The process of using photosensitive ink

The use process of photosensitive ink mainly includes seven steps: ink dilution, inking, ink drying, exposure, development, etching, and ink removal. What tools are needed for the process, and what materials are used.

The first is equipment and tools. Although the hardware etching industry has low requirements and relatively simple equipment, there are a few things that are necessary.

1. Screen printing table, screen, spray gun is needed for spraying, and roller coating equipment is needed for roller coating.

2. Hot air circulation ovens, many hardware signs use self-drying photosensitive etching inks, especially large stainless steel plates, which cannot be dried in the oven. To make some small, high-precision signs, an oven is needed to quickly cure the ink, so that the dried ink will have better adhesion and stronger etching resistance.

3. Exposure machine or exposure lamp. Exposure machine is almost necessary equipment in the use of photosensitive ink, because some fine patterns or texts are to be done, especially for the same customer, there are many product specifications, and it is not cost-effective to publish screen version, and it is necessary to use film for exposure to save costs. In this way, it is necessary to use photosensitive etching ink, and use an exposure machine to expose the pattern after drying. Some small workshops, without exposure machines, will buy some iodine gallium lamps to make simple exposure rooms. The principle is the same as using exposure machines.

The next thing you need is several etching materials.

1. Open oil and water. There are many kinds of boiled oil and water, which are generally used to dilute photosensitive etching ink. Like gasoline that dilutes paint, it is also a kind of boiling oil. Photosensitive etching ink is also diluted with gasoline. Generally, there are three kinds of thinners used in conventional photosensitive blue oil, namely: anti-white water, 783 boiled oil water, and Tianna water. The odor of anti-white water is relatively small. 783 boiled oil water and Tianna water are easy to buy, but there are some problems. application of pe wax  The ink diluted with 783 boiled oil and water is easy to produce air bubbles and form trachoma, while Tianna water has a strong smell and volatilizes quickly. If you want to The ink dries quickly and can be diluted with Tianna water.

2. Sodium carbonate. Sodium carbonate is used to prepare the developer. If the ink needs to be developed after exposure, do not use the developer that has been prepared from the outside. The photosensitive etching ink is developed with sodium carbonate, and the concentration is generally about 1%. Most supermarkets have edible alkali (sodium carbonate), which can be used instead of industrial sodium carbonate.

3. Ferric chloride. Ferric chloride is a very commonly used etching material in hardware etching. It can be used to etch stainless steel, copper, aluminum and other metals with a concentration of about 60.

4. Sodium hydroxide or paint stripping water. Sodium hydroxide is mainly used for ink removal, also known as caustic soda. Stainless steel signs and bronze medals use about 5% sodium hydroxide for deinking. Due to the different properties of aluminum plates, paint stripping water is used to deink.