mimaki jv3 160s

[chopper]

I have a chance to buy a jv3 160s 63 inch printer
I was wondering how old of a printer model is this?
also is it a true solvent machine?, and I was wondering how bad the smell is
or can it be converted to mild solvent inks?
any cons on this I need to be aware of?
thanks//chopper

 

[taylorfiremedic]

Make sure you can upgrade the firmware. I ran into a problem a couple of months ago with a demo unit I was going to purchase. They were unable to update the firmware.

You will need some sort of exhaust system
However, I don't find it to totally obnoxious.
My husband and graphc artist do complain if they are in the print department for a period of time.
We also have a bulk ink system installed. I am not sure if that makes a difference in smell. I have never used OEM inks.

You can find out the year the printers was build on the rear right hand side of the printer.

 

[CL Graphics]

This may be a stupid question but why do you need to update the firmware. I have a jv3-130sp2, is there something I need to know before the warranty runs out.

 

[chopper]

thanks for the reply, actually the one I am looking at has triangle bulk ink system on it //chopper

 

[expresssign]

ok, on certain bulk systems you dont upgrade the firmware or the bulk ink system wont work. these are the ones without the chips or chip resetters.

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

The difference with a JV3-160s is that it has only 2 heads and a bit slower. The JV3-160sp has 4 heads, If you use the SS2 inksets the smell isint that bad, but would have either a scrubber or exhaust.

 

[chopper]

thanks for the replies...
any help is appreciated //chopper

 

[theeventsource]

Mimaki

Chopper, I purchased a used JV3-160SP used Triangle System on it. It had issues during shipping and took longer to get here than it should. By then, the heads had dried out because there's no way to flush the lines with the Triangle Ink hooked in. When I called the original vendor that sold the Triangle System and the printer to the guy I bought it from, they recommended that I remove the Triangle System. We have gone back to OEM cartridges as people have warned me that color matching may be hard on bulk systems.

 

[eforer]

Okay, the 160s has 3 heads not 2. If you can smell the ink, you're in trouble. The OEM inks are much more aggressive than the eco-sol inks offered by Mutoh and Roland. The Triangle JVS ink is a true solvent ink and will really do some damage if you don't isolate the machine and properly vent it. You really need a separate room for your printer and I like a good 1000cfm of ventilation per 1000cf of room. If you need to have the printer in the same room as your workspace, its not a good fit.

Read the MSDS safety sheets and it will give you a good idea of the risks involved with the inks. Truthfully, even the mellower eco-sol inks require more ventilation than people typically give them.

As far as the firmware. You want fimware 3.10 for bulk ink. It completely eliminates any of the chip on cart issues.

 

[thewood]

The JV3-160S is a workhorse. We also run the Triangle bulk ink system. Fantastic machine.

 

[MobileImpact]

eforer is correct. It is a 6 color machine running 3 heads split in half. The 160S was the original Mimaki that actually put Large Format machines into sign shops instead of digital houses. Workhorse YES. Firmware is not an issue. No you will not be able to upgrade to latest greatest firmware, but if your running Bulk Ink, you have to be at version 3.1 or earlier (yes it can be done on later releases, but it is a pain in the ass) Odor, yes, but it does have a built in ventilation system that is good for moving the fumes about 10ft if you can vent it out directly. Other options would be to add some in duct blowers and vent it outside, or an air scrubber (Island Air) to remove the fumes.
I enjoy the smell and the nervous twitches usuallt go away once I get a lirrle fresh air.
BTW- Did you ever try the lava ink in your other printer?

Kevin

 

[chopper]

thanks mobile for the reply, no I never used the lava inks I called them and they told me I would need to flush my lines since I was using alta inks, and I didn't want to do that so I stuck with the alta ink

if you use the air scrubber with the printer do you need to vent it out side, or is that one or the other?//chopper

 

[kalvix]

We have both the s and sp and are running the s in 6 color mode and the sp in 4 color. they are both workhorses and the biggest complaint on the s is that since it originally comes with no heater/media fans sometimes the heavy blacks and darker colors don't dry as quickly as one can print. heheh.

if you don't have a terrific understanding of color management stay with the oem inks. we build our own profiles and can get the color right on. triangle inks are terrific and extremely consistent from batch to batch or bottle to bottle.

 

[adseureka]

Truth

The JV3-160S is a workhorse. We also run the Triangle bulk ink system. Fantastic machine.

We have one of these 160s machines from 2002 and its only just starting to give me problems. If you can get a newer one then do it.