[KDirect]

Hi Everyone!

Question for everyone: How many screens do you or your screen guy reclaim per hour? From taking off the tape to putting it on the drying shelf. The reason I ask is because my screen guy does about 10 screens per hour. I think it is low. So I wanted to get everyones input on what they were doing. I'm not looking for who can make world records, just an average at an good pace. Thanks in advance!!

 

[Greatzky]

I don't have a dip tank so I'm happy to get 4-5 screens reclaimed per hour. Does your shop have a dip tank??

 

[binkspot]

With the right set up and process in place 18-20 an hour is not a problem. Even with out a dip tank you can get at least 12-15 an hour. 23x31 screens, 25x36 will slow you down a little, maybe 2-3 less per hr.

 

[2020 PrintWorks]

It also depends on how messy the screens are and how clean you want them to be. I think 10 per hour is reasonable. I've worked with lazy asses who were lucky to do 3 in an hour. I'm guessing since all he does is clean screens he's probably not getting paid much either, so I wouldn't expect too too much. Screen cleaners are usually low on the totem pole.

 

[tman07]

Is he taking out the ink too?
My guy removes tape, ink, emulsion, then dehaze, soap and rinse.
I expect minimum of 10 per hour

Efficiency probably also depends on work room setup and tools available.

 

[binkspot]

Screens are scraped of all ink at the press then brought over to the reclaim area, that's when the clock starts ticking.
Tape is pulled only from the sides of the screens where the mesh meets the frame any other tape is left on the screens, a final ink scrape happens with a 4" plastic putty knife as needed. Those first four go into the dip tank with the tape and ink remaining. While they are soaking tape is pulled and ink scrape from more screens.
One screen is pulled from the tank laid sideways on the top of the tank to drain, another is put in. The first goes into the washout booth and pressure washed to remove the emulsion then degreaser is applied. The next screen is pulled from the tank laid on its side and another one goes in. We then wash the degreaser out of the screen in the booth and rack it. Repeat. If there is a screen with some emulsion left in it we hit it with straight remover, scrub and set it aside to soak for a few min while continuing with the process then go back to that one later. The screens are spotless including the frames or they get sent back.

We have a young man come in after school to do reclaim and other house keeping. I gave him a few weeks to get the hang of it and for the most part did a great job but was averaging 12-14 screens per hr. I gave him the incentive of a pay increase if he could hit that 20 mark and keep it up. After a week or two he was rolling. In the long run because he was finishing reclaim faster and able to complete more tasks in the same amount of time the raise was a win win situation.

 

[Ripcord]

Just to add a different point of view (granted I work alone and only need to reclaim a few screens a day...)
A sloppy job of reclaiming (ie ink or emulson left in mesh, inky frames) can be a huge time waster (having to fix pinholes, sometimes having to scrap a screen and start over, etc.) So if the incentive for an employee is to reclaim 20 screens per hour and that is the only yardstick by which his performance is measured, you may be inviting potential trouble.
I've found that taking the time to do a thorough job of cleaning and reclaiming the screens is worth the extra few minutes of work.

You don't want your guy to notice a problem with a screen that's been reclaimed and be forced to make the decision to either go back and fix it or just keep on burning through the rest to make sure he reaches the 20. I'd much rather he felt comfortable knowing that he was doing the right thing by taking the necessary time to do a good job on each one.

 

[binkspot]

That is 100% correct, does you no good to have bad reclaim.