Vastex introduces two-metre wide dryer for DTG and screen printing

Vastex has announced the new LittleRed X3D-78 infrared conveyor dryer, complete with a two-metre-wide conveyor belt. The dryer 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.

“The LittleRed XD series of tunnel dryers are unique to the Australian market; offering a dryer specifically engineered to cure DTG printed digital white ink, alongside all types of screen printed inks at good turnover rates. This multi-purpose machine means that you only need one dryer to do everything,” says Howard Debney, owner of Leapfrog Machinery, Distributor for Vastex in Australia.

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 centimeters 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 76 cm wide model for a single row of garments; and a 137 cm wide model for two rows, the new two-metre-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 Vastex.

"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,” says Mark Vasilantone, President of Vastex, adding, "No other dryer of equivalent size or cost can match its performance."

The dryer’s three 30.5 x 183 cm 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 260 cm long, 226 cm wide and 137 cm 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 centered 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.