Silk screen printing silicone treatment of textiles is a complex and delicate process. The following are detailed step-by-step instructions:
1. Material preparation
Choose silicone: Silk screen printing silicone for clothing is a two-component silicone rubber, which requires A and B materials to be mixed before use. Make sure that the purchased silicone meets the requirements of textile printing and has good adhesion and wear resistance.
Thinner and color paste: Prepare appropriate amounts of thinner (such as crude benzene or pure toluene) and color paste as needed. Thinner is used to adjust the consistency of silicone, and color paste is used to color silicone.
2. Screen production and adjustment
Choose a screen: Choose a suitable screen according to the fineness of the printed pattern. Usually, the mesh count of the screen is more commonly used between 80 and 120.
Scrape the screen: Use a thick plate photosensitive glue to scrape 4 to 5 times, ensuring that the thickness of the photosensitive glue is between 0.1mm and 0.3mm, depending on the actual thickness of the sample. Scrape the screen evenly to avoid missing scrapes or scratches.
Screen cleaning: Before printing, clean the screen with diluent or oil water to ensure that the surface of the screen is clean and free of impurities.
3. Silicone blending
Mixed silicone: Mix A and B silicone in a certain ratio (such as 100:2). Note that you should stir well when mixing to avoid bubbles or uneven mixing.
Adding diluent: Add an appropriate amount of diluent as needed to adjust the consistency of the silicone. The addition ratio of diluent is generally 1:1 to 1:1.5, which is adjusted according to the thickness of the line and the thickness of the print.
Adding color paste: If coloring is required, add an appropriate amount of color paste to the silicone (the amount is generally 5%~8%) and stir it well.
4. Printing operation
Pour the adjusted silicone on the screen, and gently push the screen with a squeegee to ensure that the silicone is evenly distributed on the screen.
Scrape: Use a squeegee to scrape the screen with appropriate force and speed to transfer the silicone to the textile. When scraping, keep the angle of the squeegee and the screen consistent to avoid missing or reprinting.
Glue filling: During the printing process, if you need to add silica gel, you can add a little diluent or adjusted textile silica gel to the screen every 5 to 10 minutes to increase the leveling of silica gel and prevent caking from affecting the printing effect.
5. Drying and curing
Natural drying: After printing, let the textile dry naturally at room temperature for 6 to 10 minutes. If you need to speed up the drying speed, you can appropriately increase the room temperature or use auxiliary equipment such as fans.
Baking and curing: Put the dried textiles into the oven for baking and curing. The baking temperature is generally between 120 and 160 degrees Celsius, and the baking time is determined according to the type of silica gel and the material of the textile. After baking, let the textile cool naturally to room temperature.
6. Subsequent processing
Cleaning the screen: After each printing, clean the screen with a diluent or oil water to ensure that the surface of the screen is clean and free of residue. After cleaning, place the screen in a ventilated place to dry naturally for the next use.
Quality inspection: Perform quality inspection on the printed textiles to ensure that the pattern is clear, there is no missing printing, no reprinting, no bubbles and other defects. If there are unqualified products, they should be reworked or scrapped in time.
Precautions
Safety first: Pay attention to safety during operation to avoid silicone splashing into the eyes or mouth. If accidentally splashed, rinse with plenty of water immediately and seek medical attention.
Environmental protection requirements: Choose environmentally friendly silicone and diluents to reduce the impact on the environment. At the same time, do a good job in waste disposal to avoid environmental pollution.
Equipment maintenance: Regularly maintain and maintain the printing equipment to ensure that the equipment is in good working condition.
Through the detailed description of the above steps, I believe you can better master the methods and technical points of textile silk screen silicone treatment.