Discharge Ink
WB is a water based ink made of heat setting binder and pigment. Water base inks penetrate the shirt surface coating individual fibers with a thin film. The finish (non-glossy) is soft to the hand. On textiles, the printed surface opens with the weave when stretched. With washing, water base will soften.
Printing:
WB inks have excellent screen open time. Recommended use 110-230 TPI (43-90 TPcm). Screens stretched to a minimum of 25 newtons are recommended. WB inks will go through screens as fine as 380 TPI (149 TPcm), resulting in an imperceptible feel on the garment. Lower mesh counts will leave a minor feel to the final print. Remember to finish your print with a flood of your image. This will help keep the image area from drying out. The QCM WB has excellent anti-crocking properties when fully cured. Test for crocking after curing by wetting and rubbing printed surfaces vigorously. If crocking is happening, more drying time may be required. Machine wash to determine the long term durability of the print. Each fabric will be somewhat different.
Stencil:
Use any water resistant direct emulsion or capillary film.
Additives:
WBT-100 can be added at low levels, normally 2-5%, to increase thickness of water base inks. This should be done by gradual addition, as too much WBT-100 can cause over thickening. High shear is necessary while mixing to ensure even consistency. Also, check after each add, because thicker inks tend to result in a harder hand.
Modifiers:
WB-100 is used for extending ink (use at any level). Obviously opacity reduces with more WB-100 base. SM-100 will soften water base series inks. Add at 5 to 20 %, but caution – opacity will be reduced. AC-100 is used for anti-crocking. Add at 1 to 2 %. See above. WBT-100 is used to thicken water base inks. Add at 2 to 5% but see above for instructions… MF-169 is an air dry catalyst. Add at 5 to 25% depending on how fast dry is needed. Product will also increase bonding to many plastics and metals and generally toughen the printed image. MF-075 is a retarder. Use sparingly at 1 to 5%.
Flashing:
Parameters vary between all flash units. Flash for 3-5 seconds with the ink deposit reaching 150-250°F (65-121°C).
Curing:
Water Base inks cure in two stages. First, the drying stage: all the water must be removed from the print before the ink will begin to cure. In the second stage, the entire ink layer must reach 300°F (148°C) to fully cure. Warning: Please check for proper cure. Ink will feel dry, but may not be fully cured.
Cleanup:
Use any of the commercially available products for the cleanup of water base inks. Warm water and soap works as well.
Environmentally Friendly:
QCM water base inks contain no leaded pigments and, when properly disposed of, has no environmental impact. Use water emulsifying screen cleaners for cleanup. Scrape screens carefully and store ink for reuse.
