Company X/DTI, Inc.
330 West Spring Street
Columbus, Ohio 4315
(614)221-8337
fax (614)227-6161
Don Newman
Stretch Devices, Inc.
3401 North I Street
Philadelphia, PA 19134
10/21/97
Dear Don,
I have recently jointed DTI,-Company X as their Plant Manager. Coming from the the transfer graphics side of printing, I was not that familiar with some of your products. But since I've been here, I have been using them regularly and I thought I would let you know what I have observed this past four months.
Our press was set up using the "Newman LOC Gauge". This insured that each print head was perpendicular with the print pallet and set for the same off contact from print head to print head.
Our screens are all Newman Roller frames with a combination of Newman Roller meshes and standard meshes. The Newman mesh is tensioned between 44 to 65 Ncm2. The standard meshes are tensioned between 26 to 42 Ncm2. On both types of mesh this allows the off contact to be 1/32" (.03125"). This has eliminated screen distortion caused by excessive off contact distances. It also allows us to use minimal squeegee pressure to transfer the ink from the screen to the substrate. In relationship to the two different types of meshes, we have seen that the Newman roller mesh is stronger that conventional or regular meshs. Even at the high tensions, these meshes are more durable. We believe the screens with Newman Roller mesh will last longer. Also, we have seen measurable improvement in the detail of our prints with Newman roller mesh; stronger and more durable mesh and distorion free prints, with improved detail. We like what we see.
In our shop quick set-ups are what we strive for. Due to the Newman Pin Registration System that is on our M&R Series II press, we get quick set-ups. We have set up an eight color job in just under six and a half minutes with no micron. The average set-up time is under one minute per screen, which includes ink and preproduction test print just today, we set up a four color process run with 3 sot colors in under eight minutes with no micro. We keep our swing arm registration pallet on the press. We have found that this is a great benefit to us during the production run. If you need to change a screen for whatever reason (different mesh count, torn screen, etc.) it can be done in no time at all. On one production run we had two screens tear. We changed each of them in under one and a half minutes. The two torn screens were changed without any adjustments to the micro registration adjustments. With the swing arm registration pallet on the press, this turns what used to be major down time problem into a quick and easy routine screen change. On the new press we just received, we ordered a swing arm registration pallet. When printing at twenty (20) shirts a minute (100 dozen per hour), we went from five (5) minutes to one and one half (1 1/2) minutes setting up a screen. When comparing the two times, the difference is seventy (70) shirts printed with the faster time. It didn't take long for our investment into this registration system to more than pay for itself; it's now PROFIT.
All of this has allowed our print speeds to be in excess of one-hundred dozen prints (100) per hour, with virtually no build up of ink during the print run. In the past 4 months that I have been here we have doubled our production rate and improved the quality of our pinting due to many of your products.
Sincerely,
Monty L. Hand