Stencil printer having controllable tension device for a stencil wiper assembly and method of controlling tension
AssigneeIllinois Tool Works Inc.
InventorsKenneth King, Thomas C. Prentice, Patsy A. Mattero, William A. Losiewicz, James Lynch
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stencil printer includes a stencil, a material applicator to apply material on the stencil, and a stencil wiper assembly to selectively wipe the stencil. The stencil wiper assembly includes has a quick-change material module having a supply roller to receive a roll of material, a take-up roller to receive used material, a drive to move the material across the stencil from the supply roller to the take-up roller, and a controllable tension device configured to vary a tension of the material when driving the material from the supply roller to the take-up roller.
Claims11
A stencil printer comprising:
- a stencil;
- a material applicator to apply material on the stencil;
- and
- a stencil wiper assembly to selectively wipe the stencil, the stencil wiper assembly having a quick-change material module comprising
- a supply roller to receive a roll of material,
- a take-up roller to receive used material,
- a drive to move the material across the stencil from the supply roller to the take-up roller, and
- a controllable tension device configured to vary a tension of the material when driving the material from the supply roller to the take-up roller, the controllable tension device including a brake mechanism configured to apply a pre-determined tension to the supply roller, the brake mechanism including a disk secured to a shaft of the supply roller and a caliper assembly configured to apply a braking force on the disk, wherein the caliper assembly includes
- a first housing positioned on one surface of a frame member of the web-material supply module,
- a second housing positioned on an opposite surface of the frame member, and
- a piston that moves within a chamber formed within the first housing.
A web-material supply module of a stencil wiper assembly for wiping a stencil of a stencil printer, the module comprising:
- a supply roller to receive a roll of material;
- a take-up roller to receive used material;
- and
- a drive to move the material across the stencil from the supply roller to the take-up roller;
- and
- a controllable tension device configured to vary a tension of the material when driving the material from the supply roller to the take-up roller, the controllable tension device including a brake mechanism configured to apply a pre-determined tension to the supply roller, the brake mechanism including a disk secured to a shaft of the supply roller and a caliper assembly configured to apply a braking force on the disk, wherein the caliper assembly includes
- a first housing positioned on one surface of a frame member of the web-material supply module,
- a second housing positioned on an opposite surface of the frame member, and
- a piston that moves within a chamber formed within the first housing.
A method for controlling tension of a supply roller within a web-material supply module of a stencil wiper assembly designed to wipe a stencil of a stencil printer, the method comprising:
- moving the material between a supply roller and a take-up roller, moving the material being achieved by a motor coupled to the take-up roller to drive a rotation of the take-up roller;
- and
- controlling a tension of the material when driving material from the supply roller to the take-up roller by a controllable tension device including a brake mechanism configured to apply a pre-determined tension to the supply roller, the brake mechanism including a disk secured to a shaft of the supply roller and a caliper assembly configured to apply a braking force on the disk, wherein the caliper assembly includes
- a first housing positioned on one surface of a frame member of the web-material supply module,
- a second housing positioned on an opposite surface of the frame member, and
- a piston that moves within a chamber formed within the first housing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.