HP 115 - printing issue head hitting the center?

[Stacey K]

I can't find a profile for Briteline 65/35 window perf...it's 6mil. I used the generic one for HP and it looks like it's hitting in the center, perhaps too hot or is the head too close?

 

[Dan360]

I got the best results by printing on an Avery 2903 profile with the heat turned down to around 195 and interpass delay to make sure it cures. Though I was never able to get this stuff to print consistently on our 360.

Have you tried the 50/50 profile they have here: https://www.grimco.com/info/SoftwareSupport#utility ?

 

[Stacey K]

Thankfully the line was directly in the center so I was able to avoid it by about an inch. Thank you Dan, I'll try the profile!!

 

[Steenland]

I had a lot of trouble getting perf through my 365 until I figured out that there was too much tension on the take up reel. Because the skew of the media wasn't perfect (and it never is), it was sending a ripple back up through the curing unit, where it would scrape. The solution was to install the counter weights on the back of the take up reel to reduce the tension.

HP apparently knows this is an issue because they include counter weights with the 365. If you don't have them, maybe you can ask HP if they are available for the 115.

 

[greysquirrel]

The counter weights were designed for fabric. Most media issues through latex printers is caused by too much heat from the profile. They almost always default to 230 degrees which is entirely too much

 

[brdesign]

When I was using perf on a latex printer I found that it was bad for getting head strikes and jaming if I didn't feed out enough material to attach it to the take-up reel before printing.

 

[Steenland]

The counter weights were designed for fabric. Most media issues through latex printers is caused by too much heat from the profile. They almost always default to 230 degrees which is entirely too much

According to Timothy Mitchell, the counter weights were designed for more accurate multi-panel printing, and fabric actually needs more tension so you should remove the weights for fabric (www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfP-LVDAUCc). Anyway, I agree that I'm not using them for their original intended purpose. But in my opinion, the default tension on the 365's "dancer bar" (take-up reel) is too high.

When I was having problems with perf, I tried lowering the heat, increasing the vacuum, and increasing the interpass delay. All of these helped, but after a few feet had run through, I would still get head strikes and heater scrapes. As I observed the media on the take-up reel, I could see a wave start to form at the spool and work its way up into the curing unit, causing scrapes. The wave was caused by the skew being slightly off, or perhaps my dancer bar is a little twisted, but because the media was being tugged at a slightly different angle, it caused the wave. Installing the counter weights solved the problem for me.

YMMV. This may not work for Stacey, but her photos look exactly like what was happening to my perf, so I'm just throwing this out as something that might help.

 

[balstestrat]

You guys are talking about take-up when she doesn't even have it.

Lower the heat, increase interpass-delay and add some vacuum if you do think it's the carriage hitting it (I'm not so sure about that).

 

[Steenland]

You guys are talking about take-up when she doesn't even have it.

Lower the heat, increase interpass-delay and add some vacuum if you do think it's the carriage hitting it (I'm not so sure about that).

Oops! Sorry Stacey! Obviously I'm not familiar with the 115.