A screen printing apparatus includes a squeegee driver that lifts/lowers a first lifting/lowering shaft and a second lifting/lowering shaft; a link mechanism including a swinging member that pivots about a horizontal axis by lifting/lowering operations of the first lifting/lowering shaft and the second lifting/lowering shaft; a squeegee unit installed to the swinging member; and a controller that controls at least a height of the squeegee unit and an orientation of the squeegee unit in a rotating direction by controlling the squeegee driver.

A solder paste printer for which a pressing force of squeegee towards a stencil when spreading solder paste is smaller than a printing pressure when performing solder paste printing. The force with which the solder paste is pressed downwards by the squeegee is weak, and instead of solder paste being pressed down, it spreads along the squeegee. Also, the moving speed of the squeegee when spreading the solder paste is faster than the moving speed of the squeegee when printing solder paste. Thus, because the squeegee is moving fast, before the solder paste is pressed down sufficiently to be printed, the solder paste spreads out along the squeegee. Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately spread the solder paste along the direction in which the squeegee extends.

In component mounting for mounting a pin connecting component having a pin on a board having a through-hole electrode, a solder paste is printed on the through-hole electrode through a screen mask having an opening corresponding to the through-hole electrode, a flux is transferred onto the pin by holding the pin connecting component and immersing the pin into a flux tank filled with the flux, and the pin onto which the flux is transferred is inserted into the through-hole electrode on which the solder paste is printed to mount the pin connecting component on the board.

A printed wiring board includes a substrate and wiring provided on a surface of the substrate and including a cured conductive paste. The conductive paste contains metal nanoparticles having an average particle diameter of 30 nm or more and 600 nm or less, metal particles having an average particle diameter larger than that of the metal nanoparticles, a thermosetting resin having an oxirane ring in a molecule, a curing agent, and a cellulose resin. The wiring has a length of 100 mm or more and 1600 mm or less, a width of 0.3 mm or more and 3 mm or less, a thickness of 10 μm or more and 40 μm or less, and a resistance value of 1000 mΩ/m or less.

A method is disclosed for applying an electrical conductor to an electrically insulating substrate, which comprises providing a flexible membrane with a pattern of groove formed on a first surface thereof, and loading the grooves with a composition comprising conductive particles. The composition is, or may be made, electrically conductive. Once the membrane is loaded, the grooved first surface of the membrane is brought into contact with a front or/and back of the substrate. A pressure is then applied between the substrate and the membrane(s) so that the composition loaded to the grooves adheres to the substrate. The membrane(s) and the substrate are separated and the composition in the groove is left on the surface of the electrically insulating substrate. The electrically conductive particles in the composition are then sintered to form a pattern of electrical conductors on the substrate, the pattern corresponding to the pattern formed in the membrane(s).

A manufacturing method for flexible printed circuit board is provided, in which a flexible insulating material and a metal material are liquefied and the liquefied materials are coated and solidified to form a flexible insulating layer and an anti-EMI layer of an anti-EMI structure, respectively. As such, an adhesive layer can be eliminated and the thickness of the flexible insulating layer and the anti-EMI layer can be reduced and an amount of materials consumed is also reduced, resulting in reduction of production cost, reduction of thickness of the flexible printed circuit board with anti-EMI structure, and improved quality.

A screen printing apparatus includes a squeegee driver that lifts/lowers a first lifting/lowering shaft and a second lifting/lowering shaft; a link mechanism including a swinging member that pivots about a horizontal axis by lifting/lowering operations of the first lifting/lowering shaft and the second lifting/lowering shaft; a squeegee unit installed to the swinging member; and a controller that controls at least a height of the squeegee unit and an orientation of the squeegee unit in a rotating direction by controlling the squeegee driver.

A method of manufacturing a solid freeform fabrication object includes forming a fabrication layer containing a solid freeform fabrication material containing a powder material, a binder material, and a solvent, forming a void in the fabrication layer in a ratio of the void of 20 percent by volume or more in the fabrication layer, curing a predetermined region in the fabrication layer by applying a curing liquid to the predetermined region to form a cured layer, and repeating laminating the cured layer.

Systems and methods for providing a soldered interface between a circuit board and a connector pin. The methods comprise: using a jet paste dispenser to apply first solder into a plated contact cavity formed in the circuit board; using a stencil screen printer to apply second solder (a) over the plated contact cavity which was at least partially filled with the first solder by the jet paste dispenser and (b) over at least a portion of a pad surrounding the plated contact cavity; inserting the connector pin in the plated contact cavity such that the connector pin passes through the second solder and extends at least partially through the first solder; and performing a reflow process to heat the first and second solder so as to create a solder joint between the circuit board and the connector pin.

A method is disclosed for applying an electrical conductor to a solar cell, which comprises providing a flexible membrane with a pattern of groove formed on a first surface thereof, and loading the grooves with a composition comprising conductive particles. The composition is, or may be made, electrically conductive. Once the membrane is loaded, the grooved first surface of the membrane is brought into contact with a front or/and back of a solar cell. A pressure is then applied between the solar cell and the membrane(s) so that the composition loaded to the grooves adheres to the solar cell. The membrane(s) and the solar cell are separated and the composition in the groove is left on the solar cell surface. The electrically conductive particles in the composition are then sintered or otherwise fused to form a pattern of electrical conductor on the solar cell, the pattern corresponding to the pattern formed in the membrane(s).