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screen printing => Equipment => Topic started by: Admiral on February 03, 2014, 03:03:48 PM

Title: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: Admiral on February 03, 2014, 03:03:48 PM
So the 14 pallets we received with the CH3 we just bought are in rough shape.  They have had millions of prints on them and look a lot worse than our pallets.  We need to at least resurface them.  The aluminum is a bit banged up even and pretty dirty so it will take awhile to clean up.  A couple of them even are burnt a bit (hopefully not warped).

So I plan on buying the rubber and 3M adhesive from M&R or Action Engineering but is there anything I should be concerned with?  Should I load up each one individually on the same arm on a press and check flatness with a floodbar to make sure all of the pallets are good?

Would it be a better idea to buy 14 new pallets and sell these ones?  I wanted to exchange them for new ones but M&R doesn't play that game. 

I only want to pursue redoing all of them if they will end up working fine and save us some money.
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: Printficient on February 03, 2014, 03:06:17 PM
If it were me I would buy new.  The time and frustration to refurb these obviously well used platens just does not justify itself.  Action Engineering would be my goto guy.
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: 244 on February 03, 2014, 03:14:24 PM
So the 14 pallets we received with the CH3 we just bought are in rough shape.  They have had millions of prints on them and look a lot worse than our pallets.  We need to at least resurface them.  The aluminum is a bit banged up even and pretty dirty so it will take awhile to clean up.  A couple of them even are burnt a bit (hopefully not warped).

So I plan on buying the rubber and 3M adhesive from M&R or Action Engineering but is there anything I should be concerned with?  Should I load up each one individually on the same arm on a press and check flatness with a floodbar to make sure all of the pallets are good?

Would it be a better idea to buy 14 new pallets and sell these ones?  I wanted to exchange them for new ones but M&R doesn't play that game. 

I only want to pursue redoing all of them if they will end up working fine and save us some money.
You can send them back for resurfacing here if they are origional M&R units. The cost is about $15.00 per pallet over the cost of the rubber. If made by someone else we will not resurface.
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: ebscreen on February 03, 2014, 03:16:55 PM
Having both removed and applied new rubber, SPEND THE $15!!!

I would check the metal itself first though, no point in refurbing warped pallets.
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: 244 on February 03, 2014, 03:20:41 PM
Having both removed and applied new rubber, SPEND THE $15!!!

I would check the metal itself first though, no point in refurbing warped pallets.
If the aluminum is ours we put it through a machine to address any warp before re-laminating.
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: cbjamel on February 03, 2014, 03:25:43 PM
Putting new rubber down not that hard, order it getthe glue and a heatgun to help loosen front the board, do all of them , re glue and compress with bricks, Something, etcc let sit over night, done.
I have done a couple of mine no biggie.
Shane
 
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: tonypep on February 03, 2014, 03:35:17 PM
Don't forget freight in and out to M&R. If you go the Action way I suggest the "new" self adhering rubber. Pricey but easy and probably cheaper than the M$R method. Remember its $15 rubberplus the cost of rubber   and again the freight. You check for leveling by carefully placing the on the exposure unit glass surface.
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: T Shirt Farmer on February 03, 2014, 04:07:19 PM
What is the benefit of the rubber top?
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: mimosatexas on February 03, 2014, 04:50:51 PM
having just started printing on the rubber topped pallets after using mdf for years, I would never go back...

Prints are definitely smoother for whatever reason, and it seems like my glue is lasting longer and gripping better as well, probably because you can really press the garment into the glue better with each stroke.  I think for some one color jobs you could almost go without glue and there wouldnt be any issues.
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: Admiral on February 03, 2014, 05:01:02 PM
I was told they were definitely the pallets from the CH3 we bought which should be original M&R.  Only way to know for sure is probably look up the S/N and see if it was bought with the pallets.  I don't see why these wouldn't have been M&R.  Close to 5mil prints on them though.

I will check them out tonight to make sure they are all flat then see if shipping them to M&R and having them resurface will be the best route.
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: cbjamel on February 03, 2014, 05:29:37 PM
On the bottom of them will part number with M&R Sticker if they are.
Usually. My Gauntlet 2 have them.
Shane
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: 244 on February 03, 2014, 05:55:44 PM
What is the benefit of the rubber top?
Print deposit will be better with rubber coated pallets and your flash time will be faster.
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: ZooCity on February 03, 2014, 06:47:33 PM
If the shipping doesn't kill the deal, I would def send those suckers to M&R.  $15 is a screaming deal to have all that done for you. 

It's not hard to do in the shop, you roll the glue on and work quick, kinda stressful and can be a distraction but not too horrible.
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: tonypep on February 04, 2014, 06:28:17 AM
Remember its $15 over the cost of the rubber. My guess is its closer to $40 total plus freight
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: beanie357 on February 04, 2014, 06:51:35 AM
New rubber is kinda a regular thing if you like high maintained equipment. I am a scrounger and built our pallet sets out of used, and most needed rubber. And Ickes stickee and some emery on the edges. As long as you use right adhesive it is just not hard. We work in a warm area, gut to size, acetone the surface, apply, weight it. Wait a day. Done. Make sure you have a flat surface for adhering and cure time.
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: Admiral on February 04, 2014, 12:42:43 PM
Some are definitely M&R and still have stickers - unreadable manufactured date though on them
(http://i.imgur.com/w8OUaDCl.jpg)

Back of typical platen in the set of 14
(http://i.imgur.com/cydfy1Al.jpg)

The better looking platens have this sticker, made in 2010-2011, not M&R then?
(http://i.imgur.com/HstQxOil.jpg)

Difference in platens
(http://i.imgur.com/KoJqUlVl.jpg)

Worst platen
(http://i.imgur.com/4AN7Qhtl.jpg)

The brackets do all seem the same on all of the platens though.
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: T Shirt Farmer on February 04, 2014, 01:03:33 PM
Good Lord how the heck does the back of a platen get so F'd up?????
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: tonypep on February 04, 2014, 01:05:30 PM
Five Million prints thats how
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: 244 on February 04, 2014, 02:05:16 PM
Some are definitely M&R and still have stickers - unreadable manufactured date though on them
([url]http://i.imgur.com/w8OUaDCl.jpg[/url])

Back of typical platen in the set of 14
([url]http://i.imgur.com/cydfy1Al.jpg[/url])

The better looking platens have this sticker, made in 2010-2011, not M&R then?
([url]http://i.imgur.com/HstQxOil.jpg[/url])

Difference in platens
([url]http://i.imgur.com/KoJqUlVl.jpg[/url])

Worst platen
([url]http://i.imgur.com/4AN7Qhtl.jpg[/url])

The brackets do all seem the same on all of the platens though.
I am pretty sure these are ours. We used both stickers and the bracket is ours.
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: brandon on February 04, 2014, 02:54:00 PM
5 million prints or Stalingrad. Whichever came first!  ;)

Man, those took a beating hahaha
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: Screened Gear on February 04, 2014, 03:39:06 PM
Were you finger painting on them? I have to admit My boards get thick enough with lint and waterbase tack that I have to raise my off contact some times.
Title: Re: M&R Platen Resurfacing
Post by: Admiral on February 04, 2014, 06:45:07 PM
Were you finger painting on them? I have to admit My boards get thick enough with lint and waterbase tack that I have to raise my off contact some times.

We have done 0 prints on them haha...and there's a TAPOUT print on one of the platens too that's funny.

Scrap aluminum isn't worth it...maybe someone else would want to buy and resurface these instead and we could put the money towards new ones.  Anyway we have awhile to figure it out since our buildings electrical still needs to be upgraded before we can use the CH3.