Ok so one flash unit doesn`t cut it for us anylonger. We have one Red Chili flash on our M&R auto but I would really appreciate two have an option of sliding in a second one if needed, which is at times fairly often.
What the the cheapest option available, does not need to be a M&R flash. We have an Acoma flash but I don`t think I can fit it in one of the print station without dismantling the screen holders. In remember Ryonet having some dirt cheap flashes.
Mathias: The Red Chili & Red Chili "D" Quartz Flash Cure Units are the most popular and highest performing flashes that Nazdar SourceOne supplies with the M&R presses we sell. We have a number of customers that go high performance Quartz as their # 1 Flash and back it up with Infra-Red flashes for a 2nd or 3rd Flash. With regard to cost, the most popular "Intermediate" price option our customers chose is the M&R Reno High Wattage infrared flash available as an in-head mounted format or with the addition of a floor stand for free standing use.
The Large Format 18” x 22” Reno Infrared flash for in-head use is right around $3,350 USD and the Optional floor stand runs about an additional $200. So for right around $3,500 USD (+ Crating) you can get a high performance infrared unit that is designed for full integration and automatic operation with your M&R press. The alternate and true low cost option that we see some folks use are to go with the ultra-basic free standing infra-red flashes from manufactures like BBC Black Body. M&R has their economical “Blue Flash” available with floor stand in 18” x 22” format for $1,231 + crating, but the reality is if you are going low cost there are some options that are even more affordable options than the M&R unit. The Black Flash from BBC is a low cost, good value for money basic infrared unit that runs $725 for a 18” x 18” unit.
The one caution that I would provide about the low cost infrared units is that they can be production hogs on an automatic press as they can slow production speed because they lack the lower power to effectively cure the ink, even when operating as a secondary flash. The second concern is the time required to walk round the press to manually pull them out and/or reposition them back over the pallet to cure the shirt. Many of the high production shops I’ve seen, have discovered that a low cost basic flash can turn out to be more expensive in the long run than a fully integrated option. Pete’s $0.02
