Additive – 700-VMT Flow Agent

Printcolor 700-VMT is a highly concentrated silicone additive to improve in ink levelling and gloss.

The official technical stuff from Printcolor
Printcolor 700-VMT is a highly concentrated polymetric silicone additive characterised by its levelling improving effect, elimination of foaming effects, and a certain enhancement of gloss of the cured ink layer. Typical problems like bubbling, pinhole or orange-peel effects in the printed image can also be rectified.  VMT will often also influence the wetting characteristics of the substrate too, which can be used positively to improve adhesion when properly implemented.

Addition ratios should be restricted to only 0.2 to 0.5%, up to a maximum of 1% by weight. 700-VMT must properly be blended into the ink system for proper performance. Caution should be used if the ink layer is to be over-printed or lacquered as the addition of VMT may lead to wetting problems for post-printing processes.

Refer to the Technical Information and 700-VMT MSDS documents for more details.

What we say about Printcolor 700-VMT
700-VMT changes the ink tension and wetting properties of the ink, which improves print evenness and in some cases print gloss and adhesion to the substrate. VMT assists the ink to flow or level after transfer and can noticeably reduce print pin-holing and unevenness.

As Printcolor 700-VMT is a silicone based agent, strict control of its use is necessary as over-dosing ink can result in silicone contamination, transfer issues and deterioration of adhesion.

The good oil from our trade print room

• 700 VMT can cause cloudiness in some clear ink systems.
• Flow agents should be used in small amounts and with caution. Inexperienced users may create adhesion or print quality issues with inappropriate or over use of ink additives.

Clean Up Agent – 700-URT Solva Wash

Solva Wash clean up solution for solvent pad and screen printing inks.

The official technical stuff from Printcolor
700-URT is a cleaning agent used to remove one and two component solvent pad and screen printing inks from machinery parts and plates. Solva Wash is formulated for high cleaning efficiency and residue free evaporation of the solvent from clean parts. It free of greasing / residue so that parts can be used again immediately after wash up without further cleaning.

700-URT Solva Wash is free of acid or alkaline materials, does not contain any chlorinated or fluorinated components. Refer to the Technical Information and 700-URT MSDS documents for more details.

What we say about Solva Wash
Solva-Wash is a long lasting wash-up solvent for pad printing machinery and plates. It effectively removes one and two component pad printing ink from ink cups and trays and printing plates without causing corrosion. Solva-Wash is formulated for fast drying off clean parts, but with low evaporation of active agents from the solution, making it effective to longer.

Available in 20L drums.

The good oil from our trade print room

• We wipe excess ink from printer parts before wash-up. This gives us between two and three months use from each drum of Solva Wash.
• We use a recirculating parts wash up unit design specifically for washing printer parts with solvent solution. It eliminates splashing, reduces fumes and cuts wash-up time dramatically. We wouldn’t be without our Solva Wash-Up Unit!

Cleaner – 10-002 Cleaner and Remover

Printcolor 10-002 Cleaner for printed PVC and ink remover.

The official technical stuff from Printcolor
Printcolor 10-002 is a solvent based cleaning agent developed for the treatment of printed PVC and tarpaulin materials. The substrate is wipe over with 10-002 to dissolve grease, dust and residues, and to prepare the material for further printing. This unique solvent mix is designed so that the common coating of PVC fabric foils is not adversely effected, retaining their plasticity and flexibility and resistance to brittleness.

Printcolor 10-002 can also be used as a gentle cleaner to remove wet and partially cured pad and screening inks.  Refer to the Technical Information and 10-002 MSDS documents for more details.

What we say about Printcolor 10-002
Printcolor 10-002 is popular and widely used in the commercial pad and screen printing industry to remove grease and contaminants from the surface of manufactured and hand assembled products that can effect print adhesion.

10-002 is also an effective ink remover. It is gentle enough not to melt or cloud most plastics, but a strong enough to dissolve partially cured ink and ink shadows sometimes left on the product after mis-prints have been cleaned off with methylated spirits.

The good oil from our trade print room

• We find 10-002 is extremely effective for cleaning ink from matte surfaces and PVC plastics that sometimes retain a shadow of the print even after cleaning with metho.

Hardener – Printcolor HDa

Printcolor HDa is a reactive hardener system developed for long term outdoor and demanding applications used with screen print inks on plastics and metals.

The official technical stuff from Printcolor
Printcolor HDa hardener is based on aliphatic components that combine the characteristics of high chemical resistance and extremely good abrasion resistance. It is based on a highly reactive bonding compound that produces an extremely durable cured ink layer with high chemical and mechanical resistance.

Printcolor HDa is engineered for UV stability and to be yellowing-free even after prolonged outdoor exposure. HDa produces a glossy cured link layer that is highly flexible, allowing it to bend with flexible substrates without becoming brittle. Printcolor HDa can be used with most solvent screen printing inks. However, to take full advantage of the UV stability and flexibility possible with HDa the best ink partners are screen printing Series 640, Series 650, Series 660, Series 658 and Series 665.  Refer to the Technical Information and HDa MSDS documents for more details.

What we say about Printcolor HDa
The unique chemical cross-linking that gives HDa it’s flexibility and outdoor stability takes more time or temperature to reach full cured hardness compared with HDi hardener. This may present handling issues for high throughput applications such as industrial / large scale applications. For commercial printers longer curing may simply mean slowing or increasing temperature in drying tunnels – especially during cooler months.

An advantage of the slightly longer curing times is increased pot life. Ink mixed with HDa has an average pot life of 6-8 hours (and often longer) depending on your ink type and ambient conditions. Printcolor HDa requires temperatures above 15 degrees C for chemical crosslinking to take place, ideal curing conditions are at room temperature – 20 degrees or higher. You can increase print durability and reduce curing time by oven baking the printed product. Mixing ratios of ink to HDa will vary with the on ink series your using and your end application, these are listed in the technical leaflets and on ink can labels.

The good oil from our trade print room

• We always use HDa when printing with Series 660 as it’s a flexible ink and requires a flexible hardener.
• HDa is specifically formulated for two characteristics; UV stability for long term outdoor use, and an elastic cured ink layer useful on flexible substrates like leather, textiles or PP / PE drink bottles for example.
• Hardener going ‘off’ in the can is a complaint we hear made of all brands. We guarantee if you routinely clean the spout and replace the cap properly after each pour, you will get full use of your can of HDa right down to the very last drop – we do.
• DON’T use more hardener than the recommended amount. If you overdose ink with hardener you’ll lengthen curing time and risk reducing print adhesion and durability.
• You cannot use HDa with metallic gold in some ink Series.  The cooper in gold metallics reacts with HDa and acts as a catalyst for the hardener, giving you about 20 minutes of pot life. If you need to use HDa for a gold print, we have mixing recipes based on metallic silver that will produce a stunning gold ink fully compatible with HDa hardener.
• We prefer to use HDa (rather than HDi) in summer months to extend ink pot life in hot and humid working conditions.

Hardener – Printcolor HDi

Printcolor HDi is a highly reactive hardener system developed for indoor applications for use with pad and screen printing inks on plastics and metals.

The official technical stuff from Printcolor
Printcolor HDi hardener is formulated for industrial/commercial printing applications intended for indoor use. It is based on a highly reactive bonding compound that produces an extremely durable cured ink layer with high chemical and mechanical resistance.

Ideal ink partners for 700 HDi hardener are Printcolor two component screen ink Series 630 and Series 650. HDi can also be added to single component screen inks to increase print durability. Refer to the Technical Information and HDi MSDS documents for more details.

What we say about Printcolor HDi hardener
Printcolor HDi is a universal hardener designed to perform with all Printcolor solvent screem and pad print inks. It’s quiet a reactive hardener which means printing will cure reasonably quickly making it ideal for fast throughput applications and tight print-to-pack turnarounds. Mixing ratios of ink to HDi will vary with the on ink series your using and your end application, these are listed in the technical leaflets and on ink can labels.

Ink mixed with HDi has an average pot life of 4-8 hours depending on your ink type and ambient conditions. Printcolor HDi produces a rigid ink layer best suited to hard surfaces such as plastics and metals as it may crack if flexed or applied to soft materials (See Printcolor HDa for flexible applications). HDi requires temperatures above 10 degrees C for chemical bonding to take place, ideal curing conditions are at room temperature – 20 degrees or higher. You can increase print durability and reduce curing time by applying heat to the printed product using a drying tunnel or oven.

The good oil from our trade print room

• We use Printcolor HDi a lot and are always confident that it will deliver consistent and predictable adhesion results.
• HDi is intended for internal/indoor print applications and, due to its chemical composition, will tend to go chalky and yellow when subjected to UV from long-term outdoor exposed.
• When curing at room temperature, we generally pack and ship the next day. Curing time can be reduced by increasing temperature either by baking or use of a heat drying tunnel.
• Its high reactivity facilitates fast print curing, it also means that if you don’t replace the cap after use you’ll reduce the shelf life of your HDi considerably. Hardener going ‘off’ in the can is a complaint we hear made of all brands, but I guarantee if you routinely clean the spout and replace the cap properly after each pour, you will get full use of your can of HDi right down to the very last drop – we do.
• DON’T use more hardener than the recommended amount. If you overdose with hardener you will lengthen curing time and risk reducing print adhesion and durability.