Sp300v trying to revive after a year sitting idle not plugged in

[nivag]

Hi, I need to flush the heads and lines as this printer has been sitting for a year, my thinking is to get a refillable ink cart, fill it with cleanner and pull it though the lines (after removing from the damper), then replace the dampers and pull some cleaner though them though the head by connecting to the lines at the y join by the pump, worse case is 2 new print heads, anyone tried reviving an old machine like this? Any chance of a manual for the Sp300v? Gavin.phillips@zoho.com
Any suggestions welcome.

 

[player]

Hi, I need to flush the heads and lines as this printer has been sitting for a year, my thinking is to get a refillable ink cart, fill it with cleanner and pull it though the lines (after removing from the damper), then replace the dampers and pull some cleaner though them though the head by connecting to the lines at the y join by the pump, worse case is 2 new print heads, anyone tried reviving an old machine like this? Any chance of a manual for the Sp300v? Gavin.phillips@zoho.com
Any suggestions welcome.

Was it properly put away with the ink cleaned out and replaced with solvent?

If not, replace all the lines, caps, dampers and heads.

IF the head was left with ink in it the head will most likely be toast. It's hard enough to keep them running when they are in use and properly maintained. If the ink dried in the head, forget about it. The lines need to be replaced because if there is dried ink in them, the chunks will travel to the head... Most likely clogging the damper filter, and ruin the damper, starve or clog the head...

You can buy ink carts from Roland that are full of cleaner. When you first get the printer they use these to set up the machine by pumping cleaner through all the lines first.

 

[nivag]

Was it properly put away with the ink cleaned out and replaced with solvent?

If not, replace all the lines, caps, dampers and heads.

IF the head was left with ink in it the head will most likely be toast. It's hard enough to keep them running when they are in use and properly maintained. If the ink dried in the head, forget about it. The lines need to be replaced because if there is dried ink in them, the chunks will travel to the head... Most likely clogging the damper filter, and ruin the damper, starve or clog the head...

You can buy ink carts from Roland that are full of cleaner. When you first get the printer they use these to set up the machine by pumping cleaner through all the lines first.

 

[nivag]

Unfortunately it was just left with cleanner in the capping station only, it has not been turned on yet. I was thinking that replacing the ink lines would be a good idea as well as the dampers, are the lines easy to replace? Does anyone have information that would help to do this, forewarned is forearmed, would it hurt to leave it with cleanner in the heads for a few weeks to see if it will desolate the old ink? I was also thinking it would be best to draw the new ink into the dampers one by one with a syringe rather than using the heavy clean method. The reason for filling a empty cartridge with cleanner and sucking it through was I can get a litre of cleanner and a cartridge cheaper that just 1 Roland cleaning cartridge in Australia, plus it a cheap way to see if I can get anything to print before spending the cash for 2 new print heads, nothing ventured nothing gained.

 

[player]

Unfortunately it was just left with cleanner in the capping station only, it has not been turned on yet. I was thinking that replacing the ink lines would be a good idea as well as the dampers, are the lines easy to replace? Does anyone have information that would help to do this, forewarned is forearmed, would it hurt to leave it with cleanner in the heads for a few weeks to see if it will desolate the old ink? I was also thinking it would be best to draw the new ink into the dampers one by one with a syringe rather than using the heavy clean method. The reason for filling a empty cartridge with cleanner and sucking it through was I can get a litre of cleanner and a cartridge cheaper that just 1 Roland cleaning cartridge in Australia, plus it a cheap way to see if I can get anything to print before spending the cash for 2 new print heads, nothing ventured nothing gained.

Let it sit as long as you want in cleaner, the heads, in my opinion are done. The cleaner will evaporate from the caps, so in 2 weeks it will be dried again.

 

[nivag]

Would taking them out and using an ultrasonic cleanner be of any benefit?

 

[rickzan]

I have a Mutoh VJ 1614 parts machine that sat for 18 months. I was told it had a new printhead when the motherboard died. Also the sign shop had an in house saboteur who pulled the lines out of the pump and reconnected to the captop basically bypassing the pump. The guy that bought it didn't know this and was using when MB went bad. I found out when I went to get maintenance station to put on my machine. Anyway my printhead was missing nozzles so I wanted to revive the head from parts machine. I got an Altoids can and put a 3/16 deep layer of cleaning solution in lid and set head in that. Not enough to get into electronics but make sure nozzles were soaking. Then I got a small bottle with long needle like tip and stuck down each tube (only) and put in solvent. What happened is amazing, the dried ink dissolved and came into the lid. I cleaned it out and started over. After a week or so I put a syringe on each tube having cleaned lid and putting in fresh solvent and pulled ever so slightly, I got ink and debris out of each tube. I then put fresh solvent down each one and in the lid. I am now using the head and I have my old one soaking. It has a near perfect nozzle pattern. Hope this helps. I did not have an extra 2500 laying around for a new head and all the head recovery folk are to busy to care.

 

[player]

Would taking them out and using an ultrasonic cleanner be of any benefit?

I was told ultrasonics will damage heads. But hey, try anything and everything. I am not an expert at reviving heads with 1 years worth of dried ink in them.

 

[player]

If the test print is not perfect you will get banding in your prints. Especially with the SP printers. If you are OK with poor quality, use whatever the heads you have will print...

 

[nivag]

I have a Mutoh VJ 1614 parts machine that sat for 18 months. I was told it had a new printhead when the motherboard died. Also the sign shop had an in house saboteur who pulled the lines out of the pump and reconnected to the captop basically bypassing the pump. The guy that bought it didn't know this and was using when MB went bad. I found out when I went to get maintenance station to put on my machine. Anyway my printhead was missing nozzles so I wanted to revive the head from parts machine. I got an Altoids can and put a 3/16 deep layer of cleaning solution in lid and set head in that. Not enough to get into electronics but make sure nozzles were soaking. Then I got a small bottle with long needle like tip and stuck down each tube (only) and put in solvent. What happened is amazing, the dried ink dissolved and came into the lid. I cleaned it out and started over. After a week or so I put a syringe on each tube having cleaned lid and putting in fresh solvent and pulled ever so slightly, I got ink and debris out of each tube. I then put fresh solvent down each one and in the lid. I am now using the head and I have my old one soaking. It has a near perfect nozzle pattern. Hope this helps. I did not have an extra 2500 laying around for a new head and all the head recovery folk are to busy to care.

 

[nivag]

Thanks that gives me hope at least, what I’m planning to do is install new dampers with short tubes that sit up high on the machine, I will fill them with solvent and fit them on the dx4's, Leave it like this for a couple of weeks just unblocking the the tubes each day so the solvent can work its way into the heads, then after 2 weeks I will try to suck solvent through the heads with a aspiration hand pump by connecting to 1 line at a time under the capping station. I have time on my side because I don’t need this machine running until March next year so I can just gently soak and suck the solvent as much as it needs. I have ordered the parts needed, 3 weeks away hopefully. Any advice is greatly welcomed.

 

[player]

There is a membrane in the heads that is easily broken when manually drawing cleaner or ink through the heads.

 

[amw]

Had one sit for about 7 months did a test print and got nothing. Did a manual cleaning, carefully put a swab w/ cleaning fluid on the bottom of the print heads. Did 2 powerful cleanings, and a bunch of normal cleanings. Got the M/Y print head back at 100% and the B/C print head...cyan is 100% and black is about 99% which is where it was before it sat for 7 months.. Prints great now.
I did the cleanings, etc. over the course of 3 days. Left cleaning fluid in the captops each night, also replaced the captops and wipers as well as the wiper scrapper. Each day it got substantially more nozzles back.
The printer has always had Roland ink in it, and kept in heated/ac office. I would think it would be much harder if kept in storage or anything like that.

 

[nivag]

Thanks guys, I have the heads out and soaking in fluid, I have been using an eye dropper to remove the ink in reverse and they are slowly getting cleanner and easier to pull fluid through, I just squeeze the the rubber top and place on the manifold (with a small piece of tube to connect the two) and then let the eye dropper gently pull the cleaning solution through, I’m being as gentle as possible and will keep doing this for as long as it takes to get only clear solution coming up into the eye dropper, my think is that it is better to do it this way rather than pulling or pushing possible old ink into the nozzles. I have the eye dropper balanced on top so I can leave it there for as long as it takes, 3 of them will now fill it in about 20 seconds.