Cleaning out pump lines on the MS

[Valentino]

what is the best way to clear the ink gunk out of the drainage lines on the Valuejet?

There are two black hoses to the capping station and then two clear line leading to the drip pan and the clear lines have ink chunks.

 

[Biker Scout]

Flush them with acetone through a syringe.

 

[MachServTech]

sounds weird I know, but acetone works perfectly and does not harm solvent printer tubing.

 

[henryp]

I would only use Mutoh ValueJet cleaning fluid just to be on the safe side

 

[Biker Scout]

Believe me, I've had my printer disassembled for the last week and a half... I've run every chemical through that I've got to get the print head back to functioning, after sitting idle and clogging.

If Acetone was going to deteriorate the tubing, it would have done it when I accidently left some tube in a jar overnight. But it's actually very compatible with the ink. Denatured Alcohol makes the ink clot in bunches as it strips the carrier solvent away. So don't use that. It could actually make any clogging problems worse.

Remember, Acetone is technically a thinner and it thins out the Dipropylene Glycol & Mono-Methyl Ether very well. Both of which are found in the solvent cleaner, and as the carrier fluid for the dispersed pigment ink.

 

[Biker Scout]

Oh, and in case anyone wants to know... the little clear hose that's inside your peristatic pump is a special type of Silicone cured with Peroxide. That's what gives it it's super smooth interior wall and super chemical resistance.

It's sold under the trade name of Versilic. It's a 4mm OD x 2mm ID tube.

The tubes that hold all the ink are a similar product called Tygon. Firmer, and just as chemical resistant as the Versilic.

 

[jr_tech]

Versilic tubing

very interesting. so, could you use this Versilic tubing for the waste lines and avoid clogs altogether? do you know of a supplier of such tubing that sells in small lengths?

the waste lines on my FIIOD do not run straight down, but run at an angle into the waste bottle behind and far below the waste spouts. i sometimes think that the angle is responsible for the clots in the waste lines i sometimes get. i have used a syringe and alcohol to flush them out when that happens.
i'll try acetone next time.

thank for the tip!

 

[randya]

Oh, and in case anyone wants to know... the little clear hose that's inside your peristatic pump is a special type of Silicone cured with Peroxide. That's what gives it it's super smooth interior wall and super chemical resistance.

It's sold under the trade name of Versilic. It's a 4mm OD x 2mm ID tube.

The tubes that hold all the ink are a similar product called Tygon. Firmer, and just as chemical resistant as the Versilic.

Do you have a local supplier, we would certainly like to give it a try?

 

[P Wagner]

Do you have a local supplier, we would certainly like to give it a try?

http://www.k-mac-plastics.net/versilic-spx-50.htm

 

[Biker Scout]

None of the local suppliers I've contacted carry anything in metric. However, smallparts.com does have the tubing small enough to almost be a direct replacement for the 4mm x 2mm

This is the manufacturer: http://www.silicone.saint-gobain.com

 

[randya]

Thanks