JP7660982B2 - Printing machine setup support device and method - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a technology that assists in the preparation of a squeegee and solder for a printer that performs solder printing, which prints solder on a board placed below a mask by sliding a squeegee over the top surface of a mask to which solder has been supplied.

For example, the printer described in Patent Document 1 can be used to print solder onto the lands of a printed circuit board. This printer prints solder onto the board placed below the mask by sliding a squeegee over the top surface of a mask to which solder has been supplied (solder printing). In addition, when the type of board on which solder printing is to be performed by the printer is changed, a setup operation must be carried out to change the mask, squeegee, or solder set in the printer.

JP 2002-366613 A

However, the time required for this type of setup work reduced the efficiency of solder printing on the board.

This invention was developed in consideration of the above problem, and aims to reduce the time required for setup work performed in response to changes in the type of board on which solder printing is performed by the printer.

The printer setup support device of the present invention includes a memory unit that stores printing condition information indicating, for each type, a first printing condition among a plurality of printing conditions including the squeegee and solder used to perform the solder printing, when solder printing is to be performed on a plurality of types of boards by a printer that performs solder printing by sliding a squeegee over the top surface of a mask to which solder has been supplied, and a calculation unit that determines the order in which solder printing is performed on the plurality of types of boards based on the first printing condition.

The printing machine setup support method according to the present invention includes, when solder printing is to be performed on multiple types of boards using a printing machine that performs solder printing by sliding a squeegee over the top surface of a mask to which solder has been supplied, the step of determining the order in which solder printing is to be performed on multiple types of boards based on a first printing condition among multiple printing conditions including the squeegee and solder used to perform the solder printing.

The present invention (printing machine setup support device and method) configured in this manner determines the order in which solder printing is performed on multiple types of boards based on a first printing condition among multiple printing conditions including the squeegee and solder used to perform solder printing. Therefore, the order in which solder printing is performed on multiple types of boards can be optimized based on the first printing condition prepared in response to a change in the board on which solder printing is performed, thereby reducing the time required to prepare the first printing condition. As a result, it becomes possible to reduce the time required for setup work performed in response to a change in the type of board on which solder printing is performed by the printing machine.

The setup support device may also be configured so that the calculation unit determines the order in which solder printing is performed on multiple types of boards such that solder printing is performed continuously on types of boards that have the same first printing conditions. In this configuration, solder printing can be performed continuously on types of boards that have the same first printing conditions without changing the first printing conditions. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time required for setup work that is performed in response to changes in the type of board to be solder printed by the printer.

The setup support device may also be configured so that the printing condition information indicates, for each type, a second printing condition that is different from the first printing condition among the multiple printing conditions, and the calculation unit determines the order in which solder printing is performed on multiple types of boards such that solder printing is performed consecutively on types of boards that have the same combination of first and second printing conditions. In this configuration, for types of boards that have the same first and second printing conditions, solder printing can be performed consecutively without changing the first and second printing conditions. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time required for setup work that is performed in response to a change in the type of board to be solder printed by the printer.

The setup support device may also be configured such that the calculation unit determines the order in which solder printing is performed on multiple types of boards such that, for a group consisting of types with the same combination of first and second printing conditions, solder printing on a type of board with different first printing conditions but the same second printing conditions is continuous with solder printing on a type of board belonging to the group. In this configuration, solder printing can be performed continuously on types of boards with the same first and second printing conditions without changing the first and second printing conditions, and solder printing can be performed continuously on types of boards with the same second printing conditions without changing the second printing conditions. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time required for setup work performed in response to changes in the type of board to be solder printed by the printer.

The printer setup support device may also be configured so that the first printing condition is a squeegee. In this configuration, for boards of a type on which solder printing is performed using the same squeegee (first printing condition), solder printing can be performed continuously without changing the squeegee. This makes it possible to reduce the time required for setup work performed in response to changes in the type of board on which solder printing is performed by the printer.

The printer setup support device may also be configured so that the first printing condition is solder. In this configuration, for boards of a type on which solder printing is performed using the same solder (first printing condition), solder printing can be performed continuously without changing the solder. This makes it possible to reduce the time required for setup work performed in response to changes in the type of board on which solder printing is performed by the printer.

The printer setup support device may be configured to further include an operation unit that accepts operations by an operator, and the calculation unit may set one printing condition selected from among the multiple printing conditions by the operator operating the operation unit as the first printing condition. In this configuration, for a type of board on which solder printing is performed using the first printing condition selected by the operator, solder printing can be performed continuously without changing the first printing condition. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time required for setup work performed in response to a change in the type of board on which solder printing is performed by the printer.

As described above, the present invention makes it possible to reduce the time required for setup work performed in response to changes in the type of board on which solder printing is performed by the printer.

FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server computer that optimizes printing setup work. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a printing plan according to a first example of optimizing the solder printing order. 4 is a timing chart showing a case where solder printing is performed in the order shown in the printing plan of FIG. 3 . FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a printing plan obtained by executing optimization of the solder printing order according to the first example. 6 is a timing chart showing a case where solder printing is performed in the order shown in the printing plan of FIG. 5 . FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a printing plan obtained by executing optimization of the solder printing order according to the second example. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a printing plan obtained by executing a first stage of optimizing the solder printing order in the second example. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a printing result obtained by performing a second stage of optimizing the solder printing order in the second example. 8C is a timing chart showing a case where solder printing is performed in the order shown in the printing plans of FIGS. 8A and 8B.

Figure 1 is a front view showing a schematic of a printing machine. In Figure 1, XYZ orthogonal coordinate axes are appropriately shown, with the Z direction being the vertical direction and the X and Y directions being the horizontal directions. The printing machine 1 comprises a mask holding unit 2 that holds a mask M, a substrate holding unit 4 arranged below the mask M, and a squeegee unit 6 arranged above the mask M. This printing machine 1 uses the substrate holding unit 4 to hold a substrate B facing the mask M from below, while sliding the tip of a squeegee 61 of the squeegee unit 6 over the top surface of the mask M in the X direction. As a result, solder D supplied to the top surface of the mask M is printed on the top surface of the substrate B via a pattern that penetrates the mask M.

The mask holding unit 2 has a clamp member 21, and the mask M is removably attached to the clamp member 21 via a frame 22 provided on the periphery of the mask M. This allows the mask M, which has a flat plate shape, to be held horizontally by the mask holding unit 2. This mask M has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and has through holes (mask pattern) shaped according to the printing pattern on the substrate B.

The substrate holding unit 4 is disposed below the mask M held by the mask holding unit 2, and serves to align the substrate B with respect to the mask M. The substrate holding unit 4 has a pair of conveyors 41 that transport the substrate B, a substrate holding section 42 that holds the substrate B received from the conveyors 41, and a flat movable table 43 that supports the conveyors 41 and the substrate holding section 42.

The pair of conveyors 41 are arranged parallel to each other in the Y direction with a gap in the X direction, and each conveyor supports both ends of the substrate B in the X direction from below with its upper surface. Each conveyor 41 transports the substrate B in the Y direction, thereby loading and unloading the substrate B into and from the printing machine 1.

The substrate holding unit 42 has a flat lift table 421 and a slide support 422 that can slide in the Z direction relative to the movable table 43, and the lift table 421 is supported on the upper end of the slide support 422. A number of backup pins P are erected in the Z direction on the upper surface of the lift table 421 and are arranged at intervals in the X and Y directions, and the lift table 421 functions as a mounting platform on which the backup pins P are placed. Then, as the slide support 422 rises and falls, the backup pins P rise and fall together with the lift table 421.

For example, when the conveyor 41 carries in the board B, the upper end of each backup pin P is positioned below the upper surface of the conveyor 41. Then, when the conveyor 41 carries in the board B directly above the backup pin P, the backup pin P rises and the upper end of the backup pin P protrudes upward from the upper surface of the conveyor 41. As a result, the upper end of the backup pin P contacts the lower surface of the board B while pushing up the board B, and the board B is transferred from the upper surface of the conveyor 41 to the upper end of each backup pin P.

The substrate holding unit 42 also has a pair of clamp plates 424 spaced apart in the X direction above the pair of conveyors 41, and at least one of these clamp plates 424 is movable in the X direction. The upper surface of each clamp plate 424 is a plane parallel to the X and Y directions and is located at the same height. Then, when substrate B on backup pin P rises up to between the pair of clamp plates 424, one of the clamp plates 424 moves toward the other, and substrate B is clamped from the X direction (horizontal direction) by these clamp plates 424.

The substrate holding unit 4 further has a table driving mechanism 44 that drives the movable table 43. This table driving mechanism 44 drives the conveyor 41 and substrate holding section 42 arranged on the movable table 43 in the X, Y, Z, and R directions by an X-axis table 441, a Y-axis table 442 attached to the upper surface of the X-axis table 441, an R-axis table 443 attached to the upper surface of the Y-axis table 442, and a ball screw 444 that raises and lowers the movable table 43 relative to the R-axis table 443. For example, when positioning the substrate B relative to the mask M, the position of the substrate B clamped to the clamp plate 424 is adjusted in the X, Y, Z, and R directions to bring the upper surfaces of the clamp plate 424 and the substrate B into contact with the lower surface of the mask M.

In this way, the printer 1 shown in FIG. 1 performs solder printing by sliding the squeegee 61 over the upper surface of the mask M to which the solder D has been supplied, thereby printing the solder D on the board B arranged below the mask M. In particular, the printer 1 can perform solder printing on a plurality of types of boards B having mutually different configurations. However, as the type of board B is changed, a setup operation is required to change the conditions for performing the solder printing (printing conditions). The time required for this setup operation is one factor that reduces the operating rate of the printer 1. Therefore, in the embodiment described below, the setup operation is optimized by the server computer 9 (FIG. 2), thereby reducing the time required for the setup operation.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server computer 9. The server computer 9 includes a calculation unit 91, a UI (User Interface) 92, and a storage unit 93. The calculation unit 91 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit).
The UI 92 is a processor including a PLC (Computing Unit) and other components, and executes calculations for optimizing the setup work. The UI 92 has an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard and an output device such as a display. The calculation unit 91 executes calculations according to the input of the operator to the input device of the UI 92, and controls the output device of the UI 92 to display a screen on the display. The input device and the output device of the UI 92 do not need to be configured separately, and may be configured integrally by a patch panel display or the like. The storage unit 93 is a storage device including a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), and stores various data. In particular, the storage unit 93 stores a printing plan Pp indicating the order in which the printer 1 executes solder printing on multiple types of boards B.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a printing plan relating to a first example of optimizing the solder printing order. The printing plan Pp in Figure 3 is initially set by the operator's input operation to the UI 92. In the figure, the suffix (n) is added to the board B to distinguish the type of board B (n = 1, 2, 3, 4). In the printing plan Pp in Figure 3, solder printing on 50 boards B (1), solder printing on 100 boards B (2), solder printing on 50 boards B (3), and solder printing on 150 boards B (4) are scheduled. In addition, the printing plan Pp includes information on the dimensions in the Y direction (length L) and the dimensions in the X direction (width W) of various boards B (n). The dimensions shown in Figure 3 are in millimeters. In addition, the printing plan Pp shows the printing conditions (type of squeegee 61 and type of solder) when solder printing is performed on these boards B (1) to B (4). The type of squeegee 61 is specified by the combination of the length (millimeters) and material of the squeegee 61, and in FIG. 3, two types of squeegees 61 with different lengths in the Y direction are planned to be used. Also, lead-free solder D is planned to be used as the solder D. And, in the printing plan Pp of FIG. 3, it is planned to perform solder printing in the order of board B(1), board B(2), board B(3), and board B(4). Note that in FIG. 3 and in each printing plan Pp shown below, solder printing on multiple boards B of the same type is performed consecutively.

Figure 4 is a timing chart showing the case where solder printing is performed in the order shown in the printing plan of Figure 3. In Figure 4, the boxes marked with the letters B(1), B(2), B(3), and B(4) indicate the time required for solder printing on the corresponding boards B(1), B(2), B(3), and B(4), respectively. For example, the time required for solder printing on board B(1) is the time from start to finish of solder printing on 50 boards B(1), which is the production number. Also, in Figure 4, the hatched boxes indicate the time required for setup work. Since boards B(1) to B(4) have different configurations, setup work such as changing the mask M and arranging the backup pins P occurs every time the type of board B on which solder printing is performed is changed.

In addition, because the length of the squeegee 61 used is different between solder printing on board B(1) and solder printing on board B(2), it is necessary to replace the squeegee 61 in the setup work from the end of solder printing on board B(1) to the start of solder printing on board B(2). Similarly, it is necessary to replace the squeegee 61 in the setup work from the end of solder printing on board B(2) to the start of solder printing on board B(3), and in the setup work from the end of solder printing on board B(3) to the start of solder printing on board B(4). Therefore, these setup works require time Ts.

In response to this, the calculation unit 91 optimizes the order of solder printing on the boards B(1) to B(4) shown in the printing plan Pp in Figures 3 and 4. Specifically, the calculation unit 91 groups the four types of boards B(1), B(2), B(3), and B(4) included in the printing plan Pp based on the squeegee 61. That is, grouping is performed so that boards B of a type on which solder printing is performed using the same squeegee 61 belong to the same group, while boards B of a type on which solder printing is performed using a different squeegee 61 belong to a different group. As a result, the four types of boards B(1) to B(4) are grouped into a group of two types of boards B(1) and B(3) on which solder printing is performed using a squeegee 61 with a length of 250 mm, and a group of two types of boards B(2) and B(4) on which solder printing is performed using a squeegee 61 with a length of 440 mm. The calculation unit 91 then optimizes the order in which solder printing is performed on the four types of boards B(1) to B(4) so that solder printing is performed consecutively on each type of board B that belongs to the same group.

5 is a diagram showing a print plan obtained by performing the optimization of the solder printing order according to the first example, and FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing the case where solder printing is performed in the order shown in the print plan of FIG. 5. The notation in FIG. 5 is the same as that in FIG. 3, and the notation in FIG. 6 is the same as that in FIG. 4. In the example of FIG. 5, solder printing is performed in the order of board B(1), board B(3), board B(2), and board B(4). Therefore, in the setup work from the end of solder printing on the first board B(1) to the start of solder printing on the second board B(3), there is no need to replace the squeegee 61, and in the setup work from the end of solder printing on the third board B(2) to the start of solder printing on the fourth board B(4), there is no need to replace the squeegee 61. Therefore, as shown in the "After optimization" column in FIG. 6, the time Tmp required for these setup works is shorter than the time Ts.

In the first example shown above, the order in which solder printing is performed on multiple types of boards B(1) to B(4) is determined based on the squeegee 61 (first printing condition) out of multiple printing conditions (squeegee 61, solder D) including the squeegee 61 and solder D used to perform solder printing. In other words, the order in which solder printing is performed on multiple types of boards B(1) to B(4) can be optimized based on the squeegee 61 prepared in response to a change in the type of board B on which solder printing is performed, thereby reducing the time required to prepare the squeegee 61. As a result, it is possible to reduce the time required for setup work performed in response to a change in the type of board B on which solder printing is performed by the printer 1.

In particular, the calculation unit 91 determines the order in which solder printing is performed on multiple types of boards B(1) to B(4) so that solder printing is continuous for each type of board B that uses the same squeegee 61 (first printing condition). In this configuration, solder printing can be performed continuously for each type of board B(1), B(3) (or boards B(2), B(4)) that uses the same squeegee 61 without changing the squeegee 61. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time required for setup work that is performed in response to a change in the type of board B to be solder printed by the printer 1.

The calculation unit 91 also optimizes the order in which solder printing is performed based on the squeegee 61. In this configuration, for each type of board B on which solder printing is performed using the same squeegee 61, solder printing can be performed continuously without changing the squeegee 61. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time required for setup work performed in response to changes in the type of board B on which solder printing is performed by the printer 1.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing a print plan obtained by performing optimization of the solder printing order in the second example. The print plan Pp in Figure 7 is initially set by the operator's input operation to the UI 92. The print plan Pp in Figure 7 differs from that in Figure 3 in that eutectic solder D is used for solder printing on board B (3) out of the four types of boards B (1) to B (4), but has other points in common. Here, the differences from the example in Figure 3 will be mainly described, and the common points will be denoted by corresponding symbols and will not be described as appropriate. The calculation unit 91 performs optimization in two stages based on two printing conditions, the squeegee 61 and the solder D, for the solder printing execution order shown in the print plan Pp shown in Figure 7.

Figure 8A is a diagram showing a printing plan obtained by executing the first stage of optimizing the solder printing order in the second example, Figure 8B is a diagram showing a printing plan obtained by executing the second stage of optimizing the solder printing order in the second example, and Figure 9 is a timing chart showing a case where solder printing is performed in the order shown in the printing plans of Figures 8A and 8B. The notations in Figures 8A and 8B are the same as those in Figure 3, and the notations in Figure 9 are the same as those in Figure 4.

First, the calculation unit 91 groups the four types of boards B(1), B(2), B(3), and B(4) included in the printing plan Pp in FIG. 7 based on the squeegee 61. As a result, the four types of boards B(1) to B(4) are grouped into two groups: one group of two types of boards B(1) and B(3) on which solder printing is performed using a squeegee 61 with a length of 250 mm, and the other group of two types of boards B(2) and B(4) on which solder printing is performed using a squeegee 61 with a length of 440 mm. The calculation unit 91 then optimizes the order in which solder printing is performed on the four types of boards B(1) to B(4) so that solder printing is performed consecutively on each type of board B belonging to the same group.

As a result, as shown in the "After optimization 1" column in Figures 8A and 9, the execution order of solder printing is changed to board B(1), board B(3), board B(2), and board B(4). Therefore, in the setup work from the end of solder printing on the first board B(1) to the start of solder printing on the second board B(3), there is no need to replace the squeegee 61, and in the setup work from the end of solder printing on the third board B(2) to the start of solder printing on the fourth board B(4), there is no need to replace the squeegee 61.

However, while the squeegee 61 used in solder printing on the board B(1) and the board B(3) is the same, the solder D (lead-free) used in solder printing on the board B(1) is different from the solder D (eutectic) used in solder printing on the board B(3). Therefore, in the preparation work from the end of solder printing on the first board B(1) to the start of solder printing on the second board B(3), a cleaning work is required to remove the lead-free solder D attached to the squeegee 61. Such cleaning is performed, for example, by ultrasonic cleaning. Therefore, the preparation work from the end of solder printing on the first board B(1) to the start of solder printing on the second board B(3) requires the time Ts plus the time Tc (the time required for cleaning). On the other hand, the preparation work from the end of solder printing on the third board B(2) to the start of solder printing on the fourth board B(4) can be completed in the time Tmp because there is no need to clean the squeegee 61.

Therefore, the calculation unit 91 maintains the order of consecutively performing solder printing on two types of boards B(2) and B(4) that use the same combination of squeegee 61 and solder D, while discarding the order of performing solder printing on two types of boards B(1) and B(4) that use different solder D. Furthermore, the calculation unit 91 performs optimization for these two types of boards B(2) and B(4) (group) so that solder printing on board B(2), which uses a different squeegee 61 and the same solder D, is consecutive to solder printing on these boards B(2) and B(4).

As a result, as shown in the "After optimization 2" column of FIG. 8B and FIG. 9, the order of solder printing is determined to be the order of board B(1), board B(2), board B(4), and board B(3). In this example, optimization is performed so that the solder printing on board B(3) where the solder D to be printed is different from the two types of boards B(2) and B(4) is performed after the solder printing on these boards B(2) and B(4), while the solder printing on board B(3) where the solder D to be printed is the same as the two types of boards B(2) and B(4) is performed immediately before the solder printing on these boards B(2) and B(4). In other words, the solder printing on the two types of boards B(1) and B(3) where different types of solder D (lead-free and eutectic) are printed by the same squeegee 61 is distributed before and after the solder printing on boards B(2) and B(4). As a result, cleaning of the squeegee 61 can be performed in parallel with the solder printing on the boards B(2) and B(4), which is performed between the end of solder printing on the board B(1) on which the squeegee 61 is used to print the lead-free solder D and the start of solder printing on the board B(3) on which the squeegee 61 is used to print the eutectic solder D.

In the second example shown above, the order in which solder printing is performed on multiple types of boards B(1) to B(4) is determined based on the squeegee 61 (first printing condition) out of multiple printing conditions (squeegee 61, solder D) including the squeegee 61 and solder D used to perform solder printing. In other words, the order in which solder printing is performed on multiple types of boards B(1) to B(4) can be optimized based on the squeegee 61 prepared in response to a change in the type of board B on which solder printing is performed, thereby reducing the time required to prepare the squeegee 61. As a result, it is possible to reduce the time required for setup work performed by the printer 1 in response to a change in the type of board B on which solder printing is performed.

The printing plan Pp (printing condition information) also indicates the squeegee 61 (first printing condition) and the different solder D (second printing condition) among the multiple printing conditions for each of the four types of boards B(1) to B(4). The calculation unit 91 then determines the order in which solder printing is performed on the four types of boards B(1) to B(4) so that solder printing is performed consecutively on boards B(2) and B(4) that have the same combination of squeegee 61 and solder D. In this configuration, solder printing can be performed consecutively on boards B(2) and B(4) that have the same squeegee 61 and solder D without changing the squeegee 61 and solder D. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time required for the setup work performed in response to a change in the type of board B to be solder printed by the printer 1.

The calculation unit 91 also determines the order of solder printing on the multiple boards B(1) to B(4) so that solder printing on a type of board B(1) with a different squeegee 61 but the same solder D is continuous with solder printing on the boards B(2) and B(4) belonging to the group consisting of boards B(2) and B(4) of each type with the same combination of squeegee 61 and solder D. In this configuration, solder printing can be performed continuously on two types of boards B(2) and B(4) with the same squeegee 61 and solder D without changing the squeegee 61 and solder D, and solder printing can be performed continuously on the board B(1) with the same solder D as these boards without changing the solder D. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time required for the setup work performed in response to a change in the type of board B to be solder printed by the printer 1.

As described above, in this embodiment, the printing machine 1 corresponds to an example of the "printing machine" of the present invention, the squeegee 61 corresponds to an example of the "squeegee" of the present invention, the squeegee 61 and the solder D used for solder printing each correspond to an example of the "printing condition" of the present invention, the squeegee 61 used for solder printing corresponds to an example of the "first printing condition" of the present invention, the solder D used for solder printing corresponds to an example of the "second printing condition" of the present invention, the server computer 9 corresponds to an example of the "printing machine setup support device" of the present invention, the calculation unit 91 corresponds to an example of the "calculation unit" of the present invention, the memory unit 93 corresponds to an example of the "memory unit" of the present invention, the solder D corresponds to an example of the "solder" of the present invention, the mask M corresponds to an example of the "mask" of the present invention, and the printing plan Pp corresponds to an example of the "printing condition information" of the present invention.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made to the above without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the first example shown in Figures 3 to 6, when the same squeegee 61 is commonly used in solder printing on each of the four types of boards B(1) to B(4) and two or more types of solder D are used, grouping can be performed based on the solder D to optimize the order of solder printing on the multiple boards B(1) to B(4). In this configuration, for boards B on which solder printing is performed using the same solder D (first printing condition), solder printing can be performed continuously without changing the solder D. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time required for the setup work performed in response to a change in the type of board B on which solder printing is performed by the printer 1.

Alternatively, in the first example shown in Figures 3 to 6, the calculation unit 91 may perform grouping based on one printing condition selected from multiple printing conditions (squeegee 61, solder D) by the operator operating the UI 92 (operation unit). In this configuration, for the board B on which solder printing is performed using the printing condition selected by the operator, solder printing can be performed continuously without changing the printing condition. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time required for the setup work performed in response to a change in the type of board B on which solder printing is performed by the printer 1.

Note that similar changes to the printing conditions described above can also be made to the groupings in the second example shown in Figures 7 to 9.

Alternatively, the results of actually performing solder printing in an optimized order after grouping based on the squeegee 61 and the results of actually performing solder printing in an optimized order after grouping based on the solder D may be stored in the memory unit 93, and the criteria (printing conditions) to be used for grouping may be determined from the squeegee 61 and the solder D based on the results. In this case, for example, an artificial intelligence having a neural network may be made to learn the correlation between the grouping criteria and the time required for setup, and depending on the result, it may be determined which of the squeegee 61 and the solder D to use as the grouping criteria.

Furthermore, the above grouping does not exclude cases where, as a result, there is only one type of substrate B belonging to a group.

In addition, the printing conditions that serve as the basis for grouping are not limited to the squeegee 61 and solder D described above, but can be set arbitrarily by the operator.

In addition, the number of types of substrate B is not limited to four, but may be two or more.

1...Printing machine 61...Squeegee (printing conditions, first printing conditions)
9...Server computer (printing machine setup support device)
91: Calculation section 93: Storage section D: Solder (printing conditions, second printing conditions)
M... Mask Pp... Printing plan (printing condition information)

Claims (3)

a storage unit that stores printing condition information indicating the squeegee and solder to be used for the solder printing for each type when solder printing is to be performed on a plurality of types of substrates by a printing machine that performs solder printing by sliding a squeegee over the top surface of a mask to which solder has been supplied, and
a calculation unit that determines an order in which solder printing is performed on the plurality of types of boards based on the squeegee and the solder used in the solder printing;
The calculation unit is a printer setup support device that continues solder printing on a type of board that has the same combination of the squeegee and the solder, and distributes solder printing on a type of board that has the same squeegee but different solder in the combination of the squeegee and the solder before or after solder printing on a type of board that has the same combination of the squeegee and the solder. The setup support device according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit determines the order in which solder printing is performed on the multiple types of boards in a group consisting of types with the same combination of the squeegee and the solder, so that solder printing on a type of board with a different squeegee but the same solder is continuous with solder printing on a type of board belonging to the group. When solder printing is to be performed on a plurality of types of boards by a printer that performs solder printing by sliding a squeegee over an upper surface of a mask to which solder has been supplied, the printer includes a step of: a setup support device determining an order in which solder printing is to be performed on the plurality of types of boards based on the squeegee and the solder used to perform the solder printing;
The setup support device continues solder printing on a type of board having the same combination of the squeegee and the solder, and distributes solder printing on a type of board having the same squeegee but different solder in the combination of the squeegee and the solder before or after solder printing on a type of board having the same combination of the squeegee and the solder.

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