Why are the accessories for screen printing so important?
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Training centerWhy are the accessories for screen printing so important?
When talking about products for screen printing, the attention of the printer or of the screen printing company is focused on the screen printing ink range, while the ancillary products are less important. Actually, the "accessories for screen printing" are really important for the production, like for instance:
- Screens for screen printing.
- Photoemulsions and capillary films for the production of screens.
- Squeegee.
- Equipment for the screen printing inks like stainless steel mixing blades, empty pots for mixing or storing the colors, precision scales, color system software for preparing own colors and for quality control.
- Special tapes for closing and sealing the screens
- Transfer paper and the polyester films for the production of screen printing transfers.
Screen printing requires special attention to all the above elements to achieve a good level of quality.
Even small variations, due for instance to an underperforming photoemulsion or to a squeegee that gets excessively damaged during production, can cause a significant decrease of the quality level of the production.
Ever since working with customers that always require the highest print quality level, Grafco has been investing to have in its range of products a series of accessories for screen printing that can ensure the best results in production.
Some examples
URETHANE screen printing squeegee
Urethane is a squeegee developed with a new technology of vacuum casting of new polyurethane polymers which feature high grade of crosslinking.
From tests performed in our laboratory confirmed by clients, this type of squeegee is a reliable solution to the problem caused by the aggressive solvents during the screen printing process. Thanks to this innovative squeegee, there are no more lines in print that were due to the particularly aggressive solvent inks, especially when printing underbase and long production runs.
Adhesive tape for covering the screens
Silver PET Tape
This accessory for screen printing is a mirror polyester tape, very thin and with a strong adhesive, solvent resistant. It is used on the front side of the screen as a protection of the area of the screen where the edges of the squeegee run upon long productions. It is also often used on the back of the screen for the protection of those areas that are in contact with printing objects during extremely long production runs.
White Tape
This polypropylene tape was designed with a removable adhesive and a good resistance to solvents. The common use of this accessory for screen printing is on the front part of the screen to temporarily cover some printing areas and for the protection of the area of the screen where the edges of the squeegee run (for short production). This tape can be easily removed and allows an easy and quick reclaiming of the screen.
Blue Tape
This tape is made by a rather thick polypropylene film and a strong adhesive. In case of emergency it can mend small tears and holes in the mesh in order for the production to continue without the screen to collapse. Another application or this accessory for screen printing is the protection of some contact areas of the screen from sharp objects to be printed (glass or metal sheet).
*We invite you to contact our color development department for advice on the most suitable product.