Screen Printing Humidity Control for Solar Battery Electrode Yield
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional screen printing methods for solar battery electrodes suffer from solvent volatilization issues, leading to paste thickening and printing failures, particularly affecting the width of finger electrodes, which deteriorates the yield and electric characteristics of solar batteries.
Innovation Solution
A screen printing apparatus with a humidity adjuster is used to control the moisture levels in the printing environment, setting the dew-point temperature between 8.2°C and 18.0°C, and relative humidity between 30% and 65%, to improve paste printing properties and prevent solvent vaporization, thereby stabilizing the paste discharge and enhancing the aspect ratio of printed electrodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional screen printing method is used without humidity control, then printing operation is simple and fast, but solvent volatilizes from paste causing paste thickening and printing failures
Solution Approach 1:
A humidity adjuster is introduced as an intermediary device between the paste and the environment. This device controls the humidity level in the printing environment to prevent solvent volatilization from the paste, thereby maintaining printing quality without requiring complex changes to the entire printing system
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the environmental parameter (humidity level) to control solvent volatilization. By setting the dew-point temperature between 8.2°C and 18.0°C and relative humidity between 30% and 65%, the paste properties remain stable during printing, preventing thickening and printing failures
2Manufacturing precision
If humidity control is implemented to prevent solvent volatilization, then paste printing property is improved and printing failures are reduced, but apparatus complexity and control difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The humidity adjuster is designed to automatically maintain the required humidity level in the printing environment. The device monitors and adjusts humidity parameters autonomously, eliminating the need for manual intervention and keeping the operation simple despite the added precision control capability
3Productivity
If paste is continuously supplied on screen printing plate without humidity control, then printing productivity is high, but paste coagulates and viscosity increases leading to printing failures
Solution Approach 1:
By controlling the humidity parameter in the printing environment, the invention prevents solvent volatilization from the continuously supplied paste. This maintains the paste's viscosity stability throughout the printing process, allowing high-speed continuous printing without coagulation or thickening issues
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach effectively prevents paste thickening and rubbing, allowing for the formation of solar battery electrodes with high aspect ratios and improved electric characteristics, increasing the yield and conversion efficiency of solar batteries.
Implementation Method 1
the humidity in the screen printing apparatus is adjusted during the screen printing
Implementation Method 2
effectively prevents paste thickening and rubbing, allowing for the formation of solar battery electrodes with high aspect ratios
Data Source
AI summary
A method for screen printing, including: by using a screen printing apparatus provided with a screen printing plate having an opening part corresponding to a printing pattern, a scraper, and a squeegee, filling a paste supplied on an upper surface of the screen printing plate into the opening part of the screen printing plate by the scraper; and, after that, pushing out the paste to a predetermined position of an object to be printed from the opening part of the screen printing plate by the squeegee to screen-print the paste corresponding to the printing pattern on the object to be printed, wherein the humidity in the screen printing apparatus is adjusted during the screen printing. As a result, by controlling an amount of moisture in the paste on the screen printing plate, a screen printing method is capable of improving the printing property of the paste.