US Patent 7905175 Screen printing method and apparatus including clampers for substrate

Movable claws 13 are formed in clampers 10 holding a substrate 3 so that the movable claws can be selectively moved to a position where they have projected above the substrate 3, and to a position where they have retreated from above the substrate 3. Thereby, the safety of operation is ensured by causing the movable claws 13 to retreat during maintenance. Moreover, printing with high precision can be performed in a state where the surface of the substrate 3 and the rear face of the mask 2 are brought into surface contact with each other without any clearance by causing the movable claws 13 to retreat.