How do you calculate effective squeegee speed?

Divide printed length by runtime for the raw rate, then multiply by efficiency. For 1,200 units over 8 hours at 90%: 1,200 ÷ 8 = 150 ft/min raw, times 0.90 = 135 ft/min effective.

What is a good squeegee speed for printing electronics?

It depends on ink and mesh, but screen-printed electronics often run far slower than graphics — commonly 20-150 ft/min or the mm/s equivalent — because deposit control matters more than speed. Optimize for consistent thickness, not maximum rate.

Why is effective speed lower than raw speed?

Raw speed assumes the press never stops. Effective speed derates it by efficiency to account for registration checks, screen cleaning, ink replenishment, and changeovers — here dropping from 150 to 135 ft/min at 90% uptime.

How does squeegee speed affect ink deposit?

Faster speed shortens the time ink has to transfer through the mesh, thinning the deposit and risking open or high-resistance traces. Slower speed increases deposit and can cause bleed or bridging. It is a direct quality lever, not just a throughput knob.

Should I plan capacity with raw or effective speed?

Always use effective speed. Planning at the 150 ft/min raw rate rather than the 135 ft/min effective rate overstates capacity by 10% and produces delivery dates you cannot hit.

What is press efficiency in this calculation?

It is the fraction of runtime the press is actually printing at speed — uptime net of stops. At 90% efficiency, one in ten minutes of the scheduled run is lost to non-printing activity.

Printed Electronics & Flexible Hybrid Electronics calculator

Squeegee Speed Calculator

Squeegee speed is the linear rate, in feet per minute, at which a screen-printing press lays conductive ink onto flexible substrate — the master variable that sets ink deposit, edge definition, and throughput on printed-electronics lines. Process engineers tune it against mesh, emulsion, and ink rheology because too fast starves the deposit and opens traces, while too slow floods lines and causes bleed. This calculator separates the raw speed you would hit at perfect uptime from the effective speed after real-world stops for registration, cleaning, and material changes. That effective number is what you should feed into capacity planning and delivery commitments.

What this calculator does

Squeegee speed is the linear rate, in feet per minute, at which a screen-printing press lays conductive ink onto flexible substrate — the master variable that sets ink deposit, edge definition, and throughput on printed-electronics lines.
Use it when squeegee speed in printed electronics and flexible hybrid electronics is being committed and you need a throughput number you can defend.
It computes raw squeegee speed as printed length divided by runtime, then scales it by press efficiency to give the effective throughput you can actually sustain.

Formula used

Raw squeegee speed = completed output ÷ runtime
Effective squeegee speed = raw throughput × efficiency

Inputs explained

Printed web length completed:
Press runtime:
Press efficiency (uptime):

How to use the result

Use it to convert a shift's output into a realistic ft/min rate for capacity planning, quoting run time, or comparing press configurations.
It treats efficiency as a single derate and assumes speed is throughput-limiting — it will not tell you whether a faster squeegee is degrading ink deposit or trace quality.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for copper and brass mill shapes stands at 559.593 (BLS, May 2026), up 76.8% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move. Global copper trades at $13,484 per tonne (IMF via FRED, May 2026).
The U.S. has 11,261 computer and electronic products establishments employing about 815,443 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do you calculate effective squeegee speed? Divide printed length by runtime for the raw rate, then multiply by efficiency. For 1,200 units over 8 hours at 90%: 1,200 ÷ 8 = 150 ft/min raw, times 0.90 = 135 ft/min effective.
What is a good squeegee speed for printing electronics? It depends on ink and mesh, but screen-printed electronics often run far slower than graphics — commonly 20-150 ft/min or the mm/s equivalent — because deposit control matters more than speed. Optimize for consistent thickness, not maximum rate.
Why is effective speed lower than raw speed? Raw speed assumes the press never stops. Effective speed derates it by efficiency to account for registration checks, screen cleaning, ink replenishment, and changeovers — here dropping from 150 to 135 ft/min at 90% uptime.
How does squeegee speed affect ink deposit? Faster speed shortens the time ink has to transfer through the mesh, thinning the deposit and risking open or high-resistance traces. Slower speed increases deposit and can cause bleed or bridging. It is a direct quality lever, not just a throughput knob.
Should I plan capacity with raw or effective speed? Always use effective speed. Planning at the 150 ft/min raw rate rather than the 135 ft/min effective rate overstates capacity by 10% and produces delivery dates you cannot hit.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.