Flash Dryers

[Homer]

I am looking at a new auto, and the option of flash dryers came up. I was quoted on a Reno flash 18"x22". What is the real big difference in IR flash units? I can get 2 brand new- 18"x24" with a stand and temp controls for HALF the price I was quoted for a drop in head style unit. I am thinking of bypassing the drop in style and buying 2 on a stand and saving 4k. These are standard IR panels, not quartz or anything fancy. I mean, heat is heat right? Is it the efficiency that makes the more expensive units worth the extra coin, or the panels last longer? I don't want to cheap out, but that adds up fast. What do you guys think?

[RICK STEFANICK]

IR reno flashes are all i used on my sportsman. in fact i like ir flashes as far as the ease of use.  renos bolt right onto the chopper bars and are easy to move as well. they are also really dependable. that matters. i think saving 4k is alot. if the flashes your talking about are as nice and as dependable it should be a no brainer. flashes on stands that roll around are nice.. yes  heat is heat..i think

[pwalsh]

I am looking at a new auto, and the option of flash dryers came up. I was quoted on a Reno flash 18"x22". What is the real big difference in IR flash units? I can get 2 brand new- 18"x24" with a stand and temp controls for HALF the price I was quoted for a drop in head style unit. I am thinking of bypassing the drop in style and buying 2 on a stand and saving 4k. These are standard IR panels, not quartz or anything fancy. I mean, heat is heat right? Is it the efficiency that makes the more expensive units worth the extra coin, or the panels last longer? I don't want to cheap out, but that adds up fast. What do you guys think?

Homer:  I've seen a lot of people use a combination of Quartz and Infra-Red Flash Cure units on their press.  Quartz definitely has the additional "punch" to quickly cure white Underbase without slowing down production, while a traditional IR panel is perfectly adequate to gel off a color mid-way round the press to avoid pick-off on the subsequent screens. 

BTW:  Infrared flash cure units will absolutely cure white Underbase but they tend to be a little slower, and require you to get the pallets up to temp to really work effectively.  If you want to learn more about the basic principals of how IR panels work then you might want to check out these two sites:  SolarProducts.com and IntekCorp.com. 

[bimmridder]

Jay, I have both styles in my shop. The main reason I got quarts was he fact that they aren't constantly on. IR panels are putting heat out all day. The quartz are FAST, but like someone else said, they take some getting used to. Mine are old enough they don't have power level controls, and that makes them a little more tough to get used to. You can either run them through the control panel or run them on a timer on each unit. But again, mine are 5 years old or more.

[JBLUE]

I run two IR Omni flashes on my press. They work great and are easy to adjust on the fly. I dont have any real experience with running a quartz so I am kind of one sided.

[dsh]

I got a quartz when I purchased my Brown.  In Florida we run the air 8-10 months out of the year, and it was immediately noticeable when the IR wasn't pumping out heat constantly.  If I get called away I can flip a switch and its off, and with the flip of a switch it's ready to go again.  I put a micro switch on the manual and I use the quartz in the same manner on that press.  Up north it may be nice to have the extra heat, especially during winter. 

[Homer]

thanks guys, good info -I have to go IR because the quartz runs on 3 phase. . .don't have 3 phase. I am going to investigate these units a little more before I lay out 3k for a flash. I see some forced air style, what's that all about?

[pwalsh]

thanks guys, good info -I have to go IR because the quartz runs on 3 phase. . .don't have 3 phase. I am going to investigate these units a little more before I lay out 3k for a flash. I see some forced air style, what's that all about?

Homer:  I'm no expert, but the way that Infrared (IR) curing was explained to me is that Plastisol ink gives off some fumes while it cures / gels.  These fumes block a percentage of the IR rays and slow down the cure of the ink.  The purpose of the fan forced air is to blow the fumes away and to give the IR rays clear and unobstructed access to the ink film  Hopkins used to make (maybe they still do) a great forced air flash to accompany their manual presses.

[ebscreen]

Most quartz flashes can be converted to single phase rather easily.

Once you've gone quartz....

 

[Clark]

Both my quartz flashes were converted from 3-phase to single phase.  I lost one bulb on each though.  Apparently single phase has to have even numbers of bulbs and 3-phase has to have multiples of 3.

[Homer]

Clark - which units do you have?

[squeegee]

I'll just add that quartz flashes are hot in an instant and you never have to wait for them.  The time saved and speed are a big deal to me.  Power intensity control is also a big help on those delicate fabrics.

[Homer]

now what about operating costs. does it cost more to run a quartz? what is the average life span of the quartz bulbs? We don't print balls out, we are slower than most -comfortable pace, so hanging out 10 more seconds isn't a big deal to us. We are used to warming up the platens for 10 minutes or so, let the press dry cycle for a while. I ran across some post over at P's that had good info on this stuff. I want to make sure we get the right units for our shop.