Abstract: A paste supply apparatus includes: a pot holder which holds a paste pot including an inner lid movable in a container; an ejecting member; an annular protruding portion protruding downward from a lower surface of the ejecting member; a suction power generating mechanism which generates suction power in an internal space surrounded by the annular protruding portion; and an ejecting member lifting unit which moves up and down the ejecting member, The ejecting member lifting unit causes the ejecting member to press down the inner lid of the paste pot held by the pot holder to eject the paste from the through hole, and thereafter lifts the ejecting member which holds the inner lid by the suction power generated within the internal space of the annular protruding portion by the suction power generating mechanism.

Abstract: A paste supply apparatus includes a pot holding part that holds a paste pot that includes a tubular container which receives paste and is provided with a through hole in a bottom part of the tubular container and an inner lid movable inside the tubular container, in a posture in which the paste can be extruded downwardly from the through hole, an extrusion member configured to hold the inner lid of the paste pot held in the pot holding part, an inner lid holding part with which the inner lid is held in the extrusion member, an extrusion member elevation part that upwardly and downwardly moves the extrusion member, and a stopper with which the container upwardly moved together with the inner lid collides when the extrusion member holding the inner lid is pulled up by the extrusion member elevation part.

Abstract: A screen printing machine includes a paste supply apparatus which supplies paste on a mask by using a paste pot including an inner lid movable in a container. The paste supply apparatus includes: a pot holder which holds the paste pot such that a through hole of the container faces downward; an ejecting member which abuts on the inner lid of the paste pot; an ejecting member lifting unit which presses down the ejecting member to eject the paste from the through hole; and a detector which detects a state in which the ejecting member reaches a predetermined press-down limit position in the container. After the detector detects the state in which the ejecting member reaches the press-down limit position in the container, the ejecting member lifting unit continues to press down the ejecting member to further eject the paste.

Abstract: A paste supply apparatus includes: a pot holder which holds a paste pot including an inner lid movable in a container; an ejecting member; an elastic member provided at the ejecting member and including an annular pad portion including a taper having a diameter increasing toward downward; an annular protruding portion protruding downward from a lower surface of the ejecting member within an internal space surrounded by the pad portion; and an ejecting member lifting unit which moves the ejecting member to press down the inner lid to eject the paste. When the ejecting member presses down the inner lid, the pad portion of the elastic member is elastically deformed to extend outside and firmly contacts an upper surface of the inner lid, and the annular protruding portion abuts on the upper surface of the inner lid within the internal space.

Abstract: A paste application device includes a substrate holding part that holds a substrate, an application head that applies paste to the substrate, a test-application stage where test-application of the paste is performed, an imaging camera that images the paste applied to the test-application stage by the application head from a lateral direction, and a storage part that stores an image imaged by the imaging camera.

Abstract: A paste supply apparatus includes a pot holding part that holds a paste pot that includes a tubular container which receives paste and is provided with a through hole in a bottom part of the tubular container and an inner lid movable inside the tubular container, in a posture in which the paste can be extruded downwardly from the through hole, an extrusion member configured to hold the inner lid of the paste pot held in the pot holding part, an inner lid holding part with which the inner lid is held in the extrusion member, an extrusion member elevation part that upwardly and downwardly moves the extrusion member, and a stopper with which the container upwardly moved together with the inner lid collides when the extrusion member holding the inner lid is pulled up by the extrusion member elevation part.

Abstract: A paste supply apparatus includes: a pot holder which holds a paste pot including an inner lid movable in a container; an ejecting member; an annular protruding portion protruding downward from a lower surface of the ejecting member; a suction power generating mechanism which generates suction power in an internal space surrounded by the annular protruding portion; and an ejecting member lifting unit which moves up and down the ejecting member, The ejecting member lifting unit causes the ejecting member to press down the inner lid of the paste pot held by the pot holder to eject the paste from the through hole, and thereafter lifts the ejecting member which holds the inner lid by the suction power generated within the internal space of the annular protruding portion by the suction power generating mechanism.

Abstract: A screen printing machine includes a paste supply apparatus which supplies paste on a mask by using a paste pot including an inner lid movable in a container. The paste supply apparatus includes: a pot holder which holds the paste pot such that a through hole of the container faces downward; an ejecting member which abuts on the inner lid of the paste pot; an ejecting member lifting unit which presses down the ejecting member to eject the paste from the through hole; and a detector which detects a state in which the ejecting member reaches a predetermined press-down limit position in the container. After the detector detects the state in which the ejecting member reaches the press-down limit position in the container, the ejecting member lifting unit continues to press down the ejecting member to further eject the paste.

Abstract: A paste supply apparatus includes: a pot holder which holds a paste pot including an inner lid movable in a container; an ejecting member; an elastic member provided at the ejecting member and including an annular pad portion including a taper having a diameter increasing toward downward; an annular protruding portion protruding downward from a lower surface of the ejecting member within an internal space surrounded by the pad portion; and an ejecting member lifting unit which moves the ejecting member to press down the inner lid to eject the paste. When the ejecting member presses down the inner lid, the pad portion of the elastic member is elastically deformed to extend outside and firmly contacts an upper surface of the inner lid, and the annular protruding portion abuts on the upper surface of the inner lid within the internal space.

Abstract: A screen printing machine includes: a paste supply apparatus which supplies paste on a mask by using a paste pot including an inner lid movable in a container. The paste supply apparatus includes: a pot holder which holds the paste pot such that a through hole of the container faces downward; an ejecting member which abuts on the inner lid of the paste pot; an ejecting member lifting unit which presses down the ejecting member to eject the paste from the through hole; a detector which detects a position of the ejecting member which is pressed down by the ejecting member lifting unit; and a notification device which generates a notification indicating a remaining amount of the paste in the container based on the position of the ejecting member detected by the detector.

Abstract: A paste supply method using a paste pot that includes a tubular container which receives paste and is provided with a through hole in a bottom part thereof and an inner lid movable inside the tubular container. The method includes: fixing and holding the paste pot in a posture in which the through hole faces downwardly; ejecting paste from the through hole by downwardly moving a pad member abutted from above on the inner lid of the paste pot held and depressing the inner lid inside the tubular container; and sucking up paste dripping from the through hole inside the tubular container by depressing the inner lid and then upwardly moving the pad member joined to the inner lid and pulling up the inner lid.

Abstract: A transfer assembly includes a support member having a side wall that extends in such a direction as to intersect a line extending from the rotation axis of a transfer roller and that has a hole through which a support shaft is inserted with some play being present. The hole has such a shape that, at the beginning of a period when a door is rotated from an open state to a closed state and a positioned portion is in contact with a positioning member, gaps are formed between the support shaft and a wall surface of the hole on both sides of the support shaft in a radial direction crossing an arc that is drawn from a center of the arc at the center line of rotation of the door and that passes through the support shaft.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes first to third cleaning members that clean a surface of an endless belt that is looped over rollers including a driving roller. The first cleaning member is brought into contact with and separated from the surface at a predetermined timing. The second cleaning member is disposed upstream of the first cleaning member and downstream of the driving roller in a movement direction of the endless belt. The second cleaning member is in contact with the endless belt so as to prevent a tension variation of the endless belt caused by the first cleaning member from affecting the driving roller. The third cleaning member is disposed downstream of the first cleaning member. A contact state in which the third cleaning member is in contact with the endless belt is switched from a first contact state to a second contact state so as to reduce the tension variation.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes at least one first cleaning member that removes residual substances that remain on a surface of an endless belt by being in contact with the surface of the endless belt while rotating in a direction that is opposite to a movement direction in which the endless belt moves; a second cleaning member that is brought into contact with and separated from the surface of the endless belt at a predetermined timing and removes the residual substances that remain on the surface of the endless belt; and a switching unit that switches a rotation direction of the first cleaning member to a direction the same as the movement direction of the endless belt when the second cleaning member is brought into contact with the surface of the endless belt and cleans the surface.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a body frame, a transport unit, an image carrier, a transfer device, a fixing device, a guide member assembly, a door, and a positioning member. The guide member assembly includes a guide member, a positioned portion, and a support member. The support member supports the guide member and has a side wall that extends in such a direction as to intersect a line drawn in the width direction and that has a hole through which a support shaft is inserted with some play being present. The guide member assembly is supported by the door with some play being present between the guide member assembly and a base plate and is urged by an urging member. The hole is a long hole having a major axis extending in an opening direction of the door away from a center line of rotation of the door.

Abstract: A developer collecting device includes a housing provided with an opening opposed to a developer carrying member, a collecting member provided along an edge of the opening at a downstream end of the opening in a transporting direction in which the developer carrying member transports the developer, a sealing member provided along an edge of the opening at an upstream end of the opening in the transporting direction, a suction path that extends along a longitudinal direction of the housing and that is connected to a suction unit for sucking the developer into the housing, a developer transporting unit that is provided between the opening and the suction path and that transports the developer collected in the housing, a filter member disposed between the developer transporting unit and the suction path, and a hood member disposed between the opening and the filter member and separated from the filter member.

Abstract: A developer-conveying apparatus is provided, the developer-conveying apparatus including: a conveying member that has a rotational axis rotatably set in a container and a blade formed around the rotational axis, the conveying member conveying a developer along the rotational axis by rotation; and a static eliminating member set in the container and eliminating static electricity of the developer in the container by being brought into contact with the developer.

Abstract: A powder container includes a containing portion having an opening and including: an opening/closing member movable between an open position and a closed position, an opening restrained portion on one of the opening/closing member and the containing portion, an opening restraining portion on the other of the opening/closing member and the containing portion at a position corresponding to the opening restrained portion when the opening/closing member is at the closed position, the opening restraining portion restraining movement of the opening/closing member toward the open position by contacting the opening restrained portion, an urged portion on one of the containing portion and the opening/closing member, and an urging portion on the other of the containing portion and the opening/closing member at a position corresponding to the urged portion when the opening/closing member is at the closed position, the urging portion making the opening restraining portion contact the opening restrained portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image carrier; an intermediate transfer unit including an intermediate transfer body onto which an image on the image carrier is transferred, and plural rotation members around which the intermediate transfer body is wound, each rotation member rotating around a rotation axis, the intermediate transfer unit detachably attached, in the rotation axis direction, to an apparatus main body; a secondary transfer unit that makes contact with and separates from the intermediate transfer body, the secondary transfer unit provided at an opposite side of the rotation members across the intermediate transfer body; a positioning unit that, when the intermediate transfer unit is attached to the apparatus main body, positions the intermediate transfer unit in the secondary transfer unit side at least at two points differently located in the rotation axis direction; and a securing unit that secures the intermediate transfer unit to the apparatus main body.

Abstract: A cleaning unit includes: a cleaning member that cleans the surface of the image carrier; a cleaning container that stores developer removed by the cleaning member; a cleaning support that is formed by bending a plate and includes a cleaning-supporting portion supporting the other end portion of the cleaning member and a supported portion angled with respect to the cleaning-supporting portion by bending; a supporting-portion-of-support that includes a facing portion facing the supported portion, is provided at the cleaning container, and supports the cleaning support; a damping member that is disposed between the supported portion and the facing portion, is formed so as to be elastically deformable, and regulates vibration of the cleaning member; and a securing member that secures the cleaning support to the supporting-portion-of-support at a position adjacent to the damping member.