# US 2019/0357359 A1 · Vertical circuit board printer

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- Number: US 2019/0357359 A1
- Document ID: US20190357359A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/015,508
- Filed: 2018-06-22
- Published: 2019-11-21
- Earliest claimed: 2018-05-18
- Assignees: Fu Tai Hua Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.; Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Fu Tai Hua Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.; Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: XUE-QIN ZHANG
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190357359A1

## CPC

- H05K 3/12: using {thick film techniques, e.g.} printing techniques to apply the conductive material {or similar techniques for applying conductive paste or ink patterns}
- H05K 1/0266: {Marks, test patterns or identification means}
- H05K 3/0026: {by laser ablation}
- H05K 3/0047: {Drilling of holes}
- H05K 3/0085: {Apparatus for treatments of printed circuits with liquids not provided for in groups H05K3/02 - H05K3/46; conveyors and holding means therefor (apparatus specially adapted for manufacturing assemblages of electric components, e.g. printed circuit boards, H05K13/00)}
- H05K 3/28: Applying non-metallic protective coatings {(H05K3/0091 takes precedence; methods for intermediate insulating layers for build-up multilayer circuits H05K3/4673)}
- H05K 3/1241: {by ink-jet printing or drawing by dispensing}
- H05K 13/0061: {Tools for holding the circuit boards during processing; handling transport of printed circuit boards}
- H05K 2201/09936: Marks, inscriptions, etc. for information
- H05K 2203/0165: Holder for holding a Printed Circuit Board [PCB] during processing, e.g. during screen printing
- H05K 2203/0195: Tool for a process not provided for in H05K3/00, e.g. tool for handling objects using suction, for deforming objects, for applying local pressure
- H05K 2203/0257: Brushing, e.g. cleaning the conductive pattern by brushing or wiping
- H05K 2203/107: Using laser light
- H05K 2203/1509: Horizontally held PCB
- H05K 2203/1563: Reversing the PCB
- H05K 2203/1572: Processing both sides of a PCB by the same process; Providing a similar arrangement of components on both sides; Making interlayer connections from two sides
- H05K 2203/1581: Treating the backside of the PCB, e.g. for heating during soldering or providing a liquid coating on the backside
- Y10T 29/49155: Manufacturing circuit on or in base
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

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.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vertical circuit board printer comprising:
a multi-layer conveyor comprising a plurality 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 plurality of circuit boards in sequence from the plurality of front conveyors to the rear conveyor;
a printer assembly comprising a plurality of printers arranged in sequence above the plurality of front conveyors; and
a control system controlling operation of the multi-layer conveyor and controlling operation of the printing assembly through a software system.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vertical circuit board printer of claim 1, wherein a plurality of trays are equally spaced apart on the plurality of front conveyors; the trays are controlled by the control system to move cyclically on the front conveyor and carry the circuit board, hold or release the circuit board, and position the tray opposite to the corresponding printer of the printing assembly.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The vertical circuit board printer of claim 1, wherein the plurality of front conveyors are in a stacked arrangement and supported by load-bearing brackets; a bottom side of the front conveyors is coupled to the rear conveyor; a quantity of the rear conveyors and width of the front conveyors and rear conveyor are adjustable according to a requirement of printing the printed circuit boards.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The vertical circuit board printer of claim 1, wherein the circuit board-lowering mechanism is a vertical mechanism configured to vertically lower the printed circuit board from the upper front conveyor to the lower front conveyor.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The vertical circuit board printer of claim 4, wherein the circuit board-lowering mechanism is a conveyor belt located between adjacent upper and lower front conveyors; the printed circuit board is transported from the upper front conveyor to the lower front conveyor through the conveyor belt.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The vertical circuit board printer of claim 1, wherein the printers of the printer assembly located above the front conveyor comprise in sequence, from an end of the front conveyor away from the rear conveyor to the rear conveyor, a feeding device, a punching device, at least one circuit printing device, at least one insulating adhesive brush, and a flipping device; the punching device and the circuit printing device are fixed on a guiding device; the guiding device is movably horizontally along an X-axis and a Y-axis to move the punching device and the circuit printing device.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The vertical circuit board printer of claim 6, wherein the feeding device comprises a feeding box and a plurality of gears; a top and bottom side of the feeding box are open; the plurality of gears are located on side surfaces of the feeding box; the printed circuit board is supported by teeth grooves of the gears; the plurality of gears are arranged in two gear groups; each gear group is made up of two gears synchronously coupled together; the two gear groups are located on corresponding opposite sidewalls of the feeding box; each gear group is located on a corresponding standard scale guide rail, so that the two gear groups are positioned at a same height; the two gear groups support the printed circuit board in a horizontal plane within the feeding box.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The vertical circuit board printer of claim 6, wherein the punching device uses a laser drill and a mechanical drill; the mechanical drill comprises a plurality of drills of different diameters.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The vertical circuit board printer of claim 6, wherein a printing head of the circuit printing device is made up of a plurality of print nozzles having different diameters.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The vertical circuit board printer of claim 6, wherein the flipping device comprises a fixing rod, a first damper, and a second damper; the first clamper clamps the printed circuit board downward and rotates the printed circuit board 90 degrees; the second damper clamps the printed circuit board and rotates the printed circuit board 90 degrees to flip over the printed circuit board.

### Claim 11 (depends on 6)

The vertical circuit board printer of claim 6, wherein the printer assembly above the rear conveyor comprises in sequence, from an end of the rear conveyor adjacent to the front conveyor to an opposite end of the rear conveyor, a laminator, a green solder mask printing device, a white text and mark printing device, and a tin printing device; the laminator laminates a top side of the printed circuit board to a bottom side of the printed circuit board; the green solder mask printing device, the white text and mark printing device, and the tin printing device are fixed on the guiding device.

### Claim 12

A method of vertically printing a circuit board, the method comprising:
inputting a circuit board on every front conveyor of a multi-layer conveyor;
controlling, by a control system, transport of the circuit board on the multi-layer conveyor;
printing, by a printer assembly controlled by a software system of the control system, the circuit board; and
outputting the printed circuit board from a rear conveyor coupled to the front conveyor.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein when the circuit board needs to be printed on both sides, further comprises:
punching, by a punching device, holes in the circuit board;
printing, by a first circuit printing device, a circuit on an upper surface of the circuit board;
applying, by a first insulating adhesive brush, an insulating adhesive on the upper surface of the circuit board;
flipping, by a flipping device, the circuit board to make a lower surface of the circuit board face upward;
printing, by a second circuit printing device, a circuit on the lower surface of the circuit board;
applying, by a second insulating adhesive brush, an insulating adhesive on the lower surface of the circuit board;
laminating, by a laminator, the upper surface and the lower surface of the circuit board;
printing, by a green solder mask printing device, a green solder mask layer of the circuit board;
printing, by a white text and mark printing device, text and a mark of the circuit board; and
printing, by a tin printing device, tin on the circuit board.