My new Roland UV needs 60 degrees? Will 50 suffice?

[depps74]

My shop is in a building with old school heating which shuts off and goes to 50degrees min to prevent pipe freeze. The other day the printer would not start up in the am cause of this. My question is is this bad? I cant seem to get a straight answer from Roland, and I dont want to run a space heater all night, but that seems to be my only option at this point. I cant imagine I am the only shop with this issue, so I am hoping this is a liability thing where the manufacture has to say this, but in reality its fine at 50 degrees min.

 

[Boudica]

If it won't start up then it seems you have your answer.

 

[Novadon]

You would probably be better off with this thread being placed in the Roland section of this site.

But I have a thought. IF the printer will not run at the ambient temperature it resides, then it appears obvious what you require a warmer temperature to operate, no? "Liability thing" (whatever the insinuation is there) or not, what choice do you have?

 

[White Haus]

If they say you need 60, then I'd say you need 60. Why try to kill a brand new printer?

Do none of these dealers even consider pre-installation inspections or at the very least discussing operating environments with customers before throwing units in walk in freezers? Geez.

 

[Solventinkjet]

That's the operating temperature. As long as you let the room warm up to 60 or more before printing, it should be fine. The main reason for the temperature requirement is proper ink viscosity so it fires from the head properly.

 

[depps74]

If they say you need 60, then I'd say you need 60. Why try to kill a brand new printer?

Do none of these dealers even consider pre-installation inspections or at the very least discussing operating environments with customers before throwing units in walk in freezers? Geez.

My shop usually stays at 50-60 overnight, but its been pretty cold up here so I think the system just doesn't keep up. Just got a wifi space heater which can be monitored remotely and prob gonna have to get a heat pump for the long term fix. But yeah wished I had known!
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[netsol]

you probably have a situation where the 50 degree temp has reached the dew point, you are condensing moisture out of the air and triggering a sensor of some sort

it is there to prevent print head damage

 

[depps74]

you probably have a situation where the 50 degree temp has reached the dew point, you are condensing moisture out of the air and triggering a sensor of some sort

it is there to prevent print head damage

update got. a space heater, building is at 60 problem solved, now what to do on the smell! does the filter help with that?

 

[depps74]

That's the operating temperature. As long as you let the room warm up to 60 or more before printing, it should be fine. The main reason for the temperature requirement is proper ink viscosity so it fires from the head properly.

I got a space heater and turns out building is at 60 so problem solved, now for the smell, its so bad I am considering the air scrubber do those work well to solve the smell?

 

[netsol]

there were a couple posts about 2 years ago about building your own air scrubbers

 

[cmoist]

I bought an LEF300 used and didn't RTFM before buying it. My experience is that the unit needs to be at 68F to start, per the manual. It won't run and you'll get an error (TEMPERATURE IS TOO LOW **°C) if less than that. Once you are up to temp and start up successfully, the temp in the room can cool as long as the unit is on. I usually keep the room mid 60s and have not had any problem with ink viscosity or color consistency at that temp.

Yours requiring 60 must mean it's a different model, presumably.

Regarding your other question about smell, I have the Roland BOFA and I don't notice any smell when printing.

 

[Scott at Roland]

Couple things to keep in mind regarding ambient temperature. UV ink, as stated above, has a minimum temp requirement and generally likes to be between 68F - 90F. This is an ink issue, more than a machine issue and is about ink viscosity. The colder the temperature the thicker the ink. One important point - gasses (air) and solids (machine) warm up faster than liquids. So if your room temperature is down in the 50's, the machine will start printing as soon as it is warmed up to the proper temperature, but the ink will still be colder. The printer will be ready to print before your ink is.

All of this information pertains to UV inks. EcoSol inks are typically more forgiving and do not have the same extreme viscosity issues as UV inks. However, remember that EcoSol inks require the media to be warm prior to and during printing. If you are storing your vinyl in a cold room, the printer's ability to warm it up sufficiently before printing is compromised and could result in poor output. Always try to store your media and a warm room for best output.