Author Topic: 1. Discharge large open area - 2. Discharge lint misprints  (Read 2903 times)

Offline ScreenPrinter123

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1. Discharge large open area - 2. Discharge lint misprints
« on: July 30, 2013, 06:30:06 PM »
1.  We recently ran a job that had a large open area and we were having to move and/or add ink every 100 shirts because it would just collect in the top corners of the screen.  Any bright ideas out there to increase the number of shirts printed before having to stop for ink management.  We are already using Action winged floodbars but the discharge is runny enough that it doesn't take long before it is outside of the playground.

2.  Any tricks for noticing discharge misprints caused by lint.  D-White is easy but on pms colors it can be really hard to see a small lint blockage until the shirt has run through the dryer...along with the 30+ coming after it.  We are running a lint screen first but it never picks up everything.

On a side note we have stopped using white pigment because of screen clogging issues, not sure if we got a bad batch or if our "stirring the crap out of it" was not quite good enough.  We recently had a gold color that called for 75% white pigment in the mixture and instead of using white pigment we used 25% D-White and 75% D-Base for the base as well as the other pigments called for in the pms color.  It only took a couple tweaks of the non-white pigments and we were ready to roll and did not have any problems on press.  Just a thought if anyone struggles with their white pigment as we have.


Offline Frog

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Re: 1. Discharge large open area - 2. Discharge lint misprints
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2013, 06:58:12 PM »
You may want to consider a sticky lint pick-up screen if you have the room.
That rug really tied the room together, did it not?

Offline ScreenPrinter123

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Re: 1. Discharge large open area - 2. Discharge lint misprints
« Reply #2 on: July 30, 2013, 07:44:54 PM »
We are running a lint pick up screen and it does help but it's not perfect.

Offline ebscreen

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Re: 1. Discharge large open area - 2. Discharge lint misprints
« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2013, 08:20:24 PM »
Snap shirts, quick smoothing with the hands, it's about all you can do.

I know it's not good to start and stop the discharge process, but I've thought of
putting a flash in the last head for exactly this reason.

WB screens pick up lint like no other.

Offline T Shirt Farmer

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Re: 1. Discharge large open area - 2. Discharge lint misprints
« Reply #4 on: July 30, 2013, 09:13:41 PM »
WB screens pick up lint like no other.

WORD eb....

...crazy how the lint balls stick and on top if you are in WB mode when you stop the screen is flooded making it even more difficult to remove.
Robert
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Your Source for Decorated Apparel.

Offline ZooCity

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Re: 1. Discharge large open area - 2. Discharge lint misprints
« Reply #5 on: July 30, 2013, 09:25:58 PM »
Yeah the lint is a major buzz kill.

Def run the greaser screen, pre shake the shirts in staging and check visually at loading.

 I wonder if you could put a pinch of brightly colored dye stuff in the ink that lets the print become visible but is discharged by the DC ink in the dryer?

Offline ScreenPrinter123

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Re: 1. Discharge large open area - 2. Discharge lint misprints
« Reply #6 on: July 30, 2013, 10:59:10 PM »
Yeah the lint is a major buzz kill.

Def run the greaser screen, pre shake the shirts in staging and check visually at loading.

 I wonder if you could put a pinch of brightly colored dye stuff in the ink that lets the print become visible but is discharged by the DC ink in the dryer?

I was afraid shaking or popping during staging might be the only option.  This would be a MAJOR time kill given our complete lack of employees.  I may give CCI a call and see if a dye additive is possible.  Keep em coming!

Offline Itsa Little CrOoked

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Re: 1. Discharge large open area - 2. Discharge lint misprints
« Reply #7 on: July 30, 2013, 11:39:36 PM »
Could this be the only advantage to the manual printing of discharge jobs? (And not much of an advantage....)

When the frames are in the "up" position, it's probably a little easier to actually SEE the hitchhiker and snag it with a Q-Tip.

At least that's what we do, and we still miss stuff now and then.

Offline ZooCity

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Re: 1. Discharge large open area - 2. Discharge lint misprints
« Reply #8 on: July 31, 2013, 01:58:16 PM »
It was waaaay less of an issue on the manual, far easier to catch.  Not so on the auto and DC is always running fast as hell sans flash.

Our toughest jobs for this are the activated D-Base, no pigment, on Black Ts.  Sounds like the easiest job in the world but winds up being quite stressful.

Offline ebscreen

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Re: 1. Discharge large open area - 2. Discharge lint misprints
« Reply #9 on: July 31, 2013, 02:23:17 PM »
1.  We recently ran a job that had a large open area and we were having to move and/or add ink every 100 shirts because it would just collect in the top corners of the screen.  Any bright ideas out there to increase the number of shirts printed before having to stop for ink management.  We are already using Action winged floodbars but the discharge is runny enough that it doesn't take long before it is outside of the playground.


Forgot to mention this part. We print some oversize discharge jobs that require a dedicated person standing at the screen funneling ink back into the well
and adding ink every ten prints or so. One of those things where you almost can't charge enough.

Offline Parker 1

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Re: 1. Discharge large open area - 2. Discharge lint misprints
« Reply #10 on: July 31, 2013, 03:14:13 PM »
For large jobs we have added an extra person at the load stations with a large lint roller (Wall paper poller from Home Depot).  This person roles the shirts prior to loading.  We will also load 2 print screens to combat this.  Again can only be justified doing this for larger orders. 

1 person @ 7.50/hr at 50-55 dozen/hr  vs.  36-40 doz./hr

Offline ZooCity

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Re: 1. Discharge large open area - 2. Discharge lint misprints
« Reply #11 on: July 31, 2013, 05:08:06 PM »
Those with a flock vac unit could take advantage of it in head 1 for lint removal I'd imagine?