Mimaki Maintenance and Care

[victimssun]

Just wondering how often everyone cleans/cares for their mimaki's. In particular, how often do you replace the wipers or dampers? Or get in and clean around the heads?

Thanks

 

[Big House Signs]

We clean it every day...do the super clean every friday and replace the wipers when the machine says so. Check your manual...it will tell you.
Paula

 

[thewood]

I clean the machine daily at least-around the heads, capping station, wiper and wiper assembly. On Mondays it gets a more rigorous cleaning. The machine will prompt you to change the wiper(s). Although, if you notice any bows, rips or tears in the wiper, you should replace it immediately.

 

[gabagoo]

I clean the printer every day, but Mondays Wed and fridays I swing the heads over to the other side and give them a cleaning and also on fridays I do a 1 hr nozzle wash and run alcohol over the carrier bars and reoil with 3 in 1

 

[JERHEMI]

I clean the printer every day, but Mondays Wed and fridays I swing the heads over to the other side and give them a cleaning and also on fridays I do a 1 hr nozzle wash and run alcohol over the carrier bars and reoil with 3 in 1

What oil are you using and where did you get it from...I need to get some myself.

 

[particleman]

We clean heads, wiper, and capping station every day.

Jerhemi, 3 in 1 oil you can get it at any hardware store, it is in a little sqeeze bottle.

 

[gabagoo]

3 in 1 available anywhere or you can buy sewing machine oil as well

 

[GARY CULY]

Miniature Train Oil Is Good Stuff

 

[Gene@mpls]

I clean the printer every day, but Mondays Wed and fridays I swing the heads over to the other side and give them a cleaning and also on fridays I do a 1 hr nozzle wash and run alcohol over the carrier bars and reoil with 3 in 1

Seriously a 1 hr head wash? Just curious- Gene

 

[thewood]

Seriously a 1 hr head wash? Just curious- Gene

I soak them over the weekend sometimes.

 

[gabagoo]

Whats wrong with an hour? not enough? I was trained like this by the guy who has to fix these machines. I figured he would know best.

 

[victimssun]

Great, thanks for you're guy's help. I just got in my new wipers today and will now be cleaning them every day.

 

[Case]

Whats wrong with an hour? not enough? I was trained like this by the guy who has to fix these machines. I figured he would know best.

An hour is fine, I don't even know why the guy above would even question it.... Nothing wrong with giving the heads a nice long nozzle wash....

case

 

[ColesCreations]

OK! Great tip about sewing machine oil!

As for wipers, we "reuse" them untill they no longer look like a new one.

As for the head wash, we have never done one in 6 months of use. Is that bad? We get perfect test prints.

And- for these head washes- just fill up the capping station and let it sit? Does the head even touch the solvent? And, if no nozzles are clogged, what good does it do?
(We are using SS2 ink)

 

[thewood]

As for the head wash, we have never done one in 6 months of use. Is that bad? We get perfect test prints.

If you don't have any nozzle deflections, then you don't need to do a nozzle wash. However, after 5 years of use, you will probably encounter a deflection or two.

And- for these head washes- just fill up the capping station and let it sit? Does the head even touch the solvent?

You enter nozzle wash through the maint. menu, fill the capping station with cleaning solution and choose the amount of time you want to soak the heads. Yes, the solvent touches the heads and loosens up dried ink that could be clogging the deflected nozzles.

 

[eforer]

Never done a nozzle wash?!?! Wow I think the manual recommends one every other day or something. We do one every day after printing is done. Set it to 99 minutes, turn off the lights and go home.

Our daily routine is to clean all sides of the heads with foam swabs with Triangle JVS flushing solution, wipe the inside of the wiper hood, clean the wiper itself, clean the wiper rails, dental pick the wiper gears, clean the edges of the caps and make sure the cap screens are free of crud and then the nozzle wash.

We clean and oil the rails weekly and do a disway wash periodically. Dampers are replaced when edge hazing starts to occur and wipers are replaced as per the machines request.

 

[ColesCreations]

Nozzle deflection? Perfect test prints- that means everything OK, right? We have had nozzles drop out a couple times, but have gotten them back with light cleaning cycles.

And- "edge hazing"- whatz that?

PS- Our machine runs maybe 1 hr / day.

Thanks!

 

[eforer]

hazing (my term, not technospeak) is when you get a light overspray effect of one or more colors beyond the edges of a printed section. This can on occasion be caused by static, but in my experience it usually means time for new dampers. I like the over sized dampers as they just seem to print better, but to use them you have to remove the head height adjustment lever and shorten your hoses by an inch or so. They are also a little more fragile, so don't crank on the syringe when you prime them, slow and gentle.