A/C heads

[tonyt79]

Big question here! If a/c heads and servo index is the way to go, then why not all electric?

[Printficient]

I guess the main reason would be the engineering of the chopper mechanism.  Also the screen clamps.  There is an Anatol Volt going in at a shop I service next week.  I am going to check it out.  I'll post my pluses and minuses.

[TCT]

Controllable squeegee pressure was another thing that was brought up as a "minus" of a all electric press.

Brown and Graphica also have all electric machines.

[Baron265]

The cost and reliability of the lift and lower is also a factor. Whether you lift and lower the pallet carousel or the screens, the advantage is with pneumatic.

[Binkspot]

What they said.

IMO I would rather repair/replace some air cylinders then an electric drive motor and or linkage for the chopper drive mechanism. There are other presses that use the all electric like mentioned above but if was that amazing I would think other major mfg would have jumped on the idea years ago or it would dominate the industry. If the chopper assm was changed it might be a viable option but costly one.

[3Deep]

Big question here! If a/c heads and servo index is the way to go, then why not all electric?

the right company has not built one yet, one never knows whats around the corner....

[kingscreen]

Short answer is that it is too expensive.

[sweetts]

You know I often wonder if the screen industry is just void of solid engineers, with stepper motors acme shafts and actuators you could easily make a machine that could precisely move a squeegee with absolute accurate repeatable pressures and swipe speed. With the HUGE supply of open source micro controllers, motors and the like I think the cost excuse is just that an excuse to not re-engineering the old designs.  It is so much easier to time, adjust and control electronics than pneumatics in my opinion. Has there really been any huge changes in the basic design of presses? In the last 30 years Not really.

[244]

You know I often wonder if the screen industry is just void of solid engineers, with stepper motors acme shafts and actuators you could easily make a machine that could precisely move a squeegee with absolute accurate repeatable pressures and swipe speed. With the HUGE supply of open source micro controllers, motors and the like I think the cost excuse is just that an excuse to not re-engineering the old designs.  It is so much easier to time, adjust and control electronics than pneumatics in my opinion. Has there really been any huge changes in the basic design of presses? In the last 30 years Not really.

Here at M&R we have 26 master degree engineers on staff and every one of them disagree with changing the chopper assembly to electric. It's not only cost. It's the right way to do it with pneumatics.

[Binkspot]

No doubt it could be done but the added cost of doing it the RIGHT WAY would far outweigh the benefits.

[sweetts]

Why is it better? Your the expert I am just a telcom engineer who prints, help me better understand, because being more involved with electronics I tend to think that electric is always a better option and if a system only has one support system electric / air whatever it's a cleaner simpler, better system. Can you honestly say the press has undergone changes in design that have vastly improved the overall process? I say no we have only made tweaks to the existing machine. Minor improvements to the basic design. I know I have been critical of you at times but I really am not going down that road here. Just posting my thoughts on the industry. I interface with so many industries and see huge changes in most of them then I look at screen printing and scratch my head.
Food for thought, an entire industry full of experts agreed no one would choose to buy a data file over a cd or album... I don't think I purchased a cd in 15 years how about you?

[alan802]

If you go back and look at some of the older machines and what they were capable of and some of the features they had it does look like on the surface that not much has progressed with automatics in the last 20 years.  When I first started researching autos in 2006, I was floored by the lack of features on the new machines when comparing it to our 1990 American Centurian.  In the last 5 years, I think more has changed with the average automatics' feature set than the 20 years prior combined.  At least it looks like it from my perspective, which is just the average print shop manager.

BUT, look at these videos from 17 years ago and it looks like my statement doesn't really apply to the MHM machines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUuZJCbTOt8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-aVxhxN4N0

[tonypep]

Great videos I forgot about them. Pretty sure this was around the same time of the Formulas. Yes the 3000 was definitely ahead of its time. Light years ahead of those old brown clunkers.

[Printficient]

If you go back and look at some of the older machines and what they were capable of and some of the features they had it does look like on the surface that not much has progressed with automatics in the last 20 years.  When I first started researching autos in 2006, I was floored by the lack of features on the new machines when comparing it to our 1990 American Centurian.  In the last 5 years, I think more has changed with the average automatics' feature set than the 20 years prior combined.  At least it looks like it from my perspective, which is just the average print shop manager.

BUT, look at these videos from 17 years ago and it looks like my statement doesn't really apply to the MHM machines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUuZJCbTOt8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-aVxhxN4N0

Yep.  With the exception of the separate squeegee and flood bar all of the features shown date back to 1992

[inkman996]

You know I often wonder if the screen industry is just void of solid engineers, with stepper motors acme shafts and actuators you could easily make a machine that could precisely move a squeegee with absolute accurate repeatable pressures and swipe speed. With the HUGE supply of open source micro controllers, motors and the like I think the cost excuse is just that an excuse to not re-engineering the old designs.  It is so much easier to time, adjust and control electronics than pneumatics in my opinion. Has there really been any huge changes in the basic design of presses? In the last 30 years Not really.

You mention the cost of engineering as an excuse but its not about the engineering costs but the ownership costs. Imagine a $100K machine re-engineered to have all actuators, stepper motors, acme shafts etc. etc. cost to the owner? Remember we print shirts very low margin stuff compared to other industries.