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Add a thermostat to Hopkins Tunnel Dryer?

819 views 0 replies 1 participant last post by  Terrahawk 
#1 ·
Hi,

I've got a Hopkins tunnel dryer which I'm using to cure my prints. It has a fairly short tunnel and pretty basic controls. Best I can do to cure waterbased inks is slow the belt down as slow as possible, with the heating element as high as possible, and the belt as low as possible. This keeps the temperature from getting too high MOST of the time. However if unattended it will ocassionally get up to 200°C which burns light coloured shirts. I have a laser thermometer on the top when I'm printing and if I see the temperature creeping up I switch the heat off, let the shirts run through without the heater for 30 secs or so, and turn the heat back on. This method works, but obviously is distracting and affects my workflow. When usng low cure additive or inks that don't require as hot a curing temp, this method becomes more distracting, as the temperature needs checking and switching on and off more frequently

Has anyone on here added a thermostat control to a tunnel dryer that didn't initially have one? I have found components that look like they would work for this function, and I'm semi confident about wiring something like that in, but would appreciate guidance from someone who has done this before, if possible.

(On a side note I have wondered if adding an extension to the tunnel with insulated/reflective sides would allow the shirts to maintain temperature, as the tunnel is so short as it is...?)

Any and all help appreciated!

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