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a few more words
08-10-2012, 10:59 PM
Thanks guys for the good wishes received in introductions section.
.
So I went to work this morning armed with the notes I took following the trawl thru a myriad of posts .
Put in a blank mug in the cold press , turned on and let warm up..........then hit the start button to monitor a full cycle to try to understand what was happening.

Took out the mug and it was well tanned and had the imprint of some previous job on it !
Spoke with the supplier re the erratic results I was receiving on Fri last...........advised to change the temp set-points from 340 / 380 (that I was using on tests last week) to 350 / 370..........which resulted in a whole lot better result..........pressed mugs much whiter / crisper colours / true black print etc.........but then after a few more successful jobs, I got one over tanned / browning of the black print............

I need to get the correct settings and procedures worked out to ensure repeatable quality results.
I understand that the "idle" temp of the press is now 350 and once I put the mug in and hit start button......the temp climbs to 370, at which point the time starts counting down from the time preset ....320secs.........then alarms & I remove the mug / remove paper and dunk in water.

Maybee I didnt wait for the press to cool back down to idle temp of 350 again ?????? or can I go straight away with a fresh mug once I remove the cooked one ??
I will consult with the supplier again tomorrow..........maybee I'm still doing something wrong.

When I get it sorted, Ill pop the full details on here.
Thanks
Tom

bms
09-10-2012, 08:36 AM
Thanks guys for the good wishes received in introductions section.
.
So I went to work this morning armed with the notes I took following the trawl thru a myriad of posts .
Put in a blank mug in the cold press , turned on and let warm up..........then hit the start button to monitor a full cycle to try to understand what was happening.

Took out the mug and it was well tanned and had the imprint of some previous job on it !
Spoke with the supplier re the erratic results I was receiving on Fri last...........advised to change the temp set-points from 340 / 380 (that I was using on tests last week) to 350 / 370..........which resulted in a whole lot better result..........pressed mugs much whiter / crisper colours / true black print etc.........but then after a few more successful jobs, I got one over tanned / browning of the black print............

I need to get the correct settings and procedures worked out to ensure repeatable quality results.
I understand that the "idle" temp of the press is now 350 and once I put the mug in and hit start button......the temp climbs to 370, at which point the time starts counting down from the time preset ....320secs.........then alarms & I remove the mug / remove paper and dunk in water.

Maybee I didnt wait for the press to cool back down to idle temp of 350 again ?????? or can I go straight away with a fresh mug once I remove the cooked one ??
I will consult with the supplier again tomorrow..........maybee I'm still doing something wrong.

When I get it sorted, Ill pop the full details on here.
Thanks
Tom

presumably these figures are in degrees F not degrees C. Even so, the difference between idle and operating temp is very small. Your time seems way off as well - over 5 minutes is way too long. I'd be interested to hear why the idle temp is so high (runs the risk of burning the blanket out if no temporary mug in place) or why the time is so long.

Are you using a Ricoh or Epson printer? Times/ temp will vary a little depending on printer/ inks used.

WorthDoingRight
09-10-2012, 09:41 AM
Have to agree with Martin that your whole temperature / time settings seems screwy. Usually the mug settings are 180 deg C for 180 sec or if using a Ricoh printer then 170C for 140 sec. Normally press idle temperature is 110C. So translating this to F your idle temp should be at 230F and if using a Ricoh printer your press temperature should be at 340 F and if using non-Ricoh printer at 360 F. The browning is probably due to a combination of too hot a press temperature for too long so I would try - 230/340 for 140 sec (after it hits 340). If results are not good at this then try 230/360 for 180 sec (after it hits 360). I am pretty sure one of these two combos will give you good results.

a few more words
16-10-2012, 11:00 PM
Ok, it looks like I have it sorted.

we first started out at 340 / 380 F @ 320 secs...............getting tanned results
Then moved to 350 / 370 @ 320 secs...........getting better results initially , but poorer results after first mugs on a run
Then moved to 350 / 370 F @ 280 secs............and now getting consistent good results...........crisp images / cool white / true black. Have done 50 mugs over 2 batches and all are good. Getting this good result , whether the first mug in or one from a large continuous batch..........just time to take out completed mug & pop next one in .

In discussion with the supplier , he mentioned about difficulty getting a good black colour result.............so accordingly I used trial prints of black print to determine the most suitable settings for the best consistent results......on reducing the time from 320 to 300 to 290 to eventually 280 , I could see a visable change in the trueness of the black print colour on the mug.

We are using a Ricoh printer and here is the press....

1250


Many Thanks
Tom

WorthDoingRight
16-10-2012, 11:12 PM
Well if you are happy with the results then that is what really matters. 350/370F is close to 180C (and all presses float a bit around their set temperature). I still feel that 280 secs is a bit long to have to press for for a quality result. I would still have thought half that time should have given acceptable transfer from most papers to most mugs.

a few more words
27-10-2012, 09:24 PM
Now getting consistent good results at temp setting of 350 / 370 F and 220 secs ( dropped time on advice received on here )........Dropping the time greatly helps when trying to get through a batch in the best time.
Thanks again for inputs.