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screen printing => Equipment => DIY - From master engineered marvels to cobbled together jury-rigged or Jerry-built junk! => Topic started by: mimosatexas on September 25, 2014, 11:45:50 PM

Title: Spring Plungers?
Post by: mimosatexas on September 25, 2014, 11:45:50 PM
I don't care about the drama the star of this video seems to conjure up, but does anyone know where to source the spring plungers he is using in his unit, or something similar?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pgbRnSdxtA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pgbRnSdxtA)

I have been using ball catches from lowes (like these: http://donnahuebsch.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/adjustable-ball-catch-1.jpg (http://donnahuebsch.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/adjustable-ball-catch-1.jpg)) but I'm finding I want a little more movement to make loading the screens easier.  These just dont have enough distance in the spring.

Any ideas?

edit: the two closest searches I've found are https://www.google.com/search?q=SPRING+STOP+BUTTONS&client=firefox-a&hs=SLO&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=rcs&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=E-IkVJfVE8WsyATvnYLYBg&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=955 (https://www.google.com/search?q=SPRING+STOP+BUTTONS&client=firefox-a&hs=SLO&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=rcs&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=E-IkVJfVE8WsyATvnYLYBg&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=955) and https://www.google.com/search?q=spring+loaded+delrin+cap&client=firefox-a&hs=mzi&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&biw=1920&bih=955&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=1uEkVJS0CZSfyATA5oKoCg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg (https://www.google.com/search?q=spring+loaded+delrin+cap&client=firefox-a&hs=mzi&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&biw=1920&bih=955&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=1uEkVJS0CZSfyATA5oKoCg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg) but i still havent come across anything exactly like what is in this video or what is used on the tri-loc
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: Gilligan on September 26, 2014, 12:02:30 AM
Everything he uses can get gotten from Grainger I believe.

Extruded aluminum and such for sure.
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: ebscreen on September 26, 2014, 12:05:52 AM
www.jwwinco.com (http://www.jwwinco.com) probably has them or something similar.

Mcmaster-Carr if you haven't checked them yet.

Sometimes the hardest part about finding an item is finding the correct name for it.
Or at least what everyone else calls it anyways.
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: mimosatexas on September 26, 2014, 12:07:18 AM
the frame and stops etc are not an issue, but those stupid spring plungers are a pin in the ass to source...

I have done every keyword search I can think of on sites like grainger without luck.
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: mimosatexas on September 26, 2014, 12:08:39 AM
Yea the correct name seems to be the biggest hurdle.  I have looked at all of these sites without luck.  Stuff is close but either they are really small, have the wrong housing, or are super expensive.  Normally I am pretty good about sourcing stuff like this for my DIY bullshit...

For example, nothing here fits the bill, though about a dozen are close in one way or another: http://www.jwwinco.com/products/section10/ (http://www.jwwinco.com/products/section10/)
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: Gilligan on September 26, 2014, 12:18:18 AM
He's using this guy with a different plunger.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CARR-LANE-SPRING-STOP-BUTTONS-CL-30-SSB-/300560294130 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/CARR-LANE-SPRING-STOP-BUTTONS-CL-30-SSB-/300560294130)

Cl-30-ssb
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: mimosatexas on September 26, 2014, 12:26:56 AM
Any idea where he is sourcing the plunger?  I found that exact model a few places...
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: Binkspot on September 26, 2014, 05:39:39 AM
http://www.jwwinco.com/index.html (http://www.jwwinco.com/index.html)

http://www.carrlane.com/catalog/index.cfm/26605071F0B021118070C1C510D020609090C001548001318 (http://www.carrlane.com/catalog/index.cfm/26605071F0B021118070C1C510D020609090C001548001318)

MSC industrial has a lot of jig fixture parts or any supply house that sells machine tools such as lathes and milling machines.

Use their stuff and modify it or make what you need. Some of the best deals on the t slot and fittings can be found on Amazon.
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: ScreenPrinter123 on September 26, 2014, 07:57:39 AM
http://www.carrlane.com/catalog/index.cfm/27825071F0B221118070C1C513E111D081B0006280B1713050245221E0107070F1A3C3B285350405E (http://www.carrlane.com/catalog/index.cfm/27825071F0B221118070C1C513E111D081B0006280B1713050245221E0107070F1A3C3B285350405E)

http://www.mcmaster.com/#spring-stops/=tw18rq]
[url]http://www.mcmaster.com/#spring-stops/=tw18rq (http://[url)[/url]
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: mimosatexas on September 26, 2014, 08:46:49 AM
is 1/4" of movement enough?  I feel like the stops in both the video and on the tri-loc have more....
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: ScreenPrinter123 on September 26, 2014, 10:40:13 AM
is 1/4" of movement enough?  I feel like the stops in both the video and on the tri-loc have more....

Ours only has 1/4" of travel ability because the screw on the back is 1/4" away from the frame.  We have no problem inserting any of our screens.  I would go with a circle bump though becuase we are always having to twist ours so that we can snap the frames in.  Hasn't aggravated me enough to change out the spring stops yet but would be better to have ones that would not require twisting.  Not sure if a 1/4" of travel on our style is equal to a 1/4" of travel on the circle bumps though.
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: mimosatexas on September 26, 2014, 11:54:41 AM
Great info.  Thanks!  I went ahead and bought 3 of the circle head ones.  I'll post picks when I've updated my unit.
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: Binkspot on September 26, 2014, 11:59:25 AM
Bit later but if you want a longer stroke you could buy spring return air cylinders and not hook air up to them
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: Gilligan on September 26, 2014, 12:09:58 PM
Bit later but if you want a longer stroke you could buy spring return air cylinders and not hook air up to them

That's probably where I'm going since I have (relatively) drastically different frame sizes and don't want to be adjusting the FPU constantly.
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: mimosatexas on September 26, 2014, 12:11:52 PM
hmm that has me thinking...
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: Binkspot on September 26, 2014, 12:39:36 PM
Two air cylinders, air switch, volume tank for delay and a dump valve. It's in a pile in my shop just need time to put together.
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: ebscreen on September 26, 2014, 12:53:14 PM
I've got a gang of 1" stroke or so compact air cylinders free to a good home. I'll even pay the ups as long as you post
pics of the final product.

What's everyone doing for the placement grid?
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: mimosatexas on September 26, 2014, 01:20:59 PM
I'll take em eb.  I actually have a project I have been trying to figure out that would benefit from them.  I'll definitely post the results.

In fact, I think I'm going to take this weekend to post a ton of my DIY stuff finally.
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: Shanarchy on September 26, 2014, 01:21:30 PM
What's everyone using for a pallet jig?
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: ebscreen on September 26, 2014, 01:48:00 PM
Bimba FOS-041 is what they are.

Let me know if that will work and the address if you want them.
Title: Re: Spring Plungers?
Post by: ScreenPrinter123 on September 26, 2014, 04:07:27 PM


What's everyone doing for the placement grid?

.01 stroke lines made in Illustrator that was printed to a clear vinyl/transfer material on our 4880 (a nearby sign shop gave us the stuff so I am not really sure what it is other than clear printable roll that we then applied to the sheet of HDPE.  We use the same stroke for cross hairs on our films that line up to our grid.