DIY press

Once you have cut a master laquer, you have metal stampers created and have records pressed from them. Discuss manufacturing here. (Record Matrix Electroforming- Plating, Vinyl Record Pressing.)

Moderators: piaptk, tragwag, Steve E., Aussie0zborn

Post Reply
User avatar
buckettovsissors
Posts: 70
Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 7:13 am

DIY press

Post: # 4200Unread post buckettovsissors
Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:29 am

In one thread, (which I cant find right now) there is a diy press using a 1 ton press.

Has anyone seen or tried to make a press with a 1-20ton hydralic press, and maybe some metal stamper?

Aussie0zborn
Posts: 1838
Joined: Sat Mar 11, 2006 8:23 am
Location: Australia
Contact:

Post: # 4224Unread post Aussie0zborn
Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:23 am

You need a ONE HUNDRED ton press. You will not be able to compression mould a vinyl record with anything less.

You could stamp flexi-discs with a press that has a lesser closing force but not vinyl.

You can ofcourse make your own record press with a suitable hydraulic press (100 ton closing force), buying a set of "book-type" moulds and an extruder. This would end up looking like a "Finebilt" (USA) press as seen on the Musicol (USA) website.

Aussie0zborn
Posts: 1838
Joined: Sat Mar 11, 2006 8:23 am
Location: Australia
Contact:

Post: # 4296Unread post Aussie0zborn
Fri Jan 30, 2009 8:49 pm

After a few PM's about how realistic this would be, this is how I would do it.

1 x Hydraulic Press, 100 ton closiing force. Available from used machinery dealers.
1 x Hydraulic Pump and accumulator, I think it would need to have a pressure of 3,000 psi (cant remember) but can check by asking a record factory
1 x Extruder capable of delivering a shot weighing abut 160 - 180 grams which is not hard to find, Source from a used plastics machinery dealer.
1 x Set Record Moulds available from www.recordproducts.com USA. Then you need to fit them to the press with safety features to ensure you dont close the press while your hand is still in it. The press would ideally have a timer to control (a) steam heating of the moulds, (b) closing the press after manual activation, (c) moulding time, (d) water cooling of the moulds, (e) opening of the press, and (f) interval which gives a you a few seconds to take the record out before the whole cycle starts again.
1 x Record Edge Trimmer. Again www.recordproducts.com or make one.
1 x Steam Boiler, preferrably electric for small volume production and ease of use. Heats up in ten minutes and its ready to go. (as opposed to an hour plus for gas or oil fired boiler). More epxpensive to run than gas but more convenienet too. Preferred steam pressure between 150psi and 180psi. Record Products can tell you how much steam you need per minute as I dont remember right now. An electric boiler with this pressure is not common and so you will have to have one custom made. Electric boilers are used by dry cleaning shops for convenienence but dry cleaners do not use high pressure so hard to find an electric boiler with this kind of pressure.
1 x Granulator for crunching up rejects to re-use the vinyl. Agaim, used machinery or plastics machinery dealer.
1 x Hydraulic Punch to punch out the label part of records before granulating (you need to make this or again, www.recordproducts.com ) otherwise you will have to cut the label part out with tin snips by hand and that's a lot of blisters

You can use mains water for cooling the moulds but thats wasting a lot of water. The normal way to do this is to have...

1 x Water Cooler with inbuilt reservoir of at least a couple of hundred litres.
1 x Water Pump with pressure equal to steam pressure. Volume of water should be checked with Record Products.

To set this up you need....

1 x Steam Boiler technician
1 x Eletcrician
1 x Hydraulics Technician
1 x Reasonably Good bank balance

You also need a good rapport with the local engineering shop as you will want bits and pieces made up from time to time and to repair broken parts. And you can't do this at home. You need industrial premises.

The idea is to get your stampers made outside and delivered to you ready-to-go.

So yes it is possible to make a record press yourself but this is amanual pres meaning you need to load the labels and vinyl biscuit by hand, and then remove the finished record.

Hope this helps.

User avatar
markrob
Posts: 1670
Joined: Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:14 am
Location: Philadelphia Area

Post: # 4299Unread post markrob
Sat Jan 31, 2009 10:35 am

Hi All,

I've been looking at US Patent 3023459 by Cook. He describes a pressing process that requires much smaller forces. I believe he used it in his Microfusion pressings on the Cook lable in the 60's Its interesting.

Aussie0zborn
Posts: 1838
Joined: Sat Mar 11, 2006 8:23 am
Location: Australia
Contact:

Post: # 4329Unread post Aussie0zborn
Tue Feb 03, 2009 6:11 am

To anyone who actually makes thir own press, I will supply for free 1 x Finebilt record trimmer with 240volt motor. Adjustable from 7" up to 12" and everywhere in between. Shipping from Australia is NOT included. Offer is for a limited time only. Motor can be changed for a voltage to suit your country.

User avatar
VRCM
Posts: 89
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 3:35 pm
Location: Connecticut

Post: # 4343Unread post VRCM
Tue Feb 03, 2009 6:27 pm

You could probably use the same press to make a record trimmer.
Tim

Aussie0zborn
Posts: 1838
Joined: Sat Mar 11, 2006 8:23 am
Location: Australia
Contact:

Post: # 4374Unread post Aussie0zborn
Fri Feb 06, 2009 10:32 am

The excess vinyl material that spills over the edge of the record is very thin and can curl over and so it needs to be trimmed while the record is still hot rather than punched with a tool and die. In any case, the trimming is done between each pressing cycle so while one record is being pressed the previous record is being trimmed. This saves time.

If the un-trimmed record is left to cure (set hard) it is almost impossible to trim the record without it cracking and/or leaving a very rough edge. There is also the chance of warping - if the vinyl biscuit is not placed in the exact centre of the mould, the mould cavity will still fill with vinyl to form the record but the excess vinyl at the edges is uneven. As the record cures (sets) there is a small risk the excess material can cure unevenly and cause the record to warp.

Also, to prevent warpage, records are stacked on a spindle after trimming and left to sit flat while they cure. If the record is not trimmed immediately (ie: if you remove your moulds from the record press, insert the tool and die and then punch the edges off 500 records) how would those records have been stacked flat? They will be warped.

Some plants press 10" records as a 12" record and then use a spare record press fitted with a tool and die to punch out a 10" record from a trimmed and finished 12" pressing. This is possible because of the thickness of the record where it is punched. Tail Records in Sweden is one plant that does this.

So, coming to think of it, using the same press to press records and punch out the excess vinyl at the edge at a later time is not a good idea at all.

User avatar
NottinghamToolexAlpha
Posts: 32
Joined: Thu Oct 23, 2008 2:16 am
Location: Nottingham,England.

Diy Press...Not for the faint hearted...!

Post: # 4471Unread post NottinghamToolexAlpha
Sun Feb 15, 2009 5:55 am

....If I may add a little - You would also need a small, proberly electric oven to warm up the labels, as not many people know - record labels have an adhesive of sorts on the back, but it has to be heated to a certain tempreture to cure to the record in the pressing process, otherwise it just splits...as sometimes....one does forget.... :roll: - Altho this does sound facinating - is anyone prepared to have a go?
Perfection to me is a nice cup of tea...and a day when everyone is happy with their records!

Aussie0zborn
Posts: 1838
Joined: Sat Mar 11, 2006 8:23 am
Location: Australia
Contact:

Post: # 4490Unread post Aussie0zborn
Thu Feb 19, 2009 8:26 am

Good point. We printed our labels in-house on matte art paper, 120gsm, without any adhesives. The oven is to take the moisture out of the label as a film of water is used in the offset printing process. As you know, if you dry your labels too much they will be prone to cracking. We used a regular electric kitchen oven to dry labels. I think it was about $30 at the used furniture store.

User avatar
NottinghamToolexAlpha
Posts: 32
Joined: Thu Oct 23, 2008 2:16 am
Location: Nottingham,England.

Diy press...

Post: # 4501Unread post NottinghamToolexAlpha
Sat Feb 21, 2009 9:37 pm

...Makes a mockery of those so-called professional ovens that the industry use - why shell out £600-£800 for a non-domestic one when a small electric will do the ob admirably?
- by the way Oz - is your name Mikey? - Would really like to see someone have a go at this...or I just might have a go myself...!

CC.
Perfection to me is a nice cup of tea...and a day when everyone is happy with their records!

User avatar
mossboss
Posts: 2092
Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2007 8:18 am
Location: Australia.

The greatly Confussed Doobie Dude

Post: # 6868Unread post mossboss
Fri Dec 04, 2009 4:59 pm

Overbuild your stands? They will not break down than You don't seem that good though
Cheers
Chris

Post Reply