WOW printing issues over a DC base

[Parker 1]

I am fighting ink build-up on the back of screens printing WOW over DC base.

1. CCI DC 60/40 Base to White

 4. colors printing WOW.

Screens: all 230 @ 35N

Squeegee: 60/90/60

Pressure: Medium to Heavy (had issues with ink clearing)

[Rob Coleman]

What inks are you overprinting?

[ebscreen]

Bump your base up in the ratio, more like 80/20 base/white. Sometimes even straight base is fine.

60 duro on the UB is fine, I'd go 70 on most top colors. (assuming plastisol overprint)

What is building up, the base or the successive colors?

[JBLUE]

Curious as to why you have so much white in the base. We run straight base. No issues with build up. It might be the amount of white you have in the base picking up.

[Homer]

assuming DC base with palstisol overprint, you may want to flash the DC base...we do and it really helps....

[Parker 1]

It is not the DC underbase that is building up. 

Its the Plast.  top colors.  I am thinking its the brand ink.  But I do not want to say what brand until I make some changes to see. 

I will try the 70 duro as well. 

[Inkworks]

assuming DC base with palstisol overprint, you may want to flash the DC base...we do and it really helps....

Ditto.

[Admiral]

ebscreen hit it, too much white in the base mixture and use a higher duro squeegee for top colors


the plastisol should be clearing easier than normal since the shirt is a bit saturated and the ink doesn't have as much trouble getting in the crevices

fyi CCI white ink cannot be printed wet on wet, sticks to the screens, not that you were printing straight white


then the plastisol layer you were putting down was probably just a bit too much with that lower duro squeegee

[Parker 1]

Tested the CCI at different ratios at the first of the year and a 50/50 and 60 base  to 40 white gave us the best results on the more difficult colors to DC. (Reds, Royal & Purple) I will revisit this. 

I do flash the under base 3.0-3.5 sec. and will decrease to 1.5-2.0 as everything heats up.  This is the same times I use for my Plasticol base as well. 

After speaking with Pierre last night, I think it is my top inks that are giving me the trouble with build-up.  I will change out the inks today. 

Thanks to everyone for the quick responce,  will update following the changes.   

[alan802]

I will say that in my experience with wow printing, it sounds like you're doing most everything right, high mesh and tight screens for your wow colors is the main thing and you've done that correctly.  But there have been many times where I've done everything right but the inks themselves are the issue.  The three causes of buildup are excessive force (buildup around the edges of the print), phase separation due to absorption (the garment type affects this greatly and is identified by buildup in the middle of the screen) and if your buildup is even across the print area then it's most likely the ink.

[blue moon]

my thinking is something is not right with the ink. If he is having a hard time clearing through the 230 (and ahving the tight screens he has) it should be the ink.

also, a different brand of ink was working fine before switching to this. I am sure that each ink has it's own preferred settings so it might take time to dial it in, but one should be able to push a WOW ink through a 230 with one fast and light stroke.

pierre

[Parker 1]

Update

Switched to Wilflex EPIC for my Plastisol top colors.  Fixed it blew through 300 remaining prints with no build-up no stoppage other than carding ink when needed.  The only variable that was changed was the ink, no changes where made to pressures, DC_Base, or screens. 

A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone for the help.

Chris

[tonypep]

Good to hear Chris. Epic and Rutland are my plastisols of choice.

[Homer]

do you mind sharing what ink you were using that "failed"?

[Parker 1]

do you mind sharing what ink you were using that "failed"?

I will PM you. 

I do not like to disclose any info on an open forum that may hurt a company or organization.  If it is positive I will drop names in the open, such as Wilflex's Epic line of inks.  They worked and we ended up printing roughly 1,000 pcs today with zero build-up issues.  One job was 6 spot colors all printed WOW on CCI DC 50/50 Base on Royal Ts.