mutoh prismjet salvageable?

[orangeballgraphics]

Purchased a mutoh prismjet/rockhopper II nearly a year ago for a mere $850 after shipping. Great deal right? Would have been if it was anywhere near a working printer. Seems I need printheads tubing and a variety of small parts. I thought i was upgrading from my hp 2500 cp (aqueous) so I immediately sold it. Soooo, for the past year I have been having to farm out all of my printing (PROFIT LOSS!). Is there any way to get this machine up and running without having to sink thousands of dollars into it or would I be better off selling it for parts and trying to find a working unit? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Ellen

 

[heyskull]

NO

It's a simple answer as probably the very least it will need is 4 print heads, dampers, head cables, caps, pumps, flush and new ink carts.
Not to mention little bits and pieces and lots and lots of patience and time.
This is an old machine after all and has been superseded by much faster and better machines.
Time of none use use kills these printers, so the longer it is not used the worse it gets.
I have an old Mimaki JV3 myself in exactly the same state that I bought cheap which I personally cannot justify spending a fortune on print heads on a machine I have never seen printing! I have used this as a learning tool and it has gave me a lot of insight and knowledge on how to repair these sort of machines.
Their is no cheap fix here, either, repair or buy another machine but both ways it is going to cost $$$$s.
I understand that you loose money farming out your printing but you have to have a decent amount of work to keep a solvent printer running.
I have another Mutoh Valuejet 1604 which I have had since new and now is 7 years old that seems to need less maintenance the more it is used.
This is now classed as an old machine and superseded the Rockhopper 2 which probably puts your machine at maybe 10+ years old .
Sorry but unless you have enough work to keep a digital printer in use at very least a couple of hours a day it is going to cost more money in maintenance than you are loosing farming the work out.

SC

 

[catldavis]

NO

I understand that you loose money farming out your printing but you have to have a decent amount of work to keep a solvent printer running.
I have another Mutoh Valuejet 1604 which I have had since new and now is 7 years old that seems to need less maintenance the more it is used.
This is now classed as an old machine and superseded the Rockhopper 2 which probably puts your machine at maybe 10+ years old .
Sorry but unless you have enough work to keep a digital printer in use at very least a couple of hours a day it is going to cost more money in maintenance than you are loosing farming the work out.

SC

I concur with SC. The only slight difference of opinion I would have is running it "at the very least a couple of hours a day". It is true these machines do best when run, but if you print a test pattern daily and perform other quick maintenance, it is still financially feasible to have a printer yourself. Buy a Valuejet (that has only one head) and you'll see a world of difference.

 

[Wraps ink]

Parts

I have a complete falcon outdoor that I don't use and you could rob parts off of I also have a brand new maintenance station still in plastic let me know if I can help

 

[mcgrawdesigns]

If you are wanting to stick with a Mutoh product, I have a VJ 1204 I recently replaced with a new printer and would be willing to sell. It is in excellent condition and very well maintained. It also has a factory take-up system installed on it. Let me know if this might be something your interested in.