KG, which is based in Gersthofen in southern Germany, has reached new heights with its latest digital ceramic-ink screen printing technology for oversize glass formats. This new capability offers architects and clients exciting new design options.
Full-coverage printing on panes of glass in sizes of up to 3.21 x 15.00m using the roller-coater technique is now joined by flatbed digital printing that can produce complex, multi-colour pattern designs and images in high-resolution photo quality. “Excellent quality is not all we get with a print resolution of 720 dpi. In digital printing the ink can also be applied in much thinner layers than is the case with screen or rotary printing,” says Bernhard Veh, sedak’s managing director. “This technique allows us to achieve translucent printing and graduated transitions.”
Brilliant digital ceramic-ink screen printing up to 3,21 x 15m
The printing process is similar to that used by ink-jet printers for paper. However, the inks consist of ultra-fine ceramic particles. These ceramic inks are sprayed onto the glass surface with a plotter. Subsequent firing in a furnace bonds the inks permanently to the glass. The fired ink coating is durable and scratch-resistant. After printing, the glass can be sent for laminating, cold-bending or processing to create insulating glass units.
Glass panes printed by this method are suitable for different areas of application, ranging from the eye-catching glass installation in a lobby space to the most contemporary all-glass building skin. Photographs, images of materials and textures, and repetitive decorative patterns are all possible. This flexibility makes digital ceramic-ink printing a cost-effective option for creating unique building façades and works in glass.
The world’s biggest fladbed printer for digital ceramic-ink screen printing technology is based in Gersthofen, Germany.
If you want to find out more, sedak will be demonstrating its new printing capabilities at the following trade fairs:
26–28 June 2014: AIA, Chicago
23–26 October 2014: Glasstec, Düsseldorf, Germany
19–24 January 2015: Bau, Munich, Germany
About sedak GmbH & Co. KG
Based in Gersthofen near Munich, sedak GmbH & Co. KG is one of the world’s leading glass processing companies. Supported through its own intensive research and development, the company produces high-quality glass products and spectacular all-glass designs for glass architecture. The company’s unique glass projects regularly garner innovation awards for glass stairs, glass bridges and allglass buildings.
Proudly maintaining its commitment to delivering glass products made to the very highest standards of quality, sedak’s production facilities process, temper laminate and print panes of glass in sizes of up to 3.21 x 15.00m.