shur-loc® Endurance Fabric Panels
For over 30 years, shur-loc® Fabric Panels have been the fastest and easiest way to stretch mesh on a frame. In 2014, the next generation shur-loc® Endurance Panel made its first appearance on the market and just four short years later, the most revolutionary design we have ever made has come to market. The Endurance+ Fabric Panel combines many of the industry breakthroughs that we have produced and has evolved into the most durable fabric panel ever produced.
The Endurance+ panel builds on the heritage of innovations like the Tandem System, the Extender Square Bar Protection System and the original shur-loc® Fabric System Panel. With features like built-in pre-softened corners, engineered deflection curves, bulletproof edge coating, reinforced clamping areas and the most significant breakthrough, a more stable print area. By building a 360° perimeter around the mesh panel, much like our S2 and T2 Tandem Systems had done in the past, we were able to stabilize the print area and maximize the space where tension is applied to the mesh. This leads to a longer lasting, more consistent print area that will surpass the number of impressions and quality of prints more so than any other product on the market today.
Better prints begin with better frames. It’s probably the most well known “secret” in the printing industry, yet many printers continue to invest in poorly tensioned, underperforming screens. These inferior screens often lead to more complex issues that plague printers throughout the entire printing process. Issues like poor registration, failure to clear screens, broken mesh, excessive off-contact and many others can be traced back to the quality of the screen being used. When considering how much time a well performing screen can save you on every job, it makes sense to measure the value of the frame much more so than the cost of the frame.
A standard 23×31 “stretch and glue” style frame in a 160 mesh will cost about $32.99. *
A shur-loc® E-Z Endurance Frame with a 160 mesh panel will cost about $80.
Looking at the cost of the frame, it makes complete sense to purchase the static frame and not worry about the long term investment aspect of the tools you use. When you break down the longevity and quality of the frame, or the overall value, things become much clearer on why it is a good idea to invest in better screens.
A static, or stretch and glue, frame is a fixed piece of mesh that cannot be retensioned after it is affixed to the frame. Usually, these are made of lower cost mesh that will continue to stretch while it is under any source of pressure. After a few uses, the mesh may have stretched so far that achieving consistent results in virtually impossible. This now leads to many of the issues above and will require that the entire frame be replaced in order to solve them. We can use the 10 job replacement cost as a model for the value of the frame and it will come out to $3.30 per job at that rate. Over the course of a year, 10 jobs a day, times 5 days a week, times 50 weeks a year will come out to over $8000 in frame costs for that one frame.
Looking at the value of the Endurance+ panel, you do have the initial cost of $57.95 for the E-Z Endurance frame, but that is a one time investment. You should expect a minimum of 3 to 5 times the number of jobs from each of your Endurance+ fabrics, and even more when you use the Endurance Rods in tandem with the panels to maintain their optimal tensions. Even using this simple formula, the nearly $1900 for the same amount of production in a year is a staggering savings, as well as the increased quality and productivity that the frame and panel provides. For just $57.95 for the retensionable frame and $21.72 for the Endurance+ Panel, your cost per run over the course of the year is less than $1 per run. That is a $2.33 per run savings over the cost of the static frame.
Not only does the frame offer a better printing experience, it also helps eliminate all of the issues that poorly tensioned frames can cause. By simply investing in fewer, higher quality frames, you can revolutionize your business, streamline your processes and increase your productivity and profitability with every print you make.
Please feel free to email us at info@shurloc.com for more details or to find out how you can demo on E-Z Endurance Frame in your shop.
Dating back to the original shur-loc® Fabric Panel is one feature that has always made shur-loc® fabric panels stand out from any other mesh stretching option on the planet, the color coded identification system. From the first days of the panels, the color code system gave printers the ability to identify mesh counts from just about anywhere in their shops. From quick inventory to off press identification, the color code system has been borrowed by shops around the world. The Endurance+ Fabric Panel takes our color system to an entirely new level by not only having the panel labeled, but also embedding the coding into the protective layer, making it a nearly permanent mark on the mesh.
Since the Endurance+ system also requires no protective frame tapes, the color coding is always visible and easily identifiable so you never have to guess what mesh is on your frame again. There is also no need to worry about writing on frames with messy permanent markers or using stickers and tapes to mark mesh counts on frames. Simply look at the edge of the panel and you know your mesh count anytime you need to. It’s that simple.
For more information on the Endurance+ Panels or to find out how you can experience one in your shop, please email info@shurloc.com.