There are many advantages to regular servicing of machinery.
Regular servicing enables early identification of any changes in the machinery and monitoring of wear and tear. This in turn can reduce the likelihood of large repairs and unplanned prolonged machine down time, which can cause administrative problems in a busy studio or workshop. Any damage to the machine found at the time of service, can be assessed and recommendations made.
Regular servicing will also enable the machinery to work to its best ability. Adjustment of the machine to prevent problems such as paper crease and blanket creep will enable a professional print quality, vital for any print workshop or studio conducting end of year exams. Re-levelling of platens can vastly improve the usability of the Relief presses such as Albion and Columbian Presses and this can be undertaken during the service as necessary.
Checking of items, which may have become damaged over time, is essential to make sure the equipment is safe for you, your students, other printmakers and those with access to the studio, a vital tool in risk management.
Having a professional print engineer visit the workshop to service your equipment has the added benefit of providing the operator with a refresher, in the setting and daily maintenance of the individual press, necessary for safe usage and to prolong the life of the equipment.
The following are a number of symptoms that may indicate a service is necessary:
| Type of Press | Symptom |
| Offset Litho and Cylinder Relief Presses | Bar Marking, horizontal lines going across the image, only printing across corners, squeaking, stiffness. |
| Direct Litho | Table not moving properly, stiffness. |
| Etching Presses | Crushed pressure bolts, blankets moving over to one side of the table during editioning, paper creasing and excessive paper stretch, stiffness, squeaking, rumbling, excessive pressure needed to produce a print, gold dust on the floor under the bearings, silver dust in the guard or on the floor. |
| Columbians and Albions | Not printing evenly across printing area, not printing whole plate, excessive amounts of make ready, excessive amounts of pull on the handle, bottom platen being stiff to move on the drum handle, tympan hitting the top platen as the bottom platen is being wound in, squeaking, top platen not returning. |
Commissions direct from artists, workshops, co-operatives, schools, colleges and universities are welcome. Please feel free to contact us on 0208 449 0023 or via e-mail at info@harryrochat.com for further information.
