Dryer Belt Width vs Heat Length

[ebscreen]

Trying to justify fitting a new massive press in our shop, and have come to the conclusion
that a narrower dryer (48" belt vs the 72" we have now) with a longer length in both
infeed and heat (currently 5' in and 10' heat, going to 8' in and 16' heat) will fit much better.

Anyone have any insight? Obviously you can fit more side by side on a wider belt, but my thinking
is that with a longer tunnel we should be able to run the belt much faster. Is it a linear thing?
IE twice as long tunnel = twice as fast?

Is a wider belt and shorter tunnel more efficient gas wise?

Anyone run two presses on a 48" belt?

[Orion]

Check the production rating (pieces per hour) for the two dryers. I would not be comfortable running two auto presses on a 48" belt 

[Admiral]

Efficiency I'm not sure on with the dryer but yes, a dryer heat chamber with 2x the length as your original would mean 2x as fast belt speed would equate to the same amount of dwell time.

I believe there is more to maintain with the extra long heat chambers, not sure what else is different.

With going from 10' heat to 16' heat that would mean you can speed the belt up 60% from where it is now for the same dwell time.

[3Deep]

My 2 cents sez having a longer belt will not mean faster belt speed, a 72" wide belt will have the same production and can handle two auto's , having extra length is good for loading and cooling of the T-shirts for stacking.

Darryl

[ebscreen]

And a 48" belt is ~%60 the width of a 72", so almost an even trade there.

The main issues would be garment size on the belt, which of course comes down to print size.
Lot of variables on that one.

Thanks for the input so far.

[ZooCity]

The main issues would be garment size on the belt, which of course comes down to print size.

Reckon that monster press has a large image area too.  Capacity changes a lot when you go to bigger prints.  Also watch out for most capacity ratings for wb, they use a 1-1.5 minute dwell which is certainly doable with the right ink/print but too short a dwell for my taste.

So, uh, does this mean you're selling the 72" belt?  I know I guy that might want to purchase it, *wink wink*. 

We're getting close to deciding on new dryer right now and I'm going through a similar game of second guessing myself.  My gut (and some actual math) says we need a min 60" belt with 12' of chamber, upgradable to at least 16' and we're just one auto, one manual and a "slow" auto at that. 

I'm not sure I would feel comfortable with 2 autos on a 48", our 48" texair gets pretty damn cramped just with our humble setup.   Then again if it's going to cramp your new press...pick the lesser of the two bad things I suppose. 

Btw, there is a really freaking long chambered sprint 2000 with a 48" belt on ebay right now I think. 

[alan802]

Something tells me it's not quite a linear relationship when it comes to width and heat chamber length.  The shirts being in the chamber longer does lead to faster belt speeds but with plastisol the temp of the ink film determines whether it's cured or not, time in the chamber helps that, but I think it's more complicated than we think.  I could be wrong, but just messing around with the donut probe and our dryer I've noticed a lot of nuances and things that make me question the whole curing process and whether or not it's a linear relationship and can be easily calculated or if it's more complicated than that.  Lowering the temp and slowing belt speed down accordingly didn't give me the numbers I expected to see, that's why I'm questioning this.

[Lizard]

We ran two autos on a 38" belt for a couple of years at high production so 48" would not be a problem.  And 60% reduction in with x 60% extra length does not really equate because you are not using every inch of the belt. I would prefer more length than width in this case.

[ebscreen]

Something tells me it's not quite a linear relationship when it comes to width and heat chamber length.  The shirts being in the chamber longer does lead to faster belt speeds but with plastisol the temp of the ink film determines whether it's cured or not, time in the chamber helps that, but I think it's more complicated than we think.  I could be wrong, but just messing around with the donut probe and our dryer I've noticed a lot of nuances and things that make me question the whole curing process and whether or not it's a linear relationship and can be easily calculated or if it's more complicated than that.  Lowering the temp and slowing belt speed down accordingly didn't give me the numbers I expected to see, that's why I'm questioning this.

Exactly. I know it's not an A + B situation, that would be too easy! I'd assume that's why M&R (wisely) doesn't have piece/hr numbers
like other manufacturers do.

Really it comes down to print size and how much you're willing to fold up a shirt before you put it on the belt. If I wanted full bore
no problems with everything we do (oversize discharge on two presses) we'd likely need 72" belt and 20 feet of heat or more.
But realistically, that doesn't happen too often, I can typically schedule around it at least.

Do most dryers need access to both sides of the actual dryer? If I could put it against the wall it would give me more usable space.

[cleveprint]

with just 1 auto and a manual. we fill up our 48" dryer no problem. depending on the job, we have to slow our dwell on the auto down so that we dont fill it up. now we also have an older harco electric dryer with 14' in-feed and 10' of heat. i havent researched newer dryers too much, but im sure a gas dryer would be able to be sped up or at least run a little quicker. when we do get a new dryer, i would love to stick to 48" because of space issues though.

[TCT]

I'd assume that's why M&R (wisely) doesn't have piece/hr numbers
like other manufacturers do.

Do most dryers need access to both sides of the actual dryer? If I could put it against the wall it would give me more usable space.

M&R does advertise pieces/hr. they also have a nifty little diagram on how many you can fit in per dryer configuration depending how they are laid out(sideways, folded, side by side, ect.).

All the gas dryers I have looked at seem to have at least 1 thing that you would want to get to on each side, wither it is grease nipples or what have you.

Wouldn't it be kinda hard to load two autos on a dryer if it were against a wall? Or do you just envision having a LONG in-feed?

We were at this same cross roads a few months ago, and decided longer than wider....

[244]

I'd assume that's why M&R (wisely) doesn't have piece/hr numbers
like other manufacturers do.

Do most dryers need access to both sides of the actual dryer? If I could put it against the wall it would give me more usable space.

M&R does advertise pieces/hr. they also have a nifty little diagram on how many you can fit in per dryer configuration depending how they are laid out(sideways, folded, side by side, ect.).

All the gas dryers I have looked at seem to have at least 1 thing that you would want to get to on each side, wither it is grease nipples or what have you.

Wouldn't it be kinda hard to load two autos on a dryer if it were against a wall? Or do you just envision having a LONG in-feed?

We were at this same cross roads a few months ago, and decided longer than wider....

A gas dryer cannot be installed against the wall according to AGA/CGA standards. There is a specific space requirement for placement near walls. The manufacturer who you chose to supply your dryer should give you this information.

[ebscreen]

Got it, didn't even think about code for it, more of a is it even possible kind of deal.

Hadn't seen piece per hour information on M&R's site, I did see the little folding diagram
though.

Stupid odd shaped building. In my last shops the ink and screen rooms (area's, really)
were more of an afterthought, with floor space being all but dedicated to production.

This time we built out large rooms, ink finally being contained in it's own little dungeon
(Sartorius should arrive today!) and floor space being allotted to the two presses I had
currently, thinking that was it and I'm done with growth. Doh.

[Sbrem]

for what it's worth, we run a single auto (MHM 12/10) on our 72", and it's full. I can't really see running a second auto on it... but if you can pull that off, then it's a good idea. (what's that commercial say? It's only weird if it doesn't work)

Steve

[ebscreen]

How much heat Steve?