ImagesMagUK_March_2022

www.images-magazine.com MARCH 2022 images 65 MARKET INTELLIGENCE Ask Tony This month, Andrew Smith and the print team at Calder Screen Print in West Yorkshire ask industry expert Tony: “If you could own only one screen print machine, what spec would it have?” I n an alternative universe, an anti- competition law has been passed which states garment decorators can only own one screen print machine. The concept that one machine can perform all possible actions that a garment decorator could ever require has been introduced to reduce the countless iterations of machines that were on offer. Now that I have dragged you into my theoretical scenario, let me ask, what configuration would you choose? Shape and power Before I start, we have to dismiss the colour of the paint. Manufacturers long ago made multiple acquisitions of each other and now all presses are manufactured under the great M&MHROqR Amalgamated Inc label. First is the shape. There are two options – oval and carousel. I would choose oval. This plays back to my early days on an old hydraulic press with four colours down one side and an open area on the opposite side. It holds a dear space in my heart as it was the first press that actively tried to kill me! This press was evil. It would start printing when my back was turned and it would stop printing when I really needed it to continue printing, but the configuration will always be a favourite of mine. It also, importantly, allows for more than one loader. The next issue is power: electric, pneumatic or hydraulic. My choice is a mixture of pneumatic and electric servo. The old hydraulic presses were loud and clunky, but they worked so well. The predictability of a squeegee that pushes down with air but is driven by an electric motor, coupled with servo driven pallets, is the ultimate combo. Intelligent drive systems that compensate for any chain movement are essential. The old way of driving a pallet to ‘roughly’ the right area before individual registration pins pull it into position was the Achilles’ heel of early ovals. Electric-only models have seen a great improvement in market share and the ability to recall all digital settings is a major plus point in repeatability. Pneumatic-only models have serious strength issues when trying to drag cold, stubborn, white ink across a 62t mesh on a cold morning in Bolton. Hydraulic-only models will power any stubborn ink into submission, but the noise and vibrations would have you believe there was a small boy shovelling coal into a furnace beneath the press to keep it running. Configuration of choice The big one: configuration. My choice would be a press that gave me the ability to print 12 colours and flash three with the option to have two loaders on the press. This would be the 26-pallet, 12-colour oval, with three open stations (one off- load and two load), nine stations either side (each with high-lift attachments for flexibility), and four open pallets on the corners for when digital heads are finally streamlined and ready for full production. Two loaders will allow me to get the most from the press and still keep accuracy high. We all know that the new presses have FTL (faster than loader) drives on them now, allowing us to print the shirt before it’s loaded! Pin system registration is the one place where I would not compromise: the ability to hold the screen in the press in the same manner in which the screen is imaged is pivotal. As always, it pays to look back at historical data to help make an informed decision. Ask the basic questions: ■ What is my average run quantity? ■ What is my average colour count? ■ Where is all the downtime? ■ What space is available? ■ What budget is available? Once you have this information you can make an informed decision. There is no point buying an 18-colour press when 80% of your work is 24 school leaver hoodies. The takeaway: The simple answer to Calder Screen Print’s question is 12 colours, as more than this would be specialist territory; three flashes, as I believe with the correct settings we don’t need more than this; and an oval configuration to allow for more than one loader. Tony Palmer has been in the garment decoration industry for over 30 years and is now an independent print consultant working closely with print shops to get the most from existing processes and techniques. He is passionate about keeping and enhancing production skill levels within the industry. He is the owner and consultant at Palmprint Consultants, offering practical help and assistance to garment decorators all over the globe. www.palmprintuk.com