Vastex Dri Box Model C-240-24 Conveyor Dryer Q's

2893 Views 8 Replies 3 Participants Last post by sben763, Apr 21, 2012

TableSyrup

Discussion Starter · Apr 14, 2012

Ok. Anyone have experience with one?

Vastex Dri Box model C-240-24

I've got a line on one for $700. What do you think?

It is a 24" belt, x 5' long.

240V

Vastex says it's a good 20 years old.

Owner sent me pics.

Looks to be in good condition. (based on pics... of course we know how pics are)

Belt speed control, I don't see a heat control in the pics, but it could have one.

Dryer height adjustment.....

Missing it's gates. Easy enough to fabricate new ones.

Belt appears to be in great condition.

It is on factory legs

Wondering if anyone is familiar with these and if $700 seems fair.

Honestly, I'd like to get it for $500.... but so far he is down to $700 from $1000 so we'll see.

I feel like $500 is fair on a 20 year old unit. But 7 might be worth it?

Shoot... building one... the way I would do it.... would run me between 5 and 7 in the end, so maybe I should just go for it?????

(I WILL TEST IT BEFORE PURCHASE)

Opinions?

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Diver86

· #2 · Apr 17, 2012

20 years old???
That's about max on lifespan of most of the electrical components. once you start to use it, things may start to fail. If you're handy, I suppose it won't matter.

After 20 years, I wouldn't pay more than $200 to take it off his hands.

But that's just one man's opinion

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TableSyrup

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 20, 2012

Ok, so I bought it.

I'm in it for $500

First thing I'm doing is tearing it down, sanding, painting, snugging/aligning everything, greasing the height adjust gears and worms.... then I'll put her in service

Everything works perfect.

It has a brand new belt on it.... it tracks perfect. Has heat and speed controls. Looks like the infrared element has been replaced, and the motor looks newer as well.

Couple bent pieces from being under-designed and used well.... so I'm gonna straighten that up in the refresh

I think it was well worth the 5... to me anyway.
I know the belts aren't cheap.
And I know the infra red panels aren't cheap.

Whatever works eh?

Out of curiosity, what temp are you guy's panels running?

I mean, with a infrared therm, if you shoot the panel at full temp, what are you getting?

I had mine on for about 1 minute and I was at 630*F
Got there in a matter of seconds.
Only had her goin for about a minute and shut her down to move it.
So, I'm curious what it should kick out

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Diver86

· #4 · Apr 20, 2012

That's about right on the surface of the panel. Sounds like it's a little labor of love there with you too

Don't set the belt too tight, or it will wear out the gears and belt motor. That's a big no-no that a lot of new guys do.

The surface temp of the panel is 630f, but it drops quickly with distance. Whenever you use it for printing, make sure to give it good dwell time. No need to crank up the heat and run full tilt. Slower is better. Lower temp, lower speed.

I always explain it to people like this:
Think of it as baking a cake. Proper cooking time temp is 350f for 45 minutes. You can't crank up the oven to 700 and cook for 5 minutes. The outside will be burnt and the inside will be raw.
Just like a shirt.... the ink will be cured on top, but underneath it will be undercured. Good dwell time allows the heat to penetrate completely and give a good cure.

Good luck with your new dryer

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sben763

· #5 · Apr 21, 2012

Sounds like you got a good deal. I have early 90's lawson dryer. Take the money you saved and buy a donut probe. You can get the probe for under $150 shipped. That probe is a K type thermometer you can get a multimeter that will accept the connector or a cheaper thermometer for the HVAC industry that has the connector built in. This comes in handy when doing heavy ink deposits. Ensuring you are fully curing and not over curing your ink. Silk Screen Print Donut Probe at FoodServiceDirect!. I already had the multimeter with connector this can be your best friend. A infrared thermometer will only read surface temps. You send this though on a test shirt with probes touching ink.

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TableSyrup

Discussion Starter · #6 · Apr 21, 2012

@sben763

I have a nice FLUKE meter, so I guess I'm a bit ahead

I'll have to pick one up

Or make one.... Ceramic ring? What are the contacts?

I do a lot of electrical modification and custom builds related mostly to automotive, and professional audio (Recording equipment, production equipment, mic pre's, microphones, sensitive electronics)

Probably something I could handle if I knew more about it.

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sben763

· #7 · Apr 21, 2012

There is a K type thermocouple. I am not sure if the thermocouple is embedded in the contact tips or in the ceramic ring but I do know it's not in the cord. I believe the ceramic ring shields the thermalcouple from false readinging so it would lead me to believe the thermalcouple is embedded in the steel contact tips.

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Diver86

· #8 · Apr 21, 2012

I caught a nice fluke the other day!

We used to sell these years ago, but they were super expensive. I honestly never knew you could plug these into a multimeter. I learned something new today

The sensor portion of the thermocouple is actually exposed wire that spans the doughnut.

With the doughnut up, you can see how even your heat is going through the dryer.

With the doughnut down on unprinted shirt, you get the garment temperature.

With the doughnut down, the wires touch the ink film and measure the actual ink temperature.

With the doughnut inside the shirt, you get the full penetrating ink temp.

With all the data collected, you can really get some precise control. It really helps when doing 100% poly or 50/50's. You can then use the lowest heat settings to eliminate bleeding and still cure the ink.