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When the going gets tough the tough turn to screen
NEXT YEAR is likely to be the year that sorts the wheat from the chaff with challenging times ahead. That said, it is often easier to make more profit on a reduced turnover. Hard times make printers concentrate on being better at what they do, with the time to make improvements in systems and methods. It is also an opportunity to reassess sales and marketing by talking to existing customers, making sure, in the process, that they are financially secure.
So what happened in the screen printing market in 2008? In fact, there were a number of positives. Many companies who run both screen printing and digital printing said they make more profit from screen printing than they do from digital. This is compounded by the fact that digital equipment depreciates rapidly, with updated kit entering the market all the time.
As soon as one new machine is launched, another manufacturer unveils a competitor product, making it difficult for the end-user to stay abreast of technology. Take the EFI Vutek DS for example, followed swiftly by the ‘baby' Onset S20 from Inca. What is interesting about both machines, is that they claim to be after the screen printing market.
In fact, times have changed and screen printing has moved on. Printing four colour process and its derivatives onto ideal substrates is easy. The result is an optical illusion that can tolerate a level of variability when viewed in isolation that would be unacceptable in precision screen printing. Screen printers often use digital printing to do that sort of work if run lengths are short or they can invest in the equipment required. One PoS producer, for example, opted to invest in two digital printing machines in case one broke down. This is clearly not practical for 95 per cent of all print service providers, the majority of which are micro businesses, with less than 10 employees. The tools of their trade have to be a more manageable investment.
Emerging applications
Predictable, measurable and controllable, screen printing is increasingly being adopted by manufacturing and used by conventional printers when they have difficult substrates, substrates in difficult operating environments and need precise reproduction of specific colours.
Many new applications for screen printing have emerged over the past year, from T-shirt printing to electronic circuits covering tens of square metres in area. What appeals to users and potential adopters alike, is the flexibility of the process, particularly its ability to cope with virtually any material that can be dispersed in a fluid of printable consistency. Screen printing mesh is a development of filter meshes that meter a fluid onto the substrate with the theoretical ink volume as the main determining factor in final wet film thickness. The print action takes place after the squeegee has passed and is determined by how the mesh releases from the wet film.
Mesh tension and off contact combine with flood coater profile and squeegee edge to determine the efficiency of the ink release from the mesh. Stencil thickness and roughness determine edge definition. These and other parameters give the user a high degree of control over the process.
To help printers address these issues, manufacturer of screen printing films and chemicals, MacDermid Autotype, has released a new e-book: How to be a great screen printer. The text is free to download as a PDF and is designed to help screen printers understand the science of printing so that they can produce better, more consistent results. In this publication Professor Stephen Abbot explains how different aspects of screen printing technology can be handled with a scientific and common sense approach, dispelling many of the myths that surround this age-old process.
Traditional values
Just as there have been developments in emerging applications, there have also been some real steps forward in the traditional screen printing area. Computer-to-screen continues to expand its reach in several different formats. Probably the best-practice approach to process control that these devices bring is just as important as the equipment itself. It goes without saying that unless the stencil is correct the process is flawed from the start.
Following this remit, there have been some companies that have made a success of 2008. Signum Siebdruck for example, earned serious profits using SIAS Multiformula large format machines. One of the key factors in this success, was the managing director's insistence on replacing all equipment within a five year cycle, thus keeping up with technology and maintaining high levels of productivity.
Closer to home, textile printer, Top Banana Sports, has blended digital textile and screen printing into a service proposition that is attractive to a market demanding quality printed garments with a fast turn round. The company has recognised a niche market and provided what the customer wants particularly through its web portal.
It is companies like these that show the way forward into the year ahead with their mix of technology, teamwork and market knowledge
