Investigating the attack angle of squeegees with different geometries

Purpose The attack angle of stencil printing squeegees with different geometries was analysed using finite element modelling. Design/methodology/approach A finite element model (FEM) was developed to determine the attack angle during the stencil printing. The material properties of the squeegee were included in the model according to the parameters of steel AISI 4340, and the model was validated by experimental measurements. Two geometric parameters were investigated; two different unloaded angles (45 degrees and 60 degrees) and four overhang sizes of the squeegee (6, 15, 20 and 25 mm). Findings It was found that the deflection of the blade is nearly homogenous along the length of the squeegee. This implies that the attack angle does not change significantly along the squeegee length. The results showed significant differences between the initial and the attack angle. For example, the angle of the squeegee with 15 mm overhang size and with 60 degrees initial angle decreased by more than 5 degrees for a specific squeegee force of 0.3 N/mm; resulting in an attack angle of 53.4 degrees. Originality/value The attack angle during the printing is considerably lower than the initial angle as a result of the printing force. The papers, which were dealing with the numerical modelling of the stencil printing presumed that the squeegees were having their initial angle. This could have led to invalid numerical results. Therefore, we decided to investigate the attack angle during stencil printing for squeegees with different initial geometries to enhance the numerical modelling of stencil printing.