Patent ID: 6945167

Claim:
A screen printing apparatus for printing on a board using cream solder through pattern holes of a mask plate by performing a squeegeeing operation in which the mask plate is laid on a board, comprising: a squeegee moved slidingly on a top surface of the mask plate while applying a constant printing pressure to the mask plate; a printing pressure applying means for applying printing pressure to the mask plate by pressing the squeegee against the mask plate; a squeegee moving means for moving the squeegee in a horizontal direction; a plate separation means for separating the board from a bottom surface of the mask plate; a printing control means for performing a printing operation at a prescribed squeegee movement speed and a prescribed printing pressure under prescribed plate release conditions by controlling the printing pressure applying means, the squeegee moving means, and the plate separation means; an inspecting means for inspecting a state of charging of the pattern holes with the cream solder and a state of transfer of the cream solder to the board by detecting states of the cream solder on the top surface of the mask plate and on a top surface of the board; a print parameter setting processing means for setting print parameters including the squeegee movement speed, the printing pressure, and a plate release speed to proper values on the basis of inspection results of the inspecting means that are obtained when the print parameters are varied according to prescribed parameter varying patterns that are set for the respective print parameters; and a print parameter storing means for storing the thus-set print parameters.