Need info on shop floors

[xerographer]

I am happy to have found this site. I have been checking out the forums over the past few days and have been amazed by the amount of info that is on here. I was hoping to get some input from people who are in the industry and have real world experience with wide format printers. We are considering adding a mutoh value jet 1638 to our shop so we can do banners and signs in house. When talking to our equipment vendor he suggested that we should remove the carpet from the area where the machine will be. Our office/shop has commercial grade carpet throughout and we would have to pull it up from the 1500 sf room where the new equipment would be. What are your thoughts on this and what is on your shop floors.
Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[rjssigns]

Our Roland sits on commercial carpet. No issues. Before I'd worry about carpet make sure you have complete environmental control. Especially humidity. Not sure if the Mutoh manual is the same as Roalnds, but buried way in the back of the Roland manual is the optimum temp/humidity range. In fine print, with a tiny picture.

We are anal about temp/humidity because it is one less variable that can muck up a job.

BTW :Welcome:

 

[FireSprint.com]

Welcome from Omaha!

 

[SIGNTIME]

the only reason i can see that you wouldnt want carpet is because carpet will hold in dirt and dust more than hardwood or painted concrete... we have concrete floors that we painted with sherwin williams armor seal epoxy(not cheap)

 

[phototec]

I have read so many horror stories on Signs101 about ink spilling on the floor, many have come to the shop the next morning to find all the ink has drained out of one or all the cartridges and onto the floor.

Also, there has been discussion about dust and carpet fibers building up on the print heads causing deflected nozzles, misting, etc.

So, before I installed my Roland SP-540V, I pulled up all the carpet and installed laminate flooring, which I think will be better in case I have an accident with spilled ink. I learned a trick from a friend, the laminate flooring is pretty good holding up to stains except for the joints, so the tip was to use a good grade floor wax and rub over the joints to seal them. I did spill a glass of water on the laminate floor, and instead of it soaking into the joints, it just beaded up on the surface, the floor wax worked as intended.

And now without the carpet there is less dust (fibers) in the room, which is better for the printer.

 

[SignManiac]

Carpet in the winter months can create a lot of static which sometimes can cause issues with the nozzles and ink jumping on to the surface of your vinyl. This will cause a blurry image from the over spray. Not to mention, static electricity can short out the circuit boards on your printer.

 

[phototec]

Carpet in the winter months can create a lot of static which sometimes can cause issues with the nozzles and ink jumping on to the surface of your vinyl. This will cause a blurry image from the over spray. Not to mention, static electricity can short out the circuit boards on your printer.

Another good reason NOT to have carpet under your printer!

 

[Mosh]

dropping a dirty cleaning swab on carpet sucks...

 

[Suz]

We have commercial grade carpet squares glued to the wood floor. My building is new, I asked Landlord for hard floor, no carpet. Since I am upstairs, he insisted on carpet to reduce noise down below, but at least it does not have padding. I still don't like it, it's hard to wheel around my equipment on a carpeted surface. Wish is was no carpet, at least around my wide format printer.