MHM E Type computer

[Maxie]

My computer on the MHM E Type packed up.
I have shipped it to MHM to see if they can fix it, if they cannot they will not have new ones until August.
Does anyone have or know of anyone that has one to sell.
I tried to find out from Hirsch, what a pain they are.    Without an account I cannot find out if they have one in stock.
To speak to a technician I have to have an account.     
Hopefully MHM will be able to fix it because it's an expensive part but I'd like options if they can't.
This is peak season and we need that machine running.
Any info will be appreciated.

[T Shirt Farmer]

As a MHM owner I am still amazed how they stay in business with such horrible service. I hope this pans out quickly for you Maxie.. maybe time to start looking at Green Machines ??

[Maxie]

Robert not so fast.      I have two MHMs and they are great.      The S Type is an great machine, hard to beat.
My E Type is about 10 years old and still going strong.       I normally work with MHM Austria and there service is good.
In the USA Hirsch didn’t do a good job selling and servicing the MHMs and Ryonet did a great job selling the S Roq and I hear also had great financing plans.
MHM are strong in the rest of the world, there is a few month wait for new machines.

[Frog]

MHM are strong in the rest of the world, there is a few month wait for new machines.

But, apparently also a few month wait for some important parts or service

[DannyGruninger]

This is not the first I've heard this.... I know of other mhm shops that have been down for over 3 months waiting on parts..... We could not run our business here if we were down for more then a day or two, and would assume most in the industry are in similar positions. Seems so crazy to me these equipment guys run their companies like that.....

[ThePrinter]

I don't know if it will help but SPSI is a distributor for MHM now. I have no experience with MHM. 

http://www.spsi.biz/

[BRGtshirts]

That is true... SPSI could be a good source. They just came on with MHM (I think maybe debuted at ISS Long Beach?!)

So I know people like to talk bad about Hirsch but man, I've nothing but good relations with them for 7+ years now. Bought an E-Type and a two winters ago updated to two S-Type Extremes (which IMO I think are the best on the market.. not that this is that conversation). I like those guys, their techs are unreal how good they are, and my experience has been positive across the board.

Anyways, why not setup an account with Hirsch? They've probably got the product in South Carolina.

[T Shirt Farmer]

Robert not so fast.      I have two MHMs and they are great.      The S Type is an great machine, hard to beat.
My E Type is about 10 years old and still going strong.       I normally work with MHM Austria and there service is good.
In the USA Hirsch didn’t do a good job selling and servicing the MHMs and Ryonet did a great job selling the S Roq and I hear also had great financing plans.
MHM are strong in the rest of the world, there is a few month wait for new machines.

Yes Maxie I have an S type as well and what an amazing piece of machinery it is, but if you cant get parts when you need them its just scrap metal. I am surprised MHM Austria can not express one out for you, hope it works out quickly.

[Sbrem]

Our S-Type is about 15 years old, and runs well, we stay on as best as we can. We've had to replace some valves in the head, and was told it was 2 week wait. After much searching, it is indeed a 2 week wait. I found out by by finding a supplier that sold the valves, at a much lower price, but still would take 2 weeks plus. Apparently, they have to be assembled. We ended up buying a few at $75.00 each, instead of the $210.00 from Hirsch. Once, one of our guys punched the computer and broke it (he doesn't work here anymore, lol) We were able to get the replacement quickly, but it was $4000.00, then, a good ten years ago. I'd try to get in touch with MHM directly and bypass Hirsch, if they allow that.

Steve

[ebscreen]

Our S-Type is about 15 years old, and runs well, we stay on as best as we can. We've had to replace some valves in the head, and was told it was 2 week wait. After much searching, it is indeed a 2 week wait. I found out by by finding a supplier that sold the valves, at a much lower price, but still would take 2 weeks plus. Apparently, they have to be assembled. We ended up buying a few at $75.00 each, instead of the $210.00 from Hirsch. Once, one of our guys punched the computer and broke it (he doesn't work here anymore, lol) We were able to get the replacement quickly, but it was $4000.00, then, a good ten years ago. I'd try to get in touch with MHM directly and bypass Hirsch, if they allow that.

Steve

The head valves are on off-the-shelf SMC part, should be available within a day. Actually all the valves are.
Don't let the configuration of the ins/outs fool you. You can buy just the valve body and swap the ports easy peasy.
SMC actually still sells the rebuild kits for them though they are hidden and make you wait a month or two, worth ordering now.
All that goes bad on them are the piston o-rings.


MHM's are super nice machines, but I wouldn't buy one if I wasn't confident in my mechanical abilities.
The only things you should ever have to deal with MHM/Hirsch for are the manufactured items/circuit boards and
software.


For the OP, though you've already sent it off, this link:

https://www.mhmscreenprinting.com/global/support/#anchor_4f7c25b2_Accordion-2-E-Type

appears to contain the entire OS for the machine. As long as it's not a hardware issue simply
re-loading it may be a solution.

[Sbrem]

I was able to find the SMC parts from a few assorted suppliers, called and was told 2 weeks plus, which doesn't make sense to me at all, but I can't exactly accuse them of lying. We had the same problem another time with a part on top under the hub; searched it out and couldn't get anyone to get it to us sooner. It made no sense to me that it wasn't a part on a shelf that couldn't be overnighted out of Austria. In a shop I worked at prior to starting my own, we had an Italian machine; it wasn't keeping register anymore, and it turned out we needed a new indexer. It was shipped the next day overnight, so based on my previous experience, it seemed to make sense that they would be readily available. If you have some sources you wouldn't mind sharing, I'd appreciate it.

Steve

[ebscreen]

The Hitachi EH-150 PLC's are extremely robust, but not without their issues. (MHMs issues really)
Placing the PLC on top of the machine probably not the best idea in terms of vibration and dust.
The red jumpers for 24v between IO boards and the CPU are prone to wiggle loose and cause intermittent
opens that do weird things. Gremlins are always a bitch.

Pinch a flash cable and you'll pop the fuse for the IO board but can also take out a diode on it. Both easy fixes
if you are handy with the multimeter.

The PLC warns you when the battery is going and if it goes all the way you merely lose user settings and not the
entire program like some other machines. (ahem) The PLC does have a "last ditch effort" before battery fail
to write user settings to hard memory (cool feature honestly) but in our experience garbage was written
and required an easy flushing, I think you flip a switch and turn the machine off/on or something.

As for the valves the small ones are SY3120-5LOU-XX and the big ones SY7120-5LOU-XX.
The reality being that you can order any configuration as long as the SYx120 is correct and swap
out all the other ports and electrical. If you ask for the exact part number (XX being C6-0 I believe)
they will tell you 2 months because it's not a common configuration. All it is referring to is the
push-to-connect/barbed fitting in metric size, but again, the ports you already have will swap to the same body.

As for suppliers we've used Orange County Aire because they are closest and have easy ordering but I would just look on SMC's
website for nearest dealer.

Here's the head valves:

https://www.ocaire.com/SY3120-5LOU-M5.html


Screen lift (and I think transport pin)

https://www.ocaire.com/SY7120-5LOU-02.html

Again, you have to swap ports but it's extremely easy.



But lets keep crap out of the landfill:

Rebuild kit small size:
https://www.ocaire.com/KT-SY3140.html


Big size:
https://www.ocaire.com/KT-SY7140.html




I will say this, in a gazillion impression we've put on our remaining MHM machine we have
*never* had a cylinder so much as leak. It's kind of amazing. The gold they charge for those
Festo's is apparently worth it.


Lastly, if a MFGR has a bunch of stock of (what shouldn't be) a non-wear item, IE an indexer,
that's kind of telling.


Lastly lastly, attached is the manual for the Hitachi EH-150 plc. Not sure how long they used those for
but it's worth having around.

[Sbrem]

Alright, thank you, now we can keep her up for a little less money. I alway knew that it was something like that, if we had only known the individual part names. Years ago, we had to replace a Micro Switch in an old Precision Oval; we called Precision in New Jersey, and the nice lady told me it would 6 weeks, as they had to build it. What?? It's a Micro Switch, and Precision doesn't build them. So I called MicroSwitch and they gave a local dealer, and we had the part the next day. Which just goes to show, one needs to know some stuff to avoid being ripped off...

Steve

[1964GN]

So, those that have had MHM replacement part issues, or those that know some one that has. Are these machines old outdated models with a few million impressions or are the newer models with failures where parts take forever to get?

Asking for a friend...

[pwalsh]

Maxie:  I'd suggest that you give John Potter at MHM Direct in the UK a call and see what he can do to get your machine up and running.  John's a great guy and his comapny has sold and continues to service hundred's if not thousands of MHM presses in the UK.

Contact Information:
John Potter
www.mhmdirect.co.uk
Email: john@mhmdirect.co.uk
Tel: 0115 944 2285
Fax: 0115 944 2286
MHM Direct GB,
Unit 9, Langham Park,
Lows Lane, Stanton By Dale,
Derbyshire. DE7 4RJ