Position of the flash unit and of the printer on a carousel

[NeroInferno]

Hello,
I'd like to know if you use the flash unit to dry inks next to the printer or what.

I've bought this dryer unit, that basically an oven resistance connected to the wire: Flash Dryer (It sucks just 2550W, also if on the website they declare 2700W, and dry the inks VERY fast. When it's very hot I dry inks in 1-2 seconds, large area of ink in 5-6 seconds. The only mess is it dries faster just directly under the resistance)

I'm not experienced with dryer units and when the tshirts arrive on my station are so hot that when I print them (plastisol) the ink on the tshirt is 90% dried (but I'm using a single pallet on a 6/6 colors/pallets carousel).

Does hot affect the screen mesh?

Thanks,
Fabio

[Aaron Gein]

You need to let the shirt/ink cool down after flashing and before printing a second color. If you don't you could possibly partially cure the ink in the second screen. And if that doesn't happen it will at least print all blurry and messed up on a hot shirt/ink layer. Besides that, plastisol tends to be pretty tacky when it is hot after being flashed. You need to let it cool down enough so the tackiness goes away and doesn't make the second screen stick to it. If you're using a 6/6 carousel you should be using all the pallets and have the flash right after you print. So you print, rotate the pallet under the flash, load a shirt on the next pallet, print that shirt, rotate it under the flash, load another shirt on the next pallet, etc. When the shirts come around the carousel and back to you they'll be flashed and cool and ready to print the next screen. Sometimes it helps to have a fan pointed at the pallet at the next station after the flash to help cool the shirt down quicker.

[Aaron Gein]

Wait a minute......are you only printing one color and using the flash to fully cure the shirts?

If that is what you are doing you should NOT be doing it on your pallets. You will end up warping your pallets.

If you are using your flash to fully cure the shirts you should set it up over a table with some heat resistant tiles or something to put the shirts on and then rotate the flash over it. So, print a shirt, remove from pallet, place on heat resistant surface, rotate flash over shirt, wait for cure, rotate flash away, remove shirt.

[RichieGoodtimes]

They are called platens. Pet peeve.

[loco]

If you are flashing/drying a few colors first then print a few color after that on let say white or light colored t-shirt. use the least amount of heat and time so the first colors are dry to the touch. Like it was said earlier you don't what to dry/flash the t-shirts so much that it cause your pallets to become so hot that it has your screens to stick to the t-shirt. I have a flash unit (keep in mind not all flash units are the same) and I flash for about 6-9 seconds at about 2 inches away for the pallet. The cooler you keep your pallet the less problem you will have. You really want to completely dry your ink in a count-o-veyer dryer not with a flash unit.

Yes, the mesh count will effect your flash time. the more ink you lay down the ore flash time you will need.

-loco

[NeroInferno]

You need [...] quicker.

Hello Aaron,
thanks for the reply.

I thin a lot plastisols and perhaps this is the cause because I am not having the issues you are describing. My screens are okay, but in truth I can see some single dots of ink in the mesh..I believe this way "cured" ink between the mesh, caused from the hot tshirts.

I appreciate the tacky tip..in fact I was wondering if it's okay to put a blower that points over the pallet after the flash dryer.

The reason I used just a pallet is because my pallets are 100% aluminum with a top in silicone rubber. Removing spray glue from this kind of pallets is REALLY hard. I need to cover the top of the silicone rubber with a tin layer of metal, in this way I'll save tons of time cleaning them from spray glue!

About curing, NO! I'm simply drying ink, I cure the tshirt with a tshirt hot press.

If you are flashing/drying [...] need.

I agree, but how many Watts consumes your flash unit? My unit at 2 inches will dry ink in 15" I believe (isn't too much?!)

They are called platens. Pet peeve.

?? Send me a friend request

[Aaron Gein]

They are called platens. Pet peeve.

Truth. Always bugged me too, but I've given up and just call them whatever the person I'm talking to calls them.

[NeroInferno]

Truth. Always bugged me too, but I've given up and just call them whatever the person I'm talking to calls them.

Platens remember me the letterpress.

[Aaron Gein]

...single dots of ink in the mesh...

Are you printing, flashing, and then printing a second layer? Or are you printing, flashing, taking the shirt off the PLATEN and then curing with a heat press?

If you are printing, flashing, and printing a second layer I can tell you exactly what the "single dots of ink in the mesh" are. You are flashing for too long. If you flash too long the ink will cure too much and the second layer of ink will essentially be printed onto plastic. Since plastisol does not adhere to plastic it is leaving little dots in your mesh. You need to flash your shirts just barely enough so the ink does not pick up on your finger when you lightly touch it. That way it is still effectively PLASTISOL and not PLASTIC. If you print plastisol onto slightly cured (flashed) plastisol the two layers will bond when fully cured. If you flash too long you will be printing plastisol onto plastic and the two will never bond. This will lead to the ink of the second layer not printing well (leaving ink dots behind in the mesh and little spots in the print) and will also lead to the second layer of ink washing off on the shirt after a few times through the washing machine. Flash your shirts for a much shorter time.

The reason I used just a pallet is because my pallets are 100% aluminum with a top in silicone rubber. Removing spray glue from this kind of pallets is REALLY hard. I need to cover the top of the silicone rubber with a tin layer of metal, in this way I'll save tons of time cleaning them from spray glue!

Get a roll of this..... Pallet Tape Platen Masking 18"x100y ....or any other brand.

A roll will last for a long time and save your pallets and you a ton of trouble.

[mysterion]

what he said...^^^^^