Roland Vg 640 - Bad Head Crash Leads To Service Call

[joeb]

Was printing like normal today, media loaded, media clamps installed, and something very weird happened. The print heads crashed into the media clamps. My only guess is that somehow the semi rigid media (thick-ISH paper) pushed the clamps up into the print heads and they collided. It crashed with such force into the clamp that it actually bent the metal. But that wasn't the worst part, the Roland print heads have this metal surround on them, seems like some kind of clip or clamp. When the print head crashed, after bending the media clamp, it also pulled two of these metal clamps off two print heads and left them sitting on the platen. These metal bits are bent and mangled badly (see attached picture).

Now, every time I turn the printer on, it cleans, then gives me Service Call 0400 [0014], and the red lights flash. Cant get past this startup routine no matter what I do.

To me this seems VERY bad. Best case scenario is that I can fix it myself and not have to replace the print heads or call the technician. Second best is that a technician can come and just replace these metal clamps without paying for new print heads. Worst case is full head replacement. A couple questions: What is service call 0400 [0014]? What are these metal pieces that are attached to the print heads? Replaceable? I have already contacted my technician. Thank you.

 

[LFC911]

0400 [0014] Indicates the Nozzle line code or which nozzle the error occurred to, if i'm reading the VG640 service manual correctly [0014] is indicating head 3 but obviously you have issues with more than one head. The metal pieces are frames (for lack of a better word) that go around the printhead nozzle face. I wouldn't think these heads would be usable and would probably need to be replaced.

 

[printhog]

Those metal bits are the trim around the head. If you had that kind of damage your heads are totalled.

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

 

[joeb]

Thanks for the responses, my technician will be here tomorrow. I know youre right printhog, but I hope youre wrong.......

 

[joeb]

Will post my results

 

[CanuckSigns]

We had one of those come off while the tech was installing our printer, they are very flimsy and come off very easily.

Bad news is, there is no part number for just the metal piece, they are part of the print head as far as Roland is concerned.

Good news is the heads should be replaced for free under warrantee, it's a known issue and in fact Roland now ships the new VG and SG printers with a metal shroud around the heads to protect them, and those little metal pieces around the head are glued on now.

When your tech is out replacing the heads, have them check the carriage height, ours was low when we first got it and caused tons of head strikes, now that it's fixed it's all good.

 

[advision]

When your tech is out replacing the heads, have them check the carriage height, ours was low when we first got it and caused tons of head strikes, now that it's fixed it's all good.

I've suspected our is too low since we got it but our tech has never suggested raising it. They've actually acted like there is no ability to do so when I've expressed concerns. I wonder what the height is supposed to be.

We are unable to print with low head height without using the clamps, and the head guards will tap the clamps if we accidentally place them too far onto the media due to the very thin pad that's stuck onto the bottom side of the clamp. That seems little bit to tight of clearance to me, but maybe that's how it's supposed to be. Printing with the heads high introduces some slight streaking and banding so it's not really an option for the majority of our jobs.

 

[CanuckSigns]

I've suspected our is too low since we got it but our tech has never suggested raising it. They've actually acted like there is no ability to do so when I've expressed concerns. I wonder what the height is supposed to be.

We are unable to print with low head height without using the clamps, and the head guards will tap the clamps if we accidentally place them too far onto the media due to the very thin pad that's stuck onto the bottom side of the clamp. That seems little bit to tight of clearance to me, but maybe that's how it's supposed to be. Printing with the heads high introduces some slight streaking and banding so it's not really an option for the majority of our jobs.

There is no "adjustment" per say on the head height, there are springs that hold the head at a certain height, and some of the printers were shipped with incorrect spring tension, your tech should be able to move the head over the print area and measure the clearance, there is a standard that they should know or be able to find out from Roland. if your printer doesn't meet this standard, they need to replace the springs and raise the head. Ours was low by around half a milimeter, and we were getting head strikes constantly, once our tech changed the springs and raised the head we havn't had a head strike since.

 

[DaleB46]

Will post my results

Hi Joe- how did you go with this problem in the end? What was the fix? I have something similar here now on my TruVis.
Thanks

 

[joeb]

Hi Joe- how did you go with this problem in the end? What was the fix? I have something similar here now on my TruVis.
Thanks

Dead thread revival but posting my results. The technician said that the warranty would NOT cover replacement heads because of damage or head strikes caused by normal operation. HOWEVER, when I told him that after the head strike the print head kept scanning and actually dragged one of the media clamps about 3 inches across the media, the tech was able to convince Roland that this should be covered by warranty because the printer should have stopped at the moment it collided with anything. 2 print heads replaced under warranty. Have not printed on any media thicker than like 10 mil since.