Understanding Screen Printing Mesh

By studying the basics of display mesh and fabric preparation, you can quickly enhance the quality of your prints and stop frequent display problems akin to pinholes, poor detail, and poor ink protection. We will begin by explaining mesh counts, weaves, and thread diameter. Once we’ve a basic understanding of the mesh itself, we are able to have a look at stretching and making ready the display mesh for emulsion.

Polyester monofilament is the only option for textile display printing. Stainless steel, nylon, and silk are additionally out there however the polyester is the most common for garment printing. Two several types of mesh weaves can be found. Plain weave is an easy one-over/one-under sample just like a basket. This allows for a very sharp print when you are screen printing detailed designs. Twill weave is a two-over/two-beneath pattern. This doesn’t present the sharp detail just like the plain weave however it does allow for extra ink to cross by means of the mesh at higher mesh counts. Most applications are greatest when printed with plain weave mesh.

Thread thickness is also essential. You may not notice it however many mesh counts that you order can be found in numerous thread sizes. For example, 305 industrial filter mesh depend is on the market in a thread thickness of 31, 34, and 40 microns. The 305 mesh depend screen with 31 micron thread diameter is able to tension 21 to 24 N/cm. This is far much less tension than the 40 micron thread (27 to 32 N/cm). You may want the tighter screens for prime-finish printing but you also should consider the change of ink deposit between the different screens. Despite the fact that they are all 305 rely screens, they all have totally different theoretical ink deposits and totally different fabric thickness.

Mesh color can be something to think about. Customers usually ask what the difference is between white and dyed mesh. I at all times recommend white mesh for counts ranging from 17 meshes/inch to 158 meshes/inch. Anything above 158 meshes/inch it’s important to make use of dyed mesh. White mesh has a tendency to refract light. This causes undercutting of your stencil. You can lose vital element. Yellow mesh reduces refraction because it reduces the travel of ultraviolet light. Dyed mesh will take a longer publicity time but it’s a small worth to pay when you could be shedding effective traces and half-tones. Using correct mesh tensioning procedures will permit for optimum print management and efficiency. It is crucial to grasp that one definitive mesh tensioning stage doesn’t exist. Every mesh count, every thread diameter, and every thread materials might tension at totally different levels.

The final step is preparing your display screen correctly and constantly. This is just as essential as selecting the best mesh depend for the job. Mesh pretreatment is the technique of cleaning and preparing the screen mesh surface to improve stencil adhesion and remove coating defects, with the last word aim being optimum stencil efficiency and durability. It will be important to use an abrader/degreaser when you’ve got stretched new mesh material or received new pre-stretched screens.

This can permit your liquid emulsion or capillary movie to adhere to the screen better which prevents pinholes, fisheyes, uneven stencil thickness, air pockets, and stencil breakdown. If you treasured this article so you would like to get more info relating to screen printing mesh (visit their website) i implore you to visit our web site. Using family products similar to Comet or caustic degreasers just isn’t really useful. The proper chemicals don’t just clear the mesh surface, they put together the mesh for the stencil. If your screen mesh isn’t virgin, you only want to make use of a degreaser to deal with the floor. Older screen mesh could require a haze remover when it becomes stained.

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