Features Printing Textile
Vastex LittleRed X3D-78 dryer features 2-m wide conveyor

A new Vastex International LittleRed X3D-78 infrared conveyor dryer with a 2-metre wide conveyor belt can cure 185 garments/h DTG printed with digital white ink, 1080/h screen printed with plastisol ink, and 555/h screen printed with water-based ink or discharge.

The DTG-specific feature of the dryer is a high-powered pre-heating zone that boosts ink temperatures past 150°C within the first few centimetres of conveyor travel, increasing the dwell time that ink is exposed to optimum curing temperatures, allowing the speed of the conveyor belt and machine output to be increased.

Previously available in a 76-cm wide model for a single row of garments and a 137-cm wide model for two rows, the new 2-metre wide X3D-78 can accommodate three rows of normal-sized garments or two rows of oversized garments, according to the company.

The dryer’s three 30.5 x 183-cm wide heaters output a combined 26,700 watts at 240V, and are digitally controlled and height-adjustable for curing bulky or over-sized garments. The X3D-78 also offers precision-thermal-profiling (PTP) to match curing conditions to the drying characteristics of each ink type, particularly difficult to cure inkjet-printed white ink, Vastex says. It also features a 31.2 CMM targeted exhaust system to remove moisture and air contaminates from the heating chamber, while keeping exterior surfaces and controls cool.

The output of all Vastex floor-standing conveyor dryers can be increased by an order of magnitude as needs grow by adding heating chambers and lengthening the conveyor belt, with one or two additional heating chambers, allowing doubling or tripling of conveyor belt speed and drying capacity.