reclaiming 150+ screens?

[Screened Gear]

Have you looked at outsourcing your screen cleaning. I know a company locally that started in this business just cleaning screens for other shops. Hell if you get a auto screen cleaner you could always start a side business cleaning other shops screens. You would pay for the auto cleaner faster.

150 a day is alot. I think I will be automating that when I get to 200 a week. My guy can do 20 an hour if we need them. He could do that speed all day but what a horrible day that would be. I don't like cleaning screens more than 3 hours. I don't know how an auto cleaner can't save money. Just the man hours and keeping the workers moral up would save a grip of money in lost hours from tired employees.

The auto cleaners are too expensive. When the machine that cleans the screens is more than an auto press that does the printing there is something wrong.

Like John said cleaning the ink out of screens on press is a no-no, in a production setting. Not just lost time but the chance of dirty hands being that close to the clean shirt printing press.

[Screen Dan]

We do about 150-200 a day during peak times of year when we have lots of smaller jobs.  I have 3 guys running the screen department.  To keep everyone happy, moral high and to prevent a 2-guy-call-out day from destroying production everyone is cross-trained in all duties and I had implemented once-daily station rotation...though that has fallen out of favor because I have two guys that actually like cleaning and de-stenciling all day.

But either way, for reclaim the stations are broken down as follows:

The dirty screen rack is in the shop next to our screen cleaning washout sinks.  The guy out there pulls tape and washes the screens.  Once he fills up a rack of screens he wheels that back to the back room where the de-stenciling booths are. 

The de-stenciler fills up a rack and wheels it into the drying room.  We used to use the dip tank but these guys, for some reason, prefer scrubbing the screens.  I think they are crazy, but they can crank out a two half-filled (to dry faster) racks of 24 screens in 40 minutes or so.  Once we started scrubbing on Saati ER-2 (instead of dip-tanking EasiStrip Supra) we noticed we didn't have to de-grease anymore...I think that's why they prefer it.

The guy feeding the CTS (who also does all of the developing at the end of the day) does the coating and taping.  If there is ever a glut of screens somewhere that typically means there is a shortage of screens somewhere else.  So if, say, there aren't enough screens to de-stencil an entire rack that means that there must be a glut of them waiting to be washed...so the de-stenciler goes to double-team the screen washing station (why we have 2 booths out there).  If there aren't a rack's worth of screens to wash that guy will do the coating...no glut there?  Start developing.

Granted, this is with a crew of 3 guys...who are machines.  No complaining, consistent work.  Enough over-production so a call-out or two, a vacation, etc doesn't ruin production.

I still can't justify the cost of a machine...and that is assuming they work 100% as advertised, which I can't help but be skeptical of after I inherited a RhinoTech screen washer that wasn't as effective as a slop buck and a brush.

But, YMMV, as always

The reclaim loop manages to over-produce what we need to prepare new jobs by a small but comfortable margin.

Addendum:  I can't say enough great things about the HydroBlaster pressure washer.  That thing is a monster.  It'll rip emulsion off a screen with zero chemical, if you want.

[jsheridan]

Granted, this is with a crew of 3 guys...who are machines.  No complaining, consistent work.

If ever there was a magic key to screenprinting, that right there is what its shaped from.

[alan802]

I think I'd have more luck finding a unicorn than I would finding 3 guys that worked like machines without complaining and doing consistent work.  Out of the 15 or so guys I've hired the last 5 years I bet I'd have a hard time picking 3 that I'd like to have back, so getting 3 to be working at the shop at the same time seems like a miracle.

[jsheridan]

hmm cloning..

me myself and I could rule this industry 

[BorisB]

-Machines were very expensive, only reason I bought them was 50% EU subsidy because of environmentally friendly technology. No ROI can justify it. We don't make any savings on tape either, to quickly return invested money.

Boris, do you have any link to this EU subsidy ?

Cheers

Willy
[/quote]

Willy,
it was in 2010, not available anymore. But often there is some.

[Frog]

I think I'd have more luck finding a unicorn than I would finding 3 guys that worked like machines without complaining and doing consistent work.  Out of the 15 or so guys I've hired the last 5 years I bet I'd have a hard time picking 3 that I'd like to have back, so getting 3 to be working at the shop at the same time seems like a miracle.

Not three guys, but when I returned to screen printing after my die career job ended in 1988, the owner was tired of the flakes that that particular (usually) entry level job attracted, and took a different tack; asking me if I would take the position, knowing that I had some years in the biz under my belt and was looking for something a little more creative.  I was turning it down as my wife jabbed me in the ribs and reminded me that he was offering real wages, and full medical for the both of us. Point is, I was close to 40 years old, married, stable, and understood the whole process. He felt that it was worth it to him to pay me more for the dependability  I would bring to that department. He also understood that the job was a little demeaning, and I craved more, so he didn't stand in the way of my establishing my own part time business, and in fact, helped with supplies and such.

Bottom line is reclaim and screen prep are similar to the nail which when lost, ended up costing a king his kingdom. Get good workers for this, and treat them better than the position and job tends to imply.

Of course, seven years later, his accountanft convinced him that he was paying me too much, and voila! Frog Prints went full time.

[Screened Gear]

hmm cloning..

me myself and I could rule this industry 

ya but who gets to sleep with your wife...

[Screen Dan]

I think I'd have more luck finding a unicorn than I would finding 3 guys that worked like machines without complaining and doing consistent work.  Out of the 15 or so guys I've hired the last 5 years I bet I'd have a hard time picking 3 that I'd like to have back, so getting 3 to be working at the shop at the same time seems like a miracle.

I admit that I am extremely lucky in that regard.  I've been here for over 12 years and I've seen the turnover in the shop.  Maintaining high morale is a top priority for me.  Happy guys are productive guys.  I don't bust their balls over the small stuff, I hold them to high quality standards but I also give them as much freedom as possible for problem solving.  I've noticed that given freedom and opportunity to do a good job a good worker will strive to do good.

...but there are plenty of people you just can't help.  I had to go through a number of those to get to these.