Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. - Thomas Edison
Being one of the main characteristics of ink I think that a lack of understanding what it is and what it has to do with that crappy print that we all have had (me excluded of course ) It would be beneficial to know some generalities. So how about some input from the ink gurus that are out there.
Quote from: Printficient on April 15, 2016, 02:09:29 PMBeing one of the main characteristics of ink I think that a lack of understanding what it is and what it has to do with that crappy print that we all have had (me excluded of course ) It would be beneficial to know some generalities. So how about some input from the ink gurus that are out there.Sonny, I'm about as far away from being an Ink Guru as there is, but here's my take on Thixotropic Inks. When it comes to screen inks this property refers to an inks ability to reduce viscosity under shear, to promote flow though the screen mesh to affect a transfer at the substrate interface. A highly desirable quality of the ink is that it will immediately body-up after transfer from the screen to the garment to avoid wicking and dot gain. An example of how this property can impact screen-printing is when a screen-printer is trying to get a good first down white, the most popular "fixes" are to grab a softer squeegee, increase squeegee angle and/or pressure, select a more open mesh, or to slow down the squeegee stroke. The unfortunate fact is that almost all of these fixes ignore or are working directly against the thixotopic properties of the ink. In many case the best print results are obtained with a more vertical squeegee blade, with a lower pressure, operating at a much faster squeegee stroke speed. At the risk of attracting a real guru I'd suggest watching this video on Joe Clarke's Smilin' Jack Squeegee https://youtu.be/lDLA-kk42vQ
This is all new to me
An ink discussion dealing with thixotropic properties is only half the story without also addressing shear-thinning.why not show us the product you have in mind then explain why it is better / different that other ink products.mooseman