-axis movement of the X-axis and Y-axis alignment shafts can only be performed smoothly when the movable slots and aligned slots match precisely, which also reduces precision during the printed circuit board alignment process.

[0011] Secondly, the alignment means, including the alignment shafts for X-axis and Y-axis alignment, has a considerably complex configuration, making maintenance and repair difficult. Furthermore, the excessive weight of the alignment device leads to a significant decrease in alignment speed, which in turn leads to a decrease in the production speed of the solder printing process for printed circuit boards.

[0012] Thirdly, durability decreases, which can lead to misalignment. Specifically, when the printed circuit board moves along the X and Y axes using the alignment mechanism, the impact on the X and Y axis locking reference members increases fatigue strength. Furthermore, errors due to loosening of screws, which can occur through the separate screw fastening connection, frequently occur, which can also lead to printing defects.

[0013] Fourth, the number of parts is extremely large, which increases the number of processes and makes maintenance and repair difficult.

[0014] In other words, in the conventional technology described above, when aligning multiple printed circuit boards along the X and Y axes, if the precision and consistency between the movable elongated holes of the base panel and the alignment elongated holes of the suction fixing table, which can cause misalignment, is not ensured, the movement distance of the alignment shaft of the alignment means is limited, and errors may occur in the movement distance depending on whether the diameter of the alignment shaft is the same or not, making X and Y axis alignment difficult. Furthermore, the precision of the installation of the locking reference member also affects the alignment of the printed circuit boards, and in particular, in the joining process through screw fastening of the locking reference member, there is no significant effect in the case of a single configuration, but in the case of multiple configurations, although they must be fixed in the same position, errors may occur due to the screw pitch and the number of fastening rotations due to the characteristics of screw fastening, making it very difficult to align multiple printed circuit boards simultaneously and identically.

[0015] Furthermore, as mentioned above, the increased number of parts required for the alignment device creates maintenance and repair problems, and the increased overall weight makes maintenance, repair, and changeover processes considerably more difficult for workers.

[0016] In other words, conventional alignment devices require precision and have a large number of parts that must be aligned, which makes installation difficult. Furthermore, the biggest problem is that precision and consistency do not work organically during the overall operation process, resulting in reduced alignment precision, and it remains difficult to align multiple printed circuit boards simultaneously.

[0017] Therefore, there is a need for an alignment device that simplifies components, facilitates X-axis and Y-axis alignment of printed circuit boards even when identical components are not required, and can simultaneously align with the printed pattern of the mask, thereby enabling rapid alignment and solder printing of printed circuit boards. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0018] [Patent Document 1] Korean Published Patent No. 10-2013-0051609 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0019] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a screen printer batch alignment device and batch alignment method using the same, which can simultaneously and quickly align multiple printed circuit boards, thereby shortening the production process and time, improving productivity and enabling mass production, simplifying the number of parts and reducing the weight of the device.

[0020] Another object of the present invention is to provide a batch alignment device for a screen printer and a batch alignment method using the same, which enables simultaneous and rapid high-quality printing that matches the printed patterns of the alignment jig and mask on multiple printed circuit boards at the same time as the alignment of multiple printed circuit boards is completed by aligning only the X and Y axes on the plane of the intermediate printed circuit board where the mask and alignment jig coincide within the alignment jig.

[0021] Furthermore, yet another object of the present invention is to provide a screen printer batch alignment device and batch alignment method using the same, which can simultaneously align irregularly shaped printed circuit boards, as well as shaped printed circuit boards, along only the X and Y axes, and enable high-quality printing on multiple printed circuit boards simultaneously. [Means for solving the problem]

[0022] To achieve this objective, the screen printer alignment device according to the present invention is provided in the printing section of the screen printer, in which a single mask is provided at the top end, on which a plurality of printing patterns corresponding to a plurality of printed circuit boards are formed, so that solder printing can be performed on a plurality of printed circuit boards in a single printing operation, and the plurality of printed circuit boards are arranged so that they are aligned directly below the plurality of printing patterns formed on the mask, and a cylinder 120 on which a cylinder rod 122 moves up and down is provided at the lower center, a guide shaft 110 is formed on the upper surface, and a plate-shaped base panel 100 is formed on the lower side of the mask; and an alignment drive unit 2 is provided, which is coupled to the upper surface of the base panel 100 with the guide shaft 110, the tip of the cylinder rod 122 is coupled to the central side, moves up and down by the operation of the cylinder rod 122 and is provided so that a certain distance is adjusted on the X and Y axes on a plane The device is characterized by comprising: 00; a vacuum suction unit 300 coupled to the upper side of the alignment drive unit 200 and provided to vacuum adsorb printed circuit boards P; a carrier boat 400 on which a plurality of printed circuit boards P are placed on the upper surface and which is fed into the lower side of the mask; a width adjustment conveyor unit 500 coupled to the upper surface of the base panel 100 so as to adjust its left and right width to correspond to the left and right width of the carrier boat 400 without interference with the alignment drive unit 200, and provided symmetrically in the front and back so as to be fed into the carrier boat 400 on which a plurality of printed circuit boards P are placed along a wire belt and which is positioned below the mask; and an alignment jig 600 formed in a plate shape, with a plurality of alignment holes 602 formed therein corresponding to the plurality of printed circuit boards P placed on the carrier boat 400, aligned with the mask at a certain distance upward from the carrier boat, and with both left and right ends placed and coupled to the upper part of the width adjustment conveyor unit 500.

[0023] On one hand, the alignment driving unit 200 is provided with a guide housing 212 axially coupled to a guide shaft 110 formed on the upper surface of the base panel 100, and a driving unit base panel 210 having a base rod through hole 214 formed at the center thereof so as not to interfere with the vertical operation of the cylinder rod 122; an X-axis alignment motor 220 coupled to one side of the front and rear sides of the upper surface of the driving unit base panel 210; and an X-axis rail member 232 coupled to the lower surface thereof so as to be coupled to the motor shaft of the X-axis alignment motor 220 and move back and forth along the X-axis corresponding to the front and rear sides on the plane by the driving of the alignment motor, and simultaneously move and adjust a plurality of printed circuit boards placed on the carrier boat 400 in the X-axis direction. A plate-shaped X-axis adjustment panel 230 having an X-axis rod through hole 234 formed at the center thereof so as not to interfere with the left and right movement along the X-axis; a Y-axis alignment motor 240 coupled to one side of the left and right sides of the upper surface of the X-axis adjustment panel 230; and a Y-axis rail member 252 coupled to the lower surface thereof so as to be coupled to the motor shaft of the Y-axis alignment motor 240 and move left and right along the Y-axis corresponding to the left and right sides on the plane by the driving of the alignment motor, and simultaneously adjust a plurality of printed circuit boards P placed on the carrier boat 400 in the Y-axis direction. A plate-shaped Y-axis adjustment panel 250 having a rod insertion through hole 254 formed at the center thereof so that the tip of the cylinder rod 122 is inserted and penetrated therethrough, the cylinder rod is coupled directly below the vacuum suction unit 300, and the vacuum suction unit moves up and down. It is characterized by being formed including these components.

[0024] Here, the diameters of the base rod through hole 214 and the X-axis rod through hole 234 of the alignment driving unit 200 are formed larger than the distances for alignment adjustment of the front and rear Y-axis and the left and right X-axis, so that the cylinder rod 122 can move without interference within the base rod through hole 214 during the forward and backward movement of the X-axis adjustment panel 230, and the cylinder rod 122 can move without interference within the X-axis rod through hole 234 during the left and right movement of the Y-axis adjustment panel 250. It is characterized by being formed in this way.

[0025] On the other hand, the vacuum suction unit 300 is characterized by comprising: a vacuum base 310 to which the tip of the cylinder rod 122 is coupled, having a coupling hole 312 formed in the center of the lower surface on the same vertical line as the rod insertion through hole 254 formed in the Y-axis adjustment panel 250, fixedly coupled to the upper surface of the Y-axis adjustment panel, and moving up and down together with the alignment drive unit 200 by the operation of the cylinder rod; and a vacuum member 320 to which a vacuum portion 322 is formed in a recess on the upper surface of the vacuum base 310 to correspond to a plurality of printed circuit boards P placed on the carrier boat 400, with a vacuum portion 322 formed in the upper surface, a vacuum suction hole 324 formed in the center of the vacuum portion, and a contact mounting band 326 formed along the circumferential surface of the vacuum portion that minimally contacts the periphery of the bottom surface of the printed circuit boards P.

[0026] Furthermore, the carrier boat 400 is characterized by being formed of a rectangular plate and comprising: a number of through-suction parts 410 provided on a flat surface so that a vacuum suction part 300 can suction the bottom surface of a printed circuit board and move up and down with an alignment jig; and a pair of mounting and fixing pins 420 provided on the outer circumference of the through-suction parts 410 so as to restrict the printed circuit board from moving along the X and Y axes.

[0027] On the one hand, the width adjustment conveyor unit 500 includes: LM rails 510 formed symmetrically in the front and back on the upper surface of the base panel 100; rail blocks 520 rail-coupled to the LM rails 510 and formed symmetrically in the front and back so as to move on the rails in a pair with mutually facing left and right widths being narrowed or widened; a width adjustment spiral shaft 530 formed symmetrically in the front and back with left and right forward and reverse threads centered on the middle and formed symmetrically between the symmetrically formed front and back LM rails 510; a width adjustment drive transmission unit 540 and a width adjustment drive motor 550 formed by a belt and pulleys so that the symmetrically formed width adjustment spiral shafts 530 rotate forward and reverse simultaneously; a conveyor frame 560 having a wire belt provided so that a carrier boat 400 formed in a "┏┓" shape and having a plurality of printed circuit boards P placed thereon is loaded directly below a mask on the printing unit side of a screen printer, and a wire drive motor for driving the wire belt is coupled to one side, and the front and rear ends of the front and rear rail blocks 520 are coupled, and the width adjustment spiral shafts 530 are provided symmetrically on the left and right while being screw-coupled, and the width is adjusted left and right by the width adjustment spiral shafts 530 that rotate forward and reverse by the width adjustment drive motor 550 and the width adjustment drive transmission unit 540.

[0028] On the other hand, the alignment jig 600 is formed in a square plate shape, is formed corresponding to a plurality of printed circuit boards P placed on the carrier boat 400, and has a plurality of alignment holes 602 provided so that the bottom surfaces of the plurality of printed circuit boards P are adsorbed by the vacuum adsorption unit 300 and the X-axis and Y-axis side surfaces of the printed circuit boards are located inside by the operation of the cylinder rod and are aligned collectively by the X-axis and Y-axis movement operations of the alignment drive unit 200, and a finish mark 604 formed on the upper surface to be aligned with the mask.

[0029] Here, the distance from the inner surface of the alignment hole 602 to the outer surface of the printed circuit board P is preferably 0.25 mm to 0.5 mm.

[0030] As described above, the batch alignment method using the batch alignment device for a screen printer according to the present invention is a batch alignment method using a screen printer alignment device provided at the top of which a single mask is provided with multiple printing patterns corresponding to multiple printed circuit boards P so that solder printing can be performed on multiple printed circuit boards P in a single printing operation in the printing section of the screen printer, and the multiple printed circuit boards are arranged so that they are aligned directly below the multiple printing patterns formed on the mask, and the method comprises: Alignment preparation stage 1 (S100) of adjusting the width of the conveyor frame 560 of a width adjustment conveyor unit 500 to correspond to the width of a carrier boat 400 provided so that multiple printed circuit boards are placed around a through-suction part 410 formed from a square plate body and having a number of throughs corresponding to the multiple printed circuit boards P to be printed, and are first aligned by mounting fixing pins 420; and the width adjustment The alignment preparation process includes: a second stage (S200) in which an alignment jig 600 is placed and fixed on the upper end of a conveyor frame 560 whose width is adjusted to correspond to the width of the carrier boat of the segmented conveyor unit 500, and the mask and the alignment jig 600 are aligned; a carrier boat loading stage (S300) in which the carrier boat 400, with multiple printed circuit boards P placed on it through the first stage of alignment preparation, is positioned below the alignment jig with the mask and alignment jig aligned; and a third stage (S400) in which, through the carrier boat loading stage, the cylinder rod 122 of the base panel 100 located below the carrier boat 400, which is loaded directly below the alignment jig 600, moves up and down, causing the vacuum suction unit 300 to approach the bottom of the printed circuit boards placed on the carrier boat and vacuum-suction, thereby separating multiple printed circuit boards simultaneously and collectively to the upper side of the carrier boat;In the alignment preparation stage 4 (S500), the cylinder rod 122 is further actuated upward so that the multiple printed circuit boards P, which have been collectively separated from the carrier boat by the vacuum suction unit through the three alignment preparation stages, simultaneously enter the alignment holes 602 of the alignment jig 600, and the upper surface of the alignment jig 600 and the upper surfaces of the multiple printed circuit boards P that have entered the alignment holes simultaneously are positioned on the same plane; and the X-axis adjustment panel 230 and Y-axis adjustment panel 250 of the alignment drive unit 200 are finely adjusted. The process includes: a batch alignment step (S600) in which multiple printed circuit boards P are aligned collectively within alignment holes 602, adjusting them by a certain distance along the X and Y axes; and a batch alignment finishing step (S700) in which the multiple printed circuit boards P, which have been aligned collectively along the X and Y axes through the batch alignment step, are fixed by a vacuum suction unit 300 without flow on the same plane as the upper surface of the alignment jig 600, so that solder printing is performed on the multiple printed circuit boards according to the printed pattern formed on the mask.

[0031] Here, the batch alignment step (S600) is a batch alignment step (S610) in which multiple printed circuit boards P are positioned to enter the alignment holes 602 of the alignment jig 600 by the vacuum suction unit 300, the upper surfaces of the multiple printed circuit boards P and the upper surface of the alignment jig 600 are positioned to form the same plane, the X-axis adjustment panel 230 which is rail-coupled to the drive unit base panel 210 finely drives the vacuum suction unit 300 on the X axis by the fine drive of the X-axis alignment motor 220, the multiple printed circuit boards P which are simultaneously moved a certain distance in the front and rear X-axis directions within the alignment holes 602 by the fine drive of the vacuum suction unit 300, and are aligned and coincide with the inner surface on the Y axis within the alignment holes 602; and the Y-axis adjustment panel 250 which is rail-coupled to the X-axis adjustment panel 230 finely drives the vacuum suction unit on the Y axis by the fine drive of the Y-axis alignment motor 240. The device is characterized by comprising: a Y-axis simultaneous alignment step (S620) in which multiple printed circuit boards P are moved simultaneously by a certain distance in the left and right Y-axis directions within the alignment hole 602 by the fine drive of the vacuum suction unit 300, and are aligned and coincide with the inner surface on the X-axis within the alignment hole 602; and a finishing alignment step (S630) in which, after the multiple printed circuit boards P are simultaneously aligned and coincide with the inner surface of the alignment hole 602 on the X-axis and Y-axis through the X-axis and Y-axis simultaneous alignment step, the vacuum suction unit 300 moves to the center of the alignment hole, and the X-axis and Y-axis adjustment panels 230 and 250 are driven so that the printed circuit boards move to the position where the mask and alignment jig are marked and aligned, and are aligned to a position that coincides with the center of each of the multiple printed circuit boards P at the center of the alignment hole 602 of the solder-printable alignment jig 600.

[0032] On the other hand, the distance from the inner surface of the alignment hole 602 to the outer surface of the printed circuit board P that has entered the alignment hole 602 at a position where the upper surface of the alignment hole 602 and the upper surface of the printed circuit board coincide is preferably 0.25 mm to 0.5 mm, and the minimum distance required for multiple printed circuit boards P adsorbed by the vacuum adsorption unit 300 to move in the X-axis and Y-axis directions within the alignment hole 602 and align collectively is preferably 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm. [Effects of the Invention]

[0033] The present invention enables the simultaneous, batch, and rapid alignment of multiple printed circuit boards within multiple alignment holes formed in a single alignment jig. This simplifies components and reduces the weight of equipment, shortens production processes and time, improves productivity, and facilitates mass production. By aligning only the X and Y axes on the plane of the intermediate printed circuit board where the mask and the alignment jig coincide within the alignment jig, the alignment of multiple printed circuit boards is completed, and high-quality printing matching the printed patterns of the alignment jig and mask can be performed simultaneously and rapidly on multiple printed circuit boards.

[0034] Furthermore, the present invention has the advantage that, in addition to molded printed circuit boards, it can also align irregularly shaped printed circuit boards simultaneously along only the X and Y axes on the alignment holes of the alignment jig, thus enabling high-quality printing on multiple printed circuit boards simultaneously. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0035] [Figure 1] This is an overall perspective view of the left side of the batch alignment device for a screen printer according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an overall perspective view of the right side of the batch alignment device for a screen printer according to the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the main part of the base panel of the batch alignment device for a screen printer according to the present invention. [Figure 4]This is a perspective view of the main part of the alignment drive means of a batch alignment device for a screen printer according to the present invention. [Figure 5] This is an exploded perspective view of the alignment drive means of a batch alignment device for a screen printer according to the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing the planar operation state of the alignment drive means of the batch alignment device for a screen printer according to the present invention. [Figure 7] This is an enlarged perspective view of the main part of the vacuum suction means of the batch alignment device for a screen printer according to the present invention. [Figure 8] This is an enlarged perspective view of the main part of the carrier boat of the batch alignment device for screen printers according to the present invention. [Figure 9] This is an enlarged perspective view of the main part of the alignment jig of the batch alignment device for screen printers according to the present invention. [Figure 10] This is an enlarged perspective view of the main part of the width adjustment conveyor unit of the screen printer batch alignment device according to the present invention. [Figure 11] This is a side cross-sectional view showing the operating relationship of the alignment driving means of the batch alignment device for a screen printer according to the present invention. [Figure 12] This is a side cross-sectional view showing the operating relationship of the vacuum suction section of the batch alignment device for a screen printer according to the present invention. [Figure 13] This is a side cross-sectional view showing the screen printer according to the present invention in a state where it has entered the alignment jig of a batch alignment device. [Figure 14] These are a plan view and a plan view of the main components showing the alignment operation relationship of the batch alignment device for a screen printer according to the present invention. [Figure 15] These are a plan view and a plan view of the main components showing the alignment operation relationship of the batch alignment device for a screen printer according to the present invention. [Figure 16] These are a plan view and a plan view of the main components showing the alignment operation relationship of the batch alignment device for a screen printer according to the present invention. [Figure 17] This is a plan view of the main components showing the alignment operation state of a printed circuit board in another embodiment of the batch alignment device for a screen printer according to the present invention. [Figure 18] This is a block diagram showing an alignment method using a batch alignment device for screen printers according to the present invention. [Figure 19] This is a block diagram showing the detailed alignment operation method of the alignment method using the batch alignment device for screen printers according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0036] The batch alignment device for a screen printer according to the present invention is configured such that solder printing can be performed on multiple printed circuit boards in a single printing operation in the printing section of the screen printer. A single mask with multiple printing patterns corresponding to multiple printed circuit boards is provided at the top of the mask, and the multiple printed circuit boards are arranged to align directly below the multiple printing patterns formed on the mask. This allows for simplification and weight reduction of components, as well as rapid alignment and rapid solder printing. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the device includes a base panel 100, an alignment drive unit 200, a vacuum suction unit 300, a carrier boat 400, a width adjustment conveyor unit 500, and an alignment jig 600.

[0037] As shown in Figure 3, the base panel 100 is located below the mask for solder printing of the screen printer. A cylinder 120 is provided in the center of the lower part, on which a cylinder rod 122 moves up and down, and a guide shaft 110 is formed in a plate shape on the upper surface. Here, a rectangular coupling hole (not shown) is formed through the center of the plate-shaped base panel 100 to facilitate coupling of the cylinder. At least two guide shafts 110 are provided so that the alignment drive unit 200, which will be described later, is guided to move straight up vertically without deviating from the vertical line during its vertical movement.

[0038] The alignment drive unit 200 is designed to simultaneously raise multiple printed circuit boards, which are initially aligned and placed on a carrier boat (described later), vertically using an alignment jig, and then simultaneously adjust and align the X and Y axes of the multiple printed circuit boards. As shown in Figures 4 to 6, it is coupled to the upper surface of the base panel 100 with a guide shaft 110, and the tip of the cylinder rod 122 is coupled to the central side. The cylinder rod 122 moves up and down as it operates, adjusting a fixed distance between the X and Y axes on a plane. This alignment drive unit 200 includes a drive unit base panel 210, an X-axis alignment motor 220, an X-axis adjustment panel 230, a Y-axis alignment motor 240, and a Y-axis adjustment panel 250.

[0039] The drive unit base panel 210 serves as a support for the X-axis adjustment panel 230, which will be described later, to move along the rail in the X-axis direction. It is also positioned to rise vertically along with the X-axis adjustment panel, Y-axis adjustment panel, and vacuum suction unit, which will be described later, in relation to the vertical upward movement of the cylinder rod 122 provided on the base panel. A guide housing 212 is provided which is axially coupled to a guide shaft 110 formed on the upper surface of the base panel 100, and a base rod through hole 214 is formed in the center to prevent interference with the vertical movement of the cylinder rod 122.

[0040] Here, the drive unit base panel 210 is formed of a rectangular plate, and a cylinder rod 122 is provided to pass through a base rod through hole 214 formed in the center. The base rod through hole 214 can be formed in various shapes, such as a circular or rectangular shape with an expanded diameter, so that the cylinder rod 122 can move freely within the base rod through hole 214 to adjust the alignment distance of the X-axis and Y-axis adjustment panel described later to the X-axis and Y-axis. In other words, it is preferable that the base rod through hole 214 is formed so as not to interfere with the movement distance of the X-axis and Y-axis adjustment panel in the X-axis and Y-axis directions.

[0041] The X-axis alignment motor 220 is configured to move the X-axis adjustment panel (described later) in the X-axis direction, allowing multiple printed circuit boards P to move collectively in the X-axis direction on the alignment jig. It is coupled to either the front or rear side of the upper surface of the drive unit base panel 210 described above. Specifically, the body of the X-axis alignment motor 220 is coupled to the drive unit base panel 210, and the motor shaft portion, which is configured to perform linear reciprocating motion by rotational force, is coupled to the X-axis adjustment panel (described later). This configuration enables forward and backward movement in the X-axis direction by linear reciprocating motion due to forward and reverse rotational force.

[0042] The X-axis adjustment panel 230 is configured to move forward and backward in the X-axis direction by the drive of the X-axis alignment motor described above. It is formed in a plate shape and is coupled to the motor shaft of the X-axis alignment motor 220. By the drive of the alignment motor, it moves back and forth along the X-axis, which corresponds to the front and rear sides on a plane, and is formed to simultaneously move and adjust multiple printed circuit boards mounted on the carrier boat 400, which will be described later, in the X-axis direction. An X-axis rail member 232 is coupled to the lower surface of the X-axis adjustment panel so as to move back and forth along a horizontal line in the X-axis direction, and an X-axis rod through hole 234 is formed in the center through which the cylinder rod 122 passes so as not to interfere with lateral movement along the X-axis.

[0043] Here, the X-axis rod through-hole 234 is also formed with an enlarged diameter to perform the same function as the base rod through-hole described above, and is formed with an enlarged diameter so that the cylinder rod does not interfere with the inner periphery of the rod through-hole while the X-axis adjustment panel and Y-axis adjustment panel move in the X-axis and Y-axis directions.

[0044] The X-axis alignment motor 240 is configured to move the Y-axis adjustment panel (described later) in the Y-axis direction, allowing multiple printed circuit boards P to move collectively in the Y-axis direction on the alignment jig, and is coupled to either the left or right side of the upper surface of the X-axis adjustment panel 230 described above. That is, the body of the Y-axis alignment motor 220 is coupled to the X-axis adjustment panel 230, and the motor shaft portion, which is configured to perform linear reciprocating motion by rotational force, is coupled to the Y-axis adjustment panel (described later), and is configured to move forward and backward in the left and right directions in the Y-axis direction by linear reciprocating motion due to forward and reverse rotational force.

[0045] The Y-axis adjustment panel 250 is configured to move forward and backward in the Y-axis direction by the drive of the Y-axis alignment motor described above. It is formed in a plate shape and is coupled to the motor shaft of the Y-axis alignment motor 240. By the drive of the alignment motor, it moves left and right along the Y-axis, which corresponds to the left and right sides on a plane, and is formed to simultaneously adjust multiple printed circuit boards P placed on the carrier boat 400, which will be described later, in the Y-axis direction. In this Y-axis adjustment panel, a Y-axis rail member 252 is coupled to the lower surface, the tip of a cylinder rod 122 is inserted and passes through the center, the cylinder rod is coupled directly below the vacuum suction part 300, which will be described later, and a rod insertion hole 254 is formed so that the vacuum suction part can move up and down.

[0046] Here, the rod insertion hole 254 is configured such that the diameter corresponds to the diameter of the cylinder rod, allowing the cylinder rod 122 to move up and down while coupled to the vacuum suction part. As a result, during the alignment process of multiple printed circuit boards in the X and Y axes, both the vacuum suction part and the Y-axis adjustment panel 250 move in the X and Y axes. In other words, the base rod through hole described above is for preventing interference during alignment adjustment in the X axis direction, and the X-axis rod through hole is formed to prevent interference during alignment adjustment in the Y axis direction.

[0047] In other words, the cylinder rod moves along with the rail movement operation of the X-axis adjustment panel and the Y-axis adjustment panel only when the diameters of the base rod through hole 214 and the X-axis rod through hole 234 of the alignment drive unit 200 are formed to be larger than the distance for alignment adjustment of the front-rear Y-axis and the left-right X-axis. To eliminate interference with this, the cylinder rod 122 is formed to be able to move without interference within the base rod through hole 214 during the front-rear movement of the X-axis adjustment panel 230, and the cylinder rod 122 is formed to be able to move without interference within the X-axis rod through hole 234 during the left-right movement of the Y-axis adjustment panel 250.

[0048] As described above, the vacuum suction unit 300 is coupled to the center of the upper surface of the Y-axis adjustment panel of the alignment drive unit and is configured to move multiple printed circuit boards simultaneously in the X-axis and Y-axis directions inside the alignment holes of the alignment jig. As shown in Figure 7, it is coupled to the upper side of the alignment drive unit 200, that is, to the upper surface of the Y-axis fixing panel, and is provided to vacuum-suction multiple printed circuit boards P. Such a vacuum suction unit 300 is composed of a vacuum base 310 and a vacuum member 320.

[0049] The vacuum base 310 is connected to a conventional compressor and is provided to maintain a vacuum state within the vacuum section of the vacuum member coupled to its upper end, and to attract multiple printed circuit boards. At the same time, it is provided to be adjusted together by the X-axis and Y-axis movement of the alignment drive unit. The coupling hole 312 into which the tip of the cylinder rod 122 is coupled is formed on the same vertical line as the rod insertion through hole 254 formed in the Y-axis adjustment panel 250 in the center of the lower surface, and is fixedly coupled to the upper surface of the Y-axis adjustment panel. It is provided to move up and down together with the alignment drive unit 200 by the operation of the cylinder rod.

[0050] The vacuum member 320 is formed to connect to the vacuum base 310 described above, and is formed to stand upright on the upper surface of the vacuum base 310, corresponding to the multiple printed circuit boards P placed on the carrier boat 400. A recessed vacuum section 322 is formed on the upper surface of one unit, corresponding to the number of printed circuit boards P, a vacuum intake hole 324 is formed in the center of the vacuum section, and a contact mounting band 326 is formed along the periphery of the vacuum section, making minimal contact with the periphery of the bottom surface of the printed circuit board P.

[0051] In other words, the vacuum member 320, positioned directly below the carrier boat, moves vertically towards the alignment jig side by the operation of the cylinder rod 122 of the cylinder, penetrating from the bottom to the top of the carrier boat. At this time, the bottom surface of the printed circuit board comes into contact with the contact mounting plate 326, sealing the vacuum section 322. The vacuum section becomes a vacuum state by sucking in the residual air from the sealed vacuum section 322 through the vacuum intake hole 324, allowing the multiple printed circuit boards P, which are initially aligned on the carrier boat, to approach the alignment jig side with a single lifting operation.

[0052] The carrier boat 400 is configured to load multiple printed circuit boards onto the wire rails of the conveyor frame of the width-adjustable conveyor unit 500, which will be described later, as the printing section of a screen printer, while aligning them in a primary manner. As shown in Figure 8, multiple printed circuit boards P are placed on the upper surface and loaded onto the conveyor frame below the mask. Thus, the carrier boat 400 is configured as a rectangular plate with a through-suction section 410 and mounting fixing pins 420 formed therein.

[0053] The through-suction section 410 is composed of a number corresponding to the number of printed circuit boards P, and penetrates in a rectangular shape on a plane formed of a rectangular plate. The vacuum members, each composed of the individual units of the vacuum suction section 300 described above, pass through the through-suction section and adsorb the bottom surface of the printed circuit board placed on top of the through-suction section, and are configured to rise vertically to the alignment hole of the alignment jig. Here, the through-suction section is formed to be smaller than the printed circuit board but larger than the vacuum member of the vacuum suction section.

[0054] The mounting and fixing pins 420 are formed on the upper surface around a number of through-suction sections so that multiple printed circuit boards can be mounted while being primarily aligned. At least two pairs of mounting and fixing pins are provided in the diagonal direction of the square on the outer circumference side of the through-suction section 410 to restrict the printed circuit boards from moving along the X and Y axes. That is, the mounting and fixing pins 420 are configured to be formed on the outer circumference side of the through-suction section on both sides of the corners where each side of the square printed circuit board meets, so that the corners of the printed circuit boards are positioned on the diagonal corners of the printed circuit boards while the printed circuit boards are primarily aligned in the X and Y directions. In other words, the printed circuit boards are configured to rise vertically while remaining primarily aligned, without bending excessively in a particular direction of the X and Y axes during the loading process of the carrier boat, or without bending during the process of being held in a vacuum state while in contact with the bottom surface of the printed circuit boards by the vacuum suction section.

[0055] In other words, the mounting and fixing pins 420, along with the primary alignment operation of the printed circuit board, serve to guide the printed circuit board so that it does not flow or detach in either the X-axis or Y-axis direction when it is vertically raised. Therefore, it is preferable that the mounting and fixing pins 420 are formed to stand upright in the diagonal direction of the rectangular printed circuit board in the smallest unit, and in the drawing, they are formed on each of the four sides of the printed circuit board and at the four corners, so that the primary alignment of the printed circuit board through the carrier boat is possible before the adjustment of the X-axis and Y-axis by the alignment jig described later.

[0056] On the other hand, the width-adjustable conveyor unit 500 is necessary for the process of loading the carrier boat and aligning the mask with the alignment jig described above, and is adjusted to a width suitable for the size of the carrier boat. As a result, it is configured so that the travel distance for alignment of the X and Y axes is minimized during the alignment operation. Such a width-adjustable conveyor unit 500 is coupled to the upper surface of the base panel 100 so as to adjust its left-right width to correspond to the left-right width of the carrier boat 400 without interfering with the alignment drive unit 200 described above, and is provided symmetrically front to back so as to be positioned below the mask after the carrier boat 400 on which the multiple printed circuit boards P are loaded is loaded along the wire belt.

[0057] Therefore, the width-adjustable conveyor unit 500 is identical to one used for solder printing on a single general-purpose printed circuit board, loading it from the screen printer input section directly below the mask. In this invention, it is configured to load a carrier boat that simultaneously accommodates multiple printed circuit boards and to load the multiple printed circuit boards housed in the carrier boat directly below the mask for simultaneous alignment. In other words, while a general-purpose printed circuit board is fed in as a single unit for printing, eliminating the need for a separate carrier boat and alignment jig, and enabling solder printing of the mask pattern by aligning the marking points on the printed circuit board with the marking points on the mask, in the case of a printed circuit board of a size that cannot be fed in as a single unit, or when attempting to print on multiple printed circuit boards in a single printing operation, printing is performed simultaneously while aligning the X and Y axes within an alignment jig that coincides with the marking points on the mask, without necessarily aligning with the marking points on the mask. This increases production efficiency and shortens production time.

[0058] Therefore, the width-adjustable conveyor unit 500 according to the present invention does not differ significantly from a conventional printed circuit board feeding structure, and will be described briefly. However, the relationship between the present invention and other components will be described in detail.

[0059] First, as shown in Figure 10, the width-adjustable conveyor unit 500 is composed of an LM rail 510, a rail block 520, a width-adjustable spiral shaft 530, a width-adjustable drive transmission unit 540, a width-adjustable drive motor 550, and a conveyor frame 560.

[0060] The LM rail 510 is primarily used when precision is required over the distance during movement, and is formed symmetrically on the front-to-back upper surface of the base panel 100. This is because, since the carrier boat is loaded into the front and rear of the conveyor frame (described later), the carrier boat can only be stably positioned directly below the mask when it corresponds to the left-to-right width of the carrier boat.

[0061] The rail block 520 is rail-connected to the LM rail 510 described above and is formed symmetrically front to back so that a pair of rail blocks facing each other on the left and right can move along the rail with a width that can be narrowed or widened. On the other hand, the width adjustment spiral shaft 530 has forward and reverse screw threads formed on the left and right sides with respect to the center and is formed symmetrically front to back between the LM rails 510 which are formed symmetrically front to back. Here, the width adjustment spiral shaft 530 has forward-rotating screw threads on one half and reverse-rotating screw threads on the other half, so that the width can be adjusted by narrowing or widening the conveyor frame toward the center, as described later, by the driving force of the width adjustment drive transmission unit.

[0062] The width adjustment described above is achieved by a width adjustment drive transmission unit 540 and a width adjustment drive motor 550, which include a belt and pulley, causing the width adjustment spiral shaft 530, which is formed symmetrically front to back, to rotate in both forward and reverse directions simultaneously. This allows the width to be adjusted symmetrically between the width adjustment spiral shaft and the conveyor frame 560, which is screw-coupled to the width adjustment spiral shaft.

[0063] In other words, the conveyor frame 560 is formed in a "┏┓" shape so that its width can be adjusted left and right by the width adjustment spiral shaft 530 which rotates in forward and reverse directions by the width adjustment drive motor 550 and the width adjustment drive transmission unit 540, with its front and rear ends connected to the front and rear rail blocks 520, and the width adjustment spiral shaft 530 which rotates in forward and reverse directions by the width adjustment drive motor 550 and the width adjustment drive transmission unit 540. A wire belt is provided on the top so that a carrier boat 400 on which a plurality of printed circuit boards P are placed is loaded directly below the mask, which is the printing part side of the screen printer, and a wire drive motor (not shown) that drives the wire belt is connected to one side.

[0064] Here, the width adjustment of the conveyor frame 560 is determined by the width of the carrier boat. In other words, when the mask and alignment jig are changed, the size of the carrier boat also changes, and this width adjustment ensures smooth solder printing.

[0065] The alignment jig 600 is formed in a plate shape and has multiple alignment holes 602 corresponding to multiple printed circuit boards P placed on the carrier boat 400. It is aligned with the mask at a certain distance upward from the carrier boat and is formed so that both the left and right ends are mounted and connected to the top of the width adjustment conveyor unit 500. As shown in Figure 9, such an alignment jig 600 is composed of alignment holes 602 and finishing marks 604.

[0066] The alignment holes 602 serve as a reference for simultaneously and collectively adjusting the X and Y axes of multiple printed circuit boards while they are held in place by a vacuum suction unit. Multiple rectangular plates are formed to correspond to the multiple printed circuit boards P placed on the carrier boat 400. The alignment holes 602 are designed so that, with the bottom surfaces of the multiple printed circuit boards P held in place by the vacuum suction unit 300, the X and Y axis sides of the printed circuit boards are positioned inward by the operation of the cylinder rod, and they are aligned collectively by the X and Y axis movement operation of the alignment drive unit 200.

[0067] The finishing marks 604 serve the same purpose as markings on a single printed circuit board for normal solder printing, rather than on a printed circuit board sized to be coupled to a carrier board. The markings are formed on the upper surface of the alignment jig to align with the mask. In other words, the finishing marks 604 serve the same purpose as markings, and by aligning the alignment jig with the mask, the positions of the printed pattern portion of the mask and the multiple printed circuit boards aligned for printing are matched, enabling high-quality solder printing and significantly reducing the defect rate.

[0068] Here, the distance from the inner surface of the alignment hole 602 to the outer surface of the printed circuit board P is preferably 0.25 mm to 0.5 mm. As the printed circuit board is placed on the carrier boat, it is substantially aligned first, but a problem arises in which a part of it bends slightly in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, or both the X-axis and Y-axis direction during the process in which the vacuum suction part on the carrier boat picks up the printed circuit board, and this can result in printing defects that are considerably larger than the slight change in position. In other words, the position of the printed circuit board changes during the process of being picked up by the vacuum suction part before it rises vertically onto the alignment hole of the alignment jig, so it is possible to prevent a decrease in printing quality while aligning it, and because such a slight change in position causes the printed circuit board to be at its most centered position when the distance from the outside of the printed circuit board to the inside of the alignment hole is 0.25 mm to 0.5 mm, high-quality printing alignment is possible when the distance over which the position of the printed circuit board can substantially change is within 2 times the optimal isolation distance between the alignment hole and the printed circuit board.

[0069] To briefly explain the operation of the batch alignment device for the screen printer of the present invention with this configuration, as shown in Figures 11 to 13, first, the printed circuit board is placed on the through-suction portion 410 of the carrier boat 400. At this time, the printed circuit board is placed on the carrier boat 400 in a state where it is primarily aligned on the upper part of the through-suction portion 410 by the placement fixing pins.

[0070] Next, the width is adjusted so that the carrier boat 400 can be loaded onto the conveyor frame 560 of the width adjustment conveyor unit 500, which is formed symmetrically to the width of the carrier boat 400. At this time, the width is adjusted by a width adjustment drive transmission unit 540, which is operated by the operation of a width adjustment drive motor 550, rotating a width adjustment helical shaft 530, which has right-hand and left-hand threads formed on both sides, and adjusting the rail block 520 to which the symmetrically formed conveyor frame 560 is attached, to a width corresponding to the width of the carrier boat 400 as it moves along the LM rail 510.

[0071] Next, the carrier boat 400 is loaded onto the conveyor frame 560 and positioned below the mask. The left and right sides of the alignment jig 600 are placed on the upper end of the symmetrically formed conveyor frame 560, and the through-suction portion 410 of the carrier boat 400 is positioned directly below the alignment hole 602 formed in the alignment jig 600. As a result, the printed circuit board placed on top of the through-suction portion is also positioned directly below the alignment hole 602. Here, the alignment jig is positioned and fixed by aligning the finishing marks 604 with the marking points on the mask while it is placed on the conveyor frame. Consequently, alignment is completed by aligning only the X and Y axes of the printed circuit board within the alignment hole 602, enabling high-quality printing.

[0072] Next, when the cylinder rod 122 of the cylinder 120, which is coupled to the lower center of the base panel 100, is activated with its tip coupled to the coupling hole 312 in the lower center of the vacuum base 310 of the vacuum suction unit 300, which is coupled to the upper surface of the Y-axis adjustment panel 250 via the X-axis adjustment panel 230, the vacuum suction unit 300 rises vertically so that the vacuum members 320 corresponding to each through-suction unit 410 of the carrier boat are in corresponding positions. After that, the contact mounting band 326 portion of the vacuum member 320 that has risen vertically towards the through-suction unit 410 makes line contact along the perimeter of the bottom surface of the printed circuit board, and then the internal air of the vacuum unit is discharged through the vacuum suction hole 324 in the vacuum unit 322 by vacuum operation, and the vacuum unit continues to rise vertically while adsorbing and fixing the bottom surface of the printed circuit board in a vacuum state.

[0073] Next, as shown in Figure 13, the continuously rising printed circuit board enters the alignment hole 602 of the alignment jig 600, and eventually rises vertically until the top surface of the alignment jig 600 and the top surface of the printed circuit board P are on the same plane, at which point the cylinder operation stops.

[0074] Next, as shown in Figures 14 to 16, the printed circuit boards are aligned simultaneously and collectively within the alignment holes of the alignment jig by driving the X-axis and Y-axis adjustment panels of the printed circuit boards in the X-axis and Y-axis directions within the alignment holes.

[0075] In this X-axis and Y-axis alignment method, multiple printed circuit boards located within the alignment hole 602 are initially aligned on the carrier boat, but their positions are subtly altered during the suction process of the vacuum suction unit. Therefore, the alignment of multiple printed circuit boards due to positional changes is performed within the alignment hole 602. For example, if the optimal distance from the peripheral surface of the printed circuit board to the inner surface of the alignment hole is 0.5 mm, then for the printed circuit board with the largest change, the optimal alignment distance will be 0.5 mm from the left and 0.5 mm from the right when the X-axis is used as the reference, and the position may be changed to a maximum of 1.0 mm, the sum of the distances from the left and right.

[0076] Assuming that the position of one or more of the printed circuit boards is changed in the X-axis direction as described above, if one of the printed circuit boards is moved 0.3 mm to the right, the distance to the left will be 0.7 mm, and if it is moved 0.2 mm to the left, the distance to the right will be 0.8 mm. Therefore, in order to adjust the entire system uniformly, the X-axis adjustment panel 230 is moved up to a maximum of 1.0 mm in the X-axis direction, using either the left or right side as the reference.

[0077] As described above, moving it by just 1.0 mm causes the printed circuit board that has been changed by 0.3 mm to the right and the printed circuit board that has been changed by 0.2 mm to the left to both align with the inner surface of the Y-axis alignment hole 602 on either the left or right side of the X-axis. Of course, the remaining printed circuit boards placed in their original positions also align with the inner surface of the Y-axis alignment hole 602 at the same time, and the entire set of printed circuit boards is simultaneously aligned in the X-axis direction, and the alignment adjustment is performed uniformly along the X-axis. Furthermore, since there are parts that have been changed in the Y-axis direction as well, moving the Y-axis adjustment panel 250 in the manner described above causes the entire set of printed circuit boards P to simultaneously contact and align with the inner surface of the X-axis alignment hole, and as a result, the alignment of the X-axis and Y-axis is adjusted. Here, if the alignment jig is aligned identically to the mask pattern through X-axis and Y-axis adjustment, the alignment adjustment can be completed with X-axis and Y-axis adjustment alone, and solder printing is possible. However, the alignment jig and mask must be aligned so that the printed pattern is centered. Therefore, if the point where the mask printed pattern matches is when it is separated by 0.5 mm to the left, right, front, and back from the alignment hole, then after the X-axis and Y-axis alignment adjustment is complete, the final alignment adjustment can be completed by moving the X-axis adjustment panel and Y-axis adjustment panel by 0.5 mm each. This not only enables high-quality solder printing without printing defects, but also eliminates the need to use multiple printed circuit boards individually, improving upon the problems of conventional technologies, such as increased number of parts, increased weight, alignment defects due to assembly errors, difficulty in maintenance and repair, and inability to use them universally for different sizes and shapes of printed circuit boards, which are associated with configurations that use shafts to push and align the X and Y axes.

[0078] The batch alignment method using the batch alignment device for a screen printer according to the present invention will now be described. The batch alignment method using the screen printer alignment device, which is provided at the top of a single mask on which multiple printing patterns corresponding to multiple printed circuit boards P are formed so that solder printing can be performed on multiple printed circuit boards P in a single printing operation in the printing section of the screen printer, and which is provided so that multiple printed circuit boards are aligned directly below the multiple printing patterns formed on the mask, is performed as shown in Figure 18 through the following stages: Alignment preparation stage 1 (S100), Alignment preparation stage 2 (S200), Carrier board loading stage (S300), Alignment preparation stage 3 (S400), Alignment preparation stage 4 (S500), Batch alignment stage (S600), and Batch alignment finishing stage (S700).

[0079] In the alignment preparation stage 1 (S100), as mentioned above, multiple printed circuit boards are placed around through-suction parts 410, which are formed from a rectangular plate and have a number of through-holes corresponding to the multiple printed circuit boards P to be printed. The width of the conveyor frame 560 of the width adjustment conveyor unit 500 is adjusted to correspond to the width of the carrier boat 400, which is provided so that the printed circuit boards are initially aligned by mounting fixing pins 420. Here, the mounting fixing pins 420 are in contact with two surfaces on the corner side of the printed circuit board at the top of the through-suction parts 410, and are for aligning the X and Y axes of the printed circuit boards. Primary alignment is possible, and by placing them on the carrier boat, multiple printed circuit boards can be loaded as if they were a single printed circuit board.

[0080] The alignment preparation step 2 (S200) involves placing and fixing an alignment jig 600 on the upper end of a conveyor frame 560 whose width has been adjusted to correspond to the width of the carrier boat of the width-adjustable conveyor unit 500, and aligning the mask and the alignment jig 600. Here, it is preferable to align the alignment jig in such a way that multiple printed circuit boards are loaded onto the carrier boat, either first or last, as if it were a single printed circuit board, so that the vacuum suction unit, carrier boat, alignment jig, and mask are positioned as far as possible on the same vertical line.

[0081] The carrier boat loading step (S300) involves positioning the carrier boat 400, on which multiple printed circuit boards P are placed after the alignment preparation step, below the alignment jig where the mask and alignment jig are aligned. The same result can be obtained even if the carrier boat is loaded first and positioned above the vacuum suction section on the same vertical line.

[0082] The steps up to the aforementioned stage are shown in Figure 11, and the subsequent steps are shown in Figure 12.

[0083] The three alignment preparation stages (S400) are configured such that, during the carrier boat loading stage, the alignment jig 600 is loaded directly beneath it, or after the carrier boat is loaded and the alignment jig is positioned above the carrier boat, the cylinder rod 122 of the base panel 100 located on the underside of the carrier boat 400 moves up and down, causing the vacuum suction unit 300 to approach the bottom of the printed circuit boards placed on the carrier boat and vacuum-suction them, thereby separating multiple printed circuit boards simultaneously and collectively to the upper side of the carrier boat. Here, as described above, since the position of some or all of the multiple printed circuit boards that are initially aligned is changed from their initially aligned position, a collectively aligned alignment via the alignment jig is required.

[0084] In the alignment preparation stage 4 (S500), the cylinder rod 122 is further actuated upward so that the multiple printed circuit boards P, which were separated collectively from the carrier boat by the vacuum suction unit during the alignment preparation stage 3, simultaneously enter the alignment holes 602 of the alignment jig 600, and the upper surface of the alignment jig 600 and the upper surfaces of the multiple printed circuit boards P that have entered the alignment holes collectively are positioned on the same plane. That is, as shown in Figure 13, when the upper surface of the alignment jig and the printed circuit boards are positioned on the same plane, the mask descends and performs solder printing on the printed circuit boards. However, if the printed circuit boards are positioned below the alignment holes of the alignment jig, solder printing defects will occur, and if the printed circuit boards are higher than the upper surface of the alignment jig, bending will occur between the printed circuit boards when solder printing is performed with the mask, which can also cause printing defects.

[0085] The next steps are as shown in Figures 14 to 16, and will be explained with reference to these figures.

[0086] In the aforementioned batch alignment stage (S600), the X-axis adjustment panel 230 and Y-axis adjustment panel 250 of the alignment drive unit 200 are finely adjusted so that multiple printed circuit boards P are aligned collectively within the alignment holes 602, while being adjusted by a certain distance along the X and Y axes. In other words, as described above, with the optimal distance between the inner surface of the alignment hole 602 of the alignment jig and the peripheral surface of the printed circuit board set in the design, a fine positional change occurs during the suction process through the vacuum suction unit. By adjusting this collectively along the X and Y axes within the alignment holes, the printed circuit boards can be positioned precisely on the printed pattern of the mask. In this batch alignment step, the vacuum suction unit 300 positions multiple printed circuit boards P into the alignment holes 602 of the alignment jig 600, and the upper surfaces of the multiple printed circuit boards P and the upper surface of the alignment jig 600 are positioned to form the same plane. As shown in Figure 19, the process has detailed steps including an X-axis batch alignment step (S610), a Y-axis batch alignment step (S620), and a finishing alignment step (S630).

[0087] In the aforementioned X-axis simultaneous alignment step (S610), the X-axis adjustment panel 230, which is rail-coupled to the drive unit base panel 210, is driven by the X-axis alignment motor 220 to precisely drive the vacuum suction unit 300 along the X-axis. Multiple printed circuit boards P are simultaneously moved by a certain distance in the front-to-back X-axis direction within the alignment hole 602 by the precise driving of the vacuum suction unit 300, and are simultaneously aligned and aligned with the inner surface on the Y-axis within the alignment hole 602. That is, as explained above, for example, when the optimal distance from the peripheral surface of the printed circuit board to the inner surface of the alignment hole is 0.5 mm, in the case of the printed circuit board with the largest change, when the X-axis is used as the reference, the optimal alignment distance is 0.5 mm from the left and 0.5 mm from the right, and the position may be changed by a maximum of 1.0 mm, which is the sum of the distances from the left and right. Assuming that the position of one or more of the multiple printed circuit boards is changed in the X-axis direction as described above, if one of the printed circuit boards is moved 0.3 mm to the right, the distance to the left will be 0.7 mm, and if it is moved 0.2 mm to the left, the distance to the right will be 0.8 mm. Therefore, in order to adjust the entire setup uniformly, the X-axis adjustment panel 230 is moved up to a maximum of 1.0 mm in the X-axis direction, using either the left or right side as the reference. When moved by 1.0 mm as described above, the printed circuit board moved 0.3 mm to the right and the printed circuit board moved 0.2 mm to the left will both align with the inner surface of the Y-axis alignment hole 602 on either the left or right side in the X-axis direction. Of course, the remaining printed circuit boards placed in their original positions will also simultaneously align with the inner surface of the Y-axis alignment hole 602, and the entire set of printed circuit boards will be aligned together in the X-axis direction, and the alignment adjustment will be performed uniformly along the X-axis.

[0088] In the aforementioned Y-axis simultaneous alignment step (S620), the Y-axis adjustment panel 250, which is rail-coupled to the X-axis adjustment panel 230, is driven precisely along the Y-axis by the Y-axis alignment motor 240, causing the vacuum suction part to move precisely along the Y-axis. Multiple printed circuit boards P are simultaneously moved a certain distance in the left and right Y-axis directions within the alignment hole 602 by the precise driving of the vacuum suction part 300, and are aligned and coincide with the inner surface on the X-axis within the alignment hole 602. In this example, using the same method as the X-axis simultaneous alignment step described above, when the optimal distance from the circumferential surface of the printed circuit board to the inner surface of the alignment hole is 0.5 mm, for the printed circuit board with the largest modification, the optimal alignment distance is 0.5 mm from the front and 0.5 mm from the rear when the Y-axis is used as the reference, and the position can be changed to a maximum of 1.0 mm by combining the front and rear distances. Assuming that the position of one or more of the multiple printed circuit boards is changed in the Y-axis direction as described above, if one of the printed circuit boards is moved forward by 0.5 mm, the distance to the rear will be a maximum of 1.0 mm, and if it is moved backward by 0.1 mm, the distance to the front will be a maximum of 0.9 mm. Therefore, in order to adjust the entire setup uniformly, the Y-axis adjustment panel 250 is moved up to a maximum of 1.0 mm in the X-axis direction, using either the left or right side as the reference. When moved by 1.0 mm as described above, the printed circuit board moved forward by 0.5 mm and the printed circuit board moved backward by 0.1 mm will both align with the inner surface of the X-axis alignment hole 602 on either the front or rear side in the Y-axis direction. Of course, the remaining printed circuit boards placed in their original positions will also simultaneously align with the inner surface of the X-axis alignment hole 602, and the entire set of printed circuit boards will be aligned together in the Y-axis direction, and the alignment adjustment will be performed uniformly along the Y-axis. Therefore, by adjusting the X and Y axes with reference to the inner surface of the alignment hole, multiple printed circuit boards can be aligned simultaneously, enabling improved productivity and reduced production time through reduced alignment adjustment time.

[0089] In the finishing alignment step (S630), after multiple printed circuit boards P are simultaneously aligned and aligned to the inner surfaces of the alignment holes 602 on the X and Y axes through the X and Y axis simultaneous alignment step, the vacuum suction unit 300 moves to the center of the alignment hole, and the X and Y axis adjustment panels 230 and 250 are driven so that the printed circuit boards move to the position where the mask and alignment jig are marked and aligned, aligning them to a position where the center of the alignment hole 602 of the solder-printable alignment jig 600 coincides with the center of each of the multiple printed circuit boards P. That is, after the alignment of the X and Y axes is adjusted as described above, the optimal isolation distance between the alignment hole and the printed circuit board is designed based on 0.5 mm, so that by adjusting the alignment drive unit of the X and Y axes by 0.5 mm each, it moves to a position corresponding to the center of the solder printing, enabling precise solder printing and high-quality solder printing without printing defects.

[0090] In the batch alignment finishing step (S700), multiple printed circuit boards P, which have been aligned along the X and Y axes throughout the batch alignment step, are fixed by a vacuum suction unit 300 without flow on the same plane as the upper surface of the alignment jig 600, so that solder printing is performed on multiple printed circuit boards according to the printed patterns formed on the mask. That is, the printed circuit boards are completely fixed so that they are not pushed in the direction of the squeegee's movement during the process of printing with solder cream using a squeegee as the mask approaches. Furthermore, by fixing the upper surface of the printed circuit board so that it is on the same plane as the upper surface of the alignment jig, printing defects due to height differences between the upper surface of the alignment jig and the upper surface of the printed circuit board are prevented, and the process is completed through final solder printing. Through the batch alignment device for screen printers and batch alignment method using the present invention described above, batch X and Y axis alignment of multiple printed circuit boards can be performed simultaneously and quickly, thereby improving productivity and shortening the overall production time, and enabling the same printing precision and high-quality printing as when printing a single printed circuit board.

[0091] On the other hand, while the present invention shows a rectangular printed circuit board, as shown in Figure 17, peanut-shaped, circular, and irregularly shaped printed circuit boards required for special equipment can also be aligned along the X and Y axes within the alignment hole through optimal isolation distance design between the alignment hole and the printed circuit board. In other words, with existing shaft-based methods, alignment is achieved by pressing one side of the printed circuit board, making it difficult to set up for surface alignment in the case of printed circuit boards with curved surfaces. Even if one side is set, if there is a curved portion in the Y-axis direction, it is difficult to align multiple printed circuit boards simultaneously due to the phenomenon of being pressed along the curve. However, in the present invention, even in the case of printed circuit boards with irregularly curved surfaces, they move to a position corresponding to the movement distance in the X and Y axes within the alignment hole and align, making it possible to apply printed circuit boards of various shapes.

[0092] Although the present invention has been described in detail above as one embodiment, it is clear that the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and that numerous modifications and alterations are possible for anyone with ordinary skill within the scope of the technical idea, and can be said to extend to a scope substantially equivalent to the embodiment of the present invention. The technical features will be described in detail below.

Claims

1. In a screen printer alignment device, the printing section of the screen printer is equipped with a single mask at its upper end, on which multiple printing patterns corresponding to multiple printed circuit boards are formed, so that solder printing can be performed on multiple printed circuit boards in a single printing operation, and the multiple printed circuit boards are aligned so that they correspond to the multiple printing patterns formed on the mask. A cylinder (120) is provided in the center of the lower part, on which a cylinder rod (122) moves up and down, a guide shaft (110) is formed on the upper surface, and a plate-shaped base panel (100) is formed on the lower side of the mask; An alignment drive unit (200) is provided on the upper surface of the base panel (100) and coupled to the guide shaft (110), with the tip of the cylinder rod (122) coupled to the central side, and which moves up and down by the operation of the cylinder rod (122) to adjust a constant distance on the X and Y axes of a plane; A vacuum suction unit (300) is coupled to the upper side of the alignment drive unit (200) and is provided to vacuum-suction the printed circuit board (P); Multiple printed circuit boards (P) are placed on the upper surface of a carrier boat (400) into which they are fed below the mask; The width adjustment conveyor unit (500) is provided symmetrically in front of and behind the mask, and is coupled to the upper surface of the base panel (100) so as to adjust the width to correspond to the width of the carrier boat (400) without interference with the alignment drive unit (200), and the carrier boat (400) on which the plurality of printed circuit boards (P) are placed is fed along the wire belt, and the width adjustment conveyor unit (500) is provided symmetrically in front of and behind the mask; An alignment jig (600) is formed in a plate shape, has multiple alignment holes (602) corresponding to multiple printed circuit boards (P) placed on the carrier boat (400), is aligned with the mask at a certain distance upward from the carrier boat, and has both left and right ends placed and connected on top of the width adjustment conveyor unit (500); A screen printer batch alignment device characterized by being formed by including [a certain element].

2. The alignment drive unit (200) is provided with a guide housing (212) that is axially coupled to the guide shaft (110) formed on the upper surface of the base panel (100), and a drive unit base panel (210) having a base rod through hole (214) formed in the center so as not to interfere with the vertical movement of the cylinder rod (122); An X-axis alignment motor (220) is coupled to either the front or rear side of the upper surface of the drive unit base panel (210); A plate-shaped X-axis adjustment panel (230) is coupled to the motor shaft of the X-axis alignment motor (220), moves back and forth along the X-axis corresponding to the front and rear sides on a plane by the drive of the alignment motor, and has an X-axis rail member (232) coupled to its lower surface so as to simultaneously move and adjust multiple printed circuit boards placed on the carrier boat (400) in the X-axis direction, and has an X-axis rod through hole (234) formed in the center through which the cylinder rod (122) passes so as not to interfere with left and right movement along the X-axis; A Y-axis alignment motor (240) coupled to either the left or right side of the upper surface of the X-axis adjustment panel (230); a plate-shaped Y-axis adjustment panel (250) coupled to the motor shaft of the Y-axis alignment motor (240), having a Y-axis rail member (252) coupled to its lower surface so as to move left and right along the Y-axis corresponding to the left and right sides on a plane by the drive of the alignment motor, and so as to simultaneously adjust the plurality of printed circuit boards (P) placed on the carrier boat (400) in the Y-axis direction, with the tip of the cylinder rod (122) inserted through the center, the cylinder rod coupled directly below the vacuum suction part (300), and a rod insertion hole (254) formed so as to allow the vacuum suction part to move up and down; A batch alignment device for a screen printer according to claim 1, characterized in that it is formed by including the following.

3. The screen printer batch alignment device according to claim 2, characterized in that the diameters of the base rod through hole (214) and the X-axis rod through hole (234) of the alignment drive unit (200) are formed to be larger than the distance for alignment adjustment of the front-rear Y axis and the left-right X axis, so that the cylinder rod (122) can move without interference within the base rod through hole (214) during the front-rear movement of the X-axis adjustment panel (230), and so that the cylinder rod (122) can move without interference within the X-axis rod through hole (234) during the left-right movement of the Y-axis adjustment panel (250).

4. The vacuum suction unit (300) has a coupling hole (312) into which the tip of the cylinder rod (122) is coupled, which is formed in the center of the lower surface on the same vertical line as the rod insertion hole (254) formed in the Y-axis adjustment panel (250), and is fixedly coupled to the upper surface of the Y-axis adjustment panel, and the vacuum base (310) moves up and down together with the alignment drive unit (200) by the operation of the cylinder rod; A vacuum member (320) is formed on the upper surface of the vacuum base (310) to correspond to the plurality of printed circuit boards (P) placed on the carrier boat (400), with a vacuum section (322) formed in the upper surface and a vacuum intake hole (324) formed in the center of the vacuum section, and a contact mounting band (326) formed along the circumferential surface of the vacuum section that makes minimal contact with the periphery of the bottom surface of the printed circuit boards (P); A batch alignment device for a screen printer according to claim 2, characterized in that it is formed by including the following.

5. The carrier boat (400) is formed of a rectangular plate and has a number of through-suction parts (410) provided on its plane so that the vacuum suction part (300) can suction the bottom surface of the printed circuit board and move up and down to the alignment jig; and at least two pairs of mounting fixing pins (420) are provided on the outer circumference of the through-suction parts (410) to restrict the printed circuit board from moving along the X and Y axes; A batch alignment device for a screen printer according to claim 1, characterized by comprising the above.

6. The width-adjustable conveyor unit (500) comprises: an LM rail (510) formed symmetrically front to back on the upper surface of the base panel (100); and a pair of rail blocks (520) formed symmetrically front to back, which are rail-connected to the LM rail (510) and move along the rail so that their width is narrowed or widened, facing each other from left to right; With the center as the reference point, forward and reverse screw threads are formed on the left and right sides, and a width adjustment spiral shaft (530) is formed symmetrically between the LM rails (510) which are formed symmetrically front to back; A width adjustment drive transmission unit (540) and a width adjustment drive motor (550) formed by a belt and pulley are provided so that the width adjustment spiral shaft (530), which is formed symmetrically front to back, rotates simultaneously in forward and reverse directions; The front and rear ends are connected to the front and rear rail blocks (520), and the width adjustment spiral shaft (530) is screw-connected and provided symmetrically on both sides, and the width is adjusted left and right by the width adjustment spiral shaft (530) which rotates in forward and reverse directions by the width adjustment drive motor (550) and the width adjustment drive transmission unit (540), and the conveyor frame (560) is formed in a "┏┓" shape, and a wire belt is provided on top so that the carrier boat (400) on which a plurality of printed circuit boards (P) are mounted is loaded directly below the mask, which is the printing part side of the screen printer, and a wire drive motor that drives the wire belt is connected to one side; A batch alignment device for a screen printer according to claim 1, characterized in that it is formed by including the following.

7. The alignment jig (600) is formed in the shape of a square plate and is configured to correspond to a plurality of printed circuit boards (P) placed on the carrier boat (400), and has a plurality of alignment holes (602) provided so that when the bottom surfaces of the plurality of printed circuit boards (P) are held in place by the vacuum suction part (300), the X-axis and Y-axis sides of the printed circuit boards are positioned inward by the operation of the cylinder rod, and the alignment drives (200) moves the X-axis and Y-axis to align them all at once; A finishing mark (604) formed on the upper surface so as to be aligned with the mask; A batch alignment device for a screen printer according to claim 1, characterized in that it is formed by including the following.

8. The batch alignment device for a screen printer according to claim 7, characterized in that the distance from the inner surface of the alignment hole (602) to the outer surface of the printed circuit board (P) is 0.25 mm to 0.5 mm.

9. In a screen printer alignment method using a screen printer alignment device, the screen printer's printing section is equipped with a single mask at its upper end, on which multiple printing patterns corresponding to multiple printed circuit boards (P) are formed, so that solder printing can be performed on multiple printed circuit boards (P) in a single printing operation, and the multiple printed circuit boards are aligned so that they correspond to the multiple printing patterns formed on the mask, Alignment preparation stage 1 (S100) involves adjusting the width of the conveyor frame (560) of a width adjustment conveyor unit (500) to correspond to the width of a carrier boat (400) provided so that multiple printed circuit boards are placed around a through-suction part (410) formed from a rectangular plate body, with a number of through-suction parts corresponding to the number of printed circuit boards (P) to be printed, and the carrier boat (400) is provided so that the printed circuit boards are initially aligned by mounting fixing pins (420); Alignment preparation step 2 (S200) involves placing and fixing an alignment jig (600) on the upper end of a conveyor frame (560) whose width has been adjusted to correspond to the width of the carrier boat of the width-adjustable conveyor unit (500), and aligning the mask and the alignment jig (600); The carrier boat (400), on which the multiple printed circuit boards (P) are mounted, is positioned below the alignment jig where the mask and alignment jig are aligned, during the carrier boat loading stage (S300); Alignment preparation stage 3 (S400) involves raising and lowering the cylinder rod (122) of the base panel (100) located on the underside of the carrier boat (400), which is loaded directly below the alignment jig (600) during the carrier boat loading stage, thereby bringing the vacuum suction unit (300) close to the bottom of the printed circuit boards placed on the carrier boat and vacuum-suctioning them, thereby simultaneously separating multiple printed circuit boards to the upper side of the carrier boat; The cylinder rod (122) is further actuated upward so that the multiple printed circuit boards (P) that have been collectively separated from the carrier boat by the vacuum suction unit through the three alignment preparation stages are simultaneously moved into the alignment holes (602) of the alignment jig (600), and the fourth alignment preparation stage (S500) is provided such that the upper surface of the alignment jig (600) and the upper surfaces of the multiple printed circuit boards (P) that have collectively entered into the alignment holes are on the same plane; A batch alignment step (S600) is performed in which the X-axis adjustment panel (230) and Y-axis adjustment panel (250) of the alignment drive unit (200) are finely adjusted so that the multiple printed circuit boards (P) are aligned together in the alignment hole (602) while being adjusted by a certain distance along the X-axis and Y-axis lines; and a batch alignment finishing step (S700) is performed in which the multiple printed circuit boards (P) that have been aligned together in the batch alignment step so as to be solder printed on the multiple printed circuit boards by the printed pattern formed on the mask are adsorbed and fixed without flow by the vacuum adsorption unit (300) on the same plane as the upper surface of the alignment jig (600); A batch alignment method using a batch alignment device for screen printers, including the above.

10. The aforementioned batch alignment step (S600) is characterized in that the vacuum suction unit (300) positions the multiple printed circuit boards (P) into the alignment holes (602) of the alignment jig (600), the upper surfaces of the multiple printed circuit boards (P) and the upper surface of the alignment jig (600) are aligned, and the X-axis adjustment panel (230), which is rail-coupled to the drive unit base panel (210), finely drives the vacuum suction unit (300) along the X axis by the fine drive of the X-axis alignment motor (220), causing the multiple printed circuit boards (P) to simultaneously move a certain distance in the front and rear X-axis directions within the alignment holes (602) by the fine drive, and are then aligned and coincide with the inner surface on the Y axis within the alignment holes (602), as described in the X-axis batch alignment step (S610); A Y-axis adjustment panel (250) is rail-coupled to an X-axis adjustment panel (230), and the Y-axis adjustment panel (250) is finely driven by a Y-axis alignment motor (240) to move the vacuum suction part (300) along the Y-axis, and the multiple printed circuit boards (P) are simultaneously moved a certain distance in the left and right Y-axis directions within the alignment hole (602) by the fine driving of the vacuum suction part (300), and are aligned and coincide with the inner surface on the X-axis within the alignment hole (602) in a Y-axis collective alignment step (S620); and the X-axis and Y-axis collective alignment steps are performed to move along the X-axis and Y-axis lines. After the multiple printed circuit boards (P) are simultaneously aligned and aligned on the inner surface of the alignment hole (602), the vacuum suction unit (300) moves to the center of the alignment hole, and the X-axis and Y-axis adjustment panels (230, 250) are driven to move the printed circuit boards to the position where the mask and alignment jig are marked and aligned, and the final alignment step (S630) is performed in which the printed circuit boards (P) are aligned to a position where they coincide with the center of each of the multiple printed circuit boards (P) at the center of the alignment hole (602) of the solder-printable alignment jig (600); A batch alignment method using a batch alignment device for a screen printer according to claim 9, characterized in that it is formed by including the above.

11. A method for batch alignment using a batch alignment device for a screen printer according to claim 10, characterized in that the distance from the inner surface of the alignment hole (602) to the outer surface of the printed circuit board (P) that has entered the alignment hole (602) at a position where the upper surface of the alignment hole (602) and the upper surface of the printed circuit board coincide is 0.25 mm to 0.5 mm, and the constant distance for multiple printed circuit boards (P) adsorbed by the vacuum adsorption part (300) to move in the X-axis and Y-axis directions within the alignment hole (602) and align together is 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm.

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