Should I move from a mug press to an ST-3042 Oven?

[gazfocus]

Business has been increasing of late and I am currently running two mug presses daily (a Galaxy Mug Press Pro and a Freesub Dual Mug Press) so I can do 3 mugs at a time, however, the results aren't always consistent. I have 280 mugs to print this weekend (a few different designs) and sometimes they press ok and other times they don't, and have to go back in the press for another 3 minutes.

So, I'm looking at the equipment we have, and am wondering whether it's worth switching from Mug presses to an ST-3042 sublimation oven, which would then also give us the ability to sublimate other things. The only downside to this is that the oven costs about £350, then add another £85+ for 12 mug blankets, it becomes quite costly, and I don't want to end up buying it if it's not going to be a good upgrade.

What do you guys think? Is t worth upgrading for the volume of mugs in doing, or are mug presses considered to be better? I really just want to be able to sublimate mugs without standing there wondering whether they're going to turn out ok this time round.

[socialgiraffe]

Points to note
I would expect 280 mugs to take about 5-6 hours with 1 oven.
I would not expect more than 3-5 spoils on 280 mugs due to machine failure (operator failure depends on how stupid you are )
If I make a mistake (i.e. time or not monitoring the temperature) then you potentially lose 12 mugs in one hit
Due to gas floating around, I only get two prints per A4 page. I am not 100% sure if you can get more or not as I have not had the time to figure out a solution to it.
As 12 mugs takes 13-15 minutes it does give you plenty of time to crack on with other things
You will need at least 24 mug blankets (ideally 36)
You can get far better coverage and more consistent results (top to bottom and very close to the handle without failures)
1 mug will cost you more due to time taken to heat oven and then print it (6-8 minutes)


Personally I would switch, but only you can make the decision based on your business as it stands and where it is going. The above are just a few of the things to note, if I can think of others (good or bad) I will post them as well

[Samstables]

I have an ST-3042 and would agree that you need twice the number of blankets than you want to use at once so that you can put the new load on mugs while cooking the other lot, so consider that additional expense. It takes a bit of practice getting the blankets on, especially if your design is right up to the edges (top/ bottom/ near handle) and there seems to be a knack to getting them off too! I like the diversity the ST-3042 offers though I did also buy a cheap flatbed as for some reason it refuses to vacuum coasters for me. I did manage a batch of 135 mugs with only 6 blankets before Christmas but it took ages... not recommended!

[gazfocus]

Thanks to you both. have you ever had mugs go wrong in an oven? Particularly the ST-3042? How long does it take to do a full 12 mugs in the ST-3042?

[socialgiraffe]

I would not expect more than 3-5 spoils on 280 mugs due to machine failure

As 12 mugs takes 13-15 minutes it does give you plenty of time to crack on with other things

Already quoted

[Samstables]

Once I had the time and temp right, no problems with mugs going wrong (other than operator error of course!) I do tend to rotate them mid cycle as I found bottoms sometimes got "burnt" when I was doing a batch of colour-change mugs so now I do it by habit.