Presstek 34DI problems

Re: Presstek 34DI problems

Maybe if you pay the $12,000 to $24,000 for a service contract your problems would be solved. Ptek is a Razor and Blade company.
Once you buy the razor you must only use thier blades. Once you sign up for a DI you are at thier mercy for plates and service.
The 3302 series also has streak issues and picture framing. Ryobi is a low end machine, use it like a BIC lighter.
We are presently looking at a real DI. The True Press 334.
 
Re: Presstek 34DI problems

REMOVED - by authors request

Edited by: Cory Smith on Jan 15, 2008 2:10 PM
 
Re: Presstek 34DI problems

Saint Presstek uses a web service called cyveillance and they will track any comments made here.
http://www.cyveillance.com
So watch your back! I already saw hits on my board after my last post.
I have seen the 3rd form roller streak in many 3302’s. The cylinder climb on and climb off will do that, as will a faulty gear driven form roller shaft etc.
Have you contacted the CEO of PeeTek and asked him to look into your problems? If you are lucky you will get an ABDick guy that cares and will resolve any issues you have. Most of the people in NH I have dealt with are rude but the original ABDick people are kind and wish to help.
Best of luck on the waterless copier.
 
Re: Presstek 34DI problems

Saint,
Why not suggest this. Ptek has a demo center where they fly positional customers in to see the DI perform in hopes of making a sale. Of course these machines are properly tuned and ready to print great so the customer gets a great demo. Ink curves and jobs are preset set etc.
If they would fly you and your pressman in to the demo center bring a CD with a job that has given you problems and run the job using your ink, plates and ink curve settings and stock on the demo machine to see if the same problems occur on their machine, I would say you have a proper reason for complaining. If no problems show up they should replace your machine.
Have you had the factory reps from Ryobi JAPAN in? I have dealt with them and they are great people and in my honest opinion they would tell you what the problems are with the machine!!!!
Plates are a different story, Ptek handles all that. There is a company in Israel that makes DI plates for the 34 series maybe give them a try. Buying a proprietary machine like a Ptek DI is not a smarter way to print. It is a smarter way to make them rich.
What made you buy a waterless copier any way? A five color Sakurai or Komori with a coater and a good work flow will do a far better job. Web2print is the future not a copier.
Good luck
 
Re: Presstek 34DI problems

I feel your pain I would like to talk to you I may have some answers for you. Are you the customer out of Phoenix.I,am a independent working for myself. 803-984-4025
 
Re: Presstek 34DI problems

REMOVED - by authors request

Edited by: Cory Smith on Jan 15, 2008 2:10 PM
 
Re: Presstek 34DI problems

I wanted to know some more about your issues you are having. I have some exposure to the Ryobi DI's, I would like to understand your issues better. I just have some concerns for my contacts that are using this machine.

Your room temperature is 70 F and the chiller is set to 19 F?

1) I am having trouble understanding how you can rule out temperature and contamination in the toning. You say it is after 8 hours? The press frame and componets are warm. The delivery side of the press will be even warmer if you have an IR. There are limits to the chiller in this press.

- If yellow is in unit 4, did you try black in unit 4 and yellow in unit 1? Is the toning in unit 1 or 4?
- Do you have an IR dryer?
- Is the ink for waterless printing? Are you using an addative?
- Does the toning/picture framing happen upon startup?
+ I know that there are issues with blotchy images, with after-market blankets. Once Ryobi blankets were put on the issues were gone. It had to do with the grind and release properties of the blankets.
+ Did you try NOT using the blanket washers at all? Mount new blankets after cleaning the cylinders with IPA. Wash the blankets by hand, job to job. Remove the solution from the press and remove the blanket washer rollers. If there is too much solution it goes everywhere. When it contacts the plate, it can start to break down the silicone.

6) I have heard through the grape vine of similar issues. What type of power do you have Delta or Wye? Delta is dirty power. If it is Delta the wind will affect the power. Delta can spike and drop off. If there is a big draw of power from your area it can affect you. You can have your power company come out and put a monitor on you incomming lines and then give you a print out. Keep track of when other machines in your shop start, this is when the most amperage is pulled through the lines. When you get the chart from the power company you can see if there are spikes and compare it to your notes if a machine was starting up. There are also settings on the UPS to change the tolerance for fluctuation. I have found out that there is a bulletin on the UPS settings for power settings, through Presstek, Kodak or Ryobi. I do not know which one has it. If there is a big flucutaion get a line conditioner. If the battery is going out that is a computer issue call the computer manufacture. Or talk to a computer guy not a press technician. (If you try to monitor with a handheld multi-meter, it does not take readings fast enough.)

7) Is there clarification. Is it only at the lead egde and then fades away? Or throughout the whole sheet? Does it stay the same shade from gripper edge to tail? Does it look like a shock line from a roller? A shock line from cylinder engagement? Or a gear mark?

I hope we can help each other out.
 
Re: Presstek 34DI problems

This is a great discussion about this press. We have this press in operation for 4 months now. We had lots of problems initially, and still have from time to time. There is lots of BS which Presstek salesis going to tell you, but you have to decide for yourself what makes sense.

Temperature is a biggie, we had it in a uncontrolled environment and yes we had lots of problems, after we put 4 walls around it and added 2 air-conditioner it works great.

I have a seperate forum website called www.dipressforums.com where we have lots of DI users and these are exactly the kind of discussions which should be going on there. It is a forum which I control (we are a printshop printpapa.com) and the main reason I started it that when we were looking for di presses like 6-8 months back there was no one place I found any information, so I created this forum on my free time. I have several Presstek techs, sales person and even some higher officials tracking this forum, so if you post anything there it will have a direct visitbility to them.

Thanks
Shawn
 
Re: Presstek 34DI problems

Saint,

LOL I told you. Now the Pteks boys will swarm the place. They even offer a web forum now to discuss how wonderful the DI's are.
Best of luck in getting your machine fixed.
 
Re: Presstek 34DI problems

Saint,

The Israeli plate's have you used them? I would like to hear a users comments on this product. I hear they are cheaper to purchase and print better also. I would love to sell the product to all my customers as long as they perform properly. Let me know if you have used them and what the results are.

I have not seen any more posts from you recently are you ok? I have a small board myself and have gotten hit hard by an IP called firewal.presstek.com.

Are your problems being resolved?
 
Re: Presstek 34DI problems

I work on Presstek 52DI. And I can tell that it is only a little improved comparing to 34 model. They still have "broken springs" problem,
But I have more serious problem than springs. Ink density is different from gripper to tail edge of paper. Of course, Presstek guys told me that it is a blanket and blanket packaging issue, but we have changed blankets and packaging, and it is still the same. Previous set of blankets was mounted by their specialist, so I think that we are not doing anything wrong. But still no solution.
Does anybody have any idea?

p.s. Roller settings are OK. Checked probably million times. :)

Edited by: maxxex on Oct 12, 2007 6:00 PM
 
Re: Presstek 34DI problems

The 52DI is like the 34 but wider. It uses the stream feeder from the ABDick Century 3000 series machine. That is why Ptek can sell it as thier machine. Just like ABD sold the 4995 vs the Ryobi 3304 that had a push guide and no stream feeder. It is a RiceObi thing I think.

I have heard countless times that the ink profiles need to be set up properly on the install of any DI waterless copier and only a few people know how to do that. Maybe ask for a CD with pre loaded profiles you can add and or edit. Hope that helps.....good luck with your Razor and Blade machine.

I am in the process of setting up http://www.digitalpresstech.com to better help people like yourself. We will have specialists there to help and guide DI press owners and operators.

People need to look at the Screen TruePress344. Thats a real DI LITHO press. Not a copier
 
Re: Presstek 34DI problems

I would start by having the cylinder gaps reset from Plate to Blanket to Impression. Be very precise, make sure the pressure is parallel. The other thing that I would check would be the oscillator timing. I have seen and had to make these adjustments to resolve that issue.
 
Re: Presstek 34DI problems

Shawn why does your board contain links to porn sites? I find that very distrubing for a DI waterless copier forum. If you need a sys admin to rid that junk let me know.
 
Re: Presstek 34DI problems

The plates from Vim are excellent from what I hear also.
Ptek and QMDI owners should look at them.
Do they have plans to market a 52DI plate also? With the Ptek boys making these changes a second source of plates is important for the owners of these waterless copiers. Plus they are less pricey from what I hear.
 

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