Screen Printing Squeegee Control for Curved Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing screen printing devices face challenges in maintaining consistent printing quality due to varying cross-sectional shapes of printing objects, requiring custom guide rails or pendulum adjustments, which lead to instability and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A screen printing method and device that allow the squeegee to move in Y-, Z-, and θ-axis directions, maintaining a consistent angle with the printing object surface by controlling the respective positions based on pre-obtained mutual relationship data, enabling precise printing on surfaces with diverse cross-sectional shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a guide rail is shaped to fit the cross-sectional shape of the printing object surface, then printing quality is improved, but device complexity increases and requires custom guide rails for each printing object shape
Solution Approach 1:
The squeegee is equipped with a drive mechanism that enables it to actively change its position in the vertical direction and rotational angle during printing. This dynamic adjustment allows the squeegee to adapt to different cross-sectional shapes of printing objects without requiring custom guide rails for each shape, thereby maintaining high printing quality while reducing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters of the squeegee (position and rotational angle) during the printing process based on the cross-sectional shape of the printing object. By dynamically adjusting these parameters, the squeegee can maintain optimal contact with various surface shapes without requiring physical modification of the guide rail
2Device complexity
If a linear guide rail is used, then device complexity is reduced, but printing stability deteriorates due to varying angles between the printing object surface and squeegee
Solution Approach 1:
The squeegee is driven by a control mechanism that dynamically adjusts its position and rotational angle during printing. This enables the squeegee to maintain a substantially constant angle with the printing object surface even when using a simple linear guide rail, thereby ensuring printing stability without increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses pre-obtained information about the mutual relationship among Y-, Z-, and θ-axis positions to control the squeegee's movement. This feedback-based control ensures that the squeegee maintains the correct angle with the printing surface throughout the printing process, compensating for surface curvature variations
3Adaptability or versatility
If a pendulum mechanism is used to accommodate curved surfaces, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases and requires pendulum length adjustment for different curvatures
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a passive pendulum mechanism that requires length adjustment, the invention employs an actively driven squeegee with a control mechanism. This allows the squeegee to dynamically adjust its position and angle to accommodate various surface curvatures without requiring physical modification or complex adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The driven squeegee mechanism serves as a universal solution that can handle printing objects with various cross-sectional shapes and curvatures. By controlling the squeegee's position and rotational angle, the same mechanism can adapt to different surface geometries without requiring specific adjustments for each case
4Manufacturing precision
If real-time arithmetic operations are performed during printing to maintain squeegee angle, then printing precision is improved, but printing speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The information indicating the mutual relationship among Y-, Z-, and θ-axis positions is obtained before printing execution and stored for reference during printing. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for complex real-time arithmetic operations during the actual printing process, thereby maintaining printing precision while enabling faster printing speeds
Data Source
AI summary
A printing object surface has a cross-sectional shape curving along a printing advancing direction. The printing advancing direction is defined as a Y-axis, a direction orthogonal to the Y-axis and belonging to the cross-section is defined as a Z-axis, and a direction around an axis orthogonal to a Y-Z plane is defined as a θ-axis. A squeegee is disposed so as to be movable in the respective Y-, Z- and θ-axis directions. Information indicating a mutual relationship among respective Y-, Z- and θ-axis positions is obtained. The relationship is a relationship that enables performing printing while maintaining or substantially maintaining an angle formed by a direction tangent to a printing position in the printing object surface in the Y-Z plane and the squeegee. Printing is executed while the respective Y-, Z-, θ-axis positions of the squeegee relative to the printing object surface are controlled according to the obtained information.