Head Strike !!***##!!

[heyskull]

Our Mutoh VJ1604 is behaving itself at the moment.
But we are having problems with head strikes.
I have checked everything on the machine such as :-
Temperatures on and across all heaters(front, middle and rear).
I have unclipped all the rubber rollers and cleaned them.
Cleaned the grit roller.
But I am still getting head strikes.

How do I convince my vinyl supplier that it is their vinyl that is at fault?

I use a lot of a material which is supplied by APA (Italian Company) which is Air Release Media 3/4 year.

We have only just started to get this problem but they are always keen to blame it on the machine.

SC

 

[Mainframe]

Do you keep slack on the media before it feeds in? Head strikes can happen on a Roland if the roll is heavy.

 

[heyskull]

I am at a loss as it head strikes when the material is loose, tight, full roll or empty.
Only does it when I use this material though!

SC

 

[GAC05]

Are you using the take up reel?
If it is out of alignment it can tweak the material coming out and cause it to tunnel under the head.

wayne k
guam usa

 

[FatCat]

I am at a loss as it head strikes when the material is loose, tight, full roll or empty.
Only does it when I use this material though!

SC

That pretty much answers your question, doesn't it? I've only had a few materials that cause problems with our 1604 and 1204. However, instead of beating myself up (or the printer) I have basically eliminated using those materials altogether and found suitable alternatives.

 

[Robert M]

1604

I have set up a lot of those printers and they do not like material that has lots of moisture in it. I believe that the way the pinch rollers are set up on that printer causes some media to wrinkle and strike the heads. Change media

 

[tsgstl]

Try lifting your print head to the high setting when printing on that material.
I don't notice a difference with it in the high setting on any material. If it keeps happening try a different material, its not worth the risk.

 

[heyskull]

If you look closely when head is on high their is some spitting sometimes.

RobertM
We are situated in Cumbria, England which is the wettest place in a very wet Country!
I reckon it is the warehouse also were the supplier stores the material.

SC

 

[splizaat]

Headstrikes....define....it's catching the side of the media and stopping the head completely or the head is just skimming the media as it passes by cuz it's puffed up?

Can you drop temperature on the print surface and leave the after heater up? On some materials we have to let the media heat up, then right before we print, I lift the pinch rollers and set them back down to get rid of any little puffed/shrunk spots.

 

[phototec]

That pretty much answers your question, doesn't it? I've only had a few materials that cause problems with our 1604 and 1204. However, instead of beating myself up (or the printer) I have basically eliminated using those materials altogether and found suitable alternatives.

DING, DING, DING - You when the prize!

 

[heyskull]

The material we are using was the alternative and has worked OK up to now.
Spoke to the manufacture and they gave us some new heater settings for this material and it is a lot lower than we have ever used on a vinyl.
Rear 32 Middle 33 Front 37

We live in probably the wettest country in the world and Cumbria is the wettest county of the UK!. The only way you can tell it is Summer here is the rain is warmer!
I think the moisture is a huge problem but I cannot fix this.

SC