Stencil cleaning

The stencil cleaning process is essential in screen printing, in order to reuse the stencil or mesh after the printing process. It is therefore a requirement for reproducible quality and low failure rates. This process can be divided into two divisions: manual and machine stencil cleaning.

Stencil cleaning during the printing process is usually carried out manually, with the exception of an automated intermediate cleaning option integrated in the printing machine. Automatic cleaning after printing is worthwhile when having a high stencil throughput. Generally, automated cleaning offers advantages over manual cleaning, because the stencil is treated with the cleaning agent in an enclosed area, hence reduces the health hazards for the employees at the workplace.

To make sure that the cleaning process in the cleaning system works properly, one should check in advance which ink systems are in use. A distinction is made between solvent, plastisol, UV and water-based ink systems.

Kissel + Wolf, a leading manufacturer of screen-printing chemicals, offers a wide range of stencil cleaners for manual and machine cleaning, e.g. KIWOCLEAN LM 628 for manual and KIWOCLEAN LM 667 and KIWOCLEAN LM 789 E for automated cleaning, are particularly worth mentioning.

After successful completion of the print job, the decoating products of the KIWOCLEAN and PREGASOL series from Kissel + Wolf ensure the reusability of the stencil by completely removing all types of one-component and diazo-photo-emulsions as well as capillary films from the screen. 
For more information, please feel free to contact the KIWO department of Application Technology.