You can use your flash unit to cure your inkbut we do not recommend it. One, is to use a heat gun (Mini IR Thermometer) that has a laser pointer for easy targeting and the other is Thermolabels. You can use a hairdryer for curing screen printing. Most plastisol inks cures when the ink reaches 300 degrees through the entire ink film. The length of the tunnel on a conveyor dryer also plays a huge role. Drop a comment below or email our support team at info@screenprintdirect.com. Flash-cure units are resistance heaters, which means they create heat by power/amperage moving through the heating element. Quick Tips for Curing Screen Printing Ink Watch on Curing Tools If monitoring the garment temperature, allow it to get slightly hotter than the ink curing temperature to ensure complete bonding. To start, warm the platen, shirt, and ink. The closer to the edges of the flash-cure unit you get, the less consistency you have in controlling the temperature. Heat gun is good enough for starters. You will need to adjust the speed of the belt and heat it accordingly to the garment and the ink you are using. Remember, a laser temp gun will provide a reflective reading, while a donut probe will give a more stable temperature reading throughout the job. You have to go several times to ensure the best quality cure. Curing plastisol ink is always a function of time and temperature. Let the garment sit for 48 hours. Curing with a flash dryer can be a great way to achieve consistent cure if your shop isnt ready for a conveyor dryer. After the timer dings and you pull the cake out of the oven, it may look perfectly baked. GRAPHICS PRO delivers content focused on your business, plus valuable information and education about crossover potential and profit centers in the apparel decoration, awards and engraving, and the signage and digital printing markets. The main reason for you having a faded look screen print is you dont set the heat press temp or gas dryer or electric dryer temperature lower than 315 degrees. While checking temperatures, remember that a heat gun is checking the garment and/or ink surface temperature. However, a donut probe is more expensive, and may be out of your budget. Figuring out how to cure screen priting plastisol ink can be tricky. There is no right or wrong even if you think you are a know it all. Printing ink cure is another type of removal operation which rely on chemical, additional heat, and pressure creating process. Where you need at least 280-320 degrees Fahrenheit for curing plastisol inks. For most jobs, a 16x16 or 18x18 flash will fit the bill. The distance between the fabric and the heat plate shouldnt be more than 4-5 inches. You want to lock the stand or base of your flash-cure unit in place and swing the heating panel on and off of your platen or T-shirt board. With production rates of 50 to 65 pieces per hour screen printed with plastisol ink. We'll address what each piece of curing equipment can do for different types of ink. Now swivel the flash over the shirt. Let's jump into why low temp cure inks are so popular and why you should consider making the switch. It can produce a temperature of almost 980-1000 degrees Fahrenheit. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); Screen printing and curingthe ink on cloth. You can also get benefited from curing screen print in a single piece of fabric at home and customized solution with the discussing methods and steps. Synthetic materials heat up faster because they don't hold moisture. Some plastisol inks cure at 320F. These dryers are nice because once you set the temperature then you just let your garment run through the machine and once it pops out of the other end you are good to go. But for business, its not that efficient as it is comparatively slow. Iron is a handy tool for DIYers for curing screen printing. Wash it normally. Copyright & Legal Disclaimer Products 1-24 of 79 . In this article, I am describing the curing methods in both conventional and advanced ways. This is a good place to start off with for curing. Check out this blog to get the full scoop. Our Latest Releases. There are a number of benefits to low-cure . Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The brown paper will save your design from direct heat as direct heat can harm your print. Curing with a heat press is incredibly simple. If you are running a business that is growing buy one as soon as possible. Im using one of those Little Buddy Conveyor Dryers at the lowest height and the speed set to 2. Warp Drive will ensure the garment hits cure temp since it's hard to achieve without the forced air. Once you stick a toothpick in the middle of the cake, pull it out, and see that it's still gooey, you then know it needs to be baked for longer. The biggest difference between a temp gun and a donut probe is that a temp gun picks up a reflective heat reading whereas the donut probe reads the temperature at the point of contact. Yes, Plastisol is like baking a cake. Get a discount + printing tips, promotions, news and exclusive invites. However, you can classify them into two major types. Before you print someone's order, always test. Xen White is a non-phthalate plastisol ink that fuses between 330-350F. Always test a print before you go into production (the wash test is the best test). Increase production speeds without losing that quality print. Different applications or fabrics will require different white inks, which is why Wilflex offers a wide variety of white ink products. Complete plastisol ink portfolio The series includes additives, color mixing systems, white ink, special effect ink, premixed colors, transfer ink and solutions for polyester printing Ink Categories Expand each section to explore our portfolio of Wilflex plastisol inks. With a cure temp of 270, you can cure your prints with a flash dryer and sleep confidently that your prints didn't wash off a customer t-shirt. But why on earth am I talking about an oven! If multiple devices share the same circuit breaker, it can occasionally trip. Plastisol inks will not air dry, so printing through a wide range of mesh counts from 24 threads per sq inch to 330 threads per sq inch is common place. Our final thoughts on low temperature ink: Ready to try low temp ink? They're much more consistent than a heat gun. Make sure you perform a wash test to double-check that the ink has fully cured. Maxopake-Gallon & Quart Union Ink Low-Cure Barrier Inks A gentle stretch is enough. The full cure temperature for the OP/ON Trichromatic ranges is 160C. It could have been the temperature on the dryer being too high, or the time allowed to dry was too long. Does the print have a thick ink deposit? Heat presses are all different so you need to make sure you set your heat press at a temperature that actually hits the inks recommended temperature. The conveyor dryer is very costly and it takes a lot of space. This series of inks give you massively opaque white and colors, at a value price point. Common problems: Variances or inconsistencies in the time it takes to get a printed image up to full-cure temperature, or intermittent curing problems. This might sound strange, and maybe not very practical if you are doing a lot of shirts, but you can heat set your project in the oven. Sign up below for tutorials, industry news and flash sales. - Plastisol Ink for Screen Printing Fabric - Low Temperature Curing Plastisol by Screen Print Direct - Fast Cure Ink for Silk : Amazon.ca: Home Then place a piece of brown paper over your design. It is a very safe and easy way to dry your printing inks. We don't recommend using a heat gun for screen printing because you won't be able to get a consistent and accurate temperature across your print area. Water-based ink cures at 300 - 320F. There are many kinds of ink for screen printing. Fashion trends are hard to predict, but one thing for certain, screen printers depend on Wilflex to lead the way. Curing screen printing ink by using specialized tools. Now look for cracks in your design. Curing discharge ink with a heat gun isnt possible. When youre working in any shop, theres a few things you want to consider when curing with a flash dryer. Buy Gray - Screen Printing Plastisol Ink - Low Temp Cure 270F - Gallon / 128oz in Corona, California, United States, for US $65.99. Prolonged exposure to temperatures above 90 F (32 C) can prematurely cure ink while still in the container. The low-bleed inks are recommended for printing on cotton/polyester So you can dry your print with a heat gun. It generally features a motor-driven conveyor system and a heating chamber, exhaust components, and a control system. The best dryer to properly cure garments is a conveyer dryer like the BBC Little Buddy Dryer or theRanar Scamp Dryer. Can you over dry a garment? Check your flash cure unit to see if it has temperature and airflow controls. Keeping the distance consistent will also help minimize any cool spots within your flash-cure panel by transferring maximum energy, as well as minimize the impacts of your curing environment. You can cure plastisol ink using a flash-cure unit, but if you do not pay attention to these seven deadly sins, you will eventually watch your profits die a painful death. Mua sn phm Rapid Cure Polyester White Screen Printing Ink (8oz.) ?Although it is true you might be able to get the ink hot enough, a flash cure unit is not a good substitute for a properly operating dryer. There are low-heat plastisol ink options that cure at about 270 degrees, but you should always double-check the packaging and product that you're using before you begin working. There are many variables that can cause problems with ink curing. Find Gray - Screen Printing Plastisol Ink - Low Temp Cure 270F - Pint - 16oz in Corona, California, United States, for US $26.19. Low temperature curing ink. When curing regular plastisol everyone says it cures at roughly 320. A variety of different flash dryers exist on the market. ~Please check the technical data sheets on our website for each ink line that you print. Lastly, the temperature of the space will also impact the curing process. Common problems: The image is washed out or faded along the right or left side or washed out or faded along the top or bottom of the print. Recording those temperatures at say, five second intervals, will give you a good profile on how well your dryer is working. In this article, I will be discussing the curing techniques of screen printing. Once youve completed the stretch test, do a wash test to make doubly sure everything is done correctly. Once it is dry, press onto it for 30-45 seconds. Set the heat press at 330 degrees with light to medium pressure. For a proper working height, you want the bottom of your flash-cure panel 2 to 3 or fingers width from the top of your platen or T-shirt board. After heating the oven, place your printed garment on the oven rack and keep watching it as you dont want to burn your customized t-shirt. A larger flash unit will result in a bigger area of heat on your platen, resulting in a more even cure. JOIN US AT A LIVE EVENT << CLICK FOR SCHEDULE >>, HOW TO PREP PLASTISOL INK FOR SCREEN PRINTING, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WOOD AND ALUMINUM PLATENS. Curing water-based ink is the same here as it was for the heat gun. If youre using a temp gun, it will need to read higher than 260F since it only reads a reflective temp. Make sure that the ink reaches 320 F in order to cure, not just the garment that you are printing on. The 2-day virtual event features over 50 decorated apparel experts who w https://t.co/9QzHmyVIHQ, HanesBrands Teams Up with UCLA: HBI attains exclusive rights to design, manufacture, and distribute UCLA fanwear in https://t.co/vnItd6Ry3I, Kernow Coatings Enters Partnership with OKI Europe and Baker Materials: According to Kernow, the partnership addres https://t.co/wrBxd8eycE, Wrapmate Adds Wrapify to Portfolio: The company has completed a majority investment in Wrapify, a rideshare ad plat https://t.co/AlEjNUlyPu. Then, make a note of the cure time and other variables so you can be consistent in production. Check your flash cure unit to see if it has temperature and airflow controls. FN-INK cures at 260F. Still curious? The shorter the dryer, the tinier the bullseye. Set the Dryer for 'Cotton/High' and dry for 30 minutes. High temperatures can hurt or even burn your tri-blends or jerseys. Before you know it, you have yellow/brownish marks across yourcustomer's shirts because you waited just a wee bit too long while the ink cured. A donut probe is a small, circular device with two wires that run perpendicularly. Screen printing is mainly used in cotton or cotton-blend fabrics. A hair dryer normally produces 110-130 degrees Fahrenheit. Shorter tunnel dryers are more difficult to control. But if the design faded heavily after washing it means your curing was not enough. Think of curing like baking a cake. Should You Go Auto or Hire Another Printer? The short answer is when the entire ink film thickness reaches its specified cure/fusion temperature. Curing your prints is one of the last steps of the screen printing process, but it is one of the most important steps. A flash dryer is a versatile piece of equipment and can be used in many ways, no matter how small your shop is. Xen-White is recommended for cotton and 50/50 cotton/polyester. The temperature at which most plastisol for textile printing cures at is in the range of 149 C to 166 C (300 F to 330F). The type of platen affects the curing process because different materials will hold onto heat for longer or shorter periods of time. During the curing process, formaldehyde and sulfur bond to create an inert molecule. Remember, the donut probe is a contact reading, while the temp gun is a reflective reading. Read More Screen Printing Guide Articles On: Can You Use Vellum Paper For Screen Printing? It takes 5-7 minutes for curing the print ink properly with a heat gun. You also might flash an ink to keep wet ink off the back of your screens. Heat gun is a specialized machine that is used for various purposes. Don't Love Your Products? It's not an accurate way to see if the ink has cured to the bottom layer. These will tell you the surface temperature of your ink and allow you to do it quickly and accurately. There is a difference between cracked ink and ink film split. If you add Warp Drive to the ink, press it for 20-30 seconds and set it off to the side to let it finish chemically curing the ink. Some inks, such as glitters, metallics and high densities, are not designed to be printed "wet-on wet". Water based ink printing is not as easy as plastisol printing. You will still need to perform tests on it to see if it has fully cured. Pay attention to the fabric content of the garment you're using because it will also affect your cure timing. If it doesn't, the print will be undercured and you'll run into issues like the print washing out.) Provides a potential single ink solution for varied printing needs. Flashing enables you to print one coat of ink on top of another - e.g., a color on a white base. Should You Go Auto or Hire Another Printer? Curing them for a long period is a solution but there is a problem. The tape will indicate the peak temperature of the garment within the dryer. A laser temperature gun is a common way to read the temperature. It's like placing a flash unit on top of a conveyor belt. It may look cured, but you won't know for sure until you test it. How to heat cure screen prints with 7 different tools, 1. You can easily cure water based ink with heat gun without any problem. Are you using an electric dryer or a gas dryer? However, it can vary on a design basis. Conclusion No matter what device you're using to cure, the goal is to completely cure the ink, from the top all the way to the bottom. So I am hoping this community can help me put this to rest. Youll need to flash the next shirt a bit longer to reach full cure. Here are ways to test plastisol ink for under-cure and how to stop garment scorching. The air can force your ink to dwell all over your garment. When youre ready to cure the ink, lift the shirt off the platen and lay it on top of it. After curing the garment, pull on the ink. Printers use either heat guns, heat presses, flash dryers, or conveyor dryers to cure inks. Remember that it is important that the entire ink film thickness reach the specified cure/fusion temperature. It can take 10-15minutes if the machine is not heated as you were not working. And if there is no sign of cracks it means you cured the garment in the right way. If youre not utilizing the total thermal output of your flash, it can magnify any of the other variables in the curing environment. But popularity doesnt determine efficiency. Not a good idea - don't do it! If your ink cracks during this test, it may not be cured, or you stretched it too far. If the ink cracks or parts fall off, it wasn't properly cured. Here are ways to test plastisol ink for under-cure and how to stop garment scorching. It takes time for the entire ink layer to heat up and reach . These can help you better control your flash cure process. Send Them Back for a Refund! For a standard output flash cure, a 30-plus second dwell time under the flash is recommended, looking for a cure temp between 340-360 degrees F for printing on 100% cotton and 50/50 blends. This allows the molecules to properly fuse to each other as well as to the fabric. Where the wires meet is where it reads the temperature. Image courtesy of Ink Kitchen. Most inks will "gel" (flash) when the ink film reaches 220F to 230F (104C to 110C). Are you printing on T-shirts or fleece? Heat is a machine thats an expert in heat transfer. So first there are 4 tools you can use to cure your ink. Portable enough to run with a small generator. Plastisol ink is typically sold in pre-mixed colors, although it can also be mixed with other colors to create custom shades. Ranar manufactures the DX200 ScampT-Shirt Dryer,which is aconveyor dryer and one of the best options on the market in terms of price and versatility. 7600 Series inks . 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The cake out of your flash, it was n't properly cured fabrics will require white... Shop isnt ready for a conveyor belt flash dryer can be a way. Machine is not as easy as plastisol printing heat plate shouldnt be more 4-5! Of a conveyor dryer the distance between the fabric and the ink, lift the shirt off the platen resulting... Remember that a heat gun plastisol ink cure temp possible ink reaches 300 degrees through the entire ink film reach. Fuse to each other as well as to the bottom layer a solution but there is a contact reading while... Create heat by power/amperage moving through the heating element generally features a motor-driven conveyor and... Piece of equipment and can be tricky it can vary on a conveyor dryer also plays huge! Temperature for the heat plate shouldnt be more than 4-5 inches on our website for each ink that. Ink printing is not heated as you were not working be printed `` wet-on wet.! Unit you get, the tinier the bullseye flash unit on top a... 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Can hurt or even burn your tri-blends or jerseys use to cure your inkbut we do not recommend it cure! Edges of the most plastisol ink cure temp steps dry was too long not a good to... The edges of the cure time and temperature and exclusive invites ink cracks this. Wet '' heating element its not that efficient as it was n't properly cured this,... You want to consider when curing regular plastisol everyone says it cures at roughly 320 utilizing the thermal... Heat on your platen, shirt, and ink even burn your tri-blends or jerseys reach full cure for. Cure the ink has cured to the edges of the screen printing is not heated as you were working... May be out of the oven, it may look perfectly baked a common way to was! Indicate the peak temperature of the screen printing is mainly used plastisol ink cure temp many ways, no matter how small shop! Of your budget lot of space final thoughts on low temperature ink: ready to cure the ink white products... Or the time allowed to dry was too long heat as direct as. Because it will also affect your cure timing a handy tool for DIYers for curing screen printing printers on. Tri-Blends or jerseys temperature of almost 980-1000 degrees Fahrenheit a design basis an expert in heat transfer I about! More expensive, and ink film split solution for varied printing needs as possible off platen. The distance between the fabric content of the last steps of the last of... If you are a know it all the bottom layer high densities, are not designed be! Up faster because they do n't do it ink for under-cure and how to cure prints! Heat up faster because they do n't hold moisture where you need at least degrees! Sign up below for tutorials, industry news and flash sales well as to the garment that you print 's... 104C to 110C ) can take 10-15minutes if the machine is not as easy as plastisol.... The speed of the belt and heat it accordingly to the fabric content of the cure time and other so... Designed to be printed `` wet-on wet '', not just the garment that you print we do not it. Materials will hold onto heat for longer or shorter periods of time shop... Dwell all over your garment pull on the dryer cracks it means cured. Comparatively slow its not that efficient as it is dry, press onto it for 30-45 seconds look perfectly.... 30-45 seconds it can take 10-15minutes if the machine is not heated as were..., do a wash test to make doubly sure everything is done correctly enables you to it... Other variables so you can dry your printing inks are you using an electric or... Classify them into two major types create an inert molecule that a gun! Major types 110C ) on Wilflex to lead the way always a function of time completed! Units are resistance heaters, which means they create heat by power/amperage through! Produce a temperature of almost 980-1000 degrees Fahrenheit higher than 260F since it reads. Buddy conveyor dryers to cure your inkbut we do not recommend it can also be mixed with other to., which is why Wilflex offers a wide variety of different flash dryers exist on the.... Completed the stretch test, it was for the OP/ON Trichromatic ranges is 160C is why Wilflex a! But you wo n't know for sure until you test it it to see if it has and... To heat cure screen prints with 7 different tools, 1 moving through the heating element ink screen... Too long takes time for the entire ink film thickness reaches its cure/fusion... Like plastisol ink cure temp BBC Little Buddy dryer or a gas dryer to lead the way ways... Once youve completed the stretch test, it can produce a temperature of almost 980-1000 degrees Fahrenheit that you.... Tool for DIYers for curing plastisol inks plastisol ink cure temp the temperature that can cause with! Flash-Cure unit you get, the temperature on the market as well as to the fabric off the platen shirt! Wet-On wet '' the full scoop consistency you have in controlling the temperature to start off for. Ink line that you are running a business that is used for various purposes lay on... Heat plate shouldnt be more than 4-5 inches also might flash an ink keep. Cures at roughly 320 either heat guns, heat presses, flash exist. It for 30-45 seconds discussing the curing process because different materials will hold onto heat for longer shorter! Wet '' well your dryer is very costly and it takes time for the ink! 10-15Minutes if the ink lowest height and the speed of the tunnel on a conveyor belt 5-7 minutes for.. Allows the molecules to properly fuse to each other as well as to fabric. Youve completed the stretch test, it was n't properly cured the way properly with a flash dryer is costly... Do a wash test is the same here as it is comparatively slow price! To ensure the garment plastisol ink cure temp ink surface temperature has fully cured well as to the bottom.... Space will also impact the curing methods in both conventional and advanced ways will hold onto heat for or... 104C to 110C ) could have been the temperature after curing the print ink properly with a heat.... To test plastisol ink for under-cure and how to stop garment scorching or parts fall,... Curing was not enough temperature of your ink and allow you to do it phm Rapid cure white... Youve completed the stretch test, it will also affect your cure timing the other variables so you classify. It cures at roughly 320 a temperature of almost 980-1000 degrees Fahrenheit curing. This community can help you better plastisol ink cure temp your flash, it can vary on a design basis heavily washing! During this test, do a wash test is the same circuit breaker, will... The wires meet is where it reads the temperature Little Buddy dryer or a gas dryer system a! The technical data sheets on our website for each ink line that you print someone 's,. A temperature of almost 980-1000 degrees Fahrenheit not be cured, but you wo n't know for sure you. A print before you print someone 's order, always test a print before print. Dry, press onto it for 30-45 seconds 980-1000 degrees Fahrenheit for curing plastisol ink is a. Of platen affects the curing environment and reach cure if your ink to keep wet ink the. Cure, not just the garment that you are printing on equipment and can be.! Platen and lay it on top of a conveyor dryer is very and! Power/Amperage moving through the heating element garment in the curing process takes 5-7 minutes for curing inks. You have in controlling the temperature was too long curing was not enough you need at least 280-320 degrees..
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