Fuji Acuity UV Lamp System Problem

[dethsky]

So I have been battling a problem with my UV Lamp system for a little over a month . I keep getting an error that says Right UV Lamp Problem. I then did some trouble shooting. I replaced the bulbs at first because they were getting to that point anyways. This did not resolve my issue. I kept getting Right UV Lamp Problem errors. I then swapped the cassettes and the error went to the Left side. This lead me to believe that there was something wrong with the cassette itself since the error followed it, I switched the cassettes back to their original location. I called up Fuji and got some info out of them. They told me if you run your lamps over the 500 Hour mark the bulb will start to create more heat than usually which can cause problems. In my case the tech thought it had gotten hot enough to dry up the grease in the bearings that are associated with the UV reflector shutters. At this point in time I needed a quick solution and the only thing that was going to resolve this problem quickly was to order an entirely new cassette. I installed the new cassette and it ran great for the first couple of weeks. Then I got the Right UV Lamp Problem error again. This confused the hell out of me, its a brand new cassette how could there be an issue. I will be calling Fuji tomorrow to seek out more help from them. But at this point I am inclined to think that this might not be a UV Lamp Problem but maybe an electrical issue or something to do with a sensor. If anyone has any knowledge of how the lamp system on a Fuji Acuity Advance HSX2 I would be grateful.

Thanks!

 

[BigPrintn]

I've received multiple lamp errors also on my Right UV Lamp. I'm running Oce 318GL. It alerts me maybe once or twice a month at most. I haven't noticed any print issues or curing issues because of it. We have just assumed its some sensor that's faulty.

Will be interested in what you find out though.

 

[SignMeUpGraphics]

We had this issue on our Arizona 360, but replacing the housing did sort out the issue.
How hot are you running the lamps?
Our tech also said that there is no reason to run them at full power unless the inks are coming off the machine in a "tacky" state.
We now run it at low to mid settings and have not seen the problem in ~2 years.

 

[AlsEU]

If you are in touch with Fuji technical dept., send them log generated from your printer. "Right UV lamp problem" message says nothing, but in the log they should find some more clues/errors/warnings, which may help find solution. Check also all fans and air filters installed in the lamp, they may be dirty and therefore too much heat stays in the lamp. Check also, if all fans works properly (sometimes they may be blocked/damaged).
You wrote also, that first you replaced just a bulb, not a whole casette. Be aware, that replacement of the bulb only (especially when you do it few times) may distort the reflector and change the efficiency of the lamp cooling.

 

[uvgerard]

Fuji Acuity UV lamp problem

I will address your problem as a UV lamp manufacturer with “no dog in this fight”.

I am absolutely amazed at the amount of “misinformation” out there regarding UV lamps. Much of this is spread by so called technical experts that may know a lot about their printer but little about UV lamp operation. Knowing a few buzz-words can get you into big trouble trying to pass off fiction as fact.

All Ultraviolet curing lamps convert electrical energy into “UV light” by transforming electrical energy into kinetic energy of moving electrons, in turn converted into radiation resulting from electron collision. The basic process is comprised of three steps: free electrons are accelerated by an applied potential difference (UV power supply); the motion of electrons being the electric current in the device (lamp current); the kinetic energy of the electrons is transformed and radiation produced as energy states return from high (excited) to lower state.

There are many false claims floating the internet as technical fact.

1. Lamps get hotter as they age---absolutely false! Unless there is dust on the UV lamp the amount of power (wattage) remains constant. A watt is a watt is a watt. As your Fuji lamp approaches 500 hours there is no magical shift in lamp wattage. UV lamps are essentially variable resistors. Wattage is determined by your power supply and only your power supply. Some manufacturers will not provide OEM schematics of their power supplies. They treat them as magic “black boxes” that can only be replaced not repaired by the customer. Your issue may be simply a defective choke or power correction capacitor. These items maintain and limit current to the lamp. Most likely they cost under $100.00 but the OEM will charge you $3,000.00 to replace the entire power supply.

2. Your cassette needs to be totally replaced in order to replace the UV lamp---false. TCS Technologies can provide new UV lamp, clean and install it into your cassette for $213.00. You do the math; you will save 50% over OEM product without sacrificing performance.

Getting back to your problem; located on your cassette are 4-small pins. They are located next to one of the gold colored pins. Check to be sure these pins are straight and not bent. Check to be sure your cooling fans are operating properly and the filters are clean. Intermittent fan operation will cause UV system to fail. Check to be sure the shutter is opening completely. We have seen screws come loose and prevent totally opening of the shutter. This is likely the culprit should your grease dry out. Finally when shutters close the lamp should automatically switch to a low power mode. This reduces heat load on the shutter. Wear UV safety glasses anytime you are looking at shutter function. If lamp power remains constant it may be a software issue or a bad $50.00 choke located in your magic black box power supply. Good luck

 

[KaranGrewal]

We had the same issue with our Fuji flatbed last yr. Replacing housing solve the problem. sensor inside housing was faulty.

 

[lgroth]

We had that problem with our X2 forever... Then our tech found that the fans weren't running on the power supplies for the lamps (located behind the first panel by the power switch/ the two power supplies stacked on the right side when you remove the panel). It turned out to be the power supply overheating causing all our issues. We had replaced bulbs, cassettes, everything like you did to no avail. Now that the power supplies have been replaced we don't have the issue anymore. check them to see if the fans are running....

 

[DallasM]

I experienced this problem a few months back... we took out the lamp assembly and noticed that the shutters around the bulb were "sticking" You could feel a roughness when rotating the wheel to open and close the shutter. Check the shutters on both housings and see if there is a noticeable difference between the two. It was still under warranty, so tech support sent a refurbished unit... no more errors.

 

[DravidDavid]

It may be your lamp power supply. There is one power supply per lamp (on our 250GT anyway) and you can inspect their condition or operational condition by looking at the LED globes on top of each power supply during the print cycle.

We had exactly the same issue. "UV Lamp System Problem" either stopped our print or just stopped firing, or prevented us from printing at all. Our tech did practically everything you did and we ended up replacing a UV lamp power supply.

We have the 250GT. We ran our lamps up to the 6 or 700 hour mark I think, so they were long due for replacing.