Question DX6 printhead Lifetime

[magprint]

Hi everyone,

I’d like to know what’s the average lifespan (in terms of shot count) for a DX6 printhead on a BN-20.
I’ve read that it can go up to 600 million shots per channel, but from what I see in my maintenance report, my head seems to be having overspray issues and missing nozzles even though I’m around 430 million shots on some channels.


Is it common to start seeing problems around that point? Or could it be a premature failure?

Thanks !

 

[Solventinkjet]

The general lifespan for that head is 6 billion shots. That being said, there are many factors that will affect that number and overspray can be caused by other issues in the printer or bad ink for example.

 

[netsol]

they are much like lightbulbs.
they go bad when they feel like it

you may almost be reay to give your life to protect the printhead YOU paid for, but, trust me
your friends and employees are much like mine and couldn't give a s**t

any time you walk away from the printer that head is at risk

 

[damonCA21]

Yep the general lifespan is 'until it breaks'. There are so many factors that can effect it, and also just random faliure the shot count is pretty meaningless

 

[cornholio]

It's 75'000 miles or 5 years... not 15 years with overaged ink. The black EcoMax ink from Roland consistently kills the heads. (Seen on DX4 mostly, but also on DX7)
No 1000 hour soak or snake oil cleaner will help. In the end it's a head replacement...

 

[magprint]

Thanks for your answers — things are a bit clearer now.
There are clearly a lot of factors that affect the printhead’s lifespan.
If it didn’t cost an arm and a leg, I wouldn’t be questioning myself this much!

But cornholio, wouldn’t replacing the printhead be a good opportunity to switch to Eco-Sol MAX 3?
If I understood correctly, after flushing the ink lines, you just need to purge with cleaning cartridges and update the ink type using the Roland service software, right?
Is that a process that’s generally safe and straightforward?

 

[cornholio]

I hat too many problems with EcoMax3 (Yellow)... The best ink for printhead life is Max2.

 

[netsol]

I hat too many problems with EcoMax3 (Yellow)... The best ink for printhead life is Max2.

the yellow has even more solids in suspension than the black does
i often think we could save some of these heads by shaking the cartridges twice a week.
you would also find, magically, that when you do a reprint, 3-4 months later, that the color match is a lot closer...

 

[magprint]

I've had a lot of good feedback about STS inks compared to OEM inks, do you have any thoughts on this?

 

[Rmurray321]

I've had a lot of good feedback about STS inks compared to OEM inks, do you have any thoughts on this?

I’ve used STS inks on several machines with great success