instructables

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing

by nl20bp

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 1 Eco-friendly Wallpaper Research Proposal Speedball ink: 2020-2021 According to the Safety Data Sheet, Speedball acrylic Introduction: My denition of eco-friendly in screen printing ink has no hazardous ingredients under printmaking is to use the least amount of solvent that is OSHA Hazard Community Standard. During the process harmful for human and environment during the process making the pattern on the wallpaper, leftover ink will be and dispose waste, such as ink and contaminated rags, available to use from previous semesters. New ink will in the right bins for later disposal at a waste facility. For not be needed to purchase. In combination with the ink, this project, Speedball water based ink will be used. Speedball acrylic extender base which also has no hazardous ingredients will be used under OSHA Hazard Eco Friendly aspects for this project: Community Standard. Both the ink and the base are water based. - Reuse tools and materials, such as ink, containers, mylar, paper and so on. Wall adhesive: Roman Pro-543 liquid wallpaper adhesive

- Dispose of wallpaper adhesive which is considered to According to the Safety Data Sheet, this product has no be a non-hazardous waste, either let the waste dry out hazardous ingredients under OSHA Hazard Community and treat it as regular waste into the trash bin Standard.

- Leftover water based ink which is also considered to be Paper: The nal choice of paper will be decided after test non-hazardous waste can be disposed of in the trash can print on a variety of papers: Stonehenge, washi. after completely drying out Washi paper is made using no chemical, eco-friendly. Goal: The goal of this project is to create wallpaper using Stonehenge is 100% cotton with acid-free. (All ne art silkscreen process with the least amount of waste that paper is acid free to protect the artwork) Price: will be harmful for the environment. Unbleached Mulberry paper o-white 8.5” x 11” costs $0.59. Stonehenge 22” x 30” costs $3.47 (Plaza art). Research plan: Design of the wallpaper: Research for materials for the silkscreen process Use Adobe Illustrator to create the design for the vinyl cutter The design is created according to my interest and my Start the silkscreen process and capture the process on art practice. The design is based on a dream from my video for the nal tutorial childhood. In the dream, there were numerous shapes moving and dancing around in a large space with no Materials: music. In the nal design, the shapes will have bright colors.

Additional tools: (All the tools in this list are reusable and printshop) Mylar (Local art store can be clean with water) ( These tools can be purchased on Amazon, Plaza Art Plastic containers to mix ink (1 Dollar store), quality website or Blick Art material) depends on the number of colors Spatula (1 dollar store) Conclusion: After research and gathering materials, the Silkscreen screen (at local art store or process will be recorded for the nal tutorial. https://www.dickblick.com/products/jacquard- aluminum-silk-screens/) Printing squeegee (at Blick store, any art supply website or your university’s

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 2 Step 1: Creating Design for Vinyl Cutting

Use Pencil Tool (N) to draw desired design (stroke). Keep the stroke (or strokes) selected with (V) Go to Object → Path → Outline Stroke (This step is for the In this step, the whole layer needs to be duplicated. original layer).

Press on the Option on the keyboard, then drag the On the duplicated layer, use pencil tool (N) to connect layer that needs to be duplicated down to copy the the stroke creating a shadow shape for the original whole layer. stroke.

Select the stroke using the Selection Tool (V), the inside Try your best to line up the ends’ anchor points together of the stroke should be solid color, and the outline is to create a closed path If not, Object → Path → Join none. (option 2). While selecting the stroke with (V), click on the “Stroke” on the top left of Illustrator site. Then use Pen tool (P) to connect two broken anchors together. Weight to 2pt, Cap can be selected as desired, in this tutorial Round Cap is selected. Then change the color of the ll to create the shadow shape.

Moreover, if you want the shape to be thicker or thinner, Then change the ll in color each layer. select the shape with (V), then press (P) to create an anchor point on the path. Create a new empty layer, then use the Rectangle Tool to frame up the layers for the vinyl cutter. Then Drag the anchor point to make the shape thicker or thinner as desired. Do this step with the shapes When using a vinyl cutter, only cut 2 layers. individually. Tutorial for using vinyl cutter, go to Step 2. To create more shadow shapes, simply copy the shadow layer by Option and drag down the shadow layer. Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 3 Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 4 Step 2: Vinyl Cutting With the SummaCut D95

The Images are from the nal large size vinyl cutting section.

Before cutting vinyl, you must load the material from the back of the machine.

Keep the roller (cam roller) of the machine line up with the vinyl.

To secure the roller down, pull the level (located behind the machine) up while holding down the vinyl.

Then make sure the size of the vinyl is bigger than the design.

1. First you must log in to a computer that connects to a vinyl cutting machine. 2. Open the le that you want to cut on Illustrator ( Select everything on the layer that needs to be cut, then ip the stroke and ll of the design.) 3. Open MacSign 4. In Illustrator --> (V) tool --> Select everything on the layer you want to cut --> copy 5. Move to MacSign --> paste (the le will stay the same size as in Illustrator) 6. In case you want to resize the le, hold down "shift" to maintain the proportion of the design. 7. On the menu bar, choose Plotter --> plot --> general tab --> destination --> plotter 8. Cutting tab --> tool -->cutter 9. Quality --> low is the best for small detail design, but for this design standard is good. 10. Uncheck "Cut o media after cutting" 11. Check "Advance media" 12. Click "Ok" to start cutting.

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 5 Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 6 Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 7 Step 3: Weeding the Vinyl Cutting

The images are from the sample vinyl cutting After nishing peeling o the unwanted pieces one by section for testing. one, I will remove the big piece that surrounds the design. To weed vinyl, carefully use an X-acto knife to peel o the unnecessary parts of the vinyl. During this process, make sure that the design remains attached to the backing sheet. If the design starts lifting In this project, I will use the vinyl as a stencil to silkscreen up, simply use your nger holding it down. the wallpaper's design. As a result, I will need to weed the positive parts of the vinyl.

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 8 Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 9 Step 4: Transfer Paper

To shift the vinyl to the screen, I use transfer papers in order to keep all parts of the design in place.

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 10 Next, gently place the transfer paper on top of the vinyl, then I use a squeegee to smooth out all the bubbles.

Step 5: Placing the Vinyl Designs Into the Screen

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 11 Before placing the vinyl cutting design into the screen, it placing down the vinyl. needs to be prepared by washing with water to take o any emulsion or dirt. Then I left the screen completely After that, the transfer paper will need to be removed dry before use. from the vinyl slowly. If any part of the design starts lifting with the transfer paper, simply use the X-acto While waiting for the screen, the backing sheet of the knife to hold it down. vinyl needs to be removed carefully from the design. If you want to use two vinyl sheets on one screen, they Then, I gently place the design to either side of the need to be placed far from each other with enough screen (I paste it on the inside side of the screen.) space in between to avoid any ink touching the other vinyl sheet. Next, I use a squeegee to atten out the vinyl while

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 12 Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 13 Step 6: Before Printing

Before starting printing, the screen needs to be secured Then, a printing squeegee that is wider than the design into the hinge table so that the screen will not move also will need to be clean and dry. while printing. Lastly, before the next step, place the screen on top of a Moreover, the surrounding area of the design will be tape roll or whatever about the same thickness to keep covered to avoid ink leaking through onto your paper. I the screen from touching the table. reuse the backing sheets, the transfer papers, and masking tapes for this step.

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 14 Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 15 Step 7: Flood Stroke

I place a strip of ink on one side that is longer than the length of the vinyl.

Then I use the squeegee to gently move the ink to cover the whole design. This is called ood stroke. Here is a video demonstrating ood stroke and printing. (Skip to 0:50)

//www.youtube.com/embed/U03j0R-jEvs

Step 8: First Layer Printing

Before printing, I proceed on setting down a piece of without the roll of tape. paper under the screen (make sure the paper is bigger than the design and lay directly under the design.) I then press the squeegee down rmly at 45 degree angle at one end of the vinyl, and drag down to the For this rst sample print, I use Stonehenge paper (one other end. of the two options listed in my project proposal.) Gently lift the screen to expose the print. Next, I rest the screen at down on top of the paper

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 16 Step 9: Preparing for the Second Layer

After nishing printing for the rst layer, using a power washer, I am going to use the same vinyl stencil to print the second layer. The screen needs to be clean to get rid of any access ink on the screen.

Let the screen dry completely either air dry or in front of an electronic fan.

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 17 Step 10: Continue Printing

For the second layer and any layer after, I tape a piece of Place the rst layer print below the mylar, and start mylar on the table below the screen to act as a guide for adjusting the paper to the placement that you desire the print. (Make sure to tape the mylar to the table in a with the second layer on the mylar. way that you can ip the mylar back and forth, so it still remains in the same place for registration) After that, I ip the mylar out of the table, and start printing the second layer on top of the paper. The next step would be ood stroke and print on the mylar. Ink on mylar can easily be clean using simple green or Windex spray with a paper towel. Now, the screen needs to be ipped up out of the way for easy adjustment. Repeat the process for each layer of your design.

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 18 Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 19 Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 20 Step 11: Last Layer/challenges

A problem occurs when I wash the second vinyl stencil mixed the same as the previous layers. However, the for my last layer. lines (the left print on the last picture) are not completely solid. The lines of the design on the 3M Calendared Film are thin, and the separated vinyl inside could not stick to the To solve this problem, I mix new ink without the screen after contact with water. extender base to keep the ink thick. As it turns out, the lines (right print on the last picture) are solid and more As a result, I decide to use the Oracal 631 for my last layer consistent. because it has stronger adhesion compared to the other vinyl. To conclude, if you print with vinyl stencil with thin lines and separated vinyl parts, a thicker consistency ink is After getting the vinyl ready for the last layer, I use a recommended. darker color ink that has a watery consistency but it is

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 21 Step 12: Printing on Masa Paper

The other option I have for paper on my proposal is the amount and colors I use to mix a new color. Masa paper, a thin Japanese paper compared to Stonehenge. This is a great way to recreate the color again in the situation where the color runs out while printing a large For this print, I decide to use the Oracal 631 for both project. stencils. A tip for avoiding the paper sticking on the screen after Before printing this edition, instead of randomly mixing printing is to use masking tape on a corner of the paper. the colors together to create a new color, I write down

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 22 Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 23 Step 13: Adhesion

To pasting the samples onto the wall, I use Roman Pro 543 Wallpaper Adhesive.

With Stonehenge paper, a large amount of adhesive and physically holding down the samples to the wall are needed in order to keep the samples stuck to the wall.

However, with Masa paper, a thin layer of adhesion is enough to hold the samples down.

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 24 Download https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FVQ/HDXK/KMDGFSDS/FVQHDXKKMDGFSDS.pdf

Download https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FED/L0DS/KLGLAE8T/FEDL0DSKLGLAE8T.mp4

Step 14: Homemade Wallpaper Adhisive

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 25 Instead of purchasing wallpaper adhesive from 2. Pour one cup of All Purpose White Flour into 2 cups of hardware stores like Home Depot, there are multiple cold water, and stir with whisk. recipes to make adhesive. I will list below two recipes for homemade glue by Noelle Jordan Stillman. 3. Pour into simmering water, then stir for 3-5 mins on medium heat. Pectin Glue: 4. Stop stirring for about 10 seconds....if a bubble rises to 1) Go to your local grocer and buy a box of fruit pectin. the surface of the paste, pop the bubbles.

2) Measure out a tablespoon of the pectin and put it into 5. After paste has heated to a boil, switch stove to low a vessel that has no odor. heat and cook the paste for at least half an hour, at this point, the paste should have the consistency of vanilla 3) Using water mix in 2 teaspoons of water. pudding, stir constantly and adjust as necessary: (Too thick, more water! Too thin, more our!) It will become 4) Continue to add water until the solution becomes thinner and more transparent. almost clear. Upon reaching desired (smooth, pliable, and somewhat With this recipe, you should make right before use to transparent) consistency, take paste o the heat and let avoid molding. However, you can also lay a thin layer of cool to room temp by leaving it sit out, stirring it every 3- this glue to the back of your paper, and let it dry. Once 5 mins. you are ready to paste the wallpaper to the wall, spray a thin mist of water to the glue side to activate the glue. The optimal consistency of the paste at the end should be that of a Vanilla Milkshake. -Wheat paste

1. Simmer 1 cup of Water

Step 15: Removing Wallpaper

To remove the wallpaper without damaging the wall, I simply soak a sponge in water.

Then I hold the sponge on top of the wallpaper like picture, and use a hard at card like a credit card to scrape the paper from its corners.

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 26 Download https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FB5/FWQJ/KNT6AFRT/FB5FWQJKNT6AFRT.mp4

Step 16: Printing on Newsprint Paper

For the large size design vinyl sheets, I decide to print on As you can see with the gap in between, I did not line newsprint paper which is available at Florida State the paper correctly due to the fact that I did not cut University printshop. prints all straight and even. You could paste the wallpaper and cut the edges afterward. The last picture is where I already paste the prints on the wall using the same wallpaper adhesive I use for the However, this is an example of how my design looks as a sample prints. wallpaper.

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 27 Step 17: FSU Fab Lab

For the nal use of the vinyl stencil, I decide to print on a paper. With smaller squeegee size, it will be easier to 4' x 8' bulletin board to keep in the FSU Fab Lab as a print all the details of the design onto the board. record of my research. The video below is a short video of the process printing The process would be the same as printing on paper. the bulletin board at the FSU printshop. However, I will not be able to use the hinge table to hold down the screen because the the size of the board is large. For a better printing process, I move the screen around the board. //www.youtube.com/embed/uW3c5ulJlF8 Moreover, I use a smaller squeegee compared to the size of the vinyl because the board is not completely at as

Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 28 Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 29 Digital Media Fab Lab Vinyl Plotter Demonstration Rapid Manufacturing for Screen-printing: Page 30