One MBIS feeding two machines - is this possible?

[Derrimut]

Looking at the possibility of one Mimaki Bulk Ink system feeding two machines - is this possible?
Has anyone else tried this and if so how successful or otherwise was it?

Appreciate any feedback.

 

[Biker Scout]

Interesting idea. However, just one question: How much does a MBIS cost in the first place? Is it sooo outrageously expensive that getting only one for right now makes financial sense?

 

[Derrimut]

Interesting idea. However, just one question: How much does a MBIS cost in the first place? Is it sooo outrageously expensive that getting only one for right now makes financial sense?

I've been quoted around $2K US.

 

[Biker Scout]

Ouch! Kinda what I figured. Just buy it direct: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Empt...tanks-8-cartridges-8-permanent/680081258.html

 

[SightLine]

Ouch! Kinda what I figured. Just buy it direct: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Empt...tanks-8-cartridges-8-permanent/680081258.html

That's really nothing like Mimaki's MBIS (or any of the other few true sealed bag bulk systems). That's an open tank system which are proven time and time again to be far more problematic due to the pressure issues with an open system like that. Triangle also has a bulk bag system as well as Bordeaux and I think a couple of others are out there now as well. The sealed bag systems eliminate all the pressure problems and tend to work far more reliably with zero spills or anything.

That being said, as far as I know the bag type bulk systems all use the same basic principles. There are 220ml sub-cartridges that go in the machines cartridge slots, these are pass-through cartridges which also have an ink bag and the proper empty tab that will pop out. Some will also have a dummy chip with the pass-through chip slot on the exposed end of the cartridge for you to insert permanent chips (or you could simply mount a set of permanent chips to the pass-through cartridge). Some of the setups will use an electronics interface which gets installed behind the cartridge slots and interfaces directly to the circuit board back there to provide for ink chip functions. Triangles setup works this way and I think Mimaki's MBIS does use disposable chips that connect in some way or another.

As far as splitting a bag style setup between 2 machines, as long as the machines are relatively close to each other I don't see why it would be a problem. You would just need to source a second set of the sub pass-through cartridges for the second machine and source some additional ink line and Y fittings. You could either mount the bulk bag stand on top of one machine as intended or fashion some sort of stand for it to be closer to centered between the machines. I'd think in this scenario using a set of actual permanent ink chips would be ideal and would of course need a set for both machines. Now, one thing Triangle does with their electronic ink level controller is it sets the machine so you really only use 4 of the pass-through cartridges, when you install the setup you actually disconnect and cap off the 4 unused cartridge slot tubes from behind the cartridge slot cover. However the machine will perpetually beep every few minutes complaining that 4 cartridges are missing. My solution for this was to install 4 old cartridges in the 4 unused slots, they have regular disposable chips that are actually empty but the Triangle electronics interface overrides them and makes the machine think they are full. The only catch with this though is that the machine "could" potentially try and switch to using one of them so if I reboot the machine we make sure to pull those 4 out until the machine boots and has selected the 4 main pass-through cartridges, then we push the 4 dummy ones back in.