mutoh 1304 resolution question

[artbot]

i'm considering purchasing a chinese mutoh 1304 flatbed conversion.

looking up the different print speeds, i'm not seeing any kind of "draft" modes for these pritners. if the lowest resolution for a dx5 is 540, then why don't i see 540 x 540 2 pass, 540 x 540 4 pass.

my old mimaki has a 360 x 360 1 pass which i use for blueprints quite often.

please fill me in if there's something i'm missing. if it's possible to run draft modes on the 1304, do only certain rip softwares have those modes?

thanks in advance

http://www.youtube.com/user/johnsonchen99#p/u/52/S28g3x6qSvU

 

[ProWraps]

i would say its up to the rip. we run flexi and we can run some really low res prints on our 1304. i never have but the settings allow it.

 

[artbot]

what is the lowest two setting? and is there documentation on what square meters per hour that amounts to?

 

[FatCat]

what is the lowest two setting? and is there documentation on what square meters per hour that amounts to?

Pretty sure that highest speed on the 1204/1304/1604 was around 140 sq ft per hour. I know I have some 540 settings in Wasatch - just can't recall what exactly they are as I print most everything in 720 mode.

*The newer 1324 prints at 300 sq ft/hour.

 

[Stealth Ryder]

540 x 720 at about 148 SF per hour if memory serves me correctly...

 

[artbot]

the mutoh spec sheet reads that 720 x 720 4pass BI, comes to 13 square meters per hour (or 134 square feet per hour). cutting the passes in half, dropping to 540x540 should bring the output to around 20 square meters (204 square feet) per hour. but no documentation so far on the internet.

i did find a spec sheet for a roland rs 540. there was a 540x360bi 3pass at 221 sfph. which is probably about as fast as i'm getting my blue prints out of the 160sp.

 

[ProWraps]

the mutoh spec sheet reads that 720 x 720 4pass BI, comes to 13 square meters per hour (or 134 square feet per hour). cutting the passes in half, dropping to 540x540 should bring the output to around 20 square meters (204 square feet) per hour. but no documentation so far on the internet.

i did find a spec sheet for a roland rs 540. there was a 540x360bi 3pass at 221 sfph. which is probably about as fast as i'm getting my blue prints out of the 160sp.

what they say and what they do, are two totally different things.

we do a 540x720 6 pass for most stuff. your lucky to get 80 sq/ft at that rate out of them.

 

[artbot]

i run a lot of 4x8 so i am able to very quickly calculate. the real kicker is there are a lot of chinese knockoff staggered head dx5 solvent flatbed. the sfph on those are very high, even if they are fudging the numbers. draft modes would be around 350 sfph. even if the printer mounted to the table is of questionable fit and finish, i'd be tempted to just deal with the issues to have that thing wall across the table in a few minutes. right now i get a 4x8 of aluminum done in 12 to 15 depending on the mode. i send these sheet through about four to six times each doing effects. so just one pass doesn't mean i'm done. i need some speed.

 

[Stealth Ryder]

the mutoh spec sheet reads that 720 x 720 4pass BI, comes to 13 square meters per hour (or 134 square feet per hour). cutting the passes in half, dropping to 540x540 should bring the output to around 20 square meters (204 square feet) per hour. but no documentation so far on the internet.

i did find a spec sheet for a roland rs 540. there was a 540x360bi 3pass at 221 sfph. which is probably about as fast as i'm getting my blue prints out of the 160sp.

The Specification Data for the ValueJet in regards to 'fastest print speed' is 540 x 720, that's as low as it goes... Speed estimates varies from from 142-165 SQ per hour depending on the size of the machine...

 

[artbot]

@stealth ryder

so mutoh has limited that at the firmware? i'm glad i did some asking around instead of just willy nilly assuming. if so that may be deal breaker. i guess this goes for the 1604 too? i'm flipping the coin if i need that extra 8 inch print width.

 

[randya]

@stealth ryder

so mutoh has limited that at the firmware.

Actually no, not completely.
What Mutoh does is promote Print Modes, as described in the literature and specs. These are what Mutoh find to be acceptable print modes for various applications. This is what RIP companies typically write to.

There are lower resolutions available through special commands (that would have to be supported by the RIP). Whether these are actually functional, I dont know. There could be issues with ink flow, drying etc, that we are not aware of.

 

[Robert M]

Flatbed

Artbot

what kind of inks are those off brand printers using?

 

[Jeff South Florida]

Artbot. I have seen the DX-6 in the new 1624 print 1 pass at about 600sfph. No density but for your bluelines it would eat them up.

 

[artbot]

@robertm ...they aren't (most aren't) off brand printers. they are stock mutoh's, jv33's, 9880's right out of the box. i suppose they maybe get a special deal from the manufacturer to not ship the take up reel or stand.

and i'd be mostly running my own coatings, about 10% of the time, i'd do a color job.

@dsd that is smoking! but i need tones of density for my aluminum etching. like practically puddles for deep etching. fine etching the coatings hold for about 5 minutes, deep etching requires about 30. that a lot of abuse. i run at 360x360 1 pass process black with all my channels running coating and that some thing one pass on the jv3. you have to let it sit for five minutes or it will drip like paint if you move the sheet before it dries.

one thing i've been researching is garment plotters. i've got my eye on this 82" vacuum/cnc table off of a laser cutter (for glass industry). garment plotters use 1 to 4 hp45 cartridges. the four head printers do 600x600 at 1700sfph! that is scooting down the table. and i'm pretty sure i could figure out a way to heat the table from beneath or have a silicone heating blanket dragging right in front of the head and use hp latex as a spot color too. ...the printers are mono. but after doing some calculating i'd be getting 52 boards an hour. i've never had the issue of too much throughput. but i am sure i can't use that kind of speed.

 

[jhanson]

@DSD -- it's not a DX6, it's a repackaged "DX5" which Epson uses a totally different nomenclature for. There is no real "DX5" anyway, it's just a generic catch-all term that was coined for the Epson 8 channel micro-piezo heads.

The max speed on the 1st and 2nd gen single head ValueJet printers like the 1204, 1304 and 1614 is using the 720x720 Banner 4 mode. That one actually runs 4 passes (1/4")

The 540x720 mode that everyone thinks is fastest actually runs 6 passes, or roughly 3/4 the speed of Banner 4. The speed on the 1604 with Banner 4 was about 185 sq.ft/hr; on the 1304 it should be similar, less a small percentage for the 10" of print width lost.

 

[h82loose]

jhanson you are absolutely correct. I was gearing it for general forum knowledge. If you or I used the correct Epson name they would think we are crazy. I do not believe the head is the same as the 1604. I know the manifold and nozzle sequence is not the same. 2 colors in 1 damper.

 

[jhanson]

About the dampers, they had to make the dampers double-sided to accommodate the smaller head design.

Here's the rundown on the 1614 to 1624 differences:

1604/1614:
Wide head adapter plate
8 individual dampers (1604) or 4 double sided dampers (1614)
8 channels, 360 nozzles per color
Limited to 20 pL maximum drop size

1624:
Small adapter plate, dampers fit inside
4 double sided dampers
8 channels, 360 nozzles per color
Fires a "double" 40pL maximum drop size

 

[artbot]

as for the eight dampers, i quit running eight dampers a while ago. four dampers one damper per head is more than enough ink. i've done f-style manifold on a bulk head. and y-splitters. i've got four carts running cmyk, the other four running two cps of varnish and two strengths of cleaning solution.

i absolutely love this bulk head design. it's like plugging in a switchboard for ink. i can clean a head out with out even shutting down. two seconds.

i've also noticed that many chinese, even dual dx5, printers have moved to four carts. there's just no reason to have 16 ink tubes in a printer.