In this second blog of our series on high-volume technical printing, we will be discussing the various screen-printing equipment options at Boyd for technical printing. We will examine the different attributes of each type of printing press and assess how they can influence your projects. If you missed our first blog in this series, we encourage you to take a moment to read it
here to gain a preliminary understanding of Boyd’s technical printing methods and their implications for high-volume programs.
As previously mentioned, there are two main screen-printing processes used by Boyd for technical printing programs – sheet-fed and roll-to-roll. As we’ve established, sheet-fed printing is better suited for design development and roll-to-roll printing is ideal for high-volume projects. The reasons will become more clearer as we go through the characteristics of Boyd’s printing equipment.
Before getting into the specifics, an important concept to understand about all the presses is that the run rate is set by the dryer capacity. The attributes of the dryer as well as the project influence the production run rate. For example, functional inks often require longer to cure. Therefore, if a technical printing program utilizing functional inks is run on a press with limited drying capacity, it will need to go through the dryer at a slower speed to cure completely. However, if the same project were to run on a press with a large drying capacity, it would run at a faster speed since it would be in the dryer for longer. For every new project, the drying parameters must be developed according to that project’s specifications, which ultimately determine speed.
单张纸丝网印刷机
与所有丝网印刷设备一样，Boyd的每台单张纸印刷机提供的独特功能和限制决定了设备在潜在项目中的可行性。单张纸印刷机的印刷区域尺寸各不相同，例如，从 22“ x 30” 到 48“ x 98”。另一个需要注意的关键特征是这些印刷机的运行速率，平均每小时可以达到 160 - 225 次印模。最后，Boyd单张纸印刷机随附的烘干机包括热UV烘干机。
卷对卷丝网印刷机
对于卷对卷印刷，Boyd使用以下印刷机来满足各种技术印刷项目要求。
通过打印
Boyd用于卷对卷技术印刷的两台丝网印刷机最值得注意的特点是印刷机的印刷过孔能力（也称为通孔印刷）。印刷过孔时，一旦过孔被激光照射到材料中，油墨就会印在卷筒的两侧，迫使油墨通过过孔形成电路。但是墨水通过孔的推动会在打印床上留下多余的墨水。如果使用单张纸进纸方法，操作员必须在每次通过后清洁打印床，从而增加额外的步骤和时间。然而，Boyd的印刷机消除了对这一额外步骤的需求，因为它们在打印床顶部放置了吸墨纸以吸收所有剩余的墨水。该吸墨纸与材料卷一起前进，以确保墨水不会在纸张向前移动时弄脏。通常，这些印刷机一次打印一种颜色，保持20“ x 20”的打印区域，并且可以完成大约0.007“的公差。使用大约四米长的紫外线和热干燥机，这些印刷机的运行速度约为每小时 500-800 次印模。
严格公差印刷
Boyd的另一台卷对卷印刷机一次也只能印刷一种颜色，但它的印刷面积为20“ x 24”。该印刷机的主要优点是印刷公差极小的零件。该压力机可以达到原始规格的 0.001“ - 0.002” 范围内的公差。我们的严格公差印刷机配备 12 英尺隧道式烘干机，每小时可提供约 150-200 次印模的运行速度。
高效的运行率和多色打印
The last press at Boyd’s disposal offers a print area of 18″ x 19.5″ and meets tolerances within 0.007″ – 0.010″. Its most significant benefits include its two print stations and substantial drying capacity, which allows it to produce parts at a much higher speed. With a 40-foot and 60-foot tower dryer, this press employs dryers that are much larger than our other presses. The tower dryers allow for each part to stay in the dryer longer, permitting the part to run through the process at a faster rate. The other advantage of this press is that it’s a two-color press. The printing process begins by laying down the first color, followed by the punching of a fiducial next to the image for registration and the sheet running through the first tower dryer. Next, utilizing the registration punch to align with the first ink layer, a second color can be laid down, ending with the sheet going through the second tower dryer. These two capabilities are what make our final roll-to-roll technical printing press the fastest print line at Boyd with a run rate of 800 – 1,000 impressions per hour.
When comparing the characteristics of the sheet-fed presses to the roll-to-roll presses, it is apparent why roll-to-roll printing is more suited for high-volume technical printing projects. Not only can these presses achieve much higher run rates, but they can also produce parts at much tighter tolerances and accomplish efficient through-hole printing.
With our selection of in-house technical printing equipment, Boyd aims to provide our customers with the printing technology that best fits their specific needs. Boyd is equipped to accommodate a vast array of technical printing project requirements with volumes ranging from low to high. To learn more or to discuss your unique technical printing challenges,
reach out to our experts.
