23

Screen Printing
23.1 Introduction ......................................................................23-1 23.2 Geometry of the Printing Screen.....................................23-2
The Rotary Screen

Timothy B. McSweeney
Screen Printing Association International

23.3 The Stencil .........................................................................23-3 23.4 Dynamics of the Squeegee................................................23-3 23.5 Coating Transfer................................................................23-4 23.6 Converting the Applied Coating ......................................23-4 23.7 Conclusion.........................................................................23-4 References .....................................................................................23-4

23.1 Introduction
The screen printing process is markedly different from most imaging processes generally associated with the graphic arts. First, the printing plate is actually porous, formed by a woven mesh of synthetic fabric threads or metal wire (or in at least one case, by a nonwoven, electroformed metal matrix), which is then combined with a selective masking material, commonly called a stencil. Because the coating material ows under pressure into and through this mesh or matrix before being deposited onto a substrate, the resulting coating has a thickness far greater than that of a material printed onto the substrate by offset lithography, gravure, exography, xerography, or ink-jet printing. For this and other reasons, the screen printing process has many practical applications in industrial manufacturing areas in which other printing media have few or none. The basic process steps are as follows (see also Figure 23.1). The woven mesh (or matrix) is afxed to a rigid framework of aluminum or steel. In most applications, this framework forms a rectangular plane. However, variations are possible, including the cylindrical screen, which is afxed and sealed at both ends. In the case of mesh, whether of synthetic polyester monolaments or stainless steel wire, tension is applied simultaneously in opposing directions to obtain a semirigid planar surface. This stretched printing screen then performs three distinct functions: (a) meters the uid coating (or ink) that ows through it under pressure, (b) provides a surface for shearing the viscous columns of coating material that form during transfer to the substrate, and (c) provide support for the imaging elements (the stencil). Ink or coating transfer is initiated by the imposition of pressure on the screen by means of a exible plastic blade, the squeegee. Because of the exibility of the blade material and its physical prole, a hydraulic action is caused by force exerted in two directions. The blade presses into the screen, and its inherent exibility enables it to be put into direct contact with the substrate, thus effecting ink transfer. The blade also sweeps in a horizontal direction, thus applying the ink or coating as it moves, and causing the columns of material to shear as the printing screen rebounds after the squeegee has passed.

23-1
2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

23-2

Coatings Technology Handbook, Third Edition

Squeegee Blade

Ink Printing Screen

Off Contact

Ink Deposits Substrate

FIGURE 23.1 Ink transfer by screen printing.

It is the combination of the horizontal print stroke and the vertical (downward) pressure, effected by the squeegee blade, that forces the ink of coating into the ink wells created by the areas of intersection of woven mesh. (Similar wells, though shaped differently, are produced within the matrix of electroformed metal printing screens.) The elasticity of the printing screen then allows temporary contact with the substrate and subsequent ink or coating transfer.

23.2 Geometry of the Printing Screen

Due to a variety of materials and manufacturing methods, the geometry of the printing screen can vary considerably. Of most common use in industrial applications is the woven mesh, consisting of extruded polyester threads that have been woven into a precise and regular pattern known as plain weave. For a given linear measurement, the number of thread crossings or intersections, called the mesh count, may be expressed, as produced, in either metric (European) or British (Japanese) increments. At 130 intersections (meshes) per centimeter and higher, it is common to weave the fabric in a twill weave, where one x-axis ber crosses under and over every other y-axis ber (instead of every y-axis ber in the plain weave). Weaving produces thousands of roughly cubical apertures formed by ber intersections at each of the four corners. It is the length, width, and depth of thee apertures that form the inkwells and exert the primary inuence on amounts of coating deposit. Thread diameter, though consistent within each woven fabric, is a variable that allows a wide choice of fabric thicknesses and thus substantial control over applied coating thicknesses. Threads that are available range from over 700 m down to just over 30 m (0.0275 to 0.0012 in.) in diameter. The fabric thickness and, therefore, the inkwell depth, is approximately 1.85 times thread diameter. The woven mesh is tensioned to predetermined levels and afxed to a frame. For synthetic fabrics, the effects of tensioning can also reduce aperture depth slightly by reducing fabric thickness by up to 3%. For steel wire, however, there is no such reduction. A stencil material, when present, blocks the aperture either partially or totally, thus diminishing the amount of deposit, while adding depth to the walls of the aperture, thus increasing coating deposit. The total volume of ink or coating deposited is thereby determined by the fabric thickness (the area of the screen/stencil that encompasses the image) minus the volume of the threads (or wires) within the image area. The coating ow through the mesh aperture is also affected by its viscosity and the operation of the squeegee.

2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Screen Printing

23-3

23.2.1 The Rotary Screen

In principle, the action of the cylindrical screen used in rotary screen printing is similar to that of at screens, in that the coating material ows through open areas perforating a thin printing plate. This differs, however, in the basic conguration, which is cylindrical rather than at. The ink or coating is pumped into the interior of the cylinder, which is sealed at either end by printing heads. Also positioned within the cylinder is the squeegee. The screen is composed (in one variation) of a seamless electroformed nickel mesh tube that then receives an emulsion coating for producing the patterned stencil. Other methods for producing rotary printing screens achieve similar results. Rotary screen printing has the advantage of continuous operation, without the intermittent sweep and return of the printing squeegee as in at printing. Thus, the opportunity to increase speed of production is presented, particularly for substrates printed on a web.1

23.3 The Stencil

The masking of open mesh, known generically as the stencil, serves to control the pattern or shape of coating deposit (and to a lesser degree, the thickness of deposit). A variety of masking materials and applications are available, from CAD-generated cut lms to photosensitive polymers and emulsions. Compatibility between the masking material and the ink or coating chemistry is necessary to preserve the stencil during printing. Film stencils are adhered to the substrate side of the printing screen, while liquid emulsions are coated onto both sides. Positive-image photo lm masters are then positioned on the screen prior to exposure of photosensitized masks. Exposed areas harden to form the mask, while unexposed portions are washed away in the development procedure. Where the stencil blocks a mesh aperture, the ink or coating material is prevented from ow-through to the substrate, whereas partial blocking only restricts deposition. In this way, imaging is achieved.

23.4 Dynamics of the Squeegee

The printing tool in screen printing is the squeegee, an instrument bearing some resemblance to the doctor blade used in gravure. However, the squeegee blade is much more exible, consisting in most cases of a high-density polyurethane elastomer, chosen for characteristic durability and solvent resistance. Other elastomers and rubber can also be used, depending on the application. In at screen printing, the squeegee makes intermittent and repetitive sweeps across the printing screen, thus forcing the uid coating into the empty apertures of the mesh, and then into contact with the substrate (with the aid of the exing of the screen). This action necessarily involves the application of force, applied in vertical (typically downward) and horizontal directions simultaneously; thus, the friction involved calls for wear resistance on the part of the blade. Because the blade is made of a exible elastomer, it also exes, which produces an angle of attack with the mesh, typically about 80 from horizontal. The properly tensioned screen has a force of several pounds per inch, more commonly expressed in newtons per centimeter, which resists the force of the squeegee. The ink or coating has a lesser force, dependent on its viscosity, which contributes to the hydraulic activity. Immediately following passage of the squeegee in the horizontal direction, the screen begins to separate from the substrate, and the coating shears away from the screen owing into deposition on the substrate. An additional tool, known as the oodbar, is a common component of automated atbed screen printing presses. This thin, wide, and relatively at metal bar passes in contact across the printing screen between squeegee print strokes, lling the open mesh with coating material. The ood stroke does not, however, exert sufcient pressure to cause the screen to ex into contact with the substrate. Therefore,

2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

23-4

Coatings Technology Handbook, Third Edition

no coating transfer out of the screen will take place. The ood stroke helps to ensure uniformity of the printing or coating application.

23.5 Coating Transfer

As a result of the application of the squeegee force, the mesh forms an area of contact with the substrate, and part of the ink or coating that lls the mesh aperture now adheres to the substrate. Cohesive forces within the viscous uid (now in columns) tend to hold the coating material together while it ows. As the squeegee passes, the exing mesh separates from the substrate, and shearing forces cause the uid to separate at the mesh. Even though the coating adheres to the aperture surfaces of the mesh, only a relatively small layer of material actually remains within the mesh, as the coating separates from itself in obedience to shearing forces, thus the relatively thick deposit of coating material achieved by the screen printing process. For proper ink or coating release from the screen, the rate of ink shearing must equal the speed of the printing squeegee and the rate of ink release from the mesh. Following transfer to the substrate, the ink or coating that has been released has a further tendency to ow, from a series of column-shaped deposits, into a more uniform layer. This spreading phenomenon is largely dependent on the viscosity of the material that has been printed, the amounts of coating material deposited, and the time that elapses until the coating begins to dry.2

23.6 Converting the Applied Coating

Because the majority of inks and coatings applied by the screen printing process are liquid or at least in a semiuid state, complete conversion of the end product requires a drying or curing process. Among the methods used to achieve a solid lm state are (from the slowest to the most rapid) evaporation, oxidation, catalytic curing, infrared radiation, ultraviolet radiation, and electron beam radiation. Each of these processes is most appropriate to specic coatings chemistries. In web systems and nonweb conveyorized systems, the speed of production depends not only on the ink or coating chemistry, but also on the stability of the substrate when under temperature (and other) conditions imposed by the conversion process, as well as the thickness of the applied coating lm. Factors such as surface reectivity, ambient humidity, and head absorption can also come into play.

23.7 Conclusion
The screen printing process is a unique method used for the application of inks or liquid coatings to a wide variety of substrate types, shapes, materials, and surfaces. It is easily adapted to the problem at hand, capable of depositing relatively thick wet lms in a short time in either a repetitive or continuous fashion. The process can be integrated with other production processes, whether specically related to graphic arts or otherwise. Applications may be practical (e.g., conductive printed circuitry) or decorative, pigmented or transparent, or nely detailed or broad in coverage. A comprehensive industry support system draws from the elds of photography, chemistry, industrial engineering, and manufacturing technology to provide a vast array of process variations and potential uses for this most exible of printing techniques.

References
1. M. Taylor, Automatic printing of textile yard goods, Technical Guidebook of the Screen Printing Industry N4. Fairfax, VA: Screen Printing Association International, 1981. 2. E. Messerschmitt, Screen Print. 72(10), (1982).

2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC