Screen Printer Substrate Holder Retreat Position
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Solution Overview
Problem
In screen printing, the sequential performance of substrate imaging and mask cleaning leads to time loss and takt time deterioration, especially in fine pitch printing where mask cleaning is required after each print, causing significant inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A screen printer design that allows parallel imaging of the substrate and cleaning of the mask by positioning the substrate holder at a retreat position, enabling the imaging device and mask cleaner to operate without overlapping ranges, thus eliminating the need for sequential operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If substrate imaging and mask cleaning are performed sequentially in the same region, then device structure is simplified, but productivity deteriorates due to time loss and waiting operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a horizontal retreat position for the substrate holder, adding a horizontal dimension to the operational space. This allows the imaging device and mask cleaner to operate in parallel without spatial overlap, transforming a sequential single-dimension process into a parallel multi-dimensional process, thereby resolving the contradiction between simplified structure and productivity
2Device complexity
If substrate imaging and mask cleaning are performed sequentially, then operational complexity is reduced, but loss of time increases due to waiting operations
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate holder retreats to a horizontal position before imaging and cleaning operations begin. This preliminary positioning action enables the imaging device and mask cleaner to access their respective targets simultaneously without interference, eliminating waiting time and allowing both operations to proceed in parallel, thus reducing time loss while maintaining manageable operational complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A screen printer includes: a substrate holder that holds a substrate; a mask to be contacted with the substrate; an imaging device that images the substrate; an elevation mechanism that moves up the substrate holder at a below-mask-position below the mask based on a result of the imaging to contact the substrate with the mask; a horizontal moving mechanism that moves the substrate holder between the below-mask-position and a retreat position retreated in a horizontal direction from the below-mask-position; a printing head that moves on the mask contacted with the substrate and prints a paste on the substrate via the mask; and a mask cleaner that cleans a lower surface of the mask with the substrate separated from the mask by the elevation mechanism. The imaging of the substrate and the cleaning of the mask are performed with the substrate holder positioned at the retreat position.