Pinch roller track marks in print

[Custom_Grafx]

Sometimes differences in media thickness (in this case possibly caused by the roller area being "squashed") translate into different colours. This is explained by the way the media heats up (the thinner it is, the quicker it heats up, so the thinner areas are hotter temp than the thicker). The hotter or colder the material, the different dot gain achieved means different colour.

Having said that though, the thinner area (where your rollers are), should be a lighter colour, if this is what's happening.

Either way a quick way to rule out this theory, is to completely turn off your heaters, make sure you have zero heat on your platen/dryer, and run your job and see what happens. If no roller marks, it could be this issue. The fix, might be to lower your heat, or to raise it. Trial and error.

 

[mbarden]

Hi Folks,
I believe this is caused by static electricity. I read a support article on the Roland DGA site a few days ago. If my memory serves me well.
MB
Big River Sign Co.

 

[otctech]

Seems like static to me also. Try wiping the material, bed of the machine, and pinch rollers down with dryer sheets right before you run. Also try and control the humidity in your print room if possible. If all that fails position the pinch rollers so that they are not over text or just use the outer pinch rollers and babysit the machine while you run this job to insure you don't have any tracking issues.

Good luck!

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

I would say the rollers are leaving static charge on the banner and that the aerosol ink spray is being attracted to it.

 

[MikeD]

Try to make sure rollers are clean and dry. The media may be contaminated and transferring that contaminate to the rollers; try a roll from a different lot# if you can.
You may rely on the take-up to make the material lay flat over the platen instead of the rollers, and only use the outermost rollers if you can get the take-up's torque to a point where it holds the media down but doesn't hurt your material feed rate.
Good Luck!

 

[MikeD]

Static could make the ink droplets jump around, but it doesn't look like static to me. However, eliminating the static would be good anyway, even beyond diagnosing your current issue. Maybe an anti-static wand a little above where your media feeds into the back would be a good idea. You can make one cheaply by watching youtube.

 

[Colin]

You can make one cheaply by watching youtube.

Could you provide a good link? I'm buried here....