Cleaning Viper Printhead

There is a lot of good info in this thread http://www.t-shirtforums.com/direct-garment-dtg-inkjet-printing/t70395-2.html. Printhead cleaning strategies. Yes u can clean the printhead.
However it is not without risk. But sooner or later it has to be done.

Hi again Randy.
I'm wondering is jet genie the only way?
I don't mind to get one if it's working. Is there any other manual way to fix this just for this moment?

willkho said:

Hi again Randy.
I'm wondering is jet genie the only way?
I don't mind to get one if it's working. Is there any other manual way to fix this just for this moment?

Click to expand...

You can manually do it, but there are risks involved. You can cause a delaminated printhead and it would be ruined. There is better cleaning solutions that you can let sit in the capping station, but as aggressive as some of these are, you wouldn't want to leave it in for an extended period of time.

ic, thanks for the response though.
So you guys dont really take it out, just let it sit in the capping with some cleaning solution?
I'm wondering what is the better cleaning solution than the one that comes with the machine?

it was just funny, yesterday I still got perfect nozzle check and today i got almost complete nothing at the last white block.

If you have a complete block, then it's possible you would need more than just a soak. The cleaning solutions usually aren't aggressive enough. You need a head maintenance solution. You could also use straight ammonia but you can't let it sit too long, it's very aggressive.

The reason most people don't pull the head is, it can lead to other problems, mostly if you get the electronics of the head wet. So in the capping station is always safer. I usually recommend pulling a head as the last resort.

Ic.

Ammonia sounds a bit aggressive. i might want to try the head maintenance solution first.
Where can I get the head maintenance solution? Is it from DTG?

By the way,how long can I let the ammonia sit for?

Just wondering how often do you clog your print head?

thanks again, Jerid.

I wouldn't go any longer than 20 minutes. I'd run a clean afterward and put some regular cleaning solution back in the capping station for 5 minutes then run another clean. You don't want to run ammonia through the head. It can be done, but the aggressive nature of the ammonia could cause more problems than it's worth.

As for the head maintenance solution, I imagine DTG would sell it. They might call it something different, but they should have something.

There are two choke points for the ink the top nipples where the dampers hook in.
The holes or nozzles on the bottom of the head, the plate u see so when u soak u only need to soak the bottom 1/8 inch or even less u just need to cover the bottom. To remove the head or leave in? Problem with getting wet either way which can cause big problems. Problem is usually only if u apply power and circuit board or connectors are still wet. PM to follow.