As a functional printing material, screen printing silicone has shown significant advantages in industrial applications. Its core advantages can be summarized as follows:
1. Physical performance advantages
High flexibility and elasticity
After curing, screen printing silicone forms a soft elastomer with a bending radius of less than 1mm, which is suitable for curved and special-shaped substrates (such as mobile phone cases and wearable devices).
Case: The smart watch strap uses screen printing silicone to print logos, and there is no cracking after long-term bending.
Excellent adhesion
It has strong adhesion to metal, plastic (PC/ABS/PET), glass, ceramic and other substrates, and the peel strength is ≥10N/cm.
Comparison: The adhesion of traditional inks on PC materials is easy to decay, while screen printing silicone can maintain stability for more than 3 years.
Weather resistance and durability
Resistant to UV aging: After 500 hours of QUV accelerated testing, the color difference ΔE≤2 (not noticeable to the human eye).
Chemical corrosion resistance: It can withstand common solvents such as ethanol, isopropanol, sweat, and no dissolution after immersion for 24 hours.
Data: After the wear test (Taber 500g/1000 turns), the pattern retention rate is >95%.
2. Chemical performance advantages
Environmental protection and safety
Certified by RoHS, REACH, FDA, etc., it is free of halogen, phthalates and other harmful substances.
Application: Food contact grade silicone can be used for printing kitchen appliances (such as rice cooker panels).
Wide temperature range
Working temperature: -40℃~200℃, short-term temperature resistance can reach 250℃.
Case: The automotive engine compartment sensor logo uses silk screen silicone, which can withstand high temperature and high humidity environment for a long time.
Insulation performance
Volume resistivity>10¹⁴Ω·cm, dielectric strength>20kV/mm, suitable for high-voltage electronic component identification.
3. Process and cost advantages
High-precision printing capability
The minimum line width can reach 0.1mm, and the dot accuracy is >150LPI, which meets the needs of fine circuit identification.
Comparison: The resolution of traditional pad printing is usually ≤100LPI, and silk screen silicone is more suitable for high-precision applications.
Fast curing and efficient production
UV-curing silicone can be cured within 5 seconds, and thermal curing (150°C) only takes 10 minutes.
Efficiency: Single-line production capacity can reach 3,000 pieces/hour (mobile phone button printing).
Low comprehensive cost
Consumables cost is 40% lower than traditional IMD/IML process, and yield rate is >98%.
Maintenance: The life of the screen can reach 100,000 printings, reducing downtime.
IV. Design flexibility advantage
Multi-color and three-dimensional effect
Support CMYK+ spot color printing, which can achieve 3D touch effect (such as Braille buttons).
Case: Game controller buttons use silk screen silicone + luminous ink to enhance user experience.
Transparent and translucent characteristics
Light transmittance is >90%, and translucent buttons or light-guiding logos can be made.
Application: The backlight logo of the car display is printed with translucent silicone.
Functional integration
Conductive particles (silver/carbon) can be added to achieve touch function, or fluorescent agents can be added to achieve luminous effect.
5. Application scenario adaptability
Consumer electronics
Mobile phone/tablet shell decoration, headphone touch area printing, smart wearable device identification.
Automotive electronics
Dashboard backlight identification, car display button, sensor temperature resistance identification.
Medical equipment
Surgical instrument anti-slip handle, medical equipment operation panel, disinfectable identification.
Industrial control
Instrument anti-oil panel, heavy equipment warning sign, outdoor equipment weather-resistant sign.
Silk-screen silicone has become the preferred solution for identification and functional coating in the field of electronic products through its unique physical and chemical properties, high-precision process and design flexibility. Its core value lies in: achieving a balance between cost and efficiency while ensuring functionality. As electronic products develop towards thinness and multi-function, the application scenarios of silk-screen silicone will be further expanded.