LED Exposure unit first impressions. . .

[blue moon]

Lou came in today and we are testing the Baby Joe 2k.

I have to admit being skeptical about the 5 second exposure times so despite what he insisted, we ran a test from 5 sec to 35 seconds. Low and behold, the 5 second had the best exposure!!!
We tested it on 305 and 330S mesh and at 4-5 seconds it is holding at least 5-90%. The first film that went to 35 seconds was definitely overexposed, so believe it or not, it really is that fast. We ran a 110 with 50% EOM at 10 seconds and it probably would have been better at 9.

this was with SBQ/photopolymer Aquasolv HV emulsion. 20% EOM on 305/330 mesh.

We are about to test the dual cure as soon as the screens dry.

stay tuned . . .

pierre

[Screened Gear]

Nice to see you testing this thing. Have you looked at the edge definition of the stencil? Is it undercutting? I think that is peoples number one question on a non point light source exposure unit.

[screenprintguy]

Hey Pierre, ask him, using a CTS, not needing glass, and no drawdown/flim ect. how does he think it will do on diazo emulsed screens.

Thanks man

Mike

[Sbrem]

pretty curious, keep it coming... (I've never used anything but a point source myself, so undercutting would be the big question)

Steve

[blue moon]

so from what I am seeing now, looks like it would be significantly better than the fluorescents and pretty close to a point light source. Lou is a genuine "article". He has an engineering background and care and thought have gone into making a product that's easy to use, reliable and performs as required. I think it is a good product as it is and very little would take to make it a GREATproduct.

For those asking about undercutting, there is a little bit, but it seemed very minimal and could probably be addresses in the RIP curve to deliver results very close to an MH unit. 97%+ of the shops would not even be able to measure/see/understand/appreciate the difference. It just happens that we have spent a significant amount of time and money on improving the finest of the detail so we know where and what to look for (and have the measuring equipment to help us out!). On the bottom end, a 5% dot reads 2-3% and the 50% is around 45%. My guess is the difference is at the most a thousandth of an inch. I just can't see too many ppl missing such a small amount!!! I think an MH does produce a better stencil, but I can't honestly say that it would make any difference even at our level.

we did not get into the dual cure too much, we underestimated the time needed to expose (since the SBQ was so fast) and with only two screens to test it was over before it started. We don't use dual cure and I purchased some just for this test so I am not the guy to ask about it. It does look like a 50% EOM on a 155 would take four or five minutes to expose. We tried a 230 at 15-20 (I can't remember exactly) and it was not enough. My guess it would be somewhere between 30sec and a minute. Same thing on our exposure unit would probably be at least 6 min. 

If I was shopping for another unit, he would be the first call I make. This does not mean a guarantied sale, but it would be his sale to lose. I think with the few changes it could be on par with an MH and then it becomes a no brainer. There are few convenience features I'd like to see, but the science and performance are for real. 5 second exposure for a 5%-90% 55 lpi dot on 330 mesh!


pierre

[Screened Gear]

Thats really cool. LEDs for exposure. I love it. What was the price again?

[blue moon]

Thats really cool. LEDs for exposure. I love it. What was the price again?

I think it's $2200. . .

pierre

[Frog]

and that includes our cut, right? 

[balloonguy]

Thats really cool. LEDs for exposure. I love it. What was the price again?

I think it's $2200. . .

pierre

I think with crating and shipping it is much closer if not over $3k. I am just sitting here thinking of how many minutes are wasted waiting on screens to burn... It seems like this should pay off in time alone.

[blue moon]

Thats really cool. LEDs for exposure. I love it. What was the price again?

I think it's $2200. . .

pierre

I think with crating and shipping it is much closer if not over $3k. I am just sitting here thinking of how many minutes are wasted waiting on screens to burn... It seems like this should pay off in time alone.

wedid not talk about pricing very much, but I think he said $2400 delivered. Again, these are questions to ask him. He should still be driving home, but I am sure he will chime in when he gets a chance.

pierre

[T Shirt Farmer]

Interesting... just watched his video, looks like a nice unit...the latches look a bit cumbersome.... the speed of the exposure is amazing but I wonder how fast you could wash them out after exposing... how much power saving is there compared to a 1kw metal halide???...very cool how small the unit is, I will be keeping an eye on this unit for sure.

Thanks for the info Pierre

[Spreading Ink]

Does someone have a link to this video?  I'd like to see it.  I keep a reef tank at home and use LED lighting over it - they are formulated for high output in a UV range (which corals need) so it would make sense this could be done.  Probably wouldn't work for us, but still interesting to look at and think about.

[Screened Gear]

Here you are my friend.  http://www.ldtronix.com/baby-joe-2000.html

[Screened Gear]

This is what the website has for price. (if you click on the PayPal link)

Item total $2,200.00
Tax $178.75
Shipping and handling: $500.00

Total $2,878.75 USD

[USATEES]

FYI....I have the Unit for the past few months, works fine. Screen Exposure is quick and the wash out is not a problem.
What I like most about the unit is its simplicity. has no part to break or bulbs burn out.
Especially when I just went for $900.00 in bulb and parts for my Nuarc exposure unit.