Tactile and mechanical investigation of screen printed specimens with puff effect

Abstract

The subject of this paper was the investigation of the tactile and mechanical characteristics of printed specimens achieved using the manual technique of screen printing. The specimens are printed using ink enriched with a puff base. The puff base gives the print a three-dimensional shape and surface characteristics. This paper aims to investigate whether such prints can be used to improve the ergonomic characteristics of a product that undergoes in-hand manipulation. To determine the possibility of using a screen printing technique with a puff effect for ergonomic purposes, two experiments were performed. The first experiment involved subjective investigation of the tactile properties of the prints which are important since the end-users are people. The second experiment involved laboratory testing of the resistance of prints to mechanical rubbing (colour rendering) which is important since the prints should be able to endure a lot of in-hand manipulation. The specimens were printed using the manual screen printing technique on four different textile substrates. Apart from the substrate, the amount of added puff substance in ink and the screen printing mesh count varied. After testing the mechanical resistance to rubbing, colour differences were calculated. Based on the results obtained, resistance to mechanical effect was confirmed, and it was determined which prints have the best resistance and tactile features. Further investigations will be focused on investigating the same type of printing on different materials, and discovering how can prints with puff effect contribute to in-hand object manipulation.