Nylon catalyst needs to be added to plastisol inks if you are screen printing onto nylon bags. Otherwise, it doesn't stick.
Plastisol Ink for Nylon bags?
Hey guys, what is the best ink you guys would recommend for nylon bags? Ive tried using plastisol ink on them and it didnt seem to work. After curing the bags, ive tested them by rubbing the bag against each other and the ink seems to fall right off.
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Hey Twisted Grafix, thanks for the reply! Does adding Nylon catalyst change the curing temperature or does it remain the same?Nylon catalyst needs to be added to plastisol inks if you are screen printing onto nylon bags. Otherwise, it doesn't stick.
The ink cure time would still be in the 300-320 range. Mix in the appropriate percentage by volume and ONLY mix as much ink and catalyst as you need because in 2-3 hours it will start to harden the ink. Clean screens and squeegees immediately after using them. Don't let ink sit in the screens.
You can add a low cure additive to the inks to lower the cure temperature.
We usually print on the polypropylene drawstring bags with plastisol. We add low cure additive to colors and use a low bleed, low cure white. I can say 100% that the low cure additive will drop cure temps from 300-320 to around 260-275. It definitely takes some getting used to, so be prepared to burn or melt a couple bags!
Here are a couple helpful links for you:
[media]https://www.atlasscreensupply.com/Shared/user_guides/900-Series-Nylon-Plastisol-Ink.pdf[/media]
The ink in the above link is pretty much standard plastisol. It has a couple different properties, but is basically the same a s an off the shelf general purpose ink.
[media]https://www.atlasscreensupply.com/Shared/images/download/nylon_jacket_printing.pdf[/media]
The last one is for nylon jackets, but it's the same basic principle as far as ink mixing, curing, etc goes.
Hope this helps!
You can add a low cure additive to the inks to lower the cure temperature.
We usually print on the polypropylene drawstring bags with plastisol. We add low cure additive to colors and use a low bleed, low cure white. I can say 100% that the low cure additive will drop cure temps from 300-320 to around 260-275. It definitely takes some getting used to, so be prepared to burn or melt a couple bags!
Here are a couple helpful links for you:
[media]https://www.atlasscreensupply.com/Shared/user_guides/900-Series-Nylon-Plastisol-Ink.pdf[/media]
The ink in the above link is pretty much standard plastisol. It has a couple different properties, but is basically the same a s an off the shelf general purpose ink.
[media]https://www.atlasscreensupply.com/Shared/images/download/nylon_jacket_printing.pdf[/media]
The last one is for nylon jackets, but it's the same basic principle as far as ink mixing, curing, etc goes.
Hope this helps!
Hey Twisted Grafix, I really appreciate the informative reply. I also wanted to ask you if the additive could be mixed with a plastisol ink that is made for non-woven polypropylene bags and that the curing temperature you mentioned is in Fahrenheit or Celsius? I currently use an infrared curing conveyor machine from Vastex, and the minimum temperature for the items to cure and properly dry is around 500-550 Fahrenheit.
No problem at all...
Yes, just add the low cure additive to the plastisol per the manufacturer's instructions to print on the polypropylene bags.
Curing temp is in Fahrenheit.
The dryer element temp will always be higher than the cure temp. You can either speed up the belt to make it go through quicker, or move the heater up/belt feed down to increase the distance between the heating element and the bag. You may have to do both, but it will take some playing with to get it figured out on your equipment for the proper time and temp. Think of it as a pizza oven from Domino's or Papa John's. The slower the belt, the longer the pizza is cooking. If the oven is set to 500, too slow will burn, too fast will not melt the cheese, but just the right speed it comes out perfectly cooked. Same principle, but the cheese is the ink and the crust is the bag.
Yes, just add the low cure additive to the plastisol per the manufacturer's instructions to print on the polypropylene bags.
Curing temp is in Fahrenheit.
The dryer element temp will always be higher than the cure temp. You can either speed up the belt to make it go through quicker, or move the heater up/belt feed down to increase the distance between the heating element and the bag. You may have to do both, but it will take some playing with to get it figured out on your equipment for the proper time and temp. Think of it as a pizza oven from Domino's or Papa John's. The slower the belt, the longer the pizza is cooking. If the oven is set to 500, too slow will burn, too fast will not melt the cheese, but just the right speed it comes out perfectly cooked. Same principle, but the cheese is the ink and the crust is the bag.
1 - 6 of 6 Posts
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