How to Maintain Your Heat Press
Whether you are in the mug printing business or whether it’s just a small side hobby for you, it pays to keep your equipment in excellent shape. Very much the centre of your little enterprise, for businesses in particular it stands to sense to keep your heat press in the very best shape it possibly can be, as it is very much your bread and butter. No heat press equals no products after all, so we’ve prepared a very small guide which will enable you to be confident that your little money printing machine will be ticking over for some time yet.
Why is Maintenance so Important?
A heat press is no different from any machine, it requires maintenance and servicing in order to perform efficiently and to create excellent quality products for your little business. As such, regular maintenance will allow you to use your heat press with confidence. First, you’ll want to ensure that your heat press is cooled down in order to conduct the maintenance. It makes absolutely no sense to service a hot machine, both for the machine’s health and your own. We would recommend also not using anything sharp or abrasive, such as scrubs or knives – all cleaning should be undertaken with soft materials in order to not cause damage or make existing damage worse.
Cleaning the Upper Platen
With this in mind, the first thing you’ll want to do is clean the upper platen. As your machine is used, the common dirt as well as some ink residue can dirty the platen.
As of course it is heated and reheated, it can dry solid, which we’re sure is not a good experience for anything which is being pressed. We recommend using a very small amount (just a few drops!) of mineral acid to clean the platen, diluted with warm water. We also recommend that you wear gloves appropriately. The surface of your heat press will more than likely be a Teflon surface, so we can’t emphasise the delicacy of it enough.
Anything abrasive will indeed damage the surface, which will show in each and every one of your subsequent presses, so take care!
General Maintenance
Oiling and greasing your heat press appropriately is also of paramount importance. This reduces the risk of pivots in the moving parts hardening due to trapped dust as well as dry out and rust. Oiling and greasing your machine allows the work to be easier – as well as prevents any possibility of repeated use damaging the joints and the moving parts.
Cleaning the Lower Platen
The lower platen is one of the most important, and delicate, parts of your heat press. It is designed to press evenly – and so any damage or buildup will prevent it from doing what it is supposed to do in an effective manner. We recommend using the same method as the upper platen in order to clean this part of your heat press, and we also recommend keeping an eye on the state of the lower platen. Can you see any scratches, chips, or parts which look worse for wear? Is there any warping on it? All of this can drastically decrease the quality of your product.
If Something’s Wrong…
Should you find any damage, contact the supplier of the product. Companies such as Novachrome offer excellent after-sales service, and should anything be wrong, they’re the very best people to go to for advice. With excellent relationships with the manufacturers, Novachrome are able to sort out replacements in order to keep your business ticking on.
