UV on Silicone

UV Printing on Silicone

Silicone is the hardest UV substrate — it needs a silicone-specific primer, but nobody else in town will do it.

Substrates: Silicone wristbands, cases, mats

Settings that work

Temperature	No heat
Press time	2–5 minutes
Pressure	N/A
Peel	N/A
Wash care	N/A

Settings are a starting point, not gospel. Film batches, ink lots and press calibration all shift the ideal number — always pull-test a sample before a paid run.

What goes wrong, and how to fix it

Problem	Fix
Ink peels in one sheet	Silicone has the lowest surface energy of any common substrate. Primer is mandatory.

Good fit

Wristbands
Custom mats
Promotional silicone items

Where it fails

Stretchable silicone without a flexible primer

What to buy for silicone

Weekly volume	Machine class	Why
Small items (cases, pens, keychains)	A5 / A4 flatbed	One object at a time. Enough for gift orders, too slow for batch retail.
Up to 30 × 45 cm (plaques, tumblers with jig)	A3 flatbed	The default size for gift and promo work. Add a rotary jig for cylinders.
Signs, panels, batch cases	4060 / 6090 flatbed	Bed size decides throughput. A 6090 prints a full panel in one pass.

Volume bands assume one operator and a standard 38 × 38 cm press. Verify with a sample before committing to a machine size.