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screen printing => Equipment => Topic started by: DannyGruninger on January 14, 2016, 11:36:11 AM

Title: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: DannyGruninger on January 14, 2016, 11:36:11 AM
I've had quite a few private messages/emails regarding info on the new Roq print heads that are electronically powered. Josh @ Ryonet recently did a video showing how these print heads work. Having the ability to electronically zero(home) a print head, and make extremely fine adjustments that are precise movements are really nice features imo. I find that some press ops gain a "feel" for making micros overtime and some become better at this then others. An electronic system like this eliminates that as anyone can learn to push a button and understand how much adjustment is being made. Anyways, figured I would post incase anyone is interested in checking out the new roq system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=708l1Yxb1uI&feature=youtu.be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=708l1Yxb1uI&feature=youtu.be)
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: Printficient on January 14, 2016, 11:51:06 AM
Cool feature.  MHM has it on their 2000, 3000, 4000, and 5000 series presses.  Can you move the entire multicolor print as a group or send all colors to another color registration location?
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: 3Deep on January 14, 2016, 12:06:35 PM
I know some will say with the DTS machine and tri-lock your good, but this is badazz, would love to have that on my press...Roq is looking way ahead
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: LoneWolf2 on January 14, 2016, 12:14:05 PM
I know some will say with the DTS machine and tri-lock your good, but this is badazz, would love to have that on my press...Roq is looking way ahead

Careful now, you may cause the pitchforks to come out.
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: GraphicDisorder on January 14, 2016, 12:16:32 PM
Looks really cool. Are the motors moving the screen stepper or servo? 
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: ebscreen on January 14, 2016, 12:36:49 PM
Looks really cool. Are the motors moving the screen stepper or servo?

Not relevant for this purpose, you aren't relying on a closed loop for feedback and correction.
It could be a hamster in a wheel for all the machine cares.

Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: DannyGruninger on January 14, 2016, 01:15:34 PM
Looks really cool. Are the motors moving the screen stepper or servo?

As far as I know neither.....They are asynchronous AC induction  ;)
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: GraphicDisorder on January 14, 2016, 01:17:51 PM
Looks really cool. Are the motors moving the screen stepper or servo?

As far as I know neither.....They are asynchronous AC induction  ;)

 ;)
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: ebscreen on January 14, 2016, 01:34:10 PM
The motors are actually diesel. Cummings to be specific.


But in reality, piezoelectric.
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: Shanarchy on January 14, 2016, 02:15:59 PM
Damn this is awesome!
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: ZooCity on January 14, 2016, 04:05:57 PM
I had settled on an Eco as our next press awhile back (waiting to move is killing us) but this just seals it.  We loose hours a week futzing with micros that jump all over the place and then a clamping system that can move the screen when engaged, it's senseless.   The only solution is getting that intimate knack for adjusting and it takes months for an op to get there, if they ever do.  I love that this just eliminates all that.

Questions, if there's an s.roq person on here to answer:

So, correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the ability to dead zero the machine's heads make a pin style clamping system superior to the 3 point jig and traditional clamps?
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: DannyGruninger on January 14, 2016, 04:31:09 PM
I had settled on an Eco as our next press awhile back (waiting to move is killing us) but this just seals it.  We loose hours a week futzing with micros that jump all over the place and then a clamping system that can move the screen when engaged, it's senseless.   The only solution is getting that intimate knack for adjusting and it takes months for an op to get there, if they ever do.  I love that this just eliminates all that.

Questions, if there's an s.roq person on here to answer:
  • What if the electronic micro goes down, can you work manually or would you just have to unclamp and adjust by hand?
  • Can you hit a button and zero all the print heads?  Biggest problem with zeroing here is the tedium of going around each head, having a big, easy button to do it would ensure it happened every time.

So, correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the ability to dead zero the machine's heads make a pin style clamping system superior to the 3 point jig and traditional clamps?

Here's what I know, Roq can chime in as I don't now 100% but using the electric print heads if power goes down you would have to manually register the screen or move it to another head. As far as having a button to zero the print heads this is currently not an option but I'm going to put the request in for them to look at this on the software side. It shouldn't be anything more then an update to the software for them to be able to do a one button push which zero's everything out.

And yes, once this system gets dialed in pairing it with a pin system should be a faster process since a pallet will not have to be introduced to the press whatsoever.

This is still pretty early in development but I can see this being the future of setting up jobs and having to make micro adjustments.




Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: ZooCity on January 14, 2016, 05:03:02 PM
Thanks Danny.  I agree, if this is accurate, affordable, paired with a pin system it could be the ideal.  This isn't new tech, as Sonny said the high end MHMs have had them for years but the cost on those units is much higher than the Eco.
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: alan802 on January 14, 2016, 06:11:09 PM
Yep, that's an awesome feature.  I wonder how much it would be used, however, with CTS.  Even with a good pre-reg and film I can see it getting some decent work but with CTS I would hope to not have to use it that much.  If I bought an Sroque I think I'd have to have that feature (assuming it doesn't cost $5K per head or close to that).
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: ericheartsu on January 14, 2016, 06:37:02 PM
Yep, that's an awesome feature.  I wonder how much it would be used, however, with CTS.  Even with a good pre-reg and film I can see it getting some decent work but with CTS I would hope to not have to use it that much.  If I bought an Sroque I think I'd have to have that feature (assuming it doesn't cost $5K per head or close to that).

we thought that that too....but we've yet to set up a job that's 100% perfect non micro needed with a CTS and g3
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: JBLUE on January 14, 2016, 06:42:06 PM
Yep, that's an awesome feature.  I wonder how much it would be used, however, with CTS.  Even with a good pre-reg and film I can see it getting some decent work but with CTS I would hope to not have to use it that much.  If I bought an Sroque I think I'd have to have that feature (assuming it doesn't cost $5K per head or close to that).

we thought that that too....but we've yet to set up a job that's 100% perfect non micro needed with a CTS and g3

Then your doing something wrong. We still use carrier sheets and hit dead nuts reg all the time............. ;)
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: ericheartsu on January 14, 2016, 06:50:29 PM
Yep, that's an awesome feature.  I wonder how much it would be used, however, with CTS.  Even with a good pre-reg and film I can see it getting some decent work but with CTS I would hope to not have to use it that much.  If I bought an Sroque I think I'd have to have that feature (assuming it doesn't cost $5K per head or close to that).

we thought that that too....but we've yet to set up a job that's 100% perfect non micro needed with a CTS and g3

i 100% wouldn't doubt it, but we've never had a perfect set up on press.

Then your doing something wrong. We still use carrier sheets and hit dead nuts reg all the time............. ;)
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: nvenda on January 15, 2016, 04:48:37 AM
Questions, if there's an s.roq person on here to answer:
  • What if the electronic micro goes down, can you work manually or would you just have to unclamp and adjust by hand?
  • Can you hit a button and zero all the print heads?  Biggest problem with zeroing here is the tedium of going around each head, having a big, easy button to do it would ensure it happened every time.

So, correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the ability to dead zero the machine's heads make a pin style clamping system superior to the 3 point jig and traditional clamps?

Hi,

Good questions that I am not able to answer :P but I do know the chief of project for ROQ and sat down with him and talked a bit about your questions and here are the answers. I hope that they are what you are looking for:


The machines with the electronic microregistration system are always supplied with pin system or UNIREG that assures a precise repositioning each time the screen is locked.
The UNIREG system from ROQ combines pins for the precision and clamps for the easy locking.

Thank you for your questions and please if you need additional information, feel free to ask anything! :)

and

Keep ROQing!!!
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: jvanick on January 15, 2016, 08:08:11 AM
this is a really cool system.

I think the read out on the head control panel is cool too... looks from the video that you can visually see that you shifted .001".

I've often thought about rigging up digital dial indicators connected to the plate that the micros are attached to on our press... so that if you are trying to shift a hair, you actually can see that you either over shot or undershot what you're doing.

is a press with this system going to be at ISS?
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: nvenda on January 15, 2016, 09:17:32 AM
The machines that will be present at Long Beach all have regular printheads.
But there you will be able to see the ROQpress Foil, the ROQflock and the new ROQpress IRON.

Keep on ROQing!!!
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: ZooCity on September 21, 2016, 02:34:22 PM
Anybody out there using these electric micros?
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: DannyGruninger on September 21, 2016, 02:51:12 PM
Anybody out there using these electric micros?



Are you talking about the motorized micros or just the standard micros with digital position readouts on the front of the head?

I've been able to play with both and the non motorized w/ electric readout is super nice. I still like turning a knob so that might be why I like the standard setup better then the motors. The new eco's have some really nice updates that allow lots of communication with the flashes, print from control panel, flash from control panel, etc..... Roq has been taking all the feedback we have been giving them and really kicking ass with the updates



Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: ZooCity on September 21, 2016, 03:01:03 PM
Rad.  Just spoke with Mark and the going forward setup is standard micros with digital readouts.  I like it. 

Also glad to hear about flash control from the panel.  Additionally, it sounds like a "send platen to load" is either an option or soon to be. 
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: ffokazak on September 21, 2016, 03:25:43 PM
This would have been great for us 7 years ago, but with the CTS and a finely tuned press, we have been touching micros less and less. Its now to a level that human error is most likely the culprit.  It wasn't always that way, but I went on a mission and found the areas of trouble, fixed them, and now were laughing with setups.

The factor for me would be cost. I love new tech, and love having the new toys... but at 5K a head for something I would barely use it is tough to pull that trigger.

It is nice to see advancing tech in the way of presses... It always seems to reach a standstill for a few years. ( yes I know MHM Guys... You did this first ;)





Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: TCT on September 21, 2016, 04:02:15 PM
Yep, that's an awesome feature.  I wonder how much it would be used, however, with CTS.  Even with a good pre-reg and film I can see it getting some decent work but with CTS I would hope to not have to use it that much.  If I bought an Sroque I think I'd have to have that feature (assuming it doesn't cost $5K per head or close to that).

It depends. If we had stayed with a pin system(I still CAN NOT STAND removing a pallet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) this would of been crucial. It lets you find "ultimate zero", which was the downside of a CTS and pin system. If you microed a head, then it would always be off for future jobs unless you were able to bring it back to exactly where you started.

Thing I miss about the pin system, is we never had to check level or center when setting up a 1 or 2 color. BAM, it was just there. The pallets never came off.
Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: DannyGruninger on September 21, 2016, 04:31:56 PM
Rad.  Just spoke with Mark and the going forward setup is standard micros with digital readouts.  I like it. 

Also glad to hear about flash control from the panel.  Additionally, it sounds like a "send platen to load" is either an option or soon to be.


Yeah the send pallet around the press is also on the new software.... Super good feature with larger presses so you arent walking around the entire press to go look at a test print on the other side..... And yeah, the new ecos have faster indexers then the one in my shop along with some nice software updates. New eco/ovals have the digital readouts all standard with the traditional knobs to adjust which I like the feature.


Title: Re: Roq Electric Print Heads
Post by: ebscreen on September 21, 2016, 04:53:39 PM
Thing I miss about the pin system, is we never had to check level or center when setting up a 1 or 2 color. BAM, it was just there. The pallets never came off.

Yep, my only plus on the pin side.

Not having GOTO on the MHMs makes me want to beat them constantly.