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.
hey thanks for the overwhelming response from everyone. i went ahead and ordered the plans from boomstrike and will just build my own. these plans are very thorough and tell you exactly what supplies & where to order from.
I bought the full set of plans form boomstrike. They are definitely worth the money. The parts for my flash are supposed to be ready on monday next week. It is cheap but there is a little bit of work involved and it is probably better to have the housing bent up by a professional. If you do that it might be better to buy extras because extra sets are real cheap. Parts from Intek Corp were good and cheap though and they were very helpful.
Those plans are not pillaged form a message board. They detail everything you need to know about building a flash and contain great instructions. They use the IR elements from Intek which as I understand are the new standard for flash dryers. If you have a sheet metal brake and know how to cut metal the housing would be very cheap. I haven't made the stand yet so I can't really speak to the total cost of the flash. All I can say is that if you want to build your own flash for cheaper than anything I have seen online so the plans are worth it. For the price of a cheap flash with no features you can build a custom flash with whatever features you want. My parts from intek were around $200 so if you are good with metal you can keep the total cost low. If you haven't built an exposure box yet I would just get the full set of plans. Whoever wrote up the plans did a great job and with some work you can have some great equipment but it takes a bit of work. If you don't want the hassle of building one or aren't comfortable with electrical work it is probably better to pick up a $350 flash and call it a day. I'll post some pictures of mine when its done so people can see how it turned out.
i just quickly priced all the parts for an 18x18 flash dryer: + $170 for the steel and parts. $107 for the 18x18 Intek IR heating element ($85 16x16) for a total of + $277.... again this is a rough estimate and doesnt include shipping. allot of the parts can be bought at local hardware stores which will save on shipping. i think this is a great deal if you are a DIY person. yes more work is involved but you save between $300-$400 dollars, you know exactly what goes into the dryer so you'll be able to fix it on your own should something go wrong.
bottom line:
- boomstrike plans are worth it
- cheaper and feasible to build your own flash dryer
Where did you see the 18" Intek IR panel for $107? I know they have some scratch and dent stuff occasionally.
One thing to keep in mind is the amp draw if you get a 120V panel. An 18x18 120V panel will draw close to 20amps alone. For this reason I had to get a 240V (which draws around 10A), and wire it to an electric dryer outlet.
Where did you see the 18" Intek IR panel for $107? I know they have some scratch and dent stuff occasionally.
One thing to keep in mind is the amp draw if you get a 120V panel. An 18x18 120V panel will draw close to 20amps alone. For this reason I had to get a 240V (which draws around 10A), and wire it to an electric dryer outlet.
i spoke with Intek directly and was quoted that price.
i live in an apartment w/o dryer outlets. is 20 amps too much for a regular outlet or is it just a issue of inefficiency, i.e. using too much electricity? will i drain the power out of my building?
i spoke with Intek directly and was quoted that price.
i live in an apartment w/o dryer outlets. is 20 amps too much for a regular outlet or is it just a issue of inefficiency, i.e. using too much electricity? will i drain the power out of my building?
Your outlets are probably 15 or 20 amps max. So if your dryer is 20 amps then nothing else can be on in that circuit.
Your outlets are probably 15 or 20 amps max. So if your dryer is 20 amps then nothing else can be on in that circuit.
I picked up the 17 amp panel for that reason. I figure if I really need more power I can just swap out the panel. I am having extra housings made so that I can use them in a conveyor or as another flash/cure unit when I need it.
I'm a "newb", but if you can save a couple hundred buck, why not.
I mean the IR panels the sell are the same IR panels that everyone else pays twice as much for. if you have the means, (which 90% of us don't) why not build it yourself.
flash dryer plans 
