Mimaki CJV150 Overspray 'mist'

[DGreenwood]

Hi. I'm getting an overspray or 'mist' when printing on my Mimaki CJV150.

When first turning on the printer the nozzle check is solid but the magenta mixes with the cyan. A soft clean and this goes away.

As you can see from the photos (may need to zoom in on edges) I’m getting overspray mainly on black and cyan with a little on magenta, yellow seems to be perfect.

I’ve tried;
long nozzle wash’s
manual cleans
ensuring the head is on the lowest position
Wiping the printer down to remove static
Different media’s and profile
Printing with MAPS on 75/25

I’m also getting this magenta ‘ring’ around the print head, is this normal?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Solventinkjet]

The cross contamination between the cyan and magenta could be due to a failing cap top, damper, or pump. The fact that it goes away after a soft clean points more towards a bad damper or clogged pump tube. I'd change the dampers if they are older than 2 years and flush the pump tubes to make sure one of the tubes is clogged or partially clogged.

As far as the mist goes, it's usually a sign of deflecting nozzles, static, or a failing head. You don't have deflecting nozzles and have taken care of the static so it could just be a failing head. Do you know how old it is?

The magenta ring around the head is normal but you should clean it off with a swab and cleaning solution. Avoid the center where the nozzles are but clean that build up off so it can make the best seal with the cap top.

 

[DGreenwood]

The cross contamination between the cyan and magenta could be due to a failing cap top, damper, or pump. The fact that it goes away after a soft clean points more towards a bad damper or clogged pump tube. I'd change the dampers if they are older than 2 years and flush the pump tubes to make sure one of the tubes is clogged or partially clogged.

As far as the mist goes, it's usually a sign of deflecting nozzles, static, or a failing head. You don't have deflecting nozzles and have taken care of the static so it could just be a failing head. Do you know how old it is?

The magenta ring around the head is normal but you should clean it off with a swab and cleaning solution. Avoid the center where the nozzles are but clean that build up off so it can make the best seal with the cap top.

We bought the machine August/September 2020, I'm dealing with Hybrid now so I'm hoping we can sort something out with the warranty however I need to get on with printing so trying to see if there's anything I can do in house.

How easy is it to change the dampers?

 

[Solventinkjet]

We bought the machine August/September 2020, I'm dealing with Hybrid now so I'm hoping we can sort something out with the warranty however I need to get on with printing so trying to see if there's anything I can do in house.

How easy is it to change the dampers?

You probably just need some maintenance parts and a tune up. If it were me, if you haven't changed dampers, cap top, and wiper yet, change all of those out and see if it improves things.

Dampers are pretty straight forward on that machine. they make you take that long front cover off to get to the dampers which is annoying but the actual change is as simple as taking the old ones out, putting the new ones in, and then running a cleaning. I do like to wet the o-ring on the bottom of the damper with cleaning solution so that it slides on nice and easy.

Definitely check your warranty status. They won't cover dampers and cap tops etc but if the head might be covered depending on the outcome of changing the maintenance parts. In my experience Mimaki doesn't push back too hard on warranty claims but they might make you jump through some hoops.

 

[Lighthouse Promotion]

I had overspray for a couple months during cold spell. I bought two humidifiers, static string and use RainX to spray on my Mimaki CJV and it worked incredibly well. I did not think static would affect printing as much as it did. I'm sure it helps temperatures warmed up now but my humidity then was at 20%, now I keep it around 35-40%. I also replaced the cap top, adjusted it and it has improved so much. I also have the cross contamination but one normal clean and it's back to normal so imagine a damper replacement is needed soon enough. Now I'm more diligent in cleaning, nozzle washes, etc. to hopefully prevent more issues in the future.