Squeegees

[Maxie]

What are you using on a automatically if for plastisol printing?
White?
Colors?
What is the effect of triple ply?    Does a 65/90/65 work like a 65 or does the 90 make it work more like a 70 or 75 single.
I am asking because at the recent ISS Long Beach I got a lot of different answers, from 65 to 80.

[Printficient]

In order from best to worst. 
Double Bevels / Smiling Jacks
Triple durometer
Single durometer

[Frog]

In order from best to worst. 
Double Bevels / Smiling Jacks
Triple durometer
Single durometer

But that doesn't answer Maxie's question about quantifying the characteristics of a triple durometer's numbers

[Printficient]

In order from best to worst. 
Double Bevels / Smiling Jacks
Triple durometer
Single durometer

But that doesn't answer Maxie's question about quantifying the characteristics of a triple durometer's numbers

OK then.  The triple has an inner hard duro blade sandwiched between two softer duro blades.  This gives the ink lay down of a soft blade with the rigidity of a hard blade.  The 60/90/60 range blades are good for whites, athletic golds, metallics, and other "thick" inks.  The 70-90-70 range blades are goor for detail and are used in sim process, process and other high detail thinner inks.

[Underbase37]

IMO. Triple duro all the way on lower 55-65. Gives the rigidness to not buckle under pressure, but still lay down a good ink deposit. 75/90/75 is good for fine detail & UB.

Murphy37

[ScreenFoo]

Yep, if you're running a decent setup, and trying to get some speed out of production, triple duros are the way to go.

Pierre: You start wholesaling 65/90/75 yet? 
(great idea)

[GaryG]

I'd be interested to know if anybody has any data on Smiling Jacks vs 55/90/55
for laying down white bases?

And who uses double bevel? It only gives a lower angle,
do you find it transfers ink better than the above - without leaving ink in the screen?

Thanks in advance

[ericheartsu]

i don't have any actual data, but we really love smiling jacks. It's more or less all we use. Primarily Yellows, but we also just the manny (green) on the auto quite frequently.

[blue moon]

Yep, if you're running a decent setup, and trying to get some speed out of production, triple duros are the way to go.

Pierre: You start wholesaling 65/90/75 yet? 
(great idea)

multicraftink.com has them in stock. It's all we use other than the 55/95/55. I have a bunch of smilign Jacks, but have not really given them a good try. . .

pierre

[Screened Gear]

This is a hard question to answer since every press and press operator prints a little different. I know I asked this same question when I was going auto. Let me say nothing anyone said really helped since I didn't even know how to use the press. Learning the press is very important. Each aspect or adjusting the press will do something. Some of the adjustments do fine tuning and others do major changes to detail or ink lay down. Squeegee selection can make major adjustments to the print.  I have been printing on a auto for 4.5 years and I have to say I am not an expert but I can get it to work how I want in very little time.

Here is some squeegee info that I have learned over the years.

Your print style and press will have a range of duros that work for you. My press has metal top hard pallets so my range is much softer then most. I use 50 to 75/90/80 squeegees. Most of the time I am running a 65/90/65 or 55/90/55 for plastisol.

Soft pallets need harder squeegees. The softer the printing surface the harder the duro you should use. If you have rubber top pallets you will like harder duro squeegees compared to hard metal top pallets. This also works for printing thicker soft fabrics like fleece. Soft fleece - use a harder squeegee to get less ink laydown and keep good detail.

Soft Duro squeegees put down more ink but you lose some detail.

Triple duro squeegees are easier to use. The harder center helps keep the blade at the angle you set it at even when you print with too much pressure.

Single Duro blades are harder to print with. (Softer duros] 80 duro and higher are not that hard to use since they don't buckle as easy under too much pressure} Single duros can bend easily and mess with your angles. If your setting your press to 45 degrees and printing to hard your true angle may be much more aggressive like 20 degrees.

Underbase blade duro selection is much more important then any other color. Top colors (colors printed on a underbase] can be printed with just about any duro and work fine. Underbases are not as forgiving. A thick sticky white needs a hard sharp squeegee to print well. A soft thin white needs a softer duro to print well and lay down enough ink.

Squeegee duro will effect the print more than any other adjustment on the press. Changing out a hard blade for a soft one will make more of a change to the print then angle of the print. Having some range of squeegees on hand is a good idea. I have had lots of jobs that I fought with easily fixed with a different squeegee. It could be 2 colors printed wet on wet mixing where they touch, fixed with a harder duro or a white under base not laying down enough ink, fixed with a softer squeegee. When you need a big change the duro of your squeegee is usually the easy answer.


That is about all I have. Keep in mind this is my experience with what I have used. This is also how my press responds to the way I print. You need to learn your press, your inks, and your print style to really know what duros you need. My advice is to get a few of each and try them. If you can get a 50 duro and try to control the pressure and angles to print with it. You will learn a ton from the experience. I know I did.

[Maxie]

Jon, thanks for the reply.     You brought the post back to my questions.
You mention an important point.     We also have aluminum pallets  without rubber .
Maybe this explains the reason that there are so many different opinions about what duro to use.

[blue moon]

Jon, thanks for the reply.     You brought the post back to my questions.
You mention an important point.     We also have aluminum pallets  without rubber .
Maybe this explains the reason that there are so many different opinions about what duro to use.

both of you are printing on an E-Type!

pierre

[Maxie]

I have a E Type

[Frog]

I have a E Type

That's what the man said! You and Jon both!

[ericheartsu]

For smiling jacks, here is a really cool manual i found a long time ago, that was pretty helpful.

if we have everything dialed in right, we are doing really low pressure, with straight angles.