What should brand pay attention to when choosing silicone printing materials

What should brand pay attention to when choosing silicone printing materials?
Key points for selecting printing materials
1. Types and characteristics of silicone inks
Environmental protection is prioritized:
Choose food-grade silicone inks that comply with EU REACH, US CPSC and other standards, avoid harmful substances such as phthalates and heavy metals, and ensure skin contact safety (especially infant clothing).
Curing method matching:
Room temperature curing (RTV): suitable for small batch production, flexible operation, but long curing time (24-48 hours), poor weather resistance.
Heat curing (HTV): Rapid curing through high temperature (120-180℃), strong adhesion, resistant to washing and friction, suitable for industrial production.
Feel and hardness control:
The Shore A hardness of silicone ink is usually between 20-60:
20-30A: soft and delicate, suitable for close-fitting clothing (such as T-shirts, underwear);
40-60A: strong three-dimensional sense, suitable for scenes that require wear resistance such as coats, luggage, etc.
Color and covering power:
Light-colored clothing can choose transparent or light-colored silicone ink, and dark-colored clothing needs to use high-covering white or colored ink to avoid the base color from showing through. Some brands will add fluorescent and pearlescent pigments to enhance the visual effect, but the compatibility of pigments and silicone needs to be tested.
2. Suitability of clothing fabrics
Cotton/blended fabrics: Silicone ink has good adhesion, but it should be noted that the thermal curing temperature should not exceed 150℃ to avoid yellowing or shrinkage of the fabric.
Chemical fiber/nylon fabrics: Choose low-hardness silicone (≤30A) to prevent cracking after multiple washings; control the high-temperature curing below 120℃ to avoid fabric melting.
Elastic fabrics (such as spandex): elastic silicone ink (elongation ≥300%) is required to ensure that the LOGO stretches with the fabric without breaking.
3. Selection of auxiliary materials
Diluent and curing agent:
Silicone ink needs to be added with curing agent in proportion (the environmentally friendly platinum curing agent is usually added in a ratio of 2:100), and products that match the ink brand should be selected to avoid incomplete curing or excessive hardening. Special silicone diluent should be used as diluent to prevent abnormal ink viscosity from affecting the printing effect.
Isolation film and transfer paper:
When using PET isolation film for transfer, it is necessary to ensure that the film surface is smooth and free of impurities to avoid burrs on the edges of the LOGO; transfer paper should choose high temperature resistant (≥180℃) release paper to prevent damage to the pattern when tearing the film.