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Thread: Advice on New Equipment Purchase

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Plano, TX
    Posts
    42

    Question Advice on New Equipment Purchase

    Hello there guys, my shop is about to expand and we are looking into acquiring some new equipment which we are not very familiar with.
    -Pad Printing… one of our customers want us to mark some articles using pad printing, the orders will be high from 100 to 1000 pieces. We have never done anything like this, we usually stick with engraving and sublimation. Any of you knows anything that can point us in the right direction? (Equipment, materials, ink, etc.) As I said we are clueless on this.

    -Sand blasting… we want to get one, we have the space, the compressor. We have a lot of options for the cabinets and the abrasive so we would like to hear some recommendations.


    Thank you
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  2. #2
    I know nothing about the pad printer, but I've probably sandblasted over 800 signs. What are you planning on using the sandblaster for?
    IF you're thinking about blasting wood for depth, you need a LOT of air. 125 CFM is a nice volume to work with. Any smaller than 50 CFM & you'll have multiple trips over your mask & sooner or later it will blow off on you. In other words, if your compressor has a tank, it's too small.
    I've never used a blasting cabinet, so I can't comment on that either. Any I've seen though won't hold a very big sign.
    I blasted with Nepheline Syenite for years, & still do on HDU, but I outsource my cedar blasting now. If you're blasting cedar, you really cant re-use the media anyway..... it'll be full of sawdust, so you weon't be able to see what you're doing .... The compressor I use is 50 years old & I have no intentions of replacing it.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Sammamish, WA
    Posts
    7,630
    I have done a few small signs with my 50 gallon compressor running 125 lbs but it takes forever. Most of my signs have been big, and I send them out to a guy in eastern WA that has a compressor the size of a car, with a 2" nozzle.



    Sammamish, WA

    Epilog Legend 24TT 45W, had a sign business for 17 years, now just doing laser work on the side.

    "One only needs two tools in life: WD-40 to make things go, and duct tape to make them stop." G. Weilacher

    "The handyman's secret weapon - Duct Tape" R. Green

  4. #4
    Joe, everyone tries to blast with not enough air until they realize how frustrating it is. Don't feel bad ... been there, done that. It takes a while to understand that it's not the pressure,it's the volume of air (CFM) that is your friend.

    However , Lenin, IF you're only doing small stuff & not blasting for depth,..... I suspect that a blasting cabinet with a 15 CFM compressor will do just fine. If you're wanting to get into the deeper blasting, you're looking at a major investment in equipment & it's likely better ( at least to start) to outsource this. I still blast 25 or more signs every year & it has never been cost-effective yet to spend $10k or more on a diesel compressor, & I don't have the electrical service here to run a 25hp electric motor ...

  5. #5
    Pad printing is pretty specialized. If you're not doing it full time, it's probably not worth getting in to it.

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