• I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...

Why Are Flatbed Printers So Unreliable?

player

New Member
I read threads about flatbeds that are bad from the start, or require tons of maintenance.

They are basically a CNC bed and an inkjet head with some type of UV curing are they not? Both technologies have been
around for a long time and seem pretty reliable on their own...
 

TimToad

Active Member
I've only owned one for a little over a year and its one of the first generations of Gerber ION Solara's they rushed to the market, so my experience is limited.

I'd have to say that for the revenue it generates, the competitive advantage it gives us over nearly everyone without one in our area, and the amount of productivity its capable of when running optimally, its not unreliable at all. A couple times per year, it acts up with minor issues and we need a service call done which takes a few days to arrange, but once here we usually get back up and running within a day.

For a 6 year old machine, that easily produces over $125,000 or more in revenue every year, that's not bad.

I'll say this, my predecessor and his employees did not take as good care of it as we do, and our long time service tech who installed the machine and still services it has told us that these type printers like two things. They run way better with frequent and heavy use and they run better with proper care and regular cleaning.

So, if yours keeps acting up, double on up on your internal maintenance and cleaning and try to push it harder by expanding your market. Do you do any wholesale work for other sign shops, graphic designers, ad agencies, etc.? Those are great places to start.
 

N.E.

New Member
I've been using flatbeds for close to 9 years and in my experience 80% of the issues are printhead or ink flow/reservoir/floats related. Occasionally a pixel card or some other electronics goes bad just like they do on any PC.
 

artbot

New Member
true. the weight of the ink, requiring all kinds of measures to meter the ink is the issue. i'm sure a lot of that will go away as the new thinner LED cure inks work their way across the market. plus head carriage size and weight with smaller bulbs will make flatbeds get a lot cheaper.

looks like WER just introduced this new epson flatbed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guUGEJyRM0c

looks a bit more advanced than the meitu flatbed ($16,000!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfvgKYn3op0
 

LarryB

New Member
I have had my HP FB500 for 2 years now and it has been very reliable. Have only been down 2 times in 2 years. Definite money maker for me.
 

bigben

Not a newbie
true. the weight of the ink, requiring all kinds of measures to meter the ink is the issue. i'm sure a lot of that will go away as the new thinner LED cure inks work their way across the market. plus head carriage size and weight with smaller bulbs will make flatbeds get a lot cheaper.

looks like WER just introduced this new epson flatbed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guUGEJyRM0c

looks a bit more advanced than the meitu flatbed ($16,000!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfvgKYn3op0

Can you tell me where you get those informations? I would like to learn more on this.
 

artbot

New Member
the meitu contact is (i have a meitu based flatbed, daytona raster printer, that shares the same belt/vacuum, etc. as far as the mechanics of the printer, it's flawless. it has
the pesky toshiba head though. would love to have one of these dx5 based machines instead. meitu makes a ricoh and epson version of this printer).
[h=3]echo@mtutech.com[/h]
and wer printer

[h=3]Legend Cui <sales06@wer-china.com[/h]
 

Nicky Zhou

PrintLinks
the meitu contact is (i have a meitu based flatbed, daytona raster printer, that shares the same belt/vacuum, etc. as far as the mechanics of the printer, it's flawless. it has
the pesky toshiba head though. would love to have one of these dx5 based machines instead. meitu makes a ricoh and epson version of this printer).
echo@mtutech.com


and wer printer

Legend Cui <sales06@wer-china.com

Hi Arbot.

The Raster Hybrid UV printer H700 is totally more reliable and well design in mechanism, As you can see maybe the outlook between them is the same, but inside not.
 

Andy D

Active Member
I agree with what others have said, most 1st generation technology sucks.
The early roll printers *cough* Arizona *cough* sucked too.
Not only have the newest flatbed printers improved leaps and bounds but so
has the ink and print-heads.
My 1st UV flat bed was always down, but I my newer UV FB printers work flawlessly.
 

Nicky Zhou

PrintLinks
good to know. maybe i should just stick to what i have and invest in the one i have.

Better you go for a deep check and you can easy to find out the differences.

Right now, the EFI 1625 the smaller hybrid printer is well designed, its improved a lot based on the H700. Have you check out the Handtop/CET the smaller hybrid printer?
 

rjssigns

Active Member
Why are flatbed printers so unreliable? Just like the nightly news, folks here ONLY report the horror stories. Not that they made a million bajillion dollars with it before it blew up.

It would be cool to have maintenance costs/downtime data.
 

HulkSmash

New Member
I read threads about flatbeds that are bad from the start, or require tons of maintenance.

They are basically a CNC bed and an inkjet head with some type of UV curing are they not? Both technologies have been
around for a long time and seem pretty reliable on their own...

We have an HP FB. 0 down days in 2.5 years.
 

artbot

New Member
nicky, i'm practically out of the printer thing as a production hub. now in to casting. might modify my shopbot into a 84x96 light engraver, or get a laser? the h700 might be the last printer i own as long as parts are available.
 

Nicky Zhou

PrintLinks
nicky, i'm practically out of the printer thing as a production hub. now in to casting. might modify my shopbot into a 84x96 light engraver, or get a laser? the h700 might be the last printer i own as long as parts are available.

All right, if you want to store some of the H700 spare parts, let me know if I can help.:smile:
 
Top