ScreenPrint Foundry

Teardown Notes

I run a screen printing machine for a living. In this series I take it apart — subsystem by subsystem — until I can explain not just what each part does, but why it works that way. Published as I learn, one unit at a time.

This is a long-term project: 39 units across 8 systems, from the vision cameras down to the air supply. Entries appear as I finish them — currently 5 published. Greyed-out entries are on the bench, not yet written.

Nothing here is copied from any manufacturer's manual. Everything is rewritten in my own words, verified against public engineering references, and tested on the shop floor. Brand names are deliberately avoided — the principles apply to any camera-registered flatbed press.

A Vision System

B Motion & Drives

  • B0 Machine Anatomy & the Print Cycle

    What "three-quarter automatic" means; the 8-step print cycle (coming soon)

  • B1 The Squeegee Pressure Chain

    From a number on screen to N/cm at the blade edge (coming soon)

  • B2 The Speed Chain

    Servo + toothed belt; how 500 mm/s is executed (coming soon)

  • B3 Table In/Out Motion

    Twin Y-axis servos, linear guides, hydraulic damping (coming soon)

  • B4 Print Head Lift

    Lift columns and the mechanics of elevation (coming soon)

  • B5 Three-Axis Screen Adjustment

    Spindles, motorized adjusters, cameras: X/Y1/Y2 into rotation (coming soon)

  • B6 The Peel-Off Mechanism

    Mechanical wedge + roller vs. servo peel (coming soon)

  • B7 Grippers & Conveyor

    How the sheet leaves the table (coming soon)

C Pneumatics

  • C1 Vacuum Hold-Down

    Why thin sheets stay flat (coming soon)

  • C2 Blow-Back & Ionizing Air

    Releasing the sheet without static (coming soon)

  • C3 The Air Cylinder Family

    Every actuator on the machine, catalogued (coming soon)

  • C4 Compressed Air Quality

    Water, oil, pressure: the invisible root cause (coming soon)

  • C5 Auto Ink Dispensing & Mixing

    Ink supply without stopping the press (coming soon)

  • C6 Optical Feed Detection

    Sensors that watch the sheet path (coming soon)

D Control & Software

  • D1 Menu Tree & Panel Keys

    A map of every screen (coming soon)

  • D2 The PLC Command Chain

    From touch to actuator, step by step (coming soon)

  • D3 The Recipe System

    What gets saved, what does not, and why (coming soon)

  • D4 The Alarm System

    Reading alarms as physics, not noise (coming soon)

  • D5 Access Levels

    What each login can and cannot touch (coming soon)

  • D6 Counters & Inspection Modes

    Batch logic and quality checks (coming soon)

E Process Parameters

  • E1 Off-Contact & Elevation

    The two gaps that shape ink release (coming soon)

  • E2 Stroke Start/End & Offsets

    Where the squeegee travels and why (coming soon)

  • E3 Multi-Print & Ink Recovery

    Double hits and flood logic (coming soon)

  • E4 Anti-Drip, Anti-Static, Humidifying, Cleaning

    The four helper systems (coming soon)

  • E5 Warping Compensation

    Printing on sheets that are not flat (coming soon)

  • E6 The Trial-Print Workflow

    A disciplined loop for dialing in a job (coming soon)

F Safety

  • F1 Safety Switches & Interlocks

    The truth table behind the indicator lamps (coming soon)

  • F2 Daily Startup Checks

    What must be verified every morning (coming soon)

  • F3 E-Stop Recovery

    The correct sequence after an emergency stop (coming soon)

G Maintenance

  • G1 The Maintenance Schedule

    Monthly / quarterly / annual, with lubricant types (coming soon)

  • G2 Recovering a Lost Zero Point

    Self-rescue after a crash (coming soon)

H Installation & Specs

  • H1 Installation & Leveling

    Four-point leveling and power phase order (coming soon)

  • H2 Spec Sheets & Pressure Nomographs

    Reading the charts at the back of the manual (coming soon)