i-image heads

[ericheartsu]

I tried looking for that original post, but I couldn't find it. So apologies for the double post.

We are getting ready to move our unit, and replace the heads in about a month's time, but in the mean time, is there anything i can do to clear up my heads? They've gotten pretty rough over the past month, and i'd like to try and fix them, so we can get some finer detail that we seem to be losing.

so any tips for a quick fix, with switching out the heads being the ultimate goal?

[Ross_S]

Did you keep up on the maintenance?  Filters are important.  You can also clean around the head by moving the head to the left towards the maintenance hatch.  It's kind of difficult to point you in a direction with out seeing the issue

[244]

I tried looking for that original post, but I couldn't find it. So apologies for the double post.

We are getting ready to move our unit, and replace the heads in about a month's time, but in the mean time, is there anything i can do to clear up my heads? They've gotten pretty rough over the past month, and i'd like to try and fix them, so we can get some finer detail that we seem to be losing.

so any tips for a quick fix, with switching out the heads being the ultimate goal?

I suggest you call our digital service department and see what they suggest.

[ericheartsu]

I tried looking for that original post, but I couldn't find it. So apologies for the double post.

We are getting ready to move our unit, and replace the heads in about a month's time, but in the mean time, is there anything i can do to clear up my heads? They've gotten pretty rough over the past month, and i'd like to try and fix them, so we can get some finer detail that we seem to be losing.

so any tips for a quick fix, with switching out the heads being the ultimate goal?

I suggest you call our digital service department and see what they suggest.

we've tried, they weren't really any help in this particular instance. going to try our local tech in a sec.

[screenprintguy]

I tried looking for that original post, but I couldn't find it. So apologies for the double post.

We are getting ready to move our unit, and replace the heads in about a month's time, but in the mean time, is there anything i can do to clear up my heads? They've gotten pretty rough over the past month, and i'd like to try and fix them, so we can get some finer detail that we seem to be losing.

so any tips for a quick fix, with switching out the heads being the ultimate goal?

I suggest you call our digital service department and see what they suggest.

we've tried, they weren't really any help in this particular instance. going to try our local tech in a sec.

Get in touch with service of course, ask for a syringe kit. They can walk you through how to shut off the upper ink tank above the heads and connect the syringe. You can fill the syringe with either the cleaning solution, alcohol or distilled water, and gently push through the heads several syringe fulls. Finish with a couple 100% distilled water. If the heads aren't totally shot, that should clear them out. We started "wet" capping our head at the end of the day. they can walk you through how to do that properly too. It made all the difference in the world for our environment. If you had headstrikes on tape, gunk ect. and you can't clear them out using the syringe, you may need to replace, but honestly, I'd give this a try first, but like I said, make sure and have a tech walk you through the steps.

[Dottonedan]

I tried looking for that original post, but I couldn't find it. So apologies for the double post.

We are getting ready to move our unit, and replace the heads in about a month's time, but in the mean time, is there anything i can do to clear up my heads? They've gotten pretty rough over the past month, and i'd like to try and fix them, so we can get some finer detail that we seem to be losing.

so any tips for a quick fix, with switching out the heads being the ultimate goal?

There is a reason you don't see much if any "tech answers" on the internet about these machines. The best TIP I can give, is to always follow the maintenance schedule to the letter faithfully. Do that and you will not have an issue with clogged heads or heads "going" bad.

After reading that you might bring in an outside Tech, I need to mention that you will want to use an M&R Tech. I don't know of any other people (and can't imagine anyone else yet), who have the training needed to work on these when there are issues.

The reason being, These things don't operate the same as any other DTS.  Software is different, Parts are different, and printing characteristics are different therefore, Issues are handled differently than other DTS or digital printing machines. One might think that any good Digital Tech from anyplace that has had experience working on random DTS printers can "figure this out" after a little digging. I can tell you that would be a mistake. It may end up costing you a lot more than just biting the bullet and calling in an M&R tech. Trust me, this is one of those rare times where I know, I would be able to come back and say. "I told you so", but I'd never really do that. Everyone wants to save a little $, so I don't blame you. This is not one of those areas. Someone could and more than likely will FUBAR that easily.

On a lighter side,  You may not have it as bad as you may think.
I've brought heads back from the brink of death with some love and care. An M&R Tech probably will just make the "due diligence and if they can't get it done fast enough, just replace the heads. Not for the money, but for just getting the deed done so you are up and running again for sure. The goal is a short time span on recovery.

Let me say (now that I'm an outsider). M&R is NOT going to be trying to make money on this. If anything, they try to break even and more often then not, you come out ahead. It's not a profit center. They make $ on selling you a good reliable product and that machine IS.

There are methods to get heads back up and running. A syringe kit is just one of the methods but be warned, That can be messed up and costly as well. It's possible with too much pressure, to blow a gasket, literally. It's possible that you may not really need heads for a few more years. More importantly, you need a refresher on maintenance.  An M&R tech can walk you thru everything on the phone. It will be a more difficult and very tedious process to do it over the phone, (taking more than several hours) but it can be done. With a Tech on site, nobody has to go thru the tedious part, you go about your business and within 1-4 hrs, it's back up and running like new without buying new heads. At the most, new heads can be installed at that time without chance of your employee or an outside tech messing up the process on their own (in that case, you more than likely would then have to pay for new heads again.

Lastly,  I do not have insurance to do repair.  I only consult/train, so go with M&R on this.

[ericheartsu]

Thanks for the info Dan!

There is actually an M&R tech in Houston now, specifically for I-Images!

[brandon]

Really? That's awesome. New Orleans is not that far away so sooner or later will have to get the tech over. Sweet. Cheap flight too

[tonypep]

Went through all this with Dan in person the other day. Learned a lot!

[LuckyFlyinROUSH]

Watch out. Our heads literally died within a week time frame.

5k later we learned something

M&R Switched inks, from D ink to D2 ink to D2A ink. Each ink supposedly needs a different head temperature, and negative pressure. We were never told this... could this lead to premature head failure....they didn't directly answer. Now you know. Call in and make sure your settings are correct.

Pink stuff. Put this in your capping station over the weekend. I would do it every night, but I don't have the time or memory to make sure our screen guy does it.

If you see your lines getting air in them, even though it prints fine. Get the air out. Causes issues.

Our tech had just installed our new heads, a week later the damn thing had air in the lines one morning. We literally had changed nothing since he left. Nozzle check was still perfect and was printing perfect.

Make sure your nozzle checks are perfect everyday. Any head that starts to show missing spend some extra time to clean it up, make sure everything is good to go. Usually indicates an issue.

 We had 1 head that had just a little weak area, next thing we know all heads went to crap. 1 year and 10 months from install, on a well maintained machine. Used for 4-5 hours a day 4 days of the week. 200 ish screens a week.

[ZooCity]

Watch out. Our heads literally died within a week time frame.

5k later we learned something

M&R Switched inks, from D ink to D2 ink to D2A ink. Each ink supposedly needs a different head temperature, and negative pressure. We were never told this... could this lead to premature head failure....they didn't directly answer. Now you know. Call in and make sure your settings are correct.

Pink stuff. Put this in your capping station over the weekend. I would do it every night, but I don't have the time or memory to make sure our screen guy does it.

If you see your lines getting air in them, even though it prints fine. Get the air out. Causes issues.

Our tech had just installed our new heads, a week later the damn thing had air in the lines one morning. We literally had changed nothing since he left. Nozzle check was still perfect and was printing perfect.

Make sure your nozzle checks are perfect everyday. Any head that starts to show missing spend some extra time to clean it up, make sure everything is good to go. Usually indicates an issue.

 We had 1 head that had just a little weak area, next thing we know all heads went to crap. 1 year and 10 months from install, on a well maintained machine. Used for 4-5 hours a day 4 days of the week. 200 ish screens a week.

You had to pay for the heads?  I would not have tolerated that if there was mfg change to the masking media that caused it and the heads were installed by their tech.  These machines cost far too much to let something like that slide.

We have a different CTS and I can say they all have issues but when an issue like this comes up that is not on our end every penny has been covered by the mfg to repair it. 

[AAMike]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7EbRvu0WJQ

[Colin]

Pink stuff in the capping station? 

I like that idea.

Lucky, have you encountered any issues with that?  Just do a clean in the morning and you are off and running?

[ericheartsu]

we do it daily. just do a clean, and it gets rid of it!

[Colin]

Awesome

TY!