Dryer Log Purpose: Track consistency of dryer operation to
ensure proper curing of shirts
File Name: DRYERLOG
Format: Single Page, 1 Part
If your dryer gets too hot, you'll scorch the garments you
are printing. If the dryer gets too cool, prints may appear cured, but will crack, fade,
peel and degrade long before their time, which does not please customers. Obtaining a
proper cure on garments is often compared to walking a tightrope, as optimum temperatures
are difficult to maintain without going over or under the target temperature and air
circulation.
The dryer log gives the printer a method of maintaining
quality control over this difficult stage of controlling the printing process. Each line
of the log contains spaces for recording the date and time that the dryer's parameters are
measured, as well as the dryer's temperature setting and belt speed. Spaces are provided
to place a check mark as to whether a temperature strip test has passed or failed, as well
as the maximum temperature reading when a probe is sent through the tunnel. Check mark
areas are provided for marking whether sampled garments pass or fail a simple crock test
(stretch test) as well as the current relative humidity of the room in which the dryer is
operating. The final space provides a place for the operator to take responsibility for
performing these tests.
Printers will perform a dryer test each time a new job is
started, and a minimum of once each hour during the job. By combining wash-tests with log
readings, printers can get a feeling for how each element of the "dryer equation"
affects the total wash-fastness of a print, and begin to develop a procedure to "zero
in" on perfect dryer settings.
Return to Forms Kit Manual |