SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20250916-50B75-2147327780. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: Ricoma International Auto Open 16 x 20 Flat Heat Press (Ricoma Auto-Open 16 x 20 Flat Heat Press Type Flat Heat Press Product Dimensions 33.5" x 16.9" x 23.6" Platen Size 16" x 20" Adjustable Pressure Yes Max. Temperature 437F / 220C Voltage 110V / 60HZ Power 1800W Materials Alloy Steel, Aluminium, and Silicone Gel Compatibility T-shirts, Hoodies, Sweatshirts, Jackets, Canvas/Tote bags, Backpacks, Mousepads, Pillowcases, Aprons, Fabric banners, Flags, Rhinestone transfers, Tablecloths, Face masks, Baby onesies, Blankets, Sports jerseys, Handkerchiefs Brand Ricoma Warranty 1 Year Limited Warranty). Incident: We were using the heat press exactly as instructed and it sparked and tried to catch on fire but an employee quickly ran over to unplug it. A team member at the manufacturing company (Ricotta) admitted there was an electric issue with the press which is why they redesigned it but then their supervisor walked all the claims back and said there was no design flaw and refused to remedy the situation. They also said the employee now denied ever telling us about the flaw. The type of product in use was a Ricoma Heat Press. An employee machinist was using the product. The product was being used as instructed to create direct to film art products. Thankfully employee was not right next to the machine but heard the super loud bang of it having an electrical malfunction and ran over to turn it off as it was sparking. Had he not been there there could have been a fire.