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screen printing => General Screen Printing => Topic started by: Shanarchy on September 06, 2011, 01:37:23 PM
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I set up a couple of jobs and banged them out on the auto this weekend. The first was 100 heather tees with navy ink. I figured I would start with something really basic. It went perfect! I took forever analyzing and measure every print to make sure nothing was popping out of alignment (paranoia I am sure).
The I set up for 100 black tees with white ink. A few tweaks and a couple of test shirts and got her dialed right in! It looked almost the same as when I print it manually. None of the issues I was having before. I sent it around twice for the p-f-p as opposed to using 2 screens. I used a 110 Newman (30n). I know, most of you probably do not even own 110's! I will be bumping up to 160 next time. I think that will make the print a little nicer as well.
I also used a winged flood bar and did not have to card the ink (qcm 158) at all! It was a 16" winged flood bar with the 15" squeegee. I am really looking forward to Rich/M&R getting us winged flood bars. Seem like they will be a godsend.
Now I need to get some multi color going.
I am pumped!
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Congrats!
:D
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Once you go auto, you'll never go back
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Good to hear man!
We aren't auto printers but we have use plenty of open meshes and still would with the auto. 90/71 is our lowest at the moment (not counting glitter mesh). With an auto, dialed in proper and the right art, screen prep and ink that might've been a one-hit job you just did. hold on...I'm starting to sound like someone else I know form forums.
Anyways, congrats and all the best the machine.
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Congrats.
I can't wait to get that busy to justify an auto :)
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Congrats..and it is about time...hell you have only had the auto for just under 3 yrs now....nothing like taking your time...hahahahaha
now text me some pics of multi-color stuff...
Sam
ps. oh yeah, when i see you i WILL kick you in the nutz
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Congrats..and it is about time...hell you have only had the auto for just under 3 yrs now....nothing like taking your time...hahahahaha
now text me some pics of multi-color stuff...
Sam
ps. oh yeah, when i see you i WILL kick you in the nutz
Please kick me in the nuts for putting my hand under the screen (between the screen holder and pallet) while doing a test print to feel for the flood bar.....table up to OW!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll snap some pictures on upcoming jobs.
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Winged floodbars & a screen to pick up lint.... really speeds things up !!
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Winged floodbars & a screen to pick up lint.... really speeds things up !!
What are you using to pick up the lint? I remember seeing a thread about this in the past. Who else does this?
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A fully exposed screen (no design) with some soft hand extender in it. Set your flood and squeege like you were printing a normal design.
I think Homer calls it a "greaser"
Place it at station #1.
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Northland..we do that as well...we usually use a screen from the last print we did and then use a little spray tac on the backside after we put transfer tape on the screen and go to town....love doing this for long runs on light shirts...makes life so much easier..
Sam
big kick in the nutz now for putting your hand under there...
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Congrats..and it is about time...hell you have only had the auto for just under 3 yrs now....nothing like taking your time...hahahahaha
now text me some pics of multi-color stuff...
Sam
ps. oh yeah, when i see you i WILL kick you in the nutz
I thought it was four years!!! He's had that auto there longer than I have been printing!
pierre
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P- I will put an extra step in it for you....
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Just wait til you hit a finger with the screen locks. Day-um that hurts, from what I've been told.
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You suck!!! I am so Jealous. Oh well, some day when I grow up I will have an auto. Congrats!!!
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Pierre/Sam, Thanks guys. I feel the love!
Dave, I will make a mental note of that one!
Seriously, thanks for all the supportive words everyone.
Northland, Are you putting any kind of tack on the screen? If so what?
Sam, What are you using for tack?
Now I am assuming this is to grab any lint and pilling off the tee so would we be setting this up on the first print head before any actual printing is done?
Thanks!
Shane
PS Sam, my nuts aren't afraid of you!
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You suck!!! I am so Jealous. Oh well, some day when I grow up I will have an auto. Congrats!!!
ditto
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Glad to hear the press is working well and you are feeling comfortable around it.
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Pierre/Sam, Thanks guys. I feel the love!
Dave, I will make a mental note of that one!
Seriously, thanks for all the supportive words everyone.
Northland, Are you putting any kind of tack on the screen? If so what?
Sam, What are you using for tack?
Now I am assuming this is to grab any lint and pilling off the tee so would we be setting this up on the first print head before any actual printing is done?
Thanks!
Shane
PS Sam, my nuts aren't afraid of you!
Whatever you use for tac (spray, roll on, pallet tape or transfer tape) it's got to be light enough to not lift the shirt.
I'm still working the bugs out of the process on my press.
I plan to try a loosely meshed roller frame (with Xentac on the underside).
Then, if there's some weight placed on the squeegee side... the mesh would hang down 1/8" and kiss the shirt when the table lifts.
That would allow me to not use the squeegee/flood/softhand.
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Pierre/Sam, Thanks guys. I feel the love!
Dave, I will make a mental note of that one!
Seriously, thanks for all the supportive words everyone.
Northland, Are you putting any kind of tack on the screen? If so what?
Sam, What are you using for tack?
Now I am assuming this is to grab any lint and pilling off the tee so would we be setting this up on the first print head before any actual printing is done?
Thanks!
Shane
PS Sam, my nuts aren't afraid of you!
Whatever you use for tac (spray, roll on, pallet tape or transfer tape) it's got to be light enough to not lift the shirt.
I'm still working the bugs out of the process on my press.
I plan to try a loosely meshed roller frame (with Xentac on the underside).
Then, if there's some weight placed on the squeegee side... the mesh would hang down 1/8" and kiss the shirt when the table lifts.
That would allow me to not use the squeegee/flood/softhand.
'tried that, it did not work very well. We ended stopping production on a large run to set it up with the squeegee. . .
pierre
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..what about changing the off-contact of the head the lint screen sits in to zero or slightly less so that it touches the shirt without applying any real pressure? I know this wouldnt be ideal for everyone, but for the big presses that do this often and can spare the head, or a press where adjusting the off-contact on one head is quick and easy, it might work.
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..what about changing the off-contact of the head the lint screen sits in to zero or slightly less so that it touches the shirt without applying any real pressure? I know this wouldnt be ideal for everyone, but for the big presses that do this often and can spare the head, or a press where adjusting the off-contact on one head is quick and easy, it might work.
we did that when we set it up. Unfortunately some of the lint seems to need a little more than just a touch and we were stopping every hundred or so shirts to clean the screens. When we switched to the squeegee setup, we could go for an hour between cleaning.
pierre
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..what about changing the off-contact of the head the lint screen sits in to zero or slightly less so that it touches the shirt without applying any real pressure? I know this wouldnt be ideal for everyone, but for the big presses that do this often and can spare the head, or a press where adjusting the off-contact on one head is quick and easy, it might work.
we did that when we set it up. Unfortunately some of the lint seems to need a little more than just a touch and we were stopping every hundred or so shirts to clean the screens. When we switched to the squeegee setup, we could go for an hour between cleaning.
pierre
When you start getting prints with lint holes do you simply let it go around again or is the shirt toast? I guess this depends on if your still tacking down simple one hit one color jobs. I ask this because I work on an auto (m&r gauntlet) at a buddies shop when Im helping with contract printing of my own jobs for an added discount and sort of as quality control. When lint started picking up we would let it go around again for a second hit after cleaning the bottom of the screen ofcourse but sometimes the print will double image under the screen and mess up shirts after that creating even more waste. Cheap whites and saftey colors seem to be the worse.
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When I load, I wipe the shirts fairly good to where we might have a lint ball every 100 shirts or so on larger prints, but I know some people load without swiping the shirts and lint is a major issue with larger images. My press op now doesn't wipe unless I remind him and every time we have to stop, I let him know about it. Sometimes there is a giant strand in the image area, then I really ride his ass till he gets angry at me and finally starts doing it my way. By no means can I prevent every lint ball by wiping the image area with my hand, but I would bet my way of loading versus my press ops way cuts it down by 70-80%. I'm always seeing a lint ball in the image area and removing it when I load, so I know my technique works, but not as well as a lint screen. We don't use a lint screen but we have a few times in the past and it was nice not having to stop, but we just aren't doing really large runs now to really justify using one.
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Congrats Shane, you're gonna love it for sure...
Steve
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Glad to hear the press is working well and you are feeling comfortable around it.
Brian,
You did an awesome job on the install! Thanks again for the tips for setting up for white ink. It helped me out a lot dialing it in. I'm not 100% comfortable yet, but feel eager to do the next job on it. It's a nice little machine and I look forward to learning it.
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Congrats..and it is about time...hell you have only had the auto for just under 3 yrs now....nothing like taking your time...hahahahaha
now text me some pics of multi-color stuff...
Sam
ps. oh yeah, when i see you i WILL kick you in the nutz
Autos are very powerful (deadly)...My tech tried to stop a pallet from moving and ripped open one of his fingers. He almost lost the finger. (I keep that in the back of my head)
Please kick me in the nuts for putting my hand under the screen (between the screen holder and pallet) while doing a test print to feel for the flood bar.....table up to OW!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll snap some pictures on upcoming jobs.