The printer operator is responsible for the regular maintenance of the printer. This section provides detailed information about what is required for proper printer maintenance.
While Océ furnishes guidelines for periodic maintenance, the optimum maintenance schedule evolves from careful observation of your printer over a period of use. For example, some specified maintenance may be required each time you use a particular media. The type of print job can also determine the maintenance schedule. If the printer produces a high volume of solid fill prints, it requires more tending than if it prints low-coverage images. Océ requires that the operator follows minimum cleaning and replacement guidelines as described in this User Manual.
A few minutes spent cleaning helps to ensure the highest quality prints. Each production situation is different and involves different types of print jobs, environmental conditions, duty cycles, and volume of work. While we provide guidelines for periodic maintenance, the optimum maintenance schedule depends on operator observation of the printer over a period of use.
IMPORTANT
Keeping the printer clean, especially all parts associated with the printheads, assures that your printer performs at its optimum and makes it easier to diagnose a problem, such as a leak. Daily cleaning of all mechanical parts on the printer is highly recommended.
If your site has a technician in charge of machine maintenance, that person is the optimal candidate. While routine maintenance may be performed by any trained operator, the best maintenance results from familiarity with the printer's internal operation and history.
Your printer requires regular maintenance. Periodic cleaning should be scheduled for some components during the week. A few minutes spent cleaning ensures the highest quality prints. Several areas require maintenance to ensure the highest print quality, and the printer design gives you easy access to all these areas. Diligent application of the maintenance schedule ensures optimum performance from your printer.
NOTE
Do not bump the carriage or gantry as this can cause dropouts in the printhead nozzles. A hard bump can break the meniscus vacuum in the ink lines and thus allow air into the lines, which blocks the nozzle until a purge is performed. Also some procedures, such as Printhead Maintenance, require that you slide open the door to access the maintenance station. Do not bang the door hard when you close it after maintenance.
The following table provides our recommended maintenance schedule. This is a minimum requirement and some procedures may need to be done with greater frequency. Each of the procedures is explained in detail in this section in the order of frequency required as presented in this table.
|
Procedure |
Frequency |
|---|---|
|
Clean Carriage Underside |
Daily and as needed |
|
Printhead Maintenance |
Daily and as needed |
|
Swab Printheads |
Weekly and as needed |
|
Clean UV Lamp Filter |
Weekly and as needed |
|
Remove Ink from Table |
As needed |
|
Empty the Waste Tray |
Monthly and as needed (or when ink overflows!) |
|
Refill Coolant |
Monthly and check weekly |
|
Clean Gantry Rails |
Monthly and as needed |
|
Change Ink Filters |
Yearly, or after 11 bags of ink, or if pigment looks weak |
|
Reprint the Rulers |
When the rulers become unreadable |
|
Change both UV Lamps |
When curing is insufficient |
|
Change Coolant |
Yearly (requires a service call) |
|
Maintain White Ink |
Daily, Weekly and, as needed |