Images Digital Edition DEC 2018

PF PRE-PRESS AND PACKING www.images-magazine.com 78 images DECEMBER 2018 Mike Sheldon, executive bagman Tell us a bit about your business LPS is a complete garment decorator providing automatic screen printing, multi-head embroidery, transfer, DTG printing, label sewing and packing. We do a lot of fashion, film and theatre work that requires packing and finishing to a high standard. What is the latest folding machine that you‘ve bought, and when did you buy it? We bought the Thermotron FX23 because it’s small and we’re short on space. It cost £9,390 and we’ve had it since August. We’ve not had one before as our packing has always been done by hand. What other machines, if any, did you look at before purchasing this one? The M&R Amscomatic and the Thermotron STP-1000. What do you think are its main advantages? It has a small footprint, it‘s affordable and easy to use, and it does the job. It‘s great and we haven’t stopped using it since we got it. How many garments can it fold an hour? We can fold 400-500 an hour. Is there anything you‘d like to see in an upgrade or don‘t particularly like about it? I‘d like an easier way to bag. The machine either folds then drops the T-shirt into the space below so they stack up, or it folds the shirt and then lifts it up so the operator can put a bag on it. We use it primarily for folding and then bag by hand as we find that quicker, but we’re looking for something to speed up the bagging. We will probably go for the Thermotron bagging machine in the future. London Print Service (LPS): Thermotron FX23 from Screen Print World It’s deskilled the process What‘s it like to use? Do you have any tips on how to get the most out of it? It’s very easy to use and adjust for different sizes, plus it’s de-skilled the process. What size runs is it used for? We’re just about to do 15,000 but normally anything from 1 to 2,000. What would be your advice to others thinking of buying a packaging and/ or folding machine? It depends on how many you’re doing, plus your budget and space. If you start having someone on it full time then I’d recommend this one as a starter machine. www.londonprintservice.com The Thermotron, Mike Sheldon and his namesake from US TV show The Big Bang Theory