[Komplikaatio]

ARGH! another problem.

So we got our HM1 working but now the nozzle check shows that the black is not coming out right. All the other colors patterns are great but black has plenty holes in it. We have cleaned the print head manually and with maintenance program and done the ink charge about 15 times. We have printed black and dark pics to get it open and working but still the black is giving bad nozzle check pattern. Should we open the printhead and flush the damper with cleaning solution or what should be done?

Any ideas on this one?

Thax once again.

 

[Don-ColDesi]

Is the nozzle check consistent? (Meaning, do the same nozzles not print each time. or does it jump around?) At some point it because a vigorous exercise in futility to try to resurrect a clogged printhead. The time and ink wasted will end up costing more than a new head and, if you do not succeed in clearing the clog - you will pay for the head AND the wasted time and ink. JMHO

 

[spiderx1]

Great info here although not without risk. http://www.t-shirtforums.com/direct-garment-dtg-inkjet-printing/t70395-2.html
Black should clean with some careful soaking. There are two choke points the entry hollers on the nipples where the dampers attach to the head. The second and biggest problem area is the very bottom where the ink jets out. The metal plate on the bottom is delicate and very thin. It is easy to delaminate this metal from the printhead if you are two aggressive in cleaning. Especially if you try to push fluid thru vs sucking out. Always soak. Suck. Soak suck then if want try push. When soaking you only need to cover that bottom plate. If you get board or cable connectors wet you can fry head cables and motherboard. But with care it is quite doable. Black is easy compared to white.

 

[bilet69]

fill a syringe with cleaning solution or flushing solution do a head clean, when head moves out of the way shoot some in the capping station before it goes back to dock itself..... this way it will soak.

let it go for a hour or so, do acouple head cleans, check the pattern should be good then.
also like done said pay attention to see if the pattern changes at all / gaps move around.

 

[spiderx1]

Yeah, the capping station deal works for very light clogs and may in fact be what you need, however if you put to much fluid in you can create a siphon action that sucks all of your ink into the waste bottle. Or for some reason causes cross contamination of colors. Strange. I have had both happen when I put a little bit to much in the capping stations as preventative maintenance. I put a shutoff valve on my waste tank line that stopped that, but then again it is not a HM1 so it may not be a problem. Just heads up.

 

[Komplikaatio]

So we have filled the capping station and let the printhead soak in it but the problem still wont go away. Heres the pattern black gives when making nozzle check. Its been the same no matter how many cleans and ink charges we have done...

sorry for the ****ty pic, but you get the idea of the problem...

 

[FatKat Printz]

I would try to print something then do another nozzle check..

pull the damper and if you can pull through (with your syringe) the damper smoothly you know the clog is in the head.

move the head (not sure if the hm1 head moves) over to the middle place a rag underneath.. take a syringe of Windex (w/ ammonia) and push through the head and you see should it spray maybe slow at first then it start spraying more then you got the clog.

try another nozzle check.. if the nozzle check is identical to every time then its your printhead

 

[spiderx1]

Whoa. Try sucking with syringe first this gets any large debris out first.
Pushing hard can delaminate head. Push but not first and not hard. You can try on a clear
Channel first to get a feel for the pressure.

 

[Komplikaatio]

Ok

So now i took the damper out and sucked some ink out and also sucked some ink out of the printhead valve. Still gives me the same nozzle check pattern.

Do i have to remove the printhead and if so, can i leave the dampers hanging out while i soak the printhead on a plate with some 3mm of cleaning solution on it.? Dampers wont dry up?

Thanks to all

 

[FatKat Printz]

I clean the tips off with qtips so that part won't get dried up. You can hang them and shouldn't drip. What cleaning solution are you using??

you say the nozzle check pattern the same? Try two in a row and hold them in the light (one on top and one on the bottom) of a piece of transparency paper or Plexiglas..this could be a indication that its your printhead that needs the replacement.

You need to push the Windex through the black nozzle part (very softly) it should spray out like a fan pattern clean and clear.

Do not pull because you are pulling the ink through the top and not out where the ink leaves.

from that nozzle check it doesn't look bad..have you tried printing just a junk shirt?

 

[spiderx1]

Ok I guess we will have to disagree a little here I think that pushing fluid thru the nozzle before sucking the ink and junk out is a bad idea. Reason is there are two choke points in the printhead the holes in the nipples and the holes for the nozzles on the plate on the bottom. The holes on the bottom are the smallest. So if u have gunk in there it is possible to suck it out the top and not damage the head. If its stuck in the nozzle itself everything above the nozzle is larger and able to take more negative pressure. If you push first it is difficult to know what the pressure is. The positive pressure can push the nozzle plate off the base of printhead. Or delaminate. This cannot be repaired. Evidence of a delaminated head is when u push fluid thru one nipple and it comes back out another. Or u get a lot of fluid thru but it just pours out the bottom but u are unable to achieve a fan pattern. To know if you have cleaned for sure without reinstalling u would have to push fluid thru to check the fan pattern. Pushing is effective but pushing first I believe is risky. Even the Jet Genie head cleaner cleans by soaking and sucking no pushing what so ever. I think the problem with soaking by putting extra fluid in the capping station and or a rag underneath is just not enough fluid. I have had luck with putting a tray of fluid on the platen and raising it until the bottom of the prinhead is sitting in the fluid. Maybe just the bottom 1/8 inch. Remove the dampers to remove the chance of filling the dampers with fluid. Let sit 4-8 hours or even overnight. Clean off any debris with sponge type swab. You may see a coating peel off the printhead retaining bracket on the base. No big deal just get it off gently. Now you can suck up gunk and if you want you can push with a little less risk. But with only the black being the problem you maybe able to just hook the carts back up and do several head cleaning and let the machine clear the nozzles. I have had good luck with that method on cmyk only. Keep everything dry. Ribbon cables circuit boards etc. If in doubt let sit overnight to dry out. All technique only but practice safe clean.

 

[FatKat Printz]

Well we used to pull and went through more printheads that way.. but then again I was on the bottle ink too.

Honestly, we rarely have a bad nozzle check since February (being on the bags greatly reduce this) but before we switched we stopped pulling and started pushing and were able to get up and running faster then soaking the printhead.

I do agree with you that its not that bad of a problem and should work itself out.

 

[spiderx1]

Cleaning a badly clogged printhead is an art. If you clean enough you can expect a few losses. With the increase in prices of 8 channel printheads. Cleaning and printhead recovery are going to be more and more important. The bags are a big help I use the bag on just the white with carts and it makes a big difference.

 

[FatKat Printz]

you use the bags with carts?? can you take a picture am I curious to see how that looks..

sorry for going off topic I have several people asking me about this and haven't seen it done..

 

[spiderx1]

Out of state now but its simple same as dampers. Just plug into the cart instead. Bag on one end cart on the other. I do get some air in the line when it sits for a couple days. If i feel its significant i just suck it thru the cart with a syringe. None of the air gets back to the bag. I suspect that i dont get all the benefits but i do see a big difference in head maintenance / less clogs. Once again i just use the bag for the white. Pm for more info I will let this topic get back to cleaning.

 

[Komplikaatio]

Latest:

We took the printhead out and soaked it in solution over night. Then we sucked solution trough the head and things looked good. We put the head back and did a few testprints and ink charges to get the solution out of the head and made another nozzle check. The same pattern as seen before was still coming out. So our printhead is dead?

Any ideas where to order a new print head in reasonable prize online and delivered to Finland?

This is a struggle

 

[equipmentzone]

It does appear, from what you are describing, that you need a new printhead.

Harry
Equipment Zone

 

[Komplikaatio]

Any ideas where to look for one?
I'm not sure if the linking to webstores is ok. but if not, send private message.. Thanks.

 

[FatKat Printz]

good prices..Epson

you may need to call about rates to Finland..

 

[Gulfside]

I was having similar problems with the white nozzle checks. They were coming back inconsistently bad, but I let the head soak in the capping station for an hour or so and then did a nozzle check and BAM, 100% clean across the board. I hope that info helps others like it helped me. HM1-C