We're looking into buying a hybrid UV printer. Was curious as to what questions we should ask or what we should look at to help determine the mileage the machine has undergone or the condition that it's in.
Any recommendations for any other specific questions that should absolutely be addressed?
TIA
My first question,
new or used, is always - "
Who will service it and how much will it cost?" Some printers can be maintained by phone support and a handy printer operator, some require a technician. Also parts have a wide range - some heads are $1k some are $10k. Make sure to consider service in your ROI calculations.
Things to ask about
- Is it under service contract? Can it be transferred?
- If no service contract, How do they handle maintenance now?
- Do they have records of repairs or replaced parts?
- How do the jet tests look?
- Which heads have been replaced? when? why? how often?
- Do the head crash sensors work?
- Will the ink stick to the stuff you want to print? Ask for samples on your material. Ink may stick well to the stuff they buy and not to yours. We've had to change materials when we changed ink sets.
- If it's not LED, when were the bulbs last changed? How often do they need to be replaced? How much are they?
- How often do they replace ink filters? How much are the filters?
- How fast can it print salable material? Literature and sales reps may say 12-14 boards per hour, but realistic output may only 4-6 boards. I always show up with files that have large color blocks and a stop watch and make them run 3-5 boards non-stop to get the real answer.
- If it's belt fed, like an HP 700, How old is the belt? What is the condition? When will it need to be replaced?
- Have they replaced any ink pumps? Which ones? When? How often?
