emulsion time for 20x24 screen 160 mesh speedball emulsion

The same emulsion needs three minutes with a UV fluorescent bulb, and about one minute with a 100-watt metal halide light.Ī two-part diazo needs 15 minutes exposure with a 500-watt halogen bulb. If you have the anthem pre-sensitized emulsion, and you expose it to a 500-watt halogen bulb, the exposure time should be eight minutes. What are the exposure times for anthem screen printing photo emulsion?Įxposure times differ based on the emulsion you use and the source of light. Some emulsions require that you prepare them in the dark while some work perfectly when prepared in normal light conditions. After mixing the sensitizer and the emulsion, you need to keep the mixture away from light. Leaving the mixture to sit for a few hours allows it to settle and the bubbles to disappear. Mixing can create air bubbles in the mixture, which creates pinholes and affects the quality of your work. It is advisable that you mix the emulsion first before you start creating your design. Once you dilute the sensitizer, mix it with the emulsion until there are no streaks. You can use distilled water or tap water and the results will be great. The sensitizer comes as a thick paste that you have to dilute with water in the ratio recommended by the manufacturer. Most manufacturers offer the sensitizer in a different color so that you will know once you mix the two agents completely – there will be no streaks. To start using the emulsion, you need to mix it with a sensitizer. Most emulsions come as a complete kit with an emulsion, a sensitizer, and an emulsion remover. How do you mix emulsion and sensitizer for screen printing? You can have up to a 10% window of error when exposing a screen using 60 seconds as an example where 6 seconds are over or six seconds under before seeing any issues with your exposure time. So you have to be careful not to make it too close in the daytime, or too far from the sun at night when you wash out your screen. It shows details and it is very quick to expose. It will not last forever even if left at room temperature but can last for two months if kept cold enough. You cannot use tap water because the minerals in the tap water will affect the diazo.Īfter you mix it, keep it in your fridge for two months if you can. Mix it with water that has a neutral pH balance like distilled water. To make a Diazo (mixed) emulsion, you need to add a diazo powder. Remember the 10% rule, if it takes 10 minutes to expose a screen, you could expose a minute over or a minute under before you start running into issues. Since it takes longer to expose, it’s more forgiving to errors whether it’s from exposing issues or light leakage. Some need a dark room during preparation and others mix well even in normal light conditions. Some may work with all ink systems, but most only work with two ink systems. For instance, emulsions only work with specific ink systems. With the answers to the above questions, you will find the right emulsion for your screen printing. Is the environment you plan to wash your mesh screen in light safe?.

What kind of ink do you use during screen printing?.

What is my skill level? Are you a beginner, or an intermediate, or a pro?.When buying emulsion for screen printing, you need to ask yourself some questions such as: You can also use the Excotex exposure calculator to understand how long your screen needs to be under light. The manufacturer offers you a table showing the exposure time for different mesh screens and colors to help you get the best prints. Before applying the emulsion, you need to degrease and dry your screen. You can also use low-wattage tungsten bulbs, but avoid quartz or halogen lights, daylight lamps, cool fluorescent lamps, and discharge lamps. For the best prints, the manufacturer recommends that you hold the stencils under yellow safe light. Performanceīecause the emulsion comes pre-sensitized, you do not need to spend so much time worrying about mixing ratios. The emulsion is also durable when you need to print long runs. You can use it if you need the best print definition on different mesh screens. It is a photopolymer emulsion that works well with water-based and plastisol inks. The Ecotex PWR comes as a 128-ounce pre-sensitized emulsion, so you can use it out of the box.

Ecotex PWR pre-sensitized emulsion Review

Emulsion time for 20x24 screen 160 mesh speedball emulsion