Placement suggestions please, for our Gauntlet Revolver

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

We are cramped. There are other items on the print floor but I omitted them for clarity. Also omitted is the Plastisol storage just barely overhead on the walls surrounding the Auto. Embroidery, sign making, WB and discharge ink mixing and pre-press are done elsewhere and not shown. Compressor, Chiller and lots of JUST PLAIN OL' CRAP is elsewhere also.

My PRECISE concern is the preferred location of the AUTO's loading and unloading station in relation to the dryer, which really cannot be moved much due to the 16" vent stack--it CAN be rotated. Only the stack is fixed.  The manual press is on wheels, and can be moved as needed, as can the shirt carts.

I've never operated an auto. I know for sure, there will frequently NOT be a separate loader AND unloader available.

The grid is 12" X 12" and the print floor is about 33 X 24 feet. FYI, the conveyor dryer is infrared and has 6 feet of heat.

Question:  Should I rotate the Gauntlet a little more counter-clockwise, so that the unloader will be a little closer to the infeed area of the tunnel?

[larryk]

Keep in mind where your flash will be and how much room it will take.

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

I have in mind placing my "shuttle flash"(?) on number 2 head. (Is that what they are called?)

But I am so totally clueless at this point, I don't even know how to mount the flash. I've never been around an auto, except at shows. I don't even have a big enough exposure unit to expose 31" screens yet. I've been all manual for 6 years. Feeling pretty GREEN just now.

But how's about the main question? The dryer can rotate a little and the Gauntlet can too. That's about it though.

Stan

[larryk]

I will be more than willing to come down and help you with setting up that monster when you are ready to do it. I'm not as sharp as some but I can get you to the point of printing shirts with it.........

[whitewater]

why couldnt you ove the dryer? Can you not add on to the stack? we do not have ours going straight up.

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

I will be more than willing to come down and help you with setting up that monster when you are ready to do it. I'm not as sharp as some but I can get you to the point of printing shirts with it.........

Much appreciated!! I have it sitting on a borrowed pallet jack and need to sit it down pretty soon, if I can't decide otherwise, I'll probably drop it right there.

And @ Whitewater, sure.  I can add a couple of those nifty twisty ells,  I reckon. Given that,  what would you do? I'm all ears.
If I can see the benefit, I'd do it for sure!  There's just so many square foot there, and I can't figure a way to feed the dryer from either press.
Thanks.

[Inkworks]

It's just as easy to load and unload at either open station as a single operator, so don't worry about rotating the machine. Make the dryer as close as you dare to the platen. Also consider putting the flash in head #3 if you can. That leaves you the option of either 2 colors before the flash, or more commonly, running a sticky screen, which on certain jobs can save hours and hours of downtime picking lint off the bottoms of screens.

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

Okay.

I DO think I'll rotate the Gauntlet about 10 degrees CCW and sit it down. It will still be a couple of steps for an "unloader only" man to hit the dryer. I don't think it will matter much for a man in single operator mode, IF you can use either open station.  My shirt carts will be on wheels.

And I'll try putting the flash on #3. The sticky screen sounds like a good idea.

One more question:

Is it absolutely essential to bolt the mounting base plates to the floor? I'm thinking I might leave them loose for a while, until I find out whether I like it there.

Thanks!

[tonypep]

No. Ours has never been bolted down. That said, a rough index can make it skate. App 30" from dryer belt is optimum however it seems you are restricted. Sooner or later you're going to hate that. Those extra steps matter.

[Inkworks]

Do you mean 30" from platen to belt Tony? I'm wrestling with the same thing with placing my new dryer. I would love to leave room to be able to scoot between the press and dryer, and the pinch point is exactly where the control panel is....

[tonypep]

Yes. The Idea is to swivel or at least only take one step. Sounds trivial but it isn't

[Inkworks]

Trivial for 50pcs. not so trivial for 10000. or over 5 years...

thanks, that input helps make a decision...

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

You know, that 30" thing makes sense. Thanks Tony. And no, an extra step doesn't sound trivial after you've come face to face with just how "physical" printing really is. It isn't like being in the hayloft of a tin-roofed barn at 104 degrees with no wind, stacking square bales as fast as you can carry them. But it IS work, and an extra step costs a body more than just a little time and money.

And since I don't have to bolt it to the floor (at least for now) I'm good to go with the spot I've picked. I did rotate the press about an additional 20 degrees CCW according to my sketch. That puts BOTH open positions about 30" to the side of the dryer, which is also fairly easy to move sideways a few inches.

It puts the belt directly behind the operator and just to his left or right... depending whether he is standing at position 9 or position 10.

Not exactly perfect, but I think we can live with it.

Stan