SCREEN PRINTING & DIGITAL | SUPPLIES, EQUIPMENT & SERVICE

BASIC Construction:

Multifilaments - a group of very fine threads twisted together. Weaving is limited to coarser fabrics, 20 threads per inch to 225 threads per inch.
Monofilaments - single strands of man-made fibers or metal mesh. Because of their uniform construction and tensil strength, they can be woven into finer screen printing fabrics up to 465 threads per inch.

 

Multifilament

Monofilament

The screen fabric should be selected for the specific type of product to be screen printed with consideration given to the ink. Three primary factors are important in the selection of screen printing fabrics:

1.Construction - Weave(plain, twill 2 or twill 3), thread diameter, type of filament.
2.Material - Polyester, nylon, stainless steel.
3.Mesh Opening - Mesh opening is the space between filaments(thread).

POLYESTER MULTIFILAMENT DACRON is woven with many very fine fibers twisted together, similar to silk (which is seldom used) but features more uniformity and extreme durability. Ideal for textile applications for better ink deposit and easier ink passage.

NYLON MONOFILAMENT fabrics used in screen printing are of monofilament construction. Therefore inks will not build up or cling to the singular smooth thread. A uniform print will result from fine mesh nylon using a wide variety of inks. It is most important to stretch this fabric very taut to maintain print registration and screen life. Nylon is excellent for rough and uneven surfaces.

POLYESTER MONOFILAMENT fabrics offer the same qualities and advantages of nylon with the additional feature of excellent registration due to its dimensional stability. Since this fabric has so little stretch it will not change size with varied temperature and humidity.

STAINLESS STEEL fabric (monofilament) is used exclusively for the ultimate in print registration. Although it is quite stable, it will stretch and is not resiliant, therefore a retensionable chase must be used. Stainless steel fabrics will deform and kink under pressure and mishandling.

METAL PLATED POLYESTER fabric is a new mesh made of metallized monofilament polyester threads and specially produced for screen printing. Highly desirable features include excellent adhesion of indirect stencil films; very good dimensional stability; high resistance to abrasion; high stability of the threads in the meshes (non-slip finish); anti-static and heatable (for printing with thermoplastic inks).