Waterborne screen ink additives should be selected after separating substrate wetting from process foam. CHLUMIWE® 2100 is the documented printing-ink and difficult-plastic wetting route at 0.1–1.0%. CHLUMIAF® 3062 is the documented waterborne printing-ink defoamer route at 0.1–0.5%.
DF-D912R is removed because its public page states solvent-based systems only. CHLUMIAG® 3501 is also removed from the first shortlist because it publishes no recommended dosage or quantified screen-print handling result.
Waterborne screen ink decision map
| Observed failure | First controlled check | Route if confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Ink beads, pulls back or leaves incomplete coverage after the squeegee pass | Substrate/treatment, mesh, stencil, viscosity, pH and film weight | 2100 wetting ladder |
| Foam follows mixing, flood stroke, pumping or reclaim/return | Foam generation/decay, density and printed voids | 3062 defoamer ladder |
| Ink dries in mesh or loses edge definition | Open time, humidity, airflow, screen temperature and evaporation | Correct process/vehicle first |
| Print rubs off after apparent drying | Substrate adhesion, coalescence/cure and residual water | Reformulate and validate the complete ink |
| 产品 | Published fit | Supplier guidance | Boundary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2100 | 100%-active modified polysiloxane; printing inks; PE/PP/PET wetting; water/UV/solvent | 0.1–1.0% total; grind, stir or post-add | Avoid mixing; wetting does not prove adhesion or print durability |
| 3062 | 100%-active nonionic silicone defoamer; printing inks; water/UV/solvent | Printing inks 0.1–0.5% total | Use only for measured air; solvent dilution requires stability/performance test |
| D912R | 2%-active fluorocarbon-modified polysiloxane | 0.1–0.25%; grind-stage addition | Public application boundary is solvent-based only |
| 3501 | Screen/printing applications and waterborne fit listed | Any-stage addition | No public dosage or quantified screen-print endpoint |
Control the screen-printing variables first
Record substrate family, surface treatment and age, contamination, mesh count, thread diameter, stencil thickness, squeegee hardness/angle/speed, flood stroke, snap-off and print-film weight. Hold ink pH, viscosity, solids and temperature.
Also control room humidity, airflow and screen temperature. A waterborne ink that dries in the mesh can show poor transfer and ragged edges that look like wetting failure, while over-retarding can delay stacking and rub resistance.
Use 2100 for confirmed substrate wetting
2100 supports spreading on difficult PE, PP and PET packaging surfaces and waterborne printing inks. Start near the low end after treatment and cleanliness are verified. Compare a blank at equal viscosity and film weight.
Measure coverage, edge definition, halftone opening, pinholes, color density, gloss, drying, adhesion, rub, blocking and overprint/lamination where applicable. Better flow is not proof of better screen release or cured-film durability.
Use 3062 only when foam is measured
3062 is a true printing-ink defoamer and supports water-based systems. Standardize high-speed mixing and the production flood/print cycle, then track foam height, decay, density and printed voids. Distinguish wet bubbles from dewetting and substrate outgassing.
Select the lowest passing dose. Excess defoamer or incompatibility can create craters, gloss loss, color variation or adhesion changes. If a solvent dilution is used in any hybrid system, follow the page’s dilution-stability instruction.
Why D912R and 3501 are not first routes
D912R explicitly lists solvent-based applications, so it is not a waterborne-screen-ink recommendation even though its foam claims are attractive. 3501 lists screen printing but provides no dose or quantified wetting, rub, block or foam endpoint. Both require evidence before entry.
Measure print durability and abrasion
ASTM D5264 provides a Sutherland rub comparison for printed packaging materials. ASTM D5181 uses a GA-CAT tester for printed matter, inks and varnishes on flat substrates.
Define receptor, load, cycles, conditioning and evaluation. Pair abrasion with adhesion, water resistance, blocking, flexibility and the actual wash or chemical exposure. Laboratory rub does not reproduce every molded part, textile or electronic-panel use.
Run the production sequence
- Print the real substrate through production mesh/stencil geometry.
- Hold flood/print cycles and pauses to test mesh open time.
- Dry or cure within the production window.
- Condition before stacking, rubbing, bending or further conversion.
- Repeat critical checks after liquid-ink and printed-part aging.
Common screen-ink errors
Moving a solvent defoamer into water
D912R’s public boundary is solvent-based. Attractive foam data do not prove compatibility or stability in a waterborne ink.
Calling mesh drying poor wetting
If defects grow after a press pause, check open time, airflow and evaporation. Extra wetting agent may change spread without reopening blocked mesh.
Approving rub without adhesion
A print can resist surface scuff yet peel from the substrate. Evaluate the interface after full drying and after the required water or chemical exposure.
Combining routes in the first beaker
Test 2100 and 3062 separately first. Only then evaluate a combination with fixed addition order, because one additive can change the apparent need for the other.
Keep production cleaning chemistry in the study. Residual cleaner, reclaimed ink and contaminated screens can change foam and wetting enough to make a fresh laboratory batch rank differently.
Request a screen-ink shortlist
Send substrate/treatment, resin and pigment, pH/solids/viscosity, mesh/stencil, squeegee and line conditions, drying/cure, current additives, defect photos, foam data and adhesion, rub, block and compliance requirements. Ask Longchang Chemical to compare 2100 and 3062 for the measured failure.