Site
visit:
SpecialMade
Goods
&
Services
141
Marcel
Drive
Winchester,
VA
22602­
4844
Participants:
Mitch
Orndorff,
President­
SpecialMade
Bill
Dunlap,
Vice
President
of
Operations­
SpecialMade
Marcia
Kinter,
Vice
President­
Government
&
Business
Operations
 
Specialty
Graphic
Imaging
Association
Marisabel
Torres,
Government
Affairs
Associate­
Specialty
Graphic
Imaging
Association
Teena
Wooten­
EPA
OSW
Charlotte
Mooney­
EPA­
OSW
Date:
May
24,
2006
Charlotte
Mooney
and
Teena
Wooten
with
the
Environmental
Protection
Agency's
Office
of
Solid
Waste
toured
the
SpecialMade
facility
in
Winchester,
Virginia
on
May
24,
2006.
The
visit
began
with
a
presentation
on
the
plant
operations
and
products.
The
facility
does
special
imprints
including
screen­
printing,
hot
stamping,
pad
printing,
heat
transfers,
and
vinyl
decals.
SpecialMade
also
provides
component
parts
and
product
modifications
if
requested
by
a
customer.

Based
on
the
customer
requirements,
a
screen
is
made
with
the
logo
or
other
information
to
be
screenprinted
This
is
done
by
taking
a
fabric
and
stretching
it
over
a
frame.
The
frame
containing
the
logo
is
placed
in
a
printing
machine.
Containers
selected
and
purchased
by
the
customer
are
flame
treated
to
allow
the
ink
to
adhere
to
polyethylene
surface.
The
container
is
placed
under
the
screen.
An
operator
using
a
previously
mixed
ink
solution
spreads
the
ink
on
the
screen
and
then
imprints
the
image
onto
the
container.
Approximately
2000
grams
of
ink
is
used
per
day.
The
containers
are
then
dried
under
ultraviolet
light
and
packaged
for
the
customer.

Less
than
20%
of
the
company's
business
involves
printing.
95%
of
the
printing
involves
ultraviolet
light
to
facilitate
drying.
The
company
began
using
the
UV
lights
in
the
1980s
because
it
cured
on
the
containers
faster.
SpecialMade
found
that
air­
drying
with
solvent
was
not
productive.
After
the
containers
are
printed,
the
screen
is
cleaned
with
ICC
856­
spray/
wipe.
This
spray
contains
glycol
ethers.
The
operator
sprays
the
solvent
on
the
screen
by
atomization.
This
is
the
only
method
that
has
proved
acceptable
with
this
particular
solvent.
Over
the
last
eight
years,
the
company
has
reduced
its
wipe
usage
from
2000­
3000
wipes
per
year
to
approximately
1000
per
year.
The
decrease
in
wipes
is
a
direct
result
of
a
decrease
in
solvent
volume.
The
company
uses
approximately
30
gallons
of
solvent.
It
takes
up
to
two
years
to
fill
a
55­
gallon
drum
with
wipes.
The
company
does
not
use
cloth
(
reusable)
towels
because
of
roughness
and
lint.
The
specific
grade
of
the
towel
is
important
because
of
the
lint
that
can
be
left
on
the
screen
during
cleaning.
The
paper
towels
are
reused
as
much
as
possible
before
being
compacted
and
disposed
with
the
trash.

The
facility
emitted
18
pounds
of
volatile
organic
carbons
into
the
air
last
year.
Even
with
this
low
level,
the
facility
has
an
air
permit.
SpecialMade
uses
cloth
shop
towels
in
its
maintenance
area.
These
are
collected
and
taken
to
a
commercial
laundry
(
not
a
laundry
service).

SpecialMade
is
a
conditionally
exempt
small
quantity
generator.
