So the FireFly™ is amazing new tech, but can it really keep up?
The FireFly continues to turn heads and raise eyebrows at shows and on forums. Potential customers and industry pundits are amazed and skeptical at our claims of what this machine does and how little space it requires.
For those new to the details of the FireFly, this machine has some features that are not available on any other curing system.
- temperature monitoring of each individual garment
- temperature control of each individual garment
- independent curing parameters for each individual garment
- thermal imaging camera system with flat screen temperature monitors
- Linx Integration System for bar code item control
This is really cool tech. However, the specs that cause skepticism is the minimal space required to achieve cure and, hence, high volume production. The engineering design is all about heat control. In a gas oven, there is substantial time needed to raise the temperature of a garment to a level to allow the ink to cure. This is why many gas ovens include an IR bump. However, in the FireFly, the heat energy applied to the garment is higher and more direct so the cure of the ink can happen sooner. And, because of the imaging technology, the FireFly can control the garment temperature so that it does not exceed manufacturer's parameters.
So what does all this mean? It means volume production in a small space.
Typically, high volume shops run gas ovens that are 20' or longer in length. They will often run 2 or more of these and each one is set to cure one particular type of garment. Most of these ovens are 48" to 60" wide. They usually have an IR bump that requires 3Ø power in addition to the gas feed.
The FireFly, in comparison, requires a much shorter cure chamber. The curing system in the video above has 2 belts that are 36" wide and 90" of heat. The total length on the system is 15 feet. The cure rates show in the video happen all day long. This was typical production in the facility.
Also, if needed, the FireFly can change parameters for each garment run on the same belt. It alters heat energy applied to the garment to match the specifications programmed. This feature allows a shop to use a FireFly for multiple job runs simultaneously.
So, to answer all the skeptics, yes it is cool tech. And yes, the FireFly will produce high volumes of individually cured garments in a smaller space.
Contact us for additional information on how this system can fit into your production system.
