Hit a brick wall with my refurbishing - Mutoh RJ6000

[PURVEYOR]

So I think I might have to admit defeat on getting my Mutoh RJ6000 up and running for my business.

The printer was converted to eco-solvent ink before I purchased it. The guy I bought it from had all the old parts that had been switched out... he replaced everything. The printer, mechanically, prints fine. I had to do a lot of work on the lines and cleaning everything, because it had been sitting with ink in it unused for a few weeks before I bought it. I did a lot of trouble-shooting, replaced dampers, o-rings, cleaned print heads, re-aligned everything. and got it back to a solid machine (great test prints on plain paper).

After a lot of time and energy spent on getting it back up and running... to my dismay, after finally getting to the point of doing test prints on banner material... I'm discovering that you simply can not print with ecosolvent ink on banner material and vinyl with the RJ6000. I have no idea how the guy was using the printer before I bought it... he had lots of eco-solvent used cartridges that were in a box that came with the printer so I know he was making it work somehow.... but It has no heater units and the ink does not adhere to the vinyl at all when I try to print. All the inks bleed into each other and its just a mess.

I even tried heating up the vinyl before I printed, and still get the same results.

So it seems I've got a "mechanically" perfect functioning printer, that will never be able to print jobs.

I understood the chemistry behind eco-solvent ink before I got into this project, but I thought it would simply take a lot longer to dry without the heaters, and that I'd still be able to get away with printing.

I have learned a great deal this past month though... and reluctantly... I've got an order in for a new value jet.

 

[Flame]

And you've never considered installing DIY heaters???

 

[Mainframe]

Your are better off with the new valujet, you can concentrate on production not repairs.

 

[PURVEYOR]

Flame... yes. I had to weigh the option of my time vs. money though. I've spent a lot of time in the past month just to get where I am.
It seems it's taking a lot of my time and if I keep going and get into retrofitting heaters etc. It's just starting to add up to too much time fixing/modifying/repairing and zero time producing results.

with that said... do you know anything about DYI heaters and how one would go about installing?

I'll admit I bought a couple radiant heaters and let em rip behind the printer to see if I could help get the vinyl heated up before printing... it definitely heated everything up nicely... but ink still bled terribly. I could feel that the vinyl was warm even after it had passed through to front.

mainframe: thanks... looks like that's what I'm going to do, but I still feel like I want to get the RJ6000 working with eco-solvent... like it's gotten personal now haha

 

[Baz]

Out of the blue ... Is your vinyl or media made for digital printing? Regular vinyl wont work even if you heat it up.

 

[J Hill Designs]

Out of the blue ... Is your vinyl or media made for digital printing? Regular vinyl wont work even if you heat it up.

well, at least not eco-solvent...

my full-solvent will print on any vinyl i throw in there

 

[PURVEYOR]

Out of the blue ... Is your vinyl or media made for digital printing? Regular vinyl wont work even if you heat it up.

good question. yes the printer came with two roles of media that the guy was using before I bought it. one role of avery adhesive vinyl and one role of glossy banner scrim.

 

[artbot]

if you are heating your media up very hot with or without platen heaters and the ink is pooling, then it's not a valuejet you need. it's an adjustment in your rip. you can make any solvent printer pool ink with the wrong ink density. i'd just call the guy you bought the printer from and ask a few questions... what media, what profile, etc.

 

[4R Graphics]

I would agree with Artbot if the ink is pooling its probably a profile issue at least that is quick and easy to test and if it works great use the VJ to print vinyl and the RJ to run banners and crap. set the density levels down in the rip and try it if it works look for a new profile or build one.

 

[PURVEYOR]

thanks for the input guys! appreciate it a lot.

I'm going to try the ink density thing. wondering why it's pooling on a standard test print though... straight off the printer, no rip.

 

[randya]

Ink jet printing is fundamentally about the control and evaporation of solvent.

Doesnt matter if the solvent is water or hexane.

The heaters are on solvent printers to evaporate the solvent and control dot gain.
How large the droplet spreds on a particular media.
When the droplet expands out farther than designed, the pigment (colorants) can mix uncontrollably and give mottling and a 'watercolor' effect.

On aqueous media, there are typically coatings for vinyl and other media that is designed to absorb the ink and control dot gain.

Bottom, line.... it may print eco ink with no heaters, but the amount of control you have for quality printing is going to severely limit your capability.