What standards must screen printing nets meet?

Screen mesh is the backbone of the screen and is used to make copy moulds. They are made from polyamide and polyester fibres, fibres which fall into the monofilament category. The fibres must be resistant to stretching and abrasion, as well as to mechanical damage caused by squeegee blows. The mesh must not react with chemicals contained in screen printing inks. In general, polyester meshes are more tensile resistant and less absorbent than polyamide meshes.

Basic parameters of screen nets

The various screen n ets differ in terms of geometrical characteristics that result from the weaving processes. We are talking about the screen number, fibre diameter and mesh thickness. The quality of the mesh is determined by the uniformity of the weaving and the ability to maintain unchanged mesh dimensions after stretching. The mesh fibres can be calendared, which translates into lower paint consumption, and dyed. By dyeing, additional backlighting is reduced, as only inactive rays are reflected from the fibre surface. The resulting prints are characterised by sharp edges and high precision. In the case of white mesh, rays hitting the fibres illuminate the positive in exposed areas, which leads to hardening of the emulsion and results in a deterioration of print quality.

Screen mesh density

The basic parameter of screen printing mesh is its density, which is derived from the number of intersecting fibres per square centimetre. The higher the density, the smaller the holes between the fibres, which in practice means a more accurate print. For example, 43T meshes are great for printing large and coloured areas and printing larger letters. 59T meshes, on the other hand, which have a higher density, guarantee better print resolution.