PRÖLL P-SCF AUTOMATED SELF-COATED FABRIC SCREEN COATING

For almost 20 years, the Pröll Services branch in Munich, Germany has processed pre-coated PCF fabric for industrial screen-printing applications. Over this period, several hundred thousand screen-printing stencils have been produced and delivered. Satisfied screen-printing companies still appreciate the high-quality printing stencils and their consistent and reproducible quality. With the discontinuation of PCF fabric production, it was Pröll Services Group’s goal to offer its customers a reliable, high-quality, high-quantity alternative printing stencil.

In industrial screen-printing production, the demand for reproducible, high-quality stencil solutions is steadily increasing. 
These solutions need to be flexibly adaptable. At the same time, automated manufacturing processes and controlled production environments are becoming increasingly important.

Against this background, a new concept for the production of coated screen-printing stencils was developed, aimed at standardised, automated and highly flexible production. In addition, the idea aimed to provide a powerful alternative to established coating systems and the previously used PCF-FC material.

“The Pröll P-SCF is a self-coated fabric concept for automated stencil production”

The Pröll P-SCF is a self-coated fabric concept for automated stencil production.

The process is based on a continuous, controlled production approach that takes place entirely under clean-room conditions. This ensures a consistently high and reproducible coating quality – particularly suitable for demanding industrial applications.

A key feature of the system is the flexible adaptability of the stencil properties to different customer and application requirements. This allows both standard applications and highly specialised requirements to be reliably covered.

A specially developed, highly pure, light-sensitive emulsion is used for the coating. 
It is optimised for industrial screen-printing applications. The coating is designed as a fine-line layer and enables particularly precise reproduction of structures – even for very fine motifs. At the same time, it offers high process stability in subsequent print use.

The stencil quality can be specifically adapted to different requirements. In particular, the emulsion and the resulting properties of the coating can be flexibly selected. Emulsion over mesh (EOM) value stands for the defined stencil thickness, while Rz stands for the resulting surface roughness. Both parameters are flexibly configurable and can be adjusted for specific applications.

A further advantage lies in the broad material compatibility. All common types of polyester and steel mesh – from very coarse to very fine – can be processed and coated. This enables an extensive range of applications in industrial screen printing.

In combination with the coating technology, the finished stencils are characterised by high mechanical and chemical resistance. This results in very long service lives for the stencils, providing cost savings in ongoing production operations.

To ensure consistently high quality, customer-specific parameters – such as EOM, Rz values and fabric tension (N/cm) – are checked and documented after every batch. This guarantees high process reliability and permanently reproducible product quality. As part of Pröll’s quality management system, complete batch traceability is possible at any time through detailed documentation. This is in accordance with ISO 9001-2015.

In particular, the solution is designed for the economical production of large quantities and is therefore suitable for industrial series applications.

The stencils can be designed for a maximum frame format of 1,200×1,200mm. 
In addition, a maximum profile depth of up to 50mm can be achieved, which also covers demanding applications in an industrial environment.

The combination of high flexibility, stable process quality and scalability makes the system particularly attractive for modern production environments with varying requirements.

If required, the entire prepress process – including the mesh tensioning service – can be carried out in-house. The screen-printing stencils are first coated using the automated system, followed by imaging via an integrated, fully automatic computer-to-screen (CtS) inline system. 

This makes it possible to supply customers directly with ready-to-print stencils on request. As a result, the entire process can be achieved from stencil production to the finished printing from a single source.

“The stencil quality can be specifically adapted to different requirements”

The coated Pröll P-SCF screen-printing stencils are already being successfully used in industrial environments. Since autumn 2025, several thousand stencils have already been delivered and tested in various applications.

Feedback from practical use confirms a high level of satisfaction for quality, reproducibility, adaptability and stable performance in production operations.

The new Pröll P-SCF approach to automated and flexible stencil coating offers a solution that combines high quality standards – under clean-room conditions – with maximum adaptability. Specifically, it combines reproducible quality, suitability for fine lines, high resistance and long service life. It also allows for documented quality assurance, batch traceability, integrated prepress, a broad range of materials and suitability for large quantities. The system was also developed as a modern alternative to previous coating solutions and the established PCF-FC material. It represents 
an important advance for modern screen-printing applications.