Guys I need Help! I have a mimaki Ucjv 300 and I print in full gloss, I notice that after a week the gloss looks scratched off and then eventually everything will look matte and the gloss will fade. I notice that when I use a cloth to clean it the gloss comes back! When I print I also notice that it is a bit sticky and not dried completely. Now the tech came here 3 times and everything is okay, the lamps are new the board is new too! they also made me buy 3 lamps to try and dry it copletely and the problem is still there. I also notice that the gloss has a bit of texture on it like its not curing properly. Please help!
-
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 ...
Need help with my ucjv 300 mimaki printer. Gloss is fading
- Thread starter jedmarc
- Start date
-
- Tags
- mimaki ucjv300-130
Guys I need Help! I have a mimaki Ucjv 300 and I print in full gloss, I notice that after a week the gloss looks scratched off and then eventually everything will look matte and the gloss will fade. I notice that when I use a cloth to clean it the gloss comes back! When I print I also notice that it is a bit sticky and not dried completely. Now the tech came here 3 times and everything is okay, the lamps are new the board is new too! they also made me buy 3 lamps to try and dry it copletely and the problem is still there. I also notice that the gloss has a bit of texture on it like its not curing properly. Please help!
L&Bdesignworks
New Member
Hi There! Any luck with the issue? I have a tech coming out tomorrow.
My problem is, it seems to be outgassing or something and anything clear has an ugly texture where anything sits on it, mostly if I lay them flat.
My problem is, it seems to be outgassing or something and anything clear has an ugly texture where anything sits on it, mostly if I lay them flat.
DL Signs
Never go against the family
Looks un-cured, clear looks pretty heavily layered too. Try something, do a test print with the same settings, then on your Mimaki you should be able to go into setup/ UV mode, and there should be a 'no print' option, it'll go over it with lamps only. See if that cures it, or at least better. If it does you either need to slow it down, do several thinner layers & more passes per layer, or do the extra no print at the end if it's enough. The heavier you go, the more UV it needs to cure it, and clears just don't seem to cure the same as colors, possibly the lack of colored pigment to absorb the UV???? Even with layering colors heavy for textures & embossing, running it too quick can cause curing issues on most UV printers. Just like painting, multiple thin coats always looks better and cure better than one or two heavy ones. Takes longer, but that's why you charge more for the specialty stuff. Also make sure firmware is most current, if it's a common issue, that's how many are fixed. A couple other things that could cause issues are ink is old, bad batch, or not mixed well...
That's about all I got for common things.
But yeah, let everyone know what tech says, or if you get something to work to help others.
That's about all I got for common things.
But yeah, let everyone know what tech says, or if you get something to work to help others.
L&Bdesignworks
New Member
Thank you! I haven't tried adjusting settings on the printer, just in raster link so far, but good Ideas. I'll share these with the tech too and see what he says!
Smoke_Jaguar
Man who touches printers inappropriately.
UV inks are composed of photoinitiated compounds that respond to the specific wavelength (395nm if I remember correctly), so typically pigments will not change curing properties. Even using UV reactive pigments like Dayglo and glow in the dark on custom mixes we've done will not cause issues curing.
Gloss ink uses a delayed lower powered cure to let the ink settle down and smooth out to get the effect whereas matte just cures right after jetting. Main thing I have seen causing this issue is ink buildup on the UV lamp units. They are easy to remove on the UCJV300 and simply unclip from the side. Carefully clean the glass to avoid scratching it, can use a razor blade if you feel daring. Missing nozzles can also do similar, and clear is a pain to check. I use cheap DTF film and use it for checks because I can look through the material and see where the light deflects for each nozzle a lot easier than on something like white paper or vinyl.
Gloss ink uses a delayed lower powered cure to let the ink settle down and smooth out to get the effect whereas matte just cures right after jetting. Main thing I have seen causing this issue is ink buildup on the UV lamp units. They are easy to remove on the UCJV300 and simply unclip from the side. Carefully clean the glass to avoid scratching it, can use a razor blade if you feel daring. Missing nozzles can also do similar, and clear is a pain to check. I use cheap DTF film and use it for checks because I can look through the material and see where the light deflects for each nozzle a lot easier than on something like white paper or vinyl.
L&Bdesignworks
New Member
New update- tech came in and we're still doing some troubleshooting. He took some of the samples to check with his team, and may also be sending to mimaki.
A few things that we had adjusted:
UV AdjVal- 25% (formerly zero)
Changing cyan level 280% as opposed to 100%
Still having some issues with strange "fogging" now, but not nearly as bad as before.
The tech did verify the expiration date on the ink as well as check the lamps, and said that everything was in proper condition. I believe you checked a few other things as well. I showed him this forum to share the ideas too.
Not sure I have a great update otherwise.
A few things that we had adjusted:
UV AdjVal- 25% (formerly zero)
Changing cyan level 280% as opposed to 100%
Still having some issues with strange "fogging" now, but not nearly as bad as before.
The tech did verify the expiration date on the ink as well as check the lamps, and said that everything was in proper condition. I believe you checked a few other things as well. I showed him this forum to share the ideas too.
Not sure I have a great update otherwise.
