HP 9000s head cleaning

[csc]

Does anyone have a simple way to clean the heads, primarily the head surface. I looked at mine with a small mirror and noticed a lot of build up just ouside the piezos. That simetimes cause blobs of ink on the media at the start of the jobs.
HP told me there is no easy way to clean the head surfaces other than the HP Recovery cycle with out taking the head assembly completely out but then requires recalibration by a service tech.

Thanks

 

[Simon Belmont]

HP is right. We have one and I don't mess with stuff like that. Ours has a warranty, so if I were noticing problems like you are having I would have a tech come out for an inspection if a heavy print head recovery wasn't working. Are you sure its drop and not head strikes from an un-level carriage?

 

[jdat]

does the vinyl you print on have warped/damaged edges?

I know 99% of the Glossy Mactac I print on tends to be damaged on the edges of the roll and causes some blobs like you are describing on our 9000s at the beginning of prints and also after after a automated cleaning process.

Any more tips on gettings the heads cleaned would be great

 

[Ron Helliar]

On the Seiko (just before the 9000), it is best done with removing the overflow container next to the wiper station. Thin fingers and a cloth rag soaked in cap cleaning fluid. It's a completly blind process and dangerous. But if you know your trying to get the excess buildup on the backside of the head plate, you can actually feel it and stay safely away from the jets. Right hand for the right 3 heads, left hand for the left 3 heads and moving the carriage left/right to get your hand/fingers in a good spot. HP putting a head access station on any new version will make that a killer machine.

 

[jdat]

On the Seiko (just before the 9000), it is best done with removing the overflow container next to the wiper station. Thin fingers and a cloth rag soaked in cap cleaning fluid. It's a completly blind process and dangerous. But if you know your trying to get the excess buildup on the backside of the head plate, you can actually feel it and stay safely away from the jets. Right hand for the right 3 heads, left hand for the left 3 heads and moving the carriage left/right to get your hand/fingers in a good spot. HP putting a head access station on any new version will make that a killer machine.

Let me get this straight:
when facing the rear of the machine with the substrate plate in front of you, the caps to the left and the wipers to the right you should be able to access with your fingers the jets to clean under there?

Either I'm seeing this the wrong way or there's been a redesign with the Seiko/Hp transition?!

Because the overflow container is underneath the caps and not the wipers on the 9000s but there is the sponge below the wipers. If one can remove that and gain easy access from underneath then clean up should be a breeze ( albeit a blind process still ).

 

[Ron Helliar]

On the Seiko there is a removeable black cart with a cloth type sponge to take overflow during the inititial setup of the printer. By HP's daily maintenance video, it looks like they removed it as it is now an open area between the wipers & platen. We use that depression to aid in getting our hand/fingers under the head just enough to reach 3 of the heads at a time from each side. You are seeing it correctly and it is difficult.
The only other options are removal of the wiping station, or calling tech support out and hearing that there is no problem until your print quality is affected. There are no easy provisions for those of us that want to keep up our machines better than average other than pestering the support contract folks.

 

[csc]

Thank guys for all the replies.
I ultimately used a swab from fellers, heated and bent the handle at 20 degrees or so then added an empty ball point pen casing to extend the swab handle.
So far it's worked pretty good using a small mirror layed across the wiper area and a flashlight.
Just remember to remove the mirror before closing the lid.

CSC

 

[csc]

By the way , has anyone out there have a copy of the service manual for the seiko or hp 9000S?

CSC

 

[jdat]

By the way , has anyone out there have a copy of the service manual for the seiko or hp 9000S?

CSC

I'd love one myself!


the print quality was ok back when I replied in this thread but now I get banding in nearly all the colours when I run an IQ print and my quality has gone to crap.
Lately I fill the caps with cleaning fluid and run multiple cleaning+wash printhead cycles .... the amount of gunk that comes out amazes me but still no real improvement in print.

Monday I thought I was going to take a hammer to the machine it was ticking me off so badly.

Can't print anywhere below 16 passes at 720 or else I get banding ....

Can't print real long jobs that use maximum width of 60 inch rolls without the color strip cause I know I'll get banding halfway through the job and if I run a cleaning during the job there will be ink blotches that go unto the vinyl after the head does a couple passes after the head cleaning.

YES I HATE THE MACHINE RIGHT NOW!

We were due for a free Black head replacement ( I didn't work here at the time so I don't know the details ) because it was faulty while under the warranty .... well .... never happened and we're gonna have to drop the cash now ....

 

[GK]

the best and only right way in my opinion is to look for trained service techs in your area and see if they would be willing to setup a maintenance program with you. We found someone locally who is absolutely awesome at large format printing servicing so we have him come in at the end of the month and service all of our machines. They run 16-18 hours a day so to keep them running top notch, you gotta fork a little over to the techs =P but they are usually willing to negotiate with you on a fixed rate if you workout a service plan with them. Base it on your usage of the machines...maybe quarterly would be best for you depending how much you run them. Put it this way, $500 for a tech to come out and clean your print heads up is cheaper then blowin the heads for $1250 each...we have been through 2 LC heads (thankfully under warranty period) an 1 LM without it...sucks.

 

[oc63rag]

I'd love one myself!


the print quality was ok back when I replied in this thread but now I get banding in nearly all the colours when I run an IQ print and my quality has gone to crap.
Lately I fill the caps with cleaning fluid and run multiple cleaning+wash printhead cycles .... the amount of gunk that comes out amazes me but still no real improvement in print.

Monday I thought I was going to take a hammer to the machine it was ticking me off so badly.

Can't print anywhere below 16 passes at 720 or else I get banding ....

Can't print real long jobs that use maximum width of 60 inch rolls without the color strip cause I know I'll get banding halfway through the job and if I run a cleaning during the job there will be ink blotches that go unto the vinyl after the head does a couple passes after the head cleaning.

YES I HATE THE MACHINE RIGHT NOW!

We were due for a free Black head replacement ( I didn't work here at the time so I don't know the details ) because it was faulty while under the warranty .... well .... never happened and we're gonna have to drop the cash now ....

Have you tried adjusting the step?

 

[csc]

Now that makes sense, but how is that adjusted?
I get banding so anything other than paterned prints need to be in high quality.
Don't get me wrong the machine is a great machine and works good but still has light banding. I use the up arrow for dark banding marks or down arrow for light banding.
Don't see much improvement.

 

[Bill Modzel]

I was talking to one of the techs at Advantage the other day as I was having some jet issues. (they seemed to clear up afger printing a 60 pc poster run).
Anyhow, there it a way to actually fill the storage cups with ink and let them sit there overnight and finish up with a print head recover the next day.

I didn't get the details on how to do this but at least it's another option to try.Who did you purchase your 9000 from? I'd think that they could/should help walk you through this.

 

[GK]

Now that makes sense, but how is that adjusted?
I get banding so anything other than paterned prints need to be in high quality.
Don't get me wrong the machine is a great machine and works good but still has light banding. I use the up arrow for dark banding marks or down arrow for light banding.
Don't see much improvement.

have you tried to custom profile your machine for that media and the print setting you are trying to print at?

 

[jdat]

Have you tried adjusting the step?

haven't bothered cause I know it's the heads that are crapped out or something...

Both printers I use myself exclusively are both demo units and ironically they are the machines with the most issues in the shop ...

as far as a maintenance contract it's company policy not to have any
The company I work for is part of a huge IT,Repro, office supply business group and we get our ink in-house and techs as well.
But our techs never take the time to come cause we're not really a customer and they don't know how to service the Hp only the Uniform Grenadier(Roland Eco-Sol convert uk unit ).


There was a real Hp tech that came numerous times apparently but he knew nothing about the machine ( didn't work here at the time ) and never fixed it yet I was pleased with the unit from march until about a month ago or so.

I was talking to one of the techs at Advantage the other day as I was having some jet issues. (they seemed to clear up afger printing a 60 pc poster run).
Anyhow, there it a way to actually fill the storage cups with ink and let them sit there overnight and finish up with a print head recover the next day.

I didn't get the details on how to do this but at least it's another option to try.Who did you purchase your 9000 from? I'd think that they could/should help walk you through this.

the unit is a couple years old ... demo ... yadayadayadayada ...

as far as this ink thing you are talking about it's the Wash Printheads feature.
Recommended in the manual if several head cleaning cycles haven't resolved print quality issues.
It's in the Ph Main ( maybe not main?!) menu ( up arrow in the regular menu and two or three ups or downs past Cap Cleaning+Wiper cleaning brings you to Wash Printheads ).
I run that sometimes overnight when I know I'll be printing big time the day after. If I do it during the day it'll be for 45 minutes or so hitting the button a couple times.

Also I have heard other people recommend it and seen positive results by putting some cap cleaning fluid on the caps and then running the Wash printhead.


I am so frustrated right now. The other solvent printer just had 4 heads replaced and I'm already having issues with rows of jets not firing even after printing big cmykrg blocks to unclog the heads...... gah digital printing s*ckz

 

[HP5000ps]

Ink in house ?

Could that be the problem?

 

[rcook99]

Did you realize that the post is 15 months old?