[Stitch-Up]

I changed my capping station on Saturday and the difference it made was significant

I decided to dismantle the old capping station to establish where the problem might be.

And here it is:


As many will know, this is the tube junction that connects the two black tubes from the base of the cap/seal to the pump and then onward through the pump, exiting in the silicone tubes that deliver the ink to the maintenance tank.

One side of the junction was completely blocked! I had noticed that ink wasn't clearing quickly from the cap and this is the reason.

Something very easy to check on the Neo and worthwhile considering.

The pump operation is quite simple. The silicone tubes simply wind around a central core within the pump housing and a cam slides along the tubes forcing the ink to flow from the cap to the maintenance tank.

John

 

[treefox2118]

Toss it in Simple Green, maybe? See if it helps dislodge the clog?

On my non-Neoflex DTG, changing the capping station resolves about 75% of our print problems. It's not even something we think about anymore -- if we have printing issues, we change the capping station. Then we clean out the old one and keep it around as a backup.

 

[Stitch-Up]

No problem unclogging with it off.

Worthwhile adding to your checklist when prints deteriorate.

 

[treefox2118]

I don't have my Neoflex yet (NEXT WEEK!), but is there a simple process to removing this part to check it?

Do you have to remove the entire capping station assembly to peek in? I wonder if flushing cleaning solution into the capping station regularly might help keep it smooth.

 

[jmcgurren]

Thanks John.. I have posted a number of times that when I run a simple clean manually I squirt cleaning solution into the capping station the 3 times the head jogs out of the way. The side cap obv. has to be off to do this but I think it helps keep the capping station pretty clean. I probably do it every other day or so.

 

[23spiderman]

ever since i saw NeoUncle (John) with his side cap off, i've kept mine the same way. squirting fluid into the capping station during cleans works quite well, and whenever i'm doing my maintenance, i always spray that entire area with Simple Green. i have found that Windex w/ammonia does work a bit quicker on removing the ink, but i'm out of it right now.

 

[Stitch-Up]

I always put cleaning fluid in the cap too but it didn't stop this blockage!

You shouldn't need to remover the capping station to check this. Either access from beneath by removing the maintenance tank an plastic Ink Eject Guide or, remove the cap and access from the top. Come to think about it, if you do access from the top, you'll have to reconnect the tubes from the bottom anyway!

 

[Teez310]

Hey John, what exactly was the blockage doing to your prints? Not as solid? Starvation?

 

[Stitch-Up]

Morning Don

The first I noticed was the inks were not being evacuated quickly from the cap during simple cleans. Instead, it would form a pool and slowly drain down through the pump to the maintenance tank.

I then noticed my white ink coverage wasn't solid where I expected it to be solid, this affected the final print quality and it was getting worse.

I swapped out the capping station unit and there was an dramatic improvement. I then split the old capping station into bits and examined all, it was then I discovered one of the two drain tubes was completely blocked with dried ink at the junction pictured above.

Hope that helps.

 

[Teez310]

Thanks john.. I think you helped solve an issue that has just started creeping in. After 2-3 shirt cycles my white ink starts to starve a little, not as solid, and I would have to do a cleaning to get it back. Though it might be my dampers but those were replaced a couple months ago. Will let you know how it works out.

 

[EricDeem]

Do you know if that part is available by itself? This might be a smart component to keep in stock if available.

 

[Stitch-Up]

Do you know if that part is available by itself? This might be a smart component to keep in stock if available.

It doesn't look like an item you can buy on its own Eric, it comes as part of the capping stations assembly. Having said that, the part is very easily cleaned when removed.

This is just another part worthwhile considering when things aren't quite working as well as you'd expect.

 

[23spiderman]

Thanks john.. I think you helped solve an issue that has just started creeping in. After 2-3 shirt cycles my white ink starts to starve a little, not as solid, and I would have to do a cleaning to get it back. Though it might be my dampers but those were replaced a couple months ago. Will let you know how it works out.

the malfunction of the capping station can lead to starvation issues since it doesn't properly move ink through the head. but if you printing well after a clean and then the white ink begins to drop off, the starvation is probably in your dampers. i never leave the same white dampers in the printer for more than a month. even with somewhat regular printing, they can start to accumulate sediment at the bottom of the silver screen filter. i keep 4 extra dampers that i clean out with Windex w/ammonia, and i just swap them out as soon as i notice a white ink issue that repeats itself.

however, it's a good idea to thoroughly check your capping station as well since the problem may have began there and now spread to your dampers.