Looking at buying VersaCAMM SP-540V the problem is that it will a tight squeeze into the area I would be using it in. What kind of area is needed on the feedout side to handle the substrate in a comfortable manner. Can anybody give examples of their work area around the machine? Thanks much. D. Smith SignSmith
some days your the dog...some days your the hydrant.
Posted by Paul McDowell (Member # 5092) on :
Unless you are only printing 4ft sections you need to have a minimum of 8ft for feedout. More for prints longer than 8ft. Anything less and you are risking the print touching the floor or itself while still wet.
An 11ft x 11ft clean room is ideal. Since it can print at least 50in remember that you might have some trouble on 48in tables.
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
If it's going to make you the profit that made it worth buyin' . . .it's worth MAKING the space for, even if you have to build a room.
Posted by KARYN BUSH (Member # 1948) on :
you need as much space as possible..11x11 is really too small...you need to spread out alittle..plus ventilation reasons. it needs room to breath. i wish i had even more space...i still have to put together my laminator(which is something you'll also want to get) the wall behind it is 8ft. don't mind my messy studio...the garage is even worse.
[ March 03, 2005, 12:23 PM: Message edited by: KARYN BUSH ]
Posted by Janette Balogh (Member # 192) on :
Sheila, nice concept, but building a room is no drop in the bucket. Especially if it's done right. Construction these days is thru the roof.
At the Roland workshop they mentioned the ideal space as being no less than a room that's 11'x 16'. More space, of course, being better. They also mentioned the ventilation issues. I'm in a room that's 12'x16' with mine and I do wish I had more space to move. The room addition idea has crossed my mind more than once, and I've investigated the possibilities. It's a very pricey endeavour.
Since I'm in recovery mode financially from this purchase, I'll be patient with my decisions and take careful consideration as to just how much of a slave I want to be to financial debt.
I'm really doing pretty well in the space that I have right now, as I have it laid out quite efficiently, with plans to make it even more so. I certainly couldn't see myself being able to function very well in a room any smaller. For instance, 11'x11' would be very tight.
The printer itself is 8' long and almost 30" in depth ... it stands almost 4.5' tall. The back needs to be at least a foot away from the wall ... so there goes 3'x8' of space just in the machinery itself. I have 6' of space between the printer and my worktable, and I need every bit of it!
I hope this info helps, and I wish you luck with your decisions. Nettie
Posted by Checkers (Member # 63) on :
Hiya Dave, The printer really doesn't need that much space, as you can see from Karen's photos. You need the space for all the bells and whistles you should have to complement the printer. If you're doing any type of wide format printing and laminating, I think you should have at least a 10' x 24' space to work with. Like the others said, the larger the better. If you have to laminate a 4' x 8' board using a laminator, you need at least 4' for the laminator and 8' on both sides of the laminator plus room to work. Then you have your media storage racks. You can try to limit yourself on the media you want to stock, but it will take up space quick. You should also have at least a 3' x 12' table for trimming graphics too. Here's the link to our shop and how our lamination room is set up...
Our printer is in the showroom, but I would not recommend this. The environmental conditions are a lot less stable than what they really need to be. Temperature and humidity can really effect print quality.
Havin' fun,
Checker
Posted by dave smith (Member # 4327) on :
thanks, everyone that responded, I got some good ideas. Its funny the suppier that is selling me the machine really doesn't know what space is required to properly operate this tool. That surprises me about these guys,I have dealt with them since thet beginning (22 years) I have an empty room in the BASEMENT of the shop 11'x20'.I was trying to avoid that up and down but it probably won't hurt me. Totally finished room, paneled, carpeted, heated. Any thoughts??
Posted by Janette Balogh (Member # 192) on :
Dave,
Carpeting is not a good idea. The folks at the workshop mentioned it as being the worst case situation, unless it's some special kind of carpeting. (but I don't remember how they referred to it as)
Mine is on wood floors, and I noticed that the prints don't have the dust on them like they did during my demos at my supplier office (which was carpetted) Factor in that here I have a cat and a dog that shed like crazy, and you'll know just how surprised (and relieved) I am about that! Posted by Paul Luszcz (Member # 4042) on :
Is a take up reel available for the VersaCamm? Is the lack of a take up reel causing you to need 8' in front of the printer?
We have a non-solvent printer that's otherwise identical to the Roland Solvent Jet. We use a take up reel and have about one foot aof space behind and about four feet in front. Just enought to stand and work.
We are planning to get either a Solvent Jet or Versa Camm and lack of take up reel would be a considerable disadvantage.
Posted by Paul McDowell (Member # 5092) on :
In response to Paul Lunszcz, my understanding is that there isnt a take up reel for the 540, I know they didnt offer one when we bought it. There is a bracket to mount one though, and the roland forum has several members who have made their own catch.
Carpet is a never ending source of dust. You can run the printer on carpet, but the work involved in maintaining a clean printing room and clean materials will double.
Posted by dave smith (Member # 4327) on :
Thanks all, again. Much appreciated. Will look into the take up reel for front. If that is the case then it can stay upstairs.
Posted by KARYN BUSH (Member # 1948) on :
i'm pretty sure they offer a take up reel for a small fee $2k...ouch i have carpet and dogs...i do vacuum almost every day. i may get one of those matts but i'm not sure that will help much...i do have a good size ionizer next to it. i just make sure i dust off the first 3 ft of the roll and it hasn't been too bad.
Posted by Tony Lucero (Member # 1470) on :
Man what a bummer! I just had a print/assembly room framed inside our new addition. The size is good (20' x30') Wednesday I contracted for a commercial carpet over our concrete floors. Thought that would be the nice clean and comfortable area for this function. Oh well, I guess we'll have to get real serious about regular vacuuming. Interesting to see many of us are investing in the wide-format print technology. I looked at Checkers layout...AWESOME! and Karen's set up at her home has always impressed me...it just proves that we cant avoid or be afraid of embracing and investing in technology even at our own ma & pa shop.
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