Hi All!

Hate to keep beating a "dead-horse" so to speak, but I just returned recently
from looking at a used DEK-288 that we've been thinking about buying to
replace the 265 MK-1 that we have here, just trying to upgrade things a
bit...

I've been thinking about things for a bit...I think this may be a good thread
because there probably more than just a few of us out there that consider
buying used...er,  "Previously Owned" (that's the polically-correct term)
equipment.

Maybe I'm being a little paranoid because it's going to be on my
recommendation whether or not we buy this printer (there's a few more
conditions that the finance guys would like to have, but they always do) but
bottomline, I'm supposed to say whether or not the machine is a good
investment for us or not. It doesn't help a whole lot that I don't have much
experience in 288's...265's yes, 288's no. If I recommend that we buy this
machine and do, then the machine doesn't perform at least as well as our 265
did, it's my job...and my ass.

I've bought used equipment in the past, and have had pretty good
success...er, luck, when buying it. (That's not fair, there's a lot of good
used equipment out there, and good vendors as well...).

My intentions in evaluating the printer, was to look at the overall condition
(you can tell a lot from first impressions) have a stencil and PCB (from one
of the more challenging assemblies that we build here), a jar of solder
paste, then program and run the printer, and finally check the quality of the
print...

I thought that would be a pretty good, simple, evaluation of the machine,
along with understanding that the machine is used, and not refurbished. I
thought that would be a straight-forward way to see if the machine was
basically sound...

Maybe some belt replacements for the ones that were pretty worn, some
calibrations, a good, thorough, spring cleaning would be in order, etc...
would not be out of the ordinary (in my opinion) when buying a piece of used
(not refurbished) equipment.

However, when I arrived after flying out to see the printer, I learned that
only then, that there were no squeegees available. I was however able to have
the programming demonstrated for the stencil and PCB that I brought with me,
and watch the machine load the board and find all the fiducials (both PCB and
stencil), and watch the machine go through the print stroke with the pressure
set at zero (no squeegees) so it wouldn't alarm.

Maybe I'm asking stupid questions, but should I consider that a reasonable
demo? I expected to be able to print a board, and then look at the print and
then evaluate it.

But it didn't happen. I'm I being overly cautious? If the printer can find
all the fiducials and then go through the stroke with the pressure set at
zero and not alarm, could one assume that things are basically sound? It did
appear that things were aligned pretty good from peering at the stencil to
board registration standing outside the printer when the PCB was up against
the stencil...I would have preferred to see where the solder paste ended-up.

I guess why I am so worried, is because of my perceived complexity of the 288
print head...it can print in any direction (almost) that you want.
"Vector-print" as DEK called it, has been discontinued, and is one of the
basic differences between the "Infinity" and the 288...aside from the price
and footprint.

I don't know squat about the print-head, and don't know what could be not
seen about the machine's condition by not doing an actual print. What could I
be missing by not actually observing a "Wet Print"? It has been suggested
that I'm being overly cautious, and that my concerns aren't really
warranted...as long as the machine found the board and stencil, and went
through it's print-stroke with no alarms when the pressure was set at zero,
things are cool...

I welcome any and all responses. Sorry for what may seem silly questions.

I'm not expecting anybody to give me a recommendation of whether or not I
should buy this printer, that's all going to be my decision (recommendation)
ultimately. I'm just trying to learn if my concerns are valid or not...

-Steve Gregory-