If you're going to be doing e-max, and lots of it my advice would be the Ivoclar one. From what I've read here on this site and from my experience you will have no problems pressing e-max in a EP , you might have issues with other furnaces.
We have EP and don't have any problems, in and out, consistent great results.
I don't know anything about that Dekema, but I know other guys pressing e-max in other furnaces and they aren't having perfect results everytime, cracking, having to double sprue etc.
I love my EP. I love it lots
If I were purchasing a pressing furnace today I would choose the Dekema if just for the Trix-Press system. The ability to press 3 or 4 different shaded ingots in one pressing makes for vastly improved production efficiencies not to mention large span bridges if you press-over. More units per ring means less wasted investment and less wasted time divesting. If I'm not mistaken, one could put 4 5g plungers in a 380g ring. That's LEAN thinking right there.
The Ivoclar is by all accounts a good furnace as well and everyone that does a lot of Emax and makes the switch is glad they did. If the only pressing you is Emax then that might give you the most predictability and the support of Ivoclar.
FWIW, I press in the Zubler and have no issues with reaction layer with about 70 - 80% coming off with 2 bar glass beads, so the idea that is HAS to be an Ivoclar furnace to press Emax successfully with just doesn't hold water.
Hi
We have 6 or 8 presses. Most are Ivoclar. We got a new Dekema and it's great. We are pressing e.max all day long. The Dekema presses multiple plunges and multiple shades in the same ring. Saves labor and materials. The reaction layer is less With the Dekema as well. There are many days where we press 80 + units. So, we really use these presses. Honestly, we have several different Ivoclar models and we have continued reliability issues with most of them. There are constant error messages. We send the press back to Ivoclar and they do the repair and a month or so later we have the same proble. Unfortunately, I have not had the Dekema long enought to say it's time tested. In addition, e.max has a very narrow temp range for pressing. Too hot and the surface turns orange peal and the reaction layer thickens. too cold you get a short press. The Ivoclar presses seem to require more calibration to stay right on the temp. The Dekema has never needed a calibration.
I should post some pics of multiple shades and plungers in one ring. I' ll try to do it on Monday.
Get the Dekema!
Bob
do the same rules apply as far as weight per ingot? So could you have added say, two more small crowns per ingot in the pic you posted?
Thanks for sharing
Yes, wax weight per ingot rules still apply.
This ring was simple. We also put multiple units per plunger and can also have two ingots in some of the plungers. You can press any configuration with multiple plungers that you can do with a single plunger (only times 3) in an Ivoclar press for e.max.
For any lab looking for a press that presses more than a ring per day this is THE way to go. Saves time, energy, materials and labor.
Bob
Bob, why the connection between the ingots?
The spru connectors between the buttons are added so plunge load is leveled off at the end of the pressing process. Without the connectors excess button materials would not be equal. This would likely result in incomplete pressing of some plungers and overload load for pluggers that have more excess material. By having button connectors the load is equal on all plungers at the end of the press.
I hope this is worded so you can understand the principal.
Bob