secrets of the tri lock

[bimmridder]

So many things can affect it. Press calibrated? Good screens/fairly uniform tensions? Flat screens? Correct pressures? Too many for me to lisrt, but a few I hadn't seen. I'm sure Eric will get it

[Mark @ Hurricane Printing]

I have an employee that struggled for more than a few years trying to get the "dead on" print with a tri-loc set up.  She was never successful...until she truly watched me set a few jobs up...then the light went on...she was pulling really hard on the frame to pull it into the stop blocks on the jig.  So much so that she was able to move the jig.  When she started using a soft touch on the set up she too was able to get the jobs locked in and printed without micro on most jobs.

We use just enough pressure to make contact on the three blocks and nothing more.

Best of luck.

hhhmmmmm....u know....that may be my issue....I use static aluminum frames...I make sure all 3 blocks are touching solid...so much so when I lift the screen from the jig there is a slight bit of resistance.....if i DON'T feel the resistance on pulling up the screen from the jig I will re-set it in the jig..because in my mind if i don't feel resistance that means the frame is not notching the blocks as much as i want..maybe on the pull up out of snug position i am moving the screen every so slightly in the clamps.....maybe im screwing myself by going for the "overly snug" feel....next job I wont go for the snug jig feel........you know, if that frame slips right up with no resistance i think im not doing right.....but maybe all along i have been doing it wrong.

[Doug S]

 I just spent the weekend re-leveling the press and that solved a lot of my problems.  It helped even more when I stopped pulling so hard against the frames as well as flipping slowly 1 switch at a time.  I'd say I'm about 85 percent on.

[jsheridan]

a very often overlooked issue with tri loc and home made versions of reg systems is the light table.

The vacuum blanket can draw down and move the frame. this is avoided by placing fabric or plastic sheet between the blanket and frame to allow some slip.

[bimmridder]

True, but in this case, I believe Eric is CTS, so a non issue with blanket. But worth noting for others

[SteveS]

One thing we're doing is replacing all out pallet bracket levers. If yours is like ours, we have some that don't lock as tight as others and I'm convinced that after several years of use, they just wear down and don't lock very well, thus you might be able to more easily shift the Tri-Lock pallet when setting up screens. You need that baby to be locked in solid. I just bought 40 new ones and they are only $2.50 each. I think that is a great place to start along with the feather touch while locking them in.

The comment above by John is intriguing. Do you indeed throw the locking clamp switches at the same time or one at a time?

Curious minds want to know.

[JBLUE]

We throw both switches at the same time. The clamps do make a difference. It also makes a difference how the person locking the screen in is holding it against the stops. A few weeks ago my guys were bitching that there was something wrong with it. I went out and set up 4 3 screen jobs and only touched the micros on 1 screen out of all 4 jobs. Its safe to say its not the Trilock that is the problem.

[Underbase37]

We throw both switches at the same time. The clamps do make a difference. It also makes a difference how the person locking the screen in is holding it against the stops. A few weeks ago my guys were bitching that there was something wrong with it. I went out and set up 4 3 screen jobs and only touched the micros on 1 screen out of all 4 jobs. Its safe to say its not the Trilock that is the problem.

What was the difference in what you where doing compared to the other employees that was throwing this off so much?

Murphy37

[1964GN]

For us, there are far too many factors that effect the accuracy of the set up with this system. Just one of the reasons we opted to get a new press with a pin reg system. People kept telling us that the tri-lock works but it never did for us. We experienced many of the issues being discussed here.

Our tri-lock has a thick layer of dust on it.

[JBLUE]

I just hired another press op and and it took me less than two jobs to teach him how use the trilock. Another guy I have had for a year cannot trilock to save his life. Sometimes its just the person doing the setup. We use it on everything and the new guy is blown away that it works like it does because he has heard the stories of it not working well. He's a believer now.