Rotary heat press, also known as a calendar transfer machine, is used to transfer dye-sublimation prints onto a fabric. Rotary presses are typically manufactured two different ways and come in widths that range from 10–220″. The two types of presses are referred to as a roll-to-roll rotary press and a cut part rotary press.
Heat transfer machines like this are used in many types of applications. You can use it for printing fabric rolls, creating signage, producing flags, working with cut part pieces for cut-and-sew apparel, and even for making pieces of ribbon or long straps.
Rotary press is used to transfer your designs on to a roll of fabric. The items you will need with a roll-to-roll rotary press include pre-printed transfer paper, tissue paper, and fabric. The pre-printed transfer paper has a slight tackiness to it, and it’s used to hold the fabric in place.
The tissue paper keeps the sublimation ink from getting on to the belt that goes around the drum. The fabric you use will always be composed of polyester, a polyester blend, or some other kind of polyester-coated substrate. Roll-to-roll rotary machines typically come with three unwinds and three rewinds. The three items listed above are loaded onto the unwind rods of the rotary press. They come together and go through the press, looping around the heated drum. This part of the process is called the “dwell time,” and this is where the sublimation process happens. The rewind rods then roll up the now-printed fabrics, the used transfer paper, and used tissue paper.
As with all new equipment, there will be a learning curve until you feel comfortable using your machine. Feel confident knowing that this is a low learning curve, and it’s just a small matter of time before you’re a master at operating your rotary press. Three basic variables affect your results: heat, pressure, and time. Some ink manufacturers give a recommendation on the dwell time. Based on that recommendation, you will need to experiment by adjusting the temperature and time to achieve ideal results.
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