GS6000 weaving problem

[moonsi]

Hello,

I am having weaving problems on the GS6000.

when it prints, it creates horizontal wavy lines all over the image.

Also sometimes chucks of nozzles are missing in the middle of image and create lighter color with weaving.

I tried line feed adjustment, re-linearization, Micro weave settings, clean the encoder disk on the roller, nozzle check, cleaning, flush, print head change, etc.

Nothing worked.

We have 26 GS6000, and its happening frequently on most of the printers.

Could it be profile issue on the ONYX?

Feed adjustment problem?

I cant seem to figure out how to solve this problem, it would be awesome if someone could save me from this headache.

Thank you

 

[jfiscus]

GS6000 is supposed to print wavy lines; it's how it prints to eliminate banding... How is your nozzle check test print?
Post up photos for more help.

 

[boxerbay]

first post?
you have 26 gs6000's?
happening on most of the printers?
seems fishy.

 

[boxerbay]

if you have 26 gs6000's call your vendor I'm sure he will support you.

 

[Letterbox Mike]

26 GS6000s? I'm pretty sure I'd have shot my face off a long time ago...

Anyway, can you post a picture of the problem, it's hard to diagnose without seeing it. I suspect it's a media feed issue or profile issue though. Does it occur with different profiles as well or is it specific to just one profile?

 

[Jack Knight1979]

wow - 26 gs6000's. Please post photos of the problem.

You said you're missing large chunks during nozzle tests. I bet epson would get some new heads in those machines asap.

 

[moonsi]

Here are pictures of the weaving we are having

Any suggestions?

 

[moonsi]

GS6000 is supposed to print wavy lines; it's how it prints to eliminate banding... How is your nozzle check test print?
Post up photos for more help.

We do nozzle check on all 26 machines frequently throughout the day. We make sure all the nozzles are firing before the image prints because colors are very critical in our work flow.

if you have 26 gs6000's call your vendor I'm sure he will support you.

We have reached so many people who work in this industry. We still have weaving issues.

26 GS6000s? I'm pretty sure I'd have shot my face off a long time ago...

Anyway, can you post a picture of the problem, it's hard to diagnose without seeing it. I suspect it's a media feed issue or profile issue though. Does it occur with different profiles as well or is it specific to just one profile?

I have posted the pictures above. It is weird because it is not profile specific. It happens randomly, and more frequently these days.

wow - 26 gs6000's. Please post photos of the problem.

You said you're missing large chunks during nozzle tests. I bet epson would get some new heads in those machines asap.

We have done tons of print head and damper replaced, still having the same issues.

 

[Letterbox Mike]

Have you tried different media or is this happening on anything you put in them?

 

[rfulford]

You are probably over inking. Try recreating the profile for that media. It may also be an alignment issue. Especially if you have replaced a head recently and not done a service mode alignment.

 

[moonsi]

Have you tried different media or is this happening on anything you put in them?

It happens with any media we use.

You are probably over inking. Try recreating the profile for that media. It may also be an alignment issue. Especially if you have replaced a head recently and not done a service mode alignment.

It happens with or without the print head replacement and alignment.

We recreated profile but same issues.

 

[Letterbox Mike]

This is a long shot, but you said it happens "more frequently these days". Have there been any environmental changes where the printers are that may be causing it?

 

[moonsi]

This is a long shot, but you said it happens "more frequently these days". Have there been any environmental changes where the printers are that may be causing it?

There was no environmental changes. We have had this issue for a while but since our production number went up I see it more often.

 

[Letterbox Mike]

On the machines exhibiting the problem are you 110% positive the takeup is dead level and perfectly square to the machine? Check the "feet" on the stand as well to make sure they're parallel and not pigeon-toed.

I don't know if this is related to your problem but it's worth checking. We literally could not run anything thicker than calendered vinyl through out GS, no canvas, wallpaper, banner, nothing. It took a year and an Epson engineer to figure it out but it turned out the stand wasn't assembled well by out dealer, the takeup wasn't quite square and plumb and the feet were about 1.75" off front to back. This was causing the takeup to pull unevenly on media as it was printing causing all sorts of print defects from banding to head strikes to the same visible wave pattern you're seeing here.

Again, not sure if your problem was mine but when the Epson engineer corrected the problem with our stand it was like a different printer, literally handles everything with no problem and with none of the aforementioned print defects.

Also, do these machines have the newer media feeder with the balance bar/roller?

That's all I can think of, you've more or less eliminated profile/rip/media/head issues.

 

[rfulford]

I had a few medias that did this regularly but only in the high ink areas. Essentially, the ink was not penetrating the media quickly enough and would puddle with the ink from the second pass. Due to the microweave pattern on the epson, this looks like a wavy dark line. I had a few products from 1 manufacturer that always did this no matter what adjustments I made. I discontinued their use and found suitable replacements.

Perhaps your issue is similar. It seems unlikely that that many epsons would display the same issue. Have you checked with the manufacturer to see if the formulation has changed?

 

[boxerbay]

your printing on canvas? maybe it is your onyx rip.

if the nozzle checks are solid then it is a rip or media feed issue. I would not think a media feed issue would occur on so many machines simultaneously which means if your using the one rip for all machines then that would be your common denominator.

Can you upload a picture of your shop showing the 26 GS6000's maybe we can understand better.

honestly with 26 epsons your vendor should have a tech sitting at your office.

who has 26 epson gs6000 and comes on to a sign forum looking for help. call epson directly you should have warranty.

sorry but i smell a troll.

 

[chrisphilipps]

From what it looks like in the picture the wave pattern is only in a small portion of the print and before and after that spot are printing correctly, is this right? If this is true does this wave pattern repeat on a consistent basis? If the answer to both questions is yes then it is most likely dirt and ink on the PF Encoder Disk. The disk is located under the left hand side end cover. It is about the size of a CD and has a thin black band running around the outside of it. The printer reads this band to tell it how far the media has moved. When dirt gets on this disk the printer miss reads it where ever there is dirt or ink and the printer doesn't move the media the correct amount. You can clean the disks using a lint free cloth and isopropyl alcohol. Pinch the disk with the cloth and gently clean the entire circumference of the disk. Be careful not to bend the disk or crease it in anyway, if you do you will have to replace it.

 

[boxerbay]

he said - We have 26 GS6000, and its happening frequently on most of the printers.
how can one issue run across all 26 printers?

another thing.... 26 printers in one area? do you have adequate amperage to run these machines?

check his profile. his company is moonsi? work is auto parts? google that. c'mon this guy has 26 machines and no website or a half cracked one.

sniff sniff i smell something.

 

[jhanson]

Regardless of whether he's legit or not (using his own company name or the one that the printers are actually located at)...

An inconsistent, intermittent dark banding like that is almost always due to media feed and tensioning issues. If you're running large rolls, the feed motor has to strain to pull media through when it runs out of slack. Then it goes back to smooth sailing, until it has to turn the roll again. Rinse and repeat.

The only solution to large rolls on that sort of printer, without a powered and tensioned feed unit assembly, is to manually unroll media so that the PF motor has a consistent amount of tension on the feed.

 

[trillion]

i've seen this before, it seen like ink supply does not meet the print out needed. most of it happen when the machine run too fast or too long. need to clean up the ink supply
system.