Difference between revisions of "Sublimation Printer"

Latest revision as of 12:23, 30 September 2024

Sawgrass-SG400 Sublimation Printer

Make: Sawgrass

Model: SG400NA

Serial Number: R739C839500

Ace: Summer Martindale (Makerhub@georgefox.edu).

Location: The Hub

Description

Sublimation is a digital printing process that uses heat and pressure to embed ink into a fabric or surface to produce an image. It utilizes a special dye and a molecular bonding process to apply and permanently adhere HD images, graphics and photos to polymers and polyesters at a sub-surface level.

Other printing processes utilize chemicals called binders to bond their inks to the surface of a product. Binders are present in the ink and/or paper (for transfer processes.) Over time, the binders will break down and the ink will crack, peel and fade. In contrast, because sublimation bonds at a sub-surface level rather than on top, it provides a high-quality image that won’t crack or peel. And in the case of apparel, it will not fade when washed.

With sublimation, images can be applied to thousands of different products including mugs, signage, bags and apparel, and to many different materials including ceramics, wood, metal, polyester and glass.

For fabrics, sublimation dye only adheres to polyester. Cotton/polyester blends are ok to use so long as the polyester content is at least 50%. Keep in mind that the sublimation dye will not bond with the cotton, so the resultant image will have a slightly more faded or "vintage" look when using cotton/polyester blends.

Documentation

The user manual link below is technically for the SG500 and SG1000, but similar principles will apply.

Sublimation Printer User Manual

SG400 Brochure

Terminology

Transfer Paper - Paper that absorbs the ink from the printer and is used to transfer the ink to the garment.

Training

Operation

The Sawgrass SG400 acts much like a typical ink printer. You will need to load the proper software and select the SG400 printer. The correct paper will also need to be loaded into the printer paper tray. One side of the paper is meant for printing while the other side is not meant for printing; double-check the paper orientation to avoid printing on the wrong side.

Demonstration

Demonstrate you can setup the software and printer. You will need to produce a transfer using the Sawgrass SG400.

General Procedure

Producing a transfer

Open the software you wish to print from (Adobe or Inkscape software).
Create or open your desired design.
Power on the SG400 printer and give it some time to power up. The printer can take several minutes to warm up.
Make sure the image is a mirrored (left/right) if you want to read the text on a surface or keep the image direction correct.
Make sure the image size is smaller than the size of paper you are printing on. The largest size paper is 8.5" x 11."
You will need to select 'print', and make sure you are printing to the Sawgrass 400 printer.
The printer should start printing and produce a sheet of paper with your image on it.
You will need to setup the heat press to complete your image transfer.

Safety

This is a fairly safe process. When using the heat press avoid making contact with the hot plate to prevent burns.

Certification

Complete The Hub - Sublimation Printer Module at the link below to gain access to the Sublimation Printer. The Maker Hub Canvas course pertains to all facilities and equipment contained in the Maker Hub; simply complete the quizzes for the facilities/equipment you wish to use in the Maker Hub. Please email makerhub@georgefox.edu if you have any questions.

Maker Hub Canvas Course

Troubleshooting

Sawgrass printers are unique in the fact that they have an auto-maintenance program that ensures the printer is always ready to print without any quality issues. If you turn off the printer, the auto-maintenance program will not be able to operate, which could lead to printing issues.

Banding is usually caused by a blockage in the print head preventing the ink from being properly dispersed to the paper. Perform a nozzle check to see if this is the case. If so, then you should perform a head cleaning to try to correct the problem. These functions can be accessed via the control panel on the printer or through Sawgrass Print Manager. Low ink levels can also cause banding. Always ensure that you are not low on ink. Learn more in our Knowledge Base, or contact Sawgrass Technical Support.

Color management is an important aspect for all forms of digital printing. In terms of sublimation, there are several factors that can affect the color including the printer, the ink, the paper, and the substrates. Sawgrass created Sawgrass Print Manager to address these issues and provide tools to help ensure the accuracy of the color output. If you are having issues, contact Sawgrass Technical Support for assistance.

It is possible to sublimate a print more than once, but every instance after the first time will be significantly faded. It is recommended that you only sublimate a print once.

Maintenance

General maintenance

Keep the printer plugged in and clean. Do not unplug the printer as this could damage the printer by preventing the head cleaning process.

Specific Maintenance Tasks

Maintenance Procedure	Frequency	Done By
Replace Ink Cartridge	As needed	Technician

-

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
   |Is equipment=True
   |Is located in facility=The Hub
+ |Has name={{PAGENAME}}
+ |Has make=Sawgrass
+ |Has model=SG400NA
+ |Has serial number=R739C839500
+ |Has life expectancy=
+ |Has year of manufacture or purchase=
+ |Has replacement cost=
   |Is used in domain=Cloth
   |Has name=Sublimation Printer
-  |Has icon=File:table_saw_icon.png
+ |Has certification=https://georgefox.instructure.com/courses/1317
+  |Has icon=File:Dye Sub printer notype (1).png
   |Has icondesc=Table Saw icon
   |Has iconwname=File:table_saw_icon_name.png
-  |Has image=File:table_saw.png
+  |Has image=File:Sawgrass-SG400.jpg
-  |Has imagedesc=SawStop Table Saw
+  |Has imagedesc=Sawgrass-SG400 Sublimation Printer
   |Has description=True
- |Has make=Sawgrass
+  |Has ace=Summer Martindale;Makerhub@georgefox.edu
- |Has model=SG400
-  |Has ace=Noah Burlingame;nburlingame18@georgefox.edu
 }}
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@@ Line 20: / Line 26: @@
 Model: {{#show: {{PAGENAME}} |?Has model}}
+Serial Number: {{#show: {{PAGENAME}} |?Has serial number}}
 Ace: {{#show: {{PAGENAME}} |?Has ace.Has name}} ({{#show: {{PAGENAME}} |?Has ace.Has email address}}).
 Location: {{#show: {{PAGENAME}} |?Is located in facility}}
 __TOC__
@@ Line 29: / Line 38: @@
 ==Description==
-The table saw is a fundamental part of any woodshop and can be used for cutting wood or acrylic. There are two basic cuts that are normally performed. A rip cut is made along the grain and a cross cut is done perpendicular to the the grain. A fence is used to keep the material straight when pushing material through the saw. While the saw is usually used for cutting the long side of material, jigs and tools are also available for doing cross-cuts on the table saw. Fixtures make sure the material stays in place as it’s pushed through and helps keep it straight.
+Sublimation is a digital printing process that uses heat and pressure to embed ink into a fabric or surface to produce an image. It utilizes a special dye and a molecular bonding process to apply and permanently adhere HD images, graphics and photos to polymers and polyesters at a sub-surface level.
-The SawStop table saw has a unique safety feature. A spring loaded cartridge is located in the machine. Any conductive material that makes contact with the blade fires and jams the cartridge block into the blade. The blade then stops spinning and drops down out of the way into the body of the saw. All this happens within 5 milliseconds, helping to ensure the blade inflicts minimal damage. If the material you are cutting is wet or has gold paint or leaf it will most likely trigger the saw stop feature. Do not cut any wet lumber or metal coated materials with this machine. Charcoal is also conductive so any laser cut areas of lumber should not make contact with the blade while cutting.
+Other printing processes utilize chemicals called binders to bond their inks to the surface of a product.  Binders are present in the ink and/or paper (for transfer processes.)  Over time, the binders will break down and the ink will crack, peel and fade. In contrast, because sublimation bonds at a sub-surface level rather than on top, it provides a high-quality image that won’t crack or peel. And in the case of apparel, it will not fade when washed.
+With sublimation, images can be applied to thousands of different products including mugs, signage, bags and apparel, and to many different materials including ceramics, wood, metal, polyester and glass.
-Here is an example of this piece of equipment being used.
+For fabrics, sublimation dye only adheres to polyester. Cotton/polyester blends are ok to use so long as the polyester content is at least 50%. Keep in mind that the sublimation dye will not bond with the cotton, so the resultant image will have a slightly more faded or "vintage" look when using cotton/polyester blends.
 ==Documentation==
+The user manual link below is technically for the SG500 and SG1000, but similar principles will apply.
-[https://www.sawstop.com/images/uploads/manuals/PCS%20Owners%20Manual%20Model%20PCS31230%20V5.0%2009-13.pdf User Manual]
+[[Media:Sawgrass-User-Guide-English.pdf|Sublimation Printer User Manual]]
-====Terminology====
-Sublimation is a digital printing process that uses heat and pressure to put ink into a product instead of on it. It utilizes a special dye and a molecular bonding process to apply and permanently adhere HD images, graphics and photos to polymers and polyesters at a sub-surface level.
-Other printing processes utilize chemicals called binders to bond their inks to the surface of a product.  Binders are present in the ink and/or paper (for transfer processes.)  Over time, the binders will break down and the ink will crack, peel and fade. In contrast, because sublimation bonds at a sub-surface level rather than on top, it provides a high-quality image that won’t crack or peel. And in the case of apparel, it will not fade when washed.  Sawgrass sublimation inks are HD and provide stunning graphics and photos, something most other decoration processes cannot achieve.
-With sublimation, images can be applied to thousands of different products including mugs, signage, bags and apparel, and to many different materials including ceramics, wood, metal, polyester and glass.
-Sublimation will bond directly to most polyester fabrics using the standard Sawgrass inks and transfer papers.  Sublimation will not bond directly to cotton, but there are special transfer papers that will allow Sawgrass inks to bond to the surface of cotton fabric. In addition, Sawgrass has partnered with Siser to produce a special edition of our sublimation inks, called EasySubli, which can be used to print on Siser vinyl. This vinyl can then be applied directly to fabrics such as cotton and dark colored polyester.  Sawgrass routinely works with partner companies to develop new applications for sublimation in terms of fabrics and non-fabric products.
-Because a mug is round, it will not fit in a traditional heat press.  There are three solutions for sublimating a mug. The first is to use a mug press, which has a cylindrical heating element. The mug is placed in it and the unit is clamped shut around the mug.
-The second method is a convection oven (not a microwave nor a standard kitchen oven where you will prepare food). A special wrap is applied to the mug, which holds the transfer against the surface of the mug. The mug is then placed in the convection oven for “pressing”.
-The third is to use a 3D heat press, which utilizes heat, vacuum and wraps to sublimate rounded products such as mugs.
-Each method has different settings for time, temperature and pressure that will vary with the equipment and the product, and these setting should be available with the products.
+[https://www.sawgrassink.com/Sawgrass/media/Documents/Printers/Brochures/SG400-SG800-Brochure-NP-US.pdf SG400 Brochure]
+====Terminology====
-* Rip - Cuts made along the length of the wood.
+* '''Transfer Paper -''' Paper that absorbs the ink from the printer and is used to transfer the ink to the garment.
-* Cross-cut - Cuts made across the grain along the shorter side of the wood.
-* Push stick - A piece of wood or plastic used to push the wood being cut through the blade while keeping fingers away from the blade.
-* Fence - A guide for measuring the cut and guiding the wood.
-* Riving Knife - A flat metal device that mounts behind the saw blade. This device prevents material from closing up on the blade and causing a dangerous condition called a material kickback.
-* Sled  -  A fixture that is placed on top of the table to assist with cross cuts.  The sled keeps material perpendicular to the blade and helps to prevent the blade from kicking back material.
 ==Training==
 ====Operation====
-The SawStop table saw has a unique safety feature. A spring loaded cartridge is located in the machine. Any conductive material that makes contact with the blade causes the aluminum cartridge block to fire into the blade. The blade then stops spinning and drops down out of the way. All this happens within 5 milliseconds, helping to ensure the blade inflicts minimal damage. This galvanic response safety mechanism is great for preventing injuries but will permanently damage the blade if triggered. If the material you are cutting is conductive it will trigger the saw stop feature. Do not cut any wet lumber, pressure treated, or metal coated materials such as gold leaf with this machine. Charcoal is also conductive so any laser cut areas of lumber should not make contact with the blade while cutting.  There are a few other things to keep in mind regarding your material as well. Make sure the material you are cutting is free of all foreign objects. Do not cut materials that may have nails or screws as they will damage the blade and may cause injury to you. Also, if the material contains a loose knot it can break free and create a safety hazard.
+The Sawgrass SG400 acts much like a typical ink printer. You will need to load the proper software and select the SG400 printer. The correct paper will also need to be loaded into the printer paper tray. One side of the paper is meant for printing while the other side is not meant for printing; double-check the paper orientation to avoid printing on the wrong side.
-If your material looks good, the next step is to set up the saw itself. When setting up the saw the blade, it should protrude no more than 1/4" above the material top. This limits the amount of blade that is exposed and makes for a good cut. You will also want to hook up the adjacent dust collector to the rear of the machine, make sure it is plugged in, and turned on. The dust collector must be used with the table saw to help keep the dust out of the air. As you make a cut, it is imperative that you keep the wood firmly against the fence to make the cut square. Therefore, you should double check to see if you are reading the right measurement on the fence, especially because the fence can be moved to either side of the blade which is why there are two distance indicators, only one of which is correct for each set up. Make sure to ask the supervisor about the available jigs because they can be helpful for specialty cuts. Once the supervisor has demonstrated the use of a jig feel free to use it in the future but do not play around with jigs you are unfamiliar with.
-After the saw is set up you are ready to cut. Turn on the saw and slowly push the material through, making sure to keep your hands away from the blade. Do not stop pushing the material until after the cut is finished unless there is an emergency, in which case, carefully use one hand or your hip to bump the off switch. Also not let go of your work piece during the cut or it will be forced back towards you.
 ====Demonstration====
-Demonstrate you can safely setup the saw and rip a board. You will then proceed to cross cut one of the remaining pieces. Remember to set the blade height so it is protruding less than 1/8" out the top of material for less exposure. When performing a rip cut the fence is used to guide the lumber into the blade. You want to make sure that the distance between the fence and blade is the width of desired cut. Mark the edge of the material when doing a cross cut so you can align the material with the blade in the sled. You can also use a miter gauge for making cross cuts but make sure the material is long enough and well supported.
+Demonstrate you can setup the software and printer. You will need to produce a transfer using the Sawgrass SG400.
 ====General Procedure====
-'''Rip Cut'''
+'''Producing a transfer'''
-. Ensure that the material you are cutting has at least one straight edge and no nails or foreign objects. The straight edge will slide against the fence when ripping.
-. Measure the width of the board and determine the width of cut desired.
-. Lift the locking handle on the fence and slide the fence to the desired cut width using the scale. Make sure you use the scale for the correct side of the blade.
-. Lock the fence by pressing down on the locking handle.
-. Use the elevation handle on the front of the saw to set the height of the blade approximately 1 tooth above the height of the material by placing the material next to the blade as a guide. This limits the exposed blade.
-. Turn on the main power switch on the front of the saw and the dust collector. The green light on the saw will flash and turn solid green when the saw is ready.
-. Make sure nothing is touching the blade. Turn on the saw by gently pulling on the red start paddle switch located on the front of the machine. The paddle switch is also the off switch when pressed.
-. Line up the flat side of the material with the fence without touching the blade. The fence is a guide and the material should be pressed firmly into the fence as well as down on the table. If the board is warped make sure that curved side is face downward.
-. Slowly feed the material in towards the blade while keeping your fingers at least 6" from the blade. Use a push stick to keep fingers away from the blade.
-. Make sure you keep a firm hold on the material and do not stop feeding the material until it has passed beyond the blade.
-. It is helpful to have someone assisting on the back side of the saw to help hold material being fed off the table. Make sure the person helping does not pull on the material.
-. When the saw cut is complete, press in on the paddle switch to turn off the saw and lower the blade below the table to keep anyone from accidentally cutting themselves.
-'''Cross Cut'''
-. Move the fence off to the side by lifting the brake handle and sliding the fence off to the side.
-. Place the cross cut sled on the table by aligning the table slots with the rails on the sled.
-. Slide the sled over the blade and use the material to set the blade height using the blade height handle on the front of the saw. The blade should be roughly one tooth taller than the top of the material.
-. Place the material flat edge against the back of the sled and align the material with the edge of the blade.
-. Once the blade is clear pull the red paddle switch to turn on the saw.
-. Slide the sled forward to cut through the material at the desired location.
-. Slide the sled back to you so it clears the blade.
-. Power down the saw by pressing the red paddle switch located on the front of the machine.
+# Open the software you wish to print from (Adobe or Inkscape software).
+# Create or open your desired design.
-. Lower the blade below the table using the crank handle on the front of the machine.
+# Power on the SG400 printer and give it some time to power up. The printer can take several minutes to warm up.
+# Make sure the image is a mirrored (left/right) if you want to read the text on a surface or keep the image direction correct.
-. Reset the space by cleaning up any dust, turning off the equipment, and lowering the blade below the table to keep anyone from accidentally cutting themselves.
+# Make sure the image size is smaller than the size of paper you are printing on. The largest size paper is 8.5" x 11."
+# You will need to select 'print', and make sure you are printing to the Sawgrass 400 printer.
+# The printer should start printing and produce a sheet of paper with your image on it.
+# You will need to setup the [[Heat Press|heat press]] to complete your image transfer.
 ==Safety==
-There are several hazards you need to be aware of when using a table saw.
+This is a fairly safe process. When using the heat press avoid making contact with the hot plate to prevent burns.
-* The blade is very sharp and it spins very fast. Keep your fingers away from the blade even when its not spinning. Use a push stick to keep your fingers a safe distance from the blade.
-* Always wear proper safety equipment, i.e. ear protection and safety glasses, to prevent injury.
-* Hold onto material firmly and keep it against the table and fence to help prevent the material from catching on the blade. If material catches on the blade the material can shoot back at you and this is called a kickback.
-This is a video of a kickback:
 ==Certification==
+Complete <strong>The Hub - {{PAGENAME}} Module</strong> at the link below to gain access to the {{PAGENAME}}. The Maker Hub Canvas course pertains to all facilities and equipment contained in the Maker Hub; simply complete the quizzes for the facilities/equipment you wish to use in the Maker Hub. Please email <span style="color:blue">makerhub@georgefox.edu</span> if you have any questions.
-[https://foxtale.georgefox.edu/moodle/course/view.php?id=31322 Foxtale Course]
+[https://georgefox.instructure.com/enroll/GH36RT Maker Hub Canvas Course]
 ==Troubleshooting==
-If the blade appears to need sharpening ask the tech to change out the blade.
-A sign of a dull blade is as follows:
+Sawgrass printers are unique in the fact that they have an auto-maintenance program that ensures the printer is always ready to print without any quality issues.  If you turn off the printer, the auto-maintenance program will not be able to operate, which could lead to printing issues.
-. Burning of material
+Banding is usually caused by a blockage in the print head preventing the ink from being properly dispersed to the paper. Perform a nozzle check to see if this is the case. If so, then you should perform a head cleaning to try to correct the problem. These functions can be accessed via the control panel on the printer or through Sawgrass Print Manager. Low ink levels can also cause banding. Always ensure that you are not low on ink. Learn more in our Knowledge Base, or contact Sawgrass Technical Support.
-. More resistance when cutting
+Color management is an important aspect for all forms of digital printing. In terms of sublimation, there are several factors that can affect the color including the printer, the ink, the paper, and the substrates.  Sawgrass created Sawgrass Print Manager to address these issues and provide tools to help ensure the accuracy of the color output. If you are having issues, contact Sawgrass Technical Support for assistance.
-. Rough cut edges
+It is possible to sublimate a print more than once, but every instance after the first time will be significantly faded. It is recommended that you only sublimate a print once.
-. Increased cutting noise
-. Increased motor noise
 ==Maintenance==
 ====General maintenance====
-Keep the saw clean and use the dust collector. There are several lubrication points on the saw that need to be checked by the tech.
+Keep the printer plugged in and clean. Do not unplug the printer as this could damage the printer by preventing the head cleaning process.
 ====Specific Maintenance Tasks====
@@ Line 165: / Line 109: @@
 !Done By
 |-
-|Lubricate mechanisms
+|Replace Ink Cartridge
-|Semester
+|As needed
-|Sample
+|Technician
-|-
+|}-
-|Clean machine interior
-|Monthly
-|Tech
-|-
-|Change the blade
-|As Needed
-|Tech
-|}