Design and development of the silkscreen printer with an innovative automatic mechanism of feeding and transporting workpieces

Demand for printing brands on popular items including pens, cups, bottles, etc. has been increased significantly in the recent years. Therefore, it is necessary to have the machinery to cater to this need. This paper presents the research on design and development of an innovative silkscreen printer with automatic mechanism of feeding and transporting workpieces based on the principle of four-bar parallelogram linkage mechanism. The printer is capable of printing cylindrical items of various diameter and length, performing high productivity with low cost. Dynamic analysis of the feeding and transporting mechanism was carried out to define the motor torque, as well as evaluate the impact and vibration. Mechanical design, control system and overall fabrication and assembly process for the printer were also studied deliberately. After the prototype assembly, the printing experiment showed that the newly silkscreen printer worked well and efficiently. If the real printer involves into a mass production, it would promise to bring great benefits in terms of economy, productivity and labor safety for small and medium-sized printing workshops.