Screen Printing

Introduction

In a country like India which has rich heritage and culture ,where most traditional methods are followed to accomplish any work and printing is one such work which has wide range of applications and also noting to the point that people have sticked on to printing manually since centuries which is a very labour consuming and tedious task. So to make life easier, simpler , sophisticated and to contribute to the nation through technological advancements we took up the task of establishing an automatic screen printing machine.

Materials Required for traditional method of screen printing

• UV light or sunlight
• Photo Emulsion
• Ink and squeegee
• Mesh
• Square wooden structure for screen
• Design/pattern to be printed
• Transparent sheet

Process

Step 1: Design Creation

In this step we make the pattern we want to print. It can be made digitally or by hand. The pattern should be compulsorily in black, as during exposure the light can't pass through that part having black color pattern. Then we take the print of this pattern on a transparent sheet for further use.

Fig [1].-Pattern we want to print

Step 2: Preparing the screen

We prepare a screen by using a fabric. Silk fabric is usually used for this but nowadays nylon and polyester are also being used. We tightly stretch the fabric on a square wooden structure . This is our screen.

Fig [2].-Wooden frame to hold the mesh

Fig [3].-Mesh used in the screen

Step 3: Applying the Emulsion

Photo emulsion is a liquid that undergoes a reaction when exposed to UV light that causes it to harden. Photo emulsion is applied on both sides of the mesh keeping in mind not to leave any gaps. This process is done in a dark room as photo emulsion is sensitive to light.

Fig [4].-Applying emulsion

Fig [5].-Exposing the emulsion

Step 4: Getting Pattern on Screen

Once the emulsion is dried press the pattern (previously printed on the transparent sheet) using a glass, on the mesh to ensure that the pattern is fixed at the required position. Now keep this in sunlight or use UV light in the labs , for 3-4 mins. A reaction occurs in which the exposed part of the emulsion becomes hard whereas the unexposed part is left soft which is then removed by scrubbing and washing(with water) the mesh. Now we have the pattern on our screen.

Fig [6].-Screen with pattern on it

Step 5: Printing

Place this mesh on the substrate to be printed at the desired position , apply a thick layer of ink of required color on the top of the screen. Squeegee is instrument used to drag the ink across the whole length of the screen , and we got the design on our substrate. Plastisol ink is one of the most commonly used screen printing ink type.

Fig [7].-Spreading ink with squeegee

Reference

Example 1- Youtube video : Channel name -Textile Vlog , Title of the video - Screen Printing A to Z , Date of publication -01/02/2021

[1]. https://youtu.be/JbmI92sRZKI

Example 2- Web page : Date of publication-01/05/2020 , Title of web page- What Is Screen Printing?

[2]. https://www.printmatics.com/what-is-screen-printing

Example 3- Youtube video : Channel name- Easy HomeMade Projects, Title of the video - How to Make a Conveyor Belt System at Home - Very Powerful , Date of publication-14/09/2020

[3]. https://youtu.be/o7VVmtX7SKs

Example 4-Youtube video : Channel name- THE GEAR, Title of the video - HOW TO MAKE mini Electric Elevator Lift Model diy - Science Experiment Puzzles Creative Innovation , Date of publication-25/01/2021

[4]. https://youtu.be/aupMPAvqqMc

Example 5- Web page : Title of web page: The Screen Printing Process

[5]. https://threadbird.com/resources/the-screen-printing-process

Example 6- Web page : Title of the page - What Is Screen Printing? How Does Screen Printing Work? , Date of publications - 10/07/2019

[6]. https://www.howtoheatpress.com/screen-printing/

Example 7-Youtube video : Title of the video-Arduino DC Motor Control Tutorial , Date of publication- 09/08/2017 , Channel name-How To Mechatronics

[7]. https://youtu.be/I7IFsQ4tQU8