Head Cleaning?

[dtdm]

I have a Mutoh Falcon 48"
I have soaked the heads numerous times using coffee filters and cleaning solution, however the head test still has missing bands.

The next step is to use a syringe and manually push cleaning solution through the head? This scares me a bit... Is there any guides/videos that could further assist me?
I have been looking with no such luck. thanks

 

[dtdm]

any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[R08]

The next step is to use a syringe and manually push cleaning solution through the head? This scares me a bit... Is there any guides/videos that could further assist me?
I have been looking with no such luck. thanks

Yup .. that's what I would do. Except your pulling the ink throught the head. It's not that bad . Once you do it you will either see a huge difference or realize your head is actually done.

 

[sfr table hockey]

Just make sure that your drain lines are clear of blockages and that the pump is able to draw as it should. If you hook a syringe with a small length of tube to the captops and then draw the cleaning solution into the head. To do this I have taken the plunger part out, on 3 syringes, to leave the tube cavity on its own as a holding area with a small piece of tubing attached on the end that fits over the print head nib (where the damper sits). Put a syringe with rubber tube on each of the head nibs and once in place (and another syringe attached to the capping station and heads parked) fill a bit of cleaning solution into each syringe tube and then draw it into the heads. This way you draw it though the heads and out of the captops. Just draw all the cleaning fluid out of the syringe tubes before you remove or you will have fluid all over your heads.

This way you don't risk the problem of too much pressure with injecting the heads if you are worried.

 

[dtdm]

Hmm this helps out a bit.
So what I was thinking I needed to do was take the dampers off, run solution through the heads that way, over the capping station?

However I can also manually suck ink from the capping station?

Next noob question. Whats the easiest way to dismantle everything to get to the capping station?

 

[sfr table hockey]

Sorry as on the older Rolands it is no problem getting at the captops and doing the above procedure. Not sure on a Mutoh.

 

[randya]

Probably the last thing you want to do is push ink through a piezo head.
You can damage the piezos.
Pull whenever possible.

Any 'drying' will not occur between the head and damper unless you have a very serious problem.
That area is pretty well sealed.
The drying is at the bottom of the nozzle plate at the nozzle itself.
Head soaks should soften any plugs, but it depends on a vacuum to actually clear those out.
If you cant pull a vacuum between the cap and pump then you probably have a maintenance station issue.

Removing the side cover, the display panel, and a couple of pieces of sheet metal should give you clear access to the maintenance station.

Yes, you can connect a syringe between the cap and pump or pump and drain, or I think you can just connect to one of the two small drain lines that go into the waste bottle.

 

[dtdm]

thanks everyone for the advice!

Randya, your saying I can suck from the hoses that are in the waste bottle?! This could save me a ton of time!

 

[dtdm]

Okay I finally had some downtime to play around with things.
I took the thing apart to get to the capping station.

I gently removed the lower tube (starting with the right side) parked the print head, then gently sucked from that tube with a syringe. Crossing fingers this is right. It seemed to work well.
Moved along to the left one. Parked the heads once again. Slightly sucked with syringe. This time I got a little bit of a noise... which makes me believe the capping station isn't creating a seal with the print head?

Also this machine is new to me, purchased it used. What could have caused all the ink splatter on the inside? Do I clean it up? Or is that just a waste of time.

 

[dtdm]

After pushing the print head completely to the right and holding it i was able to get full suction!
Going to let heads soak for a bit here and then suck, test.

 

[kgirl]

thanks everyone for the advice!

Randya, your saying I can suck from the hoses that are in the waste bottle?! This could save me a ton of time!

to suck is one way to clean a head......

 

[Gabriel]

Probably the last thing you want to do is push ink through a piezo head.
You can damage the piezos.
Pull whenever possible.

Right! There is a big possibility to damage that print head for good. Two rounds of head soaking should reveal if the print-head will recover or it will not.

 

[OneUpTenn]

I am having the same problem. Only before I even get to the capping station, I have filled the dampers by pulling ink through the damper itself without even detaching it. My problem is only three of the inks will pull through and fill up the damper.

My question is (and I am a total idiot when it comes to this stuff)....is it the dampers that need replacing or does that tiny little black rubber seal have anything to do with the fact that I cant get a good enough suction.

Do dampers come with these? Has anyone else ever had to purchase these?

 

[dtdm]

Sorry, not sure about the dampers.

Back to my print heads.
My nozzle check is a little better... But still not nearly where it should be.
I have it soaking again, going to soak it for a good part of the day. And give it one last shot.

Looks like the heads are dead?

Whats my next step? Try to get them sonic cleaned? Or just replace them all together. Yikes...

 

[dtdm]

I did run out of cyan in the middle of this nozzle check... that might have something to do with cyan being so bad.

 

[randya]

I am having the same problem. Only before I even get to the capping station, I have filled the dampers by pulling ink through the damper itself without even detaching it. My problem is only three of the inks will pull through and fill up the damper.

My question is (and I am a total idiot when it comes to this stuff)....is it the dampers that need replacing or does that tiny little black rubber seal have anything to do with the fact that I cant get a good enough suction.

Do dampers come with these? Has anyone else ever had to purchase these?

On a Falcon Outdoor 62 there are two heads and two caps with 3 colors per head. Is one filling and the other not?
If so, then this is usually the cap/capping station or plugged drain lines.

The o-ring is built into the damper.
So if that o-ring is old, brittle or damaged is could affect your ability to fill, but it is usually the cap/maintenance station.

There are also o-rings in all the tubing connectors.

Also if the nipple is broken on the head, it will cause air leaks.

Here is the basic ink flow.

http://www.mutoh.com/kb/entry/95/

 

[dtdm]

I am getting the message "cover open" after I put everything back together... I was able to run test prints with the machine apart? why am I getting this message?

 

[dtdm]

figured out the cover open... are the heads shot?

 

[Kentucky Wraps]

to suck is one way to clean a head......

Good Golley

 

[randya]

My nozzle check is a little better... But still not nearly where it should be.
I have it soaking again, going to soak it for a good part of the day. And give it one last shot.

Looks like the heads are dead?

Whats my next step? Try to get them sonic cleaned? Or just replace them all together. Yikes...

Good news is that the heads are not dead.
You still have quite a few plugged nozzles.
As long as you are recovering nozzles you can still do head soaks.
Or you can just put in new heads.