Screen Printing Techniques: The Golden Rules of The Screen Printing Process

The following is a detailed summary of the golden rules of screen printing technology, compiled based on technical points and practical experience:

1. Basic rules of technology

Screen selection principles

Material matching: nylon screen mesh is suitable for scenes with high elasticity requirements (such as curved surface printing), polyester screen mesh balances cost and durability, and stainless steel screen mesh is used for high-precision electronic printing (such as thick film integrated circuits).

Tension control: It is necessary to maintain uniform tension when stretching the net. Stretching the net diagonally can reduce the interference of the mesh (the longitude and latitude lines are at an angle of 15°-20° with the direction of the scraper).

Mesh number adaptation: Choose a high mesh number for fine patterns (such as 200 mesh or more), and choose a low mesh number for thick ink layers (such as glass glaze).

Ink blending core

Viscosity management: The ideal state is that when the scraper is lifted, it will fall in a continuous filament shape. If the viscosity is too high, it will easily block the network; if it is too low, the color will bleed.

Material Compatibility:

Water-based coatings for textiles/leather;

High temperature glaze or UV ink for glass/metal;

Electronic ceramics require special conductive paste.

Drying method: Choose infrared, UV curing or high-temperature sintering according to the type of ink (such as glass glaze requires 520-600°C).

2. Key operating rules

Scraper control

Angle and pressure: The scraper angle is usually maintained at 60°-75°, and the pressure needs to be uniform to avoid uneven ink layers. Hard squeegees (such as polyurethane) are suitable for hard substrates, and soft squeegees are used for curved surface printing.

Speed adjustment: Move at a constant speed to ensure full transfer of ink, too fast will lead to missed printing, too slow will cause printing to be blocked.

Substrate pretreatment

Clean the surface (e.g. glass needs to be degreased);

Porous materials (such as textiles) are pre-sized to reduce penetration;

Electronic substrates (such as PCBs) need to be kept in a dust-free and constant-temperature environment.

3. Industry application rules

Electronic field

Thick film circuit printing needs to control the slurry particle size (≤5μm) and use high-precision stainless steel screens (such as 325 mesh).

Latest progress: Nanjing University of Technology achieved 14.98% photoelectric conversion efficiency (2025 data) by optimizing the perovskite film screen printing process.

glass decoration

The glaze needs to match the sintering temperature, the cold stamping etching process is suitable for continuous patterns, and the hot stamping is used for independent patterns.

Large-format printing requires a rigid screen frame and a pneumatic squeegee system.

Textile printing

The pH value of the water-based slurry needs to be controlled (7-8), and water-resistant photosensitive glue should be used for the screen;

When multi-color overprinting, 3-5% dot expansion needs to be reserved.

Through the systematic application of the above rules, the quality stability and efficiency of screen printing can be significantly improved, adapting to the diversified needs from traditional decoration to high-end electronic manufacturing.

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