Canon Arizona DTS prints still tacky

[Proofread People]

Hey All,
Hope everybody is well and keeping busy. Just wanted to throw out a question for any Canon Arizona flatbed users on curing experiences with their DTS prints. Have had some issues with prints feeling tacky, scratch easily, ink transfer or flaking (on edges when trimming on Keen cutter) after print, even after allowing 24 hours for print to sit. We have our leading lamp set at: 70 and trailing lamp set at 85. Wondering if it's a matter of adjusting lamps or related to how we clean our substrates. We have been using what Canon tech suggests: Denatured Alcohol/simple green/distilled water, to clean coroplast, ultraboard, pvc, ACM, allowing it to dry thorough before we press go. Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[Pauly]

Hey All,
Hope everybody is well and keeping busy. Just wanted to throw out a question for any Canon Arizona flatbed users on curing experiences with their DTS prints. Have had some issues with prints feeling tacky, scratch easily, ink transfer or flaking (on edges when trimming on Keen cutter) after print, even after allowing 24 hours for print to sit. We have our leading lamp set at: 70 and trailing lamp set at 85. Wondering if it's a matter of adjusting lamps or related to how we clean our substrates. We have been using what Canon tech suggests: Denatured Alcohol/simple green/distilled water, to clean coroplast, ultraboard, pvc, ACM, allowing it to dry thorough before we press go. Any feedback would be appreciated.

It would help to know if its an LED or mercury lamp curing.

 

[Technician]

Hey All,
Hope everybody is well and keeping busy. Just wanted to throw out a question for any Canon Arizona flatbed users on curing experiences with their DTS prints. Have had some issues with prints feeling tacky, scratch easily, ink transfer or flaking (on edges when trimming on Keen cutter) after print, even after allowing 24 hours for print to sit. We have our leading lamp set at: 70 and trailing lamp set at 85. Wondering if it's a matter of adjusting lamps or related to how we clean our substrates. We have been using what Canon tech suggests: Denatured Alcohol/simple green/distilled water, to clean coroplast, ultraboard, pvc, ACM, allowing it to dry thorough before we press go. Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[Joseph44708]

I print alot of .080 styrene and Coloplast full coverage on a Arizona GT135 with canons 358 inks.
I turned both UV curing lights up to 100% and the ink still feels tacky and Bricks together wnen stacked, even after a week of sitting on racks, and also run thru a UV Light Dryer for Screen Printing.
Canon rep said to slip sheet the jobs,
I said NOT!
As long as it doesn't offset to the back of the next sheet I'm ok with it for now.

 

[Proofread People]

It would help to know if its an LED or mercury lamp curing.

UV Lamps

 

[Proofread People]

I print alot of .080 styrene and Coloplast full coverage on a Arizona GT135 with canons 358 inks.
I turned both UV curing lights up to 100% and the ink still feels tacky and Bricks together wnen stacked, even after a week of sitting on racks, and also run thru a UV Light Dryer for Screen Printing.
Canon rep said to slip sheet the jobs,
I said NOT!
As long as it doesn't offset to the back of the next sheet I'm ok with it for now.

I actually left a set of full flood prints out in full sun and it helped harden the ink

 

[Pauly]

UV Lamps

your username and response go hand in hand.... re read the question.

 

[Vassago]

UV Lamps

If it has mercury bulbs (UV) - they need to be changed - they have a lifetime.

UV leds can go, but usually last a lot longer.

Have you read the user manual that tells you all about the UV side?

Try leaving the prints in the sun - if that fixes it - it's a fault with the UV side. If it doesn't, then check the inks - could be a fault there. Take a drop and leave that outside in the sun on just a bit of scrap plastic. If it doesn't harden - it's your inks _some chemicals can affect curing, which is why you need to put it on something thats not been cleaned with your usual setup or substrate.

 

[Pauly]

If it has mercury bulbs (UV) - they need to be changed - they have a lifetime.

UV leds can go, but usually last a lot longer.

Have you read the user manual that tells you all about the UV side?

Try leaving the prints in the sun - if that fixes it - it's a fault with the UV side. If it doesn't, then check the inks - could be a fault there. Take a drop and leave that outside in the sun on just a bit of scrap plastic. If it doesn't harden - it's your inks _some chemicals can affect curing, which is why you need to put it on something thats not been cleaned with your usual setup or substrate.

If OP answers the question, the older the IJC 2xx inksets are tacky after print. It's quite normal and take a day to fully cure.

 

[Vassago]

If OP answers the question, the older the IJC 2xx inksets are tacky after print. It's quite normal and take a day to fully cure.

It's usually down to Photoinitiator oxidation - either not enough Photoinitiator to start, or it's been desensitised due to oxidation (age, storage, composition, etc) . Quite a few chemicals also affect curing (cleaning products especially) - I use silicone resins alot - the amount of things that will slow or stop curing is crazy.

 

[Proofread People]

your username and response go hand in hand.... re read the question.

If it has mercury bulbs (UV) - they need to be changed - they have a lifetime.

UV leds can go, but usually last a lot longer.

Have you read the user manual that tells you all about the UV side?

Try leaving the prints in the sun - if that fixes it - it's a fault with the UV side. If it doesn't, then check the inks - could be a fault there. Take a drop and leave that outside in the sun on just a bit of scrap plastic. If it doesn't harden - it's your inks _some chemicals can affect curing, which is why you need to put it on something thats not been cleaned with your usual setup or substrate.

Thanks Paul, the manual says it's a LED system

If OP answers the question, the older the IJC 2xx inksets are tacky after print. It's quite normal and take a day to fully cure.

Thanks, it's an UV LED system, you are right, it helps to leave it in the sun. It mostly occurs on coroplast media and when my guess is that the cleaning solution may not have completely evaporated (rushing orders). Just found the section in the manual about replacing the UV LED unit filters, to my knowledge we have not changed the LED unit filters. I'll try out your test suggestion.

 

[Vassago]

Yeah.. UV is very picky - class most things as consumables. Even leds

 

[Pauly]

Thanks Paul, the manual says it's a LED system

Thanks, it's an UV LED system, you are right, it helps to leave it in the sun. It mostly occurs on coroplast media and when my guess is that the cleaning solution may not have completely evaporated (rushing orders). Just found the section in the manual about replacing the UV LED unit filters, to my knowledge we have not changed the LED unit filters. I'll try out your test suggestion.

Only suggestion is to crank up the output.
If you had the mercury lamps, then consider checking the hours and changing them out 500 hours is usually the right time (only added this for other people with the same problem on older machines)

 

[Proofread People]

Only suggestion is to crank up the output.
If you had the mercury lamps, then consider checking the hours and changing them out 500 hours is usually the right time (only added this for other people with the same problem on older machines)

Thanks Pauly, will play around with the lamp time