Suggestions Mutoh 1324 Head Strike Question

[laneygraphics]

So this past weekend had a bit of vinyl printing and must have missed the heat settings, got some tunneling and noticed a few head strikes when I came back to the machine. Looks like it hit in about 4 different spots at different times. So I ran a nozzle check and sure enough there is about 4 to 6 spots in cyan that are missing, and about half of one channel in yellow missing. The printhead is just under a year old, my question is, how screwed am I? I have done a couple headsoaks and short cleans, also printed some cmyk strips to see if it will clear out, but no luck yet. I did notice a day or 2 before the strikes when printing some logos I had a gray that had a slight purple hue to it, but didn't think much of it as the next print seemed ok. I guess there is a chance some of this was clogged before the head strike, open to any suggestions or help, don't want to have to pull the head off to clean it, but will as a last resort.

 

[chrisphilipps]

How old is the maintenance station in the printer? Normally when something like you are describing happens it is because the maintenance station has failed. It could be something as simple as a cap or could be the entire station should be replaced.

 

[laneygraphics]

Forgot to add that, the maintenance station was replaced same time as the printhead, I think it was June last year. I did check and it seems to be pulling from both lines under the station. Might try replacing the cap to see if it will help.

 

[chrisphilipps]

What does the bottom of the print head look like? Can you post pictures of that and the nozzle check?

 

[laneygraphics]

I will do that, im out of the office right now but will get some today and post them up, thanks!

 

[rjssigns]

Had a large headstrike(six inches plus) with my 1624x. Would hardly print afterwards. Back to back long cleans took care of it. Used quite a bit of ink but cheap compared to replacing the head.
Just remembered, after I started printing again it barfed magenta on a couple prints then cleared up. Been running fine since.

 

[laneygraphics]

I will have to give it a shot with some long cleans, see if i can get some back, got a couple banners to print that have a bit of yellow in them, it still prints but has some banding issues i'd like to take care of, thanks for the tip.

 

[Superior_Adam]

you can also soak the head before doing cleanings. I fill the cap station with fluid and move the carriage back over to where the head will be soaking in cleaning solution for a while before running a cleaning.

 

[laneygraphics]

So new symptoms from last night, noticed a few more issues with nozzles being missing in the test. Was on all 4 colors now, missing a large chunk of most of them. How do i know if the cap top is sealing to the head? I have tried to pull ink through the hoses on the bottom of the cap, have blocked off one hose and pulled with syringe but only got air, will not pull ink, im guessing there is no seal between the head and cap top, is there an adjustment for this or do i just need to replace the cap top? at a loss here now, thought maybe a simple fix but wondering if i just caught the beginning of a larger problem.

 

[Solventinkjet]

Start by replacing the cap top. If you sucked only air, it means the cap top is not sealing but also that the pump isn't clogged either. When you pull with the syringe, you should feel pull back almost immediately and then ink flowing soon after. Also make sure that the air release tube is still connected to the 3rd nozzle on the cap top. There are no real adjustments when it comes to the station. As long as all the screws are in place, it should be positioned properly.

We have the cap tops available here!

 

[laneygraphics]

I was thinking that, i can fill the cap with solution and it drained so didnt think there was any blockage in the line, Just ordered the kit from you, thanks for the advice. Actually has a printhead and MS from you also that we put in last year. Hopefully this takes care of the problems!

 

[laneygraphics]

Been a few days but figured I should update this in case it helps anyone in the future. Big thanks to solventinkjet and solventinkjet.com, replacing the cap top worked perfectly! They had a great price on it, and shipping only took a couple days, and actually was delivered FedEx on a Sunday, popped in the new top, tested with a syringe to see if it created a seal and could pull ink, worked great so fired it up and did a clean and all is good now. Thanks to solvent and everyone else here for advice.

 

[rjssigns]

Been a few days but figured I should update this in case it helps anyone in the future. Big thanks to solventinkjet and solventinkjet.com, replacing the cap top worked perfectly! They had a great price on it, and shipping only took a couple days, and actually was delivered FedEx on a Sunday, popped in the new top, tested with a syringe to see if it created a seal and could pull ink, worked great so fired it up and did a clean and all is good now. Thanks to solvent and everyone else here for advice.

YAY!!!!! Love it when things work out.