Substrate work machine, support pin placement method, and support pin

Abstract

This substrate work machine is provided with: a placement table on which a support pin for supporting a lower surface of a substrate is placed; and a placement device for placing the support pin onto the placement table. The placement device places, on the placement table: a first support pin if a plurality of components have been mounted onto the lower surface of the substrate, said first support pin supporting the lower surface of the substrate in between adjacent components among the plurality of components; and a second support pin if no components have been mounted on the lower surface of the substrate, said second support pin being thicker in diameter than the first support pin.

Description

Substrate-related operation machine, support pin placement method, and support pin

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate-related operation machine or the like that performs an operation on a substrate supported by support pins.

[0002] The following Patent Document describes a substrate-related processing machine that applies cream solder to a substrate supported by support pins.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-116790

[0004] An object of the present specification is to properly support a substrate with support pins.

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, this specification discloses a substrate-related work machine that includes a mounting table on which support pins for supporting the underside of a substrate are placed, and a mounting device that places the support pins on the mounting table, wherein when a plurality of components are mounted on the underside of the substrate, the mounting device places first support pins on the mounting table that support the underside of the substrate between adjacent components of the plurality of components, and when no components are mounted on the underside of the substrate, the mounting device places second support pins on the mounting table that have a larger diameter than the first support pins.

[0006] Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, this specification discloses a support pin mounting method for mounting support pins for supporting the underside of a substrate on a mounting table, in which, when a plurality of components are mounted on the underside of the substrate, first support pins are mounted on the mounting table to support the underside of the substrate between adjacent components among the plurality of components, and when no components are mounted on the underside of the substrate, second support pins having a diameter larger than that of the first support pins are mounted on the mounting table.

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present specification also discloses a support pin that includes a cylindrical portion and supports the lower surface of a substrate at the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion.

[0008] In the present disclosure, when a plurality of components are mounted on the underside of a substrate, first support pins are mounted on a mounting table to support the underside of the substrate between adjacent components among the plurality of components, and when no components are mounted on the underside of the substrate, second support pins having a diameter larger than that of the first support pins are mounted on the mounting table. This allows the substrate to be properly supported by the support pins. Also, in support pins having a cylindrical portion, the underside of the substrate is supported by the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion. This allows the substrate to be properly supported by the support pins.

[0009] 1 is a side view of a printing press; 2 is a plan view of a printing press; 3 is a block diagram of a control device; 4 is a perspective view of a conventional support pin; 5 is a view of a circuit board supported by the support pins of FIG. 4; 6 is a perspective view of support pins thinner than the support pins of FIG. 4; 7 is a view of a circuit board supported by the support pins of FIG. 6; 8 is a view of a circuit board supported by the support pins of FIG. 6; 9 is a perspective view of support pins thicker than the support pins of FIG. 4; 10 is a view of a circuit board supported by the support pins of FIG. 9; 11 is a view of a circuit board with electronic components mounted on its underside being supported by the support pins of FIG. 9; 12 is a view of a circuit board with electronic components mounted on its underside being supported by the support pins of FIG. 6; 13 is a view of a circuit board with electronic components mounted on its underside being supported by the support pins of FIG. 6 and the support pins of FIG. 9; 14 is a perspective view of a chuck; 15 is a perspective view of the support pins of FIG. 6 held by a chuck; 16 is a perspective view of the support pins of FIG. 9 held by a chuck.

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings as modes for carrying out the present invention.

[0011] 1 and 2 show a printer 10. The printer 10 is a work machine for printing solder paste on a circuit board. The printer 10 includes a conveying device 20, a mask holding device 22, an imaging device 23, a mounting device 24, a squeegee device 25, a solder supplying device 26, and a control device (see FIG. 3) 28. Note that FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the printer 10 from a side perspective, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the printer 10 from a top perspective.

[0012] The transport device 20 includes a conveyor device 30 and a substrate lifting device 32. The conveyor device 30 includes a pair of conveyor belts 34 and an electromagnetic motor (see FIG. 3) 36 that rotates the conveyor belts 34. The direction in which the conveyor belts 34 extend is referred to as the X direction, the direction horizontally perpendicular to the X direction is referred to as the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to both the X and Y directions is referred to as the Z direction. A circuit board 38 is supported by the pair of conveyor belts 34 and is transported in the X direction by being driven by the electromagnetic motor 36. The substrate lifting device 32 is disposed between the pair of conveyor belts 34 and lifts and lowers a mounting table 39 vertically between the pair of conveyor belts 34. A plurality of support pins 40 are placed on the mounting table 39, and as the mounting table 39 moves up and down, the circuit board 38 supported by a pair of conveyor belts 34 moves up and down while being supported from the underside of the circuit board 38 by the mounting table 39 via the support pins 40.

[0013] The mask holding device 22 is used to fixedly hold the mask 50. The mask 50 is made of a metal, e.g., stainless steel, sheet and has a plurality of through-holes (not shown). The mask holding device 22 includes a mask support table 52 disposed above the transport device 20 and a mask holding mechanism 54 disposed on the upper surface of the mask support table 52. An opening (not shown) is formed in the center of the mask support table 52, and the mask 50 is placed on the mask support table 52 so as to cover the opening. The mask 50 placed on the mask support table 52 is fixedly held by the mask holding mechanism 54. The mask holding mechanism 54 includes an adjustment device 56 for adjusting the position of the held mask 50 in the X and Y directions and for adjusting the rotation angle around a vertical line centered on the center of the mask.

[0014] The opening formed in the mask support table 52 is larger than the circuit board 38. The circuit board 38, which has been transported to a predetermined position by the transport device 20, is raised by the substrate lifting device 32, so that it comes into close contact with the underside of the mask 50 held by the mask holding device 22. The circuit board 38, which is in close contact with the underside of the mask 50, is lowered by the substrate lifting device 32, so that it moves away from the underside of the mask 50.

[0015] The imaging device 23 also has a camera moving device 60 and a camera 62. The camera moving device 60 includes a pair of slide rails 66, a Y slider 68, and an X slider 70. The pair of slide rails 66 are arranged vertically between the transport device 20 and the mask holding device 22, extending parallel to each other and in the Y direction. The Y slider 68 is slidably held by the pair of slide rails 66 and slides in the Y direction upon activation of an electromagnetic motor (see FIG. 3) 72. The X slider 70 is attached to the underside of the Y slider 68 so as to be slidable in the X direction, and slides in the X direction upon activation of an electromagnetic motor (see FIG. 3) 76. As a result, the X slider 70 can be moved to any position in the X and Y directions above the conveyor device 30 by driving the electromagnetic motors 72 and 76. The slide rail 66 does not overlap with the board lifting device 32 of the transport device 20 in the vertical direction, and as the Y slider 68 moves from above the board lifting device 32, the circuit board 38 is lifted by the board lifting device 32 without coming into contact with the imaging device 23. In addition, a camera 62 is attached to the underside of the X slider 70 facing downward.

[0016] The mounting device 24 also has a cylinder 77 and a chuck 78. The cylinder 77 is attached to the underside of the X-slider 70 so as to extend downward. The chuck 78 is fixed to the lower end of the cylinder 77. As a result, the chuck 78 descends as the cylinder 77 extends and ascends as the cylinder 77 contracts. The chuck 78 also has a pair of gripping claws 79 (see FIG. 14 ). The chuck 78 grips the support pin 40 when the pair of gripping claws 79 approach each other and releases the support pin 40 when the pair of gripping claws 79 move apart. When the X-slider 70 moves to a desired position, the support pin 40 gripped by the chuck 78 is placed at a desired position on the top surface of the mounting table 39. Note that when the support pin 40 is placed on the mounting table 39, the circuit board 38 is naturally not supported by the pair of conveyor belts 34.

[0017] The squeegee device 25 also includes a squeegee moving device 80, a pair of squeegees 82, 84, and a squeegee lifting device 86. The squeegee moving device 80 includes a pair of slide rails 88 and a slider 90. The pair of slide rails 88 are arranged above the mask holding device 22 so as to be parallel to each other and extend in the Y direction. The slider 90 is slidably attached to the pair of slide rails 88 and slides in the Y direction by operation of an electromagnetic motor (see FIG. 3) 92. Each of the pair of squeegees 82, 84 is generally plate-shaped and made of a flexible material. The pair of squeegees 82, 84 face each other and are arranged so as to extend in the X direction. The squeegee lifting device 86 is held below the slider 90. The squeegee lifting device 86 raises and lowers the pair of squeegees 82, 84 individually.

[0018] The solder supply device 26 is a device for supplying cream solder, and an outlet 96 for discharging the cream solder is formed on the underside of the solder supply device 26. The solder supply device 26 is fixed to approximately the center of the side surface in the Y direction of the slider 90. This allows the solder supply device 26 to move to any position in the Y direction by operating the squeegee moving device 80.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3 , the control device 28 includes a controller 100, multiple drive circuits 102, and an image processing device 106. The multiple drive circuits 102 are connected to the electromagnetic motors 36, 72, 76, and 92, the substrate lifting device 32, the adjustment device 56, the cylinder 77, the chuck 78, the squeegee lifting device 86, and the solder supply device 26. The controller 100 is primarily a computer, including a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like, and is connected to the multiple drive circuits 102. This allows the controller 100 to control the operation of the conveying device 20, the squeegee device 25, and the like. The controller 100 is also connected to the image processing device 106. The image processing device 106 processes image data obtained by the camera 62, and the controller 100 acquires various information from the image data.

[0020] In the printer 10, with the above-described configuration, the circuit board 38 is transported to a predetermined position and is raised by the board lifting device 32, so that the circuit board 38 comes into close contact with the underside of the mask 50 held by the mask holding device 22. The mask 50 has through holes (not shown) formed in accordance with the pattern of the pads and the like on the circuit board 38. Then, cream solder is applied to the mask 50, so that the cream solder is printed onto the circuit board 38 through the through holes in the mask 50.

[0021] Specifically, the circuit board 38 is carried into the printing press 10 and transported to a predetermined position. Then, the X-slider 70 is driven by the camera moving device 60 to move above the circuit board 38, and the camera 62 attached to the X-slider 70 captures an image of the circuit board 38 that has been transported to the predetermined position. A fiducial mark (not shown) is marked on the top surface of the circuit board 38, and the position of the fiducial mark is analyzed by the controller 100 based on the image data. This allows the stop position of the circuit board 38 to be calculated. Then, based on the calculated stop position of the circuit board 38, the holding position of the mask 50 by the mask holding device 22 is adjusted by the adjustment device 56.

[0022] Then, the Y-slider 68 retracts from above the board lifting device 32, and the circuit board 38 is lifted together with the mounting table 39 via the support pins 40 by the drive of the board lifting device 32. As a result, the circuit board 38 comes into close contact with the underside of the mask 50. Next, the solder supply device 26 supplies cream solder to the upper surface of the mask 50. Next, one of the pair of squeegees 82, 84 is lowered by the squeegee lifting device 86, and the tip of the lowered squeegee comes into contact with the upper surface of the mask 50. Then, the squeegee is moved in the Y direction by the squeegee moving device 80, and the cream solder is scraped off by the squeegee. At this time, the cream solder is filled inside the through-holes of the mask 50 and printed onto the circuit board 38. This completes the printing operation on the circuit board 38.

[0023] In this manner, in the printer 10, the circuit board 38 is raised together with the mounting table 39 via the support pins 40 by the drive of the board lifting device 32, and the cream solder printing operation is performed in this state in which the circuit board 38 is in close contact with the underside of the mask 50. Therefore, the cream solder printing operation is performed in a state in which the circuit board 38 is supported from below by the support pins 40, and the support pins 40 support the circuit board 38 against the pressure during printing of the cream solder, i.e., the printing pressure. As shown in FIG. 4 , the conventional support pin 40 includes a stepped rod-shaped main body portion 110 and a pin-shaped upper support portion 112. The main body portion 110 is composed of a first main body portion 116 with a large outer diameter and a second main body portion 118 with a small outer diameter, and the second main body portion 118 is integral with the first main body portion 116 so as to extend upward from the upper end of the first main body portion 116. The upper end support portion 112 has an outer diameter smaller than that of the second main body portion 118, and is integrated with the second main body portion 118 so as to extend upward from the upper end of the second main body portion 118. The outer diameter of the upper end support portion 112 is approximately 1 to 3 mm, and the outer diameter of the first main body portion 116 is approximately 6 to 8 times the outer diameter of the upper end support portion 112. A flange 119 is formed on the upper end support portion 112, and the flange 119 is used when the support pin is gripped by the chuck 78, as will be described in detail later.

[0024] When supporting a circuit board 38 using support pins 40 having such a structure, multiple support pins 40 are placed on the mounting table 39, and the upper support portions 112 of adjacent support pins 40 are spaced apart by a certain distance. That is, as shown in FIG. 5 , even if two support pins 40 are placed close to each other, the upper support portions 112 of adjacent support pins 40 are spaced apart by a certain distance. This is because the outer diameter of the first body portion 116 of each support pin 40 is large, and the separation distance between the upper support portions 112 of the two support pins 40 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the first body portion 116. Therefore, when cream solder is printed on a circuit board 38 supported by multiple support pins 40, there is a risk that the circuit board 38 will bend between the upper support portions 112 of adjacent support pins 40 due to printing pressure. If the circuit board 38 bends due to printing pressure during cream solder printing, print quality will be reduced.

[0025] In consideration of this, the support pin 120 shown in FIG. 6 has been adopted. Similar to the support pin 40, the support pin 120 includes a stepped rod-shaped main body portion 122 and a pin-shaped upper end support portion 124. The main body portion 122 is composed of a first main body portion 126 with a large outer diameter and a second main body portion 128 with a small outer diameter, and the second main body portion 128 is integrated with the first main body portion 126 so as to extend upward from the upper end of the first main body portion 126. The upper end support portion 124 has a smaller outer diameter than the second main body portion 128 and is integrated with the second main body portion 128 so as to extend upward from the upper end of the second main body portion 128. The upper end support portion 124 and second main body portion 128 of the support pin 120 have the same shapes as the upper end support portion 112 and second main body portion 118 of the support pin 40, but the first main body portion 126 of the support pin 120 is thinner than the first main body portion 116 of the support pin 40, and the outer diameter of the first main body portion 126 of the support pin 120 is approximately 1 / 2 to 2 / 3 of the outer diameter of the first main body portion 116 of the support pin 40. Therefore, the outer diameter of the upper end support portion 124 of the support pin 120 is approximately 1 to 3 mm, and the outer diameter of the first main body portion 126 is approximately 3 to 4 times the outer diameter of the upper end support portion 124. A flange 129 is also formed on the upper end support portion 124, and the flange 129 is used when the support pin is gripped by the chuck 78.

[0026] When supporting a circuit board 38 using support pins 120 with this structure, if multiple support pins 120 are placed close together on the mounting table 39, the distance between the upper support portions 124 of two adjacent support pins 120 becomes short, as shown in FIG. 7 . Therefore, when printing solder paste on the circuit board 38 supported by multiple support pins 120, deflection of the circuit board 38 due to printing pressure can be suppressed, ensuring print quality. However, because the support pins 120 are thin, in order to support the circuit board 38, many support pins 120 must be placed on the mounting table 39, as shown in FIG. 8 . Thus, in order to place many support pins 120 on the mounting table 39, a huge number of support pins 120 must be prepared. Furthermore, the time required to place many support pins 120 on the mounting table 39 and the time required to retrieve many support pins 120 from the mounting table 39 are also long.

[0027] In consideration of this, a support pin 150 shown in FIG. 9 has also been adopted. The support pin 150 includes a cylindrical main body 152 and a pin-shaped internal support portion 154. A recess 156 is formed in the center of the upper surface of the cylindrical main body 152, and the area surrounding the recess 156 is cylindrical. Therefore, the upper end of the main body 152 functions as a cylindrical portion 158. The internal support portion 154 is erected on the bottom surface of the recess 156 and is disposed so as to extend upward within the cylindrical portion 158. The height dimension of the internal support portion 154 is the same as the depth dimension of the recess 156. Therefore, the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion 158 and the upper end of the internal support portion 154 are flush with each other. Therefore, when the circuit board 38 is supported by the support pin 150, the lower surface of the circuit board 38 is supported by the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion 158 and the upper end of the internal support portion 154. In this way, in the support pin 150, the lower surface of the circuit board 38 is supported not only by the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion 158 but also by the upper end of the internal support portion 154 inside the cylindrical portion 158, so that the printing pressure can be distributed between the cylindrical portion 158 and the internal support portion 154. This allows the support pin 150 to suitably support the circuit board 38. Note that a flange 159 is also formed on the internal support portion 154 of the support pin 150, and the flange 159 is used when the support pin is gripped by the chuck 78. Furthermore, the internal support portion 154 of the support pin 150 has the same shape as the upper end support portion 124 of the support pin 120.

[0028] Furthermore, when supporting the circuit board 38 using support pins 150 having such a structure, by placing a plurality of support pins 150 on the mounting table 39, the circuit board 38 can be supported with a smaller number of support pins 150, as shown in FIG. 10 . In other words, by supporting the circuit board 38 with the support pins 150, the circuit board 38 can be supported with a smaller number of support pins 150 than when the circuit board 38 is supported with the support pins 120. This is clear from a comparison of FIG. 8 and FIG. 10 . In this way, by employing the support pins 150, it is possible to support the circuit board 38 with a smaller number of support pins 150, so that a smaller number of support pins 150 can be prepared, and the time required to place the support pins 150 on the mounting table 39 and the time required to retrieve the support pins 150 from the mounting table 39 are also shortened.

[0029] However, electronic components may be mounted on both sides of the circuit board 38 rather than just one side. In such cases, cream solder is applied to one side of the circuit board 38 by the printer 10, and then electronic components are mounted on that side by the mounting machine. Then, cream solder is applied to the other side by the printer 10. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11 , the circuit board 38 is supported by support pins with the side on which multiple electronic components 160 are mounted facing downward, and cream solder is applied by the printer 10 to the side opposite the side on which the electronic components 160 are mounted, i.e., the side facing upward. However, because the multiple electronic components 160 are mounted on the circuit board 38 relatively closely, when the support pins 150 are placed on the mounting table 39, the support pins 150 interfere with the electronic components 160, preventing the support pins 150 from properly supporting the circuit board 38.

[0030] In consideration of this, when electronic components 160 are mounted on the surface of the circuit board 38 that faces downward when cream solder is applied to the circuit board 38, i.e., the underside of the circuit board 38, support pins 120 are placed on the mounting base 39 as shown in Fig. 12. At this time, the support pins 120 are placed in positions that support the underside of the circuit board 38 between adjacent electronic components 160 of the multiple electronic components 160 mounted on the underside of the circuit board 38. In this way, when electronic components 160 are mounted on the underside of the circuit board 38, by placing the support pins 120 on the mounting base 39, it becomes possible to properly support the circuit board 38 with the electronic components 160 mounted on its underside by the support pins 120 without interference between the support pins 120 and the electronic components 160.

[0031] 10 , when an electronic component 160 is not mounted on the underside of the circuit board 38, support pins 150 are placed on the mounting base 39, and the circuit board 38 without the electronic component 160 mounted on its underside is supported by the support pins 150. This makes it possible to properly support the circuit board 38 with a small number of support pins 150. In this way, by changing the type of support pins placed on the mounting base 39 depending on whether or not an electronic component 160 is mounted on the underside of the circuit board 38, it becomes possible to properly support the circuit board 38 in both cases, whether or not an electronic component 160 is mounted on the underside of the circuit board 38.

[0032] 13 , when an electronic component 160 is mounted on the underside of the circuit board 38, a mixture of support pins 120 and support pins 150 may be mounted on the mounting base 39. Specifically, for example, when there is a space on the underside of the circuit board 38 on which the electronic component 160 is mounted that can be supported by the support pins 150, that is, when there is an empty space with an area equivalent to the upper end faces of the support pins 150, the support pins 150 are mounted on the mounting base 39 so that they support the underside of the circuit board 38 in that space. On the other hand, when there is a space on the underside of the circuit board 38 on which the electronic component 160 is mounted that cannot be supported by the support pins 150, that is, when there is an empty space smaller in area than the upper end faces of the support pins 150, the support pins 120 are mounted on the mounting base 39 so that they support the underside of the circuit board 38 in that space. In this way, by placing a mixture of support pins 120 and support pins 150 on the mounting base 39, the circuit board 38 having electronic components 160 mounted on its underside can be more appropriately supported by the support pins 120 and support pins 150.

[0033] The support pins 120 and 150 are gripped by the chuck 78 and placed on the mounting table 39. More specifically, as described above, the upper support portion 124 of the support pin 120 and the internal support portion 154 of the support pin 150 have the same shape, and flanges 129 and 159 are formed on the upper support portion 124 and the internal support portion 154, respectively. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 14 , a generally semicircular notch 170 is formed at the tip of each of the pair of gripping jaws 79 of the chuck 78. The inner diameter of the semicircular notch 170 is slightly larger than the outer diameters of the upper support portion 124 and the internal support portion 154 and smaller than the outer diameters of the flanges 129 and 159. Therefore, by gripping the lower portions of the flanges 129, 159 of the upper end support portion 124 and the internal support portion 154 with the pair of gripping claws 79 of the chuck 78, the lower portions of the flanges 129, 159 of the upper end support portion 124 and the internal support portion 154 fit into the notches 170 of the pair of gripping claws 79. As a result, the support pin 120 is gripped by the chuck 78 at the upper end support portion 124 as shown in FIG. 15 , and the support pin 150 is gripped by the chuck 78 at the internal support portion 154 as shown in FIG. 16 . In this way, since the upper end support portion 124 of the support pin 120 and the internal support portion 154 of the support pin 150 have the same shape, the support pins 120, 150 are gripped by the chuck 78 at the upper end support portion 124 or the internal support portion 154. This allows one type of chuck 78 to grip each of the two types of support pins 120 and 150 .

[0034] The controller 100 has a control program (see FIG. 3 ) 180, and the placement device 24 automatically places the support pins 120, 150 on the placement table 39 by processing the control program 180. More specifically, the control program 180 programs the operation of the placement device 24 so that, when no electronic components 160 are mounted on the underside of the circuit board 38, the placement device 24 places the support pins 150 at predetermined positions on the placement table 39. As a result, when the placement device 24 places the support pins 150 on the placement table 39, the circuit board 38 on whose underside no electronic components 160 are mounted is supported by the support pins 150. The control program 180 also programs the operation of the placement device 24 so that, when an electronic component 160 is mounted on the underside of the circuit board 38, the placement device 24 places the support pins 120 at positions that can support the underside of the circuit board 38 while avoiding the electronic component 160. As a result, when the placement device 24 places the plurality of support pins 120 on the placement table 39, the circuit board 38, on the underside of which electronic components 160 are mounted, is supported by the plurality of support pins 120. Furthermore, the control program 180 is programmed to operate the placement device 24 so that, when electronic components 160 are mounted on the underside of the circuit board 38, if there is free space on the underside of the circuit board 38 equivalent to the area of ​​the upper end faces of the support pins 150, the support pins 150 are placed in positions that can support that space. As a result, when the placement device 24 places the support pins 120 and the support pins 150 on the placement table 39, the circuit board 38, on the underside of which electronic components 160 are mounted, is supported by the support pins 120 and the support pins 150.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the printing machine 10 is an example of a substrate-related operation machine. The placement device 24 is an example of a placement device. The circuit board 38 is an example of a board. The placement table 39 is an example of a placement table. The gripping claws 79 are an example of a gripping claw. The support pin 120 is an example of a first support pin. The upper end support portion 124 is an example of an upper end support portion. The support pin 150 is an example of a second support pin. The internal support portion 154 is an example of an internal support portion. The cylindrical portion 158 is an example of a cylindrical portion 158. The electronic component 160 is an example of a component.

[0036] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and improvements can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Specifically, for example, the above-described embodiment employs a support pin 150 including a cylindrical portion 158 and an internal support portion 154 extending from the cylindrical portion 158. However, support pins of various shapes can be employed as long as they are thicker than the support pin 120. For example, a support pin without an internal support portion 154 extending from the cylindrical portion 158 can be employed, and the circuit board can be supported only on the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion 158. Furthermore, for example, a columnar support pin can be employed, and the circuit board can be supported on the entire upper surface of the columnar support pin. Furthermore, for example, a support pin can be employed that includes an upper end support portion with a larger outer diameter than the upper end support portion 124 of the support pin 120, and the circuit board can be supported on the upper end surface of the upper end support portion with the larger outer diameter.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion 158 of the support pin 150, which serves as a second support pin having a larger diameter than the first support pin, is at the same height as the upper end of the internal support portion 154. However, the upper end of the internal support portion 154 may be at a lower height than the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion 158. In this case, when the circuit board 38 is supported by the support pin 150, the lower surface of the circuit board 38 is supported by the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion 158, and the upper end of the internal support portion 154 is not involved in supporting the circuit board 38. However, if the internal support portion 154 has the same shape as the upper end support portion 124 of the support pin 120, an advantage can be realized in that two types of support pins 120, 150 can each be gripped by one type of chuck 78.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the printer 10 that applies cream solder to a circuit board supported by support pins is used as the substrate-related operation machine, but any operation machine that performs various operations on a circuit board may also be used as the substrate-related operation machine. For example, a mounting machine that mounts components on a circuit board supported by support pins may be used as the substrate-related operation machine.

[0039] 10: Printing machine (machine for performing work on substrates) 24: Placement device 38: Circuit board (substrate) 39: Placement table 79: Grip claws 120: Support pin (first support pin) 124: Upper end support portion 150: Support pin (second support pin) 154: Internal support portion 158: Cylindrical portion 160: Electronic component (component)

Claims

1. A substrate-related operating machine comprising: a mounting table on which support pins for supporting the underside of a substrate are placed; and a mounting device for placing the support pins on the mounting table, wherein the mounting device places first support pins on the mounting table to support the underside of the substrate between adjacent components when a plurality of components are attached to the underside of the substrate, and places second support pins, the diameter of which is larger than that of the first support pins, on the mounting table when no components are attached to the underside of the substrate.

2. A substrate-related operating machine as described in claim 1, wherein the mounting device mounts a mixture of the first support pins and the second support pins on the mounting table when multiple components are attached to the underside of the substrate.

3. A substrate-related operating machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second support pin has a cylindrical portion, and the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion supports the lower surface of the substrate.

4. A substrate-related operation machine as described in claim 3, wherein the second support pin has the cylindrical portion and a pin-shaped internal support portion erected inside the cylindrical portion, and supports the underside of the substrate at the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion and the upper end of the internal support portion.

5. A substrate-related work machine as described in claim 4, wherein the first support pin has an upper end support portion at its upper end that has the same shape as the internal support portion and supports the underside of the substrate at the upper end of the upper end support portion, and the placement device grips the upper end support portion with multiple gripping claws when placing the first support pin, and grips the internal support portion with the multiple gripping claws when placing the second support pin.

6. A support pin mounting method for mounting support pins on a mounting table to support the underside of a substrate, comprising: when a plurality of components are mounted on the underside of the substrate, first support pins are mounted on the mounting table to support the underside of the substrate between adjacent components among the plurality of components; and when no components are mounted on the underside of the substrate, second support pins having a diameter larger than that of the first support pins are mounted on the mounting table.

7. A support pin having a cylindrical portion, the upper end surface of which supports the lower surface of the substrate.

8. A support pin as described in claim 7, comprising the cylindrical portion and a pin-shaped internal support portion erected inside the cylindrical portion, and supporting the underside of the substrate at the upper end surface of the cylindrical portion and the upper end of the internal support portion.

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