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screen printing => General Screen Printing => Topic started by: ericheartsu on April 03, 2015, 09:48:22 AM
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We are in the middle of a complex for us 5 color halftone dc print!
One of the screens broke down, and i remade it. now we are just patiently waiting for this screen to dry, just to block it out and wait some more.
Anything we can do to help make it dry faster? I've never had much luck with using newsprint to soak up moisture from the screen.
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I vacuum off most of the water, then use the air hose to blow out the rest of the water, the super dry air from the chiller helps it dry faster...
put it in the screen room for 30-45 minutes and you're good to go.
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we used filtered compressed air.....works well, or fans and the sun
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the sun + a fan
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the sun + a fan
This plus a paper towel to remove most of the water.
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Blast with air, we also use drying cabinets at times.
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the sun + a fan
usually our go to method. Today of course is overcast and gloomy. but still really hot and moist.
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wipe it down with a clean towel, fan, air hose, use a simple window squeegee to chase off most of the moisture,quartz halogen lights throw a ton of heat and it will also post cure the screen or give it to one of those guys that toss and spin signs in front of pizza shops.
I would suggest the sun but here in NY the sun is only a rumor.
mooseman
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lay it on top of the dryer at the end, will be dry in 5 min
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I use a seri-vac/hammerhead attachment on a shop vac after letting it drip for a couple minutes...pop it in the dehumidified drying rack, & done!
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Dry time is also mesh dependent. The lower the mesh the longer the dry time. The other issue is the humidit in your area. High Humidity = longer dry times. I try to explain discharge screens like this, they need to be like beef jerky and really dried out. Air hose followed by drying cabinet with a dehumidifier or good ventilation helps. In Central America I have seen drying closets with lots of water on the floor. This just steams the screen, doesn't dry it much. I used the end of the oven as well for many years. A moisture meter is the only way to know if it is truly dry. In humid areas 30-60 minutes in a drying cabinet, 20-30 on the oven.
Alan
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squeegee off the excess water, wipe down with a micro fiber towel, place under a fan, take a poop.. ohh look the screen is dry
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As long as it isn't a discharge screen we just vacuum the water off, wipe it down with a clean doubled up folded shop rag and put it in the drying room in front of the heater for 3 or 4 minutes.
Discharge? Yeah, there is no quick process for that if you don't want immediate breakdown.
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A regular hair dryer will help, and not burn a hole in it like a heat gun could (yes, I have, :-[)
Steve
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I keep Shamwows at the shop. I cut them up into smaller pieces, and will wipe down the screen if I need it to dry quickly. This will get most of the water off and leave it "damp". Just be careful around the image area so you don't wipe anything into it such as emulsion debris that may still be on your screen.
I pop it in my drying cabinet next, but if you don't have one put a fan on it. You can also use a hair dryer on it to help get the screen warm and start the evaporating process. Just keep it on low if you do.
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Discharge? Yeah, there is no quick process for that if you don't want immediate breakdown.
A properly exposed diazo screen can go from rinse to the press still wet and print 10k impressions or more, done it to many times to count.
Now if youre using some of the new hybrid polymer stuff then yes you have to post expose or apply hardener Or whatever magic one does in their shop.
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with SP1400 I have started to use a window squeegee immediately, then papertowel/shirt/whatever quickly around the frame, then within five minutes it is bone dry on my rack (screen is placed vertical under fans) with a dehumifier in the drying room. No hardener, no post expose, and no waiting. I have yet to have the SP1400 break down on me, though most of my runs are smaller. I have one set of screen that I have printed on 4 different times and about 800 prints total (not counting test prints) that is a 4 color discharge job. They look good as new. My light is crap too compared to what most of you are exposing with.
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we only had issues with SP1400 in the winter when it was too dry in the shop.
did 20,000 prints on 1 set (5) of screens with no break down issues what-so-ever. Screens looked like they could have gone another 20k no problem. -- this was with plastisol.
I think our longest discharge run is 4500 right now, and those screens looked just fine too.
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We remove excess water using the methods described, vacuum, air, etc.
We then put the screen in the front of the oven, not letting it go in too far. Pull in out put in again and again until it is dry. We can also speed up the belt and run it the screen through the oven very fast.
Another thing we do is put the screen under our flash unit for the manual, lay it on the group under the flash so it's about a yard under the flash head.
We also do this with freshly coated screens, dry the emulsion and then expose.
We do this in a well lit factory, it's against all the rules but it works when you're in a jam.
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Also, be careful not to use too much heat when speed drying. Excessive heat will melt and warp the plastic locking strips strips on your Newmans and on your Shur-Loc panels. I learned this when I put a bunch of screens in the drying cabinet and turned the heat to 10.
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A dehumidifyer is a shops best friend. Place it in a closed room when you open shop and run it for an hour or two and your golden. Place a wet screen in front and it will be dry in about a minute or less depending on the size unit. Well worth the price yet should be able to find the fairly cheap @ sears.
Richard Reilly - Fluid
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We use statics so we don't have this problem.
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A really fast way to cut time drying screens is using a Master Blaster Car Dryer. It produces 8 horsepower of clean heated filtered air delivered through about a 2 inch hose. It is extremely fast but not so hot you need be concerned about burning overheating anything.
It comes with 2 - 4 horsepower electric motors with individual switches so the air output can be varied. It has a wall mount available so it could be wall hung near your screen reclamation area.
See the link below for more information about it.
http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-MB3CD-Blaster-Motorcycle/dp/B0002SPCGC/ref=sr_1_2/185-0868810-1593604?ie=UTF8&qid=1429681213&sr=8-2&keywords=master+blaster+dryer. (http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-MB3CD-Blaster-Motorcycle/dp/B0002SPCGC/ref=sr_1_2/185-0868810-1593604?ie=UTF8&qid=1429681213&sr=8-2&keywords=master+blaster+dryer.)
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with SP1400 I have started to use a window squeegee immediately, then papertowel/shirt/whatever quickly around the frame, then within five minutes it is bone dry on my rack (screen is placed vertical under fans) with a dehumifier in the drying room. No hardener, no post expose, and no waiting. I have yet to have the SP1400 break down on me, though most of my runs are smaller. I have one set of screen that I have printed on 4 different times and about 800 prints total (not counting test prints) that is a 4 color discharge job. They look good as new. My light is crap too compared to what most of you are exposing with.
I have to thank you for the window squeegee trick, why I didn't thought about it sooner !
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I just wipe it off with a T-shirt and set it in front of a fan. It will be dry in about ten minutes (but I'm in Colorado and our humidity is low here...)
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A properly exposed diazo screen can go from rinse to the press still wet and print 10k impressions or more, done it to many times to count.
wait, what? is this for real? we wash it, use a wet/dry vacuum. would that be enough? it would save us just so much time!
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I wouldn't use a wet screen unless you have to...tape won't stick to it for one so good luck masking off the edges of the screen and any regular marks. Takes literally 5 minutes under a fan with the window squeegee first.
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It was too good to be true ;)
Still found a new trick.
Wash - wet/dry vaccum - compressed air - dry for 5 minutes
Should be enough to have a fully dried screen ready to use. Better than our old 30 minute waiting time
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Eric:
What do you need to do to your screen besides apply water resistant block out?
Is your screen ready to go on press once that is dry?
Or do you have other steps as well?
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Step 1: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unger-18-in-Stainless-Steel-Window-Squeegee-with-Ergonomic-Overmold-Grip-Connect-and-Clean-Locking-System-960140/203177337 (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unger-18-in-Stainless-Steel-Window-Squeegee-with-Ergonomic-Overmold-Grip-Connect-and-Clean-Locking-System-960140/203177337)
Step 2: http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-20-in-High-Velocity-Floor-Fan-SFC1-500BI/202757016 (http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-20-in-High-Velocity-Floor-Fan-SFC1-500BI/202757016)
or http://awarevolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/sun-in-the-sky-14956.jpg (http://awarevolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/sun-in-the-sky-14956.jpg)
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compressed air - dry for 5 minutes
I'd stay away from compressed air on a clean screen as compressor air is kinda dirty if you don't have an inline water/oil separator.
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A hair blow dryer is a must in our shop, we use it almost every day.
Our screen process:
-Expose
-spray out
-squeegee water off (window squeegee)
-compressed air to blow out water from open mesh areas
-wipe dry with cotton shirt
-either blow dry with hair dryer or if were not rushing outside in the sun
....and yes sp1400 is the best emulsion we've found so far for DC printing nothing else comes close!