newman pin registration system ?

[ol man]

newman pin registration system ?  anyone have thoughts on this system...
thanks

[Socalfmf]

I personally do not like it..here is why..you have at add an attachment  to your frames and you have to spend a lot of money to do that...when you get new frames you have to add them, you use statics you have to drill an attachment on them.  that is a lot of extra work for each screen and if you want to maximize your screens you have to do it on all 4 corners..just a huge expense...

that is what i think...others?

[ericheartsu]

ive been buying parts for this used, and am working on setting it up this month...i'll let you know how it goes

[ol man]

thanks eric

[ericheartsu]

thanks eric

no problem. the biggest thing i'm waiting for is to get my platten back from newman

[ZooCity]

I've been running one for a few years.  I like it fine. 

You would not want to use statics with this system, it is designed around roller frames and would most likely totally suck for statics. 

The pins are about $10 per screen (pair) brand new.  I got mine used for very cheap.  Like roller frames they will probably last the life of your shop and are precision built.  It is not a big deal at all to bolt them on to the frames. 

You do no need to place a jig on your expo glass, the system uses a bar to align the film to screen and you tape it on there. You can shoot screens 2up on larger expo units as well as shoot bigger screens without dedicating an expo unit to each.  This feature is primarily why I chose it over tri-lock which runs on the same basic concept.

Also, unlike a tri-lock you don't have to load a platen onto the press to reg, you use one with swing out arms and simply tuck the arms back in when done. 

For an all-roller shop, it's the way to go.  For a shop with both statics and rollers, check out a tri lock.

[cvreeland]

I've had both, & prefer the Tri-loc to the Newman. Swapping the pallet is not that big of a deal -- we used to continually get shirts hung up on the swing arms, so I  felt like it slowed us down more overall.

Also, you don't need the pin adaptors with the Tri-loc, & retrofitting a bunch of rollers with those is expensive.

On the registration end -- maybe I had a bad one, but when I set a screen on the pins, I could wiggle it about a 16th of an inch at the far end of the screen, & the initial prints were never as close as with the Tri-loc.

[ZooCity]

Your pin lock was out if whack, there's no play in ours.

I get like one shirt in a couple hundred snagged on the arms.  I thought it would be more if a problem.

[RICK STEFANICK]

I have used them both. tri-lock is simpler and works with all types of frames. but as far as more accurate?  thats debatable.

[jsheridan]

Having used both systems extensively, pin system and tri loc..

Ill take the newman system.. yeah it has some parts you need to put on your frames and you have to send them your platen to attach the arms but once the system is in place, its more accurate than tri loc.  plus you don't need any jigs on your exposure, this is a major plus if you have a few sized screens and need to take the triloc jig off the glass to burn your larger, smaller frames.

As far as accuracy, same holds true for both systems, whoever tapes the film to carrier needs to be perfect everytime.

[ZooCity]

I agree with John on this.  Fundamentally the pin lock is probably more accurate but they are both nearly identical in concept.  If you do it sloppy- inconsistent o.c. head to head, press out of parallel, not smoothing/taping consistently then either system will net you a very close "pre-alignment".  Do it right and they both will probably be dead nuts 95% of the time.

Our biggest reason for using pin lock is that exact issue- while 99% of the textile screens we have are standardized in size, we have big ass flatstock screens and I don't want to commit space and resources to having two expo units or have to pull the tri-lock off the glass when flatstock screens need shot.  I also want to shoot 2up and have both of those screens running on the same job.

The pin-lock is width specific but the gear works for two widths.  The only thing you need to do to change from 23" to 25" is move the pins on the swing out arms but it would be best to at least have a uniform screen width just for efficiencies sake.  You could rock, say, 23x31-33 frames for regular size prints and keep 25x36 or larger for oversized with minimal effort to switch between.  In some ways this is another strength of the system.

If I only needed one size frame and was buying new I'd get the tri lock probably.

Last thought- the story I've gotten was that when Newman initially developed the pin lock system they overdid it.  The system was more accurate than presses at the time so the build of the press and the press's ability to hold it's adjustments was a major limiting factor.  I guess this raised a bit of a stir with press mfg's who didn't like their clients telling them their press needs to be built better so they can use a pre-reg system.   There used to be (maybe still is?) a couple "levels" of pin lock you could get into with the upper ones requiring very good tolerances throughout your shop but providing a dreamy situation, not unlike the one enjoyed by MHM users, where every job is lock and load.  The one they are selling now appears to be a compromise to work best across a variety of shop conditions.  The tri-lock on the other hand was clearly designed to be more forgiving of less than ideal shop conditions from the get go.   M&R is really good at accommodating all sorts of shops.  This is probably why most will find the pin lock a little more accurate, the tri lock possibly a little more agreeable.   

Don't forget- both are a systemic commitment!

In the end any, I mean any old system you can cook up, is better than nothing and will help you do more work, better, with less hassle.  If neither of these are in the budget build yer own.  M&R's old manuals, for example, have a great, simple alignment system concept that uses marks on the platens themselves and would cost you nothing to implement. 

[RICK STEFANICK]

zoo you are either a really fast typer or you have too much time on your hands   lol

[ZooCity]

zoo you are either a really fast typer or you have too much time on your hands   lol

Definitely the former and boy do I wish it was the latter.  haha.

I have so much of this crap in my head that I cannot resist any opportunity to get it out!

Typing is the only thing I learned in high school that I use everyday. 

[ol man]

Thank you for the information....