Formax ColorMax 7 Memjet head floods with ink.

[Guest]

Hi all!

Having and issue with one of our Formax colormax 7 printers. During its maintenance cycle it seems to completely flood the head with ink. The ink looks black, but it could just be a combination of all the colors. We can't tell for sure. You can completely wipe the head down manually and shut the clamshell and the first sheet out has drips of ink all over it. Then open the machine and the memjet head is literally flooded with ink. Seems to be happening in the short maintenance cycle that runs right after you close the clamshell. We seem to be getting an excess amount of ink over spray in the printer during running as well. The ink starts to build on the print platen and the little fins on the platen leave lines or dots on the trailing edge bottom side of the envelopes.

We have 2 of these and only one seems to be doing it. All of the settings appear to be the same for both machines. We've contacted Formax tech support and they advised updating firmware which did not help. We have done all the obvious things..... Powerdown / Restart, replace print head, fiddled with settings, etc.

Any ideas what might be the problem?

 

[giant1958]

Sounds like you need a head replacement

 

[Guest]

Yeah.... did replace the print head. Unfortunately it didn't solve the issue.

 

[Bench]

The Formax Colormax 7 in in our plant ran well for a while then started leaving streaks and ink buildup on envelopes. The problem you are facing sometimes happens when air gets in the line and creates a 'blow out' effect. If you haven't already purge the ink lines of trapped air. You can do this through the toolbox. Hope it helps.

 

[homeintx2011]

Since you have replaced the printhead, it is very likely it is the maintenance module. The ink on the print platen is actually not coming from the printhead, but from the maintenance module when it is performing cleaning. There are three different things to try:

1. Replace the Microfiber roller (the round foam-type roller) in the maintenance module. It likely has a ton of ink absorbed into it and could also be out of shape. There is so much ink that when it performs maintenance, it is unable to absorb the ink from the printhead and is just squishing around what is there and possibly adding to it. This part should be $50-60 and you need to remove the service tray and you need an eye-glass screwdriver to undo the screw in the latch.

2. Take the maintenance module completely out and run all parts of it under a sink to get all of the excess ink out of it, being careful not to get the wiper motor too wet. This is pretty messy and takes about 15 minutes or so, but it will help out tremendously. This should be done monthly for proper maintenance.

3. Replace the entire maintenance module. If it is over a year old, it is likely nearing the end of it's useful life. It is generally best to clean it out well and keep it as a spare, and consider swapping it out monthly when doing #2 above.

Hope this helps!

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the info and advice. The service station has been completely cleaned out. The flood seems to happen right when I close the clamshell. It wants to run a long maintenance cycle.

I THINK what is happening is that during its maintenance cycle it is firing the head. It makes a short loud noise 2 times during that maintenance cycle after closing the clamshell. The other printer we have does not do this. I kind of think this is when the head is firing ink out.

For some reason this one runs a much longer cycle than does the other printer. Both printers indicate the same firmware version in the toolbox.

 

[homeintx2011]

That brings a couple of other things to mind. Even though the two printers are on the same version of firmware, what is on the printer in question might be corrupted. I would try re-flashing the firmware. Also, make sure the ribbon cable is plugged in properly to the service station. If the connection isn't good, the signals could be scrambled and cause erratic behavior, including longer than normal cycles.

Could the short, loud noise be the quick ink circulation done at the end of maintenance? This would be normal, although it is normally just one quick, high pitched sound.

Also, was the microfiber roller replaced when the service station was cleaned out? This can be the source of print quality issues if it becomes saturated with ink.

 

[Guest]

It IS a short high pitched noise. The other printer does not make that noise when running the maintenance cycle though that's why I think this is when the ink is shooting out. It has been happening for a while now. I have had the service station out several times, but will recheck the cable. Also the firmware was recently updated to try to fix the issue but it didn't change anything. I will switch out the wipe roller, but I don't think this is the issue as it is completely clean and literally seconds after installed, the print head is flooded with ink. But thank you for the info, I'll give it all a shot.