Sc-545ex ink flow problem

[Exxoh]

I have a Roland sc-545ex that I purchased with stopped up heads. I replaced all 6 heads, dampers and cap tops. I pulled ink to each of the dampers with a syringe.. (the ink retreated back into the line after removing the syringe). Installed everything back and I’m getting no ink to the cap tops. They are still clean after going through the head replace/all sequence to fill the ink.
I thought maybe it’s the air in the mines? So I attempted to pull ink from the cap top lines (with the heads parked). The first had 100% resistance... no flow of anything. The next moved freely...very freely, and no ink. I pulled the cap tops and the one that had no flow...has no flow with it uninstalled. The other, is open. Are they supposed to have free air flow through them when they are completely disconnected...or should there be no flow ? Just trying to get this beast up and running ASAP. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[C5 Service&Repair]

First, stop pulling with a syringe.
When the heads are parked on the caps, they should be air tight. If they arent, then your capping station is misaligned to the heads.
The ink fill process is there for just that. To fill the ink as if the machine is new. If it doesnt work, then there are issues that a syringe isnt going to fix.

 

[Exxoh]

Should the caps be free flowing when not installed? I only pulled the 2 so far. I was waiting to see what I could find out here first.

also, how would I go about making sure the capping station and heads are properly aligned please?

 

[Jim Hancock]

Pulling ink through the dampers is a very valid technique for determining problems and also shortening up ink charging. You said the ink retreated back into the line after removing the syringe from the damper. This should not happen. It is an indication you have an air leak. Did you replace the O-rings where the ink lines attach to the dampers? Also make sure the ink line connection at the top of the damper is very tight. Once you can pull ink into the damper and it doesn't retreat back into the line, then do a medium or power clean and see if you are pulling ink now. If you do try to pull ink through the heads from the cap lines, you must pull very gently so you don't damage the print heads.

 

[Exxoh]

Pulling ink through the dampers is a very valid technique for determining problems and also shortening up ink charging. You said the ink retreated back into the line after removing the syringe from the damper. This should not happen. It is an indication you have an air leak. Did you replace the O-rings where the ink lines attach to the dampers? Also make sure the ink line connection at the top of the damper is very tight. Once you can pull ink into the damper and it doesn't retreat back into the line, then do a medium or power clean and see if you are pulling ink now. If you do try to pull ink through the heads from the cap lines, you must pull very gently so you don't damage the print heads.

Yes sir, I replaced the o rings as well. But I actually pulled the ink from the lines where it attaches to the dampers, so not from the damper itself. That only leaves the connection to the cartridge or the cartridges themselves. I’m using refillable bulk carts. If the fill nozzle on top of the carts isn’t air tight, would that be the problem? I would think that as long as the ink level is over there connector...it would be air tight (I’ve been wrong before lol) .
I’m also really curious about the cap tops. I don’t really understand how they function internally, but if one is open and allows air to pass freely and another doesn’t allow any aif whatsoever... it m assuming one of those is wrong. I haven’t pulled the rest of them because I’m not sure what I’m checking them for yet.
Btw...I really appreciate you guys for helping. Me and my dad have always wanted to start a small business together, and he recently retired so this is the perfect time for it. Now I just need this printer running lol. Thanks again guys!

 

[Jim Hancock]

OK, clarity of what you are doing is very important when troubleshooting remotely.

You need to pull ink through the dampers themselves, not the ink line, so you are getting them full of ink and getting the air out of the ink lines. The dampers need to be about 3/4 full of ink at a minimum.

The refillable bulk ink cartridges are NOT sealed. A little explanation here. OEM cartridges use a collapsible bag inside the cartridge, so there is no resistance to the ink supply during operation. Bulk ink cartridges are rigid and have an air vent. If this vent is clogged or blocked off, as the printer uses ink, a vacuum is created in the air space inside the cartridge, which will eventually cause ink to stop flowing. Think off sticking a straw in a glass of water, putting your finger over the end and lifting it out. No water drips out until you start to lift your finger off the top of the straw. Keep in mind, bulk ink cartridges come in several variations and some designs work better then others. Bulk cartridges have the advantage of less expensive ink choices, which can lead to another group of issues. I only suggest bulk ink if you are using a quality 3rd party ink and you do a lot of printing. OEM ink cartridges can eliminate a lot of issues.

Concerning the captops, use only Roland OEM captops. Aftermarket captops are a waste of money and time troubleshooting them. You can get them here - https://www.solventinkjet.com/product-page/roland-cap-top.
Quality dampers are also hard to find. Roland OEM dampers for your printer are expensive, but fortunately there are some aftermarket dampers that work. I don't know if you have the small or large dampers, so here are links to both. https://www.solventinkjet.com/product-page/roland-small-damper-o-ring
https://www.solventinkjet.com/product-page/roland-large-ink-damper-o-ring. These people are techs, as well as being suppliers, and have found quality aftermarket dampers.

A very important note - when pulling ink trough the heads from the cap lines, you MUST pull gently or you stand the chance of fracturing the crystal structure inside the head.

So, to sum it up, you need quality dampers and caps and make sure the air vents on the bulk system cartridges are open.

 

[Exxoh]

Thank you very much for the info. I replaced the dampers and pulled the ink through them...the ink didn’t retreat this time.

I reinstalled the cap tops again and went ahead and tried the filling cycle. Again nothing moved. At all. No ink on the cap tops at all. And of course the lines from the cap tops to the pumps are also still clean.

I removed the first cap top line (heads parked) to attempt to slows pull ink through the head...and there is little to no resistance and zero movement from the dampers or lines.But from what I can tell...the heads seem to be on the cap tops ok. Not sure how to get a better picture of the heads/cap tops.

I will order the Roland cap tops, but it it even possible that all 6 are trash out of the package? It seems like the problem is the heads/cap top seal, but I’m not sure how to diagnose it next.

 

[netsol]

it is possible it is out of alignment & not sealing when the carriage is at rest

 

[Exxoh]

it is possible it is out of alignment & not sealing when the carriage is at rest

Very possible. But I’m not sure how to go about properly aligning them. Doesn’t the head alignment function require printing?

 

[Sam Dondo]

HI I am having problem with the yellow printer head, yellow is not printing well , very low color appearing what to do

 

[Sam Dondo]

the printer head is for the SC 545 EX