| Pad does not take on ink film |
|
PROBLEM AREA |
POSSIBLE CAUSE |
TROUBLE SHOOTING |
| |
|
|
| Inks |
Viscosity is too low. |
Dilute Ink |
| |
Dried in |
Clean the plate with thinner |
| |
Wrong thinner |
Use a slower thinner resp. one that corresponds to the ink. |
| |
|
|
| Printing Plate |
Etching depth is too low. |
Try a new plate with more |
| |
Wrong type of screen |
etching depth |
| |
Surface (of plastic plates) is.
mechanically damaged |
Try a new plate with a different screen |
| |
|
Try a new plate |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Pad |
Pad too flat |
Use a more pointed shape |
| |
Rough surface |
pad |
| |
Surface too repellent. |
Use of a new pad |
| |
|
clean several times |
| |
|
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| Others |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Pad releases the ink film improperly |
| |
PROBLEM AREA |
POSSIBLE CAUSE |
TROUBLE SHOOTING |
| |
|
|
| Ink |
Dried on the pad. |
Use a slower thinner |
| |
Too wet on the pad. |
Use a faster thinner |
| |
unable to stick |
|
| |
|
|
| Printing Plate |
Wrong type of screen. |
Try a new plate with a different screen |
| |
Etching depth is too low. |
Try a new plate with more etching depth |
| |
|
|
| Pad |
Wrong shape. |
Use a more pointed pad |
| |
Rough surface |
Use a new pad |
| |
|
|
| Material |
Dirty surface (grease, oil, separating agents, hand sweat) |
Pre-cleaning with alcohol; if necessary wearing gloves when inserting |
| |
|
|
| Others |
Printing sequence is too slow. |
Keeping regular cycle times |
| |
Room temperature is too high |
The room temperature is best at 18°-20° C if not use temperature control device short movie:
www.microprint.ch/xx |
| |
|
|
| No proper flow of the ink film |
|
PROBLEM AREA |
POSSIBLE CAUSE |
TROUBLE SHOOTING |
| |
|
|
| Ink |
Viscosity is too low. |
Reduce amount of thinner |
| |
Viscosity is too high. |
Dilute |
| |
Insufficient mixing of ink and additives |
The ink has to be mixed thoroughly before being poured into the ink cup |
| |
|
|
| Printing plate |
Wrong etching depth. |
Check depth, if necessary try a new plate |
| |
Wrong type of screen. |
Test a new plate with a different screen |
| |
|
|
| Pad |
Rough surface. |
Use a new pad |
| |
Wrong shape. |
Use a different shape |
| |
|
|
| Material |
Dirty surface |
Pre-clean with alcohol |
| |
|
|
| Others |
x |
x |
| |
|
|
| Solid areas are not completely printed |
| |
PROBLEM AREA |
POSSIBLE CAUSE |
TROUBLE SHOOTING |
| |
|
|
| Ink |
Viscosity is too high. |
Reduce amount of thinner |
| |
Wrong type of ink. |
Use pad printing inks |
| |
Transparent color shade. |
use opaque shades |
| |
|
|
| Clichee |
Etching depth too low. |
Try new plate with more etching depth |
| |
No inclination of the printing image |
inclination of 5° - 15° |
| |
Wrong type of screen. |
Test new plate with a different screen |
| |
|
|
| Pad |
Wrong shape. |
Use harder pointed shape |
| |
Too soft. |
Use harder pad |
| |
Rough surface. |
Use new pad |
| |
|
|
| Material |
Structure of the surface is too rough |
Use harder and more pointed pad shape |
| |
Dirty surface. |
Pre-cleaning e.g. with alcohol |
| |
|
|
| Others |
Digging of the doctor blade |
Use thicker doctor blade or a screen or of incliinations |
| |
Only single print |
Double prints or bottom printings with an opaque shade (white) |
| |
|
|
| Insufficient Opacity |
| |
PROBLEM AREA |
POSSIBLE CAUSE |
TROUBLE SHOOTING |
| |
|
|
| Ink |
Viscosity is too low. |
Reduce amount of thinner |
| |
Transparent color shade. |
Use opaque shades |
| |
Wrong type of ink. |
Use pad printing inks |
| |
Low ink transfer. |
Defect may be caused by pad or die plate |
| |
|
|
| Cliche |
Etching depth is too low. |
Try new plate with bigger etching depth |
| |
Solid areas without screen. |
Use a screen |
| |
Solid areas without inclination |
inclination of 5° - 15° |
| |
Wrong type of die plate. |
Use type that is suitable for screen |
| |
Wrong type of screen |
Test new plate with a different screen |
| |
|
|
| Pad |
Too flat. |
Use more poiinted shape |
| |
Rough. |
Use another pad |
| |
Too soft. |
Use harder pad |
| |
|
|
| Material |
Dirty surface. |
Pre-clean with alcohol |
| |
Dark substrate. |
Double print |
| |
Structure of the surface is too |
Use harder and more pointed |
| |
rough |
pad |
| |
|
|
| Others |
Digging of the doctor blade |
Use harder or thicker doctor blade |
| |
|
Inclination of 5° - 15° |
| |
|
|
| Small inclusions of air are visible |
| |
PROBLEM AREA |
POSSIBLE CAUSE |
TROUBLE SHOOTING |
| |
|
|
| Ink |
Viscosity is too thick. |
Dilute |
| |
|
|
| Cliche |
Bad etching. |
Check plate with a magnifying lens, if necessary try new plate |
| |
|
|
| Pad |
Surface is damaged. |
Use new pad |
| |
Wrong shape. |
Use more pointed shape |
| |
Too soft |
Use harder pad |
| |
|
|
| Material |
Electrostatic charging. |
Mount ionization unit |
| |
Soiled by particles of dust. |
Pre-cleaning if necessary with blast of air |
| |
|
|
| Others |
Defect film. |
Check film |
| |
Dust while film is being copied |
Try new plate |
| |
Solied surroundings raising of dust |
Pad may transfer particles of dust from the product into the ink, inclosions of air are pretended |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Printings contours are not sharp |
| |
PROBLEM AREA |
POSSIBLE CAUSE |
TROUBLE SHOOTING |
| |
|
|
| Ink |
Viscosity is too thick. |
Dilute |
| |
Viscosity is too thin. |
Reduction of the amount of thinner |
| |
Too slow. |
Use of a faster drying thinner |
| |
|
|
| Cliche |
Bad etching. |
Check with magnifying lens, if necessary try new plate |
| |
Etching depth is too big. |
Try new plate with lower etching depth |
| |
Wrong type of plate. |
Use suitable type of plate |
| |
Wrong type of screen |
Test new plate with a different screen |
| |
|
|
| Pad |
Too soft. |
Use harder pad |
| |
Wrong shape. |
Use different shape |
| |
|
|
| Material |
Dirty surface. |
Pre-cleaning with alcohol |
| |
Draft within the product. |
Switch over to other material if possible |
| |
Printing near edges. |
Fixtures must support the product near the edges |
| |
Very uneven structure. |
Use harder and pointed pad |
| |
|
|
| Others |
Work piece fixtures are not stable enough |
Try new fixtures |
| |
High cycle times in combination with a large volume of the pad. |
Decrease speed if necessary delay in front position before releasing the film to avoid vibrations of the pad during printing onto the product |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Printing image is blurred |
| |
PROBLEM AREA |
POSSIBLE CAUSE |
TROUBLE SHOOTING |
| |
|
|
| Ink |
Viscosity is too thin. |
Reduce amount of thinner |
| |
|
Use faster thinner |
| |
Too slow. |
|
| |
|
|
| Cliche |
Wrong eching depth. |
Check depth, if necessary try new plate |
| |
Wrong type of screen. |
Check new plate with a different screen |
| |
|
|
| Pad |
Too soft. |
Use harder pad |
| |
Too small volume. |
Use larger pad |
| |
Prints over edges. |
Adjust pad stroke |
| |
Unequal pressure above cliche and product |
Adjust pad stroke |
| |
|
|
| Material |
Very uneven surface. |
Use pad mounting or special shapes |
| |
No / insufficient pre-cleaning. |
Pre-clean surface |
| |
Drafts within the product. |
Switch to other materials if possible |
| |
|
|
| Others |
Work piece fixtures are. |
Fasten fixtures |
| |
improperly attached |
|
| |
Work piece fixtures are not. |
Try new fixtures |
| |
stable enough |
|
| |
Cliche not properly doctored |
see 8.36 |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Fine lines bleed into each other |
| |
PROBLEM AREA |
POSSIBLE CAUSE |
TROUBLE SHOOTING |
| |
|
|
| Ink |
Viscosity too thin. |
Reduce amount of thinner |
| |
Too slow; inks smear. |
Use faster thinner |
| |
|
|
| Cliche |
Etching depth too big. |
Try new plate with lower etching depth |
| |
No stepped etching within fine motives |
Only possible for hardened or band steel cliches |
| |
Wrong type of plate. |
Use different type of cliche |
| |
|
|
| Pad |
Rough surface. |
Use new pad |
| |
Wrong shape. |
Use steeper shape |
| |
|
|
| Material |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Others |
Pad stroke is adjusted too deep |
Causes too strong deformations correct |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Half-tone dots are visible |
| |
PROBLEM AREA |
POSSIBLE CAUSE |
TROUBLE SHOOTING |
| |
|
|
| Ink |
Viscosity too thin. |
Thick ink in combination with fast thinner results in visible half-tone dots |
| |
Too slow; inks smear. |
Thin ink in combination with slow thinner results in visible half-tone dots |
| |
|
|
| Cliche |
Etching depth is too big. |
Try new cliche with lower depth |
| |
Wrong type of screen. |
Depending on the desired result, use finer screen for invisible dots, coarser screen for visible dots |
| |
|
|
| Pad |
Rough surface. |
Use new pad |
| |
Wrong shape. |
Depending on the desired result, use more pointed shape to achieve visible dots use more flatshapes to achieve invisible half-tone dots |
| |
|
|
| Material |
Very rough structure of surface |
In this case the structure of the surface and not the half-tone dots are visible |
| |
|
|
| Others |
Film for copying is of poor quality |
Check dot-lines if necessary try new film |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Splatters at the edges |
| |
PROBLEM AREA |
POSSIBLE CAUSE |
TROUBLE SHOOTING |
| |
|
|
| Ink |
Viscosity is too thick. |
Dilute |
| |
Ink buildup at the pad. |
Use faster thinner |
| |
|
|
| Cliche |
Etching depth is too big. |
Try new plate with lower etching depth |
| |
Wrong type of screen. |
Try new plate with a finer type of screen |
| |
|
|
| Pad |
Wrong shape. |
Use more pointed shape pad |
| |
Rough surface |
Use new pad |
| |
|
|
| Material |
Electrostatic charging of surface |
Mount ionization unit |
| |
|
|
| Others |
Humidity is too low. |
Increasing humidity to 60-80% |
| |
Cycle time is too high. |
Reduce printing speed |
| |
Printing sequence is irregular |
Maintain regular printing sequences |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Colour does not correspond with template |
| |
PROBLEM AREA |
POSSIBLE CAUSE |
TROUBLE SHOOTING |
| |
|
|
| Ink |
Viscosity is too thin. |
Reduction amount of thinner |
| |
Wrong type of ink. |
Use pad printing inks |
| |
Shade cannot be mixed |
Use opaque shades |
| |
|
|
| Cliche |
Wrong etching depth. |
Check depth, if necessary try new plate |
| |
Wrong type of screen |
Try new plate with a different screen |
| |
|
|
| Pad |
Wrong shape. |
Use hard, pointed shape |
| |
Rough surface. |
Use new pad |
| |
|
|
| Material |
Dark substrate |
Try to obtain a thicker ink film by printing twice or more |
| |
|
|
| Others |
Only single print |
Test double or triple printings |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Distortion of the printed image |
| |
PROBLEM AREA |
POSSIBLE CAUSE |
TROUBLE SHOOTING |
| |
|
|
| cliche |
Incorrect motive was etched. |
Compare original and printed image by holding the film over the print if necessary correct and make new plate |
| |
|
|
| Pad |
Wrong shape. |
Use different shape |
| |
Too soft or too hard. |
Use different hardness |
| |
Pressure is too strong. |
Shorten pad stroke |
| |
Unequal pressure over plate and product |
Correct pad stroke |
| |
Wrong point of touchdown |
Use different point of touchdown of the pad |
| |
|
|
| |
too little volume. |
Use bigger pad |
| |
|
|
| Material |
Very soft or elastic. |
Cool before printing causes more rigidity |
| |
|
|
| Others |
Unsuitable work piece fixtures |
Modify fixtures to achieve support on all positions of the product |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| Index of multi-color printings does not fit |
| |
