DCC Copperhead Red Pepper Flash Cure Unit

Shuts off at your garment temperature

DCC's substrate temperature control — InkSense™ in the DCC catalog — automatically shuts the flash off when the substrate reaches the temperature the operator sets. That is the single best defence against over-flashing, dye migration and synthetic shrinkage.

Adjustable-intensity quartz lamps

High-power medium-wave sealed tungsten filament quartz lamps with adjustable intensity. Turn it down for heat-sensitive blanks and thin inks, run it hard for heavy underbases on cotton.

Three independent zones

Run any one zone, any two, or all three. Small prints get small heat: less energy, a cooler pallet, and a faster-cooling garment before the next screen comes down.

Up to 10 stored recipes

Save the settings that work for each garment, ink system and job. Recipes make a result repeatable across shifts and operators instead of living in one printer's head.

Digital duration control

Flash duration is set and read on a digital display rather than an analog dial, so the number your operator enters is the number the flash runs.

Works on any press

The unit is independently powered and fires from its own pallet sensor. There is no communication cable to your press, so it runs on any brand of automatic or manual press — and moves between them.

Sensor on either side

The pallet sensor switch can be positioned on either side of the flash, so it activates as the pallet approaches regardless of which direction your press indexes.

Four curing areas

18″ × 20″ and 20″ × 30″ for standard production, 28″ × 40″ and 32″ × 48″ for jumbo, oversize and all-over work that a standard flash cannot cover.

Over-flashing is what ruins synthetics

Polyester, performance fabrics and tri-blends are heat-sensitive. Too much time under a flash releases dye from the fibres into your ink (dye migration) and can shrink the garment. Neither shows up until the print has already failed.

A timer can only guess. Flashing to a target substrate temperature means the flash stops when the garment is ready — whether that took three seconds or six.

It keeps the underbase printable

An underbase that is flashed too hard skins over. The next colour sits on top of it instead of bonding, and you get poor intercoat adhesion and cracking after washing.

Stopping at the right temperature leaves the underbase gelled and receptive — which is the whole point of flashing it.

Quartz vs infrared

An infrared flash panel stays hot all the time and radiates into the shop whether a pallet is under it or not. Medium-wave quartz lamps reach working temperature almost instantly, so the flash fires only when the pallet arrives and goes dark when it leaves.

That means less ambient heat around the press, less energy drawn between prints, and pallets that do not keep heating up over a long run — which is how you end up with registration drift and ink starting to gel in the screen.

Three zones is a cost control

The lamps are split into three zones you can run independently or in any combination. A left-chest or a sleeve print does not need the whole flash lit.

Running only the zones you need cuts power draw, puts less heat into the pallet, and lets the garment cool faster before the next screen comes down.

Conveyor dryers

A flash only gels the ink between colours — the full cure happens in your conveyor dryer. Match the dryer to your press output.

Shop conveyor dryers →

Atkins Donut Probe

Type K probe on a 15 ft cable for checking cure temperature at the garment as it travels through your dryer.

Shop the donut probe →

Pallets & pallet adhesive

Flash heat builds in your pallets over a long run. The right pallets and adhesive keep garments flat and in register. Also see pallet adhesive aerosols.

Shop custom pallets →

Screen printing inks

Plastisol, water-based and specialty inks — flash behaviour starts with the ink you are gelling.

Shop inks →

The single-phase 18×20 draws 73 A at 208–230 V — that is a dedicated high-amperage circuit, not a spare outlet. The three-phase 18×20 draws 43 A, and the 20×30 draws 68 A three-phase. Have an electrician confirm your service before the crate arrives.

The 28×40 and 32×48 are currently published in 380–415 V three-phase configurations. Tell us the voltage and phase your shop actually has and we will confirm the right configuration before you order.

DCC recommends an uninterruptible power supply to safeguard the machine from fluctuation in your mains supply. If your incoming voltage differs from the listed configurations, amperage needs to be recalculated — ask us.

The curing area should cover your largest regular print with some margin. A bigger flash is not free — it draws more power and costs more. If your jumbo work is occasional, run it on zones rather than buying the largest head.

Finance it, keep your cash

Spread the cost of the Red Pepper into predictable monthly payments and keep your working capital for ink, blanks and payroll. Terms and the application are on our financing page.

Section 179 may let you deduct it this year

Qualifying business equipment bought and placed in service during the tax year can often be deducted in full that year, instead of being depreciated over several years. Annual limits apply.

Financed equipment can still qualify

Section 179 generally applies whether you pay cash or finance, so the deduction can land in the same year you start making payments — well before the equipment is paid off.

Watch the calendar

To claim it for a given tax year, the equipment has to be placed in service in that year — for most businesses, by December 31. Built-to-order lead times and freight count against that date, so do not leave it to December.

Get a configured quote on the Red Pepper

Tell us your press, your print sizes and your electrical service, and we will spec the right curing area and electrical configuration and put crating and freight on one quote. Equipment financing is available through our financing partner, and Section 179 tax advantages may apply. Browse every flash dryer and conveyor dryer we carry, or build a complete shop.