A screen mask inspection device inspects a screen mask including a screen opening that forms a printing pattern, and includes: an inspection control device that detects solder position information of a solder paste printed on a substrate via the screen opening, and based on the solder position information, determines whether a quality of printing using the screen mask is good or bad, the solder position information being based on an amount of positional misalignment of the solder paste actually printed on the substrate relative to a predetermined reference position.

Some examples include checking the quality of printed products that are consecutively produced by multiple printing presses to have at least three printed patterns spaced apart from one another. The printed patterns are printed using different printing processes, such as a steel engraving process, an offset printing process, and a screen printing process that may be used for printing the three printed patterns of each printed product. A screen printing press is used for the screen printing process, with multiple steel plates being alternately used in the same production operation for the steel engraving process in an intaglio printing press. For at least two of the steel plates involved in carrying out the steel engraving process, a processing unit may selectively ascertain the deviation of the respective value of the relevant distances associated with the printed patterns, which may be instantaneously ascertained from a defined scale.

Printing machines are provided which include a plurality of printing units, each including a cliché-carrying cylinder rotatably mounted about a respective axis of rotation (x) and a cliché fixed to the cliché-carrying cylinder in a given angular position with respect to the latter. The cliché-carrying cylinder of each printing unit has at least one reference mark (N) intended to be aligned with a given reference direction (z) to ensure correct angular positioning of this cliché-carrying cylinder with respect to the cliché-carrying cylinders of the other printing units. Each printing unit comprises a laser source adapted to generate a light beam directed along the reference direction (z) of this printing unit and towards the cliché-carrying cylinder of this printing unit, so that it is easier to perform the operation of aligning the reference mark (N) on the cliché-carrying cylinder with the reference direction (z).

A screen printing machine for appropriately contact between a mask and a board, comprising: a mask-holding device configured to hold a mask; a board-positioning device configured to hold a board and to position the held board with respect to a mask held by the mask-holding device from below; a squeegee device configured to spread a cream solder with respect to the mask; a height-measuring device configured to measure the height of the mask and the board; a control device configured to control each device, and to calculate the thickness of a mask lower layer, integrally formed with the mask, based on the measurement values obtained from the height-measuring device; and an operation display device configured to input operation and to display calculation values from the control device, and the like.

The machine comprises: a plurality of printing units each of which has a printing cylinder movable so as to allow adjustment of the position of the image printed by that cylinder in two perpendicular adjustment directions relative to the web of printing material; first manually-operated adjustment means arranged to allow a user to adjust manually the position of each printing cylinder; image acquisition means arranged to acquire images of register marks printed by the printing units along one or both sides of the web of material; and display means arranged to show, on an enlarged scale, the images acquired by the image acquisition means, so as to allow the user to detect any misalignments between the register marks and to properly adjust the position of one or more printing cylinders to clear said misalignments. The image acquisition means comprise a plurality of cameras each of which is arranged to frame.

A method operates a flexographic printing press. The flexographic printing press includes a printing cylinder carrying a sleeve with at least one flexographic printing forme or a flexographic printing cylinder and an impression cylinder. At least one parameter of the flexographic printing press is set. The sleeve is marked with an ID, the ID is detected in a flexographic printing unit of the flexographic printing press or in the flexographic printing press. Data saved in association with the ID are transmitted to the flexographic printing unit or to the flexographic printing press, and the data are used when the parameter is set. In this manner, a cost-efficient way of producing high-quality prints in an industrial flexographic printing process is obtained. In addition, the method provides further automation of the printing process.

Some examples include checking the quality of printed products that are consecutively produced by multiple printing presses to have at least three printed patterns spaced apart from one another. The printed patterns are printed using different printing processes, such as a steel engraving process, an offset printing process, and a screen printing process that may be used for printing the three printed patterns of each printed product. A screen printing press is used for the screen printing process, with multiple steel plates being alternately used in the same production operation for the steel engraving process in an intaglio printing press. For at least two of the steel plates involved in carrying out the steel engraving process, a processing unit may selectively ascertain the deviation of the respective value of the relevant distances associated with the printed patterns, which may be instantaneously ascertained from a defined scale.

A screen printer comprising: a board positioning device configured to convey and hold a board to a work position in the screen printer; a mask holding device configured to hold a mask above the work position; a squeegee device configured to spread a cream solder on a mask on the board; a correction device configured to correct a relative position between the board of the board positioning device and the mask of the mask holding device; a control device configured to acquire inspection data of a print state from a print inspection device provided inside or outside the screen printer and perform correction control on the correction device by a correction value corrected according to a deviation amount of printing based on the inspection data; and an input device configured to include an instruction input section that senses an inspection instruction operation of an operator and transmit, to the control device, an inspection data acquisition signal for acquiring the inspection data of the print state from the print inspection device based on an instruction operation of the operator to the instruction input section.

A calibration plate is arranged on a support surface of a table. The calibration plate has first and second alignment marks arranged in one direction, and third and fourth alignment marks arranged in another direction that is orthogonal to the one direction. The first and second alignment marks that move in a front-and-rear direction are imaged by a first camera. The one direction of the calibration plate is made parallel to a front-and-rear direction based on the image. The positions of second and third cameras are adjusted based on the third and fourth alignment marks. The second and third cameras, positions of which have been adjusted, are moved to positions below the transfer roller, and a reference line formed at the transfer roller is imaged by the second and third cameras. An orientation of a rotation shaft of the transfer roller is adjusted in a plane parallel to the support surface based on these images.

A device for measuring elevated areas of the surface of a rotary body in the form of a cylinder, a roller, a sleeve or a plate of a printing press, for example a flexographic printing plate, includes a first motor for rotating the rotary body about a rotational axis and a measuring unit for contactless measurement. The measuring unit for contactless measurement includes at least one radiation source and at least one area scan camera. The measuring unit for contactless measurement preferably includes a reference object, for example a wire tensioned in an axially parallel manner, a second motor and optionally a further second motor, for adjusting the measuring unit and/or the reference object perpendicularly to the rotational axis. The device makes it possible to measure elevated areas, for example flexographic print dots, quickly and with high precision. A system having the device is also provided.