UV-screen printing

seminar

by
Gerhard Löffler
For
Screenprint Co. MultiNr, Romania on 19. 1. 2005
 Contents

1.0 Preface
2.0 Chemical structure
3.0 Process of polymerisation
4.0 UV-curing-systems
5.0 Printquality-check
6.0 Safety
7.0 Trouble-Shooting
1.0 Preface

• New development in the early 70`ies

• Research of chemicals to reduce or eliminate
solvents in printing inks
• R&D of first row-materials for UV-printing inks
• legal requirements by law/safety of
employees
 Regarding

• First UV-printing-inks in the early 80`ies

• Marabu present their first UV-Screen-printing-
inks in 1988.
1.1 UV-screen-printing-inks
first applications

• Container printing
• Labels
• Highgloss laquers
2.0 Chemical structure
Technical specfications

• Curing in millisecounds
• = high productionrates
• compact and small UV-curing-stations
• = development of full-color-machines
with an low requirement of space
 2.0 Chemical structure
Technical specfications

• very high chemical and mechanic

resistance
• print-ready adjustment =ready for use
• perfect mesh opening
• perfect color stable
• high block resistance
 2.0 Chemical structure
Technical specfications

• High glossgrade
• In-line-processing
• No solvents = no pollution of the
working-area-air
• = no air-pollution-problems with the
laws for enviremental-protections
2.0 Chemical structure
Technical specfications

• lower risk for the health

• clean process
• economical advantages
• UV- technology in all industrial printing
processes
• but complex technology
2.1 Basics UV-radiation
• What is UV-radiation ?
• Spectrum of electromagnetic wave-lengths
100 nm 1400 nm
X-rays UV visible light infra-red

UV-C UV-B UV-A

100 nm - 280 nm -315nm ---------420nm

2.2 Chemical stucture
on UV- inks
UV-ink conventionell
solvent ink

additives additives

pigments/extender pigments/extender

monomers solvents

photo-initiators hardener
oligomers/
resins
prepolymers
2.3 Chemical structures

• all chemical structures will be

completley fixed
• printed inkfilm are the same as the
cured inkfilm
2.3 Chemische Grundlagen

• Curing of the printed ink film

UV

~ 12 µm ~ 12 µm

substrate substrate substrate

2.3 Chemische Grundlagen

• composing of a UV-Screen-printing-ink
monomers UV-photo-initiators synergists

UV-Screen-printing-ink
prepolymers/oligomers inhibitors/additves

pigments/extender/mattpastes
3.0 Curingprocess on
UV-Screen printing inks
• UV-exposure have the energy to start
up the reaction
• Forming on “free radicals”
• Chain reaction begins
• Polymerization of the inkfilm
• Complex chemical reaction finished,
strong chemical network
UV-Curing printed
inkfilm

° monomers
R
• photo-initiators
R R R prepolymers
UV-curing

UV-ligth excites inkfilm

photo-initiators break off
R
and forming off
R R  “free radicals”

° monomers
• photo-initiators
R prepolymers
• free radicals
 UV-curing polymerization

v  Chainreaction starts up
 Polymerization off the
R R
R  ink film

° monomers
• photoinitiators
R prepolymeres
• free radicals
 UV-curing

v  chemical reaction
 finished
R R
R  strong chemical
 network
 pure adhesive ink-
° UV Monomer  adhesion
• Photoinitiator
R Präpolymere
3.0 UV-curing process

• Qualtiy off UV-curing are directly

responsible for the complex process of
curing
• cured inkfilm are a complete new
chemical structure
3.1 Post-curing effect

• period of time to finish the

polymerization after the UV-exposure
without the influence of UV-light
• Depends on UV-ink-system
• Varition on raw materials, monomers,
substrate applications and
characteristics on the inkfilm
3.2 Post-curing effect

• Process are normally completed

after 12-24 hours
• chemical und mechanic stress
resistances should be tested after
this period
4.0 UV-curingsystems

• Reflectorsystems
Focus, halffocus, multifocus, diffus,
Dichroid
• UV-Lamps
80-300 W/cm, medium-pressure-
Mercury-Vapour Lamps
• coolingsystems
 4.1 UV-curingsystems
• focus-system: focuspoint 25 mm
 4.2 UV-curingsystems
• halffocus-system: focuspoint 37 mm
temp. - 20 %
4.3 UV-curingsystems
• Multifocus-system: more focuspoints
temp. - 40 %
low power
4.4 UV-curingsystems
• not focussed (nitrogen dryer)
no focuspoint
low temperature
.
4.5 UV-curingsystems

• Focus-System with IR absorption

Dichroic reflector system
4.6 UV-Curingsystems

• Coolingsystems
Air-cooling-system
(inside or outside of the reflector)
Water-cooling-system
(inside or outside of the refelctor)
4.7 UV-curing-systems

• Heat production must be controlled

Controlled, but not eliminated
Chemical reactions are general accelerated by
heat
5.0 Control of the printing quality

• 3 main variables in UV-screen printing

• UV-curing system
• UV-screen printing ink
• substrate
5.1 Control of the printing quality

• UV-curing system
Lamps (1 or 2 UV-Lamps)
power consumption (in Watt/cm)
counter for run-hours
( in general about 1000 hours, vary from
maintence and cleaning, reflectorsystem- and
type, manufactorer and quality, cooling system
5.2 Control of the printing quality

• ink application
condition: even and regular ink application
screen frame: form und profil/wall
strengthness, select for high screen tension
(>18 N/cm)
Slope-profile reduces delay of frame
5.3 Control of the printing quality

• screen
condition:
High-tech screens with 140 up to 180
threads/cm for high screen tensions
(>18 N/cm) “S”- (small) threads facilitate a
optimized easy ink-flow
2/2 coatings with IR-drying
or Direct/Indirect system
5.4 Control of the printing quality

• print-squeegee
condition:
o o
hardness between 75 and 85 Shore A
o
squeegee degree ca. 70
5.5 Control of the printing quality

• squeegee pressure
condition:
princip of “kiss-printing”
in general; less pressure as possible and
just enough for a perfect printresult
5.6 Control of the printing quality

• Substrate:
big influence for the print result:
depending from
kind of material (PE, PP, PC)
thickness/flexibility/sensitivness
color/surface
Pre-treatment/printing-machine
6.0 Test methods at the ink film

• Adhesion and scratch resistence

generall diffrences
Tackniness of the ink film*
Fingernail - scratch test*
Adhesive tape test with Scotch- or tape
6.1 Safety when working with UV
screen printing inks

• UV-inks only cure under the exposure of

UV-light
Precautions; wear impermeable gloves,
aprons or working coats, wash seperatly
Personal hygiene; never wash your hands
with screen cleaning agents, use only soap
and water
wear glasses when cleaning screens
Spilled ink should be removed immediately
7.0 Trouble-Shooting

• Adhesion and scratch-resistance

• Pre-treatment on critical substrates

• Over-curing/color scale
Expierences
 Marabu
Thank You