Will "S" mesh fix this?

[Parker 1]

I am dabbling with the idea of switching over to Murakami Smart mesh.  The pics below show a run of the mil 1 color white print on Royal PFP.  Using Shur-loc's panels 125/70 stretched to 32NM, 1 stroke with medium pressure, using smiling jack squeegees.  I can Increase pressure and it will clear or double stroke, I would like to avoid doing this.

Chris

[Doug S]

I use shurloc panels as well.  I've been slowly switching to Murakami Smart mesh.  I'm able to get 1 stroke and clear wilflex epic white using a 150/48.  I still print flash print but it will clear with one stroke as opposed to using a 156/64.  I could probably get a 1 hit white if I would increase the eom.  I'm really digging the smart mesh.  Everytime I use a 156/64 until it's no good any longer I replace it with the 150/48.  Also, I'm able to hold successfully a 50 lpi halftone with a 150 as well.  I'm adding 180/48's to the mix as well.

[mimosatexas]

I have been printing white with a 225s recently and it is clearing in one pull on my manual.  I am coating 2/1 and it has good eom and holds amazing detail.  Some shops would probably sell it as a one hit white, but I p/f/p still because I want true 100% opacity.

[IntegrityShirts]

S mesh will more than likely fix that BUT eom and ink temp/viscosity can also produce the same symptoms. S mesh just makes everything pass through the mesh easier.

150/48 really is the most versatile mesh I have used. Been stretching more 200/48 as well and they perform great too.

[Parker 1]

EOM is good, coated 2/1, ink mixed and the pic was taken at 200 impressions.  My biggest concern with useing S mesh is how delicate  it is.  My guys really do not understand "handle with care" 

[ScreenPrinter123]

Parker - last week we were using 310 s mesh for a base with open area larger than the buffalo picture you posted above. It was clearing entirely with 1 stroke after the pallets heated up (about 15-20 shirts in). Eventually got it up to 10-12" per second stroke speed - and that was with Miami ink's superior with a 75/95/75. The feel is quite good on it.  I'd def recommend murakami's s mesh in 135 and 150 meshes as standard great under base screens but know, like others have mentioned, that you should be able to clear the ink with higher mesh counts too in the s and lx mesh.

[Doug S]

EOM is good, coated 2/1, ink mixed and the pic was taken at 200 impressions.  My biggest concern with useing S mesh is how delicate  it is.  My guys really do not understand "handle with care" 

You are so correct about delicate but as long as you treat them with tender loving care you'll be fine.  Having said that I've never had one pop on press probably because they don't stretch to a extremely high tension.  If I'm not mistaken when they are first stretched they are somewhere in the neighborhood of 28 newtons and settle at around 22.

[alan802]

YES

[mimosatexas]

i keep hearing people talk about how delicate it is, but I treat mine the same way I treat all my screens and the only one I've had pop was the result of a glass shard flying through it when my exposure unit shattered.

[alan802]

Using S thread will definitely bring to light any poor screen handling by your guys, but I believe they'll last forever if taken care of properly. 

[ZooCity]

My guys really do not understand "handle with care"

Then it's time to get them ready for it.  I think most shop staff will lay waste to thin thread mesh without a sea change in how screens are handled.  We have it down here and screens pretty much only pop from being at the end of their natural life, but we also only have 3-4 people ever handling screens.  Main thing is to make a mesh safe spot for screens at every step of the process and make it crystal clear that screens cannot be elsewhere, like on the floor, etc.  Also, say goodbye to laying blades and floods on the screen.

[prozyan]

Outside of the 310/30 mesh, I haven't noticed any of my S meshes being particularly delicate.  The 310/30 seems to rip if you sneeze at it, but my 225, 150, and 330 I haven't noticed a great difference.

Then again, it is possible we just handled mesh more carefully than I previously thought.

[IntegrityShirts]

135/48 is pretty darn fragile. It was hard getting it up to 25N without popping and it settles down a lot lower after a few reclaims. 150/48 aren't that bad once you get used to handling them, but the 135/48's are a little skiddish!

[ABuffington]

Thanks everyone for your great comments and tips.
Here are a few for those moving over to S Mesh:

1. In the beginning a customer of mine marked the frames by spraying the end with red paint, red tape would work as well.  This communicates to workers that this is S mesh.  Handle like a 300 and the prints will improve a lot.  Rolling racks help, dropping them to the floor doesn't help!
2. No tools on the screen during set up as mentioned.
3. Avoid scratchy pads that can nick fine meshes that latter can pop when drying after degreasing.
4. Where possible put only one frame at a time in a reclaiming tank.  Or make sure they are separated by bars. Corners of Newmans and static stretch and glue frames can be dragged across screens still in the tank.  Also avoid sharp cornered dry wall spatulas to remove ink.
5. Round off squeegee ends.  Square cut corners on an automatic will be abrasive to the mesh.  A rounded corner allows the mesh to slide over rather than having a sharp squeegee corner carving away at the mesh.
6. Tensions Murakami 150S mesh: 22-24n 28n is possible but this puts it right at maximum tension. 
Murakami 180S mesh: 28-30 newtons
Murakami 225S mesh: 24-26 newtons

One other S that is excellent for High Soids Acrylics is 135S stretch to 22n.  This mesh can also hold a 50 line halftone at 61 degrees.  The extra bit of open area helps with inks that are prone to drying in or need more color.

WB and Discharge: 65/95/65 squeegee
Plastisol 70 duro, 65/95/65 or 75/95/75

You can also play around with a little more angle since the ink cleans very well from the mesh and allows a little more pop to the opacity.

For those who want to see what we are talking about here is a video, posted before, but seeing is believing.  Watch it past the credits at the end if you want to see why people move to Socal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFShG5cWeGY&feature=plcp

We also have pre-stretched screens available here at the main office in LA that you can buy through your Murakami Dealer or we also have select stretchers in the US to help.

Al

[ZooCity]

This mesh can also hold a 50 line halftone at 61 degrees.

Hey Alan, I know this is possible to image but how can one get the emulsion durable enough to hold up over a longer run?  We hit a wall with this where the emulsions we are using can do the fine lines and halftones on very open mesh counts like 135/48 and 150/48 but cannot bridge over a long wb/dc run without failure.  It seems like the emulsion must need to have some special, extra strong bridging properties to get this done without the additional threads there to support the stencil.