M&R Starlight Gemini

[Screen Dan]

Okay...I'm excited.  Can't wait for the quote.  I'm assuming this will be packed with the same awesome LEDs as the standard Starlights...love the double-sided feature.  We've been doing lots of post exposure and this will save us so much in electricity, bulb cost and time.

...and it's maximum screen size is precisely the size of our jumbo frames.  I'd like to think that's no coincidence  .

Thanks Rich.  Can't wait.

[T Shirt Farmer]

You may not be so excited once you see the price... I thought the M$R Secret Magic Starlight Bulbs would never need a double sided post exposure.

[Screen Dan]

I'm prepared for a doozy.  I'm imagining twice the big Starlight and then a little more for good measure.

I'd already have 3140 but my 32x43" M6s just won't fit in the damn thing.  Also, I don't have warm fuzzy feelings about any of the other LED units...based on testing, reviews or just outright lack of very specific engineering information from sales reps.  (specific spectrum, preferably in nanometers.  Even better, with a histogram)

Worst case scenario this thing hits ROI in 3 or 4 years instead of 1 and change. ..not counting anything we recoup by selling our current unit...and we've had that Douthitt DMZ for going on 15 years now, so, I can live with that kind of time frame.

[ZooCity]

Cool unit for sure, I like the pass through ability.  Maybe stick it between the wall of the area with your CTS and the resolving area for a constant flow. 

Agree with T Shirt Farmer.  Why not just build the LED array with the ability to completely cross link current emulsions?   Or wait until a set of LEDs and emulsions are developed?

We use LED so I'm not just talking crap.  It can cross link our emulsion fully but is slower, hotter on the screen and resolves less detail than metal halide.   The upgrade is the electrical savings and environmental/economic saving of not using rare earth laden consumable bulbs.   The rest is just smoke in my opinion.  But I think electric savings on this unit could be a factor on the ROI for a big shop, running constant screen flow.

[BorisB]

How much does it cost?
Probably much, due to double LED strips.

[Screen Dan]

The upgrade is the electrical savings and environmental/economic saving of not using rare earth laden consumable bulbs.   The rest is just smoke in my opinion.  But I think electric savings on this unit could be a factor on the ROI for a big shop, running constant screen flow.

You just nailed it.  Between electricity and consumables, not to mention heating/cooling...and the consistency of an exposure time being (roughly) set in stone...and space.  This will open up so much space for our pre-washout staging.  Currently there's barely room to work and move if we put out 150+ a day, this will put us closer to 250 screens in the staging area. 

I've only seen the power bill around here a few times...but it's usually over $5000/mo and I can't imagine the current exposure unit is an insignificant part of that bill.

[ZooCity]

Dan what type of emulsion are you using?

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[Screen Dan]

Aquasol HV, so I'm not too worried.

[ZooCity]

Good.  Without diazo in the hv you won't take too hard a hit on expo times.  You will take a hit however.  Especially if shooting 2up or more currently.

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[Screen Dan]

I got the quote.  It is extremely reasonable and so very much less than I anticipated.  By many thousands.

Awaiting the formal quote so I can submit this for approval.  This thing should hit ROI within a year and a half or so.  Then it's all gravy from there.

[ABuffington]

Post exposure does help, especially a pure photopolymer.  We have been testing with the Starlight now for about a month with all of our emulsions.  Pure Photopolymers definitely expose fast, most of our times were in the 6-10 second range on HV, HVP and Photocure BLU.  I love how fast the vacuum drawdown works as well as the release.  It takes 40 seconds for our Large Tri-light to draw down and mere seconds on the Starlight.  I did get better resolution and strength using higher mesh counts.  Like a 150S for a 110T.  Yellow mesh is recommended for any halftone work, or fine copyrights.  For tough inks like HSA, Discharge, this post exposure unit is welcome.  The more the emulsion completes it's cross linking the stronger it will be on press. 

[Screen Dan]

We upgraded our washout pressure washer to a 1900psi 2.1gpm (from 1400psi/1.5gpm) and decided to use that extra power to push our stencil strength to the max, so we nearly doubled our exposure times..and it's worked out beautifully.  Haven't had any breakdown on DC (with same time double-post-exposure)...damn sure none on plastisol.

Currently with a 5k MH we are producing insanely strong stencils with the 150/48 at 88s and the 225/48 at 48s.  The bulb is about a month and a half old for a 1 shift screen department.  No film, no vac, no glass.

So...let's say we continue to mix the diazo in.  What would my (ball park) exposure times look like on, say, a 150/48 coated 1/2 on the thin side...and a 225/48 1/1 on the thin side?

[ABuffington]

For both the starlight and 5k MH adding diazo to the emulsion increases the time by approx 25%.  These times on either system would be approx since emulsion film thickness can vary shop to shop, humidity, and temperature can affect times as well.  You are wise to push times as high as possible.  Highly opaque CTS or films allow for longer exposures which creates the strongest stencils.  Washing out with the PSI indicated helps with the 4-10% halftones. 

Al

[Screen Dan]

We completely roll off starting at 6%...but the 7-10% dots are still getting developed, pretty easily with the dip-tank and new pressure washer combo.

25% of such a minuscule number is a-okay by me.  I'll take that latitude until I dial it into tenths of a second.

Is there any issue with the Starlight not fully exposing the diazo?  I've heard plenty to suggest that might be a problem with other brand's machines.  Also, do I stand to lose any hardness without the diazo?  And if the photopolymer is fully cross-linking does it even matter?