flushing or backflushing head with fluid can solve problem...
ok, you take out head from printer, you flush head, get all nozles, but what then. how will you put and align head back without special tool for that..
hm...
it's a job when you have tool, but align head without that tool - it's imposible...
I haven't tried that yet with Seiko - i didn't need to, but with other machines - yes! Even today :) It works. I have also cleaned Mutoh Toucan Spectra heads totally disassembling them first. It's a lot of fun but a lot of work too. You need syringes or pumps and a small ultrasonic cleaner. And a lot of lint-free cloth to wipe or wrap stuff.
Unfortunately today a Xaar500 head in another machine of mine went dead, completely dead (electronically) - i have to spend $4000 on a new one. Served me well for two years though...
cs6060 & Joshie, I've tried the fill cap with added solution for about 4 consecutive days overnight, and 2 times for 45 minutes, with of course a clean afterwards, cap & wiping, WITH NO SIGN OR ANY IMPROVEMENT! I have a bad light cyan head with misfiring jets about 15 missing and two heads; the black and magenta; all nozzles firing but in nozzle check they are not aligned! and therefore when printing and these colours are used am having very fine white lines. Reducing the middle heater helped by reducing the visibility of these lines. (lower it to 30-35; vinyl printing)
That`s why I think that this is my last hope to survive the heads. By a bath with some kind of solution. Never tried it before, and of course they will be re-aligned with the tool by my engineer.
if you have, go for it (flushing), but if you don't have it, don't...
try to flush head without removing it.
this you will do absolutely on your risk of course - you have to be very careful for solvent spill...
how did you get misaligned nozzles? this is effect is happening on "old" heads. it's happening when exit, small hole, is deformed or there is remain of dried ink on that exit and it's giving wrong direction of ink drops...
for how long do you have seiko? how many meters did you print?
you say light cyan! could it be because of bad light cyan ink?
yes i did receive it but haven't had time to reply yet... sorry! will do it soon.
and yes - just do it. it's the only chance.
and setting lower the temperature does not make your head go better - it only makes the drops of ink flow around more, so you see bigger lines. looks like you have to take out the head and put it in a solution, and at least do some sucking in-sucking out (carefully!). but the best thing is to put it to ultrasonic shaker. works like a wonder...
btw, i would try to do something similar to what is done in Mutoh Toucan - you have to put the heads into the solution if you swithc of the machine. there is a special tray with sponges that you put under the carriage but first you have to put JetWash in it. you could do that or just try to wipe the nozzle plates with a lint-free cloth, without applying much pressure. the wipers in Seikos are ok, but they are way too soft in my opinion.
listen, there is really no problem with getting out the head and putting it back - you're exaggerating it. the serviceperson/engineer will fix it. you just have to be patient.
and if it doesn't help - well, you need to throw out the head anyway :) so why not give it a try?
you seem to be both a very impatient and a very secure person at the same time - take it easy!
heads in digital machines are consumables, just deal with it. and even if you have to change one head every 6 months - it's nothing. remember how much you paid for your Seiko - it's sooo cheap. a mutoh toucan is twice as expensive in the 4 colour version alone, not to mention the 6 color version. and you have so much waste ink and much more stuff that you need to be careful about... seiko is really nonproblematic compared to industrial-type machines.
No, you're really impatient or hyperactive ;) Don't worry, i am too. Try to answer posts on this forum only once a day, for an hour. I am trying hard to do that too.
cs6060 wrote: why to loos time with doing it, when he knows from the beginning that he will need to call for technician.
Lose time? If the head is clogged, then you have to take it out anyway, right? Even if you want to exchange. And why pay for the new head when you can take it out and clean it. Actually, the serviceperson should clean it himself! That is his obligation, if there is a contract or warranty.
So - no time is lost - time is saved, just as money.
cs6060 wrote: he should change two heads with new ones. light cyan and magenta... then he can try to unclog light cyan... if he do it he want have to buy new black...
It costs a lot. If the heads would be so cheap as the heads in Encads or HP machines, then we could change it every month or every two weeks. In Seiko they are far more expensive, so please - don't recommend buying new heads before you are 100% sure that the old ones are bad.
I currently have my big machine off because i have one head that is really dead. We have checked it - it's electronically dead. All nozzles seems to be clean, but they won't work. And this head costs $4000-5000 depending on the dealer. So i had to make sure it's really dead before i ordered.
cs6060 wrote: i presume that black and magenta are physically deformed, no help for them...
there is nothing like a physically deformed head, until you have actually let the carriage hit some banner, wrinkle it under the carriage and hit the nozzle plate. but that is quite hard to do, these heads are tough things.
it is far more possible to actually clog it dead with bad ink, because the nozzle plate is built so, that the entry canals are wider than the nozzle output canals. but then, you just use ultrasonic shaker and you declog it. very simple.
ournigelmansell wrote: seems like you're coming from different angles. both have very good points. btw the tools is really expensive to buy (if they let you) and after a couple of goes it just as easy to do it without. honestly...
yes, you can do it without that tool...
but for how long it will take you to align...
and how accurate it will be.
mesures (alignment) are in 0,01 mm...
ofcourse if you want machine accurate and without banding...
the only advantage the jig gives you is the ability to move the head in small increments. you can mark the head with a pen as place it back relatively close. a number of our seiko reps don't use it.
all repairs I'm doing by my self. on all machines..
had lot of experience with arizona (always having problems).
then came fresco, after that vutek...
i have to admit that vutek has very good policy: when you buy machine they are giving you all spare parts. from screws to boards. even two heads. they also include little machine for flushing heads...
they are encourage you to fix your problems by yourself..
not hiding knowledge in hope that you will need service...
and i have to tell you what i realised from my experience: in so many times it was proven that good operator is much better technician for his machine, then any other service man...
this service guys don't use this machines. they are guessing how they work - they now it from books! believe mi I know that...
do you know how they become service guys - buy completing training, witch last for 4-6days, and that's it. after that nothing.... maybe they understand why electrons fly thru wires, they can even hear them - but they don't print, they don't operate with printers...
if joshie or you have service manual and appropriate tools, you would be best technicians. like everybody else who is interested in this...
and it's good thing that we are communicating - talking...
it would be great if others would join - more talk, more people it will attract...
i know for a fact, when forum is inactive (few posts per day) people loos interest to visit them.
and joshie this is why i started to talk...
i joined this forum year ago and i wasn't active. then i noticed you two, with knowledge and will to help, and i started to post: to help, to meet people with similar knowledge, to learn....
I’ve had the black head replaced yesterday as still was under warrant, and we also tried to flush the LC then bath with wiping fluid overnight but no improvement. So.., now I’m left with the LC head which have blocked nozzles; about 25 in all, and the magenta head which is not printing solid; very fine white lines appear when magenta is used in prints; in nozzle check the magenta shows no missing dots but dots are shaky – not in a straight line! Also tried to incease the Volts by 2 but no changes since yesterday. When we tried to exchange the head with a good one it printed ok, so that resulted that there something wrong with the head. What can it be? I’ve had 2 heads replaced because of this.
If I get hold of the ultrasonic cleaner will it do the job? Or is there any alternative way that its worth a try?
I’m ready to send you the scanned imaged of the nozzle check. Pls send me your email incase.
if the dots are shaky, it might be a weird batch of magenta ink, or just thick ink residue on the nozzle plate - try to wipe the nozzle plate of that magenta head gently with a lint-free cloth wet with capping fluid (or other solvent you use). i had that problem with my black head. i just wiped the bottom (gently!) and that was it.
CS, i'm afraid that Mario did not know how to care about the machine right from the start. Maybe that's why he lost so many heads. But i think that is a problem of majority of users.
I just wanted to say that we are again having problems with our Seiko - another flat cable has problably worn out and it gives weird long streaks of light magenta or yellow from time to time...
But heads? Heads are fine. And let me tell you - the heat is always on! :) And always high :) Now we have increased the frequency of maintenance - it's done at the beginning of every 8-hour shift (we print 24h a day in 3 shifts) and it seems to work better.
joshie, another cable. is this from your original set of 4? if so push seiko for these clips and get them to relplace all the cables with new ones. down time you don't need.
ournigelmansell wrote: joshie, another cable. is this from your original set of 4? if so push seiko for these clips and get them to relplace all the cables with new ones. down time you don't need.
yes, it's from the original set. the guy exchanged just one recently.
if i had that cable, i'd exchange it myself... oh damn...
Is it again those damn scsi internal cable on the caterpillar, didn't you received the new clips to attach it? It is supposed to get rid of the problems.
you can work around not having the newer style clips. the important thing is that you remove the plastic-coated metal cable tie which eventually works through the plastic which covers the flexible flat cable (carriage cable). you can manufacture anything to hold the cables on the chain, as long as it allows movement and doesn't run on the cable itself.
