any tricks for getting UV ink off my belt?

[LeiftheLucky]

I print a lot of full bleed boards on my Scitex FB700 and there is a lot of buildup in certain areas to the point where you can see the bumps through roll media. Although it is not effecting things yet in undoubtedly will in the near future and was wondering if anyone had any Useful tricks on how to remove the dry/cured ink from my belt. I've tried 99% achohol and it worked kinda but would take a week to clean my belt. Also tried the tape thing and that works a little bit too but would be equally as tedious. There has to be a better way. Any ideas

Leif

 

[Gino]

There's another thread asking the exact same question with many good responses. You might look for that one.

 

[GaSouthpaw]

We spray the alcohol on the belt, cover it with plastic (cheap drop cloth or something similar) for about five minutes, then scrub with a Scotchbrite pad or something similar soaked in water.
It may take some scrubbing if the ink is really cooked on there, but we usually do it once a month (depending on need) and it's normally finished within an hour.

 

[greysquirrel]

Have your operator keep scrap pieces of adhesive vinyl near the printer...use a squeegee apply over ink and rip off...quite effective.

I'm looking for the name brand...we used Micro Wipes with success as well...anyone that tells you simple green will work is wrong

 

[DougWestwood]

razor blade

We use a box cutter razor, held at a slight angle, to scrape off ink deposits.
Works great, just keep a damp cloth handy to wipe away the crumbs and flakes.

 

[DustinD]

Mira wipes have been renamed Scrubs Graffiti and paint remover.

They work very well for belt cleaning and general UV ink clean up.

http://www.advantagesgs.com/Toryon-Technologies-Mira-Cleaning-Wipes

 

[Andy D]

We use a box cutter razor, held at a slight angle, to scrape off ink deposits.
Works great, just keep a damp cloth handy to wipe away the crumbs and flakes.

I use the same method, except I keep the razor blade @ 90 degrees and scrape.. this is the best method for heavy ink layers areas.

 

[Mspec]

Do not use a razor or any other blade to remove ink buildup. I have replaced several belts because the operator slipped and damaged the belt. Because the belt is under tension, small rips grow into tears, and a torn belt can lead to huge problems. Add a headstrike event and you can destroy every head in the carriage...

Get the strongest IPA you can find, and spray an area at a time, cover with plastic and let it soak longer for higher buildup levels.

A new belt is 10k, and 3 to 5 days of downtime plus at least 40 billable tech hours.

 

[BALLPARK]

I too would avoid the knife / blade options at all cost.

I was going to clean my belt during a weekend when I was not working, but that never seems to happen. I plan on using the UV flush and alcohol with lots and lots of elbow grease. I thought about finding the most firm tooth brush possible to help remove some of the inside edge sprays on the belt.

I like some of the options that I saw on this thread and the other. Once I get the time to try some of the options I will post some feedback.

Now I just want to mark this page so I can find it again when it's time. Thanks for the tips!

 

[macnassgeno]

is it easier to just buy a new belt?

i have about 3 years of build up on my belt and the vacuum is all the way up and barely sucking down the substrates... what should i do???

 

[klmiller611]

I also did the scrape and clean version on our old belt and never really realized how much it was plugged until we replaced it. You have to remember that ink is also getting into the vacuum holes and plugging them, and the only way to clear that is a fine drill bit or pin and care.

We finally did replace ours about a year and a half ago, and it made a huge difference.

I tried tape, vinyl, scrubbing with alcohol, etc. etc. nothing seemed to touch it other than scraping or total replacement.

Best
Ken Miller

 

[FrankW]

We had good results with avery surface cleaner. We scratch the surface of the ink with a plastic squeeze (do not damage the belt) before. And, of course, cleaning the belt on a regular basis.

 

[HDvinyl]

Magic Eraser?

 

[danno]

We have found that denatured alcohol and a plastic razor blade works good.

 

[Mspec]

Low suction on the belt is less likely due to ink on the belt ( unless the holes are actually filled in with ink ) and more likely to be fouled vacuum blower fans inside the belt drive assembly.

For the HP/ColorSpan type flatbeds, these trays can be pulled out and cleaned, or replaced in the case of defective fans. Only one of the three fan trays are "easy" to access. The fans directly under the print zone can be pulled, cleaned and reinstalled in 2 to 3 hours. The other two fan trays require fairly serious disassembly to access them, and all three trays is a full days work to pull and clean.

 

[Kevin A Breckenridge]

I print a lot of full bleed boards on my Scitex FB700 and there is a lot of buildup in certain areas to the point where you can see the bumps through roll media. Although it is not effecting things yet in undoubtedly will in the near future and was wondering if anyone had any Useful tricks on how to remove the dry/cured ink from my belt. I've tried 99% achohol and it worked kinda but would take a week to clean my belt. Also tried the tape thing and that works a little bit too but would be equally as tedious. There has to be a better way. Any ideas

Leif

I've got the very same issue, my GS200LXPro's belt needs a serious cleaning, I got a quote for 3k Cdn to remove soak in ISO and clean and 2-3 days down,

I'm seriously looking at dry ice blasting man, Google It!,

only questions are how much, belt on or off, waiting for the info

 

[Rachel Bigelow]

I've got the very same issue, my GS200LXPro's belt needs a serious cleaning, I got a quote for 3k Cdn to remove soak in ISO and clean and 2-3 days down,

I'm seriously looking at dry ice blasting man, Google It!,

only questions are how much, belt on or off, waiting for the info

I've been doing this for awhile. Spray some alcohol on it and cover it up with saran wrap to let it soak. You will be able to scrap some off after you let it sit for 15-30 minutes

 

[FireSprint.com]

Have you guys tried sticking vinyl, tape or lam to the belt to pull up the ink? We found that using Briteline Shield (or General Formulations 400) works pretty well for this and isn't too expensive.

Squeegee it down to the worst spots and rip up. It will bring ink with it. Repeat until clean. Works for us on our Durst.

 

[greysquirrel]

The best thing to use is Everclear. That's right...It will cut through that ink pretty easy once you start. Circular motions like "sand the floor"

 

[signman315]

Have you guys tried sticking vinyl, tape or lam to the belt to pull up the ink? We found that using Briteline Shield (or General Formulations 400) works pretty well for this and isn't too expensive.

Squeegee it down on the worst spots and rip up. It will bring ink with it. Repeat until clean. Works for us on our Durst.

Any high tack vinyl is great, squeegee it on and peel it up. Like a bikini wax for your printer. After that if the ink is really built up we wrap the whole belt completely in a large sheet of plastic and while we apply the plastic we spray denatured alcohol onto the belt, generously. We tape the edges down of the plastic once the whole belt is soaked in alcohol, the plastic prevents it from evaporating. Let it sit for about an hour, and the ink will bubble up and wipe away with a scuff pad or even paper towel. The belt will be like brand new at the end. If you do this more often than not it's quick and easy and only takes a couple hours (most of that time soaking while you do something else) if you don't do it often you might have to repeat once or twice to get it back to like new.