Weird Seal Vacuum Press Problem

[bearcat99]

We have a ten year-old 40x60 Seal vacuum press that has served us well over the years. We recently discovered that the surface of the steel heat platen in the lid has developed an outward bow (downward when the press is closed)--about 1/2" when cold, nearly 1" when hot.

This problem was discovered the hard way--two posters on 32x40 foamboard put in the press together for drymounting were creased by the foamboard itself cracking slightly. Our best guess is that the downward bow in the platen created enough downward pressure in the center of the boards to bend their outer edges up and crease them.

We've spoken to the technical support people at Seal and although they admit that the steel platen can "relax" over time, they have not heard of this causing a problem such as we experienced.

Anyone else have an older 40x60 Seal vacuum press? If you lay a straightedge across the heat platen surface, is it still flat?

Any suggestions or comments appreciated.

 

[Ron Eggers]

Mine is about 18 years old. I've replaced a couple of control boards but have never had a mechanical or structural problem - that I'm aware of. I'll sure check it on Monday. That sounds like a very big problem. I'd guess it would cost a little more than the $125 I spent on control boards to replace the platen.