[scottballz]

Hey guys,
We just began using an automatic press yesterday and ran into a few problems. I think I figured out most of them but I want to get some opinions on one in particular. The problem we had was the emulsion breaking down. I think this was do to an insufficient amount of coats. the first round was 1 coat on each side. I switched to 2 coats today and that seemed to help a lot. The only other thing I was thinking about doing is using a squeegee as a flood bar. Any Opinions?

 

[Troll]

it's not the flood bar causing probe, it's probably the wrong emulsion. What are you using? Also, you may need a hardener if you are doing discharge, so that it doesn't break down the emulsion..

 

[scottballz]

We are using WPB hybrid emulsion from ryonet. We have been using it with water based and discharge on our Manual press with no problems. We haven't used discharge on the automatic yet. So far just RC water based on light garments. Do you think we should use a different emulsion? If so, where should I get it from?

 

[JantexInks]

Emulsion coating techniques are often overlooked. A lot of times as people are coating a screen, they end up using too much pressure and scrape the emulsion right off the screen. The goal is to end up with a certain EOM (Emulsion Over Mesh). The thicker the EOM, the harder it is for things to penetrate through.

Make sure that you are using correct pressure and speed while applying your emulsion.
Also proper exposure is crucial to maximizing your emulsion's potential. You can also post expose after development for some extra strength.

Just a couple tips, hope they help...

 

[scottballz]

Thanks or the tips, they definetly helped!!!

 

[ryven728]

I use the same emulsion, coating 1/1 on a manual press and harden X screen hardener for bigger runs and have had 0 problems with it. It is a hybrid emulsion which means it isn't ideal for really big runs of water base/discharge or automatics since they are a lot harder on the screens. I would recommend trying Ulano QT-Discharge or CCI SWR emulsions since they are made specifically to handle water based/discharge inks. I've used both and they produce some insane water based/discharge resistant stencils, overkill for manual presses unless you do runs of 500+ shirts on a regular basis. Add a little emulsion hardener to those 2 emulsions, and I can't see you having any problems on an automatic unless you're under exposed.

 

[HumbleShirts]

Using hardener on your emulsion (and admitting it) only means that you are:

1) Not properly exposing your screens
2) Not using the right emulsion for your particular application
3) Demonstrating to the masses that you are too lazy to take the time to figure out which of the two choices above is your problem.

 

[ncbigfroot]

did you mix the stuff that came with the emulsion & let it sit a hr

 

[ryven728]

Using hardener on your emulsion (and admitting it) only means that you are:

1) Not properly exposing your screens
2) Not using the right emulsion for your particular application
3) Demonstrating to the masses that you are too lazy to take the time to figure out which of the two choices above is your problem.

1) I guarantee my screens are properly exposed.
2) Hybrid emulsion was made to allow smaller shops the ability to use both water base/discharge and plastisol inks without the needed expense of buying multiple types of emulsion since most small shops only use water base from time to time.
3) I guess a lot of small shops are "lazy" since they don't want the extra expense of carrying multiple emulsions. Maybe offering a solution to the OP's question instead of flaming would be more beneficial since it is the main point of posting a question on these forums.