阅读说明：本技术 用于印刷装置的丝网单元和印刷系统 (Screen unit for a printing unit and printing system ) 是由 S·瓦西奇 M·恩格尔 F·普拉琪 H·赖尼施 于 2018-11-09 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于印刷装置(2)的丝网单元(19),该印刷装置用于特别是在基板、电路板、晶片、太阳能电池、载体基底、印刷台、载体板、烧结板等上印刷三维成形的结构,其中,丝网单元(19)具有承载至少一个印刷丝网(11)的框架(18)并且被构造用于,布置在印刷装置(2)的丝网收纳件(10)中、用印刷物质填充、和用刮板(21)加载以执行印刷过程。丝网单元(19)在框架(18)中或框架(18)处具有至少一个保持装置(20),该保持装置用于被构造为可更换刮板的刮板(21)。(The invention relates to a screen unit (19) for a printing device (2) for printing three-dimensionally shaped structures, in particular on substrates, circuit boards, wafers, solar cells, carrier substrates, printing tables, carrier plates, sinter plates, etc., wherein the screen unit (19) has a frame (18) which carries at least one printing screen (11) and is designed to be arranged in a screen receptacle (10) of the printing device (2), filled with a printing substance, and loaded with a squeegee (21) for carrying out a printing process. The screen unit (19) has at least one holding device (20) in or on the frame (18) for a scraper (21) designed as a replaceable scraper.)

1. A screen unit (19) for a printing device (2) for printing three-dimensionally shaped structures, in particular on substrates, circuit boards, wafers, solar cells, carrier substrates, printing tables, carrier plates, sinter plates or the like, wherein the screen unit (19) has a frame (18) which carries at least one printing screen (11) and is designed to be arranged in a screen receptacle (10) of the printing device (2), filled with a printing substance and loaded with a squeegee (21) for carrying out a printing process, characterized in that the screen unit (19) has at least one holding device (20) in or on the frame (18) for the squeegee (21) which is configured as a replaceable squeegee.

2. The screen unit according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding device (20) has a squeegee receiver (24) in which the squeegee (21) can be arranged.

3. The screen unit according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the squeegee (21) has a holding section (23) and a squeegee section (26), wherein the holding device (20) is designed to hold the squeegee (21) only on the holding section (23).

4. The screen unit according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the holding device (20) has a recess (25) in which the blade section (26) can be arranged, in particular without contact.

5. The screen unit according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the recess (25) is configured as a recess or break in the frame (18).

6. The screen unit of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the squeegee (21) has an exchangeable interface (27) for the printing means (2).

7. The screen unit of any of the preceding claims, wherein the exchangeable interface (27) has at least one locking mechanism for locking the squeegee to a print head of a printing device.

8. Printing system (1) having at least one printing device (2) for printing three-dimensionally shaped structures, in particular on substrates, circuit boards, wafers, solar cells, carrier substrates, printing tables, carrier plates, sinter plates, etc., wherein the printing device (2) has a printing head (8) which has a squeegee device (9) to which a squeegee (21) can be assigned and which has a screen receiver (10) for receiving at least one screen unit (19), characterized in that the screen unit (19) is constructed as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7 and has a squeegee (21) with an interchangeable interface (27) for the squeegee device (9).

9. Printing system according to claim 8, characterized in that the squeegee device (9) has means (30) for removing and storing the squeegee from and into the holding device (20) and for performing the printing process.

10. Printing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein there are a plurality of screen units (19).

11. Printing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein there is a screen magazine (3) having a plurality of screen supports (14) for receiving respective screen units (19), and the screen units (19) are stored in the screen magazine (3).

12. Printing system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the screen magazine (3) has a regulating device (23) for regulating or maintaining a climate in the screen magazine (3), by means of which climate the printing substance remaining on the screen units (19) is prevented from drying.

13. Printing system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a conveying device (4) is present, which is designed to take selected screen units (19) out of the screen magazine (3) and to arrange them in the screen receivers (10) of the printing device (2) and vice versa.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a screen unit for a printing device, in particular a 3D screen printing device, for printing three-dimensional shaped structures, in particular on substrates, in particular circuit boards, wafers, solar cells, carrier substrates, printing tables, carrier plates, sinter plates, etc., wherein the screen unit has a frame which carries at least one printing screen and is designed for being arranged in a screen receptacle of the printing device, filled with a printing substance and loaded with a squeegee for carrying out a printing process.

The invention further relates to a printing system having at least one printing device for printing three-dimensional shaped structures, in particular on substrates, in particular printed circuit boards, wafers, solar cells, carrier substrates, printing tables, carrier plates, sinter plates, etc., wherein the printing device has a printing head which operates with a squeegee and a screen receiver assigned to the printing head for receiving at least one screen unit.

Background

Screen units and printing systems of the aforementioned type are known from the prior art. In order to carry out the printing process by means of a screen printing device, a printing substance is applied to a printing screen having a screen mask corresponding to the structure to be printed, which printing substance is pressed through the screen, for example, onto a carrier substrate by means of a squeegee of a print head. Printing systems of this type are used, for example, for producing conductor circuits on circuit board substrates or the like. In principle, such printing devices can work with different materials and are not limited in terms of printing screens and/or materials. However, when a plurality of printing processes should be performed successively with different materials, this causes the following problems: the printing device and the printing screen must be cleaned with time and effort to avoid mixing of the materials during the subsequent printing process.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a screen unit which offers the following possibilities: avoiding time and effort consuming cleaning and thus quickly re-equipping the printing device for printing with another material.

The object of the invention is achieved by a screen unit having the features of claim 1. The advantage of this is that the screen unit makes material exchange in the printing unit particularly simple, since not only the screen unit is exchangeable, but also elements of the printing unit which are critical to the printing process and which likewise come into contact with the material move along, so that not only the printing screen but also tools can be supplied by the screen unit of the printing unit for the printing process. To this end, according to the invention at least one holding device for a squeegee designed as a replaceable squeegee is arranged in or on the frame of the screen unit. That is, the present invention proposes that the squeegee used for the printing process is movable or moved along at the screen unit. By means of the holding means, the squeegee is reliably held at the screen unit and is movable along with the screen unit, so that the unit consisting of the printing screen and the squeegee can always be operated together. This presupposes that the blade is designed as a replaceable blade and can therefore be simply replaced at the printing head or at the blade arrangement of the printing head. Preferably, the squeegee constitutes an integral part of the screen unit.

Furthermore, the holding device preferably has a scraper receiver in which the scraper can be arranged. By means of the squeegee receptacle, the squeegee can be reliably moved concomitantly at the printing screen and can in particular also be oriented, so that a simple gripping of the squeegee by the printing device is ensured.

Furthermore, it is preferred that the scraper has a holding section and a scraper section, wherein the holding device is designed to hold the scraper only on the holding section. This allows the mechanism holding the squeegee to the frame to be disengaged from the squeegee segment itself, thereby reliably preventing contamination of the mechanism by printing material.

Furthermore, the holding device preferably has a recess in which the scraper portion can be arranged in particular in a contactless manner. By means of the particularly contactless arrangement of the squeegee segments, the squeegee segments can be arranged unloaded at the printing screen and can be moved together with the printing screen. Furthermore, it is thereby also avoided that the printing substance remaining on the squeegee comes into contact with the frame of the screen unit and/or the holding device and contaminates it for a long time and in particular influences the function of the holding device for a long time. Furthermore, the recess is preferably designed as a recess or a break in the frame. This ensures that the recess and the simple holding of the scraper on the frame are provided particularly cost-effectively.

Alternatively or additionally, the holding device has at least one permanent magnet, which is arranged in or on the frame and is designed to magnetically interact with the scraper, in particular with the holding section of the scraper. This ensures that the scraper is magnetically locked to the frame. This has the advantage that the blade can be supported on the frame without material weakening and/or deformation of the frame. Since the permanent-magnetic retaining means are not necessarily visible to the user, the frame preferably has one or more markings which can be visually marked in which position the scraper can be magnetically locked to the frame. Suitably, the marking is assigned to one or more permanent magnets for this purpose.

Furthermore, the squeegee preferably has an exchangeable interface for the printing unit. In particular, an interchangeable interface is formed or arranged on the holding section of the squeegee, in order to allow a simple squeegee exchange at the printing unit, in particular automatically.

For this purpose, the interchangeable interface has, for example, at least one locking mechanism for locking the doctor blade at the printing head of the printing unit. The interchangeable interface can be designed, for example, as a snap connection, a screw connection, a plug connection or a detent connection.

The printing system according to the invention having the features of claim 9 is characterized by the screen unit of the invention, wherein the print head has a replaceable interface for the squeegee of the screen unit. This ensures that the printing unit can receive a squeegee which is moved together with the printing screen and use it for the printing process. Especially with knowledge of the position of the holding device at the screen unit, it is easy for the printing device to automatically drive to the position of the squeegee and release the squeegee from the holding device in order to perform the printing process. The interchangeable interface of the print head is in particular configured for interacting with the interchangeable interface of the squeegee, as has been described previously.

The printing head preferably also has a device for removing the squeegee from the holder and storing it in the holder and for carrying out the printing process. For this purpose, the device has, for example, one or more grippers which grip and move the scraper at the holding section or the exchangeable interface pneumatically, magnetically, hydraulically or electrically.

Preferably, the printing system has a plurality of screen units according to the invention. In particular, for the respective printing pattern or the respective printing structure and the material to be used for this purpose, a separate screen unit is provided in order to enable a rapid screen change and thus a rapid operation of the printing unit in order to carry out a multi-layer, three-dimensional printing process.

Preferably, the printing system further comprises a screen magazine having a plurality of screen supports for receiving respective screen units, and the screen units are stored or storable in the screen magazine. Here, the screen magazine helps to maintain the ordering of the printing screens and in particular to sort them, for example, according to material structure and/or printing structure.

It is also preferred that the screen magazine has an adjusting device for adjusting or maintaining a climate in the screen magazine, by means of which climate the printing substance remaining on the screen unit is prevented from drying out. By this adjustment it is achieved that a printing screen which is ensured to be in the screen magazine for the same long time and still has printing substance residues can be reused without having to first clean it and completely refill it with printing substance. Thereby reducing material consumption and shortening processing time.

Furthermore, it is preferred that the printing system has a transport device which is configured for taking selected screen units out of the screen magazine and arranging them in the screen receivers of the printing device and vice versa. Automatic screen change is thereby ensured, which further speeds up and simplifies the printing of three-dimensional structures, in particular with different materials.

Drawings

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. Wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a preferred printing system in a simplified side view, an

Fig. 2A and 2B show an embodiment of a preferred screen unit for a printing system in a simplified perspective view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT (S) OF INVENTION

Fig. 1 shows a printing system 1 in a simplified side view, with a printing device 2, a screen magazine 3 and a transport device 4.

The printing unit 2 has a printing table 5, which printing table 5 can be adjusted in height by means of a lifting device 6, as indicated by the double arrow 7. The printing table 5 is assigned a printing head 8 with a squeegee device 9. In addition to the squeegee, which is not shown here in detail, the squeegee arrangement 9 also has a screen receptacle 10 in which a printing screen 11 can be arranged. For this purpose, the screen receiver 10 is designed, for example, as a plug-in receiver into which the printing screen 11 can be inserted, in particular laterally or horizontally, as shown in fig. 1. Alternatively, the screen receiver 10 is designed such that the printing screen 11 can be inserted therein. Optionally, the screen receiver 10 has a steerable clamping element 12 by means of which the printing screen 11 can be clamped in the screen receiver 10 such that the orientation and position of the printing screen 11 is unchanged during printing with the squeegee of the squeegee arrangement 9 moving over the printing screen 11.

The screen magazine 3 has a housing 13 and is arranged spaced apart from the printing unit 2 in the present invention. A plurality of wire support members 14 are stacked on top of each other or on top of each other in the housing 13. The screen support 14 is designed, for example, like the screen receiver 10 and optionally also has a clamping element 12. A printing screen 11 may be disposed in each screen support 14. The housing 13 is substantially closed, but has, on the side facing the printing unit 2 in particular, a removal opening 15, through which the printing screen 11 can be inserted into or removed from the housing 13.

The transport device 4 is designed for moving the printing screen 11. According to the present embodiment, the transport device has a multijointed transport arm 16 which carries a gripper 17 at its free end. The grippers 17 are designed to work, for example, pneumatically or mechanically, in order to grip a single printing screen 11. The transport device 4 is arranged between the printing device 2 and the screen magazine 3 such that the transport arm 16 can reach both the printing screen 11 corresponding to the take-out opening 15 and the printing screen 11 laid in the screen receiver 10. According to this embodiment, the take-out openings 15 extend over almost the entire height of the screen magazine 3, wherein the transport arms 16 are designed such that they can reach each screen support 14 or the printing screen located in the respective screen support. For this purpose, the transport device 4 is optionally equipped with its own lifting device 18 in order to increase the freedom of movement of the gripper 17. The transport device 4 forms, together with the screen magazine 3, a screen supply system for the printing device 2.

The functional design of the preferred printing system 1 is as follows. To print a three-dimensionally shaped structure, the transport device 4 is first operated to remove a particular printing screen 11 from the screen magazine 3 and supply it to the screen receiver 10. The printing screen 11 is locked in the screen receiver 10 by the clamping elements 12. Subsequently, a printing substance, in particular a printing paste, made of the selected material is applied to the printing screen 11, and the squeegee of the squeegee arrangement 9 is moved over the printing screen 11, so that the printing substance is printed through the printing screen 11 on the printing table. It is conceivable here for the printing substance to be applied directly to the printing table 5 or to a substrate 19 arranged on the printing table 5, which may be designed, for example, as a carrier base or else as a circuit board, wafer or the like. The printing screen 11 has for this purpose partial screen openings which correspond to the desired first layer of the structure to be printed. Here, a number of such structures can be processed into the printing screen 11, so that a plurality of components or structural elements/structures can also be produced side by side on the substrate 19 and/or the printing table 5 simultaneously in one printing operation.

After the first printed layer has been produced, the printing table 7 is moved downwards, for example by means of the lifting device 6, and a further printing process is carried out in which the same printing screen 11 is used to produce a further printed layer which has the same structure as the first printed layer. Alternatively, one of the other printing screens 11 is used in place of the same printing screen 11. To this end, the transport arm 16 brings the printing screen 11 located in the screen store 10 into the screen magazine 3, i.e. into the free screen support 14 there. Subsequently, the transfer arm 16 takes out another screen 11 from the other screen support 14 and supplies it to the screen receiver 10 of the printing device 2. In a subsequent printing process, for example, a printed layer having a different design than the previous printed layer is produced. Using this principle, a plurality of mutually different printed layers can be produced one on top of the other, whereby also complex three-dimensional structures can be produced. After each successful printing process, the printing table 5 is lowered a little or, alternatively, the printing head 9 is raised a little.

Each printing screen 11 is enclosed by a screen frame 18 which ensures that the printing screen 11 is tensioned and transportable.

Fig. 2A shows, in a simplified perspective view, a screen unit 19 of a printing system having a rectangular screen frame 18, a printing screen 11 held by the screen frame 18, and a squeegee 21 for the squeegee arrangement 9 of the printing device 2. Further, a holding device 20 for holding a squeegee 21 is arranged on the screen frame 18. As shown in fig. 2A, the holding devices 20 have, for example, a permanent magnet 22 on one side of the frame 18, respectively, which magnetically interacts with a holding section 23 of the squeegee 21 in order to fasten or lock the squeegee 21 to the screen frame 18 by magnetic force. For this purpose, the holding section 23 of the scraper 21 is expediently made of a material which interacts magnetically with the permanent magnet 22. The retaining section 23 extends laterally beyond the printing screen 11 here so that the retaining section 23 is located on the screen frame 18 and can be magnetically retained thereon, as shown in figure 2A.

Fig. 2B shows a further embodiment of the screen unit 19, which differs from the previous embodiments in that the holding means 20 are not or not only provided by magnetic forces, but also provide form-fitting holding of the squeegee 21. To this end, according to the embodiment in fig. 2B, the screen frame 18 has a squeegee receiver 24 in which the holding sections 23 of the squeegees 21 can be received. The squeegee receiving element 24 can be provided here directly by a recess 25 or recess in the screen frame 18, or by two projections 25' arranged at a distance from one another on the upper side of the screen frame 18 facing the squeegee 21, as is shown in fig. 2B by broken lines as a further option.

In each case, the squeegee 21 has, in addition to the holding section 23, a squeegee section 26, by means of which the printing screen 11 is swept over or loaded during printing in order to press the printing paste through the printing screen 11 onto the substrate 29.

The squeegee 21 also has an interchangeable interface 27, which interacts with an interchangeable interface 28 of the printing unit 2 or of the squeegee unit 9 in order to releasably fasten the squeegee 21 to the squeegee unit 9. The squeegee assembly 9 has a device 30 for gripping and moving the squeegee 21, which has an interchangeable interface 28, as shown in fig. 1. The interchangeable interface 27 is, for example, a snap connection, a latch or the like which can be releasably connected. Since the position of the holding device 20 is substantially known and in particular identical at each screen frame 18 of the existing screen unit 19 of the printing system 1, the printing device 2 can be simply programmed such that, at the start of the printing process, the squeegee device 9 first travels with the interchangeable interface 28 to the position of the squeegee 21, grips the squeegee 21 by interconnecting the interchangeable interfaces 27, 28 and then performs the printing process. At the end of the printing process, the squeegee arrangement 9 accordingly deposits the squeegee 21 at a known position on the holding arrangement 20, and the screen unit 19 (i.e. the printing screen 11) can be removed together with the squeegee 21 from the printing device 2 and returned, for example, to the screen magazine 3.

Since there are a plurality of screen units 19 which in particular have different printing screens 11 and are pre-filled with different materials or can be filled, rapid printing of the three-dimensional forming structure is ensured cost-effectively and resource-effectively. For this purpose, the printing screens 11 of the printing system 1 are each suitably designed as a screen unit 19, as already described above, so that the screen units 19, each having its own squeegee, are transported by the transport device 4 or automatically fed to the printing device 2 and are each stored together with the associated squeegee 21 in the screen store 3, as described with reference to the printing screens 11.