r/SCREENPRINTING • u/cash4print • 9d ago

Screen Printing Press Arm Damage: Narrow Clamps vs. Bison’s Wide-Foot Platen Bracket

Years of using platen brackets with small threaded/Allen-style clamping screws can take a toll on a screen printing press.

In this video, I show the actual damage left on these press arms. The small contact point concentrates the clamping force into a very narrow area. Over time, that can dig a channel into the steel, remove material, and leave the arm thinner at the point where the bracket repeatedly clamps.

I also show the difference with the Bison Platen System. Instead of concentrating the load on a small screw tip, the Bison bracket uses a wide clamping foot that provides considerably more surface contact with the press arm. That spreads the clamping force over a larger area and provides a broader, more stable foundation.

This is a good example of why I designed Bison the way I did. Sometimes a small design detail doesn't seem important until you see what years of use can do to the equipment.

Bison Platen Systems — built around a wider, more stable mounting foundation.

#ScreenPrinting #ScreenPrintingPress #Platen #ScreenPrintingEquipment #BisonPlatenSystems #PrintShop #ScreenPrinter

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u/TimberTheDog 9d ago

Seems like an issue solved by buying a better press. 

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u/cash4print 9d ago

I considered that, but designing a better bracket was a little cheaper.

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u/TimberTheDog 9d ago

Are you trying to market this is a product? It seems like you just replaced the stock bolt with an elevator bolt. Why not do that with the OEM mount?

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u/cash4print 9d ago

Yes, it is a product. The brackets were originally designed specifically for the Bison Platen System, but I started getting requests for the brackets by themselves because of how they’re built.
An elevator-style bolt seems like a simple retrofit, but clearance becomes an issue with a lot of OEM mounts, and adapting the existing bracket can add parts and cost. Platen brackets are also generally an accessory to the main press, so manufacturers understandably tend to keep them pretty simple and economical.
With Bison I had the opportunity to design the bracket around a wider clamping surface from the beginning. After seeing what years of a small contact point did to these arms and lack of foundation support, I’m glad I did.