[curtislee23]

Hey everyone, has anyone ever registered your screens on one pallet and then as you load on every other pallet your registration shifts a little? I have a standard 6 head for 4 pallet press and I've noticed from pallet to pallet my registration shifts a tiny. Shouldn't they all be consistent? any comments or thoughts of the culprit would be great thanks.

 

[ChristFollower]

I'd guess that the off-contact is not the same on all the pallets, and there are some inconsistencies in how parallel the screen is to the platen. If the screen arms are less than parallel to the platen, the arm is effectively shortened. Differences in the off-contact settings can then cause the image to vary from platen to platen.

I'd also check that the screens are parallel to the platen front to back and left to right. Differences here will be magnified by differences in off-contact settings.

Here's how I dial a manual press in:

1. Ensure that the platens are parallel to the ground. If not, adjust the legs until all platens are parallel to the ground.

2. Lower the screen arms into position and using a level, adjust the off-contact until the screen arm is parallel to the ground (and thus, the shirt platen).

3. Adjust the screen cant (front to back angle) until it is parallel to the platen. Don't worry about the off contact at this point. I use a frame with no screen in it so that there's no interference if the screen is at this point lower than the platen.

4. Loosen the screen clamp from the screen arm. It should be possible to adjust the height of the screen clamp. Raise the head so it has about 3/16" clearance from the platen, and use the level to make sure it's parallel to the platen side to side and front to back.

5. Loosen the nylon interference bolts that center the clamp all the way until the tips are flush with the inside of the U-bracket. Make a mark on one bolt face so you can easily count how many times you turn each one. Turn the bolts in one rotation at a time, equally, until they're snug on the arm. This will center the arm in between the interference bolts.

Now you should have heads that are all parallel to the platen, and screen arms that are ideally located for printing with a 1/8" off contact (when there's a shirt loaded).

 

[selanac]

It's not the Off-set, but the Registration Gate.

 

[sben763]

It would help to know what press you have. Some press have a pallet leveling system ie M&R, Vastex, are 2 that I know have this. You would first level press from center shaft then level pallets to head 1 or just label a head to use that is level. Then set the other heads to the platens.

Some press don't have pallet leveling. If you have wood pallets it could be your pallets warped. A Riley Hopkins has some adjustment your never suppose to touch unless its way out of whack. Some more info may be able let us help you calibrate the press properly.

If its one of those cheap Chinese press then it will never hold registration without some welding mods.

Could also be the registration gate needing adjustment although if there snug at every station your good as its not a all heads down so they all don't need to be centered as long as the hold snug while the head is down your good.

 

[jeron]

Also how is the registration off... is the registration off between the different colors, or are the colors staying registered with one another, but the registration to the pallet is off? Meaning it isn't centered on the pallet reach time...

Even if the off contact is different on each head unless it's major and assuming your printing the same at each station, the print should still stay the same I would think. Unless the registration gate is loose and the arm comes down in different places each time

Thanks,
Jeron

 

[curtislee23]

Sean, I use a BWM Hopkins manual press. Nothing fancy but it does have micro registration and for the most part has been good to me.

Jeron, best way I can explain it is I have 4 pallets 2out4 are generally flawless after I reg to pallet#1 at the beg of the job. But pallet #2 and pallet number 4 I've noticed has more off contact then when i originally set up and i think that's making the difference in 3-4 color job when i load all 4 pallets and rotate. If i only printed on pallet #1 it would be consistent 800 shirts later. Honestly its not even enough for the untrained eye to see in the design but I see it and it bothers me and I'd just like an explanation if it's happened to other people.
THanks for the reply

 

[curtislee23]

Mike I appreciate the detailed description on how to zero out the heads on the press!

 

[aldenski]

I havent seen it said but I hope its obvious that a bubble level really helps in leveling the press, platens, arms, etc. Once everything is level, THEN you go after the registration issues.

 

[deepbluex]

It's not the Off-set, but the Registration Gate.

I have a 4 station and one of the stations had a registration gate that was slightly loose. This caused the heads to be loose in the down position and caused registration issues. It took me a while to finally find the cause as I focused on other possible causes. So check the gate tightness if it's an option.

 

[sunra1081]

I am having this same issue now on a M&R kruzer. I measured all the centers to all pallets, distance from the ground and the rear on all pallets, and everything is even! I checked if everything was level with a bullet leveler and everything is 98% to 100% level! The only thing I did not check is the registration gate,But I don't understand what it could be honestly! How do you check the registration gate? What else could it be?

 

[williekid]

You probably have screens with horrible tension.

 

[sunra1081]

no... they are not that bad?