Matching the series to your product
The first step in evaluating Sericom XF-DD Series is to identify the actual substrate. Do not decide by product name alone without knowing the plastic type, metal coating or textile structure. Prepare a sample with the production substrate and record any surface treatment.
Technical data notes
Material names, ratios and times in this section are preserved from the series technical records. Do not transfer an additive ratio to another series; read each ratio together with the adjacent product code and operating conditions.
| PRODUCT SERIES | XF-DD |
|---|---|
| INK TYPE | Two-Component |
| PRINTING METHOD | Screen Printing |
| PRODUCT GROUP | Screen Printing |
| Pad Printing Ink Properties | Two-component, glossy screen printing ink with good opacity. · Good opacity. · Excellent gloss. · Good printability. · Excellent resistance to acids, alkalis, greases, organic solvents and oils. · Excellent mechanical resistance. · Used in industrial applications requiring high durability. · Prints are suitable for outdoor use. |
| Pad Printing Ink Applications | Aluminium, · Aminoplastic resins (thermosets), · Carbon, · Epoxy Resins, · Glass, Iron, · Lacquered surfaces, · Metals, · Nylon 6.6, · Phenolic resins (thermosets), · Polyamide, · Polycarbonate, · Polyurethane, · Signs, · Stainless steel, · Pretreated PETG, · Pretreated Polyacetal (POM), · Pretreated Polyester |
| Mechanical and Chemical Resistance | Acids Excellent · Alcohols Excellent · Aliphatic Organic Solvents Excellent · Aromatic Organic Solvents Excellent · Alkalis Excellent · Brake Fluid Excellent · Diesel Excellent · Elasticity (Flexibility or Bending) Good · Petrol Excellent · Surface Hardness (Abrasion) Good |
| Drying Properties | Series XF-DD dries physically by solvent evaporation or chemical reaction. · Ink film thickness (single print, overprinting). · Type and quantity of thinners/retarders used. · Oven type. · Drying temperature. · Substrate material type. · 15-20 minutes at room temperature. · 30-40 sec in an air-circulation oven at 50°C. |
| Two-Component Curing by Polymerisation | Ink polymerisation (the chemical reaction process) starts approximately 15 minutes after adding the catalyst. · Polymerisation times depend mainly on temperature. · At a minimum temperature of 20°C, crosslinking (curing) of series XF-DD is completed in approximately 6-7 days. · A temperature increase accelerates crosslinking. · At 140°C (film obtained with 120.34 mesh, diluted with 15% XF-DM medium-speed thinner, oven-cured for 30 minutes), a highly polymerised film with maximum hardness is obtained. |
| Outdoor Resistance | Outdoor resistance is 5 years. · Suitable for outdoor applications. · The pigments used have lightfastness between 7 and 8 DIN. · Mixing with clear varnishes 70 TR or TP, or whites 160 or 60 BN, reduces lightfastness and weather resistance. · To improve outdoor durability, adding 5-7% UV absorber to the ink is recommended. · Fluorescent colours (see the FLUO colour chart) use special pigments whose molecular structure does not guarantee high lightfastness and which readily degrade under electromagnetic radiation. Outdoor exposure must not exceed two months. |
| Auxiliary Supplies and Additives | XFH-N Green Hardener %17 · XFH-N hardener %33 · XFH-N-00 Hardener %20 · XF-DM medium-speed thinner %15 · XF-DL retarder %15 · XF-R fast thinner %15 · Add thinners and retarders at a combined average of approximately 15%, according to the required drying speed. · M 2000/S conc. stabiliser 0.5% · M 3000 stabiliser 0.5% (for traffic signs only) · Universal defoamer 1% · Antisilicone/s 1,5% · UV Adsorber 8% · NPT matting powder 2% (6% max) |
| Colour Range | Ink System consists of 12 basic colours used to mix RAL, Pantone and HKS colours. |
| Metallic Colours | Metallic colours can only be obtained by mixing XF-DD 70 TR Clear Varnish with metallic paste, using the following reference ratios: · Gold paste 75 %10-20 · Gold paste 76 %10-20 · Gold paste 77 %10-20 · Bronze paste 78 %10-20 · Silver paste 79-050 %10-15 · Inks prepared using metallic pastes have a pot life of approximately 8 hours. · 1080 yellow · 1081 magenta · 1082 blue · 1083 black · TP extender paste (CMYK) · 160 HD Opaque white · 165 HD Opak black · 12-1-S Traffic Sign Yellow · 15-S Traffic Sign Orange · 38-3-S Traffic Sign Blue · 77-3-S Traffic Sign Green · 23-3-S Traffic Sign Red · 80-1-S Traffic Sign Brown · 66-S Traffic Sign Black |
| Certifications and Standards | CLP/GHS (EC 1272/2008), Conflict Minerals Free, EN 71-3, REACH (EC 1907/2006), RoHS · EN 71:3 applies to all standard single- and two-component inks, Ink System and process colours, HD shades and special colours, provided they are not formulated with metallic inks, metallic pastes or fluorescent pigments. |
Three separate decisions in sample preparation
| Substrate | Verify the material and any coating; do not select a series by product name alone. |
|---|---|
| Preparation | Match hardener, thinner and other additive codes to the series. Record the quantities used in the mixture. |
| Inspection timing | Plan initial appearance inspection separately from application durability testing. Drying and curing are different processes. |
Evaluate colour and durability separately
A sample close to the colour reference does not automatically meet application durability requirements. Record colour appearance, artwork clarity and required performance under use conditions as separate inspection headings. Label every sample with material details when testing the same series on different substrates.
Preparing for a technical discussion
- Sericom XF-DD Series product name and colour to be used
- Substrate raw material and coating information
- Pretreatment applied and production environment
- Required visual result and conditions the print will encounter in use