Galvanized Screen Material With Filled Undercuts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional screen materials for rotary screen printing suffer from angle weaknesses and undercuts at crossing points, leading to stability issues, flow resistance, and print quality problems due to the notch effect and ink drying in these areas.
Innovation Solution
A screen material with strands arranged at angles, forming a woven structure, where undercuts at crossing points are partially filled with metal during electroplating to create a smooth surface without sharp edges or chamfers, enhancing stability and flow behavior.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional electroplating is used on woven screen materials, then metal coating is achieved, but undercuts and angle weaknesses form at crossing points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a non-conductive coating specifically at the crossing points where strands intersect, creating a localized difference in electrical conductivity. This allows the electroplating process to deposit metal uniformly across the screen while preventing undercut formation at critical crossing points, thereby maintaining both manufacturing ease and screen reliability
Solution Approach 2:
A non-conductive intermediate layer is introduced at the crossing points between metal-coated strands. This intermediary prevents direct metal-to-metal contact and eliminates the undercut effect by blocking the electroplating process at these specific locations, resolving the reliability issue without compromising the overall coating process
2Manufacturing precision
If high mesh count fabrics are used to achieve fine image resolution, then image quality improves, but screen thickness and paste flow resistance increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the physical parameters of the screen coating by applying a uniform metal layer that smooths the surface topology. This changes the effective opening size and surface roughness parameters, allowing high mesh count fabrics to maintain low paste flow resistance while achieving fine image resolution through the refined mesh structure
3Strength
If uniform metal deposition is applied to increase crossing point stability, then wear resistance improves, but opening size is reduced and clogging occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a localized non-conductive barrier at crossing points that prevents metal deposition in these specific areas. This selective approach maintains large opening sizes for paste flow while still providing metal coating reinforcement at the strand bodies, resolving the contradiction between crossing point stability and opening size
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts or removes the metal coating application from the crossing point areas by introducing a non-conductive layer. This separation allows the opening areas to remain unobstructed while the strand bodies receive the protective metal coating, eliminating the trade-off between reinforcement and opening size
4Productivity
If rotary screen printing with high rotation speed is used to increase hydrodynamic pressure, then paste application improves, but ink flow turbulence increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the surface roughness parameter of the screen by applying a smooth metal coating. This reduces the friction and turbulence-generating surface irregularities, allowing high rotation speeds to be used for increased paste application without generating excessive flow turbulence in the ink
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces flow resistance and turbulence, prevents ink drying, simplifies cleaning, and increases the screen material's stability by eliminating sharp edges and chamfers, resulting in improved print quality and longer service life.
Implementation Method 1
Everywhere on their surfaces, the strands have a coating of approximately constant thickness made of metal, in particular nickel, which was deposited on the strands in an electroplating process. In the area of crossing points of the strands, their undercuts have at least partially a filling of the metal applied in an electroplating process
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a
Figure 2b
AI summary
The invention relates to a flat screen material (1) for use in screen printing, having strands (5, 5.1, 5.2) forming a woven screen structure, said strands being arranged at an angle to each other and crossing at intersection points (10), wherein at said intersection points the strands (5, 5.1, 5.2) form undercuts (11) and otherwise form a screen structure having openings and, at least at the surfaces thereof, consist of metal (3) which was deposited on the strands (5, 5.1, 5.2) in a galvanising process. According to the invention, in the region of the intersection points of the strands (5, 5.1, 5.2), the undercuts (11) thereof have at least in some cases a filling (12) of the metal applied during the galvanising process. This filling can form in particular an inner edge-transition with a rounding (12.1). The fillings improve the properties of the screen material in particular in respect of stability, flow-through and cleaning options. The invention also relates to a screen (4) for rotary screen printing made of such a flat screen material (1).