Cracking emulsion

 monochrome, screen-printing, usage

1. Description of the problem

 Your screen looks cracked right after revealing it, or after it dried.

2. Possible origins

This is typical of an underexposed screen. There are several possible reasons for that:

  • you didn't respect the exposure timing and your emulsion is overcooked.
    • you didn't respect the exposure unit distance and your emulsion is overcooked.
      • your emulsion layer wasn't dry enough.
        • your emulsion layer was too thick.

          3. Solution

            95% of exposure issues are due to a bad coating. Please check if you recognize your screen in one of the situations above before going further.First, make sure your screen is dry enough by touching it: it should not by sticky at all. Usual drying times goes from 3 to 12 hours depending on your room temperature and humidity.Then, verify the distance of your exposure unit to your screen. With our kit, it should be around 60 cm.Last, make sure to follow the timing instruction precisely. Emulsion can be undercooked with not more than 15 seconds over timing.