Screen Tensions....???

[alan802]

Definite parallel issues going on.  You need to parallel the pallets to the print carriage then the screen holders to the pallets.  It's not hard but you have to understand how to do it before you screw things up.  How shall we go about teaching him how to parallel the entire press?  Lot's of info out there about it but where to start?  You've got an 1/8" up front and 1/4 in the back.  You could lower your screen hangers in the back, or raise the hangers in the front, but you got to baseline your pallets and parallel them to each other before you start on the screen hangers.

[Northland]

A couple years ago I sold a TUF Javelin to a printer in Texas... I shot a crude video showing how to parallel the press.
It may serve some use in this discussion.

! Private video

[Inkworks]

A quarter inch OC wow not good dude.

But like I said, if you look it's like an 1/8" on the outer side and 1/4" on the inside.....But all the pallets are level both front to back and side to side....

Nick

Okay, quick and dirty answer for you:

IF your machine is very level and IF your platens are very level, then you need to adjust the screen clamps hangers on the print heads. The screen clamps hang off of 4 threaded rods on each print head. the threaded rods will have nuts below and above the flanges on each head. to raise one side loosen the bottom nut and tighten the top nut. You're shooting to get the screen as level as possible to the platen, you can't get too level so take your time.

Ideally level all the heads to the same platen, then check the all the platens to one head.

In reality you really want the screens and platens leveled to the stroke of the squeegee/floodbar, you can do this by leveling the platens to a floodbar stroke without a screen in the head and then leveling your screens to those platens.

Good Thread on platen/Screen Leveling

[Inkworks]

A couple years ago I sold a TUF Javelin to a printer in Texas... I shot a crude video showing how to parallel the press.
It may serve some use in this discussion.

! Private video

You video is set to private.

[Rocfrog]

A couple years ago I sold a TUF Javelin to a printer in Texas... I shot a crude video showing how to parallel the press.
It may serve some use in this discussion.

! Private video

You video is set to private.

yep...cant see it....

Nick

[Northland]

A couple years ago I sold a TUF Javelin to a printer in Texas... I shot a crude video showing how to parallel the press.
It may serve some use in this discussion.

! Private video

You video is set to private.

Sorry... I've reset the status to "public"

[Binkspot]

Northland your video is coming up Private, I would like to see it.

Start from scratch, it doesn't take to long and then you have a starting point. Make sure the image does not move to a different place on each pallet before you start, example using a left chest. Pallet 1 the image is 2" from the side the next one its 2-1/2 and the next is 3-1/4". This will indicate the pallet arms are out, I doubt they are but no sense leveling the press if that needs to be fixed, just check first. If they are ok start by leveling the press, then the pallets and last the screen holders. The pallets need to be paralleled to the press not necessarily to the floor and the screen holder to the pallets.

There are so many variables in printing try to eliminate as many as you can, the machine is probably the easiest to do.

I found the best way to check squeegee sharpness is to draw your thumb across the blade edge, a sharp one you can actually feel the bumps and ridges in your finger print.     

[Rocfrog]

Binkspot it's funny you should mention that because when we do sleeve prints or hip prints with the sleeve boards on the press we have two or three that print a little off and if I remember correctly one of them is almost off the board!

Nick

[Binkspot]

It could just be the pallets. I have a set of 5" pallets I cut the one end down to 4"wide for doing pockets. The first two I was off a little when I cut them and they print off to the one side a little. I marked them with an arrow which to place the pocket for center.

Make yourself a test film and screen with five targets on it each with cross hairs and two circles about 2". Lay them out so one lands in each corner of the pallets about 2"-3" in from the edge, the fifth one somewhere in the center. Put the screen in one of the heads, clean pallet cover and print on each pallet. Using an adjustable carpenters square measure each one from the side edge. Measure and compare all the front right corners then the back right. A small change is expected, maybe a 1/16" between all the pallets but not much more. Front to back does not matter at this point, that's as simple as sliding the pallet forward or back.

Doing this with the five targets will also show how much your pallets are out of plane. You will see some of the targets in the print are solid, some barely there, some not printing at all. The same effect as printing a 12"x 16" print.

To check the reg make two or three more of the same screen. Load them in the screen holders with different color inks. Register them, they don't have to be perfect and run once around. As long as the marks line up the same way on every pallet you are good if not you'll see it right away.

[inkman996]

Speaking of one hit white. IN the picture below is a one hit white, on navy fleece, in a 110 static (GASP). Its a down and dirty logo for mechanics they go through these shirts like toilet paper so they like it cheap, been printing these for years with a 110 one hit always comes out near solid white.

So imagine that even a static screen can get a one hit or more often than not a two hit, but this just illustrates its so much more than the screen. I need a to adjust angles and pressures to make it work, and the absolutely perfect OC is needed. If I change the OC just a tiny bit it shows up big time. But in your case your OC is literally not in the picture because your palettes are so far out of parallel. You will always have to use excessive pressure to make up for the lower areas of the platens and as a result the higher areas will suffer.

BTW I would have shot a vid Alan style but Brandt would have freaked on me knowing I did it with an IPAD

[Rocfrog]

So it sounds like I need to take a day and go thru the press and check EVERYTHING and basically reset it up as if it were new and then go from there, because this press has never been well taken care of, the employees that come thru here just don't care.

We are currently trying to run a job (finally got a little bit of work) and now it's not putting down anywhere near enough ink!!! I had to put the press back to where I had the settings last week just to get it to cover in two hits (print/flash/print).....Vegas gold on Black 100% poly.....

Nick

[Rocfrog]

Ok so see I'm learning already!!!

Here's some shots of the problems I was talking about above....







This one had been hit 4 times! (print/flash/print/flash/print/flash/print)...



Then I decided to try the 2 screens method and see if that helps. So even though I didn't out put the films for that I just reburned it and taped off the screen to reflect the areas that I wanted printed on the 230 screen and the rest on the 160 screen....

And this is now how it looks!







it looks a MILLION times better! It still has to go around a million times, but the print looks correct!

Nick

[mk162]

umm, FYI, that falcon is copyrighted. 

[Rocfrog]

umm, FYI, that falcon is copyrighted.

Its for a local high school, yes I know it's the Atlanta Falcons logo but it is also their logo. As is the case with most school mascots.....

Nick

[mk162]

Yeah, and they are cracking down on that.