Fibrillation frustration

[vwyob]

I am pulling my hair out with one of the guys here. He is saying this is the best print that he can pull from the e-type. We have purchased the action engineering roller and twin head squeegee (thanks guys...excellent service and product) and the other press ops have had good success with them. In fact things, on the whole, are going much better than before with most of the team on board now, regarding our goals of improving quality. But this guy keeps trying to (pardon the expression) 'pull the wool over my eyes' and digs his heels in, and in hard.
Would you be good enough to look at the pics attached. The print is fibrillated badly and, I suspect, overcooked. When the mesh does not clear of ink, his first move is to drive the squeegee further down and then whack up the air pressure in the head. No matter what we tell him. I'm at the point where i'm questioning what I am trying to tell him. He has 22 years behind him and is as stubborn as a mule (annoying because he is actually a nice guy).
Have a look and tell me whats wrong with the print and how to rectify please. He will be reading this with me should I get any replies.

Many thanks.

[mimosatexas]

That print is horrid...

When you say other guys are having success and he isn't, have you simply had one of them setup a job like this, print it, note the variables and settings at play and compared them with his method?  There are quite a few things in combination that could cause something like this, but if he is the only one having a problem, he is simply doing something wrong and the others in your shop should be able to show him.

[Gilligan]

Funny... we recently had some fibrilation issues on some 50/50's with Alan's favored One Stroke Production White and my guy has been begging me to post about it.  Nothing near this bad... but certainly some issues.  We had some so bad (again, not this bad) that we heat pressed the shirts after, helped a little.

Though, honestly I'm not so sure that ours is fibrilation as much as maybe just the shearing of ink is sucking and it's pulling away from the screen vs sheering and laying flat.

He took a test shirt and end up with a "high density" print from PFPFPFPF... a million times (just became funny at one point).  Impressively tall and clean print (other than the spackling issue), he took pics he was so impressed with the height of the print and edge.

[Gilligan]

Back to your issue.  What squeegee duro is he using?  What angle?

[bulldog]

Could the ink not be shearing because the screens have lost tension?

What mesh count / tension were these?

Although, like mimosa said, if everyone else is doing fine and it's just this guy...maybe seeing the others print this job compared to this guy would be a good start.

[Frog]

Curious as to terms.

Since I first saw the effect, and heard the term, fibrilation occured after the fact, usually in the first wash, and usually with ring-spun cotton.

Is this fibrilation, or lack of fiber mat-down, or they one and the same?

[tonypep]

They are separate terms although lack of fiber mat down does indeed contribute to fibrillation.

[mimosatexas]

It is definitely poor mat down, but I think fibrillation would also apply.

[mk162]

yes, I would try changing squeegee angle.  You can probably stand it up (less angle) and get a cleaner print.  chances are he's trying to dump too much ink down and the fibers are sticking to the screen.

is he refusing to use the tools you provide?  I have zero problem with that IF and only IF they are turning out a product that meets or exceeds my standards.  He is not, and he is refusing to use the one tool that is sure to fix it.

Personally, I would write him up in order to light a fire under his butt.

[vwyob]

Wow amazing responses thanks guys.

Mesh count was 55 (140) underbase and 90 (230) top. I am glad the terminology has been brought up as I too have been a little uncertain if this is fibrillation or mat down. Its a fibre issue. All the guys now mix the inks with a paddle/drill for 5 mins or so, but not him. The squeegee's are triple duro. Red 60/90/60 and green top 70/90/70. I took note of his angle 4 on the MHM both heads. Flood speeds on 5 and print on 6. Flood set quite light compared to the other guys, more like a WB flood and the print drop is down hard with head air pressure max'd out. Flashed until tack dry to the palm. Off contact set to 4, most here set to 2 for tee's and 3 to 4 for hoods and how tight the mesh is. All screens are measured each time they are degreased and we run to a minimum of 25 newtons on pre-stretched. Ink is Rutland and stencils coated with saati HT fast to recommended application.
He's just pulled off another print on a black hood. Red chest with the same underbase spec. I am too embarrassed to post a pic. I picked a bad week to give up beer.
I appreciate the feedback. I've said it before but this forum is invaluable to me. Its somewhere I can come and trust the collective information available.

[mimosatexas]

If he is not mixing the ink and the others are, that is probably the biggest culprit.  The ink needs to be mixed and at the proper temp to clear the screen well without picking up the fibers.  There has also been a lot of discussion here recently about the benefits of low pressure and high speed when it comes to printing whites, so if he is upping the pressure that could also cause issues as the ink is not sitting on top of the fibers, but is rather pushing into the shirt and thus the fibers are coming through it somewhat.

In my experience, things like higher off contact may mess with registration, but don't really matter for fibrillation.  Too low can cause issues with the screen clearing properly though.  I doubt it is your screens etc as the rest of your shop isn't having these problems.

Seriously, compare one of his prints with one of the other printers in your shop, or get back there, drill the ink, preheat your pallets, lower the pressure and speed up the print stroke and show the guy the immediate improvement.

edit:  Honestly, it sounds like you aren't a printer and this guy at least claims he has decades of experience.  I would bet he is being a dick on purpose due to some kind of resentment or lack of respect because you aren't a printer.  I would bet if you went back and setup the same job and produced a better print, even marginally, after just changing a few basic variables he would react pretty pissy or call it dumb luck, BUT you would at least be able to say "you're doing it wrong, I know it and you know it, and if you refuse to do it right I will find someone else who will."

[Frog]

He's just pulled off another print on a black hood. Red chest with the same underbase spec. I am too embarrassed to post a pic. I picked a bad week to give up beer.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/654c7721e2/i-picked-the-wrong-week-to-quit-from-airplanefan

[Croft]

we have a 5 gallon pail of white on the mixer all the time, with the shop getting colder in the mornings we notice something like what your getting more. Simply because we want to get going and the print looked great the day before. It can take a few shirts to get thing flowing better.  As a normal practice if we are going over a few days we card the white ink  out of the screens and put fresh mixed ink in the morning.

[Croft]

also for the white , on a day when its running excellent take a temp gun and get the tenp of the ink in the bucket, then on a day when its not take the same temp readings.it will help a lot.

[jsheridan]

Flood speeds on 5 and print on 6. Flood set quite light compared to the other guys, more like a WB flood and the print drop is down hard with head air pressure max'd out.

I got rid of a guy who thought prints like this were OK to pull off the press.

not enough flood pressure to get the ink INTO the stencil and then to fast of a print speed to get the ink out of the screen will pull the fibers up as the screen lifts. As you see, printers think adding more pressure is always the answer..  I had to take the adjustment knobs off the press for a week to get my guys to stop adding pressure.

This guy has no clue what the job function of a flood bar not what a squeegee is supposed to do. All he's been doing for 22 years is going through the motions.