Must have tools for stepping up your game.

[Dochertyscott]

Spin off from recent 'band aids/tools//fibrillation/matt down' thread
Of that list of advancements and tools  I am familiar with 's' mesh...
Decent tension..  for statics... I think.
I think I have good EOM but have never measured it. (much better than before I started reading this forum)
I have seen the other 'band aids/tools mentioned on here but no more.
Am I missing out big time?
I want to improve our process' and willing to fork out for the tools needed to do so.
Ill have to import them from over your ways myself... (I'm still waiting on discharge white to continue testing from months ago from our suppliers)
What inexpensive tools should I be purchasing for me to get our shop process and procedures to the next level.
Measuring devices?(EOM,tension,humidity)  Bevelled squeegees? Smiling jacks? Roller squeegee? Lint screen? Etc etc.
What tools and additions, are must haves that don't just gather dust in your shop?

[mimosatexas]

I can't speak for a lot of the fancy tools, but S-mesh specifically has been the best thing I've added to my process in a long while.

[Dochertyscott]

Likewise. Coupled with a recent change in emulsion these have eliminated some drama for sure.

[Gilligan]

Yeah, paint thickness meters can be had on ebay or amazon pretty cheap and they work perfectly well for what we use them for.

I think someone posted one a few months back that was even cheaper than the one I had gotten.  My guy keeps pretty good records of the EOM on screens and how he coated them.  Just one more variable that you can start to better control which leads to a better understanding of the overall process of what is doing what and why.

We use a developing tank... just water to soak our screens in after exposing them.  My guy had to switch back for about a week or two when we moved things around and he was HATING doing it the old fashion way.

We use a silicone T squeegee for squeegeeing off the water after rinsing out a screen, this gets the majority of the water off, then we use compressed air (with a "typhoon" gun) to blow off/out the rest of the water.  Not only does it speed up drying it also helps from any emulsion missed from skinning over in an opened area and causing you 10 kinds of hell on press when you can't clear the screen.  We have a vacuum handle but just never really got in the groove of using it.

And of course get a good exposure unit if you don't already have one.  That was a huge game changer for us!

[Parker 1]

Kevin, what are you using for a developing Tank?

[Gilligan]

CCI Dip tank.

[blue moon]

ISS long beach!


S39 Confessions of a Screen Printing Geek: 15 Variables to Improve Your Printing and Production NEW!
       
Speakers:
Pierre Jamnicky, Manger, Blue Moon Promotional, Inc.
Richard Greaves, Greaves Enterprises
Track: Screen Printing
Hide Description
Find out from an industry legend (Richard Greaves) and an upcoming, award-winning printer (Pierre Jamnicky) how to reduce the frustration and improve processes in your shop! There are 15 variables to control, and you will learn their impact and the tools used to measure them. Find out how controlling these variables will improve your print quality, improve production times and eliminate many of the headaches commonly found in the print shops. Richard and Pierre will approach it from two diffrent perspectives, Richard (consultant) aiming for the maximum improvement and Pierre's (shop manager) approach at his shop, Blue Moon Promotional, Inc. Learn what the proper choices or values for these 15 vaiables are and which tools to use for measuring them (get actual tool specs and/or model numbers). Find out Pierre's strategy for getting the tools at fractions of the cost (think eBay!)! And finally, we'll discuss the quality of the workforce/employees and how it impacts the implementation these ideas.
In this seminar, you'll learn:
1. The impact of standardizing the procedures and production variables on the company performance
2. The 15 variables to track and strategies to get them under control
3. The importance of the employee quality on the implementation and final results
- See more at: http://n2b.goexposoftware.com/events/isslb2015/goExpo/public/listSeminarsFrame.php?ff_form_refresh=&type=&location=&filter_1=&filter_2=&filter_3=&filter_4=&filter_5=&search_str=&date=&track=&speaker_id=17#speaker_id

[alan802]

On that thread in regards to the bandaids and tools, I think one of those things that was mentioned is a bandaid, the rest were tools.  Maybe a few could be argued to be a bandaid but for the most part I think there is only one and I have to preface that by saying it's only a bandaid if you use it for certain applications.  The double squeegee if used for regular printing of plastisol ink is, only in my opinion, a bandaid.  If you have to use that to clear your plastisol ink from the mesh then you are doing something wrong, assuming you're using regular inks and normal mesh counts of course.  That same bandaid could also be a very valuable tool with other applications such as using a high mesh count for a thick white ink and you can't afford to double stroke and kill your production numbers.  But for the every day stuff that most of us print I don't think you should be using it and if you have to, you should go back and look at other variables and see where you can fix it.

I like to honk the S thread horn as often as possible because I think it makes the biggest difference out of all the easily accessible tools and equipment we have available.  Squeegee blades, especially those that we use here like the smiling jack, manny, dr J, double bevel, have been shown to work very well with S thread mesh and printing fast.  You can't put a regular blade in a standard mesh screen and print at 20-30"/sec and get a clear stencil with one stroke, well, at least we can't. 

On the subject of EOM and measuring stencil thickness, you can buy a thickness gauge fairly cheap and go that route.  But if you want to bypass that cost and simply coat your screens using the glisten method I can tell you with absolute certainty (measuring the EOM of thousands of screens gives me the confidence to say this) that your EOM will be just fine.  To dial in the EOM to a specific ratio you might need the gauge, but if you just want to have great edge definition and the proper stencil thickness for 99% of the plastisol and WB applications, the glisten method will get you there. 

I know my opinions of the roller squeegee in the beginning would have ruffled some feathers but sometimes I have to realize the praise it receives is coming from guys who are probably better printers than I so I just have to trust them.  It didn't do anything for us, but maybe we were on point that day and maybe our use of very unique mesh counts and squeegee blades gives us the results that don't allow the roller squeegee to work it's wonders.  And there could be something said to the fact that I tried it on 3 jobs and only saw marginal results on one and none on the others.  I've been thinking about giving it another shot and use it for a week.

 

[mimosatexas]

"manager" is misspelled on that page pierre, just fyi

[DannyGruninger]

Alan what type of screen/Teflon setup directly after the flash were you using? Just curious as that's what made a difference for me.

[tancehughes]

Alan I'm in your boat regarding the roller squegee. I wish I could figure a way to make it work, but I just didn't really see how it benefitted our prints any. Maybe I should play around with it when we slow up in the winter


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bimmridder]

Employees that care!

[DannyGruninger]

I think it's key to understand how to optimize "conditions" for the roller squeegee. When I began this method I wanted to simulate what heat pressing a shirt does on the press so in order to get what I feel are optimal results I do a couple things. My Teflon roller screen goes into the hot box and gets heated at the start of day. I flash so the shirt gets to the roller still tacky but hot then run cool after that. I try to look at it as a heat press on the press hence keeping teflon screen nice and warm. This is just the start of how I use the roller in my shop to see better results. When I just slapped my roller up without doing these other things I saw little difference. It's not needed for good printers but I feel if used correctly it will take a really nice print to something superior. I don't use it everyday but I put some serious miles on my rollers lol

[vwyob]

ISS long beach!


S39 Confessions of a Screen Printing Geek: 15 Variables to Improve Your Printing and Production NEW!
       
Speakers:
Pierre Jamnicky, Manger, Blue Moon Promotional, Inc.
Richard Greaves, Greaves Enterprises
Track: Screen Printing
Hide Description
Find out from an industry legend (Richard Greaves) and an upcoming, award-winning printer (Pierre Jamnicky) how to reduce the frustration and improve processes in your shop! There are 15 variables to control, and you will learn their impact and the tools used to measure them. Find out how controlling these variables will improve your print quality, improve production times and eliminate many of the headaches commonly found in the print shops. Richard and Pierre will approach it from two diffrent perspectives, Richard (consultant) aiming for the maximum improvement and Pierre's (shop manager) approach at his shop, Blue Moon Promotional, Inc. Learn what the proper choices or values for these 15 vaiables are and which tools to use for measuring them (get actual tool specs and/or model numbers). Find out Pierre's strategy for getting the tools at fractions of the cost (think eBay!)! And finally, we'll discuss the quality of the workforce/employees and how it impacts the implementation these ideas.
In this seminar, you'll learn:
1. The impact of standardizing the procedures and production variables on the company performance
2. The 15 variables to track and strategies to get them under control
3. The importance of the employee quality on the implementation and final results
- See more at: http://n2b.goexposoftware.com/events/isslb2015/goExpo/public/listSeminarsFrame.php?ff_form_refresh=&type=&location=&filter_1=&filter_2=&filter_3=&filter_4=&filter_5=&search_str=&date=&track=&speaker_id=17#speaker_id

Will this be available as a purchasable podcast or DVD?
It is difficult to get over from the UK

[Dochertyscott]

ISS long beach!


S39 Confessions of a Screen Printing Geek: 15 Variables to Improve Your Printing and Production NEW!
       
Speakers:
Pierre Jamnicky, Manger, Blue Moon Promotional, Inc.
Richard Greaves, Greaves Enterprises
Track: Screen Printing
Hide Description
Find out from an industry legend (Richard Greaves) and an upcoming, award-winning printer (Pierre Jamnicky) how to reduce the frustration and improve processes in your shop! There are 15 variables to control, and you will learn their impact and the tools used to measure them. Find out how controlling these variables will improve your print quality, improve production times and eliminate many of the headaches commonly found in the print shops. Richard and Pierre will approach it from two diffrent perspectives, Richard (consultant) aiming for the maximum improvement and Pierre's (shop manager) approach at his shop, Blue Moon Promotional, Inc. Learn what the proper choices or values for these 15 vaiables are and which tools to use for measuring them (get actual tool specs and/or model numbers). Find out Pierre's strategy for getting the tools at fractions of the cost (think eBay!)! And finally, we'll discuss the quality of the workforce/employees and how it impacts the implementation these ideas.
In this seminar, you'll learn:
1. The impact of standardizing the procedures and production variables on the company performance
2. The 15 variables to track and strategies to get them under control
3. The importance of the employee quality on the implementation and final results
- See more at: http://n2b.goexposoftware.com/events/isslb2015/goExpo/public/listSeminarsFrame.php?ff_form_refresh=&type=&location=&filter_1=&filter_2=&filter_3=&filter_4=&filter_5=&search_str=&date=&track=&speaker_id=17#speaker_id

One day I'll do a mission over for a trade show/holiday and perhaps even a couple weeks work experience with one of y'all...but until then is there a way to view from NZ?