What Causes This?

[phototec]

What causes Deflected Nozzles?

I have NOT had any head strikes, I think my cap-tops are bad and causing my heads to dry out.

What is the BEST way to FIX deflected nozzles?

I did a head soak, but that did not clear the deflections, any advice appreciated.

 

[P Wagner]

What causes Deflected Nozzles?

I have NOT had any head strikes, I think my cap-tops are bad and causing my heads to dry out.

What is the BEST way to FIX deflected nozzles?

I did a head soak, but that did not clear the deflections, any advice appreciated.

Deflected nozzles are far harder to fix than clogged nozzles. Worn Captops are a prime cause of both issues (along with worn wipers), which is why Roland recommends that they be replaced between 1 - 2 times per year (they are user-replaceable). The SP series share the K and C channels on one head & captop, and the deflections look to be entirely on that head. Cleanings by themselves will rarely resolve this type of issue, and head soaks combined with cleanings are iffy at best.

Running cleaning solution directly through the head (using a syringe from above) is the only semi-reliable way to clear them, however it is possible to damage the head if too much force is used, so you would need to be careful. Frankly, the amount of nozzle deflections that are present are not enough to cause visible defects in print output, so I would not proceed with the syringe at this point.

 

[MtnView]

We had this a couple months ago. We ended up replacing our cap tops.

 

[phototec]

Deflected nozzles are far harder to fix than clogged nozzles. Worn Captops are a prime cause of both issues (along with worn wipers), which is why Roland recommends that they be replaced between 1 - 2 times per year (they are user-replaceable). The SP series share the K and C channels on one head & captop, and the deflections look to be entirely on that head. Cleanings by themselves will rarely resolve this type of issue, and head soaks combined with cleanings are iffy at best.

Running cleaning solution directly through the head (using a syringe from above) is the only semi-reliable way to clear them, however it is possible to damage the head if too much force is used, so you would need to be careful. Frankly, the amount of nozzle deflections that are present are not enough to cause visible defects in print output, so I would not proceed with the syringe at this point.

I purchased the new cap-tops, I believe changing out the Cap Tops is fairly easy, my concern is the CAP HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT after you install the new cap-tops, that's what I confused about.

Per the Roland Service Manual, you need to perform the CAP HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT after installing the new cap-tops, however after reading the instructions (below), I find it confusing, has anyone adjusted their cap height and can you explain the basic steps?

EXAMPLE: When the carriage is not in the capping position, press [▼] key to move the cap lower and then move the carriage to the capping position.

CAP HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT

CAP HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT is to adjust the height of the cap.
It must be done when you remove or replace the cap unit and replace and adjust the carriage unit. If this adjustment has not been done there is a possibility that a CAP OPEN SUCTION is not performed correctly.

This adjustment can be performed in firmware version 2.10 and above.
*CAP OPEN SUCTION is an operation to suck ink without the heads capped. This can remove the ink accumulated on the Cap surfaces due to the flushing done above the Caps.

STEP 1
Turn on the SUB POWER SW while pressing [◄], [▼] and [►] keys to enter the SERVICE MODE.


STEP 2
Select the [CAP ADJUST] menu in the SERVICE MENU and select [ADJUST POS.].

When the carriage is not in the capping position, press [▼] key to move the cap lower and then move the carriage to the capping position.

NOTE:
-Note that the caps do not contact the head.

-When you press the [▼] key, the cap moves to the position in the setting value -2.00 mm.

-It is only possible to move the cap stepwise to the upward direction in the [ADJUST POS.] menu. When you move the cap in the

downward direction, press [▼] key to move the cap lower end once and then move upward direction in 0.25 mm unit.


STEP 3
Move the cap upward to the position that the cap contacts exactly to the head, then press [ENTER] to update the adjustment value.

-When you press [▲] key, the cap moves to the upward direction in 0.25 mm unit.

-When you press [▼] key, the cap moves to the position in the setting value -2.00 mm.

-When you press[◄] key, the adjustment value is not updated and the capping is carried out and then exiting the menu.

STEP 4
Enter the [CHECK GAP.] menu in the [SERVICE MODE] to check the cap adjustment value.

The cap moves to the same position as the CAP OPEN SUCTION is performed. Check if there is the gap between the cap and head.

NOTE:
[CHECK GAP.] is the menu to check the gap between the caps and head. For adjustment, use the [ADJUST POS.] menu.