Need Help versacamm vs 540i print head leak and capping station not springing back

[chriswinks]

Hello

New to the forum and currently have a 3 year old versacamm VS540i
Recently the print head has been bubbling / leaking cyan and messing up print quality.
We have noticed the capping station used to move to the right before a spring pulled it back to the left. This no longer is happening and it just sits where we move it too . (used to have resistance and spring back) Could this be the problem as the capping station is not sitting correctly over night / during clean?

Thanks in advance
Chris

 

[Solventinkjet]

When ink falls out of the head it is usually a bad damper and/or there is an air leak somewhere in the system. Start with the damper and see if that fixes the issue. Also, check the bottom of the head to make sure there isn't an inkcicle hanging down which could cause ink to drip as well. If there is just clean it off with a swab and cleaning solution.

The capping station should spring back and you do want to fix it if it isn't. Get a bright flashlight and take a look below the station to see if there is a spring laying around. If you find it, put it back on. If you can't I am not sure if they sell that spring separately or if you have to buy the whole station.

 

[Papajo]

To put the spring back into place you have to remove the two horizontal metal rods holding the upper part of the capping station (the black plastic part) to the rest. These are held into place by black plastic rings on the front and the back. If you remove the back plastic rings you can then pull the two rods from the front and access the inside of the capping station. Here you should find the spring laying down somewhere and should be able to hook it up again.

 

[chriswinks]

Hi All
Thanks to Papajo and VanderJ for your advice. We ordered a new cap top and this has seemed to help with a recurring semi missing magenta issue we have had for a while.

However back to the sticking capping unit / station.
After shining a torch in to the station, it appears the spring is still attached!
However today the capping station has randomly began springing back and ink is back on. I'll keep an eye on this and report back if it sticks again.
Is the capping station a part that we are able to purchase and fit ourselves?

Thanks
Chris

 

[chriswinks]

Hi Again
It seems that were not fully fixed yet!
Capping station seems good and the issue we seem to still have is blue ink leaking from the print head.
I've googled for solutions and it seems that some machines have white dampers in that can be replaced and that these might need replacing.
However our versacamm 540i doesn't appear to have dampers. Some print jobs after a normal / medium clean seem to start ok before becoming lined with dark ink as the job proceeds.

Can anyone offer any advice.
Thanks

 

[Nismoasfuh]

When ink falls out of the head it is usually a bad damper and/or there is an air leak somewhere in the system. Start with the damper and see if that fixes the issue. Also, check the bottom of the head to make sure there isn't an inkcicle hanging down which could cause ink to drip as well. If there is just clean it off with a swab and cleaning solution.

The capping station should spring back and you do want to fix it if it isn't. Get a bright flashlight and take a look below the station to see if there is a spring laying around. If you find it, put it back on. If you can't I am not sure if they sell that spring separately or if you have to buy the whole station.

Interesting about the inkcicle you mentioned, I saw that the last time I was cleaning my sp540v after half a year of no cleaning. I just cleaned around the head, but I was very tempted to touch the inkcicle because it was directly on the head and I knew it would take some brute force to get it out, Im too scared to do it and mess up the head. They say to never touch the actual head while cleaning.

 

[chriswinks]

Hi
A quick update on our ongoing leaking blue ink.
It is still leaking and the magenta seems to come and go.
Having spoken to service they have mentioned replacing choke valves (the invoice for these mentioned 4 choke valves) I have not heard of choke valves before and wondering what they are and where they go on a versacamm VS 540i . Wanted to research before we go ahead.
Thanks

 

[C5 Service&Repair]

There is only 1 system that controls the choke valves. On the VSi it is motorized. The choke valve isn't the problem. Either you have an air leak somewhere, your dampers are bad, or the head is bad. The dampers are inside the head, where the ink lines attach. The head has 4 dampers inside it. I would swap the dampers, see if that helps. At the same time check over the entire machine for air leaks. You can take a flashlight and shine it through the ink lines at all the connections and see if your can find any air bubbles. If not, and the dampers dont fix the issue, then you need a print head.

 

[Joe House]

I agree with C5. Airleaks and dampers, then the print head. The only problem I've seen with choke valves was early on when they got stuck closed overnight. A firmware update fixed that.

 

[chriswinks]

Hi All
Update time again
Thank you again for advice.
We have had the service chap out again and replaced Dampers which has stopped the ink leaking. However We are still missing one row of magenta ink and one row of cyan. The other Magenta comes and goes as it likes!
Both blacks are fine as well as one cyan row.
Also some of the choke valves has been changed.

The service chap now thinks its either print head or change the pipes.
As its already been an expense just getting here i was wondering the next step as he wants to replace pipes (£600) and if that doesn't work the print head (£1500) plus call outs and cost for time out.
Our thoughts are the print head but not completely sure
Any advice would be great

 

[Joe House]

Did these channels print ok before the tech changed the dampers? Were the o-rings seated properly in the new dampers and did her check for any old o-rings left behind on the manifold? Was all of the air removed from the ink lines agree the dampers were replaced? How were the lines primed after damper replacement?
Also, what was the reasoning behind replacing the choke valves?
There are a lot of things that can factor in here. It's kind of hard to diagnose groom the other side of the world. Can you post a picture of the nozzle test print?

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