1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to printing, and particularly to a printing apparatus comprising a fixing mechanism.
2. Description of Related Art
Nowadays, printing mainly includes silk-screen printing, relief printing, planographic printing, gravure printing, etc. Compared to other printing methods, silk-screen printing is more popular because of its facility and cheapness.
In the method of silk-screen printing, first, a silk-screen having a large number of meshes is woven to cover the printing objects. Sensitive glue is spread on the silk-screen to block the meshes and forms a sensitive layer on the silk-screen. A negative having predetermined designs/characters is covered on the silk-screen, and the silk-screen and the negative are exposed together. Thus, the sensitive layer of the silk-screen is exposed and solidified except the part covered by the designs/characters of the negative. The silk-screen is then washed, the solidified part of the sensitive layer remains on the silk-screen while the part covered by the designs/characters of the negative is removed. In this way, the meshes corresponding to the designs/characters of the negative are opened again, and the silk-screen is completed.
In use, the silk-screen covers a printing object, and ink is spread on the silk-screen. The ink passes the open meshes and adheres to the object, thus the designs/characters of the negative is formed on the object. The silk-screen is then removed after printing, thus the printing operation is completed.
In the aforementioned method, since the ink has glutinosity, the object can be glued to the silk-screen in printing. Thus, the object may be moved or damaged when the silk-screen is removed, and the printing quality is then decreased. In a typical printing method, the object is fixed on a worktable via glue. The glue has higher glutinosity than that of the ink, thus prevents the object from being moved by the silk-screen. However, additional cost is required for the glue and it is difficult to remove the glue after printing. Thus, productive efficiency is decreased.
Therefore, a fixing mechanism used to print and a new printing apparatus are desired in order to overcome the above-described shortcomings.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds