Heat Press Maintenance

For a professional printer like yourself, the heat press is a major source of money. It is thus important you regularly follow simple maintenance procedures at regular intervals. Any heat press is a durable machine. You can do a few simple steps to increase the machine performance and its operational life. You should adopt the following practices.

Lubrication 

When you buy a new heat press, you can use it right out of its packaging. There is nothing to worry concerning the greasing wear points. It is vital to inspect the exposed rods at the 'hinge' points or the pivot points at every six-month interval. The areas must be lubricated a little with high-temperature lithium grease. Do note that too much lubrication on the machine leads to soiled clothes. It is thus important to be economical with the grease application. 

Heat element 

The heat element must be kept clean. Most printers clean the heat element only when a transfer flips over. A gooey mess comes if such an event happens. Ink can be removed from heat element by using soft fabric or a flannel piece while the press continues to be hot. It is important that one must not get burned. If the problem persists even after the heat element is cleaned, switch off  the press. Use a cleaning solvent after the element gets cold and wipe off all ink residues. Use soft flannel to do so. The solvent must comply with manufacturer recommendations. Whatever happens, any abrasive material and metal scrapers should not be used. 

Lower rubber pad 

High-temperature silicone rubber is used to make rubber pad. It will begin to wear after some time. These will result in low areas in middle or on low areas. To see whether the pad has worn down, place paper strips at the corners of the pad. Lock heat platen. In case the paper could be pulled out quickly while press remains locked, then it can be safely surmised that the pad is worn down in these areas. Application pressure thus is a poor one. This problem can be solved by using replacement pad kits sold by the machine manufacturer. If a better solution is preferred, a new platen can be bought. 

Pneumatic press 

For a heat press which is air operated, it is important to keep the air lines safe from moisture. The easiest solution is to install water traps on air lines so that the water gets captured before the air gets into the machine. This is important as moisture packed air can damage the internal components and air valves. 

Spare parts 

For thriving printing presses, it is a wise decision to keep a few standard parts inside the shop. A list of such parts should include circuit breakers, gas springs and the on or off switches. Do remember that all machines are vulnerable to wear. Replacement parts will be required at non-periodic intervals. It is an excellent idea to be ready at all times. It is important that the heat press should run when needed to do so.