Screen Mesh plays a vital role in your production process, whether you are printing the circuit boards of smartphones or logos on products. Screen mesh is woven from monofilament or multi-filament yarns, most commonly polyester but also available in nylon and steel-wire. Each type of screen fabric has its own physical characteristics and performance attributes. Understanding these factors will help you determine the best mesh specification to transfer your designs and ensure quality prints.
Mesh count is a primary factor in controlling print thickness, which decreases inversely with increasing mesh count. A lower mesh count will have larger openings and a heavier coating of ink, while a higher mesh count has finer openings with less ink coating.
Choosing the right mesh counts will depend on the design details and the inks you use to fuse the designs onto the surface of the substrate. The size of the particles in the inks is another important consideration. Large particles can block ink deposits from reaching the desired locations. Adding a curable reducer to the inks can allow them to pass through screens more effectively.
To determine the right mesh count, cut a 1-inch-by-1-inch square from a piece of paper and use it as a counting template. Then align the edges of the square with the warp or wires that form horizontal and vertical lines in the mesh, and count the openings per square inch. Then divide the number of openings per square inch by the screen’s mesh count to determine the number of threads per square inch.