A clamping system for clamping a printing screen frame within a printing machine uses at least one inflatable bladder to effect clamping. The system may be modular, so that bladders and/or extending inserts may be exchanged, replaced or incorporated as required.

A printer according to an embodiment includes a holding part and a printing part. The holding part holds a print substrate having a curved surface in a state where the print substrate is pressed and elastically deformed so that a curvature of the curved surface is small. The printing part performs silkscreen printing on a print surface of the print substrate held by the holding part.

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 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.

The present disclosure provides a stencil printer for printing a viscous substance onto a substrate. The stencil printer comprises a frame, a stencil, a support table, a squeegee blade mount, a squeegee blade and a squeegee blade holder. The stencil is connected to the frame. The support table is connected to the frame and configured to support the substrate in a printing position. The support table is provided below the stencil. The squeegee blade mount is connected to the frame and provided above the stencil. The squeegee blade extends in an X direction and performing a squeegeeing operation in a Y direction perpendicular to the X direction. The squeegee blade holder comprises a fixed holder and a movable holder. The fixed holder is fixedly mounted to the squeegee blade mount, and the squeegee blade is held on the movable holder. The movable holder is configured to be movably connected to the fixed holder in the X direction to enable the squeegee blade to move relative to the support table in the X direction, so that the squeegee blade is adjustable in the X direction to a position aligned with the support table and the stencil.

A screen printing method for creating an image on a target support by providing a screen printing machine comprising a supporting structure a matrix mounted on the supporting structure, in which an image is defined, and a supporting surface, the matrix being faced to the supporting surface when the supporting structure is arranged in a lower position; placing the supporting structure in the lower position; applying ink on at least a portion of the matrix to enable the ink to move from the matrix to the supporting surface, such as to reproduce the image on at least a portion of the supporting surface; placing the supporting structure in an upper position; providing a transferring support to transfer the ink from the supporting surface to the target support, applying an adhesive portion of the transferring support to a region of the supporting surface on which the ink is placed; removing the transferring support from the supporting surface; and applying the adhesive portion to the target support, to allow the ink reproducing the image to move from the transferring support to the target support.

A screen printing apparatus includes: a mask guide; a mask moving mechanism; and a squeegeeing mechanism. The mask guide is provided with a mask standby position, a printing-job performing position, and a mask shelter position in this order from a first end to a second end of the mask guide. The mask moving mechanism moves the used mask positioned at the printing-job performing position to the mask shelter position such that it is possible to pick up the used mask from the second end of the mask guide.

A printing screen method includes: providing at least one printing scraper assembly, wherein the printing scraper assembly has a printing scraper and a pressure sensing feedback system; placing at least one printing screen on a substrate; detecting and supplying a pressure value between the printing scraper and the printing screen during printing by the pressure sensing feedback system; and comparing the supplied pressure value and a predetermined pressure value, and changing the pressure between the printing scraper and the printing screen if a difference between the feedback pressure value and the predetermined pressure value is larger than a predetermined threshold. An imprinting apparatus implementing the printing screen method is also provided.

A screen printing device is provided having a printing screen, a printing squeegee and a support for printing material to be printed. At least one articulated arm robot is provided to move the printing squeegee and/or the support in relation to the printing screen.