A print head assembly of a stencil printer includes a print head frame and a wiper blade assembly coupled to the print head frame. The wiper blade assembly includes wiper blades that contact the stencil to print solder paste onto the stencil during a print stroke. The wiper blades are configured to force solder paste through the apertures of the stencil. The print head assembly further includes a dispensing unit coupled to the print head frame. The dispensing unit is disposed between the wiper blades to deposit solder paste between the wiper blades. The dispensing unit includes a cartridge receiver. The print head assembly further includes a cartridge positioned in the cartridge receiver and a sensor coupled to the print head frame proximate the cartridge. The sensor is configured to measure a temperature of the cartridge.

A printing machine includes an isolated chamber for the print medium cartridge, which chamber can be opened and accessed without interrupting the print process. In order to enable such a configuration, the cartridge and its cradle are also separated from the print carriage and carried on a shuttle movably mounted on a static rail. The shuttle includes a wall section which acts to isolate the chamber when the shuttle is located in a home position within the chamber.

Various embodiments of the disclosure relate to a spreading unit, having a shaper, for spreading viscous material, in particular sealing material, on a component, wherein the shaper has a shaping contour for the forming of the viscous material in the course of the spreading. It is proposed that the shaping contour of the shaper for the forming of the viscous material is adjustable by actuator-based means.

A method of performing screen printing on a substrate used for the manufacture of a solar cell is provided. The method includes moving a print head over a screen by a first drive actuator to perform a printing stroke in a first direction. The method includes moving a material processing head in the first direction by a second drive actuator to perform a material processing stroke behind the print head. The print head is moved away from the material processing head by the first drive actuator during a distance increasing phase of the printing stroke to increase a separation distance between the print head and the material processing head.

A printing method for carrying out printing with respect to various printing target objects through a more appropriate method using an inkjet head, the printing method including a screen preparing step of preparing a mesh-like screen, an ink discharging step of discharging an ink droplet from the inkjet head to one surface of the screen, a viscosity increasing step of enhancing a viscosity of the ink on the screen, an ink push-in step of pushing the ink with enhanced viscosity from the one surface side toward other surface side of the screen, the step including pushing in the ink while a medium, or a target object of printing, and the other surface of the screen are making contact to attach the ink with enhanced viscosity to the medium, and an ink fixing step of fixing the ink attached to the medium to the medium.

A producing method of a base member provided with a printed layer, the method including: disposing a printing plate including a screen plate having an opening pattern and a frame body supporting the screen plate so that the printing plate is opposed to a printing target surface of the base member having at least one bent portion; disposing a squeegee so as to be opposed to a plate surface of the screen plate opposite to the base member; and forming the printed layer by extruding a printing material onto the printing target surface by the squeegee via the opening pattern of the screen plate in a state where the frame body is supported so as to be relatively movable with respect to the printing target surface in a normal direction of the printing target surface.

A producing method of a base member provided with a printed layer, the method including: disposing a printing plate including a screen plate having an opening pattern and a frame body supporting the screen plate so that the printing plate is opposed to a printing target surface of the base member having at least one bent portion; disposing a squeegee so as to be opposed to a plate surface of the screen plate opposite to the base member; and forming the printed layer by extruding a printing material onto the printing target surface by the squeegee via the opening pattern of the screen plate in a state where the frame body is supported so as to be relatively movable with respect to the printing target surface in a normal direction of the printing target surface.

A printing object surface has a cross-sectional shape curving along a printing advancing direction. The printing advancing direction is defined as a Y-axis, a direction orthogonal to the Y-axis and belonging to the cross-section is defined as a Z-axis, and a direction around an axis orthogonal to a Y-Z plane is defined as a -axis. A squeegee is disposed so as to be movable in the respective Y-, Z- and -axis directions. Information indicating a mutual relationship among respective Y-, Z- and -axis positions is obtained. The relationship is a relationship that enables performing printing while maintaining or substantially maintaining an angle formed by a direction tangent to a printing position in the printing object surface in the Y-Z plane and the squeegee. Printing is executed while the respective Y-, Z-, -axis positions of the squeegee relative to the printing object surface are controlled according to the obtained information.

A printing object surface has a cross-sectional shape curving along a printing advancing direction. The printing advancing direction is defined as a Y-axis, a direction orthogonal to the Y-axis and belonging to the cross-section is defined as a Z-axis, and a direction around an axis orthogonal to a Y-Z plane is defined as a -axis. A squeegee is disposed so as to be movable in the respective Y-, Z- and -axis directions. Information indicating a mutual relationship among respective Y-, Z- and -axis positions is obtained. The relationship is a relationship that enables performing printing while maintaining or substantially maintaining an angle formed by a direction tangent to a printing position in the printing object surface in the Y-Z plane and the squeegee. Printing is executed while the respective Y-, Z-, -axis positions of the squeegee relative to the printing object surface are controlled according to the obtained information.

A manufacturing system for applying a material to a workpiece comprising a blade unit having a blade element for selectively moving along first and second axes for applying the material to the workpiece. A reciprocating motor is coupled to the blade unit for reciprocating the blade element along the first axis concurrent with movement of the blade element along the second axis, and a vibration detector is coupled to the blade unit for detecting the vibrational movement of the blade element. The vibration detector generates an output signal corresponding to the vibrational movement of the blade element. A control unit is coupled to the vibration detector for generating an output signal in response to the vibration detector signal, and a regulating device adjusts a parameter of the reciprocating motor in response to the output signal of the control unit.