Rotary Screen Printing Process

In rotary screen printing colored paste is forced through the open areas of a cylindrical printing screen that rotates as the fabric moves beneath it.

Rotary screen printing process.

After every printed batch the system has to be cleaned thoroughly. A printing machine that utilizes seamless cylindrical screens made of metal foil was originally developed in holland. In contrast to intermittent flat screen printing rotary screen printing is fully continuous with fabric speeds up to 50m per minute if adequate drying capacity is available. In flat screen printing technology the screen is flat and moves up and down.

Less than 30 minutes are required to go from the repro film to the ready to use printing stencil. Beside the rotary screen is round in size and it rotates. The machine employs a rotary screen for each color as in flat screen printing and the design for each rotary screen is made in a manner similar to automatic flat screen printing. Have a question need a quote.

The print finish quality of rotary screen printing is not to the same standard as modern day discharge printing machines. Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink onto a substrate except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil a blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mesh apertures with ink and a reverse stroke then causes the screen to touch the substrate momentarily along a line of contact. In flat screen printing the squeeze is used. The rotary screen printing machine is fast but limited to the designs it can print and commercially very economical way of printing.

By converting the screen printing process from semi continuous to continuous higher production speeds are obtained. After print application the process is the same as flat screen printing. As most of the screen printing procedures are different. Rotary screen printing enables a wide range of applications including metallic doming security printing and braille.

Screens have to be cut and made to the design we require and each colour way has to be. This process is called rotary screen printing. Typical speeds are from 50 120 ypm 45 100 mpm for rotary screen printing depending upon design complexity and fabric construction.