Cotton Yarn: The uniformity of the warp and weft yarns is poor, the mesh size is inconsistent, and the shapes are different. The surface finish of cotton yarns is also poor, and the tensile strength is very low. Due to the unsatisfactory quality of the plates produced by the cotton yarn screens, the poor resolution and the unsatisfactory resistance to printing, it has been rarely used.
Silk silk screen: warp, weft uniformity, tensile strength, surface finish is higher than the cotton mesh screen, the disadvantage is that the extension rate is too large, easy aging deterioration, light resistance is not good, long-term exposure to light can easily become brittle.
Nylon mesh: A synthetic fiber made of woven polyamide fiber. There are multiple strands and monofilaments on the weave. The thickness of the warp and weft can be processed according to different requirements. The area and density of the mesh are uniform, the wear resistance is good, and the elongation is lower than that of the silk. At the same time, the plates produced by the nylon wire mesh have less static electricity when used. The acid resistance is slightly worse.
Polyester mesh: Also known as polyester mesh, it is also a synthetic fiber. The thickness of the warp and weft can also be made according to requirements, and the mesh area and density are also relatively uniform. Its chemical resistance is stronger than that of nylon mesh, and its elongation is lower than that of nylon mesh. The disadvantage is that static electricity is generated during printing, and the moisture content is inferior to nylon mesh.
Wire mesh: refers to a screen made of stainless steel wire or copper wire, or a screen made of electroplated metal nickel. It is characterized by high strength, good wear resistance, excellent chemical resistance, and high surface finish. Moreover, the conductive performance is very good, and it is very suitable for the screen ink or the paste which needs to be heated during printing. The disadvantage of metal wire mesh is its low elasticity. If the wire mesh has creases, it will not be able to recover its elasticity, causing it to be scrapped.
In the current screen printing, a nylon screen is generally used as a substrate of a printing plate, but in the production of very precise image printing plates, a polyester screen and a metal screen are often used as the substrate of the printing plate.
Source: China Washing & Dyeing Industry Information Center