Lift tool assembly for stencil printer
AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.
InventorDaniel Mariano
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stencil printer includes a frame, a stencil coupled to the frame, and a print head coupled to the frame to deposit and print viscous material over the stencil. The stencil printer further includes a lift table assembly configured to support the substrate in a transport position and a print position, and a conveyor system. The conveyor system includes a pair of rail members coupled to the frame. The pair of rail members extends through the frame and is configured to transport the substrate through the stencil printer. The conveyor system further includes, for each rail member, a lift tool assembly coupled to the rail member. The lift tool assembly is configured to cooperate with the lift table assembly and to engage and support the substrate at a transport height and a print height.
Claims9
A method for supporting and clamping a substrate in a print position during a print operation of a stencil printer, the method comprising:
- moving the substrate on a conveyor system having a pair of rails at a transport height over a lift table assembly;
- clamping opposite edges of the substrate;
- and
- moving the substrate in a z-axis direction with a lift tool assembly coupled to each rail member,
- wherein for each rail member, the lift tool assembly is movable with respect to the rail member, the lift tool assembly being configured to cooperate with the lift table assembly and to engage and support the substrate at a transport height and a print height, the lift tool assembly including a lifter portion configured to be engaged by a support of the lift table assembly and a modular clamping subassembly coupled to the lifter portion, the modular clamping subassembly including a backplane mounted on a top of the lifter portion, the backplane having a linear bearing mounted on a back of the backplane to provide a degree of freedom for clamping.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.