Can't get take-up reel to keep printed vinyl tight after 65ft, we print 150ft at once

[JustinKaise]

Hey folks, I've tried and tried but can't get an oem ROLAND take-up reel to handle more than about 65 ft. of printed vinyl on the take up before it gets sloppy to the point the image starts to move all over the place. We routinly print 1000's of decals all day and all night and really need this machine to handle full rolls - which also match the full rolls of laminate we use in step 2 - so its REALLY handy when the whole roll prints and winds up. We've tried 2 pieces of tape - 1 in center - tried stopping half-way and re-tightening it - anyone else have these issues? Any suggestions would help. We also make sure tube is thick-walled and straight - make sure both ends are secure and square whne putting take-up tube on reel ends, etc.

 

[AF]

What material are you printing on? I have seen some materials come off the factory roll with a ton of drift while others drift less than 1mm.

Regardless, I prefer to use three pieces of tape so there is maximum tension on the take up roll.

 

[JustinKaise]

What material are you printing on? I have seen some materials come off the factory roll with a ton of drift while others drift less than 1mm.

Regardless, I prefer to use three pieces of tape so there is maximum tension on the take up roll.

The main material we print long run is Briteline 3mil gloss white printable, or same brand matte white - banner material we generally don't print entire rolls.
What kills me is that its perfectly tight on the roll and we make sure its square and tight thru the printer and then pulled down tight and taped on take-up.
Its maddening! lol

 

[97GTB]

Not 100% sure on the Roland Take up, but the mimaki's have an adjustable clutch on the drive end
usually set at 50% initially, if the roland has one may need to be tightened, or if its old may need
replacing.

 

[CS-SignSupply]

Check the core and the black plastic core guide... the drive side is probably slipping due to worn out plastic core guide or inside of core too slick for it to grab with the weight on it.

 

[Bly]

Check the core and the black plastic core guide... the drive side is probably slipping due to worn out plastic core guide or inside of core too slick for it to grab with the weight on it.

Sometimes the takeup on our XJ740 slips when it gets a bit of weight on it.
We just loosen the clamp on the left and push the core in a bit tighter until it grips again.

 

[AF]

Have you tried taping the takeup core to to the takeup shaft to prevent it from sliding?

 

[qmr55]

Long shot, but check these screws on the ends of the tensioner. We had problems with them loosening, and it would throw everything off. Loc-tite them and problem solved.

 

[player]

What kind of Roland are you using?

I have no faith in Roland take up reels any more. I can't trust our XC-540 or XR-640 for more than 20' - 30' without walking which leads to buckling and head strikes.

Basically our unattended printing has been eliminated.

We had a new bracket welded up which we thought would help but hasn't made much of a difference.

I would love to see how other manufacturers design their take ups because you only really hear about this issue on the faster Rolands.

I'm tempted to try out one of the Supply 55 aftermarket take-ups just for the hell of it... at around $700 it would probably be worth a shot.

Supply 55 reels are OK, but cannot do full rolls.

 

[SightLine]

Check the core and the black plastic core guide... the drive side is probably slipping due to worn out plastic core guide or inside of core too slick for it to grab with the weight on it.

When the core guide on a Mimaki takeup on the drive side gets those ridges worn out, you can use some snap ring pliers to remove it and swap it with the one from the other side and you essentially have a brand new core guide again. Also - the front core guides are not interchangeable with the rear ones but the rear ones should never really wear out since they are not driven or anything.

Speaking of that - can your get replacement for those for a Mimaki Bobby? If so email me a quote on at least one. Nice to have a spare so I might want to replace the worn out one.

Regardless of the brand - if you happen to be seeing little piles of dust building up under the drive end of your takeup then the core is slipping on it meaning one of three things. 1 - the core is not pushed onto the core guide far/tight enough, 2 - the core guide is worn down and its no longer possible for it to be on the guide without slipping, 3 - the tube you are using is deformed, slightly too large, etc - I've seen a lot of variation in core tubes from rolls of vinyl.

 

[player]

Thanks for the head's up. Is it just too much weight on the spindles or it starts to walk?

They work on a simple slip clutch. The unit spins all the time, but the clutch gets adjusted to wind, but slip when the vinyl pulls tight.

There is a very small motor. When you get too much weight, you have to tighten the clutch, which puts strain on the very very small motor, causing it to burn out.

It seems to track OK though. If it is set up correctly.

It is not useable when cutting.

There are cheap Chinese versions available in the US from a couple of venders for around $300. Phototec has had great success with his knock off version.

I have the S55 version.