By Greg Farmer
If you’re setting up a DTF printer, or maybe a whole line of DTF printers, at your shop, you’ve likely run across this question already: How do I avoid a bottleneck at the heat press? Now that you can print transfers in a fairly automated fashion, you want to apply them as quickly as possible and maximize the ROI of your new DTF program. A whole line of manual heat presses probably won’t cut it because you’ll need a whole line of operators to run them. So, how can we avoid the heat press bottleneck in the most efficient and cost-effective manner?
Automatic Heat Press Equipment
These machines, at the press of a button (or sometimes two buttons for safety) generally close on their own, perform the press, then open again when the press is complete. Depending on your dwell times, you can have one operator running a couple of automatic heat presses at once. Automatic machines generally either generate pressure through compressed air (pneumatic) or with electric motors. Compressed air usually allows for higher pressures to be met more consistently, but it will require an air compressor. Heat press machines with electric motors are quieter (no compressor), but they can’t achieve the required pressure consistently. Plus, the electric motors can wear out faster. Ultimately, you’ll need to decide which is the better option for your production. If you already have other equipment that’s running on air, you can probably add a pneumatic heat press to your current setup fairly easily.
Dual Shuttle Machines
What if the automatic heat press is still not fast enough for your needs? You want as few operators as possible to achieve the highest speeds available. Luckily, manufacturers are already realizing this and stepping up with a plethora of dual shuttle and carousel heat press machines. For DTF operators who are interested in truly maximizing their output, this is where the conversation really begins.
Dual shuttle machines generally have a single heated upper platen that can shuttle between two lower platens. While one of the lower platens is in use, applying a DTF transfer, the other platen is open for the operator to load and unload. Carousel machines use a similar concept, but they may have four to six lower platens and sometimes as many as two or three heated upper platens. They spin in a circle rather than cycling back and forth like a dual shuttle press. Shuttle presses generally come with either a sliding upper platen or a swinging upper platen. Typically, the consistency and amount of pressure which can be achieved is superior with a swing away design. Carousel presses usually have the lower platens on arms that stick out from the main body of the machine. This makes loading and unloading easy since it is very similar to the classic rotary style screen printing machines. However, it’s not the ideal configuration for achieving the higher and more even pressures you can achieve with a swing away dual shuttle machine.
Considerations
When you are deciding between these different options, it’s important to remember your original goals. You want to save money, use as few operators as possible, and achieve the highest production workflow. Sometimes at this step, operators get stuck on getting the highest volume, and they forget they should be calculating volume per operator. Carousel machines can often achieve incredibly impressive volumes. However, they usually require two to three operators to run one machine. Depending on your setup, it may actually be better to purchase two or three dual shuttle machines to achieve similar or even higher volumes than one carousel press. This also may save you upfront costs. Quality carousel presses are often $30,000-plus, whereas quality shuttle presses can be purchased for under $10,000.
Space is another factor to consider. Depending on how you want to set up your shop and how the work will flow through the space will also affect whether multiple dual shuttle machines or a large carousel press is the best option. Finally, you’ll want to think about the worst-case scenarios. Let’s say you have one carousel press and it goes down. Does that mean your whole shop is down? Having multiple smaller machines can make you more agile in this situation. It’s also easier to expand your operation one shuttle press at a time as your business grows.
For DTF operators who want to cover every scenario and achieve the best results in the most efficient manner, it will be ideal to have different types of heat press machinery within your shop. This way, your team can choose the perfect workflow for each individual job. Whichever direction you take, don’t forget about quality. Research the companies you may purchase a heat press from and find one that makes quality equipment and backs it up with great service. [Editor’s Note: Read this article to learn how to properly vet your DTF vendor.]
Greg Farmer, sales executive at Insta Graphic Systems, has a fashion industry background with experience in both apparel and accessories. He joined the Insta Graphic Systems sales team in 2021 to handle North American accounts and is based in the greater Dallas, Texas, area. Greg is keenly interested in the rise of DTF and all that it means for the Industry.