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 1. Compatibility with pad printers and screen printers

• Workflow connection: In the process of T-shirt clothing printing, after the pad printer and screen printer complete the pattern printing, the T-shirt needs to be dried in time to fix the ink. The tunnel drying furnace can be seamlessly connected with them. Through the conveyor belt system, the newly printed T-shirts can be directly transported from the printing equipment to the entrance of the drying furnace, and then output from the outlet after drying, forming a continuous automated production process, which greatly improves production efficiency.

• Meet the drying needs of different printing processes: Pad printers may use different types of inks, such as solvent-based, UV-based, etc.; the same is true for screen printers. The tunnel drying furnace can adjust the corresponding parameters according to the drying characteristics of different inks, such as drying temperature, drying time, etc., to ensure that the inks under various printing methods can be effectively dried.

2. Characteristics and requirements of post-printing drying of T-shirt clothing

• Fabric characteristics consideration: The fabrics of T-shirts are usually cotton, polyester or cotton-polyester blends. These fabrics are sensitive to drying temperature and time. For example, cotton fabrics have strong hygroscopicity, and when drying, they need appropriate temperature and sufficient time to ensure that the ink is completely dry, while the fabric should not shrink or deform due to excessive temperature; polyester fabrics may require a higher temperature to fully solidify the resin components in the ink, but care should also be taken to prevent the fabric from yellowing.

• Printing pattern integrity requirements: During the drying process, the integrity of the printing pattern must be ensured. The pattern should not be blurred, faded or wrinkled due to factors such as hot air blowing and clothing shaking during the drying process. Tunnel drying furnaces can effectively avoid these problems through stable transportation and uniform heating.

3. Advantages of tunnel-type high-efficiency drying furnaces

• High-efficiency drying:

• High-efficiency heating method: generally hot air circulation heating or infrared heating is used. Hot air circulation heating is to circulate the heated air in the tunnel through a hot air blower, so that the heat is evenly transferred to the T-shirt. This method allows all parts of the clothing to be exposed to hot air and speeds up drying. Infrared heating uses infrared radiation energy to directly penetrate the ink and the surface of the fabric, so that the solvent in the ink evaporates quickly, and the drying efficiency is higher, which is especially suitable for printing and drying thick ink layers.

• Continuous production and high efficiency: The tunnel-type structure allows T-shirts to enter the drying furnace continuously for drying, instead of batches like traditional drying equipment. This greatly increases the drying quantity per unit time and meets the requirements of the clothing printing industry for mass production.

• Good temperature uniformity:

• Reasonable internal structure design: The heating elements and ventilation system inside the drying furnace are carefully designed to ensure that the hot air is evenly distributed in the tunnel. For example, by reasonably arranging the air outlet and return air outlet on the top and both sides of the tunnel, the hot air can form a stable circulation path, avoiding local overheating or overcooling areas, and ensuring that the T-shirt is heated evenly throughout the drying process.

• Accurate temperature control system: Equipped with advanced temperature sensors and control systems, it can monitor and adjust the temperature in the drying furnace in real time. The drying temperature can be accurately set and controlled according to the requirements of the T-shirt fabric and printing ink, so that the temperature fluctuation is controlled within a small range to ensure the quality of the printed pattern.

• Significant energy saving effect:

• Heat recovery: Some advanced tunnel drying furnaces use heat recovery systems. Before the hot air is discharged from the drying furnace, part of the heat is recovered through the heat exchanger to preheat the fresh air entering the drying furnace, which can reduce heat waste and energy consumption.

• Good thermal insulation performance: The outer shell of the drying furnace is usually wrapped with thermal insulation materials, such as rock wool, aluminum silicate fiber, etc., which reduces the loss of heat to the outside. This good thermal insulation performance can not only reduce energy costs, but also make the temperature inside the drying furnace more stable, which is conducive to improving the drying quality.