New G3 and dryer placement

[IntegriTees]

About 90% of the time, I will be loading and unloading. But I want to position my dryer to be able be efficient in "steps" if I do have a large order that needs an unloaded. What is the standard?

[Colin]

I would recommend you set it up for two people to run, but if it becomes awkward - load/unload from the unload station.... If space permits.

I will sometimes run our press by myself and I have no problem with doing a load/unload from where it is set up. 

[3Deep]

I'm kind of backwards, but if your unloading mostly by yourself set up for your comfort, I,m left handed on most things so I set up that way no steps just a turn.

[jvanick]

About 90% of the time, I will be loading and unloading. But I want to position my dryer to be able be efficient in "steps" if I do have a large order that needs an unloaded. What is the standard?

you're buying a G3 to run solo?!

Very Impressed!

-J

[screenprintguy]

If you are having a Gauntlet 3 installed, trust me, the tech is NOT going to allow you to install it in an improper place. We for almost 10 years got used to have a lot of space between our Diamond Back and our dryer. Trust me, you DO NOT want to be more than 26 inches away from the side of your dryer with that press or you will hate yourself for doing so. Even if you run it by yourself. you can pull your shirt cart up into the space that the loading station is normally set to be. Set your index timer for enough time to pull, toss, and load. Trust me on that machine, you will be hiring someone to work with you fast. It really makes zero sense to buy on and try to run it on your own. We've had ours in now for about a month. Even though almost any of us here can run it on our own, it's smarter to just pull someone for the few minutes it will take to run a cart of shirts. It will take you a little bit to get used to it and comfortable because it's a bit intimidating, it's so dam fast. But, you will be running 700 pcs an hour like nothing and watch a 200 piece order get gobbled up very very verry fast on it. You want to have it placed about 34-36 inches, the unload pallet that is, from the side of your bet, end of belt, how ever you are configuring that part. Take your tech's advice. The guys who install these machines have lots and lots of experience. We wanted to argue with our tech to install "our" preference. Then a second tech showed up to help wrap things up, he concurred that the placement the first guy set was perfect. After the fact, Patrick Lashbrook came for some after install training with us, and said the same thing. The mind set has to change. A month into it now, I'm so glad I didn't try to put my foot down. It's too big to move because of a bad call at install so really really consider the advice. Even as a one man show with a machine like this, trust me, you can pull your cart into the loaders station and still operate on your own from the unloader and NOT have to take a step. This press, you start taking footsteps and you miss the big luxury of what it can do for you as far as speed and efficiency. If you need to pick my brain, feel free to pm me. There are several guys on here with either GT's or C3's that can all tell you experience with placing this beast in the PROPER spot.

Congrats man

Mike

[tonypep]

In the beginning at Liberty long ago when we were installing very very many machines it was long determined that 27" from belt to platen regardless of machine type or bran so that's about right

[244]

In the beginning at Liberty long ago when we were installing very very many machines it was long determined that 27" from belt to platen regardless of machine type or bran so that's about right

Exactly right!!!

[ZooCity]

About 90% of the time, I will be loading and unloading. But I want to position my dryer to be able be efficient in "steps" if I do have a large order that needs an unloaded. What is the standard?

you're buying a G3 to run solo?!

Very Impressed!

-J

Ditto.  That's a lot of machine for one operator.

We have the sportsman setup for loader/unloader and gauntlet for single operator but both can be used the other way around.  If you'll be solo 90% of the time, just setup optimally for that but leave room for the wingman when needed. 

[screenprintguy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpfv4GV5V38&index=2&list=PLouUHry0Y_tJv3YQm3c-q4k3l97PZzt7s   

[LuckyFlyinROUSH]

Wouldn't of bought that machine to run it with one person. Here is ours. We had more of an issue with clearence from the dryer to head 16 with walking space between them. If we ever run it solo we run it from the offload position. Cart sits in the load position.

Arrange the press so your unloader doesn't move their feet and just twists.

[pwalsh]

About 90% of the time, I will be loading and unloading. But I want to position my dryer to be able be efficient in "steps" if I do have a large order that needs an unloaded. What is the standard?

Integritees:  Looks like you got your answer on optimum dryer placement of 26" - 27" from the unload station to the edge of the belt.  It also looks like you have surprised a few people with your plans to operate the press with a single operator most of the time.  Your approach is actually not that far out there as I know of large textile decorator that a runs a whole shop full of M&R 3 series presses with a single operator most of the time. 

One thing they do to speed up production is to use a flash-cure in the last head to flash off the print before the unload station.  This helps to greatly increase the speed of unloading because the unloader can just pull the garment and toss it onto the belt without worrying so much about having to lay it totally flat on the belt.     

Good luck with the install and operation of the new gear

[IntegriTees]

Thanks all!
Yes, it is probably overkill for me to get this press but I'm moving up from a 6 color all air sportsman that I've had since 2004. Just need the extra colors and figured I'd get a press with the latest tech.
Coming from a two person shop on track to do $900k in sales this year, I'm hoping that I can cram an extra one or two jobs in a day so I can have an extra day to deal with actually running a business.

[LuckyFlyinROUSH]

Teach your screen cleaner to pull shirts. Ran our G3 at 82doz/hr all day long today. Literally what it's built for. If you've got the cash...I'd go for it. But if its going to be 90% Solo... at 40-50doz an hour...Would put that cash to work elsewhere to make your life easier, CTS . Settle in a nice sportsman exg, and still have capability to run 75doz/hr if you wanted two people. I've got both if you want to come play.

[GraphicDisorder]

Wouldn't of bought that machine to run it with one person.

Why is this the mentality? He can add an employee at any point or a friend to help or whatever he likes to speed up his printing.  What he can't do is 4 months into buying a much smaller or a press with less features is decide it was too small or too slow or didn't have the features he wanted.  It's too late at that point, he's already pregnant. A 2 person shop doing 900k in sales as he reports, a G3 is not remotely expensive and hes got what sounds like low overhead, well certainly no major labor draw.  He's going about it right if you ask me.

When I was just a 2 person shop I was told to get a entry level auto because no way we could afford a better one, I almost did.  I went more mid level and got a sportsman, which turns out just 2-3 years later was WAY small for us. Wish I would have swung for the fence on my first auto, I could have done it but was being conservative. That ended up costing me more money in the long run.

[mk162]

Brandt, sometimes it hard to take that risk though.  At the time it was probably the right choice.

I would rather have a press that can scale up as needed.  Get an extra person to unload and fold and you're set for any monster jobs.  We mainly run the auto with one person now, works great.