TSB
screen printing => Equipment => Topic started by: DCSP John on July 14, 2014, 05:09:11 PM
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Hey Everyone..
Its been said here a few times, but if you don't already have a Starlight, I would recommend calling
your local M&R dealer and ordering one ASAP.
We ran successful exposures today (pure photopolymer) with excellent detail at 5, 10 and 15 seconds.
We are still scratching our heads in awe, especially after being so used to metal halide and all the associated
wait times. Wow. 10 seconds for screen production. Who would'a thunk it.
John @ DCSP
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Any discharge screens yet?
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We ran 2000 + pcs of discharge last week using a screen made with our STE LED....... Zero signs of screen breakdown though, I know it's not a huge run but from what I can tell there's no reason the m&r led technology cannot expose discharge screens for 20,000+ pcs runs..... We are getting superior results with our led then we had from out MH unit. I would suggest people run to their m&r dealer for an i image ste, LOL...... You don't realize what your missing until your using one.
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2k pieces is nothing to sneeze at :)
What were your mesh and press specs? Single/double stroke etc?
I am just looking for anyone who can actually give me hard repeatable numbers for discharge runs.
Thanks!
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Colin, we printed through a 150 s mesh static frame using double stroke @ 38 psi w/ a 65/90/65 blade..... WR-14 emulsion
The screen showed zero signs of breakdown after the 4k strokes it saw......Everything that I've been able to test my led exposure does a better job on then our mh did.
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it's hard to get in the mindset that 5 seconds does the job, with a MH you are used to way longer times. we run wb/dc with our screens all the time and no issues at all, we even catalog a few designs and they have been rerun about 6x and nothing. PP with diazo...we love our starlight, i just have to go kick brads ass and grab his DTS and I'm all set.
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With a 180 s and 160 s coated 2&1 with Ulano orange burned for 6.5 seconds, I finished about 12k prints today. The screens have been around now for three weeks. I print about 4k of a design every Monday for a customer. It is fully taped on the back and only the squeegee edges are just starting to wear through the emulsion. The stencil is still in perfect shape. It is a 2 color job with tons of butt registration. The design edges have not begun to break down. In am contemplating trying the screens next week and see if they make it to 16k.
I have also sprayed the Nazdar spray solvent on the shirt side a few times to remove ink buildup.
I recommend a starlight to everyone. Anyone that wants to come to Northern Kentucky can see one first hand. The time saved has given me my evenings back as I typically burn 20 screens an evening so they are dry and ready for tomorrow's production.
For the discharge, Ulano orange breaks down within 30 prints with the starlight. I could get 75 or so with my last exposure unit. Not really sure what's up there, but with a good waterproof emulsion, I have done 300 with no signs of wear.
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Danny, that is the info I wanted to hear! Thanks for that!
What was the exposure time for the WR-14? I am assuming no more than 2 minutes since it is dual cure? Did you apply any hardener?
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Danny, that is the info I wanted to hear! Thanks for that!
What was the exposure time for the WR-14? I am assuming no more than 2 minutes since it is dual cure? Did you apply any hardener?
Just a bit of clarification. The I- image ste is for Photopolymer emulsions and is very fast. If you use the I-image ste for diazo or diazo blends it will work but very slow cure. The I-image STE II is for photopolymer and diazo curing as it has two exposure units. The second unit is a full plate of LED's just like in the Starlight. The Starlight will cuse photopolymer's typically in 5-6 seconds and Diazo's in 25-30 seconds. Hope that clarifies it for all. Also the cure is as good or better than Mercury vapor so no issue with discharge or water applications.
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Rich, since your starlights are leading the charge right now in LED what makes your exposure unit better than the rest besides being a stand up company and name? I like the the LED and wish it been around before I got my bigger box a few years back.
darryl
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For the discharge, Ulano orange breaks down within 30 prints with the starlight. I could get 75 or so with my last exposure unit. Not really sure what's up there, but with a good waterproof emulsion, I have done 300 with no signs of wear.
That's a lot different than everything else I've read on DC screens from LED units so I wonder what's going on there. Has anyone gotten decent DC screens out of Ulano Orange with any expo unit? I personally dislike the orange but I know a few guys who like it but I wouldn't think it would perform all that well with DC ink to begin with. Did you try to overexpose the screen or just cook it for the usual time?
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Rich, since your starlights are leading the charge right now in LED what makes your exposure unit better than the rest besides being a stand up company and name? I like the the LED and wish it been around before I got my bigger box a few years back.
darryl
For our shop, it's the speed of the exposure, AND the fact that the LED panel is warrantied for life. From what I've seen/read, none of the other vendors have the same warranty or the equivalent exposure speeds.
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Rich:
Are there plans for a Nuarc 3140 retrofit?
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Rich, since your starlights are leading the charge right now in LED what makes your exposure unit better than the rest besides being a stand up company and name? I like the the LED and wish it been around before I got my bigger box a few years back.
darryl
We use way more L.E.D's in our unit than anyone else and as such we are very uniform,very fast,quietest and fastest vacuum, money-back guarantee, lifetime warranty on the lights, highest quality electronics, and patented vacuum release to speed up release besides highest quality build. I would assume the Starlight will also have the highest resale value as well. There is also a kit that can be purchased to convert to CTS exposure eliminating the glass and vacuum whe you grow into a computer to screen. This can go on such as service,etc. but that is more than enough!
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Rich:
Are there plans for a Nuarc 3140 retrofit?
The answer is NO, and there will not be one later.
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Rich:
Are there plans for a Nuarc 3140 retrofit?
Not at the moment nor in the near future. Starlight is too good to waste money and time on the MSP
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For the discharge, Ulano orange breaks down within 30 prints with the starlight. I could get 75 or so with my last exposure unit. Not really sure what's up there, but with a good waterproof emulsion, I have done 300 with no signs of wear.
That's a lot different than everything else I've read on DC screens from LED units so I wonder what's going on there. Has anyone gotten decent DC screens out of Ulano Orange with any expo unit? I personally dislike the orange but I know a few guys who like it but I wouldn't think it would perform all that well with DC ink to begin with. Did you try to overexpose the screen or just cook it for the usual time?
I did not try to over expose it. Just at normal 6.5 seconds.
For WR-14, which we typically use for discharge, and I did 7 of today with discharge, but were only between 30-60 prints on each, we have it set to a 45 second time in the Starlight. I used to be over 5 mins on my last unit. Does anyone have a different time on the WR-14 in a Starlight?
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Rich, since your starlights are leading the charge right now in LED what makes your exposure unit better than the rest besides being a stand up company and name? I like the the LED and wish it been around before I got my bigger box a few years back.
darryl
Darryl,
LED's are a popular item everywhere you turn, you see them replacing lamps in our homes, lighting in offices, on automobiles, etc. As you can probably imagine there are many types and configurations of LED's to choose from. So, our engineers had to do their homework to come up with the best LED's to match our needs. We then put the right distance between LED's and the glass to optimize the coverage. Our chief goal was to be sure we had good coverage. In order to do that we use over 2,000 LED's in our Starlight 3140, which is a very large number, but it gives us great coverage and a side benefit of faster exposures.
Ron Hopkins
NuArc Sales Mgr.
M&R Sales and Service Co.
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..Something to think about on this: As these LED units become more common and well-known in the industry, the market value for any other type of unit is going to start plummeting. As it stands even now, these LED units aren't that much more cost-wise than a comparable MH unit (comparing new-vs-new). What this translates to is less resale value for your old unit the longer you wait to pull the trigger on the newer technology.
...Also, just to add to this: We LOVE our Starlight here. Its become our flagship piece of equipment to show off when other industry folks visit... 8)
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..Something to think about on this: As these LED units become more common and well-known in the industry, the market value for any other type of unit is going to start plummeting. As it stands even now, these LED units aren't that much more cost-wise than a comparable MH unit (comparing new-vs-new). What this translates to is less resale value for your old unit the longer you wait to pull the trigger on the newer technology.
...Also, just to add to this: We LOVE our Starlight here. Its become our flagship piece of equipment to show off when other industry folks visit... 8)
That's what I'm thinking!
Don't think I can pull the trigger now, but I'm doing the math.
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Rich, since your starlights are leading the charge right now in LED what makes your exposure unit better than the rest besides being a stand up company and name? I like the the LED and wish it been around before I got my bigger box a few years back.
darryl
Darryl,
LED's are a popular item everywhere you turn, you see them replacing lamps in our homes, lighting in offices, on automobiles, etc. As you can probably imagine there are many types and configurations of LED's to choose from. So, our engineers had to do their homework to come up with the best LED's to match our needs. We then put the right distance between LED's and the glass to optimize the coverage. Our chief goal was to be sure we had good coverage. In order to do that we use over 2,000 LED's in our Starlight 3140, which is a very large number, but it gives us great coverage and a side benefit of faster exposures.
Ron Hopkins
NuArc Sales Mgr.
M&R Sales and Service Co.
Thanks Ron, yeah I know LED is in, we've changed bulbs in our home to LED very cool to the touch which believe or not helps keep the home cooler at night. We are light freaks I can't stand a dark house, living in the rural area you best believe without lights gets pretty dark.