SP540 Headstricks with 13oz banner

[bpatrick3]

I print a ton of 13 oz banner on my Versacamm(I use a couple different brands) and for some reason I run into rolls of material that tend to bulge up and cause a head strike and usually ruins the banner. I have tried brand new pinch rollers and then tried all different configurations of pinch rollers from using all of them and then just the 2 outside rollers, I have tried a bunch of different heat setting, I have tried giving the roll a lot of slack on the feed side and a little bit,thinking that the hanging weight of the material might make a difference.
WHAT SAY YOU!

 

[TimToad]

I print a ton of 13 oz banner on my Versacamm(I use a couple different brands) and for some reason I run into rolls of material that tend to bulge up and cause a head strike and usually ruins the banner. I have tried brand new pinch rollers and then tried all different configurations of pinch rollers from using all of them and then just the 2 outside rollers, I have tried a bunch of different heat setting, I have tried giving the roll a lot of slack on the feed side and a little bit,thinking that the hanging weight of the material might make a difference.
WHAT SAY YOU!

Especially on new rolls of media that are really heavy, we run an extra 8-10 inches of material down the platen in the front, switch our head height to the up position and then unroll a couple feet of material off the roll to take some that tension off the rollers. Once the roll gets a little lighter, it seems to not bulge in the middle.

Do you have a set of the longer pinch rollers?

 

[player]

The printer should not pull the banner material off the roll. It needs to be unwound between the roll and the back of the machine. For longer stuff babysitting is recommended for front and back. The Roland media guides may help as suggested.

 

[JaySea20]

Using the pre-heater can cause expansion in the material that makes it buckle. I normally turn off my pre-heater for banner material and only run the "print" heater and the Dry Heater

 

[bpatrick3]

Especially on new rolls of media that are really heavy, we run an extra 8-10 inches of material down the platen in the front, switch our head height to the up position and then unroll a couple feet of material off the roll to take some that tension off the rollers. Once the roll gets a little lighter, it seems to not bulge in the middle.

Do you have a set of the longer pinch rollers?

I do all the things that you mentioned Thx

 

[bpatrick3]

Using the pre-heater can cause expansion in the material that makes it buckle. I normally turn off my pre-heater for banner material and only run the "print" heater and the Dry Heater

I have tried all different settings including no heat

 

[bpatrick3]

The printer should not pull the banner material off the roll. It needs to be unwound between the roll and the back of the machine. For longer stuff babysitting is recommended for front and back. The Roland media guides may help as suggested.

Yep, always babysit the unwind and take up of the material, I have tried a lot of slack and a little slack.
It should be that fussy, some rolls I throw on and print all day with no issue, but once in awhile I get a roll that is fussy.

 

[TimToad]

Our supplier has been offering the Mighty Banner brand scrim for several years now and we seem to have less trouble with it than Aspire or others. Have you checked your feed rate/speed?

I'm just throwing ideas out there since you are doing everything else most of of us do.

 

[Steve Hamm]

I’m not sure what it is called but the technician that was at the shop last time said to flip the white switch up that is in front of the head cartridge when printing banners. This has helped tremendously.

 

[Joe House]

Set the carriage height to high (the white lever on the left side of the print carriage). Use all your pinch wheels that will fit. Use the roll holders that came with the printer, don't set the banner directly on the bars in back. I generally recommend using about 35c for the print heater (this printer does not have a pre heater, but when there is one, I generally set it the same as the print heater). Use the edge guides to keep the print head from collecting scrim fibers at the edge and prevent the banner edge from curling up.
I have also seen some banner material that was wound with uneven tension at the factory (a rare occurrence) that would pucker up without any heat - even before entering the printer. If this is happening, I would recommend that you return the roll for credit as you can't overcome that. Other banner materials can be super sensitive to heat, especially if not acclimated to room temp overnight. If the roll is cold, the greater temperature difference will cause greater expansion when heated on the platen and will cause head strikes.
Finally if using a take up (rare on an SP-540) make sure that it isn't pulling the banner material to one side or the other. It should wind on with very little side to side movement.

Good Luck,

Joe