What are the differences between UV printing and silk screen printing?
There are two main printing printing technologies used in tempered glass sheet surface treatment processing, UV printing and silk screen printing. Today we are going to introduce their definition, technical principles, application ranges and differences between that two printing arts
There are two main printing printing technologies used in tempered glass sheet surface treatment processing, UV printing and silk screen printing. Today we are going to introduce their definition, technical principles, application ranges and differences between that two printing arts.
Definition of UV printing and silk screen printing
1.UV printing: UV printing is the short of Ultra-Violet Ray printing.
UV printing refers to the printing method using the ultraviolet light to cure the ink. UV ink contains photo-sensitizer. When irradiated with ultraviolet rays of a specific wavelength, the chemical substances in the ink will be activated to solidify the ink, thereby achieve the printing effect.
2.Silk screen printing:
Silk screen printing refers to the printing method using a screen printing machine. By applying a certain amount of pressure on the designed screen, the pattern on the screen printing cloth is squeezed onto the screen support(here it is the tempered toughened glass sheets).
Technical principles of UV printing and silk screen printing
1.UV printing: UV printing is a printing process which uses the ultra-violet ray to dry and solidify the ink. UV ink is instantly cured after being irradiated by UV light. This UV printing process enables the ink to solidify quickly and has good conjunctival properties and strong adhesion.
2.Silk screen printing: silk screen printing uses extrusion to attach the pattern on the screen to the support(like tempered glass panels).the drying in silk screen printing mainly relies on moisture in the environment or artificial hot air drying.
The applications of UV printing and silk screen printing:
Usage of UV printing: UV printing is suitable for surface treatment of various materials such as toughened glass panels, metal, plastic, paper, etc. And has wide applications.
Usage of silk screen printing: silk screen printing is suitable for surface printing on various support surface, like tempered toughened glass panels, especially for the printing of uneven or small patterns.
Now most of our tempered toughened glass sheets are using the silk screen printing to meet our customer’s requirements, like our printed tempered glass lid for washing machines, silk screen printed toughened glass top panel for tea table and bedside table.
And also we can use UV printing to make various colorful designs for our customers if necessary.
The differences between UV printing and silk screen printing:
1.Printing effect: due to the fast curing speed of the UV printing, its printing effect is more stable and the colors are bright and full; while silk screen printing may have color difference or uneven color due to the material itself.
2.Production efficiency: UV printing does not require screen make fee, can be produced directly, and it is fast and is suitable for small batch production; while silk screen printing requires screen plate making before printing, which has higher screen plate making cost, so silk screen printing is suitable for large bulk continuous production.
3.Environmental protection: the curing process of the UV printing is completed by ultraviolet irradiation, so no organic waste gas is generated; while the silk screen printing may have problems with solvent volatilization, which has a certain impact on the environment.
4.Cost: the cost of UV printing equipment is relatively high, but the ink can be reused, so the cost is relatively low; while the cost of silk screen printing equipment is relatively low, but there are many screen consumables, and the overall cost is relatively high.
In short, both UV printing and silk screen printing have their own characteristics and applications respectively. Our customers should choose the proper printing method according to their real requirements, to reach their demands with lowest cost. When choosing a printing method, factors such as product material, production efficiency, environmental protection, and purchasing cost should be fully considered. At the same time, for different printing needs, that two printing methods(UV printing and silk screen printing) can also be used in combination to achieve better results.
Huide Glass is one Chinese processing factory for tempered glass products, manufacturer for toughened glass sheets, wholesale factory for tempered toughened glass sheets, our toughened glass sheets products has passed the 3C certificate, and is qualified and safe for daily use. We are processing tempered toughened glass sheets used in home appliances and furniture, such as we can offer tempered toughened glass fridge shelves with trim or without the trim strip, silk screen printed customized color tempered glass door panel for home refrigerators, colored cut to size toughened glass lid for household washing machines top load twin and single tubes, silk printed tempered glass tea table top or bedside table top, transparent tempered glass cover for display box or showcase counter, also we can supply the tempered glass mirror for bathroom, and if you have other tempered glass products requirements for your home appliances or furniture, you can send us your detailed design drawings to us, customization can be done for you.
here is to show you the processing of tempered glass sheets:
cutting-edging and grinding-tempering-silk screen printing-packaging-delivering
