Screen Print World are excited to announce that we are the exclusive UK Suppliers for the D2M Rapid Screen Stencil Making machine!
What is the D2M?
D2M Rapid Screen, Australia and DuralChrome of Switzerland have partnered to develop a new stencil making technology named D2M-RS1. The D2M-RS1 is an entirely new stencil making process that is built around a printable emulsion which is applied directly to the screen mesh in negative form. It is designed to almost eliminates the steps required for stencil making using conventional photo stencil processes. The D2M-RS1 eliminates the need for darkroom processes which typically consist of film positives/CTS equipment, emulsion pre-coating, drying,
screen exposure and washout procedures. It eliminates many of the chemicals and energy requirements needed to make stencils including water, drying and air flow/humidity controls and specific lighting. The conventional production steps are bypassed with the D2M-RS1 which can be positioned on the print production floor. Screens can be prepared for printing in a fraction of the time it would take to do the same in a typical screen-printing darkroom. D2M reduces set-up costs and time, enabling smaller production runs to become more viable.
Which Industry sector is D2M-RS1 designed for?
D2M-RS1 is primarily designed for the garment printing sector. It accommodates typical textile screen mesh counts and supports all common frame sizes up to 25”x 36” (64 cm x 91 cm). The emulsion is resistant to most brands of waterbased and Plastisol inks typically used in the garment printing sector. D2M-RS1 has an output resolution of 2400DPI so artwork edge definition for both vector and
photographic/halftone artwork requirements are pixel sharp and durable.
The D2M Rapid Screen Process
The D2M-RS1 uses a printable liquid emulsion technology to produce the negative directly onto the stencil mesh. It basically replaces emulsion pre-coating and therefore the need for film positives or CTS equipment. This direct printable emulsion is UV cured and jetted onto the mesh with a patented, proprietary encapsulation technology so that both sides of the screen mesh are encapsulated and hardened simultaneously. This in turn creates a fully imaged, dry screen ready for the press without the need of any of the additional steps normally required with traditional
screen preparation. Images or negatives have pixel sharp edges and definition up to 2400dpi. More detail is retained than with a film exposure, which can suffer from poor density, alignment errors and light undercutting. The need for further masking of the screen is reduced in most cases. With Alpha print controller and Monitor located on the printer, the D2M-RS1 makes it easy to preview and output jobs, as well as build templates for precise image placement. The D2M-RS1 comes standard with an extremely fast and reliable RIP software that allows full user control over halftone dot shape, angle, and frequency. Color separations are rasterised by the RIP and sent to the D2M-RS1 Alpha control
manager and show up as individual files that can be easily previewed, re-ordered and output. These files can be stored after the job is complete, much like storing film, and returned to the D2M-RS1 Screen whenever a repeat is ordered. This digital file is all that is required to re-produce the exact same screen as before.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much?
The D2M Rapid Screen has an introductory price for £40,000 excluding delivery, install and VAT
How fast can it print a screen?
Approx. 4 minutes (23″ x 31″)
Can it do halftone printing?
Yes! The D2M can also do halftone printing
Can it work with Triloc?
Yes, The D2M can work with TRI-LOC
Is the thickness of the emulsion adjustable?
Yes, you can adjust the emulsion to the thickness you would like. You can also layer emulsion to create a 3D print for High-density printing
When is it available?
We are currently in the final stages of testing, Meaning the D2M will be available very soon.
Have any more questions or want to know more about the D2M? Give us a call on 01562 829009 or email nick@screenprintworld.co.uk