Graphene nanotubes provide silicone printing pads with stable anti-static properties while preserving their original hardness, elasticity, and mechanical stability throughout their service life. These pads prevent static-related defects such as contamination, poor ink transfer, and potential damage to sensitive substrates.
Working at ultralow dosages, nanotubes make it possible to maintain the rheology of the uncured compound, preserve a wide color palette for ESD products, and enable the use of standard processing and mixing equipment.
Pad printing is a process used to transfer an image onto various objects, including irregular and curved surfaces. The image is first etched onto a printing plate and filled with ink. A soft silicone pad then presses onto the plate, picks up the inked image, and transfers it onto the substrate. Because the pad must conform to different shapes and textures, silicone printing pads need to be highly flexible and elastic to ensure precise ink pickup and accurate transfer. They must also be durable to withstand repeated compression and long production cycles without losing shape or performance. Anti-static properties are important as well, to reduce dust attraction and help maintain consistent print quality, especially when printing on plastic or other static-prone materials.