Versant 2nd BTR Metal Roller

[NorwoodPress]

Can I ask, has anyone installed a 2nd BTR with a metal roller for their Versant 280? Does it last longer when doing coated stock? I did see you can buy just the metal roller on its own, but not sure how easy it is to change the roller over on the unit, compared to buying the unit already with it. We still have another 2 years left on our contract, but Xerox don't seem to be resolving this issue.

Just that lately Xerox keep sending me out refurbished 2nd BTR's and they are not lasting like they use to do, when I had a brand new one. It's starting to become annoying having to change it about 2 weeks or so. I mainly run 130gsm up to 400gsm silk coated started a lot. I do also do quite a bit of NCR jobs, then the occasional 90gsm to 350gsm uncoated stock.

 

[azehnali]

yes and it works better

 

[SoggyWinter]

2nd BTRs with a part number starting in 607 are very shortlived. Are you having poor lifespans with 2nd BTRs starting with 859?

I was told by Britt at parts drop not to run NCR with the metal roller because NCR will mess it up. I think NCR leaves residue.

Here's a 2nd BTR rebuild instruction to reference, though it is not exact.

DC250 / DCP700 / 550 etc - 2nd BTR Rebuild Instructions

DC250 / 550 / 700 / J75 - 2nd BTR Rebuild Instructions

www.partsdrop.com

 

[TJPrinter]

There is no “fix” for this issue with the 2nd BTR, it’s a defect in engineering that Xerox has accepted, and we have to deal with it. Just tell your service provider to give you spare units and you will change them when you need to. Once a week, once every 2 weeks or even once a day, it’s not your responsibility to fix the issue.

Yes, you can replace the metal roller yourself, but the issue isn’t with just the roller. The problem is with the roller, the scraper blade, cleaning brush, and the wax lubricating bar in the unit. They all must be replaced at the same time if it's a used unit. It takes over an hour to take one of these units apart and replace those parts with the new ones. I did all this back when parts were delayed and hard to get and I don’t want to do it again, it’s a waste time, unless you’re not on a service contract and you outright own the Versant.

It’s correct that you can’t use the metal roller with any NCR paper. The coating builds up on the metal roller quickly and needs to be scraped off. I found that the metal roller also causes creases on envelopes. So now you’d have to swap out the unit when printing NCR or envelopes. The metal roller did last longer but nothing extraordinary, it’s just another hack fix like placing a cmyk solid box around the edge of the page to try to pickup extra toner left behind.

It’s too bad because the Versant 280 is a great machine. If you don’t print coated stock, you’d never know there was a defect in the design. Keep replacing the 2nd BTR and jump ship as soon as another vendor is willing to buy out your contract and replace it.

 

[Peterborough Print]

Metal roller is better, but still not managed to get more than 30,000 SRA3's through one before they go bad. We've also had a couple of metal rollers which just never worked at all - charge issues. We're now out of contract so we're rebuilding them ourselves, but switched back to buying the rubber rollers and just changing more often. Parts cost about £60 to rebuild one against £400+ for a new one, so we're making it work. First one we done took days, now takes about an hour and a half to rebuild, so we always keep a rebuilt one on the shelf. With the problems we have had with dodgy metal kits and the fact they cannot run NCR, we've decided the metal ones are not the solution.

 

[pippip]

We still have another 2 years left on our contract, but Xerox don't seem to be resolving this issue.

We had our V80 for 8 years wondering if they'd ever resolve the issue.
3rd gen machine and still not fixed is mad I think.

 

[PricelineNegotiator]

I wonder if the new Xerox 9200 has the same BTR problem. Supposedly it has "Iridesse tech". Does the Iridesse have the same BTR problem as the Versants?

 

[Stickman42]

Does the Iridesse have the same BTR problem as the Versants?

Not that I've seen. I've had both models.

 

[DYP]

I wonder if the new Xerox 9200 has the same BTR problem. Supposedly it has "Iridesse tech". Does the Iridesse have the same BTR problem as the Versants?

The Iridesse uses a BTB. If you watch for to much inboard or outboard movement and make adjustments so it doesn't tear it will last beyond it usage limit. The belt does tend have a 1/4" start to tear on the inboard side which I found if I trim it off the belt will practically last forever, most times past its usage limit.