The “Rx” for a Healthy Heat Press Machine

Always hit our quota of production for our customized products? Kudos to our Heat Press Machine for giving us all the time an ever-efficient service, the most impressive work, and the entire satisfaction! If ever since day one and never at least once when we are working together with it, it had never failed us to do its job, see how our craft machine is beyond hardworking! What more can we ask for? 

Indeed, there’s nothing greater we could ask more in our Heat Press Machine! This heat equipment tool is more than a blessing; it is a destined companion that has brought growth not only in our life but also in our profit. It has its necessities for us to comply with. Unbelievably despite the point we are the one who needs more assistance, we need to be reminded of how grateful we are and express our utmost gratitude for it. One way to show how thankful we are for how our heat press helps us in so many ways is to consider it even if they can’t directly address it. 

Clearly, in the name of excellent quality of production, us as a good partner and the best owner of them, now is the time to look back to the most significant contribution of our Heat Press Machine! To give our Heat Press Machine the BEST TREAT and the BEST HANDLING experience, we must know the general bits of advice, tips, and prescriptions. Especially when our heat tools are a bit under the weather, it will be a thoughtful act of us towards them!

It Deserves the Best Treat: Do I need to Grease or Lubricate my Heat Press? 

Your Heat Press Machine is also like you. How? When you tend to be productive as a person and as a crafter, it is always expected that your craft equipment receives the energy of work productivity you transmit to them. After a long day of toil, when you need to freshen up, you can take your total rest in any form and whenever you want because you deserve to give that for yourself. 

However, as reality speaks, this is the only difference your craft equipment has in contrast to you. The truth is that you are a crafter and a human. At the same time, it is an electronic device that is also so diligent in accomplishing its role, and plugging off or shutting down is the only form of its break to prepare again for the next day’s challenge; this might not be enough for it. Even if this is only a type of machine and this is the heart that makes your business function, there are more simple things you can give to it.

Greasing or Lubricating Heat Press Machine to pamper your Heat Press Machine’s worn-out parts is the best treat and delight that it can have! Its change in reliability to do work will speak for itself and make it know when to stop when it’s already tired. Remember, even though Heat Press Machine isn’t capable of talking if they hadn’t had enough lubricant or grease, its mechanical sounds as its voice.

To understand better why your Heat Press Machine needs this, let me give you a quick understanding of the duty of greasing or lubrication to your equipment and why it is essential. 

 What is Lubrication? 

 Lubrication is described as applying “lubricants” such as oil or greasy substances on certain parts and or between two surfaces of equipment gliding or sliding to each other. This diminishes the friction and rigid metal-to-metal contact to keep a piece of equipment moving efficiently and running. 

Why does a Heat Press Machine need to be lubricated? 

If greasing or lubricating your heat press is the thing you usually ignore and don’t pay superficial attention to, then the following reasons unveil the importance of it. This will change your perspective and increase how you show your machine a better T.L.C! 

1. Saves your Pockets in distress! 

Please don’t wait for your Heat Press Machine to utter a creepy sound of creaks before you lubricate it! Don’t wait for the time to come when the hinges or handle of your heat press get stack up, and you cannot move them up or down before you lubricate it! And what’s more worst? 

Greasing the moving parts of your heat press prevents you from experiencing unexpected stacking up of any of its parts when the heat pressing process is ongoing. Most significantly, the part we always need to watch for adequate lubrication is the busiest pressure handle that carries the upper plate from time to time. For such reason, when this part unexpectedly stops operating in the middle of your heat pressing process, and you’re unable to lift it again, imagine the problem and total panic it brings to you, for it can burn your material, causing wastage. The same thing also happens when your pressure handle is just paralyzed and hanging up where you can’t press it down. Imagine the headache it will give you when you tend to get delays in your dealings with your client!

Since lubricants can prevent wear and tear on the moving parts of your machine, always look on the brighter side. When you maintain this simple obligation for the health of your heat press, you don’t need to purchase replacements for your machine’s broken parts as often as you would necessary by not just lubricating. Similarly, if you wait for your device to give up just because you think that one repair at a one-time breaking of your machine will save you and your money, well, it’s not! It will just triple your repair expenses! 

2. Frustrates Business Production  

A faulty, rusty machine with inadequate lubrication can frustrate the quota of your targeted items to produce, failing to meet your deadline and losing opportunities with your present or future clients. If your heat press is working in good condition, it can work with optimum capability and allows you to produce more customized items. As simple motivation for you to not forget lubricating your machine, remember that the more things you make, the more opportunity you could earn. 

3. Lubricating Slows Down Wear and Tear

The moving parts of your heat press machine are constantly in battle with friction. If your heat press moving parts has enough lubricant, this prevents grinding of each other surfaces when metal-to-metal contact is present, which is the main reason for a machine’s abrasions, wear and tear. Moreover, lubricants, a protective element, can secure the moving part of your machine from any rust or corrosion. 

 4. Delimits Friction and Machine’s Down Time

 If the moving parts of your Heat Press aren’t well lubricated, each other surface produces an increased amount of friction resulting in the generation of more heat. If friction continues to persevere may lead to severe or repairable damage and, worst, overheating as heat is transmitted to other possible parts of the equipment. Moreover, lubricating help you keep away from accidents to happen. 

How do you lubricate a Heat Press Machine? 

Retaining any moving parts of your Heat Press Machine properly lubricated is always crucial for its health, longevity, and effectiveness to function. Lubricating your heat press’s adjustment knob, pressure knob, pressure handle’s hinge, and handle pressing adjustment is not a heavy and challenging thing to do. It will just take a few steps and slight stretching of your hands to do it. However, you’ll be staggered to discover how many owners of Heat Press Machine in the DIY world completely forget this; one shouldn’t be lazy. 

To lubricate the heat press’ moving parts, one must acquire light mechanical grease or, much better, an oil-based one. There are times a grease lubricant is too thick, and when applied on the machine, it outflows or drips, contributing to your project. Use a soft cloth, apply enough oil to loosen any rust, build-up of dirt, or gunk, or help soften the old lubricant. If there is a presence of this debris, use another cloth to wipe this filth off and make sure the parts are clean as possible before putting in the final amount of lubrication. Once done, apply the absolute amount of lubricant to solve your machine’s creaking and stacking-up problem. 

The Sweetest TLC: Keeping the Heat Press Machine in Good Condition and Last Longer

The joy of having our own Heat Press Machine isn’t just for the reason of having or wanting it! Seeing how our machine functions to its maximum potential each time we use it for our product customization pave an excellent payback to the investment we place in it. Since we know that purchasing one heat press machine is indeed costly, this leaves us with a striking realization of how important it is for us and our ventures. 

How do we maintain our Heat Press in Best State? 

It’s time to return the excellent favor to our Heat Press machine! Now, to keep your craft machine for heat printing run in consistent shape and condition, keep these lists containing best practices that will help you pay attention to the health of your equipment. 

1. Know the Areas of the Heat Press Machine that need Proper Care

You can compare your Heat Press Machine to any gadget or vehicle we own in our homes, and they need to be in good shape for us to use them well. Similarly to a heat press, it can make the design transfer we want to be executed perfectly, and for us to run it efficiently, we need to educate ourselves on the busiest areas it has. In this way, we’ll get to know how we can utilize them well and keep them away from any horrors of the process or time of usage. 

• UPPER PLATEN

The first area we need to consider for immediate care is the UPPER PLATEN, which is the most crucial part of a Heat Press. When any ink, melted materials, or adhesive residue sticks on your upper plate, clean and remove it immediately. Most of the time, when we mistakenly place a transfer and burn it, this area is where the residue stays and builds up. When this happens, we cannot just neglect it or leave it until subsequent use. At the end of the day, we will be the ones who’ll just suffer in this kind of a mess, and more so our incoming projects. 

• LOWER PLATEN’S RUBBER PAD

The second area is the LOWER PLATEN’S RUBBER PAD. Sometimes, wiping off dirt or removing build-ups isn’t enough to show your care for your machine. The truth is there’ll be moments to come when it’s about time for you to do a replacement, most especially for your machine’s rubber pad found in its lower plate. If this part is already dented, chipped off, worn out, and deformed, it will most likely give you unequal pressure, directly affecting your design transfer. With that, buddy, pity this area and replace it! Buying a new rubber pad or lower platen is much less expensive than purchasing a new whole set of a Heat Press Machine! Isn’t it?

• JOINTS, PISTONS, RODS, or MOVING PARTS

The last area is the Heat Press’s JOINTS, PISTONS, RODS, or MOVING PARTS. Frequently, these are the parts one consistently disregards. Obviously, if your machine is brand new, you don’t need to grease or lubricate it. However, over time, your machine’s mortal enemy, F-R-I-C-T-I-O-N, will wear down your machine’s joints, hinge, or all of its moving parts. When this happens, lubricating help these parts shy away from grinding, corrosion, and abrasions plus, the lifting or pulling up of the upper plate will be effortless too.  

2. Know what type of surface your Upper Plate is, and you’ll be able to identify the appropriate cleaning method. 

Before applying anything or making any move to clean your upper plate, check first what type of plate you have for your Heat Press. Upper Heat Plates are made of Teflon or non-stick coating; you cannot clean them through forceful scratching and abrasive cleaning pads to remove stacked debris. It is better to clean this using EZ off cleaner or soapy water using a soft cloth. Take note that once the coating on the upper plate is scratched or damaged, this will make your fabric even more prone to sticking, uneven application of the vinyl material to the surface, and more pressure or temperature problems. On the other hand, if the machine’s upper plate is a non-Teflon surface, it can be cleaned with mild grit using sandpaper or solution with soft bits provided with enough pressure to apply. 

3. Know what the things you need to avoid are. 

Having a little background on what your heat press wants and dislikes will save you in advance trouble, and here are the things you must shun and keep for the safety of your machine. 

Avoid: 

•  Prolong contact of your fabric or vinyl materials to high temperatures. As much as possible, know the proper setting of your materials to avoid burns and melting. 
• Sharp entities like zippers, buttons, or metal accessories on your substrates, and use a sharply textured cloth to avoid scratches and wounds on the upper plate.
• Press any potentially prone melting materials you could think of despite using a Teflon Sheet or Heat Protection Cover. 
• Blunt force and grating when cleaning 
• Using of abrasive cleaning agent or material to wipe off debris. 

 Encourage to Practice: 

• Always use a Heat Protection Cover Sheet when heat pressing (Teflon Sheet, Silicon Pad, or Parchment Paper).
• Always practice and choose the proper method of cleaning your heat platens.  
• Stop pressing immediately when you notice burns or a mistake in pressing design arises. 
• Always have a soft cloth and EZ off Cleaner by your side. 

4. Don’t just press on the side or the other side of the platen. Always work at the center of it. 

The best practice to keep the structure of your Heat Press in place and upright is always to place the pressure when heat pressing on the center or middle part of your platen. In this way, it will not strain the Heat Press’ guide post and able to distribute the exerted force throughout the four corners of the platens. Thus, if we keep pressing and placing the force at only one side of the platens, this will result in the bending of the guide post and affects the heat press evenness in distributing enough pressure for the whole surface of your project.

Discover More Great Articles On Crafting

Please click the links below for more interesting topics:

 HEAT PRESS CRICUT

CRICUT MACHINE- EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

How can we make our Heat Press Machine lasts longer?

Heat Press Machines as an extended lifeline of every T-shirt designer, DIY crafter, and business owner; this can never be devalued. Pouring out the best maintenance for your Heat Press Machine will guarantee this heating equipment to stand behind the back of our heat-printed projects! The more it performs well, the more it contributes to our profit, and the more we double up the effort of keeping them alive. 

Cheers for more advice to make your heat press live longer! We are expecting after this you could be able to apply or at least review again the way you treat your heat tool for a better and more improved working relationship! 

1. Provide your Machine a Routine Maintenance and Scheduled Check-ups

When conducting a scheduled check-up for our heat press machine, this doesn’t mandate us to be a professional technician or repairman! Before we purchase the equipment and in the long run, we are with our devices, we ensure that we prepare ourselves with knowledgeable information and tips that help us manage or operate our machines. While if we are the ones to conduct routine maintenance, this will not only familiarize us more with the “illness” of our equipment but will enable us to identify future problems and save us from the unexpected plus expensive cost of repair. 

2. Commitment to Consistent Cleaning of your Machine

Don’t wait for the time when your heat press will be visibly covered by dust! Did you know that dust can contribute to making your machine’s inner and outer body to become even hotter? Aside from that, it can be a factor that makes your device’s moving parts unreliable while increasing its wear and tear. Moreover, from time to time, your machine will also affect the result of your imprint without pre-cleaning and post-cleaning. 

Realize how the clock is ticking? Get an air duster now and stop dust from interfering with your machine daily!

3.Lubricate! Lubricate! Lubricate! 

Yes, for the “nth time,” lubricate your machine to extend its life! You can do this once a year. However, depending on how often you use your heat tool will tell how many times you need to grease it. 

4. If you can, replace the Faulty Parts of the Machine as early as possible; do not wait for your Machine to Give Up! 

When our heat press is constantly overworking, it can destroy some or more parts of it. If we procrastinate paying attention to what is to be replaced and do not do it early, the problem will just be like a decayed tooth that can infect other parts or, worst, the whole machine. 

5. Provide a plug or a circuit dedicated only to the use of your Heat Press Machine. 

When a Heat Press Machine is plugged into other equipment with high voltage consumption, this will cause overloading and short circuits. Avoid an octopus connection using an extension cord as much as possible because it is prone to faulty wiring, overheating, and electrical faults. A dedicated plug or circuit intended only for the use of your Heat Press Machine will get your machine away from any electrical faults.  

From top to bottom, you can now clear your Heat Press Machine from any electrical and mechanical “illness” situation! Having a deep reading in this “Rx” for a Healthy Heat Press Machine, spend and create more beautiful designs, have more experiments with your craft materials, and cherish longer years of working hand-in-hand with your Heat Press Machine! 

Learn more Vinyl tips and tricks and share your crafting adventures with us. Please visit us on our pages.

Social Media Accounts:

FB: CraftVinyl.ca

IG: CraftVinyl.ca

TikTok: craftvinyl.ca

For your vinyl crafting needs, please check our website at www.craftvinyl.ca. We offer different Adhesive and Heat Transfer Vinyl, perfect for your next project.