Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. - Thomas Edison
I like this thread. Main dryer is an old M&R Maxi-Cure, definitely not small at around 13ft long with a 36" belt. But my current back up is an older M&R economax. Nice little dryer. Definitely prefer the 36" belt compared to the 24", but it gets the job done. I'm curious to hear if anyone is running anything from Ranar. They look decent and the price is right for me, but I never heard much about them.
I've always wondered about the vastex models. It's basically a flash panel with a conveyor going under it, right? I would be worried it would cure the surface, but not penetrate the garment since there is no heat trap in the "chamber". Ever have washfast issues?
http://www.advancedscreenprintsupply.com/product2565.htmlAs far as I can see as far as specs, belt width , expandability etc, this seems like the best one. Any opinions otherwise?
Quote from: mimosatexas on June 20, 2016, 10:37:19 AMI've always wondered about the vastex models. It's basically a flash panel with a conveyor going under it, right? I would be worried it would cure the surface, but not penetrate the garment since there is no heat trap in the "chamber". Ever have washfast issues?My Ranar Scamp was certainly little more than a flash unit mounted over a belt, and the only issue I ever had with fully curing ink was when my image was too large to (comfortably) ensure full cure on the edges if the image was centered on the belt, so I ran those shirts through twice in different positions.Hey Guys, Essentially all of these dryers regardless of manufacturer are using "Infra Red heaters". The same heaters that appear in Flash Dryers and millions of other applications. If you put in a box around it or in a flash dryer it is the same heater. (There is a little energy transfer gained by enclosing the box) The power or the heater is based wattage spread out over the area the heater covers: IE. a Heater is (Enter Volts Here) * (Enter Amps Here) = Watts IE. 120v * 15a = 1,800 watts Heater Area : 20x24 = 480 Power pr/sq inch: 3.75 The higher the watts pr/sq inch the faster the energy transfer up to a point where you burn the shirt before the ink has time to fully cure. In most cases the ink absorbs "IR" slower than the shirt. Especially when the deposit is considerably thicker. Scortching Solution - Dial back the wattage so that the shirt doesn't scortch while the ink has time to gain energy and fully cure. Assuming all waves lengths are equal (Which all manufactures are close for this purpose) the dryer will perform identical based on power pr/sq inch. Insulating sides and top will help (slightly) difference between putting a flash dryer over a belt or putting it in a insulated box over a belt. I have several of used options if you are interested many different manufactures, same energy transfer principle. Sent from Mail for Windows 10
Scortching Solution - Dial back the wattage so that the shirt doesn't scortch while the ink has time to gain energy and fully cure. Sent from Mail for Windows 10