What is Screen Printing: How it Works, Type of Screen-Printing Equipment & Application ?

Today, screen printing has taken on a vital role in many large-scale printing operation industries. Demand for screen printing equipment in the USA market is rising rapidly, resulting in equipment innovation and technical improvement. Technology advancement in screen printing equipment helps to print on a wide range of materials, including fibers, glass, paper, and different types of plastics.

Type of Screen Printing Equipment Available in the USA market

Screen printers can obtain the highest yields with the help of Spartanics-Systec Screen Printing Lines, which may be set up as cylinder or flatbed systems. On request, these systems can be created with additional functionalities. Slitters, guillotines, contact dryers, UV dryers, IR dryers, laminators, sheeting systems, die cutters, and other printing machineries are a few of these add-on choices.

Additionally, four different drying systems are used: UV drying, heated air drying, contact heat drying, and IR (radiation) with air feed assistance.

Essential Equipment Required for Screen Printing Process

Using particular printing materials or the availability of particular environmental conditions is not necessary for screen printing.

Those Essential Items Include: -

• A screen
• A squeegee
• A printing table with hooks
• Stencil material
• Printer
• Paper
• Screen cleaning chemical

Screen Printing Process

The printing technique we’ll discuss here uses a particular light-reactive emulsion to produce a unique stencil; it’s often the most widely used commercial printing technique.

Step 1: — Design Creation

The first step in the process is to print the design onto a transparent acetate film, which will then be used to create the screen pattern.

Step 2: -Selecting and prepare the screen

Select the mesh screen sheet and count the total number of fibers in one square inch. Then after the type of mesh can be selected after the mesh is fixed now, it’s the type of emulsion.

Generally, there are three types of emulsion.

1. Diazo: — comparatively cheaper than other emulsion layers, but not suitable for detailed prints.
2. SBQ — based: — Expensive than other emulsion layer and need no ink mixing is required, suitable for detailed screen-printing work
3. Dual–cure emulsions: — the combination of diazo and SEQ-based techniques and usually require mixing, perfect for both detailed and less detailed printing.

Step 3: -Exposing the emulsion

The transparent sheet is placed on an emulsion-coated mesh screen under bright light, which results in the hardening and development of patterns.

Step 4: — Stencil creation

Exposing the screen for a specific period will harden the uncovered areas and create a pattern. The screen is placed on a rigid board, and cut the design. Now stencil is ready to be used.

Step 5: -Preparations for print

The material to be printed is placed flat on the printing board and set the stencil on top of the material in described position.

Step 6: -Applying the design

In this step, add color to the top of the screen. With the help of a squeegee, distribute the ink evenly along the length of the screen.

Step 7: — Heat & finishing

Lastly, the printed sheet passes through the dryer, securing the screen-printing pattern.

Benefits of Using High-tech Screen-Printing Equipment

Screen printing can be done in a variety of ways with some basic equipment. This is also one of the reasons why screen printing is widely practiced. Screen printing equipment has advanced technologically, making it more valuable and suitable for use in commercial-level production. Some more benefits of using high-tech screen equipment are listed below:

• Electronic control for all settings.
• Vacuum controls can regulate material stress.
• Modular design offers flexibility to add on alternatives.
• Dynamic web placement of the material +/- 0.1 mm during printing, automated stretch, or shrink compensation.
• Electronic screen positioning enables more precise printing

Common Industries in The USA That Uses Screen Printing Equipment

Industrial screen-printing presses are appropriate for a variety of businesses. Some of the common industries are: -

• RFID tag printing
• Graphic design printing
• T-Shirt Printing
• Nameplates
• Solar panels
• Automotive
• Textile transfers
• Label printing
• Wide-format digital printing

Conclusion

Screen printing in the USA is now practiced commercially as it offers versatility with less effort and is one of the most cost-effective techniques for bulk printing, making the USA market a perfect fit for introducing innovation in screen printing equipment. A number of industries are using screen printing for UV logo printing, which enhances depiction and is customized with multiple ink and patterns, a great way to print to the next level. More than 12,471 custom screen-printing businesses are in the USA, contributing 3.3% of the total GDP which makes screen printing industry as an important pillar for economic development.

This Post Is Written By ScreenPrintDirect