Revolver Times

[CSPGarrett]

I understand that times can always vary depending on flash time, number of rotations and so on.  But on average what do you find dozens per hour revolver to run if doing 2 cycles, 3 cycles, and so on?  We are currently a beta tester for Anatol's new software and I am still trying to calculate averages.

On 2-3 cycles it definitely isn't running 30 dozen per hour but 2 cycles is just enough time to print and stack the shirts.

Thoughts?

[alan802]

If we have to run 2 revolutions (never ran 3) it's usually around 400/hr.  But we don't have a program and we are turning print heads on and off as the right pallet is in front of us.  It's actually easier than it sounds because when you're loading, the pallet in front of you at the time correlates with the print head where pallet number 1 will be indexing to so we're able to run revolver mode manually without ever stopping the press.  We will hold the dwell time around 1 second.  It's not that difficult to do manually and we don't have to do it often but when we do it's like riding a bicycle I guess.

[Ryan]

Today I was running in multiprint/revolver/twister or whatever other names for it you want and was doing by myself, load and unload and was moving at 450, but of course that equals down to 225 completed shirts. It could have been a lot faster, but I couldn't load and unload any faster. I was at about the max I could do by myself without having to stop the press and what my dryer can handle without having to get created. I guess that doesn't really help much does it now that I read it back. 

[CSPGarrett]

It does help.  This "revolver" software is brand new on Anatol and we have been testing it heavily for about a week for them.

With two full revolutions (a nice quick flashing HO ink such as One Stroke Production with a 1 second flash (pre-heat on)) it runs smooth.  It will stop on the first tee as it comes around complete, but this isn't a big deal since if two people are operating you would already have it swapped and can hit the pedal.  If running alone it is great because you just pull it off and throw the next one on to start.

I guess I can see high numbers if running 3-4 seconds per print/index, for easy math call it 5 seconds. That would be about 360 tees per hour (10 seconds a shirt for two rotations), at 9 seconds per tee 400 shirts per hour and 8 seconds 450.

I do think if it runs correct it will beat the times that "step back" will provide you since it will print and flash at the same time instead of print, flash, print, flash which reduces the forward motion and multiple actions that can occur at once (flash back happens while nothing prints or any heads move so you waste an index and print time).

For step back mode we usually max out at 20-21 dozen on standard size prints running 2 strokes down , and 1 on the step back with one person, even with a second there isn't much to speed it up (even at 1 second flashes).

So I think 225 units is a good average for one person loading and unloading. If you add a second you can decrease dwell of course.