Chromaline Labs

Tools

Mick — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:43:48 +0000

Tools

So you got this job that requires a stencil thickness of 10 microns. How do you know if the stencil is going to work? Put your eye as close as possible to it? Scratch it with your fingernail? Just put it on the press an hope for the best?

A controlled stencil is extremely important for any type of printing, but it is extremely important for printing membrane switches or fine halftones. You have to know what the stencil looks like down to the thread of the mesh. To do this microscopes, rz meters, tensometers, and micrometers are needed to insure print accuracy is consistant. Just touching the screen doesn’t cut it.These tools can be expensive but worth every penny. With these tools tracking print consistancy and quality is easy. (And I like easy!) Mick

Summer time

Mick — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:43:29 +0000

Man, it’s humid! You know, if you are hot and sweaty,
chances are your screens are breaking down. Maybe your inkjet positive are
sticking to the bottom of your screen after exposure. When you try to remove it
the black stays on the screen. The screen will process ok, but the positive is
destroyed. So how can you stop this from happening? Unfortunately, you can’t
completely get rid of the problem. You can only make it a little more
tolerable. Try one or all of these suggestions. 1. Reduce the vacuum on your exposure
unit. If it’s set at 25 lbs. reduce to 15 to 20 lbs. 2. Use Printer’s talc or
corn starch, put it a cloth bag and lightly tap it onto the screen right before
you attach the inkjet positive. 3. Get a good dehumidifier. 4. Completely dry
both the ink jet positives and screens before exposing. 4. This one is really
crazy, but it works really well. Use Saran Wrap or something similar between
the screen and the ink jet positive. If you can get 1 or 2 mil polyethylene this will
work even better. You may have to try a combination of these suggestions to get
through this hot, humid summer. Mick

Good Screen, Bad Screen

Mick — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:42:50 +0000

It isn’t really a matter of a good screen going bad, as much as a bad screen being used. Bad screens are just…bad. If allowed onto the press they affect print quality. Print quality can be broken down into a couple areas. Such as: resolution, and ink deposit. However, one area that is over-looked in many shops is repeatability. It’s important if you ever have to repeat a job. You should always know what mesh is used, and the tension. What emulsion is used, the EOM, and the exposure. It’s also not a bad idea to know what press it is to be printed on. If you aren’t making good screens consistantly, repeatability is impossible. That means, in the big picture, even a good screens are bad. Mick

The “10% when 80%” Rule…

Mick — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 17:55:47 +0000

Finally! Summer is here. Warm weather, green grass, golf and fishing, fun in the sun, as long as you are on vacation,that is. For a screen maker summer weather usually means more stencil problems. Why so? you say. Summer weather as nice as it is, also increases the humidity. Humidity can cause a stencil to breakdown. An easy fix is to increase the exposure time by 10% when humidity is over 80%. This will also increase the stencil durability. Give it a try. Mick

Introduction to Inertia Interruption…

Parnell Thill — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 16:19:47 +0000

Welcome to Chromaline Labs. Our intent is to use this blog as way to communicate about our progress, our excitement, our successes, our frustration, our trajectory toward changing the way screen printing stencil products perform. We’re in the midst of building real momentum in the realm of product development and we realize that the best products are those engineered to address real, practical, on-the-ground challenges, and are not just a showcase for technical prowess. Indeed, the landscape of product development is littered with the wreckage of technically interesting products born in a laboratory without a corresponding commercial imperative.

Our R&D personnel, sales team and technical personnel will use this space to communicate particularly, and with regularity, about the ways in which Chromaline Labs is addressing such practical challenges. And, humbly, we recognize we need input from the marketplace. So, join the discussion. We look forward to hearing from you.

-parnell