New digital transfer technologies have added a new dimension in heat transfer decoration.
They allow you to take orders for short-run jobs from one garment to 20, which you
would have never considered undertaking with the screen print process. And with the
current advancements in digital sublimation transfers, a whole new market has opened
up for decorating mouse pads, mugs, tees, ceramic tiles, glass and a large variety
of rigid flat and 3-D substrates
Heat transfer machines have played an instrumental role in the garment embellishment
industry since the early 1960s, and are still a vital part of the industry. Many
people ask; “Why would I screen print my design onto a piece of paper, and then transfer
this image to a garment, when I can screen print the design directly onto the garment
and skip the heat transfer step altogether?” It’s a logical question, but as you
research the flexibility heat transfers can provide, you will understand. True if
you have a firm order for 1,000 printed garments, direct screen printing is your
best option. But if you are a retailer, heat transfers provide better inventory flexibility
by allowing you to transfer a given design onto any garment size, colour or style
without stocking hundreds of pre-prints. Plus, you don’t run the risk of having a
slow moving design that may tie up your garment inventory. Most major retail chains
favor heat transfers for the aforementioned reasons plus the fact that today’s screen-printed
transfers are far superior to the heat transfers of the past!
New digital transfer technologies have added a new dimension in heat transfer decoration.
They allow you to take orders for short-run jobs from one garment to 20, which you
would have never considered undertaking with the screen print process. And with the
current advancements in digital sublimation transfers, a whole new market has opened
up for decorating mouse pads, mugs, tees, ceramic tiles, glass and a large variety
of rigid flat and 3-D substrates
Clamshell Versus Swinger — The term “clamshell” means the upper heat element in the
heat transfer machine opens like a clamshell. It’s a popular machine style for garment
printers for several reasons:
The clamshell press is compact in design, saving counter space.
It provides a simple solution to heat transferring on a variety of products.
The clamshell machine generally is smaller in size compared with swing-away machines.
Motion study experts have found a couple of seconds are saved with a clamshell machine
by not having to swing the heat platen away from the garment and back again for the
next transfer cycle.
Swing-away machines feature a heat platen that swings away from the lower platen
for easy access when placing transfers or lettering on a garment or substrate. Swing-away
machines are popular for applying athletic numbers as well as applying transfers
to 3-D items, such as wooden plaques and ceramic tiles. Choosing between a clamshell
and swing-away model is a combination of personal preference and functionality. For
shops transferring designs on T-shirts, awards and 3-D substrates, a swing-away machine
usually is the best choice. The swing-away design also can reduce the amount of heat
and steam rising in the operator’s face after he opens the press to apply heat transfers.
Additionally, the risk of the operator burning his hands is reduced
Control Options
There are two types of controls available on a heat transfer press: digital or analogue.
The analogue timer or heat controller is best described as a knob that you set to
a desired position on a numbered grid. The analogue controller has been popular for
decades on heat presses and is still widely used today. However, digital heat controllers
have gained sales momentum in recent years. Both systems work quite well, but analogue
controls are less expensive than digital controllers. The price gap between the two
technologies is expected to narrow as digital controllers become more mainstream.
On the flip side, digital controllers are perceived to be more accurate than analogue
controllers.
The Heating Element
There seems to be a lot of confusion for first time heat-press buyers as to how the
heat element is constructed. Most heat press manufactures use an aluminium upper-heating
element with either a heat rod (cal-rod) cast into the aluminium or a heating wire
attached to the heating element’s backside. Both construction types work quite well
in terms of providing the correct wattage to heat up the aluminium platen. Since
aluminium is an excellent heat conductor, providing the right watt density to the
aluminium mass is the key, whether you use a “micro-winding” wire attached to the
back of the aluminium or a “cast-in” cal rod. A cast in call rod construction provides
great heat penetration and minimal heat loss from the aluminium backside since the
element is embedded in the heat platen. The construction also isbetter since the
heating rods are not able to touch together because of a heat expansion and contraction,
creating a dead short in the electrical system.
