15oz MDP Bone China Mugs - Cracking

Anyone else getting bad glaze cracking around the handle when pressing the 15oz bone china mugs from MDP?

We've printed thousands over the years but since Jan 2022 when new stock arrived we are getting a 40-50% failure rate even when lightly pressing these.

We are about to pull the plug on them even though they are a best seller but having run at a financial loss and MDP saying that nothing is wrong with them (although did replace a number of them initially) then I am not sure what else we can do.

In the past we have done 180c 190s and today tried 190c 135s with medium/light pressure but nothing makes a difference. We HATE doing these now as that crack sound is heard so often.

Anyone else do these EXACT mugs and could let us know your experience recently please and if all good then your secret formula to getting perfection?!

Is this cracking as your pressing them olly or after pressing when cooling?

Cracking whilst pressing and could be between 30 seconds and 90 seconds typically. Had to do only 24 mugs this morning and took whole box of 36 to get non cracked ones.

100% sounds like faulty mugs to me.
if it was during cooling then maybe but during heating that’s a coating issue.

I would call mdp and get them to press a few of their own.

Been there and done that and they "claim" all was ok in their tests although oddly they have been out of stock of these mugs until this week so not sure how they managed tests (we bought the last of the stock), they didn't provide photo evidence and the temp/time they stated they used only provided a faint transfer when we tried it. Basically MDP is saying the mugs are 100% ok so wondering if other members are buying and using them.

Your experience of printing mugs vastly outstrips theirs - MDP are only wholesalers, not printers.
Stand by your convictions and your experience and create a bigger fuss. If they don't offer a decent refund then consider small claims court. Very cheap and very satisfying.

The same goes for any wholesalers. With a few exceptions most of them are far from experts in the sublimation field.

Response from MDP just now (which is honest) - "don't buy them". They did say they are getting more returns of these mugs than others although continue to sell them. So sadly unless anyone tells me here how they are printing these mugs without glaze cracking then we will have to discontinue. Seems like all suppliers our out of the alternative 13oz bone china as well damn it!

do you print them in mug press or the oven?

Hi Paul - Pressing as mentioned in my initial post :-)

First thoughts would be to try a different supplier and see what happens. Not sure if MDP import their own or purchase them from a UK seller so I would advise getting some from both XPRES and LISTAWOOD as it would not be both who supply.

If you find they are printing without cracking you can return to MDP with this knowledge, although if MDP are taking the stance of "nothing is wrong" then I am not sure what you can do.

Ummm, no other supplier does 15oz bone china - only MDP.

Can't you oven them? The uneven circumference of the mug may be causing too much pressure in certain areas. The wraps would apply less force compared to a mug press.

Hi Gary, the issue is that we have been printing these exact mugs for years but it is only this year when new stock arrived to MDP (they had been out for months) that the glaze cracking happens. My question is whether anyone prints onto these successfully or is everyone getting cracking. MDP did basically say yesterday they are getting a lot of returns so some honesty at last. We have though today decided to drop these and will wait for other suppliers to get stock of 13oz bone china in instead.