The present disclosure describes methods and/or apparatus for gripping a plurality of types of circuit boards. For example, a method may include: gripping a first circuit board using a first sub-gripper of an integrated mechanical gripper, wherein the integrated mechanical gripper comprises a plurality of sub-grippers; placing the first circuit board into a transfer platform; gripping the first circuit board from the transfer platform using a second sub-gripper of the plurality of sub-grippers, flipping the first circuit board, and placing the flipped first circuit board into a splitter; splitting the first circuit board into at least one second circuit board with a different type or size from the first circuit board; and gripping the second circuit board from the splitter using a third sub-gripper of the plurality of sub-grippers.

A method for manufacturing a flexible printed circuit board includes preliminarily thermally deforming s substrate through heating, forming a circuit pattern with a conductive paste on the preliminarily thermally deformed substrate, and firing the circuit pattern. A flexible printed circuit board includes a substrate, and a circuit pattern formed by firing a conductive paste on a first surface of the substrate. The substrate is preliminarily thermally deformed and, thus, a shrinkage variation thereof before and after firing the conductive paste is zero. Dimensional stability when firing the circuit pattern printed with the conductive paste can be ensured, deterioration of adhesion between the circuit pattern and the substrate attributable to film deformation upon firing can be prevented, and stable adhesion of the circuit pattern can be maintained even after firing.

A vertical circuit board printer includes a multi-layer conveyor, a printer assembly, and a control system. The multi-layer conveyor includes a number of front conveyors and one rear conveyor. Each upper front conveyor is coupled to a lower front conveyor by a circuit board-lowering mechanism to transport a number of circuit boards in sequence from the number of front conveyors to the rear conveyor. The printer assembly includes a number of printers arranged in sequence above the number of front conveyors. The control system controls operation of the multi-layer conveyor and controls operation of the printing assembly through a software system.

An automatic turnover device for use in manufacturing includes a support frame, a motor, a pulley, a holding assembly, and a belt. The motor is secured to the support frame. The motor has an output shaft. The pulley is mounted on the output shaft of the motor. The holding assembly is pivotally connected to the support frame. The holding assembly is configured to hold an object. The belt has one end attached to the pulley and another end attached to the holding assembly. The motor is operated to rotate the output shaft in a first direction to tighten the belt and then to rotate in reverse to release the belt, such that a center of gravity of the holding assembly is moved. The holding assembly pivots relative to the support frame from a first horizontal position to a second horizontal position due to its own weight.

An automatic turnover device for use in manufacturing includes a support frame, a motor, a pulley, a holding assembly, and a belt. The motor is secured to the support frame. The motor has an output shaft. The pulley is mounted on the output shaft of the motor. The holding assembly is pivotally connected to the support frame. The holding assembly is configured to hold an object. The belt has one end attached to the pulley and another end attached to the holding assembly. The motor is operated to rotate the output shaft in a first direction to tighten the belt and then to rotate in reverse to release the belt, such that a center of gravity of the holding assembly is moved. The holding assembly pivots relative to the support frame from a first horizontal position to a second horizontal position due to its own weight.

A maintenance unit for an inkjet system with a print head assembly having at least one print head being an integral unit configured to eject droplets of ink fluid from nozzles arranged in a surface of the at least one print head towards a substrate includes a wiper to wipe along the surface of the at least one print head; a force actuator to apply a force to the wiper in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the at least one print head; a force measuring unit configured to determine a wiping force with which the wiper is pressed against the surface of the at least one print head; and a controller configured to control the force applied by the force actuator in dependency of an output of the force measuring unit in order to press the wiper against the surface of a print head with a predetermined wiping force.

A printing process for printing an ink pattern on a substrate is provided. The ink pattern to be printed is based on an available pattern layout. The pattern layout defines a desired layout of the ink pattern to be printed. Based on the pattern layout an input image for allocating dot positions of the ink pattern is generated. The printing process includes a step of comparing a scan image with the input image to carry out a quality inspection to detect any print defects in the printed ink pattern. The printing process includes a step of providing a decision on an approval or a rejection of the printed ink pattern. In case of an approval, the substrate can be supplied to a subsequent processing station to finalise the substrate. In case of a rejection, the substrate including print defects can be recycled.

A method for treating a substrate having millimeter and/or micrometer and/or nanometer structures. The method includes applying at least one protective material to the structures, wherein the at least one protective material can be dissolved in a solvent, and the structures are produced by an imprinting process.

A printed circuit board includes an insulating layer and an element embedded in the insulating layer and exposed through a surface of the insulating layer.

A circuit board including a substrate, a patterned circuit layer and a photo-imaginable dielectric layer is provided. The substrate has a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other. The patterned circuit layer is disposed on the first surface, and a line width of the patterned circuit layer gradually reduces from the first surface towards the second surface. The photo-imaginable dielectric layer is disposed in the substrate corresponding to the patterned circuit layer. In addition, a manufacturing method of the circuit board is also proposed.