How to Properly Dry a Screen With a Screen Printer Dryer

How to Properly Dry a Screen With a Screen Printer Dryer

A screen printer dryer is an essential piece of equipment for most print shops.screen printer dryer It takes the emulsion that is coated on your screens and transforms it into a stencil to produce the printed image on your garments. The process of drying a screen isn’t complicated, but it requires attention to a few common procedures and conditions that must be met in order to achieve the best results. In this article, Chromaline’s Technical Guru Mick Orr walks us through the factors that lead to a properly dried screen.

The first step in getting a good screen is to coat the screen correctly.screen printer dryer It is important to note that a poorly coated screen will have a negative impact on the quality of your prints. This is because the emulsion that has been applied to the screen will not dry completely during the exposure process, resulting in a weak stencil. In order to avoid this, it is important to follow the recommendations of the emulsion manufacturer when coating your screens.

Another factor in the process of drying a screen is the environmental conditions.screen printer dryer It is important to use a screen drying room that is free of contamination and has the proper temperature and humidity in order to speed up the process and make it more effective. Often times, large screen printing companies will utilize climate controlled rooms that are airtight to accelerate the drying process and provide the proper conditions. However, these rooms can cause problems because the fans used to move the air around the screens also push dust, dirt and other debris on the screens and can leave them with unsightly marks that can affect printing results.

In addition to the environment, the type of ink you are printing with will also affect your choice of screen printing dryer. Typically, the industry standard Plastisol based and hybrid PVC free inks will cure best with infra red heat, which is why most production sized electric conveyor dryers are designed for curing Plastisol ink. Water based inks and discharge (used for DTG) can also be cured in these same types of dryers, but it is important to remember that the production capacity will drop significantly.

Gas dryers are an option for larger production volumes and require a significant investment to purchase, but they offer a much more efficient heat source than an electric dryer, as well as a high curing capacity. However, the upfront cost and maintenance requirement of a gas dryer makes it a solution only for those with sufficient capital to make this commitment and the necessary space in their facility.

Vastex offers both floor-standing and mobile versions of their conveyor screen printing dryers, including models with modular components that allow you to add additional heating chambers along the length of the belt. This allows you to increase your curing capacity and also tailor the size of the drying area to suit the needs of your operation. If you are considering investing in a new dryer, or upgrading an existing model, be sure to contact one of our sales professionals for further information.

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