DRYING SYSTEMS ANALYSIS

 

Comparison between Conveyor Belt Dryer and Heat Press in Direct-to-Garment Printing in regard to:

• Ink properties
• Print quality
• Fabric surface
• Textile fibers
• Productivity

FORCED HOT AIR
Specifically designed to cure and dry digital printing on fabrics, the massive advantage of these dryers is the high volume of forced air circulation. This enhanced airflow convection system facilitates and accelerates the evaporation of water-based digital inks with unmatched results on the finished garment in medium-long drying process. In the heat chamber the temperature is uniform and constant, preventing damage even to the most delicate fabrics. They are the ideal solution for heavy duty and high production requirements.

HEAT PRESS
Heat Presses are designed to perform Transfer or Sublimation Printing. The pressure contact between the press and the product can lead to different results in terms of printing quality, washability and fabric damage. Empiric tests are required to prevent the ink to stick or smear to the cover sheet. Besides, there is the concrete possibility to burn the product and one operator must be in close proximity of the machine. Heat Presses are compact and can be installed in small areas with electrical connection. They are a cheap solution not suited for large scale textile drying.

 

FEATURES

FORCED HOT AIR
• medium-long evaporating drying
• high production
• uniform and constant process
• surface of the product free
• ink dry on the surface of the fiber
• fabric flexible and soft to the touch
• printing quality unchanged
• no reflections and well defined print
• great long-term investment

HEAT PRESS
• fast pressure heat
• small production
• unreliable stressing process
• contact pressure on the product surface
• ink pressed down deep
• flatten and stiffen textile fibers
• corrupt colors and shift print
• clear reflections and press marks
• cheap short-term solution

 

CONCLUSIONS

The Drying Process is the final finishing step in DTG Printing and the quality of the final product relies on its performance.
Even the most beautiful print, if it hasn’t been cured in the right way, it is worth nothing.

Water-based inks need a constant airflow to evaporate the moisture and dry, gaining long-term washability without losing print quality or fabric softness.
A Heat Press is not designed to cure textile ink. It’s single load configuration, able to process one t-shirt every 3-4 minutes. Furthermore there is an evident alteration on both print quality and fabric material.
Conveyor belt Dryers are capable of several hundreds pieces per hour, thanks to a uniform and controlled forced hot air convection system, without limitations regarding fabric material, print size or color.

Exalt your Print with the correct Drying System.

Share