Entry Level Dryer

[Pangea]

It seems like there are plenty of entry level dryers for plastisol but finding one for water based/discharge is a little more difficult. Right now I have a Ranar Dx-200 I got used that I'm finding isn't really cutting it for discharge. Anyone have any suggestions on what an upgrade from my current one might be?

[Sbrem]

I can't throw a model number at you, but you need air movement. I would look for a small gas dryer, provided you has gas available at your shop. I know there are a few IR dryers with air movement, find out what they are and do the Craigslist/eBay thing...

Steve

[ABuffington]

Go with a gas dryer with forced air for wb printing.  The bonus is your gas bill will be much less than electricity and provide a better cure.

[ZooCity]

mini sprint or an md-8 I think

[rusty]

unless I can come across a cheap electric with forced air, I am going to combine two smaller vastex dryers with a chamber in between using a squirrel cage blower to move air around. I have been hesitant cause I don't get many requests for WB or discharge yet and I am frightened for the electric bill.

I can not put a gas dryer line or use propane.

I am hoping to move this winter so I can get a gas dryer

[Pangea]

Thanks for the suggestions guys but gas dryers don't really seem to be "entry level". Looks like I'll have to either wait and pick up a forced air BBC electric dryer or continue to only accept short runs.

[Prince Art]

You might find a deal on an older Lawson Omega, with 3 panels & 2 forced air blowers. But I can't personally tell you how well it would work. We use an Encore (2 panels, 1 blower) for plastisol, and it just barely keeps up with full-length single-color jobs. I wouldn't attempt to take WB jobs & expect to make money with a small dryer. (Perhaps some people do it, but not I!)

[Atownsend]

Thanks for the suggestions guys but gas dryers don't really seem to be "entry level". Looks like I'll have to either wait and pick up a forced air BBC electric dryer or continue to only accept short runs.

I think the heatwave from M&R is the entry level gas dryer. Not exactly cheap even on the used market. What is your budget & how much space do you have? Gas really isn't that scary, just dont plan on moving it once its hooked up, unless you want to become an amateur plumber / HVAC tech.

I had to turn down Discharge / WB jobs for years due to our two panel Hix dyer. That little dryer did have forced air, but it really didn't cut it either. You need mega airflow which you'll probably only get with gas.

I checked out the BBC dryer, I seriously doubt it will get the job done for WB / DC no matter what they claim. For what its worth, I used to run DC on a powerhouse quartz (cant remember length (8 or 10ft), If you crawl the belt it would get the job done, but I also remember running a lot of things through x2.

[Nation03]

Gas is the real solution. Used heatwaves and mini sprints go for around 10-15 on the used market from what I saw.

If you need to go electric, check out the Turbo Jetstar from Ranar. It has forced air but like many have said, there really is no replacement for gas when it comes to high production speeds. I think a 6 foot chamber Jetstar is probably in the 8-9K range and it's going to draw way more amps. You're better off spending a few more grand on a used gas dryer and the utility bill savings will end up saving you a lot more.

[Pangea]

I'm in a second floor ~700 sq/ft. multi room office and the only door is a standard frame. The max job size we usually do is about 50-100 tees and we also offer short run dye sub, vinyl plotting, small embroidery, etc.. Right now we run the little electric dryer as slow as it'll go with the element all the way up but it's painfully slow and not ideal. When our lease is up I'll keep in mind all of the suggestions and look for a place with better utility hookups (and more space).

[pwalsh]

It isn't a great solution for discharge but you can consider using a Fixer / Catalyst with traditional Water-base and High Solids Acrylic inks to achieve full cure even if your dryer doesn't have the retention time or max air flow required to achieve full cure straight out of the oven.