We were doing great for a long time with the white inks but we are back to having problems. We get a clean nozzle test on the whites pretty easily, a full flood white print will start off looking great, will even get through a 4x6' board but then the next board will begin to streak until the back of the print eventually looks like a jail cell. Consistently, and without fail we can pause the print for 1 minute mid-job and somehow the time spent paused allows the system to catch up and it will resume looking either perfect or much improved. Until it starts streaking again. Is this some kind of ink starvation issue? Ink system can't keep up with demand? We are also getting Ink Vacuum System Problem errors, not sure if they are related. Love to hear some opinions on this.
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Arizona Ink Vacuum System Problem
- Thread starter D3D
- Start date
Pauly
Printrade.com.au
Sounds like low vacuum and ink is pooling on the heads.
Print a board, then use the suction tool (if manual) or do auto maintenance on white. If the issue goes away. vacuum issue. if it doesn't go away - you'd have to do more investigating.
There is no chance it's an ink starvation issue as it has large ink reservoirs.
Print a board, then use the suction tool (if manual) or do auto maintenance on white. If the issue goes away. vacuum issue. if it doesn't go away - you'd have to do more investigating.
There is no chance it's an ink starvation issue as it has large ink reservoirs.
Pauly
Printrade.com.au
Nope. That will say "ink filled timed out" rather than "Ink Vacuum System Problem"
and if that did happen, the printer will cancel and stop printing.
Thanks Pauly. We do a manual maintenance after it starts streaking (clean / long purge) and then can easily get a good nozzle test and good start to a new print. Then it streaks again. If this is related to the ink vacuum system what is the next step either to verify or fix?
It has been a while since we've had an AZ.
I give you my thoughts what Id check.
Take a look at the white inks degass module for evidence of leaks. Any leaks replace it.
check all push together barbed ink tube connections, do they spin on the barb or feel mushy. If so, cut a 1/4" off or so (bad area and push it back together.
Change and bleed the large filter by the bag. When bleeding take note of the flow. Is the flow weak?
If so change out the failing supply pump
Check the black ribbon tubing for evidence of leaks within the Igus track, That white ink is NASTY and can turn the tubing to mush, and it will balloon up and develop a leak. both outside tubings carry the white ink
I have cut out bad sections of tubing, like a heart bypass surgery, using extra tubing and vacuum line barbed unions purchased from NAPA
Or change the whole ribbon tubing.
I might still have a new length of that stuff in stock.
And finally, I believe the pigment of the white ink is irregular shaped and can plug up things if not in constant motion.
Therefore, there is a small three-way valve by the ink pumps to keep the white ink in constant motion. It gets sucked out of the bag and pushed out to the heads on the outside edge tube of the black ink ribbon tubing and back to the tree way valve on the other edge. Perhaps it is not working properly.
I give you my thoughts what Id check.
Take a look at the white inks degass module for evidence of leaks. Any leaks replace it.
check all push together barbed ink tube connections, do they spin on the barb or feel mushy. If so, cut a 1/4" off or so (bad area and push it back together.
Change and bleed the large filter by the bag. When bleeding take note of the flow. Is the flow weak?
If so change out the failing supply pump
Check the black ribbon tubing for evidence of leaks within the Igus track, That white ink is NASTY and can turn the tubing to mush, and it will balloon up and develop a leak. both outside tubings carry the white ink
I have cut out bad sections of tubing, like a heart bypass surgery, using extra tubing and vacuum line barbed unions purchased from NAPA
Or change the whole ribbon tubing.
I might still have a new length of that stuff in stock.
And finally, I believe the pigment of the white ink is irregular shaped and can plug up things if not in constant motion.
Therefore, there is a small three-way valve by the ink pumps to keep the white ink in constant motion. It gets sucked out of the bag and pushed out to the heads on the outside edge tube of the black ink ribbon tubing and back to the tree way valve on the other edge. Perhaps it is not working properly.
I assume you can't use anything as simple as a soapy water solution and a spray bottle to check for leaks because any leaks will be pulling air in and not the opposite. Correct?
Sounds like checking for leaks is the main task at hand.
Ink pumps were recently replaced so I think we can rule those out. Filters were also recently replaced.
Where is the valve mentioned by Pauly to increase/decrease ink vacuum pressure? This is different than adjusting the meniscus pressure from the service menu I assume?
Black ribbon ink lines, carry only ink.
Looks like this.
Remember there are six tubes the two outside ones carry white ink. One up to the heads and the other back to the three way valve
Look for white ink in the two Igus tracks
For me leaks most often occurred between the 2 of them
Soapy water will not work.
Checked my computer files and found this 350 white ink supply diagram as well (we had a 250 2 350's and one 550 they were all the same)
Looks like this.
Remember there are six tubes the two outside ones carry white ink. One up to the heads and the other back to the three way valve
Look for white ink in the two Igus tracks
For me leaks most often occurred between the 2 of them
Soapy water will not work.
Checked my computer files and found this 350 white ink supply diagram as well (we had a 250 2 350's and one 550 they were all the same)