As the textile printing industry continues to improve its requirements for environmental protection and printing quality, silicone materials have gradually become one of the commonly used printing materials in the fields of clothing, shoes, hats, luggage, etc. due to their softness, good elasticity, strong adhesion, washability and wear resistance. Printing silicone is mainly divided into two series: self-drying and heated types according to their different curing methods.
(一). Self-drying silicone: room temperature curing, flexible operation
Self-drying silicone is a material that can be cured at room temperature without the need for additional heating equipment. It is suitable for scenes with a more flexible operating environment or more sensitive to temperature. This series of products usually adopts a 10:1 ratio, that is, 10 parts of silicone with 1 part of curing agent.
Compared with traditional printing materials, the significant advantages of self-drying silicone are its convenience and applicability. The material can cure itself at room temperature, generally within 4 to 8 hours, without relying on tunnel furnaces or hot pressing equipment, and is very suitable for small batch custom printing, manual operation, proofing verification and other needs. In addition, self-drying silicone has a wide adaptability to fabrics, especially for heat-sensitive fabrics that cannot withstand high temperatures. It has an irreplaceable position in customized and highly flexible production models.
(二). Heating silicone: fast curing, suitable for mass production
Compared with self-drying materials, heating silicone is more suitable for industrial and large-scale production scenarios. This type of product needs to be cured by heating. Common heating methods include hot presses, hot air blowers or tunnel furnaces, which can complete the curing process of the layer in a short time.
The proportion of heating silicone is relatively diverse, such as 100:2, 10:1, and some special formulas of 100:2~10. Its advantages are high curing efficiency, fast layer forming speed, clear and full printing effect, especially in the presentation of overprinting, three-dimensional processes and complex patterns. The cured layer has good elasticity, high firmness, and is not easy to fall off. It is widely used in sportswear, upper logos, swimwear elastic printing, luggage LOGO and reflective printing, and has become the preferred material for automated printing lines.