Aluminium Screens - All You Need To Know
In silkscreen printing, there are different choices you can make to print the ideal design onto your garment. One of these choices is whether to use a screen with an aluminium frame as opposed to a wooden one.
While the decision is entirely based on personal preference, there are one or two things you should know about aluminium screens before making the decision.
In general, however, many tend to go for the metal variety as it is generally agreed that it is the better product.
Why is this, though? What benefits do aluminium screens offer to screen printing? There are many and today, we’ll reveal all the best things about them.
Durability
The biggest advantage of aluminium frames is their durability. Of course, when we say this, we mean the durability of the frame itself, not the mesh.
It will become necessary, at some point, to replace the mesh of any given aluminium silkscreen. That being said, this is no comment on the frame.
A good screen will need to be re-meshed many, many times before needing to be replaced. Aluminium frames are far better at this than wooden ones.
Wood tends to rot, especially when it gets wet. Aluminium, however, does not and, unlike iron, it does not rust, making it a truly sturdy and long-lasting material.
At Art2Silkscreen, the aluminium screens we stock will last through numerous re-meshing sessions before ever needing to be replaced.
This makes them better value for money and far better quality than many rip-off brands.
Lightweight
Due to the low density of aluminium, this makes it a lightweight tool that is easy to hold and carry around.
In screen printing studios, you become very much aware of the fact that you are picking up and carrying screens a lot more than you realise.
This becomes even more apparent when you compare it to wood, which is a naturally dense material and can be cumbersome at times.
It can also cause unnecessary fatigue for the printer at the printing press and make the screen printing process overall feel rather tiresome.
Aluminium screens make this much less of a problem and fabric printing becomes much more efficient and fun.
Even when piled together, the lightness of the metal frame is surprisingly simple to shift around. This makes it simpler to stack and put away, too.
Economical
Considering their durability, the economic factor of buying aluminium silkscreens over wooden ones should speak for itself.
Whether you buy dynamic or static, the metal variety lasts so much longer than it ends up paying for itself several times over, regardless of how many times you have to replace the mesh, regardless of mesh count.
But if you do opt-in for a pre-meshed aluminium screen, it can be even more economically beneficial seeing as you would save money not needing to buy the mesh separately.
If you would prefer to mesh the screen yourself, however, then it’s still worth the investment as any aluminium screen will be more than up to the task.
Easy to Clean
Above all, aluminium screens are much easier to clean than the other varieties. Easily wash off the emulsion and plastisol in your washout booth with a simple hose!
With wooden frames, they are much harder to wash and far easier to stain, contributing to their shorter lifespan.
Aluminium frames eliminate this problem entirely, making the whole shirt printing process faster overall, as cleaning can be the most time-consuming stage of the whole operation.
The silk mesh will also look much nicer when paired with a recently cleaned frame, making it much more professional.
Aluminium Screens at Art2Silkscreen
As far as printing methods go, it’s best to sort out your printing technique by choosing the right materials.
While it is a matter of preference, given the benefits we’d advise you choose the aluminium screens over the wooden ones.
However, if you are brand new to screen printing, you may want to start off with the wooden variety as it can help you get to grips with the process a great deal quicker.
If you’re on the lookout for your own high-quality metal frames, be sure to check out our page here at Art2Silkscreen.