Screen Printing ProcessThis printing process transfers text and artwork onto a product through a screened material. This screen material is created from an applied film that creates small dot patterns for the ink to flow through. Depending on size and separation of the dots, printing gradients can be adjusted for boldness. We can do up to 4-color separation printing processes on a variety of product surfaces. We can pad print your items with the graphics you choose (part numbers, your logo, or icons, etc). If you provide the artwork you’d like to add, we can include screen printing in your quote. |
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1: PREPARE THE SCREENIn this process, an emulsion is applied to the screen. An exposure unit hardens the emulsion on the screen, except where the light is blocked by the artwork which is printed on a piece of film. The unexposed emulsion is rinsed away leaving behind areas of the screen that are not blocked by the hardened emulsion called a stencil. The ink flows through the open holes in this stencil. Follow the next steps to prepare your screen.
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2: READY THE EMULSIONPlace the emulsion into a scooper. |
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3: APPLY THE EMULSIONUsing the scooper, apply a layer of emulsion to both sides of the screen. Be sure apply an even coat to the screen. Place the coated screen in a cabinet that is dry and safe from light exposure. |
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4: PLACE THE SCREEN POSITIVE AND EXPOSEOnce the emulsion is dry, apply the printed screen positive to the center of the screen with tape. Now place the screen into an exposure unit. We have found that about 9 minutes is a good exposure time for our screens and emulsion. |
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5: REMOVE THE SCREEN POSITIVEAfter 9 minutes, remove the screen and take off the film positive. |
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6: SPRAY OUT THE SCREENSpray the screen to clean out the emulsion and to reveal the exposed artwork. Once dried, you now have a screen print ready screen! |
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7: SET THE FIXTURE AND ALIGN THE SCREENConfigure a fixture for your parts to be placed in. Since parts are all different shapes and sizes, custom fixtures are typically made. Place the screen onto your printing equipment. Depending on the equipment you use, turn the knobs to adjust the location of the screen to the part.
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8: MASK THE SCREENTo ensure ink doesn't pass through areas other than the artwork, mask off all surfaces of the screen with a masking tape. Vinyl tape works best, but painters tape should suffice.
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9: PREPARE THE INKMix the ink and the hardener or catalyst according to the manufacturers directions. Add thinner until the ink is at the proper viscosity. Perfect viscosity will help ensure easy and beautiful printing results.
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10: FIRST TEST ON A PIECE OF PAPEROnce you have your screen aligned to the part and your ink is prepared... do a test run on a sheet of paper covering the part. Check to make sure all the printing is correct and there are no flaws in the artwork. The next two steps detail proper printing techniques.
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11: FLOOD THE SCREENWhen you print on a part, you must first perform a flood stroke, then a printing stroke. With the flood stroke, you cover the artwork with ink. This fills the stencil with ink in preparation for a printing stroke. Typically a flood stroke is lighter than a printing stroke. Be sure the screen is not touching the part when you flood or over-printing can occur. |
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12: APPLY THE ARTWORKAfter you have performed a flood stroke, you can now print. Put the screen down so that it's just above the part and you can print the artwork. Make sure you give even pressure along the entire stroke of the print. The printing stroke pushes the ink through the screen onto the part. Once you have it printed move on to the next part, flood, print and repeat... |
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13: PRINT SAMPLE PARTSIf you are running an order, be sure to run sample parts first. Print and inspect the alignment of the artwork. If it needs to be moved, make all adjustments and repeat. Also check for any flaws in the printing at this time. Once you have determined that the ink and alignment are good, you are ready to print the parts. |
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14: SCREEN PRINT THE ORDERUse the flood and printing stroke techniques as you print the order. |
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15: CHECK PARTS... CONSTANTLY!Constantly check the parts in between prints. As you print, the ink viscosity will change as the ink dries and thickens, changing the overall print quality. You may need to thin your ink at this time. |
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16: POOR PRINTING? - CLEAN THE SCREENIf you are running into poor print quality or only certain parts of the artwork are being printed... clean the screen. It is possible that ink has dried in parts of the screen, blocking new ink to pass through. Repeat until poor prints clear out. |
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17: DRY THE INKOnce you have finished printing or are in between a large batch, use a dryer or oven to dry the parts. This hardens the ink and moves the screen printed parts onto the next stage of production. |
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18: MAINTAIN 185° FOR 3 MINUTESWe have found that drying the parts at 185° for 3 minutes is the perfect combination to curing the ink. |
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19: PRINTING FINISHED!Now that the parts are printed and the ink is cured, give yourself a pat on the back.... You're done! |