Eco-Tex VS Eco-Tex Modular

[GraphicDisorder]

Anyone have either? Had both?

I assume the Eco-Tex is just slower than the Modular version which is claiming 400 screens a 8hr shift. That would be overkill for us right now but we don't want to buy a unit we'd tap out of too quick either. We are doing 50+ screens a day now, so we wouldn't want to for example get the Eco-Tex and have it only be rated at 100 screens per day or something.

Any input at all from anyone with either would be awesome as well. Thanks in advanced!

The back of our shop is finished and we are going to move our screen room back there and build it to fit one of those machines so I have to plan.

[kirkwad]

We're going on 1 year having our Eco-Tex. We reclaim anywhere from 50 to 120 screens a day. It's decent, however I wish we would have held out for a modular unit.

There are some pain points, mainly being that the 701N (Ink remover/de-haze) & the Stripper are all mixed into a 100 gallon tank with water. Those chemicals will naturally fight & weaken each other, so making sure the balance is right is key. There's a pump for the stripper & you can program to automatically dose it based on how many cycles you run through. However, if you add too much stripper it will lock up the emulsion.

Another thing is that some emulsions don't go through well. We were using Saati PHU 2 & ended up having problems with emulsion stain/haze getting locked in. We tried another one that's reclaiming but the cycle times are way too long for efficiency. We're trying out Saati Grafic PS & Chromaline's ChromaBlue & those are running through great. Making sure you are not under-exposing your screens is vital as well, otherwise you'll see emulsion getting locked in.

You're not going to see savings on chemical consumption. You'll see it go up. We're going through a 55 gallon drum of 701N every 2 weeks to 1 month depending on how much we're running it.

Despite the pain points, it's greatly improved how many screens we can reclaim a day as well as the amount of effort, strain & chemical exposure on the person in reclaim. I wouldn't go back to the dip tank if given the choice. When all factors are dialed in correctly it works great.

If you're projecting growth in the future, I would hold out for a modular unit to save on some of the headaches.

If you have any more questions on it let me know. I'm happy to share any info we have on the unit based on our experience with it.

[Alex M]

Eco- Tex will do around 160-180 screen per shift. The upside is it is "compact" large unit and will do perfectly well cleaning screens. The two downsides are only one tank so the two chemistries are mixed and while this isn't a huge issue it generally results in a slightly higher per screen cost then separating the two chemistries. The second is, like most units in this price range, there is no post rinse, so screens come out still needing to be flood rinsed. ($0.50/70 per screen on average) DISCLAIMER!!! There will always be results on the extreme both ways!

Eco-Tex modular, I will only speak to the three chamber as the two chamber is just like the original eco-tex but faster (same downsides). The modular unit can run 350-400 screens a shift depending on mesh/emulsion etc. The speed on this unit comes from each chamber only performing one function rather than the one have to perform both (chemical and power wash). It has separate chemistry chambers thus resulting in lower operational cost. It also can also be purchased with a post rinse which I highly recommenced if going this route as it is pointless to buy without a full cleaning system on this size unit. There is also an option for built in manual booth at the end which I would also get so IF you do need to touch up it is right there on the machine and then straight to a rack (minimal handling). ($0.35/45 per screen on average) DISCLAIMER!!! There will always be results on the extreme both ways!

If you want more info in detail to your situation please feel free to DM me.

[LuckyFlyinROUSH]

I personally wouldn't buy another eco-tex if I had options. Go with separate chemistry chambers

[tonypep]

Correct but not without a significant price increase. Also size does matter! My experience is that the Eco-Tex does most of the heavy lifting; however a traditional final pressure wash was necessary. This may have changed but yes....pay attention to the chemistry ratio and most important, these units need to be cleaned (usually daily depending on use). I learned that the hard way!

[GraphicDisorder]

Over all do you guys think it was an improvement to your flow or no?

[Alex M]

Over all do you guys think it was an improvement to your flow or no?

It almost never speeds the reclaim time per screen. What does speed up is now when the machine is running your screen room employee can de-ink and tape.
It would likely cut your time down 40% per screen bc of this. 


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[kirkwad]

Over all do you guys think it was an improvement to your flow or no?

It almost never speeds the reclaim time per screen. What does speed up is now when the machine is running your screen room employee can de-ink and tape.
It would likely cut your time down 40% per screen bc of this. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yup. A cycle time for 2 screens is 4 to 6 minutes. It has definitely improved the flow, no questions. And if it's busy & you need 100 screens a day, you're going to burn a person out trying to do that manually everyday. Add in all the dirtier frames & inconsistencies that will pop up from that type of demand put on a person. We have our press assistants scrape out ink & remove the tape as much as they can so reclaim just has to scrape off a little bit of ink & wipe down the frame if there's time before sending them through.

Keep it clean, monitor the chemistry making sure you don't add too much, take a pool skimmer every Monday & scrape out the sludge that settles to the bottom of the tank over the weekend to prolong the life of your chemical tank & stay up on all the preventative maintenance. It does makes it more efficient & easier to retain people in the reclaim position, which is something we struggled with for a while. Again, I would hold out for a modular unit with separate chemical chambers though.

[tonypep]

It bears mentioning that, upon install, an independent water faucet or extension is an excellent consideration for cleaning and maintenance. Standard water hose or pressure washer.