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Cleaning (Swabbing) the Printheads

Introduction

Ink and other debris tends to accumulate on the bottom of the printhead nozzles and must be cleaned off on a daily basis and more frequently, if needed.

Equipment

  • Safety glasses with side shields

  • Gloves (for example: Ansell Microflex 93-260)

  • Foam Tipped Swab (3010118211)

  • Isopropyl alcohol - IPA (>= 98%)

NOTE

Put some swabs into the small bottle with enough Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) to cover the foam tips. Place the bottle near the maintenance door before you start.

This procedure assumes that the Maintenance Access door is still open from the previous procedure. If not click on Move Carriage and open the door.

Procedure

  1. Select one of the swabs from the bottle of Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) . Use the lip of the container to wipe away any excess alcohol from the swab.

    IMPORTANT

    Keep swabs clean prior to use. Do not dip a used swab in the Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solution.

    Do not let the seam on the foam contact the bottom of the printhead. This can damage the printhead. See figure below.

    Proper Swab Orientation
  2. Position the foam end of the swab at one end of the printhead as shown in the figure below.
  3. Slowly move the swab from one end of the printhead to the other. This should take approximately 2 seconds.
  4. Rotate the swab by 180 degrees to its clean side and repeat step 3 for the next printhead.
  5. Use the clean tip of the same swab to clean around the openings for the last 2 printheads. Run the swab around the perimeter of the opening. See path indicated in white with arrows in figure below. Take special care to remove ink from the gap between the metal plates of the printhead and carriage base plate. See area indicated by the white ellipses in figure below.

  6. Discard the swab. A new swab must now be used to clean the next two printheads.
    NOTE

    A single swab is used to clean 2 printheads

    IMPORTANT

    Never use the same swab on two different color channels.

    Never "scrub" the printhead with a swab as this will drag debris into other nozzles.

  7. Continue until all printheads are cleaned.
  8. Inspect all printheads for any residual ink. Remove with a clean dry swab if necessary.
  9. Close the Maintenance Access Door.
Parent topic:
Daily Maintenance
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