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screen printing => Equipment => Topic started by: tonypep on May 29, 2012, 10:05:00 AM

Title: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: tonypep on May 29, 2012, 10:05:00 AM
3rd one in a week! Never seen anything like it. Bought a bunch of extra line and connectors locally. Seems like every other day a different line breaks. Anyone else experience this?
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: mk162 on May 29, 2012, 10:11:18 AM
I have never heard of a press doing this period.  I wonder if they got faulty lines or if they were damaged somehow.

How high is the pressure to the machine?

I would go ahead and replace all of them.
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: tonypep on May 29, 2012, 10:25:25 AM
Looks like they just wear out. One of them cracked the others simply sheared in two. These are the 1/8" lines BTW. I run two shifts so they run pretty hard. Just looks like the plastic just gets brittle over time. Replacing all the lines would be a HUGE task.
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: ZooCity on May 29, 2012, 10:28:30 AM
replace them all and be done with it.  the air lines on our thunder are of a sub commercial grade and I don't expect them to last long at all at any pressure, assuming they install the same stuff on autos.

when you replace, check the routing path for burrs, sharp unfinished edges, unintelligent routing, etc.
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: mk162 on May 29, 2012, 10:38:31 AM
I have never blown a line on our Gauntlet.  It's a 1999, time ages more than use in a lot of cases.
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: Frog on May 29, 2012, 10:47:50 AM
I would not be surprised at all that the lines themselves are just not made as well as older ones.
What with Chinese price point products becoming the norm, you mat be suffering from a similar problem that plagued the mid to late sixties Jaguars, and damaged their reputation with many Americans: sub-par components from outside manufacturers.

Here in the Bay Area, we are facing the real fear of crossing a new Bay Bridge made with Chinese steel.
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: 3Deep on May 29, 2012, 10:48:46 AM
I run an Anatol Mini and have never had a line blow , but I have had trouble with the oil/air Regulator blowing oil out on the oil side been thru two already...other than that been a good press..maybe its a batch of bad airlines, strange non the less.

Darryl
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: tonypep on May 29, 2012, 10:53:46 AM
Replacing all the lines (there are 64) would require taking all the heads apart and would be extremely time consuming and of course we're slammed. Yeah never had this issue with M&Rs and many of those had millions of impressions.
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: mk162 on May 29, 2012, 10:55:56 AM
Jaguar stayed crappy through the 90's too.  And Range/Land Rover never stopped being crappy.

I bet you could fish the lines through.  Do 1 head at a time between shifts, or pick a head that won't get used in case you can't get it back together.
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: Parker 1 on May 29, 2012, 10:58:09 AM
3rd one in a week! Never seen anything like it. Bought a bunch of extra line and connectors locally. Seems like every other day a different line breaks. Anyone else experience this?

Tony, we run a 2007 Stratus as well and are in the same boat.  I replace lines and fittings monthly, and keep theese spare parts in stock.  Just goes with running an Anatol I guess.   
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: mk162 on May 29, 2012, 10:59:29 AM
Wow, this is news to me.
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: Parker 1 on May 29, 2012, 11:03:49 AM
I run an Anatol Mini and have never had a line blow , but I have had trouble with the oil/air Regulator blowing oil out on the oil side been thru two already...other than that been a good press..maybe its a batch of bad airlines, strange non the less.

Darryl

Darryl, I've replaced our oil/air regulator 4 times.  Oiler always dumped WAY TOO MUCH oil in the air lines.  Now we just add oil once a month manually to keep it lubed. 
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: tonypep on May 29, 2012, 11:11:05 AM
Not a big fan of their "Tech Support" either. They always have to get back to you.
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: alan802 on May 29, 2012, 11:28:58 AM
Our old centurian had a few miles of air lines and there was always a leak somewhere that I was chasing down and replacing hose.  It was 20 years old though and I know some of the air lines were original.  They just eventually "dry-rotted" and would become brittle then crack.  Most of the time it was a small leak before it really blew so I had time to fix it before something wouldn't work.  I haven't had to fix an air leak in 3 years this month, knock on wood!!!
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: tonypep on May 29, 2012, 11:35:50 AM
That is apparently what is happening here, albeit prematurely as the press is only 4 ys old
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: Zelko-4-EVA on May 29, 2012, 11:42:26 AM
ive replaced most of the 1/8" air lines on our trident and vindicator with legris tubing.  the barb fittings get replaced with real press to lock fittings.  i think the oils made the air line expand which makes them not fit onto the barb fittings anymore.

ive also replaced some of the 1/4" air lines with legris brand tubing - it seems to be more flexible than the hard plastic tubing that was supplied with the press.

ive used a 1/8" union and pulled the air line through - the ones going to the air locks are easiest, the ones that go to the print carriage are taped together inside the cord wrap, and the whole thing needs to come apart.  i zip tie the tubing to the cord wrap to get the press back up and running.  dosent look attractive, but saves labor and downtime.
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: Binkspot on May 29, 2012, 12:16:57 PM
Are they brittle? Heat and chem around the shop can cause some lines to break down. Too much pressure will also cause a rupture. Lesser tubing will expand under pressure and make it imposiable to fit back in the fitting or fit tight on a barb.
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: tonypep on May 30, 2012, 08:26:17 AM
Apparently tubing is cheap China knockoff......blew another one last night so no the entire head needs to be taken apart.
So I think that's five in about eight days.
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: mk162 on May 30, 2012, 08:31:32 AM
yup, otherwise all you would be doing is chasing air leaks.

do you guys have any down time on those presses?
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: tonypep on May 30, 2012, 08:53:14 AM
Six days a wk 2 shifts so not really. This stuff is so cheap it's coming apart in my hands. It's actually rupturing as we try to remove it. Rich graciously offered to send me some replacement hosing.
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: Frog on May 30, 2012, 08:55:59 AM
What did I tell you?  8)
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: tonypep on May 30, 2012, 09:25:21 AM
Nailed it Andy. But replacing all of the lines is not an option.......that would require disassembling every print arm and head. That would take days; who knows how many. I would rather sell it.
BTW this press is only four ys old.
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: mk162 on May 30, 2012, 09:27:01 AM
how many colors? ;)
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: Parker 1 on May 30, 2012, 09:32:58 AM
Six days a wk 2 shifts so not really. This stuff is so cheap it's coming apart in my hands. It's actually rupturing as we try to remove it. Rich graciously offered to send me some replacement hosing.

Let us know how this hosing compares.
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: Frog on May 30, 2012, 09:44:16 AM
As I alluded to in my first reply, it's a drag when a crappy third party component helps bring down an otherwise serviceable piece of equipment.
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: mk162 on May 30, 2012, 09:45:18 AM
yup, and i am not above replacing said components. ;)
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: 3Deep on May 30, 2012, 10:36:58 AM
Tony did you call Anatol and see what they say about this, I,ve always got a quick reply and help whenever I needed it.  I would think they would send you out some new tubing to save face and keep there name and equipment in the best light.

Darryl
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: tonypep on May 30, 2012, 10:51:29 AM
I can get better grade here locally and cheaper, plus I'm going to take Rich up on his offer when I get a chance. I for one cannot compare the tech service response btwn the two companies. The guy I usually get is new and not from the industry and has to get back to me every time. Plus he usually needs me to take pics because he doesn't understand the problem
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: Gabe on May 30, 2012, 11:00:58 AM
I had this issue with the air lines with a brand new entry level auto press
the problem was the length of the lines where too short
i have to strecht them to make the connection
make sure you got some slack in the line Team mates
Gabe
 
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: tonypep on May 30, 2012, 11:33:35 AM
The air lines that are breaking are inside the chopper mechanism. There is no room to stretch you have to replace
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: Gabe on May 30, 2012, 11:52:20 AM
mine where blowing inside the arm station
and also end up replacing them lines for a longer ones
i have the V shape squeegee no complains here
Title: Re: Anatol Stratus blowing air lines
Post by: tonypep on May 30, 2012, 12:29:51 PM
On the Stratus you simply have no room to extend a a line......it's a tight bunch of worms in there!