The Basics of Screen Printing

The Basics of Screen Printing

What usually comes to people’s minds when they think about screen printing is an old-fashioned t-shirt printer or possibly a set up that produces simple posters.

Here are the basic items required for the process of screen printing:

STENCIL

Stencil is media produced by the patterned application of pigment to a surface with the use of an intermediate object with designed gaps that allow the pattern or image to be successfully created.

SQUEEGEE

This is a flexible polyurethane blade held in a rigid mount or handle. It causes the ink to flow into the mesh and removes excess ink from the top of the stencil.

PRINTING MEDIUM/INK

This can take the form of a wide range of solids or dyes suspended in a fluid. A large range of ink chemistry is available to suit a range of applications.

SUBSTRATE

Substrate is a general term for the surface used which will be printed on. Its surfaces can range from bread to bio-medical sensors or more widely used – paper.

PRESS

A screen printing press provides the surface for the substrate to be printed, and the upper section secures the screen. It allows movement between the substrate and the screen.

Ink Substrate Relationship

A temporary bond is formed through the relationship of the surface energy of the substrate and the surface tension of the ink.

The ink basically wets the substrate. As the squeegee moves away, the tension in the mesh pulls the stencil away from the ink film.

The temporary bond as mentioned before will draw ink out of the mesh openings and leave a film of ink on the substrate.

The processes mentioned above only show screen printing in a much simplified form. The need to have dimensional control of all aspects of the process to within a few microns takes them into the area of high precision engineering. Here are just some of the technologies that would not have been possible without screen printing:

Mobile phones, Solar cells, Lithium batteries, Flat screen televisions, Circuit boards

Smart fabrics, Optical discs, Automotive dials, Special effects graphics printing & Sportswear decoration

For a printing process with such a long history and an evolving future, it will continue to expand its applications for businesses and individuals. Need Custom Screen Printing? Call us at 757-485-7800 or visit online at https://www.tgsva.com

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