Who has the best bang for the buck in autos?

[GraphicDisorder]

Hey Brandt, what manufacturers did you entertain before settling in on M&R?

Pierre, same question just replace with MHM?

Alan, same question just replace with RPM?

lol 

Seen M&R, Anatol, Workhorse, and a MHM.  Also spoke with also RPM and Printex.

[Prosperi-Tees]

What put M&R over the top for you? Do you think you would be in the same position today with the screen printing side of your business if you went with any other press?
How about you Alan?

[GraphicDisorder]

What put M&R over the top for you? Do you think you would be in the same position today with the screen printing side of your business if you went with any other press?
How about you Alan?

The tour of M&R, something like 500k sqft of manufacturing on US Soil was awesome.  I got to see the care in each area from the base to heads, to wiring, and to support.  The support staff is larger than some press manufactures.  The amount of presses they were making/shipping was staggering. 

Would I be in a similar place with another press?  Hard to say that, I am a small timer, I am in no way working this Sportsman like it could be.  I could probably be printing on a Brown and get buy, but I wouldn't want to.  Let me answer it another way though.  I would make the same choice again.  I am VERY happy with my equipment.  M&R gave me something I needed.  Piece of mind to know that they are there if I need them and they built me something that makes me think I wont need them.   Perfect score sir.

[squeegee]

The MHM's have individual OC on the printheads as an option, as do the Anatol's.  The challenger III also has them.  I've been thinking of trying to fabricate something that would fit on our press.  It's something that would be easy to do on our RPM because of the way it's designed, a simple plug in part.

Just an FYI, the individual OC is not an option on E or S, it's only optional on the 4000.  The only option on the E is the FPU, which for a first time MHM buyer is critical.

No press that I know of in the price range of the E has individual OC on each head, which is a feature I'd rather never be without again.

[alan802]

The MHM's have individual OC on the printheads as an option, as do the Anatol's.  The challenger III also has them.  I've been thinking of trying to fabricate something that would fit on our press.  It's something that would be easy to do on our RPM because of the way it's designed, a simple plug in part.

Just an FYI, the individual OC is not an option on E or S, it's only optional on the 4000.  The only option on the E is the FPU, which for a first time MHM buyer is critical.

No press that I know of in the price range of the E has individual OC on each head, which is a feature I'd rather never be without again.

To clarify your post, it's not optional because it's already on the E and S as standard right?

And to clarify the feature of individual printhead OC, our press has it, as do most autos that I'm aware of, I meant as a completely tool-less option.  My bad, I didn't make that very clear in my post.  Even our 89 Centurian had individual OC but it was a bitch to change.  The RPM is very easy to change but it's obviously not as easy as a tool-less click type adjuster like you have on the chopper cylinder adjustments.

[alan802]

What put M&R over the top for you? Do you think you would be in the same position today with the screen printing side of your business if you went with any other press?
How about you Alan?

That would be hard to say if we would have enjoyed the same success as we are now.  I'm am fairly certain that I can set up a job faster on our current press with it's feature set faster than if we would have had another similarly priced press in here.  It also will print at a rate that some mid level autos cannot, so that helps up do more.  We are a shop that actually uses all the features on the press, because they make our jobs easier and faster.  This press in the hands of an operator who doesn't use the features or doesn't care to take advantage of the things that this press can do won't matter over the brown electraprint.  I really think having everything available at your printhead makes a big difference in setup times, the control you have over flash parameters and other settings makes a big difference in repeat jobs as well as production run times.  It all adds up in my mind and I like to take advantage of all the things that a very smart person has put into the press to help the printer do more, faster. The real savvy printer can work around his press's shortcomings though, but luckily we don't have to.

I have seen a few presses that we could have bought, up close and personal, since buying our RPM, and I've left those shops or shows with a smile on my face knowing I made the right choice in our automatic. 

[Printficient]

Yes that could be great for Rick because from what I see it could be the best mid range press out there and for 50Kish for an 8 color may be a bargain for all the digital controls making it easier to adjust is awesome. Now if it had individual head off contact. What press sports that if any?

The MHM's have individual OC on the printheads as an option, as do the Anatol's.  The challenger III also has them.  I've been thinking of trying to fabricate something that would fit on our press.  It's something that would be easy to do on our RPM because of the way it's designed, a simple plug in part.

individual OC is standard on the E type The S Type but is an option on the 4000

[squeegee]

Yes individual as standard and tool-less and continuously adjustable yes.

I don't think setting the OC with the screen hangers really qualifies as a feature though...all the screen hangers I've seen are adjusted when leveling or might be adjusted for a large job with a special need, but are not intended for daily use.

An important difference between IOC vs. Central is the ability to quickly change multiple OC settings within one multicolor job. 

[alan802]

Yes individual as standard and tool-less and continuously adjustable yes.

I don't think setting the OC with the screen hangers really qualifies as a feature though...all the screen hangers I've seen are adjusted when leveling or might be adjusted for a large job with a special need, but are not intended for daily use.

An important difference between IOC vs. Central is the ability to quickly change multiple OC settings within one multicolor job. 

Most printhead OC's are not easily changed like you can with the tool-less designs and like you say, not really a feature per say.  I use ours like you guys probably do since ours is easily changed by turning a bolt that is threaded into the screen hanger assembly.  Ours does have 2 nuts that act like the locking micro knobs do on most presses, but I keep those loose on our press so I can easily change the printhead OC as if it were tool-less.  I haven't seen any evidence to keep those nuts locked down, but maybe if I were printing with lot's of pressure then maybe I'd need to lock the hangers in place so they couldn't move up or down.  The bolt that moves it up and down is threaded into the assembly so excessive vibration could move the IOC I guess, but I've kept my eye on the thing and nothing bad has happened like misregistration.

[Prosperi-Tees]

Alan I was checking out one of your videos and noticed the chopper was lifting or was it lowering unevenly. What is the cause of it? Did not look to effect printing at all just curious.

[alan802]

Alan I was checking out one of your videos and noticed the chopper was lifting or was it lowering unevenly. What is the cause of it? Did not look to effect printing at all just curious.

It lifts and lowers sort of off kilter a bit and it get's worse with the lower amount of air pressure inside the chopper cylinder.  It doesn't do it hardly at all when printing with higher pressures, like 50 and up.  It doesn't affect anything as far as the print goes, but I have wondered what others would think when they saw it on the video.  Not all presses do that, it's sort of our fingerprint on ours I guess.  I've tried to get other presses to duplicate that but I can't.  It mainly means that one side is probably lubricated better or worse than the other or one get's the air from the main supply faster than the other cylinder I guess, probably several factors that go into why it does that.

[ebscreen]

Check for crimps/leaks/clogs in tubing as well. I've had that happen on a crimped tube before.

[alan802]

Check for crimps/leaks/clogs in tubing as well. I've had that happen on a crimped tube before.

It doesn't do it on every printhead, it's the worst on #10 if I remember correctly.  I've never really tried to look for the reason it does that since it is purely cosmetic but now I am interested to know exactly why it's happening so I will take your advice and do it tomorrow between jobs.

[David005]

Just got a new sportsman ex 10 color, I found a new love!!!


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I am here:

[Prosperi-Tees]

Just got a new sportsman ex 10 color, I found a new love!!!


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=26.189640,-80.278540

Hey I see you lol.