Applying & Laminating Capillary Film

Posted by TJ

UlanoUlano



To apply capillary film:

  1. Degrease screen.
  2. Roll film around ½” I.D. PVC pipe with the emulsion (dull)
    side out.
  3. Flush screen with plain water after about a minute to remove degreaser.
  4. Hold the spray nozzle touching the mesh at the bottom of the screen and
    direct the spray up the screen so water flows as a sheet down the screen.  Pan
    the water back and forth like a windshield wiper to keep water flowing down
    the screen while completing Step 5.
  5. Place the roll of capillary film on the screen where you want the film
    to start.  Hold the roll on the screen without rolling the film for
    a second or two while the water passes over the capillary film a time or
    two to pre-wet the film before rolling the film down the screen.  Roll
    the capillary film down the screen in the water, “The Wetter, the Better.”  If
    insufficient water is used, air will be trapped between the film and mesh
    and look like white spots.  To remove the white spots, spray water from
    a foot away from the screen directly into the screen and/or gently guide
    the air bubbles off the edge of the film by touching the air bubbles from
    the side of the bubble.  Do not push air bubbles through the screen,
    because that would thin out the stencil thickness and ink deposit when you
    print.
  6. Once the film is on the screen, immediately pick the screen up, hold parallel
    to the floor, then shut the water off, and dry around the edges of the frame,
    but do not touch the stencil.  You want to be quick about picking up
    a screen after the capillary film has been applied so the wet emulsion does
    not start to run on the screen.  If there are white spots in the screen,
    see para. 5 above.  The film should not be squeegeed into the mesh,
    except when 200 microns or thicker.
  7. Rest the frame on 2 2x4’s in front of a heater fan.  The time
    required to dry depends on how much water is on the screen, stencil thickness,
    and air temperature to hold moisture.  The screen should be dry so that
    the plastic liner sheet peels off easily in 10-15 minutes.  Thicker
    films will take longer.  If the plastic liner is pulling at the stencil
    material, moisture is still trapped in the stencil and needs more time to
    dry.

To wash a screen out, wet both sides of the screen, lay the screen flat, stencil
side up, and lay a paper towel over the image.  Wet the towel, and let stand
1-2 minutes.  Peel the towel off.  Stand the screen up, and spray lightly
with tap water pressure.  The portion of the stencil laden with water will
wash out.  Thick stencils, such as 200 microns, will not absorb water completely
through the stencil in the image area, and therefore will not wash out with one
attempt.  The paper towel will have to be laid over the image a 2nd, and
maybe 3rd or 4th time, wet, peeled off and a minute, and sprayed with tap water
pressure to remove the stencil material completely.  Avoid substantial
water pressure,