Ripu Plastox — Industrial Plastic & Packaging Solutions

Processes / Screen Printing

Screen Printing,
Explained.

The craft Ripu Plastox was founded on in 2000 — now roll-to-roll automated. How ink pushed through a mesh stencil produces the most durable graphics in the industry.

25 yrs
Heritage Craft
10km
Printed Per Day
UV
Resistant Inks
R2R
Roll-to-Roll Auto
10×
Thicker Ink Layer

What is screen printing?

Definition: Screen printing forces ink through a fine mesh stencil onto a surface below. Areas of the mesh are blocked by a light-hardened emulsion; ink passes only through the open image areas. Because the ink is pushed through rather than pressed on, it lays down a far thicker, more opaque and more durable layer than any other printing method — which is why it dominates outdoor decals, equipment graphics and industrial labels.

It is also the oldest process in our building — Ripudaman Graphics was founded on screen printing in 2000, making decals and industrial graphics for OEMs long before we moulded our first part. Twenty-five years later the craft is the same; the scale is not. Roll-to-roll automation now pushes up to 10,000 metres of printed film through the plant every day.

That heritage matters for a practical reason: colour discipline. Screen printing taught us Pantone formulas, registration and ink chemistry decades before most moulders thought about decoration at all — and that discipline now runs through every process we operate.

How screen printing works — step by step

01

Screen preparation

A fine polyester mesh is stretched drum-tight on a frame and coated with a light-sensitive emulsion, then dried in the dark.

02

Stencil exposure

The artwork film is placed over the screen and exposed to UV light. Exposed emulsion hardens; unexposed emulsion washes out — leaving open mesh exactly where ink should pass.

03

Registration

The screen is aligned over the substrate. Multi-colour jobs use one screen per colour, registered to a fraction of a millimetre.

04

Ink & squeegee pass

Industrial ink is flooded across the screen, and a squeegee drives it through the open mesh onto the film or part in one clean stroke — a thick, even, opaque deposit.

05

Curing

UV or heat curing bonds the ink permanently to the plastic. The result shrugs off sun, rain, fuel and abrasion for years.

06

Cutting & finishing

Printed rolls are inspected, then die-cut, laminated or slit into decals, labels, overlays and panels — ready to apply on the line.

Capabilities & uses

ParameterRipu Plastox Capability
FormatRoll-to-roll automated + flatbed for parts
ThroughputUp to 10,000 m of film per day
SubstratesPVC, PET, PP films · polycarbonate · ABS · moulded parts
InksUV-resistant industrial inks, Pantone-matched to formula
Heritage25 years — the founding craft of the Ripu group

What it's used for

Tractor & equipment decalsIndustrial labelsInstrument overlaysWarning & safety graphicsAppliance panelsRailway signage

Clients include Sonalika, Indofarm, ACE, Captain and Indian Railways. See how it fits the wider stack on our technology page.

Frequently asked questions

What is screen printing best at?
Heavy, opaque, extremely durable ink deposits — dense whites, metallics and UV-stable colours that outdoor decals and industrial labels need. The ink layer is up to 10× thicker than offset.
What materials can be screen printed?
PVC, PET and PP films, polycarbonate, ABS and moulded parts. Our roll-to-roll lines print up to 10,000 metres a day.
How durable is it outdoors?
With UV-resistant industrial inks, screen-printed graphics survive years of sun, rain and abrasion — which is why tractor OEMs use it for exterior body graphics.
Screen printing vs dry offset — which do I need?
Dry offset for round containers at speed with fine multi-colour artwork; screen printing for flat films, panels and parts needing thick, weatherproof ink. We run both and will recommend the right one.

Need graphics that outlast the machine?

Send your artwork and substrate — we'll confirm inks, durability and price within 24 hours.

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