Venting a little about my 1624x

[edgette]

I bought a new 1624x around August of 2019. I've already had to have the capping station replaced (June 2020) and I think I might need another. I'm having the feeling the problem I am having centers around the aftermarket ink the dealer had installed and is currently selling me.

I went for years with the 1324 without as much issues with the ink clogging up on half as much maintenance/cleaning while using factory inks.

It's just a bit frustrating. For their tech to come to me and fix it (I didn't realize at the time I couldn't move the 1624 on my own), it's $1275. Maybe I should also man up and try figuring it out on my own this time.

 

[balstestrat]

It's the downside of some after market inks. Quality isn't always the same.

 

[Umca]

No. It is the dowside of poor maintenance. Even OEM ink depend on series needs different level of maintenance. Just selecct needed level and all will be good.

 

[balstestrat]

No. It is the dowside of poor maintenance. Even OEM ink depend on series needs different level of maintenance. Just selecct needed level and all will be good.

Even if you cleaned it 5 times a day it's still a downside.
You really think the quality control is on the same level if something costs for example $20 vs $100?
I'll tell you, it's not.

 

[Umca]

You really think the quality control is on the same level if something costs for example $20 vs $100?

I am sure. It is possible. Maybe not with your ink.

 

[pjfmeister]

I have had a number of Mutoh VJ printers over the years....I have tried several aftermarket inks after a printer is out of original warranty. The only ink I personally have had good luck with is STS Inks....no problems, no color change almost no noticeable difference from OEM.
Maintenance and the environment the printer is in are both big deals on how quickly the cap top or maintenance station is replaced...Also how much you are printing. If you aren't printing much or if the printer sits long periods without printing seems to cause many ink problems....OEM inks may cost you more money but if you don't have the down time then could be worth the extra cost in the long run...
Once you replace 1 maintenance station by yourself you will understand this part of the system much better and know that you will not need the tech to fix clogs in the drain lines etc...

 

[edgette]

I'm not printing a ton, 100-200 yards per month. It doesn't go without printing for more than a few days. Temperature ranges from 63-70. This printer has only ever had aftermarket inks even when it was brand new. They are only saving me $40/bag so I don't really feel the cost savings is there but that's how it was set up to start.

I'm going to order a new cap myself and swap it out. I watched a youtube video and I've done harder projects on vehicles before. I'm also going to order some cleaning fluid carts and OEM ink to get this stuff flushed out and new stuff in the system. Hopefully that will get me rolling again.

What else should I be doing besides doing the CR maintenance and putting cleaning solution in the cap? I mean besides using the swabs and cleaning the needed areas. Specifically for the capping station? I may be my worst enemy out of sheer ignorance.

 

[Solventinkjet]

If Mutoh knew your dealer was setting machines up brand new with after market inks they would have a fit!

Mutoh recommends changing the maintenance station once per year but most people run it until it fails which can be anywhere from 1 to 3 years in my experience. Usually you will need to replace the cap top in that time to keep a good seal but the pump is good for much longer. So it does sound like your ink might be the issue. You're on the right track flushing it out and going OEM to see if there is a difference.

One thing people miss on CR maintenance is the bottom of the head. The area where the cap top meets the head can build up with ink and cause the seal to break. Make sure you are cleaning that area at least 1 per month as it doesn't build up as mush as the cap top itself. We've got parts in stock here in the states ready to ship. We'll give you free support as well.

 

[Inks]

There are high quality 3rd party inks like Marabu, that are plug and play with matching chemistry and color gamut.
Having said that I am surprised to hear that the printer was loaded with 3rd party inks while under warranty.

 

[iPrintStuff]

I’ve always found that if you’re running the machines into the ground, go after market. You’ll save a fortune.

If you’re not using the printer regularly, keep with OEM. You don’t save what $40 a bag but then you have your peace of mind.

We switched our mimaki to third party and even after hearing horror stories about third party melting heads etc we kept with it. We were saving enough money to buy a new head every 2-3 weeks and still have change (not that we ever needed to change a head). So it was a financially viable solution for us.

If we were just using it for 100-200 feet a month the ink savings are pretty negligible anyway.

Just an after thought; how long have you had those inks in there? With COVID and a few shops getting little or no business, I’m sure there’ll be a bunch of ink going past expiry in machines. Could it be out of date?

 

[Jim Hancock]

+1 for Marabu ink. Used their solvent ink ink in 6 Mimaki JV300's and their sublimation ink in both Mutoh and Epson printers with no issues. However, this was in a production environment where the printers were running 12-18 hours a day.

 

[edgette]

I’ve always found that if you’re running the machines into the ground, go after market. You’ll save a fortune.

If you’re not using the printer regularly, keep with OEM. You don’t save what $40 a bag but then you have your peace of mind.

We switched our mimaki to third party and even after hearing horror stories about third party melting heads etc we kept with it. We were saving enough money to buy a new head every 2-3 weeks and still have change (not that we ever needed to change a head). So it was a financially viable solution for us.

If we were just using it for 100-200 feet a month the ink savings are pretty negligible anyway.

Just an after thought; how long have you had those inks in there? With COVID and a few shops getting little or no business, I’m sure there’ll be a bunch of ink going past expiry in machines. Could it be out of date?

I checked the dates and they are not expired. That said I think I've been a bit dupped on the ink and the "savings" have really cost me dearly over the years in replacement parts and service calls.

I'm going to swap things back over and see how that goes. I think I also need to start looking at find vendors for the stuff I am currently doing and eventually phase out printing altogether. I'm definitely not using the machine to it's potential and could focus on other parts of my business that make me more money and cause me less headaches.

 

[Inks]

+1 for Marabu ink. Used their solvent ink ink in 6 Mimaki JV300's and their sublimation ink in both Mutoh and Epson printers with no issues. However, this was in a production environment where the printers were running 12-18 hours a day.

Marabu ink is also fine if the printer is not being used as often. Issues with third party inks are the result of inks that are not compatible or printers that are not properly maintained. Companies like Marabu, STS & Nazdar know what they are doing.

 

[RustyNZ]

What else should I be doing besides doing the CR maintenance and putting cleaning solution in the cap? I mean besides using the swabs and cleaning the needed areas. Specifically for the capping station? I may be my worst enemy out of sheer ignorance.

Here's a video from Mutoh just as a reference if you want to see if you are doing it right and to clarify cleaning beside the head, don't clean the actual head surface:

It's an XPJ printer in the video but still the same on the VJ.