VersaCamm Print & Cut VS-540i (runs without any ink coming out)

[JulieJ]

---

I just purchased a used VersaCamm Print & Cut VS-540i that had been in storage for a couple of years. I was a bit naïve to think there would be more information available if problems occurred, but Google and YouTube are both at an absolute loss.

The printer goes through the motions of running—no error codes, no warnings—just nothing happens. No ink movement, nothing prints. I’ve soaked the printhead, which was new when the printer was purchased, but it had been installed before it went into storage.

I was told the issue might be the ink, so I replaced all the cartridges. Again, no test print would produce anything, though it went through the motions. The ink doesn’t even move from the cartridges. Later that evening, the printer ended up pumping an entire cartridge of light black ink onto the floor (messy!).

I went on Facebook and asked for suggestions in a Roland group. It was suggested that I replace the dampers. When I replaced the dampers, I also used a syringe to remove any blockage from the ink lines that might have built up over time. I did that and within a few hours the printer went into “ink circulation" mode and once again pumped my light black ink onto the ground. Realistically, I'm also not confident that I installed the dampers correctly because now I have an air pocket in the lines and don't know how to remove it without wasting a ton of ink.

I reached out to a tech for help, but he stopped responding—I think I might be a little too “rural” for them.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what the issue could be? I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing, I bit off a bit more than I could chew but I also need it to be running. I assume these printers are fairly fixable if you know how to do it, I just don’t know—yet. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[FrankW]

There is no ink in the ink lines. The printer won´t fill just during printing, you need to fill it. If this don´t work, it could be a problem of the cap, the pump and so on.

That the printer won´t print even if light black is filled, it could be an electronical problem. In this case there are fuses to check.

Best would be to have someone onsite to check the printer.

 

[JulieJ]

When I first set it up the printer instructed how to fill / charge the inks which I did, but the ink never moved out of the catridge. Is this something that has to be manually done?

The light black being pumped out of the printer onto the ground has me wanting to fix the problem before turning it on again. If it was an electrical issue, where would I find those fused?

Thanks so much!

 

[Zoogee World]

When I first set it up the printer instructed how to fill / charge the inks which I did, but the ink never moved out of the catridge. Is this something that has to be manually done?

The light black being pumped out of the printer onto the ground has me wanting to fix the problem before turning it on again. If it was an electrical issue, where would I find those fused?

Thanks so much!

Are you able to see where the ink is flowing out from? If it's coming straight out of the head, unfortunately the head is most likely gone and will need replacement. As for a manual pulling, this is possible, by attaching a syringe to one of the lines after the cap top you will need to cap/ clamp the other lines, as there are 2 and than gently pulling, this should fill the lines if all is good. However, you'll need to figure out the leaking ink issue first.

Also, when it was put into storage a couple years back, had ink been ran through the new head? Also, have you replaced the cap top?

 

[truckgraphics]

Silly question. Do you have the ink catch bottle installed? Right hand side, below the controls.

 

[Bill72]

For sure need to figure out where the ink is leaking from. I had a vs-540 and started having problems with the dampers....and the aftermarket new ones that where garbage before i installed them. Also as far as no ink in the lines there is a manual choke on the ink lines that cuts off ink flow. It is located under the ink cartridges and is operated by an allen wrench. If it was in storage that could have been set.

 

[Solventinkjet]

The lines are empty and have remnants of some clear solution still in them which tells me the former user flushed and stored it properly which is rare. If you haven't done the fill up process or run a few strong cleanings yet, there is no ink at the head so it won't fire. I'm not sure why but the light black seems to be the only line filled at the moment. The machine didn't pump the ink out though. A syphon formed at the maintenance station and drained it all out.

If it were me, I'd change the cap top. If it sat in storage for a long time, the rubber is probably dried out and not sealing well. While changing it out, flush cleaning solution through the waste tubes and pump. That will flush any clogs out as well as partial clogs which is what tend to help syphons form. With the new cap top and flushed waste lines, run a couple strong cleanings and watch the ink lines by the cartridges. Once the pump starts running, you should see ink flow down the lines fairly quickly. Once the ink gets to the head, it should fire. If not, you might also have a popped head fuse on the main board which is fairly easy to replace.