UltraSonic Cleaning Problem

[UtahSupra]

I've got a large problem after an ultrasonic cleaning and am hoping someone can help. I've got a Roland SC545EX and I had a head that was a bit clogged up like only firing half the test print. I eventually had had enough and researched ultrasonic cleaning, and from what I could read it sounded like I couldn't hurt it any worse than it was... I pull the head out, ultrasonic clean it in Roland Cleaning Solution for 480 seconds at which point I attached a syringe to the adapter plate and force cleaning solution through the head. With a little pressure it ended up coming out in what looked to be a GREAT pattern. I hook everything back up and now the head doesn't fire at all. I tried pulling ink through the capping station with a syringe (then a shop-vac) and am getting NOTHING AT ALL where before I could always get at least something through the syringe/vac method. Does anyone have any clue as to what could be wrong? Have I damaged that head beyond repair? I've hooked my syringe up to the ink supply line before the damper and got ink. I've done the same thing after the damper and before the head and got ink, I just cant seem to get ANYTHING from the head. Any advice here would be monumental!

Thanks in advance,
Andrew

 

[Robert M]

That head

A head that fires nothing is usually not getting the signal from the main board. Check your ribbon cables and check the fuse on the main board. PM me if you need a tech manual

 

[Alpha Star]

No, no... it's not the fuse. He's pulling from the capping side and getting nothing. A fuse doesn't stop ink from filling a syringe.

I've had this happen to me several times. Every one of those heads is now in the trash. There is something physical that can go wrong when you clean too aggressively. It can't be restored after that.

USUALLY, though, it's not just aggressive cleaning that causes it, but sonic cleaning is very risky. Personally I have seen this kind of irreparable damage after using the wrong manifold. Like when using a water based manifold with solvent inks.

 

[cavrom]

Hello,
I use also a sonic device to unclogg the printheads. One head from 5 or 6 gets damaged.
I experienced two major damages:
1. The electrovalves gets stucked on off position
2. Electrovalves gets stucked on ON position
And also for printheads with multiple chamber (like DX2) I noticed that can damage also the thin membrane which separate the chambers one of the other.

So... Be careful at the freq, time and TEMP! of the sonic device.

 

[MrSalumi]

probably screwed the piezo crystal up.. Chances are you need a new head... but if it was firing half in the beginning you already knew that...

 

[Techman]

the valves have little metal pieces adhered to the crystal. It causes an instant pulse of ink that shoots it out the nozzle. Ultrasonic will break those crystals lose from the ceramic and never fire again.