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ProPress SP
Furnace Operations Manual
Running a Pressing Program
The ProPress SP can press into a 100, 200, or 300 gram investment mold. Configure the firing tray and press insert as show
below for each size mold.
Running a SP Pressing Program
Make sure the air regulator is set to 70 psi/4.8 bar.
Do NOT exceed 72 psi/5.0 bar as this can damage
the SmartPress pressure sensor.
1. Select desired program with a “%” character at the
left side of the program name.
2. Press the Knob to launch the program.
If the current muffle temperature is
below the Entry
Temperature of the program
you will see a “Fast Rise”
message on the display as the muffle heats upward
toward the Entry Temperature.
During this time, the SP Press will do a test cycle of the
pneumatic system. You will hear some valves clicking
and the press cylinder extending with a bit of a thump
as it wipes the cylinder walls down to insure smooth
action during the actual pressing. The thump may
sound alarming but it is just the piston head contacting
the bottom stops, this will not occur during the actual
pressing as the mold will prevent it.
If the current muffle temperature is
below the Entry
Temperature of the program
you will hear the
pneumatic system test followed immediately by
the message “Press Next To Lower Table”
The furnace, being at or above the program Entry
temperature will play an alert tune and “hover” in this
mode until you are ready to place the mold in the oven.
Split Mold Salvage Feature
If you see hairline cracks or splits in the top face of the
mold as it comes out of the burnout oven you may elect
to do the pressing with reduced pressure to avoid splitting
the mold wide open. Check your mold visually before
placing the mold in the oven.
Press the
Next
button to lower the table, place your mold
on the stepped ceramic insert, verify the mold is centered.
You will see a message “Split Ring Reduced Pressure No”
on the display, along with “Press Next to Raise the Table.”
The “No” signifies that the default is pressing with the full
70 psi/4.8 bar pressure. If you see a split or crack in the
top of the mold and want to reduce the pressure, roll the
Knob until you see “Split Ring Reduced Pressure Yes,”
then press the Next button to raise the table. The software
will automatically add 1 minute to the Max Press Time
(backup time) as it will take slightly longer to press with
reduced pressure. This would typically be 25-30% more
time, but there is no additional wax-up.
The furnace will handle everything from this point forward.
The Rate Rise and Hold Time/Temperature segments will
execute, then when the Hold Time expires, the SP Press
will monitor the pressure in the mold, when the pressure
stops decreasing, the glass has filled the mold, and after a
few seconds extra to ensure the fine details have formed,
the pressing will terminate automatically, well before the
programmed Max Press Time (backup time) is reached.
If you want to follow the progress of the pressing in real
time, you can roll the Knob over to the screen with the
“Pressure XXXX millibar” on the top line and follow the
progress of the glass entering the mold.
When the pressing is completed, the vacuum will be
released (it takes several seconds for the air to re-enter
the muffle), the heater will be throttled back to the idle
setting, and the “Program Finished” message will be
displayed. The table will come down shortly thereafter.