Discuss the different types of equipment needed for screen printing. Topics include manual screen printing presses, automatic presses, dryers, folding machines, starter kits and high end machines.
I'm a little guy still trying to get the kinks out of my homebased business. Just trying to figure out the pro's and con's of a conveyor dryer.... Not many orders right now to warrent the purchase but..... worth the time it'll save when I do have the orders.
home based shirt curing is as easy as getting one of these:
It's a hamilton beach convection oven (electric) $78 at walmart...
My max imprint right now is 12x12, and this little oven was made for 12" pizzas!
so, what I did was take out the middle rack, put it on the "broil" setting which heats only the TOP heating elements, set it to 375-400 and put the shirt, folded on the bottom rack on one of the two included trays...
works quite well and I havent ever had one wash out!
I'm a little guy still trying to get the kinks out of my homebased business. Just trying to figure out the pro's and con's of a conveyor dryer.... Not many orders right now to warrent the purchase but..... worth the time it'll save when I do have the orders.
Ha! I'd be afraid of loosing my shop around lunch time everyday. Interesting idea actually, I love the " thinking outside of the box" ideas. How long do you cure them for?
23 years ago I began my screen print biz by drying (curing) shirts in our kitchen oven, until one caught fire, and went out and purchased a flash dryer.
The concept of curing ink is that the entire layer of ink, from top to bottom, MUST reach 330 degrees to cure properly. Basically, all dryers, be it an oven, flash dryer, electric (not gas) conveyor dryer, do this by applying heat from a heating element or panel, onto the top of the garment, and allowing the garment to stay under that heat source enough time in order for the ink layer to reach the proper cure temp. The trick here is not to allow the shirt to stay under too long, and begin to scorch. You can do it with a toaster oven, or flash dryer, both are "manual" systems in that you need to know when to remove the garment. A flash dryer with an auto head will remove the heat source (flash heat panel) at a predetermined time, using an electronic timer set by user, and by swinging the head out of from on top of the garment. A conveyor dryer will move the garment thru a tunnel under infrared heating panels at a set speed, which also will allow the ink to reach cure temp before the garment scorches, and/or begins to burn.
Lighter color inks (white, gold) on dark shirts are thicker, and will require more cure time. Dark inks used on light shirts are thinner, less cure time. The distance of the heat panel from the garment also plays into cure time.
I currently cure in a kitchen oven, and it works great, but a conveyor dryer is the next step for me.
The ability to just drop the shirt on the belt and forget about it will increase efficiency greatly, as opposed to having to watch the time and interrupt printing to yank the shirt out of the oven before it burns.
OMG- Curing ink 101
The ink needs to reach 330 all over!
Sure you can reach that temp in an oven-Propane shop heater-Hot plate-Even a flash dryer. Any way is fine if it suits your timeframe.
All the above will take time that you have to wait untill you print another t-
Conveyer dryers on the other hand - PRINT a t- Throw on the DRYER and print another t & repeat 1000 times if necessary
Its only your time not mine.
Curing with Flash units/heaters/Ovens & any other JIMMY RIGED way will only result in the ink not being cured properly and customers complaining about The ink washing off
Trust me Ive been there and tried it-Save your money up and buy a small conveyer dryer -Used or new $500 to $3000 and make your printing easy
Flash Dryer vs. Conveyor Dryer ?!? 
Re: Flash Dryer vs. Conveyor Dryer ?!? 
Ha! I'd be afraid of loosing my shop around lunch time everyday. Interesting idea actually, I love the " thinking outside of the box" ideas. How long do you cure them for?
