screen printing > Newbie

Curing Issue

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GraemeDeroux:
Hey there,

I have a small dryer, a Cure-Pro 18/30. I have a 35 second dwell time, curing at what is reading on my temp gun as 318 about 3 seconds into the tunnel, and 376 / 380 at the end of the tunnel. My wash tests are coming back fine, not problems.

I am having issues with my stretch test failing. Is this an overcure? I keep getting told it's an undercure issue but my wash test is fine. Whats the deal here? Are they overcuring? Am I flashing too long?

I would really love to be able to have prints leave my shop, passing a stretch test and me whole heartedly knowing that my prints will last. Instead I am left wondering every. Single. Time.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Frog:
There are stretch tests, and then there are S-T-R-E-T-C-H tests. In other words, you can outstretch your ink.
Try five or ten washes and trust those results.

Prince Art:
What ink are you using? It's been my experience that some ink passes the stretch test better than others. I had some that came apart all too easily, despite curing under the same conditions that works for all of our other inks. It's also my impression that some inks are more lenient in how they are cured, and some are fairly serious when they spec a full 1-minute cure.

BP:
If your ink film coming out of the dryer is 380 it is over cured and that is why it is cracking.

Frog:

--- Quote from: BP on October 15, 2018, 03:34:39 PM ---If your ink film coming out of the dryer is 380 it is over cured and that is why it is cracking.

--- End quote ---

If being measured with a non-contact gun, momentary readings of 375-390 just before exit are typical. These guns are also only measuring the surface of the ink, and are only giving a learned, relative reading for the entire film thickness.

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