Matching the series to your product
The first step in evaluating Sericom XF 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 |
|---|---|
| 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. · Good gloss. · Good printability. · Good resistance to acids, alkalis, greases, organic solvents and oils. · Good mechanical resistance. · Due to its binders (epoxy resin), series XF is suitable for indoor and short-term outdoor applications. |
| Pad Printing Ink Applications | Aluminium · Aminoplastic Resins (Thermosets) · Cellulose Acetate · Cellulose Acetate Butyrate · Iron · Lacquered Surfaces · Metals · Mylar · Nylon 6.6 · Phenolic Resins (Thermosets) · Polyamide · Polyurethane · PETG Requires pretreatment · Polyacetal (POM) Requires pretreatment · Polyester Requires pretreatment · Polietilen (HD-PE, LD-PE) Requires pretreatment · Polipropilen Requires pretreatment · Triacetate (Trevira) · Wood |
| 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 dries physically by solvent evaporation or chemical reaction. · 10-15 minutes at room temperature. · 20-30 sec in an air-circulation oven at 50°C. |
| Pot Life and Curing Properties | The ink and hardener mixture has a pot life of approximately 8 hours at 20°C. · High temperatures and humidity reduce pot life (a working environment of 20-25°C with low humidity is recommended). |
| 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 is completed in approximately 6-7 days. · 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 is obtained |
| Outdoor Resistance | Outdoor resistance is 1 year. · Not suitable for outdoor applications. · The pigments used have lightfastness between 6 and 8 DIN. · Mixing with clear varnishes 70 TR or TP, or whites 160 or 60 BN, reduces lightfastness and weather resistance. · 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 hardener %25 · XFH-N Green hardener (*) %10 · XFH-N-00 hardener %14 · (*) Used for outdoor applications. · Before use, mix the ink with the appropriate hardener at the specified ratio. · Add thinner after thoroughly mixing in the hardener. · XF-DM medium-speed thinner %15 · XF-DL retarder %15 · XF-DR fast thinner %15 · Add thinners and retarders at a combined average of approximately 20%, according to the required drying speed. · Retarder Pasta Maximum %10 · M 2000/S Conc. Stabiliser %1,5 · Universal Defoamer %0,4 · Antisilicone/S %1,5 · NPT Matting Agent %2 (Maximum %6) |
| Colour Range | Ink System consists of 12 basic colours used to mix RAL, Pantone and HKS colours. |
| Metallic Colours | When preparing metallic colours with 1002 70 TR Clear Varnish and metallic paste, use 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. |
| Process and Other Ink Colours | 1080 Yellow, 1081 Magenta, 1082 Blue, 1083 Black, TP Colour Extender Paste (CMYK) · 160 HD Opaque White · 165 HD Opak 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 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