Impressions - May 2016 - 34

INNOVATION: SCREEN PRINTING

ROQ has introduced
the ROQpress Iron, a
heated down force unit to
smooth down the surface
of prints. Photo courtesy
of Ryonet Corp.

The Shur-loc Endurance
Panel is the culmination
of 25 years of industry
research and development.
Photo courtesy of
KrazyBird Photography.

have entered into the semi-automatic coater market and have well-engineered coating
solutions for less than $2,000.
Computer-to-Screen (CTS): The most
significant ROI addition to any shop is the
CTS system. Adding it to your workflow
will improve every aspect of what you do
and allow each press to print more jobs per
shift simply by how fast they can be set up.
It's almost like buying an extra press without
the capital investment.
If your shop is imaging as few as 20 screens
a day, you owe it to your bottom line to check
out what M&R, Douthitt, Exile Technologies, Kiwo and other CTS suppliers can do
to increase your profitability.
Reclaim Options: Why do most shops
add automated reclaim equipment? Generally
because of staff turnover. Every shop should
examine its screen reclaiming in light of current available options. Huge stainless-steel
machines can do the dirty work, but the price
has been considerably reduced by breaking the
process down into the individual components
of ink and stencil removal, and degreasing.
M&R, Chemical Consultants Inc. (CCI)
and others have the bright, shiny SS series
automated solutions, but remember that
chemical suppliers such as SAATI, Easiway
and others also have cost-effective tabletop
solutions that effectively yield 20 or more
fully reclaimed screens per hour for smaller
shops. You just have to understand the chemistry and use it correctly.
P.34

Special-Effects Decoration: Shiny effects,
vibrant neons, wet-look goops, metallics and
amazing art can be cost-effectively produced
via traditional screen printing, and the press
manufacturers have responded with various
ways to get it done.
If you need a few items with foil decoration, cut or print/cut heat-applied material is
the best choice. However, if you need several
thousand, try the following options.
ROQ has introduced the ROQpress Foil
production-speed on-press foiling units, as well
as the ROQpress Iron, a heated down force
unit to smooth out print surfaces. Heat-sealing
a print creates a flatter, more uniform surface
for better ink adherence and has the potential to reduce fibrillation.
Action Engineering has created many
aftermarket solutions, including roller squeegees designed to improve the finished print
surface for better shelf appeal and overall
enhanced printing. The company and other
suppliers have created a huge industry segment
by providing unique solutions to printers who
can't justify larger investments of dedicated
equipment for occasional print requirements.
With the purchase of aftermarket tooling and
attachments, the versatility of a single piece
of equipment can be greatly enhanced. 
Greg Kitson is founder of Mind's Eye Graphics,
Decatur, Ind. For more information or to comment
on this article, email Greg at greg@mindseyeg.com
or visit mindseyeg.com.

I M P R E S S I O N S M A G . C O M MAY 2016

While automatic screen
coaters are ideal for
high-volume shops,
companies such as Vastex
Intl. have introduced
more affordable, semiautomatic screen coaters.
Photo courtesy of
Vastex Intl. Inc.
http://www.mindseyeg.com http://www.IMPRESSIONSMAG.COM
Impressions - May 2016

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