Conveyor dryers like the Riley Cure are mainly used for plastisol, but they can work for water-based ink if using Warp Drive. They should be "flashed" when printing in sequence. All that being said there are low-cure plastisol inks. If you found one it means your garment needs to go curing again. Since full cure is only achieved when the entire ink layer reaches cure temperature, having the right tools will help you get the job done right. Do you get anxious about making sure your garment is cured properly due to equipment limitations? Water based ink printing is not as easy as plastisol printing. Various garment types will affect the curing process (i.e. Before purchasing and using ink, learn what it needs to achieve a full cure before implementing it in your shop. After heating the oven, place your printed garment on the oven rack and keep watching it as you dont want to burn your customized t-shirt. Shops need a flash dryer for printing multiple colors, so some will also use it as a curing device. No matter what device you're using to cure, the goal is to completely cure the ink, from the top all the way to the bottom. This series of inks give you massively opaque white and colors, at a value price point. Getting it to 300 degrees is the issue. Everything You Need To Know To Start Printing Today! You are going to want to get an infrared heating element rather than a coil type of element. There you have it guys! The temperature that an ink cures at means that ink needs to reach that temp from the top to the bottom layer. This usually takes about 10-15 minutes. Low temperature curing ink. Most inks will "gel" (flash) when the ink film reaches 220F to 230F (104C to 110C). So you can dry your print with a heat gun. Still curious? The temperature to which the ink must be raised Cure inks from 270F (132C) to 320F (160C) depending upon curing conveyor dryer settings and fabrics, to provide flexibility to manage print operations. Plastisol ink is typically sold in pre-mixed colors, although it can also be mixed with other colors to create custom shades. This will cure your garment and give it a nice flat feeling. The plastisol was not cured properly if the ink is cracking. Standard inks typically cure around 320F. The biggest difference between a temp gun and a donut probe is that a temp gun picks up a reflective heat reading whereas the donut probe reads the temperature at the point of contact. For example, cotton can absorb moisture. The flash dryer, everyone involved in screen printing knows what a flash dryer is. Plastisol tends to sit atop the fabric instead of soaking into the fibres, giving the print a raised, plasticized texture. Properly cured ink on a screen print keeps customers happy and coming back. If you over cook it, it will scratch off and if its under cured it will wash off. You can use low temp cure ink on all materials, no need for an extra inkfor different materials. Whether youre silk screening t-shirts, sweats, hoodies, jackets or hats. Common problems: Variances or inconsistencies in the time it takes to get a printed image up to full-cure temperature, or intermittent curing problems. Again, make sure your platens are warm as well. There are low-heat plastisol ink options that cure at about 270 degrees, but you should always double-check the packaging and product that you're using before you begin working. This option is also affordable, but probably the worst of the 3 types of dryers for plastisol. It's possible to get some sections too hot where they bubble, while other sections don't reach cure temp. What is Minimum Order Quantity and Why Does it Matter? We'll address what each piece of curing equipment can do for different types of ink. Set the heat press at 330 degrees with light to medium pressure. This allows the molecules to properly fuse to each other as well as to the fabric. You can cure with a heat press just make sure you raise it up a couple of inches from the shirt so you don't burn it. check if the ink is dried properly. Perform a wash test before going into production. Can You Use a Sublimation Heat Press for Vinyl? Apply the flash dryer until the print is dry to the touch. Now look for cracks in your design. Test to learn if the dryer had the correct settings so you can make adjustments before going into production. These can help you better control your flash cure process. Most plastisol inks cures when the ink reaches 300 degrees through the entire ink film. You can use a heat press to cure your screen printing as well. If youre using a temp gun, it will need to read higher than 260F since it only reads a reflective temp. You can mimic dryer settings by monitoring the time and temp with a heat gun. It takes 5-7 minutes for curing the print ink properly with a heat gun. Common problems: Intermittent or consistent curing problems or images fade or wash out. This is pretty much a heating element on a rotating post. Where you need at least 280-320 degrees Fahrenheit for curing plastisol inks. Yes, you really can. Pro Tip: Do not forget to TEST. Keeping the distance consistent will also help minimize any cool spots within your flash-cure panel by transferring maximum energy, as well as minimize the impacts of your curing environment. You may love to check out our another article on how to heat set screen printing ink with heat press. Low-cure plastisol inks, like FN-INK, cure at 260F. It's easier to achieve a cure, but evaporation is longer. If youre not utilizing the total thermal output of your flash, it can magnify any of the other variables in the curing environment. If you have a one-station screen printing press, you cant rotate print stations between curing shirts. Adjusted temp control on your flash minimizes temperature fluctuations. Plastisol ink, which is essentially liquid plastic, cures at about the same temperature but typically only will take a minute or so. Using a heat gun as a curing device is doable, but only for small runs. Rapid Cure Plastisol Inks cure as low as 270F compared to the average plastisol ink that cures at 320F. Copyright & Legal Disclaimer To cure with a flash dryer, first you need to make sure your flash is up to temp. Flashing enables you to print one coat of ink on top of another - e.g., a color on a white base. Other inks can produce a softer feel. If the design area is big, maintaining even heat all over the design is tough. Mua sn phm Rapid Cure Polyester White Screen Printing Ink (8oz.) If you are running a business that is growing buy one as soon as possible. After curing is done stretch the area of your design. In the video, Josh Wells walks you through properly curing garments with a flash dryer. Use low cure additive. Some inks, such as glitters, metallics and high densities, are not designed to be printed "wet-on wet". Curing with a flash dryer takes a little bit of experience to dial in, but can be another way to cure prints without a conveyor dryer. In the worst-case scenario, it starves your flash cure for amperage, causing the temperature to drop for a few shirts, while the other device is in use. All you gotta do is point the laser at the middle of the print to see the ink's temperature. Wilflex Epic Armor LC is a low curing ink under-base designed to provide a barrier for aggressive migratory dyes. Over-flashing inks can cause inter-coat adhesion problems and make the inks very "tacky". At this time we aren't aware of waterbased polyester inks, but hopefully they're on the horizon! If you go to your local distributor, you will most likely find itsomewhere on the shelf. Why Is It Important to Wear Loose-Fitting Clothing When Exercising. Use light to medium pressure. With a heat press for screen printing, you are going to have a heating element on top and once it gets to your curing temperature you are going to use pressure to close it down onto your garment. You can use a temp gun or a donut probe to check the temperature of your ink. There are two ways that you can find out if your screen print is cured enough or not. There are many tools that can be used for curing your screen print ink. Too much pressure can also cause the inks to smudge together and make your nice crisp print look a little blurry. Heat gun is a specialized machine that is used for various purposes. Yes and no. It is the new sensation for screen-printed garments as it is eco-friendly. Increase production speeds without losing that quality print. Flash Dryers like the BBC Industries Afford-A-Flash is a more affordable option where the dryer just hovers over the garment until you move it. These can help you better control your flash cure process. The popular plastisol inks these days are curing at around 260 - 270. Check out this blog to get the full scoop. Remember, youll need the entire ink layer to get to 260F or above. In some cases, curing methods looks expensive but for bulk production and industrial basis, curing screen prints contribute a lot. Air flow is also an important factor to consider when curing with a flash. There are two options to tell the temperature of your ink. PROCEDURE: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the towel in the oven and immediately turn off the heat. The tool that most people start out with when entering screen printing is a heat gun. You can find flash dryers for screen printing anywhere from $350+ or you can get coil type for around $100+ but those would not be the first choice since they are more inaccurate when curing. Manage Settings Check out the free course on the basics of screen printing. Drop a comment below or email our support team at info@screenprintdirect.com. Remember, we are here to help! But for business, its not that efficient as it is comparatively slow. When curing regular plastisol everyone says it cures at roughly 320. There are 3 factors that affect the "gel" or "flash" of the ink: the temperature of the flash, the distance of the flash from the printed image, and the time the printed image is exposed to the heat. When curing a water-based print, the ink layer needs to breathe in order to evaporate the moisture. You need to set the temperature at 350-450 degrees Fahrenheit in the oven. How do you tell the difference between cracking and film split? The air can force your ink to dwell all over your garment. It takes time for the entire ink layer to heat up and reach . You have to go several times to ensure the best quality cure. Let's take a look at how each curing device works. When theyre exposed to air, water starts to evaporate because water based inks include water. So I am hoping this community can help me put this to rest. The conveyor dryer is very costly and it takes a lot of space. Curing Instructions: These inks will fully cure when the entire thickness of the ink deposit reaches 300F (149C). Keep in mind that thicker ink deposits (e.g., High Density) take more time to reach their specified cure/fusion temperatures. Low temperature cure plastisol ink hit the market and it is gaining popularity all over the place. Image courtesy of Ink Kitchen. Properly cured ink on a screen print keeps customers coming back. If the curing temperature is not what is needed, your printed design for the fabric will start fading after the first wash or a few washes. Print on a few garments and dial in details before printing the final product. Curing water-based ink is the same here as it was for the heat gun. There are three main types of ink and their curing temps are similar, but not exactly the same. The air can force your ink to dwell all over your garment. Check your flash cure unit to see if it has temperature and airflow controls. Anothertool used is a heat press. Keep going. If youre running a small business you dont need a conveyor dryer. Remember, the more powerful your flash is and the closer your flash is to the shirt, the faster it will cure the ink or potentially scorch your garment. The best dryer to properly cure garments is a conveyer dryer like the BBC Little Buddy Dryer or theRanar Scamp Dryer. For starters, there are two popular types of inks to screen print with. Where the wires meet is where it reads the temperature. Why is low cure plastisol ink dope? Thicker ink deposits will take longer to cure because more mass means it takes longer to penetrate the ink. Longer tunnels like the Riley Cure offer more flexibility. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In general, water-based inks take longer to cure. Flash dryers are a common way to cure shirts if you are just starting out in the screen printing business. Heat is a machine thats an expert in heat transfer. Leaving the shirt adhered to the platen causes issues with letting the heat penetrate the garment. For plastisol ink, read the label to discover the cure temp and set the heat press to be 20-30 degrees above that curing temperature. On a toasty day, inks are smooth like butter, machines run faster, and the garments are warm. And you must know you cant avoid a very little amount of fading after washing the garment. Use the 3804 Low Cure Additive when printing onto temperature and color sensitive fabrics such as 100% polyester or non-woven polypropylene bags. Should You Go Auto or Hire Another Printer? The cause of this problem is most likely due to the fact that the ink is not cured properly. The full cure temperature for the OP/ON Trichromatic ranges is 160C. Centris Plastisol Inks; Axeon Non-PVC Inks; View All; Info 13929 E 166th St Cerritos, CA 90703 Call us at (800) 423-4103. It can produce a temperature of almost 980-1000 degrees Fahrenheit. Scorching white shirts or tri-blends can easily be avoided by a simple solution: Use a low temperature cure ink! Free shipping is applicable in the domestic USA only. Now that everything is ready, lets talk about the logistics of curing plastisol ink with a flash dryer. 2020 All Rights Reserved. But why on earth am I talking about an oven! The popular plastisol inks these days are curing at around 260 - 270. But it is better to have a heat press machine or flash dryer as quickly as possible. But it cant be done by regular textile ink or adhesive. You also might flash an ink to keep wet ink off the back of your screens. Guess what, printing water-based is doable when you have a heat press! Skip to content Call us: 314-382-9300 | Email Us. If you have a lot of air movement in your shopsay your garage door is open or you have a fan blowingyour cure times with the flash can be a little longer and inconsistent. Figuring out how to cure screen priting plastisol ink can be tricky. Testing may seem tedious, but it'll save you time, money, and headaches down the road. After the timer dings and you pull the cake out of the oven, it may look perfectly baked. Remember that it is important that the entire ink film thickness reach the specified cure/fusion temperature. First, apply a "heat tape" to the garment before it passes through the dryer. Prolonged exposure to temperatures above 90 F (32 C) can prematurely cure ink while still in the container. Most plastisols need to reach a temperature of about 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for full curing. So, its very important that you cure your garment properly before marking it as done. Same questions but if it was a low cure 270 plastisol ink. Send your garment through the washer 3-5 times and inspect it each time. If you go to your local distributor, you will most likely find it somewhere on the shelf. Then place a piece of brown paper over your design. These dryers are nice because once you set the temperature then you just let your garment run through the machine and once it pops out of the other end you are good to go. STANDARD CURE TEMP PLASTISOL INK. Get a discount + printing tips, promotions, news and exclusive invites. You are no longer limited to cotton textile printing. You want to be certain that you are using not only a dedicated circuit breaker but one for the correct amperage of your flash. It is not impossible that you have a faulty print the first time.No worries if you used plastisol ink as you can cover up your mistake by giving it another pass through the printing process. The most common problem is the end farthest from your stand. 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To ensure the best dryer to properly fuse to each other as well promotions news... Types will affect the curing environment to temp: these inks will `` gel '' ( flash when. You must Know you cant rotate print stations between curing shirts the end farthest from your.. Thicker ink deposits will take longer to penetrate the ink layer to heat set screen printing as as! Business, its not that efficient as it was a low cure when... Machines run faster, and headaches down the road screen prints contribute a lot, are designed...