THE SWITCH-MHM to ROQ

[Extreme Screen Prints]

It has been awhile since posting here but I wanted to let everyone know we are currently in the process of switching out 3 MHMs for 4 Roqs. We will be selling our MHM 14/16 sp 4000 auto reg and our 8/10 Xtype and replacing with a 14/18 ECO and a 12/16 You XL. The other 2 machines will be a 9/12 You XL and a 4/8 YOU.  We love our sp4000 with the auto reg, it is the only MHM press that doesn't have pallet deflection or issues with holding registration. Unfortunately the other MHM Machines are not up to our standards. Running the 4000 and roqs together just doesn't make sense for our shop.  Our biggest concern with the switch is will the 14/18 Eco perform as well as the 14/16 sp4000?  Has anyone else made the switch from MHM to Roq and what were your reasons? So far our experience with Ryonet has been great. We are excited to work with a company that can back there machines and provide the support when needed.
Thanks,
Dan

[blue moon]

Hey Dan,

we are in process of getting an 8/12 ECO XL and 4/8 YOU. Should be here in a week or so. We are switching from an E-Type. The press served us well for years (even with the manufacturing defect that was never corrected), but the expectation is to increase the productivity by about 20-30% with the ROQs. ebscreen here has an MHM and a ROQ already and offered to share what it takes to run them at the same time. As I understand it is possible to leave the MHM pins on the screens as use them on the ROQs.
We will be up and running before the end of the year and you are welcome to stop by and check it out, we are not that far away. . .

pierre

[Extreme Screen Prints]

That's awesome Pierre i think you will easily increase 20% if not more from your etype, Will you be running dts or film, we are finally taking the jump on that as well, long overdue we have been using 1-2 rolls of film per day for awhile now so I am hoping for a huge cost savings there.  Thanks for the offer to come see your new setup, will definitely have to take you up on that.

[ebscreen]

Not so much a switch as adding a Roq to our MHM's. We have two older S-types
and added a 14/16 Eco.

We looked hard at MHM for this press, and the 4000 was a strong contender, but Roq
won for a few reasons. Machine wise it's quite a bit more modern than most other machines, and the send a pallet
feature alone saves us significant amounts of time daily. Not to mention having an actual visible
support network as opposed to Hirsch which leaves something to be desired.

Pallet deflection and machine stability was an important factor for us as well. The S-Types are super
stable and have little deflection at the end of the unsupported pallets. I still feel this is better than
what I've seen from other machines that shake rather significantly on index and have very
little support for the pallet arms. The Roq is a step in the right direction and I think you'll be pleased
with the pallet arms compared to the 4000. The fact that they use the same arms on their
smaller/entry machines is awesome.

How was registration with the pin setup on the 4000's? The downfall of MHM's reg setup is having to zero
heads which can be difficult, though the 4000 with the auto-reg should negate that. We've never had registration
problems with our S-Types though I have had to reset the reg blocks on our oldest machine
twice due to accidental e-stops. Other than that they hold reg great.

What style heads did you get with the Roq's? I can' t recommend the u clamp style and reg pallet enough.

Lastly a 39" print stroke on a standard 14/16 machine is pretty incredible.

[blue moon]

we have an older, EPSON based M&R CTS. It has been a mixed blessing with the MHMs, but will make a huge difference with the ROQs. Several ppl I talked to are registering one out of 20 screens with this or similar combinations.
Not sure about the film savings, we have actually been using a lot of ink, but just found out what could be causing the problems. Ask me in a few weeks and I'll let you know about ink consumption.

pierre

[ShirtChef]

Hey Guys,

I've been a press operator for 7 years and have worked on both machines.

MHM S-type

-Pin registration system - Put your screen in the press and it is already centered. No time spent wiggling the screen back and forth to register. Only small micro adjustments needed. This literally will save at least minute per screen.
-Lifting print heads - Easy to break screens downs and keep things clean as you go. Press operator can clean squeegees and screens(ink changes) with out taking anything out this feature also makes it easy to put ink on the screen or take it out saving tons of time on set ups. This makes it easy to access registration marks and again save tons of time on setup.
-Off contact is super quick to change
-Micro Registration controls the whole screen
- Software is great! you can go to clean(half step) on the main screen. You can move the platens left or right.
- Pallet change over and adjustment take half the amount of time.
-Reliable - these machines work for ever one of our machines was 20 years old

S-Roque has great Marketing toward novice print shops. Ryonet sells these machines and their customer service is terrible from my experience. S-Roque machines are just hunks of sheet metal.

MHM's are the same price and will save you tons on setups and breakdowns. Labor is going to be your biggest expense so save time where you can. Don't be fooled by all roq's content.

[mk162]

I've always viewed MHM's as a hunk of sheet metal.  Nice hunks of sheet metal though.

I've also heard horror stories about MHM's tech support.  Frankly, I am surprised they survived, how many times were they bought and sold?

My point is every press manufacturer out there has had problems with some machines or even staying afloat.  They are machines, they will break, not every tech is fantastic.  Some installs will go sideways.  It happens.  To make your first post here sound like a bad sales pitch isn't a great way to start off here.

I've looked at both machines.  I frankly don't care for either.  I tend to prefer the American(and Polish) way of building presses...more metal.  Not saying it's the right way, I just prefer it.

[3Deep]

Dang Brad you must love Anatol All Polish LOL, mine is still rocking like the first day it was installed!!!!

[mk162]

Anybody else read polish, like nail polish? 

The RPM is Polish as well.

[blue moon]

Anybody else read polish, like nail polish? 

The RPM is Polish as well.

and the MHM, while not better, is a little more polished!

pierre

[Colin]

Now I want hot dogs for lunch....

[GraphicDisorder]

Interesting first post for sure.

[KevinO]

Ryonet have been great at dealing with problems with us so far! They are newer to the support side and have had growing pains, but man do those guys do everything in their power to make something right.

[mimosatexas]

I've pretty much only heard complaints about the service for MHMs.  People love the machines themselves, but I have seen people on every forum and facebook group bitching about support, parts, etc.

ROQ seems like they are on the upswing, and offer lots of cool "extras".  I have read mixed reviews on the service side with Ryonet, but mostly positive.  I get the impression that their service tends to be better for bigger shops and shops that have helped them with their marketing, but that could just be my impression and I could be misinformed...

I still think M&R is the hands down leader when it comes to service after the sale, again based on my impression from forums, facebook, talking to other shops, etc.

They all print shirts and with the right peripherals, workflow, and desire to improve your processes I think they can all produce great work and profit.

...and terrible first impression, lol

[3Deep]

Anybody else read polish, like nail polish? 

The RPM is Polish as well.

  Ok I read it wrong    he he he