How Should I Maintain the Roller Heat Press Machine?

If you are concerned with a roller heat press machine, that means you are involved in large industrial sublimation production. A normal heat press machine is straightforward to operate and maintain due to its small size.

When it’s about a roller machine, the maintenance is a bit complicated, which required some basic technical skills.

A roller heat press machine handles huge loads of sublimation work, which is something you cannot compare with a non-industrial machine. Therefore, the chance of a technical fault and breakdown is quite common in industries.

Whether you are planning to buy such a machine or already have one running in your working environment, this guide will help you regarding the operation and maintenance of the roller heat press machine.

What is a Roller Heat Press Machine?

It’s a sublimation machine with running roller and bottom conveying that has a synchronous tooth that connects both the roller and bottom ironing cloth to ensure consistent operation.

The machine has a three-meter long double-deck table with a conveyor belt at the bottom. Due to the structure of it, printing roll materials along with sheet materials, are done at ease. It’s an even convenient option for transferring the design to a large piece of material.

There is a cylinder that is heated by oil temperature. It ensures high-temperature precision, heat preservation control system, as well as proper sealing for the finest productions.

Features

• The machine provides step-less speed with adjusting options. And the digital temperature along with speed controller for more efficient production.
  
• It features a pneumatic automatic anti-deviation device with a pressure regulating device that adjusts the range of tension as well as uniformity of pressure.
  
• Its timing shutdown device schedule cooling time prevents causing damage to its felt belt. When the operation is finished, the power-off protection feature shuts down the machine.
  
• If there is any unexpected power failure, its protection system automatically removes the felt strip from the heating roller to prevent it from burning.
  
• The automatic separation system makes it easy to separate the waste paper from the transfer printing paper.
  
• It is equipped with a pressurized system to meet different working requirements of a wide variety of materials.
  
• The user can put fabric, transfer paper, and protecting paper at the same time for convenient transfer printing paper.
  

Roller Heat Press Machine Operation

Although the design and construction seem complicated, operating such a heat press machine is quite easy. With some basic technical skills, anyone can operate the machine.

At first, you need to turn on the ‘power switch’ which is pretty much the same no matter what machinery you are handling. The next step is to turn on the ‘running switch’. It allows the roller to start rolling.

Then, before you put something on the belt to sublimate, adjust the speed governor to run the conveyor belt slowly. Also, adjust the temperature controller to the required setting. Finally, turn on the ‘heating switch’ to make everything suitable to start working.

The roller will start to heat up. During summer, it will take 20 to 30 minutes; and 30 to 40 minutes in winter. The general hot stamping temperature is 135⁰; you need to adjust the temperature as per your projects require.

For air pressure selection, you need to adjust the ‘pressure regulating valve’ and ‘tension control valve’ on the left and right sides to ensure appropriate pressure.

Roller Heat Press Machine Maintenance Tips

Down below are a few tips that we think will be helpful for you. Continue reading if you want to maintain your roller heater press machine at ease.

During Operation

1. When you turn off or shut down the roller heat press machine for a long time, pay close attention to its maintenance part. During the deactivated state, the hot roller which is coated with silicone oil, which might cause the cloth to smear with pollen pollution.
2. If the situation demands you to retire the substrate, press the ‘reverse rotation’ switch. Press the switch further to let it run smoothly.
3. When the operation stops, turn on the ‘timed shutdown’ switch to let the machine turn off after 60 minutes. Within the period, the machine will facilitate cooling.
4. During an unexpected power failure, be sure to press the ‘pressure switch’ ‘loose belt switch’ and lower the pressure shaft that will allow it to move backward and separate the belt from the heated roller. It will prevent the felt belt from high-temperature damage.

General Maintenance

• Be sure always to lubricate all the bearings of the machine.
• Regularly clean the dust from all accessories of the machine.
• If you find dust in the circuit board as well as in the fans, considering blowing the dust with an air gun.
• After a few months of usage, you might find the oil tank empty. Consider refueling the tank before it interrupts operation.
• You can only refuel the tank with 3 liters of oil at a time.
• Before starting the machine, pour the fuel into the tank. Don’t heat it yet. Before heating the machine up, allow the oil flows into the bottom of the tank. Wait until the temperature reaches to check whether there is any oil in the tank or not.
• When you use the turbine reducer, pay close attention to the instruction manual. After using it for a long time, there can be some noise.
• Consider replacing the oil frequently. Remove and screws and release the oil and replace it with the same amount of oil. It’s recommended to replace the oil after 200 hours of working to ensure a constant flow of work.
• If you involve the machine in long high-temperature operations, it might leak a small amount of oil; don’t freak out, it’s quite normal.

Machine Breakdown

There are two types of machine breakdown issues that occur to roller heat press machines: non-stop working and stop working.

How to Deal with Non-Stop Working?

1. If you find the roller or heating blanket with small pieces of stuff such as a piece of grain, a small amount of paste, fluffy, clean it with a copper wired brush. And if brushing doesn’t work, wait for the machine to stop and try cleaning again.
2. For fine stripes on the roller surface, you can use a small finer stone to grind them away. If it doesn’t work, send it to repair when the machine stops. But it’s very rare to face such an issue.
3. If there is any color difference, readjust the pressure on each side, and adjust the space between the axis and roller; don’t make them too tight.
4. Fasten the screw if you find the parts are loosening during work.
5. For the wrong design, slow down the machine. You may have to readjust the design if slowing down doesn’t work.
6. If the blanket and conveyor belt shift to one side, adjust them manually by pulling the chain wheel to its assigned position.
7. When the cloth stains, consider turning on the drying steam valve to prevent stanines.
8. If you find improper tension, readjust the speed between units or tension device.
9. When the moisture of cloth is uneven, adjust the pressure of axis sides.

How to Deal with Stop Working Breakdown

1. If there is any sharp material on the roller, you need to stop the machine to prevent damage.
2. When a thin blanket is used for a long time, and heat isn’t steady, consider stopping the machine and replace the blanket with a new one.
3. If there is too much thread on the fabric with the wind into the roller, you must stop the machine here, as well.

Safety Tips while Operating a Roller Heat Press Machine

Maintaining safety while operating an industrial machine is crucial. When anything goes wrong, it affects the entire production. In many cases, technical fault led to devastating accidents in many industries.

Therefore, you need to take care of the safety concerns as you are working with a roller heat press machine.

Power Cord

Power the machine using the OEM cord only, which is supplied by the manufacturer. OEM cord is made for handling such an immense task. If you use third party cord and cable, it might not be able to handle the load and cause fire and electric shock.

Also, if the power cord or cable is damaged, contact the service center and replace it with OEM accessories only.

Third-Party Accessories

When you have to use an additional power cord from third party manufacturer, make sure the total numbers of Amps of both the additional and the original power cord is the same.

If there are other devices plugged into the wall outlet, make sure you don’t exceed the ampere rating of that particular outlet.

No Blockage

There should be no blockage or covering of the openings of the roller heat press machine chassis whatsoever. Otherwise, the blockage will cause the machine to heat-up excessively and lead to poor production performance.

Make the Machine Stable

You must place the machine on stable ground to prevent further disturbance while operating it. If the machine is tilted to some angle, it will affect the output quality.

Final Words

As a roller heat press machine has to run to keep the flow of production continuously, you need to make sure the condition of the machine is always good. The entire sublimation work can hamper if anything goes wrong.

If you properly maintain the machine, there will be very minimal servicing costs. The lifespan of the machine will increase as well, meaning you don’t have to invest a huge amount of money too soon.