What a Morning

[alan802]

Got here about 5:30 and asked that the production crew get here as early as they could and each one told me different times but none were past 7:15.  Well, one guy showed up at 7:20 and so by myself I set up a 7 color job, 140 pieces and start to finish got it done in about 40 minutes with much of that picking the shirts out of the box and boxing them up.  Tore that job down in about 5 minutes but made a mess doing it unfortunately.  Then had a 4 color on heather gray and that was 96 pieces, front only and that was done by about 7:30.  I then set up another 7 color job when my best guy showed up and both of us working the press together got it registered, sq, fb's, ink, test printed and regi's taped up in 10 minutes and they are done printing that 400 piece run.  With me and him on the auto we can knock out some work because he knows what to do without me saying a word.  He follows me around the press and as soon as I lock the screen down he's putting sq & fb's and ink in so when I'm done with the triloc pallet I'm putting on a test tube and test printing.  It's a beautiful thing when done right.   

With 18 screens set up this morning I had to micro 3 of them.  2 were a hairline low on the same print head (something going on there to look into) and the 3rd I think was done poorly at the FPU.

[Homer]

nice Al!, still using your custom made FPU system? Ours is kicking ass too..we only move the micros if someone got lazy lining up the films...

[alan802]

nice Al!, still using your custom made FPU system? Ours is kicking ass too..we only move the micros if someone got lazy lining up the films...

I call it the modified Triloc so too much credit would be given to me to call it a custom made unit.  I'd really love it if M&R would fabricate this system and call it the Triloc Duece because after using it for several years now there is no doubt in my mind that it is a great design and it's tested.  I know the original Triloc is loved by many and M&R is damn proud of it, but I've used this version and the original and you couldn't pay me to go back to carrier sheets and putting the master frame on the expo unit.  I also feel that it is significantly more accurate because although we didn't become experts in using the triloc as intended we don't have to do near as much work with the micros using this version.  With M&R's ability to manufacture anything to a high level they could make a prototype of this system in half of a day with the team they have and be shipping them out to customers by next week.  And I mean getting it done from a sketch drawing by their design team, to the prototype, to the final product approved by the suits by tomorrow afternoon.  It's just the master frame flipped upside down and raised up a few inches with a grid in the middle.  A few minor tweaks to the master frame to allow the frame to fit in easier.  Mine looks like a child built it because I was trying to build a prototype and then go back and make look all pretty but it just worked great the way it was and I never bothered making it look better.

[GraphicDisorder]

nice Al!, still using your custom made FPU system? Ours is kicking ass too..we only move the micros if someone got lazy lining up the films...

I call it the modified Triloc so too much credit would be given to me to call it a custom made unit.  I'd really love it if M&R would fabricate this system and call it the Triloc Duece because after using it for several years now there is no doubt in my mind that it is a great design and it's tested.  I know the original Triloc is loved by many and M&R is damn proud of it, but I've used this version and the original and you couldn't pay me to go back to carrier sheets and putting the master frame on the expo unit.  I also feel that it is significantly more accurate because although we didn't become experts in using the triloc as intended we don't have to do near as much work with the micros using this version.  With M&R's ability to manufacture anything to a high level they could make a prototype of this system in half of a day with the team they have and be shipping them out to customers by next week.  And I mean getting it done from a sketch drawing by their design team, to the prototype, to the final product approved by the suits by tomorrow afternoon.  It's just the master frame flipped upside down and raised up a few inches with a grid in the middle.  A few minor tweaks to the master frame to allow the frame to fit in easier.  Mine looks like a child built it because I was trying to build a prototype and then go back and make look all pretty but it just worked great the way it was and I never bothered making it look better.

Didn't you have a thread on how you built yours?

[alan802]

I think I did at one time but I seem to remember it wasn't the final version as it sits now.  I'm embarrassed to show it since it looks so shoddy but I can do something to show how I modified it if people are interested.  I believe there are several guys doing the same thing or something very close to what I did and I gathered ideas from all over the place and copied a lot of things to make ours.

[GraphicDisorder]

I think I did at one time but I seem to remember it wasn't the final version as it sits now.  I'm embarrassed to show it since it looks so shoddy but I can do something to show how I modified it if people are interested.  I believe there are several guys doing the same thing or something very close to what I did and I gathered ideas from all over the place and copied a lot of things to make ours.

If you had the time, im sure it would be appreciated. I certainly would.

[jvanick]

I would appreciate it too... I built my own prototype that we use here, but more ideas always help make things better...

[GaryG]

Absotootly!

[Mark @ Hurricane Printing]

I'd like to see it.

[Parker 1]

Would M&R consider doing this?  There is one out by someone else but I did not feel comfortable purchasing from him, and he does not have the precise manufacturing capabilities that M&R has.  We desperately need some sort of pre registration, past week 3-5 set-ups a day with 6-7 colors on an 8 color machine.  It sucks.

Chris

[GraphicDisorder]

I have access to the machines need to produce something like this if nobody else would step up I could look into it.  A good buddy of mine has 23 CNC machines, lasers and water jets among other things like 3d printers and so on.

[KevWilso]

"I have access to the machines need to produce something like this if nobody else would step up I could look into it.  A good buddy of mine has 23 CNC machines, lasers and water jets among other things like 3d printers and so on."

They sound like a good friend to have.

[jvanick]

I wish it wasn't so difficult to remove platens from my javelin... if that was the case, I could easily swap platens out for a triloc... oh well.. next press will be much more advanced and 'newer'...

[alan802]

I haven't a clue if M&R would even want to think about changing the system they've perfected for many years now and also if there would be patent hurdles to jump.  I wouldn't blame them if they didn't want to mess with it if there were patent issues and I know I'm just a screen printer but the system we use could be fabricated by them so easily and I don't want to come off sounding like the triloc isn't great but M&R could knock this out of the park if they wanted.  I can only imagine what they could make there at their facility and everything would be very precise and perfect from FPU to pallet jig so much more so than people making their own version.  The DIY system I made before I bought the triloc worked ok, but when I got the master frame and pallet jig that were made by M&R to work with each other the system really started to work like I had dreamed it would.  The MHM guys know how easy it is to tape the film to the screen by looking through a grid on the inside of the screen and this is the exact same film placement method.  Ours is backlit but it's not 100% necessary to do that if your shop has decent lighting. 

[GraphicDisorder]

My only concern on something like this for our shop is we have no screen room so screens are in cabinets until they are burnt, looks like id need actual screens near a FPU to do this for ever screen?