JP7631456B2 - Printing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printing device and a substrate processing device.

Conventionally, among printing devices that use a screen mask to perform a printing process of a viscous fluid on a substrate, there are known devices that automatically replace the screen mask. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a printing device that includes a rod that protrudes downward and a slider that slides the screen mask in and out of the main frame by moving the rod.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 04-107146

Incidentally, substrate processing devices that perform operations on substrates, such as printing, may use substrate support members to support the substrate during operation. When using a support member suitable for the type of substrate being processed, the substrate support member must be replaced. However, the printing device of Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration the replacement of the substrate support member.

The present invention was made to solve these problems, and its main purpose is to perform automatic replacement of substrate support members.

The present invention takes the following measures to achieve the above-mentioned main objective.

The printing device of the present invention comprises:
A printing apparatus that performs a printing process of a viscous fluid using a screen mask on a substrate fixed on a substrate support member,
a support member transport unit that transports the screen mask and the substrate support member;
an exchange control unit capable of executing a mask exchange process including a mask carry-out process for carrying out a screen mask to be carried out by controlling the support member transport unit and a mask carry-in process for carrying in the screen mask to be carried in, and capable of executing a support member exchange process including a support member carry-out process for carrying out the substrate support member to be carried out by controlling the support member transport unit and a support member carry-in process for carrying in the substrate support member to be carried in;
It is equipped with the following:

This printing device is equipped with a support member transport section that transports the screen mask and the substrate support member. This printing device can use this support member transport section to execute a support member replacement process that includes transporting the substrate support member in and out. This allows the printing device to automatically replace the substrate support member. This printing device can also use this support member transport section to execute a mask replacement process that transports the screen mask in and out. In other words, the same support member transport section can be used to automatically replace both the substrate support member and the screen mask. This allows the device configuration to be more compact than, for example, a printing device that is equipped with separate transport sections for screen mask replacement and substrate support member replacement.

The substrate-related operating device of the present invention comprises:
A substrate-related operation device that performs a substrate-related operation on a substrate fixed on a substrate support member,
a support member transport unit that transports the substrate support member in and out;
a substrate fixing section capable of arranging the substrate support member and fixing the substrate by the substrate support member when performing the substrate-related operation;
a positioning unit that moves the substrate support member disposed on the substrate fixing unit to perform a horizontal positioning of the substrate support member;
an exchange control unit that performs a support member exchange process including a support member unloading process for controlling the support member transport unit to unload the substrate support member to be unloaded, and a support member loading process for controlling the support member transport unit to transport the substrate support member to be loaded to the substrate fixing unit and controlling the positioning unit to position the transported substrate support member;
It is equipped with the following:

In this substrate-related operation device, a support member exchange process including the loading and unloading of the substrate support member can be performed using a support member transport unit that loads and unloads the substrate support member. Therefore, this substrate-related operation device can automatically exchange the substrate support member. Furthermore, in the support member loading process, this substrate-related operation device positions the transported substrate support member using a positioning unit. Therefore, it is possible to suppress misalignment of the substrate support member loaded in the support member loading process within the substrate fixing unit. Note that in the substrate-related operation device of the present invention, various aspects of the printing device of the present invention may be adopted, and various configurations of the printing device of the present invention may be added.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a mounting system 10. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration for executing print processing and the like of the printing device 20. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a configuration for executing a printing process and the like of the printing device 20. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical connections of the printing device 20. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a substrate support member 70 and a transport jig 80. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a print processing routine. 5A and 5B are explanatory diagrams showing a screen mask M and a substrate support member 70 being replaced. 5A and 5B are explanatory diagrams showing a screen mask M and a substrate support member 70 being replaced. 5A and 5B are explanatory diagrams showing a screen mask M and a substrate support member 70 being replaced. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the transportation, suction, and printing process of the substrate S. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a support member carry-in process and a support member carry-out process are performed in parallel.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mounting system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the mask work unit 26, the first substrate fixing unit 30, the second substrate fixing unit 40, the processing unit 50, and the storage unit 60, which are components that perform the printing process, mask replacement process, and support member replacement process of the printing device 20. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the mask work unit 26, the first substrate fixing unit 30, the second substrate fixing unit 40, and the processing unit 50, which are components that perform the printing process, etc. of the printing device 20. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical connection relationship of the printing device 20. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the substrate support member 70 and the transport jig 80. The mounting system 10 includes a printing device 20 that prints solder paste as a viscous fluid on a substrate S, a plurality of mounting devices (not shown) that mount electronic components on the substrate S, and a management computer (PC) 90 that manages information related to the processing in the printing device 20 and the mounting devices. Examples of viscous fluids include, in addition to solder paste, conductive paste, adhesives, etc. The printing device 20 is configured as a dual lane printing device having two substrate fixing parts for fixing the transported substrate S. In addition, the printing device 20 is configured as a device capable of automatically replacing the screen mask M used in the printing process when changing the printing target to a different type of substrate S, and automatically replacing the substrate support member 70 that supports and fixes the substrate S using a transport jig 80. In this embodiment, the left-right direction (X-axis), front-back direction (Y-axis), and up-down direction (Z-axis) are as shown in Figures 1 to 3.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the printing device 20 is a device that applies (prints) solder paste onto the substrate S below through the pattern holes by using a squeegee 25 to push solder on a screen mask M into pattern holes 11, 12 formed in the screen mask M. The printing device 20 includes a control unit 21, a print processing unit 22, a mask working unit 26, a first substrate fixing unit 30, a second substrate fixing unit 40, a processing unit 50, and a storage unit 60. The printing device 20 also includes an operation panel on which a display screen is displayed and on which an operator can perform various input operations, and a communication unit that communicates with devices connected to a LAN.

The control unit 21 is configured as a microprocessor centered on a CPU, and includes a ROM for storing processing programs, a RAM used as a working area, and a HDD for storing various data.

The printing processing unit 22 is disposed on the upper stage of the printing device 20, and is a unit that prints a viscous fluid onto a substrate S using a screen mask M. As shown in FIG. 4, the printing processing unit 22 includes a printing head 23, a head moving unit 24, a squeegee 25, and a transport rod 25a. The printing device 20 includes a printing head 23 that pressurizes and supplies solder paste onto the screen mask M. The head moving unit 24 moves the printing head 23 in a predetermined printing direction (front-rear direction), and includes a guide formed in the front-rear direction, a slider that moves along the guide, and a motor that drives the slider. The head moving unit 24 also includes a mechanism for moving the printing head 23 up and down. The squeegee 25 is disposed on the printing head 23 so as to be able to move up and down. The squeegee 25 is a plate-shaped member that is long in a predetermined direction (X direction in FIG. 1), and is formed to be longer than the pattern holes 11 and 12. The transport rod 25a is disposed on the print head 23 so that it can be raised and lowered by a motor (not shown). This transport rod 25a is moved back and forth by the head moving unit 24 while protruding below the squeegee 25, thereby pushing and transporting the screen mask M and the transport jig 80 back and forth.

The mask working section 26 is disposed between the printing processing section 22 and the first and second substrate fixing sections 30 and 40, and is a unit that fixes and holds the screen mask M. The screen mask M is, for example, a thin metal plate on which a desired wiring pattern is formed, and is fixed to the frame body (mask fixing section 27) with a predetermined tension. The screen mask M has pattern holes 11 and 12 that form wiring patterns on the substrates S of the first and second lanes (first and second substrate fixing sections 30 and 40) of the printing process. The bottom surface of the screen mask M has an identification section (for example, a mark) for position recognition. The mask working section 26 includes a mask fixing section 27, a position adjustment section 28 (see FIG. 4), and a transport rail 29 (see FIG. 4). The mask fixing section 27 positions the screen mask M in a state where it is fitted into the frame body, and supports and fixes it in a horizontal position. The position adjustment unit 28 adjusts the position of the mask fixing unit 27 in the XY directions so that the pattern holes 11, 12 are positioned appropriately with respect to the substrate S fixed to the first substrate fixing unit 30 or the second substrate fixing unit 40. The transport rails 29 are a pair of left and right rails that extend in the front-rear direction and guide the screen mask M and transport jig 80 pushed by the transport rod 25a so that they move in the front-rear direction.

The first substrate fixing unit 30 is disposed below the mask working unit 26, and is a unit that carries in the substrate S, positions and supports the carried-in substrate S, and brings it into contact with and away from the screen mask M on which a predetermined wiring pattern is formed. The first substrate fixing unit 30 constitutes the first lane of the printing process. The first substrate fixing unit 30 includes a substrate transport conveyor 31, a substrate guide 32, a substrate guide moving unit 33 (see FIG. 4), a support table lifting unit 35, a fixing unit lifting unit 36, a support table 37, a Y-axis pressing unit 38, and a Z-axis clamp unit 39. As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate transport conveyor 31 includes a conveyor belt provided on each of a pair of side frames 30b, and a belt rotation device that drives the conveyor belt in a circular motion. Although not shown, the printing device 20 also has an inlet conveyor and an outlet conveyor installed on the upstream and downstream sides (left and right sides in FIG. 1) of the substrate transport path of the substrate transport conveyor 31. The substrate guide 32 is a plate-shaped member provided on the upper surface of each of the pair of side frames 30b. The substrate guide moving unit 33 is a mechanism that moves the pair of side frames 30b in the front-rear direction to move them closer to and away from each other. This causes the substrate guide 32 to move in the front-rear direction, and the substrate S is sandwiched and fixed in a state where the upper surface of the substrate S and the upper surface of the substrate guide 32 are flush with each other. The support table lifting unit 35 is a mechanism that lifts and lowers the support table 37 relative to the main body 30a of the first substrate fixing unit 30, and includes a support column that guides and supports the support table 37 in the vertical direction, and a drive motor that moves the support column up and down. The support table 37 is a member on which the substrate support member 70 can be arranged. The substrate support member 70 is replaced depending on the substrate S.

The substrate support member 70 is placed on the support base 37 and is connected to a pressure reducing device (not shown) by piping, and is a member that supports and fixes the substrate S from the underside by negative pressure. As shown in FIG. 5, the substrate support member 70 includes a main body 70a, a pair of cylindrical protrusions 71, 71 arranged to protrude from the left and right sides of the main body 70a, a pair of protrusions 72, 72 arranged forward of the protrusions 71, a plurality of suction ports 73 opening on the upper surface of the main body 70a, and a clamped portion 74 having an inclined upper surface and protruding rearward of the main body 70a. In addition, an identification portion 75 (e.g., a mark) for position recognition and a barcode 76 for identifying the type of the substrate support member 70 are formed on the upper surface of the main body 70a.

The fixing part lifting part 36 is a mechanism for lifting and lowering the entire first substrate fixing part 30 relative to the device body, and includes a support column that guides and supports the main body of the first substrate fixing part 30 in the vertical direction, and a drive motor that moves the support column up and down. The Y-axis pressing part 38 (see FIG. 2) is a mechanism used to position the substrate support member 70, and is disposed on the support base 37. The Y-axis pressing part 38 is equipped with a block-shaped main body that can move in the front-rear direction and presses the substrate support member 70 backward to move it, and a drive mechanism such as a cylinder (not shown) that moves the main body forward and backward. The Y-axis pressing part 38 also serves as a mechanism for supplying negative pressure to the substrate support member 70, and a suction port connected to a pressure reducing device (not shown) by a pipe is disposed behind the main body. When the main body of the Y-axis pressing part 38 is pressed against the substrate support member 70, a path from the pressure reducing device to the suction port 73 is connected, and negative pressure is supplied to the suction port 73. The Z-axis clamp unit 39 is a mechanism used to fix the substrate support member 70, and is disposed on the rear side frame 30b. The Z-axis clamp unit 39 has a block-shaped main body that can move in the vertical direction, and a drive mechanism such as a cylinder that moves the main body up and down. When the main body of the Z-axis clamp unit 39 moves downward, it clamps the clamped portion 74 of the substrate support member 70 together with the support base 37 to fix the substrate support member 70. In addition, a support plate 39a is disposed in front of the Z-axis clamp unit 39 along the up-down and left-right directions. When the side frame 30b moves forward and backward by the substrate guide moving unit 33, the Z-axis clamp unit 39 and the support plate 39a also move forward and backward, thereby allowing the fixing position of the substrate support member 70 in the forward and backward directions to be changed.

The second substrate fixing unit 40 is a unit that is provided next to the first substrate fixing unit 30 and transports and fixes the substrate S in the same manner as the first substrate fixing unit 30. The second substrate fixing unit 40 constitutes the second lane of the printing process. The second substrate fixing unit 40 has a main body 40a and a side frame 40b, and is equipped with a substrate transport conveyor 41, a substrate guide 42, a substrate guide moving unit 43, a support table lifting unit 45, a fixing unit lifting unit 46, a support table 47, a Y-axis pressing unit 48, and a Z-axis clamp unit 49. In addition, a substrate support member 70 can be placed on the support table 47. The second substrate fixing unit 40 has a basic configuration similar to that of the first substrate fixing unit 30, so a description thereof will be omitted. The printing device 20 is configured to include two substrate transport devices, the first substrate fixing unit 30 and the second substrate fixing unit 40, and one mask work unit 26.

The processing unit 50 is a unit that performs imaging processing to image identification parts (e.g., marks, notches, unevenness, characters, etc.) for position recognition formed on the substrate S. The processing unit 50 includes a carriage 51, a processing unit movement unit 52, and a position information acquisition unit 55. The processing unit 50 also includes a substrate stopper 56 for stopping the substrate S transported to the right by the substrate transport conveyors 31 and 41 at a predetermined position in the left-right direction. The carriage 51 is provided with a position information acquisition unit 55 and a substrate stopper 56, and moves in the XY direction by the processing unit movement unit 52. The processing unit movement unit 52 includes an X-axis slider 53 and a Y-axis slider 54. The Y-axis slider 54 is a plate-shaped member whose longitudinal direction is the X-axis direction, and moves by a movement motor along a support rail 58 formed in the Y-axis direction (front-back direction) of the device. The X-axis slider 53 has a carriage 51 disposed thereon, and is moved by a moving motor along a guide formed on the Y-axis slider 54 in the X-axis direction. The processing section 50 moves to any one of the area of the first substrate fixing section 30 (also called the first area) which is the first lane, the area of the second substrate fixing section 40 (also called the second area) which is the second lane, and the retreat area (see FIGS. 1 to 3) outside of these. The position information acquisition section 55 is a unit capable of imaging the identification section formed on the substrate S, the identification section formed on the lower surface of the screen mask M, and the identification section 75 of the substrate support member 70, and acquires position information of these by imaging. The lower surface side and the upper surface side of the position information acquisition section 55 are imaging areas. The substrate stopper 56 is, for example, a rod-shaped member, and is disposed on the carriage 51 so as to be movable up and down by a motor not shown. This board stopper 56 protrudes downward from the support rail 58 above the first and second board fixing parts 30 and 40, and comes into contact with the board S transported above the board support member 70 by the board transport conveyors 31 and 41, stopping the board S.

The storage section 60 is disposed at the rear of the main body of the printing device 20, and is a mechanism for storing the members to be replaced (those to be carried in and out) during automatic replacement of the screen mask M and the substrate support member 70. The storage section 60 is equipped with a storage box with an opening at the front and a conveyor lifting section 62 for raising and lowering the storage box. In the storage box, a pair of transport conveyors 61 for transporting the placed object in the forward and backward directions are arranged vertically in multiple stages (four stages in this embodiment). In three of the four stages of the transport conveyors 61, the screen mask M to be carried into the mask work section 26, the transport jig 80 to which the substrate support member 70 to be carried into the first and second substrate fixing sections 30, 40 is attached, and the transport jig 80 for attaching the substrate support member 70 to be carried out from the first and second substrate fixing sections 30, 40 are stored in advance by the operator. The remaining conveyor 61 is left empty so that it can store the screen mask M to be removed from the mask work section 26. In this storage section 60, the conveyor lift section 62 brings the top surface of one of the conveyors 61 to the same height as the top surface of the transport rail 29, and by operating the conveyor 61 in this state, the member placed on the conveyor 61 is transported into the mask work section 26 or removed from the mask work section 26.

The transport jig 80 is a member for transporting the substrate support member 70 using the transport conveyor 61 or the transport rod 25a. As shown in FIG. 5, the transport jig 80 has first to fourth protrusion holders 81 to 84 arranged in this order from the rear to the front inside the frame body 85. The first to fourth protrusion holders 81 to 84 are arranged in pairs in the left and right directions, and are arranged at the ends of the arms extending downward from the frame body 85. As shown in FIG. 2, the transport jig 80 can attach one substrate support member 70 using the first and second protrusion holders 81 and 82, and one substrate support member 70 can be attached using the third and fourth protrusion holders 83 and 84. The upper surfaces of the first to fourth protrusion holders 81 to 84 have recesses formed thereon that are slightly larger than the outer diameters of the protrusions 71 and 72 of the substrate support member 70. By placing the protrusions 71 and 72 in the recesses, the transport jig 80 can transport the substrate support member 70 while fixing its position in the front-rear direction. There are a plurality of types of substrate support members 70 according to the type of substrate S to be supported, but the outer diameters of the protrusions 71 and 72 are the same for all of them. The second protrusion holding portion 82 and the fourth protrusion holding portion 84 can adjust their positions in the front-rear direction, which allows the attachment of a plurality of types of substrate support members 70 with different sizes (distance between the protrusions 71 and 72). The transport jig 80 has a width in the left-right direction that is approximately the same as that of the mask fixing portion 27 of the screen mask M. This allows the transport jig 80 to be transported along the same transport rail 29 as the screen mask M. In addition, since the same storage portion 60 can be used for the transport jig 80 and the screen mask M, it is preferable that the lengths of the transport jig 80 and the screen mask M in the front-rear direction are close to each other. There may be multiple types of transport jig 80 with different frame bodies 85 and protruding holding portion sizes, and a barcode 86 for identifying the type of transport jig 80 is attached to the top surface of the frame body 85.

Next, a process in which the printing device 20 performs a printing process on the substrate S while automatically replacing the screen mask M and the substrate support member 70 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of a printing process routine executed by the CPU of the control unit 21. FIGS. 7 to 9 are explanatory diagrams showing the process of replacing the screen mask M and the substrate support member 70. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the transport, adsorption, and printing process of the substrate S.

The printing process routine is stored in the HDD of the control unit 21 and is executed after the operator instructs the printing device 20 to perform the printing process. When the printing process routine is executed, the CPU of the control unit 21 first determines whether or not the screen mask M present in the mask work unit 26 and the substrate support member 70 present in the first and second substrate fixing units 30 and 40 need to be replaced, i.e., whether or not a change of setup is required (step S100). The control unit 21 determines whether or not a change of setup is required depending on whether or not the screen mask M and substrate support member 70 required for the printing process are different between the previous time and the current time, based on information regarding the printing process acquired from the management PC 90, for example. Note that when a change of setup is required, it is assumed that the screen mask M to be brought in, the transport jig 80 to which the substrate support member 70 to be brought in is attached, and the transport jig 80 for attaching the substrate support member 70 to be carried out are stored in the storage unit 60 in advance by the operator, as shown in FIG. 2. If necessary, the worker reads the barcode 76 or 86 with a barcode reader to verify that the correct member is stored in the storage section 60. The worker also adjusts the front-to-rear positions of the second protrusion holding portion 82 and the fourth protrusion holding portion 84 in advance for the transport jig 80 used to attach the substrate support member 70 to be removed.

When a changeover is required in step S100, the control unit 21 performs a mask unloading process to unload the screen mask M to be unloaded from the mask working unit 26 (step S110). The control unit 21 moves the transport rod 25a to transport the screen mask M to be unloaded that is present in the mask working unit 26 backwards while sliding it against the transport rail 29 as shown in FIG. 7(a). The control unit 21 also controls the conveyor lifting unit 62 and the transport conveyor 61 to place the screen mask M to be unloaded on an empty transport conveyor 61. Note that since the screen mask M needs to be unloaded from the mask working unit 26 once in order to perform the replacement process of the substrate support member 70, the control unit 21 performs the unloading process of the screen mask M even if the screen mask M is not the one to be replaced.

Next, the control unit 21 performs a support member removal process to remove the substrate support member 70 to be removed from the first and second substrate fixing parts 30 and 40 (step S120). The control unit 21 first controls the conveyor lifting unit 62 and the transport conveyor 61 to load the empty transport jig 80 onto the transport rail 29, and then moves the transport rod 25a forward to transport the transport jig 80 above the first and second substrate fixing parts 30 and 40 (FIG. 7(b)). At this time, the control unit 21 positions the first to fourth protrusion holding parts 81 to 84 so that they are shifted in the front-rear direction (e.g., rearward) from directly above the protrusions 71 and 72 of the substrate support member 70. Next, the control unit 21 releases the substrate support member 70 from its fixed position on the support bases 37 and 47. Specifically, the control unit 21 moves the Y-axis pressing units 38, 48 forward and the Z-axis clamp units 39, 49 upward, while moving the pair of side frames 30b, 40b away from each other by the board guide moving units 33, 43 (FIG. 7(c)). Next, the control unit 21 raises the board support member 70 on the support tables 37, 47 by the support table lifting units 35, 45 and the fixed unit lifting units 36, 46, respectively (FIG. 8(a)). As a result, the protrusions 71, 72 of the board support member 70 rise above the first to fourth protrusion holding units 81-84. Next, the control unit 21 moves the transport jig 80 forward by the transport rod 25a so that the first and second protrusion holders 81 and 82 are positioned directly below the protrusions 71 and 72 of the substrate support member 70 on the support base 37, and the third and fourth protrusion holders 83 and 84 are positioned directly below the protrusions 71 and 72 of the substrate support member 70 on the support base 47 (FIG. 8(b)). Then, the control unit 21 lowers the support bases 37 and 47. As a result, the two substrate support members 70 are attached to the transport jig 80 with the protrusions 71 and 72 held on the first to fourth protrusion holders 81 to 84 (FIG. 8(c)). After that, the control unit 21 lowers the entire first and second substrate fixing units 30 and 40 by the fixing unit lifting units 36 and 46, and moves the transport jig 80 to which the two substrate support members 70 to be removed are attached, backward by the transport rod 25a (FIG. 9). Then, the control unit 21 places the transport jig 80 to which the substrate support member 70 is attached on the vacant transport conveyor 61. As described above, the control unit 21 performs the support member transport process of the substrate support member 70 by combining the forward and backward transport of the transport jig 80 with the raising and lowering of the support tables 37 and 47.

After the support member removal process in step S120, the control unit 21 performs a support member removal process to remove the substrate support member 70 to be removed from the first and second substrate fixing units 30 and 40 (step S130). This process can be performed in the reverse order to the support member removal process described above. That is, the control unit 21 first transports the transport jig 80 to which the two substrate support members 70 to be removed are attached forward (FIG. 9), transports the substrate support members 70 to above the support stages 37 and 47 (FIG. 8(c)), and raises the support stages 37 and 47 to lift the protrusions 71 and 72 from the first to fourth protrusion holding units 81 to 84 (FIG. 8(b)). Next, the control unit 21 moves the transport jig 80 backward (FIG. 8(a)), and then lowers the support stages 37 and 47 (FIG. 7(c)). Next, the control unit 21 moves the transport jig 80 backward to carry it out, and positions and fixes the substrate support member 70 on the support base 37, 47 (FIG. 7B). Specifically, the control unit 21 first moves the pair of side frames 30b, 40b closer to each other in the front-rear direction by the substrate guide moving units 33, 43, and moves the support plates 39a, 49a to a predetermined position. The positions in the front-rear direction to which the support plates 39a, 49a are moved are determined in advance according to the type of substrate S to be printed and the type of substrate support member 70, and are obtained, for example, from the management PC 90. Next, the control unit 21 moves the Y-axis pressing units 38, 48 backward to move the substrate support member 70 on the support base 37, 47 backward until it abuts against the support plates 39a, 49a, respectively. In this way, by moving the support plates 39a, 49a and the Y-axis pressing parts 38, 48 back and forth, the substrate support member 70 can be positioned in an appropriate position even if the position of the substrate support member 70 removed from the transport jig 80 is shifted forward or backward. When the substrate support member 70 is brought into contact with the support plates 39a, 49a, the control unit 21 moves the Z-axis clamping parts 39, 49 downward to press the clamped part 74, and fixes the position of the substrate support member 70 on the support bases 37, 47. As described above, the control unit 21 performs the support member loading process of the substrate support member 70 by combining the forward and backward transport of the transport jig 80 and the raising and lowering of the support bases 37, 47. The control unit 21 also performs the positioning of the substrate support member 70 in the forward and backward directions.

After the support member removal process in step S130, the control unit 21 performs a mask removal process to remove the screen mask M to be removed from the mask working unit 26 (step S140). The control unit 21 performs this process in the reverse order to the mask removal process. That is, the control unit 21 first controls the conveyor lift unit 62 and the transport conveyor 61 to transport the screen mask M to be removed onto the transport rail 29, and then moves the screen mask M forward with the transport rod 25a to remove it from the mask working unit 26. If the screen mask M is not to be replaced, the screen mask M removed in the mask removal process is removed from the mask working unit 26.

When the replacement process of the screen mask M and the substrate support member 70 is completed by carrying out the processes of steps S110 to S140, the control unit 21 acquires the left-right position information of the substrate support member 70 that has been carried in (step S150), and determines a correction value for the stop position of the substrate S based on the acquired position information (step S160). The control unit 21 moves the carriage 51 above the support table 37 as shown in FIG. 10(a), and causes the position information acquisition unit 55 to capture an image of the identification unit 75 on the upper surface of the substrate support member 70. Then, based on the position of the identification unit 75 in the image acquired from the position information acquisition unit 55, the control unit 21 determines the positional deviation of the substrate support member 70 in the left-right direction (the transport direction of the substrate S) on the support table 37, derives a correction value for the stop position during transport of the substrate S, and stores it in a RAM or the like. Here, if the substrate support member 70 is deviated in the transport direction of the substrate S on the support table 37, depending on the stop position of the substrate S, a problem may occur in the suction and fixation of the substrate S. If the position of the substrate support member 70 is shifted in the left-right direction, the control unit 21 corrects the stop position of the substrate S accordingly so that the positional relationship between the substrate support member 70 and the substrate S does not change. The control unit 21 similarly obtains position information and derives a correction value for the substrate support member 70 on the support base 47.

After step S160, or if no changeover is required in step S100, the control unit 21 drives the substrate transport conveyor 31 to transport the substrate S to the first substrate fixing unit 30 (first lane) and adsorbs the substrate S to the substrate support member 70 (step S170). When transporting the substrate S to the first substrate fixing unit 30, the control unit 21 moves the carriage 51 back and forth and left and right, and lowers the substrate stopper 56, so that the substrate S transported to the right is stopped at a predetermined stop position on the substrate support member 70 (FIG. 10(b)). At this time, if there is a correction value derived in step S160, the substrate stopper 56 is moved to a position taking into account the correction value. In addition, the control unit 21 raises the support table 37 to bring the upper surface of the substrate support member 70 into contact with the lower surface of the stopped substrate S, and adsorbs and fixes the substrate S by negative pressure from the pressure reducing device.

Then, the control unit 21 performs imaging processing of the identification parts of the substrate S and the screen mask M by the position information acquisition unit 55 (step S180), and adjusts the positions of the substrate S and the pattern holes 11 of the screen mask M based on the obtained image so that they are in the correct positions (step S190). Then, the control unit 21 starts printing with the first substrate fixing unit 30 (step S200, FIG. 10(c)). The control unit 21 raises the first substrate fixing unit 30 to abut against the upper surface of the substrate S and the lower surface of the screen mask M. Then, the print head 23 is moved above the screen mask M on the first lane side, solder paste is pressurized and ejected from the print head 23, and the squeegee 25 is moved back and forth to print the solder paste on the substrate S.

After the printing process at the first substrate fixing unit 30, the control unit 21 determines whether the production process is complete based on whether there is a substrate S to be printed next (step S210). When the production process is not complete, the second substrate fixing unit 40 is used to transport the substrate S, adjust the position of the screen mask M, perform the printing process, etc. (steps S220 to S250). This process is similar to the process at the first substrate fixing unit 30 described above (steps S170 to S200), so a detailed description is omitted. After step S250, the control unit 21 determines whether the production is complete (step S260), and when it is not complete, executes the process of moving to step S100. That is, while changing the setup as necessary, the control unit 21 sequentially executes the printing process on the substrate S fixed to the first and second substrate fixing units 30 and 40. When the production process is completed at step S210 or S260, the control unit 21 ends this routine.

Here, the correspondence between the components of this embodiment and the components of the present invention will be clarified. The transport rod 25a of this embodiment corresponds to the support member transport section of the present invention, and the control section 21 corresponds to the exchange control section. The first and second substrate fixing sections 30, 40 correspond to the substrate fixing section, the Y-axis pressing sections 38, 48, the substrate guide moving sections 33, 43, and the support plates 39a, 49a correspond to the positioning section, the substrate transport conveyors 31, 41 correspond to the substrate transport section, the position information acquisition section 55 corresponds to the position information acquisition section, the control section 21 and the substrate stopper 56 correspond to the correction section, the support bases 37, 47 correspond to the support bases, the support base lifting sections 35, 45 and the fixing section lifting sections 36, 46 correspond to the support member lifting sections, and the transport jig 80 corresponds to the transport jig.

The printing device 20 of the embodiment described above is equipped with a support member transport section (transport rod 25a) that transports the screen mask M and the substrate support member 70. The printing device 20 can use the transport rod 25a to execute a support member replacement process (steps S120, S130) that includes transporting the substrate support member 70, and can automatically replace the substrate support member 70. The printing device 20 can also use the transport rod 25a to perform a mask replacement process (steps S110, S140) that transports the screen mask M. That is, the same transport rod 25a can be used to perform both the automatic replacement of the substrate support member 70 and the automatic replacement of the screen mask M. Therefore, the device configuration can be made more compact than when the printing device 20 is equipped with separate transport sections for screen mask replacement and substrate support member replacement.

The printing device 20 is also equipped with first and second substrate fixing units 30, 40 that can arrange the substrate support member 70 and fix the substrate S with the arranged substrate support member 70 during the printing process, and a positioning unit (Y-axis pressing units 38, 48, substrate guide moving units 33, 43, and support plates 39a, 49a) that moves the substrate support member 70 arranged on the first and second substrate fixing units 30, 40 to position the substrate support member in the horizontal direction. In the support member carrying process, the control unit 21 controls the transport rod 25a to transport the substrate support member 70 to be carried in to the first and second substrate fixing units 30, 40, and controls the Y-axis pressing units 38, 48, substrate guide moving units 33, 43, and support plates 39a, 49a to position the transported substrate support member 70 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the substrate support member 70 brought in during the support member bringing-in process from being misaligned in the front-rear direction within the first and second substrate fixing parts 30 and 40.

The printing device 20 further includes the first and second substrate fixing units 30 and 40, substrate transport conveyors 31 and 41 that transport the substrate S in a predetermined substrate transport direction (left and right direction), and a position information acquisition unit 55 that acquires position information regarding the position of the substrate support member 70 arranged on the first and second substrate fixing units 30 and 40 in the substrate transport direction. The printing device 20 also includes a correction unit (control unit 21 and substrate stopper 56) that corrects the stop position on the substrate support member 70 when the substrate transport conveyors 31 and 41 transport the substrate S based on the acquired position information. As a result, even if the position of the substrate support member 70 brought into the first and second substrate fixing units 30 and 40 in the support member introduction process is shifted in the substrate transport direction, the stop position of the substrate S can be corrected based on the position information. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of problems in the fixation of the substrate S by the substrate support member 70.

Furthermore, the printing device 20 has support tables 37, 47 on which a substrate support member 70 can be placed, and is equipped with first and second substrate fixing sections 30, 40 that fix the substrate S using the substrate support member 70 placed when performing the printing process, and support table lifting sections 35, 45 and fixing section lifting sections 36, 46 that raise and lower the substrate support member 70 placed on the support tables 37, 47 by raising and lowering the support tables 37, 47. Then, the transport rod 25a transports and removes the transport jig 80 to which the substrate support member 70 can be attached, and in the support member transport process, the control unit 21 controls the transport rod 25a, the support platform lifting units 35, 45, and the fixed unit lifting units 36, 46 to transport the transport jig 80 to above the first and second substrate fixing units 30, 40, raises the substrate support member 70 to be transported that is arranged on the support platforms 37, 38 and attaches it to the transport jig 80, and then transports the transport jig 80 after attachment. Furthermore, in the support member carry-in process, the control unit 21 controls the transport rod 25a, the support table lifting units 35, 45, and the fixing unit lifting units 36, 46 to transport the transport jig 80 to which the substrate support member 70 to be carried in is attached, to above the first and second substrate fixing units 30, 40, raise the support tables 37, 47 to remove the substrate support member 70 to be carried in from the transport jig 80 and place it on the support tables 37, 47, and then carry out the removed transport jig 80. In this way, even if the shape or size of the substrate support member 70 is not suitable for transport by the transport rod 25a, for example, the substrate support member 70 can be transported using the transport jig 80 to perform the support member replacement process. In the printing device 20 of this embodiment, the transport rod 25a transports both the screen mask M and the substrate support member 70, but since the substrate support member 70 is narrower in the left-right direction than the screen mask M, the substrate support member 70 cannot be directly transported by the transport rod 25a by sliding it on the transport rail 29. In this way, when the screen mask M and the substrate support member 70 have different shapes and sizes, it is very important to use the transport jig 80.

The printing device 20 has a first substrate fixing part 30 and a second substrate fixing part 40 as substrate fixing parts, and has a first support member lifting part (support platform lifting part 35 and fixed part lifting part 36) that lifts and lowers the support platform 37 and a second support member lifting part (support platform lifting part 45 and fixed part lifting part 46) that lifts and lowers the support platform 47 as support member lifting parts. The transport rod 25a transports and removes the transport jig 80 to which multiple substrate support members 70 can be attached. In the support member unloading process, the control unit 21 controls the transport rod 25a, the support platform lifting parts 35, 45, and the fixed part lifting parts 36, 46 to carry in the transport jig 80, lift each of the substrate support members 70 to be unloaded that are arranged on the support platforms 37, 47, attach them to the transport jig 80, and perform a process of unloading the transport jig 80 after attachment. Furthermore, in the support member carry-in process, the control unit 21 controls the transport rod 25a, the support table lifting units 35, 45, and the fixed unit lifting units 36, 46 to carry in the transport jig 80 to which the substrate support members 70 to be carried in and placed on the support tables 37, 47 are attached, the support tables 37, 47 are raised to remove the substrate support members 70 to be carried in from the transport jig 80 and place them on the support tables 37, 47, respectively, and then carries out the removed transport jig 80. As a result, the control unit 21 performs the replacement of the substrate support members 70 to be placed on the support table 37 and the replacement of the substrate support members 70 to be placed on the support table 47 in parallel. In this way, the substrate support member 70 to be removed and placed on the support tables 37 and 47 can be removed together with a single movement of the transport jig 80, and the substrate support member 70 to be placed on the support tables 37 and 47 can be brought in together with a single movement of the transport jig 80, thereby shortening the time required for the support member replacement process.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms as long as they fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 21 uses a transport jig 80 capable of mounting two substrate support members 70 to replace the substrate support member 70 placed on the support table 37 and the substrate support member 70 placed on the support table 47 in parallel, but this is not limited to the above. For example, only one of the substrate support members 70 on the support tables 37 and 47 may be replaced. In this case, the control unit 21 may perform the support member carry-in process and the support member carry-out process in parallel. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which the support member carry-in process and the support member carry-out process are performed in parallel. Here, the case of replacing the substrate support member 70 of the second substrate fixing unit 40 will be described. The control unit 21 first transports the transport jig 80 to which the substrate support member 70 to be carried in is attached to the top of the second substrate fixing unit 40 (FIG. 11(a)). Next, the control unit 21 raises the substrate support member 70 to be removed that is placed on the support table 47 and attaches it to the transport jig 80 (FIG. 11(b)). Next, the control unit 21 transports the attached transport jig 80 further forward to transport the substrate support member 70 to be brought in above the support table 47, and then raises the support table 47 to remove the substrate support member 70 to be brought in from the transport jig 80 and place it on the support table 47 (FIG. 11(c)). The control unit 21 then transports the removed transport jig 80 (the transport jig 80 to which the substrate support member 70 to be removed is attached) backward. In this way, the substrate support member 70 can be transported in and out by transporting the transport jig 80 in and out once. This reduces the time required for the support member replacement process.

In the above-described embodiment, the printing device 20 can carry in and out both the screen mask M and the substrate support member 70 using the transport rod 25a, but this is not limited to this. If the printing device 20 is provided with a support member transport unit that carries in and out the substrate support member 70, at least the substrate support member replacement process can be performed. Even in this case, the substrate support member 70 arranged on the first and second substrate fixing parts 30 and 40 can be moved to position the substrate support member in the horizontal direction, thereby suppressing the positional deviation of the substrate support member 70 in the front-rear direction within the first and second substrate fixing parts 30 and 40. In the above-described embodiment, the printing device 20 that replaces the substrate support member 70 is described, but is not limited to the printing device as long as it performs the substrate support member replacement process. The present invention is applicable to a substrate-related work device that performs substrate-related work on a substrate fixed on a substrate support member. An example of a substrate-related work device other than a printing device is a mounting device that performs a mounting process on a substrate. In the above embodiment, the printing device 20 includes a transport rod 25a as a support member transport unit, but any support member transport unit may be included as long as it can transport the substrate support member 70 in and out. For example, the support member transport unit may be a support member transport conveyor that includes a conveyor belt and a belt rotation device that drives the conveyor belt in a circular motion.

In the above-described embodiment, the substrate support member 70 is transported using the transport jig 80, but if the substrate support member 70 can be transported using, for example, the transport rail 29 and the transport rod 25a, the transport jig 80 does not need to be used.

In the above embodiment, the Y-axis pressing portion 38, the board guide moving portion 33, and the support plate 39a are used to position the board support member 70 in the front-rear direction, but this is not limited as long as the positioning is performed in the horizontal direction. For example, in addition to or instead of the front-rear positioning, left-right positioning may also be performed.

In the above embodiment, the protrusions 71, 72 of the substrate support member 70 are cylindrical, but this is not limited as long as they can be attached to and detached from the transport jig 80. For example, the protrusions may be rectangular prism-shaped, plate-shaped, or may be two adjacent cylinders forming one member. In addition, the number of protrusions is two on each side, but this is not limited and there may be one, three or more protrusions on each side.

In the above embodiment, the first to fourth protrusion holders 81 to 84 hold the protrusions 71 and 72 by recesses, but this is not limited as long as they can be attached to and detached from the transport jig 80. For example, the transport jig 80 may be provided with a pair of plate-shaped members protruding inside the frame body 85, and the substrate support member 70 may be attached to the transport jig 80 by placing the protrusions 71 and 72 on the upper surface of the plate-shaped members. In addition, when removing the substrate support member 70 from the transport jig 80, the lifting of the substrate support member 70 and the transport of the transport jig 80 are combined, but this is not limited. For example, the transport jig 80 may be provided with a plate-shaped member moving mechanism that includes a button that can be pressed downward, a lever that rotates on an axis in accordance with the up and down movement of the button to convert vertical movement into horizontal movement, and a plate-shaped member that moves horizontally in accordance with the rotation of the lever. In this case, the substrate support member 70 may be placed on the plate members of a pair of front and rear plate member moving mechanisms and transported, and the pair of plate members may be separated to the left and right by pressing a button on the pair of plate member moving mechanisms, for example, with the transport rod 25a, thereby removing the substrate support member 70 from the transport jig 80. If such a mechanism is adopted, there is no need to transport the transport jig 80 back and forth when removing the substrate support member 70 from the transport jig 80.

In the above-described embodiment, the printing device 20 is provided with a storage section 60, but the printing device 20 does not have to be provided with a storage section 60. In addition, the printing device 20 is a dual-lane printing device having first and second substrate fixing sections 30, 40, but is not limited to this. For example, the printing device 20 may be a single-lane printing device having one substrate fixing section.

In the above-described embodiment, the substrate support member 70 is a member that supports and fixes the substrate S from the underside by negative pressure, but any member that fixes the substrate may be used. For example, the substrate support member may have a plurality of protrusions (backup pins) standing on the upper surface, and the substrate support member may support and fix the substrate S from below using these protrusions.

The present invention can be used in substrate-related work devices that perform substrate-related work on substrates, such as mounting devices that mount components on substrates and printing devices related to mounting devices.

10 Mounting system, 11, 12 Pattern hole, 20 Printing device, 21 Control unit, 22 Print processing unit, 23 Print head, 24 Head moving unit, 25 Squeegee, 25a Transport rod, 26 Mask working unit, 27 Mask fixing unit, 28 Position adjustment unit, 29 Transport rail, 30 First substrate fixing unit, 30a Main body, 30b Side frame, 31 Substrate transport conveyor, 32 Substrate guide, 33 Substrate guide moving unit, 35 Support table lifting unit, 36 Fixing unit lifting unit, 37 Support table, 38 Y-axis pressing unit, 39 Z-axis clamp unit, 39a Support plate, 40 Second substrate fixing unit, 40a Main body, 40b Side frame, 41 Substrate transport conveyor, 42 Substrate guide, 43 Substrate guide moving unit, 45 Support table lifting unit, 46 Fixing unit lifting unit, 47 Support stand, 48 Y-axis pressing part, 49 Z-axis clamping part, 49a support plate, 50 processing part, 51 carriage, 52 processing part moving part, 53 X-axis slider, 54 Y-axis slider, 55 position information acquisition part, 56 board stopper, 58 support rail, 60 storage part, 61 transport conveyor, 62 conveyor lifting part, 70 board support member, 70a main body part, 71, 72 protrusion part, 73 suction hole, 74 clamped part, 75 identification part, 76 bar code, 80 transport jig, 81-84 first to fourth protrusion holding parts, 85 frame, 86 bar code, 90 management PC, M, M2 screen mask, S board.

Claims (1)

A printing apparatus as a substrate-related operation apparatus that performs a process of printing a viscous fluid through a screen mask on a substrate fixed on a substrate support member, the printing apparatus comprising :
a substrate transport unit configured to transport the substrate in a first direction;
a storage section for storing a transport jig to which the substrate support member can be attached;
a support member transport unit that transports the substrate support member in and out using the transport jig;
a substrate fixing section capable of arranging the substrate support member and fixing the substrate by the substrate support member when performing the substrate-related operation;
a pair of rails extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the transport rails guiding the movement of the screen mask in the second direction;
an exchange control unit that performs a support member exchange process including a support member unloading process that controls the support member transport unit to unload the transport jig to which the substrate support member to be unloaded is attached and move it in the second direction via the transport rail to the storage unit, and a support member loading process that controls the support member transport unit to move the transport jig to which the substrate support member to be unloaded is attached from the storage unit in the second direction via the transport rail to transport it to the substrate fixing unit and unload the transport jig;
A printing device comprising:

Images