Characteristic:

Viscosity sensitized: 6,000 mPas 
Solids content: 36%

1. DESCRIPTION
KIWOCOL POLY PLUS S is a high quality Diazo-Photo-polymer emulsion. It is ideal for all applications with solvent-based and UV inks, including fine detail and 4-color process work.

2. SENSITIZING
Sensitize with Sensitizer #1 (supplied). Allow the mixed emulsion to settle after sensitizing to allow air bubbles to escape. Keep the emulsion in a cool (68°F / 20°C) and dark place during that time. (See sensitizer label for instructions).

3. MESH PREPARATION
To achieve a good stencil, the mesh must be degreased with a degreaser such as KIWO DEGREASER 1:20 or PREGAN A9 and must be free of dirt, dust, ink residues and ghost images. Rinse the screen thoroughly using low water pressure to remove any degreaser remaining on the screen. A foaming degreaser such as KIWO DEGREASER 1:20 or PREGAN A9 helps to determine proper and complete rinsing. See KIWO DEGREASER 1:20 or PREGAN A9 Technical Information for details.

4. COATING PROCEDURE
KIWOCOL POLY PLUS S has excellent coating properties on mesh counts of 40-470 threads per inch (16-185 threads per cm). For best printing results, the following coating techniques are recommended using a round edge coating trough:
40-86 tpi (16-34 tpcm): 1-1 wet-on-wet
110-156 tpi (40-60 tpcm): 2-2 wet-on-wet
145-305 tpi (77-120 tpcm): 2-2 wet-on-wet
330-470 tpi (130-185 tpcm): 2-2 wet-on-wet
Always start with 1 or 2 coats on the substrate side of the screen to fill the mesh openings; then finish with wet-on-wet coats on the squeegee side to build up the emulsion coating to the desired thickenss. The correct coating technique for your process must be determined through coating tests.
Contact KIWO for more specific coating techniques.

5. DRYING OF THE COATED SCREEN
Dry the screen in complete darkness, or under safelight conditions, with the screen in horizontal position with the substrate side down.
Temperature, relative humidity and airflow affect the drying time. The screen must be dried thoroughly before exposing to achieve highest resistance to ink and ink cleaners. A temperature of 86°-104°F (30°- 40°C) at a relative humidity of 30% -50% and moderate airflow are optimum conditions. Drying at room temperature and in uncontrolled conditions may lead to inconsistent results and varying screen resistance.

6. EXPOSURE
Expose with ultra-violet light at a wavelength of 350 – 420 nm. A metal halide lamp provides the best results. Due to the many variables that determine the actual exposure time, accurate exposure times cannot be given. The following examples are offered as a guide only:
Lamp: 5000 Watt metal halide at 40” (1m) distance. 156/62 tpi (60/62 tpcm) yellow mesh, coating technique 2-2.
Exposure time: approximately blue: 110 seconds
undyed: 85 seconds 305/34 tpi (120/34tpcm) yellow mesh, coating technique 2-2.
Exposure time: approximately blue: 55 seconds
undyed: 40 seconds
The correct exposure time for your equipment and mesh selection must be determined through exposure tests using a step exposure or an exposure calculator such as the KIWO STEP WEDGE EXPOSURE film or the KIWO EXPOSURE CALCULATOR films.
Under-exposed screens feel slimy on the squeegee side during developing. At correct exposure time, the screen is not slimy.
Overexposure leads to loss of detail. Correctly exposed screens will withstand high tap water pressure during washout.
Contact KIWO if you have further questions regarding exposure time.

7. DEVELOPING / WASHOUT
Develop the screen using full tap water and a medium spray pattern.
Adjust the water temperature to lukewarm or slightly colder. Rinse thoroughly from both sides of the screen. Vacuum off any excess water or blot it off with newsprint paper. This will avoid runs or scum from under-exposure in the open areas.

8. POST-EXPOSURE
Post-exposing the screen after developing and drying is not very effective. To improve the resistance by 15% the post-exposure time needs to be 6-10 times the original exposure time. Instead of gaining resistance from post-exposure, expose the screen fully with the initial exposure.

9. POST-HARDENING (CHEMICALLY)
The emulsion can be chemically post-hardened using HARDENER AWR or HARDENER HP to improve water resistance. HARDENER HP improves the resistance, but the emulsion remains reclaimable.
HARDENER AWR results in a permanent stencil with outstanding resistance. See HARDENER AWR or HARDENER HP Technical Information for details.

10. BLOCKOUT / TOUCH-UP
When printing with solvent based inks, retouching, blocking out can be done with KIWO TOUCH-UP and KIWO BLOCKOUT. For water resistant stencils, block out and retouch with KIWO BLOCKOUT WR/MV or use KIWOCOL POLY PLUS S (dry thoroughly and reexpose completely prior to using HARDENER AWR or HARDENER HP). See KIWO TOUCH-UP and KIWO BLOCKOUT Technical Information for details.

11. DECOATING
KIWOCOL POLY PLUS S can be decoated with emulsion removers such as KIWO stencil REMOVER. Before decoating, ensure the screen is completely cleaned of ink or ink cleaning chemical residues. If water beads up on the stencil, degrease the screen prior to decoating. See the KIWO stencil REMOVER Technical Information for details. If the screen was chemically hardened with HARDENER AWR, reclaiming is no longer possible.

12. HAZE REMOVING
When under-exposed, the emulsion can cause emulsion haze after reclaiming. To remove haze, use KIWO HAZE REMOVER or PREGAN PASTE. Use the haze removing products with the KIWO INK WASH or KIWO ULTIMATE INK WASH. These products are also very effective at removing ink haze. See separate Technical Information for these additional products for more details.

13. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

14. PACKAGING
1 US Quart, 1 US Gallon, 5 US Gallons, 55 US Gallon Drum.

15. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For additional product information, please visit our web site at www.kiwo.com. All products mentioned in this Technical Information sheet are available through KIWO Inc. and its distributor network. For further information contact your KIWO distributor or KIWO direct.