screen printing

What is screen printing?

It is the printing of enamel, ink or precious metals applying colors one after the other through stencils / screens until the decoration is completely reproduced on a rotating bottle.

A heat treatment for the enamel (600 °) or UV (150 °) for the inks then fixes the material to the glass by a vitrification effect which makes the decoration permanent.

Screen printing can be performed on cylindrical bottles but also on sophisticated and complex shapes.

On April 08, 2010, I had the chance to carry out at the OI Manufacturing plant in Gensac la Pallue, a guided tour on the process of a screen printing, from the raw material to the pallet of covered bottle ready to be shipped.
Very enriching visit for me who had never seen how a bottle is screen printed.
There are two types of screen printing machines: circular (360 °) & in-line.
The brands of these screen printing machines are mainly Italian or German.
The circular screen printing machine that I could admire in operation during my visit is a FERMAC RGB 128 brand machine.
In this factory, the prints are made only with enamel or precious metals.
The cooking arch really impressed me! 35m long, 13 burners, temperature entering the oven: 350 °, temperature in the middle of the oven: 640 °, temperature leaving the oven: 250 °, then spraying with a wax to make the bottles "slippery" to avoid blockages between bottles on the chains. A few tens of minutes after removing from the oven, the bottle is already dry and heads for the palletizer ...
I could also admire the canvas screens (on frame) which are used to reproduce the desired decor, great art!

I thank the company for this superb visit. Below is a "mini" photo report. (click on the thumbnails)