Dk3manual

Digital Mug Press Table of Contents Congratulations on your purchase of the DK3 Digital Mug Press! This heat press machine has many exciting features, all of which aremeant to help make your heat transfer pressing endeavors as successfuland easy as possible. Please take the time now to thoroughly readthrough this manual to become acquainted with them. It will explainsome key features, concepts and methods that will save much timeand effort in using this press and in your heat pressing applications.
Throughout this manual, many areas and components of this machine will be referred to by specific names. Please refer to theillustrations below in order to become familiar with some of theterminology used in this manual.
HandleTimer Tilt Switch Clamp / LinkageQuick Release PinPressure KnobControllerPower InletOn/Off SwitchHeater BandBase Default Operating Mode of Controller
Temperature°Far/°Cel IndicatorReady IndicatorHeating IndicatorOpen IndicatorTiming IndicatorDone IndicatorTimeTEMP ButtonPRG ButtonUp/Down Arrows 3 Setup & Suggestions Locate the press on a firm, sturdy work surface.
The height of the bench/work space the press is located on would be ideally 27" to 32" high.
Attach the power cord to the rear of the controller.
Keep all items clear of the heater area. The heater band, pressure adjustment area, and front of the press may become hot. Do not restany items on the machine.
The press should remain in the unclamped position when not in use.
Do not leave the heater band closed if not using. This will cause thetimer to run.
The time setting is always editable in the default operating mode of the controller. The left two digits of the time display are minutes.
The right two digits are seconds. This can be changed to Hours/Min-utes in the User Options Menu.
Use the Up & Down arrow keys to change the time.
Hold the Up or Down arrow key down to increment the values quickly.
After a brief pause, the values will accelerate.
Press the Up & Down arrow keys together to clear the setting to 00:00 When the press is closed, the timing cycle starts. The "TIMING" indicator will appear.
When the timing cycle is finished, the "DONE" indicator will appear.
Depending on the timer alarm chosen, the alarm may continue to sound at the end of the timing cycle until the press is opened.
When the press is opened up, the "OPEN" indicator will appear.
Setting Temperature In the default operating mode of the controller, the displayed temperature is the Current temperature. This is the actual temperature
of the heater band surface. Please note that on the DK3 the operating
range of the controller is from 150°F to 400°F (65°C to 204°C). During
the first heat up cycle of the press, the controller will display 150°F
(65°C) until the heat platen temperature rises above that temperature.
The Set Point temperature is the temperature the operator sets
the press for. This is the value the press will regulate the Current
temperature based on. The set point temperature may be changed
whenever necessary:
When in the default operating mode, press the TEMP button.
The Current temperature will be replaced by the blinking Set Point
Use the Up & Down arrow keys to change the Set Point temperature.
Hold the Up or Down arrow key down to increment the values quickly.
After a brief pause, the values will accelerate.
Press the Up & Down arrow keys together to set the temperature to When finished setting the temperature, press the TEMP button to return to the default operating mode.
The control will regulate the heat platen temperature based on the set point temperature. When the temperature falls below the Set Point,the "HEATING" indicator will appear.
When the temperature reaches the Set Point, the "HEATING" indicator will disappear and the "READY" indicator will appear.
If the Set Point temperature is set to a temperature below the Current temperature, the press will wait to cool down to that Set Point. At thattime, neither the "READY" or "HEATING" indicators will appear.
The DK3 is fully adjustable to accommodate various size To decrease the pressure,
allowing for larger diametermugs, or to make the tensionlighter, turn the pressure knob tothe right, clockwise.
The heater band will rise away from the front of the press. Theallen screw will enter into theplunger shaft deeper.
To increase the pressure, allowing for smaller diameter mugs, or to
make the tension tighter, turn the pressure knob to the left, clockwise.
The heater band will come closer to the front of the press. The allen screw will come out of plunger shaft further.
Important Pressure Notes The clamp must lock in place for a successful transfer. Do not simply
close the handle until the timer starts. The handle must lock and clampdown so that there is significant pressure on the mug. If the clamp assemblycan not be locked, then the pressure must be decreased.
Do not over tighten the pressure. If it requires a lot of force to close
the press onto the mug, the black adjustment knob can break. The handleshould be closable with one hand of the operator when properly lubricated.
If two hands must be used with a properly lubricated clamp assembly,there may be a risk of breaking the pressure adjustment knob.
Sublimation inks do not require much pressure for a good transfer.
However - many styles of imprintable mugs are not straight, especially at
the top & bottom of the mug. For this reason, heavier pressure helps press
the transfer right up against the entire surface of the mug. Set the pressure
adjustment so that there is a firm clamping force. This will insure good
contact, and great results.
When the press is hot, and after much use, the pressure assembly may be difficult to adjust. An ALLEN KEY has been included to allow for
easy adjustment without needing to come in close contact with hot surfaces.
Standard Guidelines & Settings The DK3 comes preset at 400°F for 4.5 minutes. Always use a
plain paper cover sheet OR teflon liner over the entire mug surface
on top of the transfer to protect the mug surface. For some offset
transfers, high energy sublimation inks, hard mug coatings or full bleed
handle to handle transfers, it may be necessary to increase the time to 5
minutes or more.
These settings should do well for most sublimation style transfers.
If the results are not acceptable, or you are using laser transfer papersor other type of transfer media, contact your transfer ink or papersupplier for recommended guidelines.
Please note that when pressing mugs, it is perfectly normal to
have a significant drop of 30+° in temperature during the first part
of the cycle due to the mug absorbing a large amount of heat. The
press will recover and print properly, however.
One recommendation for increasing production and decreasing pressing time is to use a pre-heating oven, such as a small toaster ovenor other countertop batch heater. Pre-tape and wrap the mugs, set thesmall oven to 300°F, and have mugs preheating inside while other mugsare being pressed. This will invest heat into the mass of the ceramic,without activating the sublimation, so that the final pressing in the DK3will be significantly faster. Times can then be lowered down to 2.5 to3.5 minutes and in some cases less.
Some mugs may have irregular shapes. The top and especially bottom rims of the mugs may taper inward. This will result in the
paper possibly wrinkling at the edge of the mug. Normally this will
not affect the transfer elsewhere on the mug. However if attempting to
press full bleed transfers with the image wrapping around the rims of
the mug, this can cause problems. White lines and faded white splotches
will appear, especially near the extremities of the mug. This is the result
of the mug shape tapering inward, and the paper continuing to stiffly
extend outward. The pressure of the press may help bend the paper a
bit but the dryness of the paper may cause wrinkling. The solution to
this is to dampen (with wet fingers or spray bottle - do not submerge)
the cover sheet with water and bend the paper with the palm of your
hand around the edges of the mug. Press the mug as usual and the water
will help "paper mache" or cast/mold the paper around the mug
curvature. This will help aleve white lines and white splotches on the
mug.
Programmable Presets Normal Default Mode
Programmable presets are stored programs where commonly used Press PRG
Temperature, Time and Height (pressure) settings can be stored and Presets Mode
Presets can be recalled simply by pressing the PRG key, selecting the program desired with the arrow keys, and pressing the PRG key again. This Press TEMP
Press PRG
will update the current settings on the press with the settings in the preset.
Edit Preset Temp
Presets can be edited by pressing the TEMP key while inside the programs.
When the display shows "SEt", press the TEMP key to change the temperature, Press TEMP
time and PRS (height) settings for that preset. The TEMP key moves the flashing value from Temp to Time to Edit Preset Time
PRS and back to "SEt". The arrow keys change the value.
Press TEMP
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ So. the PRG key enters into the Edit Preset Pressure/Height
presets, and also exits the presets. When exiting the presets, the press' temperature & time is updated with the values that were stored in the preset, and Press TEMP
the PRS display tells the operator what height level to adjust the pressure to.
User Options Menus The user options menu is a set of features and calibration options that are programmable and adjustable by the user. It consists of a setof menu items that can be scrolled through. Each menu item is afeature whose values can be viewed and /or changed. To enter theuser options menu: From the default operating mode, press the TEMP & PRG keys If the keys are not pressed exactly at the same time, you may enter the temperature edit mode, or the presets mode. Exit either of those modesand try again.
To cycle from one menu item to the next, press PRG.
Fahrenheit / Celsius The Current, Set Point, and Preset temperature values can be displayed inFahrenheit or Celsius. To change the value toF or C, use the arrow keys. Press PRG to moveto the next menu item.
The timer displays as factory default Minutes:Seconds. This can be changed toHours:Minutes. To change to value to HR(hours:mins) or MIN (mins:secs), use the arrowkeys. Press PRG to move to the next menuitem.
Recorded Pressings The digital control records the number of pressing cycles completed. This can be veryhelpful when counting the number of fullpressings that have been performed. The valuewill scroll from left to right. A "-" sign willseparate the beginning and end of the number.
To reset the count to Zero, press an arrow key.
Press PRG to move to the next menu item.
Height Gauge - High Point This feature is not applicable on this press.
Press PRG to skip this menu item.
Height Gauge - Low Point This feature is not applicable on this press. Press PRG to skip this menu item.
Pressure / Height Gauge Sensitivity This feature is not applicable on this press. Press PRG to skip this menu item.
A temperature alarm is available for warning the user of out-of- range temperature conditions. The user can set this menu item to
sound an alarm if the heat platen drops below the Set Point temperature
by the amount indicated. Please note that when pressing mugs, it
is perfectly normal to have a significant drop of 30+° in
temperature during the first part of the cycle due to the mug
absorbing a large amount of heat. The press will recover and print
properly, however.
Use the arrow keys to set the degrees or to turn this feature off. If the Currenttemperature drops below the Set Point by thisamount or more, an alarm will sound. Thedefault value is OFF.
Normally, all buttons on the keypad beep when pressed. This can be turned off, so allbutton keypresses are silent. Use the arrow keysto turn this feature On or Off.
There are 10 different alarms available to choose from. These alarms are sounded at theend of the timing cycle, as well as if the DropSense feature is enabled.
Use the arrow keys to change the values or to turn the alarm off. Please note the differ-ent alarms below.
• denotes a short beep.
_ denotes a longer beep.
denotes infinite loop.
• • • _
• • • _
The majority of the press has been designed to be as maintenance free as possible. There are only a few aspects of the machine thatshould be monitored to insure proper operation.
The clamp/linkage assembly is the greatest area of wear and friction on the press. The posts that connect to the heat platen should be
lubricated with SuperLube - a clear high-temperature lubricant. Do
not use grease, or WD-40 to lubricate the clamp/linkage assembly.
The heat conductive silicone pad adhered to the heater band is a consumable item and may need replacement from time to time,depending on the amount of use. As long as the green heat conductivepad retains its sponginess, and is not severely cracked or has pocketsof missing material, it should perform just fine.
The following information attempts to address the most probable mechanical and user issues with the press. Most issues with heattransfer presses are application related. That is, they have to do withthe results of a particular transfer application.
For technical support on problems having to do with the final results of a particular transfer paper or media, please contact thesupplier of that transfer media. Generally, the machinery manufactureris unable to support the myriad of different transfer papers, inks andimprintable items on the market from other resellers.
Q. The timer does not start when I close the heat platen, or the timer does
not reset when I open the press up.
A. There are several probable causes for this. The timer is activated by a
micro-tilt-switch attached to the pressure bar that holds the heat platen.
When the head of the machine is opened, the timer needs to be tiltedat a certain angle to signal the controller to stop/reset. When the headfor the machine is lowered, the timer needs to be tilted at a certainangle to signal the controller to stop/reset. Open the pressure box andmanually rotate the tilt-switch to see if it is sending the proper signal.
Troubleshooting (cont.) Q. I press the keys on the keypad, and there is no sound or response from
the controller.
A. Check the connection of the keypad to the controller. This is inside
the top panel. Unplug the power cord. Remove the two screws inbetween the clamp/linkage that hold down the top panel, and carefullylift the panel up and look inside at the digital controller. The keypadconnector passes in through the top panel. It should wind around thefirst circuit board and be seated fully into the connector. Check theblack keypad connector that plugs into the circuit board to see if it haspulled apart. Also check the area where the keypad connects to thefront membrane to see if the leads have been damaged. The membranekeypad may need to be replaced.
Q. The control displays Err when it first comes on, and I can not set the
temperature or use the press.
A. The Err message will display if the heating signal from the platen has
been cut off, interrupted, or the heating sensor has failed. First checkthe green heat connector that plugs into the digital control. This isinside the top head. Unplug the power cord. Remove the four screwsthat hold the back panel onto the box, and carefully lift the panel backand look inside at the digital controller. At the top of the controller,there is a green connector that plugs in. This is the temperature sensorwire. Check to make sure is it properly seated. Be sure not to unplugany other connectors. The temperature wire connects to the center ofthe rear half of the heat platen. Check this connection as well to see ifthe connection is correct.
Q. The press has shut off, and will not come back on after checking the
power cord, on/off switch, etc.
A. Check the fuse. In the back panel of the control box, the power cord
socket has a built-in fuse-holder. Unplug the power cord, and gentlypry out the fuse-holder. If the fuse is burnt out or there is no continuity,replace it with the spare located in the fuse holder also. If the fuse isfine, check the black and white wire connections from the power socketto the on/off switch, and from the on/off switch to the controller.
Geo Knight & Co warrants that the press is free from defects in both material and workmanship (1) Year from the date of invoice to the buyer. If any parts or workmanship are found to be defective in manufacture, Geo Knight & Co will repair or replace the defective parts or workmanship. In addition, Geo Knight & Co warrants that the Digital Knight heat control is free from defects in both material & workmanship and is covered under no-charge support for (3) years. Geo Knight & Co also warrants that the heater band is warranted for (3) years or 3,000 pressing cycles, whichever comes first, provided it is owned by the original purchaser. This warranty on the heating element does not cover temperature sensor failure, damage or disconnection. The number of pressing cycles of the machine must be confirmed by a technician at the factory in order to honor the heater band warranty. This entire limited warranty covers all parts to repair the defects, except when damage results from accident, alteration, misuse or abuse, or when the machine has been improperly installed, or modified in any way. If the press becomes defective during the limited warranty period of (1) year for the entire press, (3) years for the control, or (3) years / 3,000 pressing cycles for the heater band, Geo Knight & Co reserves the right to recall the defective press to the factory for repairs if on site component replacement is deemed not possible by Geo Knight & Co. A return authorization must be granted by Geo Knight & Co prior to its return. If a press covered by the (1) year limited warranty must be returned to the factory for repairs, Geo Knight & Co shall make every effort to repair buyer's press. However, Geo Knight & Co reserves the exclusive right to determine whether to repair or replace a defective press. If Geo Knight & Co authorizes a replacement press, the warranty of the replacement press shall expire on the anniversary date of the original machine's invoice to the buyer. There are no warranties which extend beyond the description on the face hereof. Seller disclaims any implied warranty of merchantability and/or any implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, and buyer agrees that the goods are sold "as is". Geo Knight & Co does not warrant that the functions of the press will meet the buyers requirements or expectations. The entire risk as to use, quality and performance of the press lies with the buyer. In no event will Geo Knight & Co be liable for any damages, including loss of profits, destruction of goods or any other special, incidental, consequential or indirect damages arising from the use of the press or accompanying materials. This limitation will apply even if Geo Knight & Co or its authorized agent has been advised of the possibility of such damage. Geo Knight & Co Inc
54 Lincoln St, Brockton MA 02301 USA
(508)588-0186 - Fax (508) 587-5108

Source: http://www.tropicalgraphics.ca/config/dk3man.pdf