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You want to bring your screen printing in-house. One factor most business owners overlook is, where are you going to set up your equipment? We often speak with customers who are replacing, upgrading, or adding new screen printing equipment to facilitate curing, screen making, and related equipment to keep as much of the process in house as possible. Mastering your screen printing equipment will lead you to the mastery of other printing processes that are being outsourced. This can be a problem for businesses or print shops with minimal space.
Finding a Great Screen Printing Workshop
Once you have your screen printing equipment, the location for your production should be carefully considered. You should consider the space you currently need, and consider the space you’ll need to scale if you plan to grow your shop. Some people play Tetris with their equipment. Renting a room for the bare minimum to save money is a huge mistake. The issue with this is not only are you putting yourself at risk for OSHA compliance on ventilation for your operators, but you are limiting the potential for your equipment.
Your work area should ideally be a warehouse or similar space. We recommend an area with no carpeting and bare floors. Exhaust outlets are a necessity for fumes or ozone if you use traditional UV lamps. It’s optimal to find a space with garage bays or a loading dock for shipping and receiving finished and unfinished products.
I Have a Business, and a Space, What Screen Printer Do I need?
You may own a restaurant, bar, or store that wants to print your logo on cups, containers and other merchandise. In this case, space is not as much of a concern. Most businesses require a simple printer with inks that air dry or cure with forced hot air. Additionally, if your printing is focused on a few items you need for your business, you should consider consulting with a screen printing manufacturer to find the best fit for your products and space.
You do not want to be held down with equipment that is not only overkill, but requires the time and skill to maintain. You run your own business and should consider your machine’s upkeep. Furthermore, you have enough on your plate, that’s why we recommend you purchase a machine that simply prints. Leave additional needs like screens to companies that specialize in screen making to get the most out of your in-house printing.
Is There any Other Equipment I Should Consider?
Even if you plan to print lower quantities of product, you still want to anticipate an area where your products will cure including air drying. The most common method for optimizing the area with air dry inks is stacking layers of finished products using flat plates.
Curing stations are usually linear and typically take up considerably more room. When you decide you need a curing station, consider a custom-built machine depending on your work space. Systematic Offers an 8-station rotary indexing that can save on your machine space by at least half the length and width of other machines. The SA 8-Station UV system also may have its UV chamber inter-changeable between UV lamps, UV LEDS, IR and forced hot air.
We’re Always Here to Help You
You can easily overlook the space in your workspace causing issues with safety, efficiency, and growth. With a little thought and planning, you’ll maximize production and get the most out of your screen printing machines. If you’re confused about the machinery or space you need to efficiently run your business, contact us and we can help get you the right machine for your products in your space.
