How to screen print sub 30um features?
Screen printing never ceases to advance and is entering into ultrafine line printing territory. FERNANDO ZICARELLI explains in this short 5-min talks important considerations to achieve fineline printing and further push the resolution down:
03 Aug, 2022. 1 minute read
- Team effort: screen printing is a team effort, requiring close collaboration between paste maker, mesh and emulsion maker, printer, etc.
- Black stainless steel mesh: conventional stainless steel meshes are reflective (10-15%). To achieve narrow and sharp openings in the high resolution photosensitive emulsion, random reflections from the stainless steel mesh- especially at 365nm and 405nm wavelengths- need to be minimized. This is why a black version is required
- Narrow meshes: Asada Mesh is the master of making the most advanced stainless steel meshes. To achieve sub 30um, a mesh with a diameter of 11-13um with 55%-60% opening will be required. Asada Mesh is already pushing the performance envelope, offering even 9um meshes. This is an incredible advance, considering it takes around 3 years of intense developments to shave 1um from the diameter of the mesh
- Substrate selection: depending on paste, substrate selection is key to balance surface tension/energy. Here, Fernando shows the outsize impact of substrate properties on on even 50um printed lines
To learn more and to meet the Asada Mesh team join us in Eindhoven (12-13 OCT)