Eco-Frames or Shur-loc Ez

[farmboygraphics]

Anyone using these? Good or bad? As a side note I might give the Print Grip sheets another try. After watching a few videos I probably didn't give it a fair try.

[Zelko-4-EVA]

we use the Shur-Loc EZ and the endurance panels.

pro - speed of meshing and remeshing - its a fraction of the time when we used to stretch roller frames.  we dont take as much time on training the employee, its a lot faster to train remeshing on the shur loc. mesh is more consistent from frame to frame compared to roller frames.  pockets are awesome on the shur loc - coating is faster, no emulsion pouring off the frame because the person stretching the frame made the pocket to large.

con - theres a bit of water in the channels, we end up using a 2x4 on the floor and prop up one side of the frame so it drains out.  also, we use the i-Image and the glue on the endurance panel creates a bit of resistance on the pusher frame - just enough to be annoying if you are used to roller frames that glide in and out of the machine - same with coating -  edges of the coater drag on the edges of the glue - just enough to be annoying, but the pockets are tiny compared to a roller frame so i dont mind.

im sure i could think of some more - these are the ones that stick out in my head. overall they are a great frame/mesh - not too heavy, mesh easy to work with, mesh selection is great, fast to assemble, clean/remesh.

 equipment or method listed below:

-mesh -24,150s,180s,200,230,250,300. 
-manual coating on an easel
-i-Image
-Douthitt 5k exposure unit
-auto reclaim
-400ish 23x31 and 25x36 shurloc EZ endurance
-M&R presses 2003 G2, 2008 G2, 2010 Sportsman, 2012 CH3, 2014 G3

[tonypep]

What happened to the auto coater we had back in the days of yore?

[Zelko-4-EVA]

What happened to the auto coater we had back in the days of yore?

couldnt find a buyer so we got rid of it. i saved some buttons and the control panel...

[balloonguy]

I was using the Shur-Loc Easy frames for a while. I am currently phasing them out. I find statics are plenty good for what we are doing. As I am getting older I prefer not reclaiming the ez frames. They are much heavier. I only run about  30 - 40 screens a week and almost always do the reclaim myself. I find statics much easier to deal with. Not to mention I get restretching done for less than the cost of a panel...

[BRGtshirts]

We're an MHM shop and we've had them all.. statics, statics with permanent blockout, Newmans, Shurlocs.... and at one point we had frames of each type in use at the same time! It was such a headache and nearly broke us there for a while.

So, we had be a static shop, and through my initiative went almost all-in to Newman rollers which were great (but heavy).  Overtime we realized we were not maintaining them, so I had to do the hard thing of reversing course and selling off all the Newmans and brining in Shurlocs. It was a huge undertaking from sending out 100+ rollers, to having to buy that same amount in Shurlocs, and, since we're MHM, adding pegs and permanent sealant to them. 

I will never go back. Shurlocs hold tension for so much longer than statics (they also start off tighter), their s-mesh/thin thread is fantastic.  With the endurance panels you have some block out. You also have rods that you can add for additional tension (to increase the tension if it's dropped) but honestly we never use them because they hold tension so well.

All that being said, Shurlocs for me are the best in the business because we can control everything in house. I can restretch a screen in 15 minutes and have it back in production the next day (giving it 24 hrs for the mesh to relax).  I hated having to ship out frames to be restretched.

[whitewater]

We have been using Shurlocs for a good while.. they work pretty great for us.

[CBCB]

Eco Frames here. 100% of the fleet for a long while now. They are a no brainer. Statics are more expensive, take more space, aren’t as stiff.

They are pretty much the same as Shurloc. I made my choice based on distribution of the panels. Easier to get the Eco Frame stuff up here for us.

Looking at sewing our own panels in-house too. Seems simple enough. Simpler than what I went through to stretch Rollers back in the day.

Work hardening is cool and all but my tracking at a graphic shop showed that reclaim has more effect on mesh than the print job does. I would track graphic screens with 5k, 10k, 20k impressions. They all end up with the same average reclaims before they popped.

So yeah, they are all the benefits of rollers except work hardening, which may be moot for most people anyway.

So much simpler as well. What’s a weft?

[Nation03]

I have around 20 EZ frames but prefer good statics from either Spot Color or GSF.

[3Deep]

Static frames here as well I still have a few rollers I use now and then, but I feel like I get my money worth out of statics, once I get that first job done with them then the rest is profit.

[tonypep]

Statics from Brannon at Spot color. Used rollers for decades but don't need them here.

[mk162]

Statics from Brannon at Spot color. Used rollers for decades but don't need them here.

Yup, they are fantastic. Seriously some of the best out there.

[farmboygraphics]

Going to just stick with the statics, which I have to many of, and get them re-meshed at Spot Color when needed. I've been pretty happy with what I've gotten from there.
I did just order a full set of Print Grip(yellow), as I have a 700 pc hoodie order coming up soon and thought this would be a good time to give them another chance.