PCB - Screen printing machines 12

The market for used PCB screen printers has diversified as electronics manufacturing equipment has developed. From manual screen printing tables, to fully automatic screen printing machines, buyers have a range of capabilities and price ranges available when purchasing a screen printer.

With that in mind, defining the specification for your screen printer purchase is essential. In addition to machinery age, running hours and price, the following technical specifications should be taken into account:

• PCB length and width accommodated
• PCB thickness accommodated
• Print speed
• Manual, semi-automatic or automatic control

As electronics manufacturing machinery transitioned from manual to automatic large-scale operations, the range of peripheral components on offer expanded. These peripheral components can add further costs to the machinery purchase, but many are also essential for modern PCB screen printing techniques. Common peripherals include:

• Screen printing table
• Keyboard, monitor and additional computer hardware
• Understencil wiper
• Vacuum cleaning system
• Temperature control unit
• Board support pins
• Squeegee blades

Having established your specification for a PCB screen printer and identified a machine with the necessary peripheral components, it is important to consider training and setup. In many cases a manual won’t be sufficient and, with many used machines outside of manufacturer warranty, internal resources may need to be supplemented by implementation services offered by the dealer or manufacturer.