Vastex dryer for DTG and screen printing now 2m wide

LittleRed X3D-78 infrared conveyor dryer

A new LittleRed X3D-78 infrared conveyor dryer with a 2m-wide conveyor belt can cure 185 garments/h DTG printed with digital white ink, 1080/h screen printed with plastisol ink, and 555/h screen printed with water-based ink or discharge.

Mark Vasilantone, president, said: “All LittleRed XD series dryers are specifically engineered to cure DTG printed digital white ink, which is the most difficult due to its high water content, and can therefore also cure all types of screen printed inks at extremely high rates.”

The DTG-specific feature of this dryer is a high-powered pre-heating zone that boosts ink temperatures past 150°C within the first few centimetres of conveyor travel. This increases the dwell time that ink is exposed to optimum curing temperatures, allowing speed of the conveyor belt and machine output to be increased.

Previously available in a 76cm wide model for a single row of garments and a 137cm wide model for two rows, the new 2m-wide X3D-78 can accommodate three rows of normal sized garments or two rows of oversized garments, yielding higher capacity than any conventional dryer in the equivalent amount of floor space, according to the company.

Mr. Vasilantone, added: “This super-wide machine is ideal for high-production shops that need to handle the maximum output of automatic presses and/or direct-to-garment printers including shops running high capacity Kornit DTG machines. No other dryer of equivalent size or cost can match its performance.”

The dryer’s three 30.5x183cm wide heaters output a combined 26,700 watts @240V, and are digitally-controlled and height-adjustable to maximise curing efficiency for bulky or over-sized garments. The X3D-78 also offers precision-thermal-profiling (PTP) to match curing conditions to the drying characteristics of each ink type, particularly difficult-to-cure inkjet-printed white ink.

The new dryer is 260cm long, 226cm wide and 137cm high, and features a 31.2 CMM targeted exhaust system as standard to rapidly remove moisture and air contaminates from the heating chamber, while keeping exterior surfaces and controls cool.

The output of all Vastex floor-standing conveyor dryers can be increased by an order of magnitude as needs grow by adding heating chambers and lengthening the conveyor belt, with one or two additional heating chambers, allowing doubling or tripling of conveyor belt speed and drying capacity.

The conveyor belt is continuously centred by a roller belt tracking system patented by the company, and driven at precisely controlled speeds to vary dwell time.

The heaters of all Vastex dryers carry an industry-leading 15-year warranty, and feature closely spaced coils that provide high-density, medium-wavelength infrared heat for maximum cure speed without cold spots or under curing associated with conventional units.

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