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Cleaning screens has always
been an unpleasant job. It has long been accepted as a necessary part of
the screen printing cycle, and needs to be done properly if it is not
going to have consequences for print quality and health and safety.
Traditionally, it has been a solvent based process, but now, initially in
the UK, Coates Screen is launching, Inkmaster®.
Inkmaster is a revolutionary new 4 or 5
stage cleaning system using non-hydrocarbon cleaning agents, that tackles
the six key issues surrounding screen cleaning of solvent disposal, of
provision of labour, adequate supply of cleaned screens, cleanliness of
the screen cleaning area, basic staff health and safety, and the
minimalisation of mesh staining problems.
The system is fully automatic, and eliminates
the many hidden costs of conventional cleaning. These are not always so
obvious, but naturally, include labour, suitable protective wear,
materials and their disposal, plus the back-up to ensure a supply of
screens is maintained to match requirements.
Inkmaster uses a linear carriage to
transport screens, up to 2.2 metres high, through a pre-rinse, a high
pressure water wash, an emulsion stripping unit, a further high pressure
wash, and a fast drying sequence. An optional additional stage can then be
used to minimise ghosting. The cleaning solutions are unique, and the
various stage units are optimised to work with them, cleaning from both
sides at once, which helps maintain mesh tension. Our studies at Coates
Screen with the Inkmaster show it to be extremely cost effective, and able
to clean up to 350 square metres of screen in an 8 hour day, with the
first screens available for use 20 minutes after loading. Currently the
first UK installation is in the Coates Screen UK demo suite at Bardon, and
demonstrations are being arranged now. Screen cleaning is set to become an
increasingly important issue, so this may just be the time to take an
in-depth look at the real benefits of Inkmaster. The Inkmaster hardware;
effective, and easily installed.
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