Screen Printing at GETT

Problem Description

To ensure consistent product quality in the processing of screen printing inks within our in-house screen printing department, monitoring the environmental conditions is essential.

Room temperature and humidity have a direct impact on the viscosity of screen printing inks. If the viscosity is too low or too high, the inks cannot be processed optimally.

Changes in ink viscosity during the production process often result in subsequent disruptions to the print image.

In addition, a virtually particle-free environment is essential when applying clear coatings using the screen printing process, in order to avoid inclusions in the coating.

Solution

To ensure optimal production results, we installed particle sensors as well as sensors for measuring room temperature and relative humidity in our screen printing department – without any modifications to the existing machinery.

In addition to the installations in the production area, further sensors were placed in the ink storage area, the ink cabinet, and near the drying oven to monitor temperature and humidity. This enables continuous monitoring of environmental variables that affect the screen printing inks in use.

The sensors, connected via an IoT gateway, record, process, and prepare the measurement data. The data is visualised through the gateway’s web interface, which is displayed on an LCD monitor.

A tolerance range has been defined within the gateway for both room temperature and humidity. If the temperature readings exceed or fall below this range, a signal tower light is triggered in addition to the on-screen alert.