How do you cure plastisol ink with a flash dryer?Updated 2 years ago

Curing with a flash unit isn’t perfect, but you can get the job done with practice and the right tools. 

First, you’ll need something to measure the temperature of your ink as it cures. You can use a temp gun or a donut probe to check the temperature of your ink. Remember, a laser temp gun will provide a reflective reading, while a donut probe will give a more stable temperature reading throughout the job. You’ll also want to use the proper size flash unit for the job you’re doing. For most jobs, a 16x16 or 18x18 flash will fit the bill.

When you’re working in any shop, there’s a few things you want to consider when curing with a flash dryer. 

First, you want the space you’re working in to be warm, between 70-80 degrees. This applies to everything in your shop. If the ink is cold, it won’t be as creamy and easy to print with, shirts will cool down quickly and be harder to cure, and so on. By keeping your shop warm, you can eliminate potential issues before they happen. 

Air flow is also an important factor to consider when curing with a flash. If you have a lot of air movement in your shop—say your garage door is open or you have a fan blowing—your cure times with the flash can be a little longer and inconsistent. Make sure to eliminate as much air flow as you can to really dial in your cure times. 

To cure with a flash dryer, first you need to make sure your flash is up to temp.Usually, a flash unit sits about 2-3 inches above the platen. The closer your flash is to the ink, the faster it will cure. Be careful though, too close and you could scorch the garment. Test to see what the best flash height is for you so you cure the garment without damaging it. 

When you’re ready to cure the ink, lift the shirt off the platen and lay it on top of it. If the shirt is still stuck to the platen, there’s no space for the heat to penetrate through the garment. By setting the shirt on top of the platen, you’re giving the air underneath the print a chance to heat up through the ink layer and help to cure it from top to bottom. Keep the platen under the flash dryer until your ink layer is fully cured. This is usually around 30-40 seconds. 

To learn more about curing with a flash unit, check out this video.