Screen Printing Squeegee
Getting the Edge on Print Quality.
There’s no denying it; the squeegee you use makes a huge difference to the quality of your finished job. If you use an inferior squeegee, then everything else you do to try and achieve a quality print is just plain hard work.
Our customers tell us that The Edge squeegees deliver exceptional printed results AND, according to Mr Mark Norris of Sequoia Enterprises (Gold Coast), last up to two and a half times longer than other squeegees, which means:
– Greater consistency throughout the production run
– Increased print quality
– Dramatically reduced consumable costs and set-up time
– Immediate increase in job-profit.
The “Edge” difference…
The Edge Squeegees are sourced directly from the leading European manufacturer of urethane blades and are developed specifically for demanding high production screen printing applications. The Edge squeegee blades are made from a newly developed hybrid cross-linked urethane elastomer that really raises the bar for resistance to solvent, UV and vinyl inks.
Enhanced resistance minimises the swelling that prevents the squeegee from ‘kissing’ the mesh and clearing the screen, leaving waves that will blight your printing with poor ink coverage. Greater chemical resistance also allows the Edge squeegee to maintain a high resistance to abrasion and nicks that can translate into nasty streaks in the print, down time for blade change over.
Most importantly Edge squeegee will retain its sharp printing edge and its resilience for much longer than other blades. This ensures a longer useful life, and consistently high print quality with whatever ink type you are using.
Profiles
The sure-edge cutting and vision inspection control system developed for The Edge squeegee ensures the exceptional accuracy of the functional edge of your blade (maintained with a maximum edge radius of 0.003 mm) that delivers the consistently high print quality and increase productivity you’ll come to enjoy with The Edge.
Choose from our wide range of stock profiles, or ask us about cutting a custom profile for your application.
Standard Square Edge
The square edge profile is most commonly used by general textile and graphics printers. It is suitable for a variety of substrates, a wide range of inks, and for manual and automated equipment.
A square edge blade provides medium adaptability and maximum force, pushing the smallest amount of ink through the screen. The less ink deposited, the sharper the print, making it ideal for the reproduction of fine lined and half-tone images.
Wedge Edge
The wedge, or double bevel edge blade (45 or 65 degrees) provides excellent control and is ideal for direct printing onto cylindrical surfaces. It is also widely used for achieving fine detail reproduction on textiles.
Chisel Edge
The chisel, or single bevel edge blade allows the operator to increase the squeegee angle while maintaining the sharp edge for maximum ink shear on cylindrical applications. It adapts well to irregular surfaces, and gives excellent ink deposit control, making it a good choice for high viscosity inks.
Triple Layer Square Edge
This square edge blade is comprised a harder core sandwiched between two layers of soft/medium shore urethane. Triple layers gives the printer the responsiveness of a soft to medium hard blade, with a harder core to reduce blade deflection – stiff enough to avoid roll-over, soft enough to follow the substrate. Perfect!
The triple layer avoids the problems of bowing and warping common with soft and dual layer squeegee, making it particularly suited to printing high mesh counts with high tension. And it has the added benefit of two functional edges on one blade.
Durometer (Hardness)
The Edge squeegee is available in a range of durometers. Each is colour coded for visual identification of hardness, making it easy for you to quickly select the appropriate blade for your job. Choosing a squeegee durometer will depend on your substrate, mesh count and screen tension.
Soft squeegees (around a 55 durometer for example) are soft enough to conform to varying garment thicknesses or uneven platen surfaces. But they will tend to bend under high squeegee pressure.
Harder squeegees (around 80 durometer for example) are less forgiving and will not print an even layer of ink on an uneven surface, such as a textured weave. However, a harder squeegee is required to withstand the high pressure needed to print at high speed or with high-opacity, high-viscosity inks like plastisols.
Custom Edge
Colour Components can supply any edge profile and hardness in Edge Squeegee solvent resistant materials. Please call us with your requirements.
Contact us, We know this squeegee is a really good product – find out for yourself by giving it a whirl.
