# UV curable ink



## 2ampress (Oct 28, 2009)

I'm more knowledgeable on offset printing on paper and plastic substrates, but I wondered how much can transfer over to textile printing.

Recent technology has shaken up the UV market to now allow high powered LED's to cure UV inks at a fraction of the energy costs as well as drastically reduce the heat that is produced.

Are there UV inks for textile screen printing? It would be an awesome thing to be able to cure them with LEDs...

Anyone in the know???


----------



## sandm (Sep 3, 2011)

Well Tracy, have you done any experiments yet? I to have worked in the offset printing industry in the past. I was wondering the same thing on the way to work this morning. I was unaware of the LED lamps being used for UV drying as I've been away from that industry for some time now. Just curious to if have done any kind of experimenting.


----------



## ScreenFoo (Aug 9, 2011)

It sounds like a great idea.

I would think the main problem would stem from the uneven ink deposit-- once the ink is forced into the weave of the garment, the ink and shirt would have to pass UV energy some distance. 
It seems to me that darker opaque inks would be difficult. I suppose CMY process inks would seem to be the low fruit on the tree in that respect. (thin deposit, transparent/transmissive)


----------



## Printmark (Sep 25, 2011)

I have a ton of experiance screen printing UV inks (on paper and vinyl), and the key to a successful cure is a thin laydown (420 1/2 calender mesh is common). This is the main reason you don't see UV inks for textiles. The light source (no matter the type) need to fully penetrate the inks. So the more opaque an ink, the tougher it is to cure. The more transparent, the faster the cure.

I worked in a shop that did high volume UV Clear coatings for the Offset Printers, (this was before they could do it inline), and the Clear is super fast, just pass under a 1" diameter light at 120 fpm and its cured. (ran a Svecia Cylinder Press) I never used the LED technology, but I can see where this would really help the heat. Heat is (was) a major problem with the UV process. I've put out my share of fires over the years.

Printmark


----------



## Anonoprinter (Mar 27, 2013)

Any new developments on this concept (UV cured DTG inks?) This would eliminate some of the hassles with DTG, open up a wider variety of fabric options and potentially double the speed at which you could produce shirts by eliminating the pre-treat and drying steps. 

I suspect there are good reasons why it's not being done yet but what are they?


----------

