Replacing a Rail Bearing on a SC-545ex

[Fbermudez]

Hi I found this forum doing a search on replacing a rail bearing on a sc-545ex
my question is, do I have to replace all the bearing and the rail since they only will sell me the set
or just replace the bad one which is the one that hold the cutter carriage.
and if I replace all three how difficult is it to take the printer head carriage?
I print mostly shirt transfers and I have started doing banners and other vinyl printed signs so I don't have the funds to get a tech to this for me.
any help would be appreciated.

 

[Pitzu]

Hi,
did you try to lubricate the bearings? It could be just a lubrication problem.

 

[Fbermudez]

Hi,
did you try to lubricate the bearings? It could be just a lubrication problem.

Yes I removed the bearing and saw that one side of the bearing was getting stuck put it back together and it still made the noise.

 

[Terry01]

You only need a bearing, not a rail.. https://www.ebay.com/itm/THK-Linear...RS-640-SC-540-SC-540EX-SC-545EX-/253587456213

 

[Fbermudez]

You only need a bearing, not a rail.. https://www.ebay.com/itm/THK-Linear...RS-640-SC-540-SC-540EX-SC-545EX-/253587456213

unfortunately I ordered one that place on ebay and they sent me a message saying that it would not fit my sc-545ex and gave me a refund. I ordered one from a different place and after getting it a couple of weeks later it did not fit.
and the places in the US will only sell me the set with the rail and the bearings and the places close to me will only sell it if they install it.
I might just bite the bullet and have my local dealer install it, can't win them all.

 

[Terry01]

Have just been out and checked on 4 printers including rails and bearing on an sc545 and they all run 15mm bearings
Get one from here then https://www.sign-in-china.com/produ...ng_rail_block_ssr15xw1uu_2560ly_21895161.html

 

[Fbermudez]

Have just been out and checked on 4 printers including rails and bearing on an sc545 and they all run 15mm bearings
Get one from here then https://www.sign-in-china.com/produ...ng_rail_block_ssr15xw1uu_2560ly_21895161.html

the pic of the bearing by itself is the one from my machine
the one that both are together the one on the right is from my machine the left is the one that I received.
the only difference is on the shape of the plastic guide at the front of the bearing
I'll try to swap them out to see if it fits.

 

[Terry01]

Both actually look wrong

 

[player]

This could be wrong but I remember hearing with Roland printers you have to replace the rail and the bearings, that they are a matched set. Not saying it's true, and if it is that there's no way around it, just thought I would let you know what I was told.

 

[jbyrum]

Sorry to revive and old thread but I also need the guide bearing for the cutter and I'm not having munch luck finding just the guide piece. Can I just replace the balls with 15mm bearings or does anyone have a good source for the part?

 

[hybriddesign]

If no one replies back there should be a part number on the bearing. Since it’s the cutter bearing you might be able to disassemble the left side of the machine and slide off the cutting module to look at the bearing part number. Try not to remove the bearing from the rail unless the you have to as the balls may fall out and then you’re down until you get a new bearing. You’ll need to measure the dimensions of the bearing but searching thk linear bearings, the part number and the dims should find it for you online. You do not need to replace the whole set. You can just replace the one bearing

 

[Connoley]

Roland recommends replacing both the bearings and the railway bearing as a set, and for good reason. They're designed to work together, and worn rails can damage new bearings in no time. It's like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Bite the bullet, get the whole set, and do it right the first time.

 

[damonCA21]

Roland recommends replacing both the bearings and the railway bearing as a set, and for good reason. They're designed to work together, and worn rails can damage new bearings in no time. It's like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Bite the bullet, get the whole set, and do it right the first time.

They probably have after 3 years....

 

[Vassago]

Noises usually mean grit has got into the bearing.. You can disassemble them, but do it on a bench with a towel on it.. Stops the balls disappearing instantly.

Just undo the return and the balls will come out. Don't loose any.. Lol

When reassembling use the recommended grease.

Whilst there is plenty of movement, there's not much pressure so wear isn't so much as a concern. Just dirt getting stuck to the rail and then getting into the bearing

 

[Fbermudez]

They probably have after 3 years....

I even forgot about this post, I ended up replacing just the machine. I didn't want to spend over 1k on the roland bearing and rail kit and the bearings that I was ordering from overseas were never right so I made the swithch to latex. This machine was already old three years ago and did not want to invest more money into it.

 

[netsol]

I LOVE MY sc545-ex, but, i was wondering who would spend that much TIME AND MONEY on a 15(?) year old machine
you made the right decision

 

[netsol]

my sc545 will serve us as a second machine, backing up the Mutoh vj1617h doing the occasional print & cut job
i know that occasionally the mutoh (MY machine and the company in general) have a temperament like my wife on a bad day so the roland will still be an important resource.

 

[SRPrint]

Anyone here know how to fix this problem? My Roland SC545-EX keeps jamming on the 12 pin cable card and I cant find a tech anywhere that either knows what to do or even look at it. The parts are all discontinued so I'm hoping for any recommendations.

 

[Fbermudez]

Anyone here know how to fix this problem? My Roland SC545-EX keeps jamming on the 12 pin cable card and I cant find a tech anywhere that either knows what to do or even look at it. The parts are all discontinued so I'm hoping for any recommendations.

Replace the scan motor you might not see it but it is probably starting to stick a little.

 

[Jim Hancock]

The scan motor error is result of the cut carriage ribbon folding up and causing an abnormal load on the scan motor. The motor itself is almost certainly OK. The guide channel the cut carriage runs in is likely dirty and somewhat sticky. First, remove the encoder strip so you don't damage it, then remove the cut carriage ribbon (you do not need to take the cut carriage ribbon out of the printer, just clean what's accessible from the front of the printer) and the 2 cable guides and clean them thoroughly with alcohol. Clean the metal track, top and bottom, also. With any luck, the plastic cable guides do not have any kinks in them. If they do, you will probably have the problem occur again. The ribbon cable is readily available, but new cable guides are very difficult to find. There is a thread somewhere on this forum where one of the users can make new guides, but I can't seem to find it. Assemble everything and see if it works. Everytime I've encountered this, it's been ink mist and dust buildup. The ribbon has to slide freely where the top of the ribbon set hits the bottom of the upper part of the guide channel. If it sticks, it folds up, like what you have. You can spray some dry lube on the plastic cable guides and the metal guide channel after cleaning to help reduce the friction. Good luck!