Method for controlling screen printer

• US 20020019680A1
• Filed: 01/22/2001
• Published: 02/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Saito, Hiroyoshi, Wachi, Akihiko, Nishikawa, Noboru
• Granted Patent: US 6,748,289 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/121
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 15/0813 with flat screens
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 35/005 for flat screens
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0269 for visual or optical inspection
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/163 Monitoring a manufacturing process
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/1233 Methods or means for supplying the conductive material and for forcing it through the screen or stencil
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/26 Cleaning or polishing of the conductive pattern
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53004 with means to regulate operation by use of templet, tape, card or other replaceable information supply

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control method for improving the productivity of a screen printer for an electronics-mounting machine. Thus, a screen printer according to this invention uses a recognition camera to inspect the results of printing of a circuit board concurrently with a cleaning operation of the rear surface of a screen, thereby enabling the effective use of time. This screen printer also enables cream solder to be automatically supplied to reduce the operation time by determining whether the next screen to be used is unused. During automatic screen replacement, this screen printer enables a desired screen stored in the corresponding stocker to be automatically specified in order to replace the current screen in response to a selected NC program.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a screen printer having an automatic cleaning function, wherein the method has a step, operative concurrently during a screen cleaning operation, of inspecting the result of printing of a circuit board by using a recognition camera, so that the result of this inspection can be offset-registered and reflected in the subsequent printing correction operation.

2. A method for controlling a screen printer having an automatic screen replacing apparatus and an automatic cream solder supply apparatus, wherein the screen printer maintains information on the state of use of screens stored in a stocker section and subsequently checks the information on the state of use of a screen to be used next by the printer, so that an automatic cream solder supply operation can be performed after the replacement of the screen.

3. A method for controlling a screen printer having an automatic screen replacing apparatus, wherein the screen printer includes a means for storing therein beforehand an NC program to be used for production, and a means for storing screen information on a screen stored in a stocker, said screen corresponding to the NC program to be used, so that during automatic screen replacement, the screen stored in the stocker is automatically specified in response to the selected NC program.

4. A method for controlling a screen printer according to claim 3 wherein the means for storing screen information stores the number of a stocker which stores a screen and the size of the screen.