Application Note:

Printhead Maintenance with

Solvent Inks

1.0 Scope
The purpose of this Application Note is to provide maintenance information for customers
who use solvent inks with SpectraTM printheads and jetting assemblies.
The term “solvent inks” is used in many ways in the printing industry – usually including
the use of organic solvents as carriers, and excluding water-based inks. The purpose of this
document is to provide direction and guidance when using fluids (inks or functional
fluids) which have some degree of volatility. These inks are distinct from UV-Curing or
Hot Melt, sometimes called “100%-solids” inks, because nothing is intended to evaporate
from them. The techniques described in this application note may often be applicable to
water-containing inks as well.
In general, the specific maintenance techniques that are successful are dependent on the
fluid, the application, and the specific printhead used. Experimentation and development
are often required. Dimatix strongly recommends that customers contact the supplier of a
particular ink for specific procedures known to be successful from that supplier’s
experience.
This document assumes that the fluids used were developed for use in Spectra products,
and therefore have the correct viscosity and surface tension at the intended operating
temperature, and are suitably clean and stable. For more information about development
and qualification of inks for Spectra products, see the Ink Development Guidelines, form
#GD030001.
Some of the solvents that have been successfully used in inks are:
• High Alcohols (Greater than C4)
• Glycols
• Polyols
• Glycol ethers
• Glycol ether esters

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2 Printhead Maintenance with Solvent Inks

• High ketones (C5-6, often cyclic)

• Hydrocarbons (High alkanes, aromatics, cycloaliphatics)
• Lactates (Greater than Butyl)
• Esters (Greater than Butyl acetate)

2.0 Related Documents

AN000011: Ink Delivery System Design
AN000031: Preparing a New Printhead or Jetting Assembly for Initial Use
AN000032: Preparing a Printhead or Jetting Assembly for Return
AN000033: Ink Stability Testing
MSDS0001: Spectra Sirius Clear Solvent Ink
GD030001: Ink Development Guidelines

3.0 Purging
NOTE: Always wipe the nozzle plate after a purge, to prevent
purged ink and associated contaminants from being drawn
back into the nozzles.

For the purposes of this Application Note, a long purge is defined as replacing the
contents of the ink path downstream of the lung. A short purge replaces only the ink in
the pumping chambers.

3.1 Pressure Purge

Pressure purges are commonly used because they are simple to implement. Typically a
regulated pressure is applied for a fixed amount of time at the air interface to the On-
Head Reservoir attached to the printhead. The amount of pressure and the length of
time are dependent on the intended purpose of the purge.

3.1.1 Long Purge

A long purge is used to push air bubbles out the nozzles, transfuse deaerated ink into
the printhead, and clear clogs. A long purge is a normal part of the startup procedure.
The ideal volume displacement is a function of lung capacity and downstream internal
ink volume.

3.1.2 Short Purge

A short purge is used to flush debris away from the nozzles and to reequilibrate
meniscus (especially after wiping). In a short purge, very little fluid is expelled
compared to a long purge.

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Printhead Maintenance with Solvent Inks 3

For either type of purge, the applied pressure must be greater than the printhead’s internal
filter screen (“Rock Trap”) bubble pressure (1.0 psi). Empirically, Dimatix has had good
results with a purge pressure as low as 1.5 psi, although a higher pressure up to 4.5 psi is
recommended for initial priming and wetting of internal surfaces.
• During the initial start up at the beginning of a printing shift, perform at least one
long purge.
• Perform a short purge prior to beginning a print job, especially after a few hours of
nonuse.

3.2 Vacuum Purge

An alternative to a pressure purge is the vacuum purge. In a vacuum purge, an airtight seal
is formed around the nozzles and a vacuum is applied. The same strategies as described
above for the pressure purges apply. Because of the difficulty in providing a good face
seal, vacuum purges are typically not implemented except in systems where capping is
also required (see “Capping” section later in this document).

3.3 Manual Purge

In systems where an automated purge function is not available, a manual purge may be
accomplished by applying air pressure, with a clean syringe (and syringe tip filter), to the
printhead ink reservoir through the Meniscus/Purge fitting on the reservoir.
When using this procedure, it is possible to generate a significantly higher purge pressure
than the normal maximum printhead purge pressure (310 millibar [4.5psi]), so caution
must be exercised. The procedure is as follows:
1. Using a 20 cc syringe, withdraw the syringe plunger to approximately 10 cc.
2. Attach a tip filter (1 to 10 micron) to the tip of the syringe.
3. Disconnect the Meniscus/Purge tubing from the printhead at the tubing connector
near the printhead. This leaves a short length of tubing still connected to the
Meniscus/Purge fitting on the printhead. Attach the prepared syringe to this tubing.
4. Place a container underneath the printhead to catch the purged ink.
5. Rapidly (approximately 10 cc/second) depress the plunger of the syringe, and hold
the plunger depressed for approximately 3 seconds. This maintains any built-up
pressure inside the printhead, and ink continues to be expelled through the nozzles
during this time. The objective is to purge about 3 cc of ink (along with any
entrapped air bubbles or other obstructions). Then detach the tip filter from the
syringe in order to quickly relieve the purge pressure.
6. Remove the tip filter from the Meniscus/Purge tubing, and reconnect the Menis-
cus/Purge tubing so that Meniscus vacuum is once again restored to the printhead.

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4.0 Wiping
Wiping is a common maintenance procedure to clear debris and reestablish uniform
wetting around the nozzles. The only applications that do not need to provide some
ability to wipe the nozzle faceplate are those in an extremely clean environment, those
using non-drying inks, and those which do not incorporate a down-spitting printhead
orientation. The recommended wiping direction is in the process direction to minimize
cross contamination.
Keep the nozzle plate clean by wiping as needed with a “squeegee” wiper blade or lint-
free wipes to: 1) prevent drying of ink in or around the nozzles, and 2) prevent
contaminants on the nozzle plate surface from being drawn back in through the
nozzles.
For this purpose, Dimatix supplies P/N 07480, lint-free clean wipes.
Use only recommended materials for any components that touch the nozzle plate.
Clean wiper blades daily with fresh isoproponol and lint-free wipes. Replace them
when visibly worn. Flushing fluid can be used to clean wiping components.

IMPORTANT Always prevent paper and potential

contaminants from contacting the nozzle plate.

4.1 Manual Wiping

For manual wiping, either a clean, lint-free clean-room wipe is used, or an elastomeric
squeegee. Wiping materials must be compatible with printhead materials and fluids
used. Manual wiping may be performed on a routine preventative basis or only after a
jetting anomaly is detected. Manual wiping requires good operator training and
discipline to prevent damage to the printhead.
A face-wipe of the nozzles may be beneficial if there is a fiber protruding from the
nozzle, or if there is a particle or contaminant clinging to the outer surface of the face
near a nozzle. A face-wipe may be necessary if an excessive accumulation of ink (or
ink residue or other debris) forms on the nozzle plate. With solvent-based inks,
spraying a clean wipe with a small amount of appropriate, compatible solvent prior to
wiping may be helpful.
It is very important that the material used for a face-wipe be of a non-abrasive, non
particle or non fiber shedding material. It is important that the wiping material be clean,
non woven, non fibrous, non shedding, and hasn’t been left in an area exposed to air-
borne dust and dirt, or other sources of contamination. Oils, and in particular, silicone
oils, must not be wiped onto the faceplate. Use a wipe only once; do not reuse wipes.
When it is necessary to perform a face-wipe across the nozzles, the preferred procedure
is to wipe the nozzles in the “process” direction, so that if some debris is collected by
the wipe, the debris is not then dragged across all the rest of the jets. Wipe in a single,
straight (not circular) motion.

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4.2 Automatic Wiping

Automatic wiping is implemented in applications where minimal operator contact with the
printhead is desired and where there is a need for greater control of the maintenance
operation. There are a couple of different approaches for implementing an automatic
wiping function. Sometimes, a “doctor blade” squeegee approach can be used. Dimatix
has had some experience with this method, using a 90 durometer polyurethane squeegee,
cut with a square edge, and applying approximately 2.2 newton (0.5 lb.) force across a 7.6
cm (3 in.) length. As with any material in contact with the jetting fluid, long-term
materials compatibility is essential, and the wiper must be maintained so as to be clean and
have a sharp edge.

5.0 Capping/Sealing
Most solvent inks are volatile or self-drying. They may require capping when not in use to
prevent build-up around nozzles. Periodic jetting of ink while not printing can extend the
time before capping must take place. Elastomeric material selection must consider long-
term materials compatibility. If capping is required, the addition of a vacuum purge
capability to the cap is useful and is often easily implemented.
If capping is not available, or difficult to implement, the following sealing methods may
be simpler solutions.

5.1 If the printhead is to be idle overnight:

1. Perform a long purge.
2. Power down.
3. Cover the printhead:
Wrap the nozzle plate with a clean room wipe then cover with some type of
plastic. Anything that touches the orifice needs to be very clean and be tested
for materials compatibility. Saran™ wrap can be trapped against a soft surface,
which helps to seal it and make it easier for the operator (avoid wrinkles). Poly-
vinylidene Chloride (PVDC or Saran wrap) is not compatible with all solvents.
Polyethylene (PE or Glad Cling wrap) may be used as an alternative. User
should check the compatibility of the wrapping material and the solvent ink,
and find a good material to cap the head.

Seal the printhead and then increase the vapor pressure inside the sealed area to
prevent evaporation of the solvent. This is normally done by pouring some
cleaning solution in the sealed area or jetting in the sealed area. This extra ink
or cleaning solution evaporates, which raises the vapor pressure and prevents
the ink in the nozzles from evaporating. It's very important that a good seal is
made, otherwise the ink dries and clogs the printhead.

4. On power-up, perform a long purge.

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5.2 If the printhead is to be idle for up to 7 days:

1. Keep the temperature as low as possible and certainly below 40°C [104°F].
2. Purge at least X cc of ink through each head every 7 days, where X is the vol-
ume of ink held between the entrance of the lung and the nozzle, and is there-
fore deaerated. X varies according to the printhead, jetting assembly, and ink
supply components used. Refer to the relevant Product Manuals.
3. Cap the nozzle plate if possible. Otherwise, wrap the printhead a clean room
wipe and with plastic wrap (see #3 in section 5.1 above), then seal the print-
head. Make sure the wrap is very smooth and has no wrinkles.

5.3 If the printhead is to be idle longer than 7 days:

1. Purge the printhead empty of ink.
2. Refill with flushing fluid.
3. Wipe the nozzle plate with lint-free wipes wetted with flushing fluid to remove
residual ink.
4. Power down.
5. Cap the nozzle plate if possible. Do not apply tape or adhesives in direct contact
with the nozzles. Otherwise, wrap the printhead with a clean room wipe and
plastic wrap (see #3 in section 5.1 above), then seal.
6. On power-up, purge the head empty to remove the flushing fluid, and refill with
ink.
To bring a head from storage into operation, follow the instructions given in application
note Preparing a New Printhead or Jetting Assembly for Initial Use (AN000031).
When wrapping or sealing is applied to the printhead, do not apply tape or adhesives in
direct contact with the nozzles.

6.0 Printhead Maintenance During Idle Times

Since most solvent inks are volatile or self-drying, it is important to get the “open time”
data from the ink manufacturer. It is advisable to exercise all the jets regularly based on
the “open time”, either by jetting into troughs or outside the printed area, or by random,
infrequent firing into the background. Adding color bars (one printhead per bar)
outside the printed area is also used to solve the “open time” problem. Printing color
bars can make all nozzles jet for each printing swath. Another common method to solve
the “open time” is subpulsing, which sets the fire pulse voltage at 30 volts or lower or
uses a narrow pulse width so ink in the nozzles shakes without jetting.
Some printhead operators have observed that firing all jets for a period of time
(generally 15 minutes or more) at a very low fire frequency (150 to 200 Hertz) seems to
be effective in “pulverizing” large trapped air bubbles inside the printhead, thereby
causing the trapped air to be expelled through jetting. This procedure also allows the
lung a generous amount of time to deaerate incoming ink before that ink moves into the

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printhead. Having well deaerated ink in the printhead is helpful in absorbing and
dispersing trapped air bubbles which might otherwise cause clogged jets.

7.0 Solvent Flushing

For some solvent inks that are particularly prone to drying or have particles that tend to
precipitate out, periodic jetting of ink while not printing can extend the time before solvent
flushing must take place. The selection of this flushing fluid must take into consideration
the flushing fluid's stability, its long-term materials compatibility with the printhead
wetted surfaces, and its miscibility with the jetting fluid.
For more information on flushing, refer to the following Spectra Application Notes:
Preparing a New Printhead or Jetting Assembly for Initial Use (AN000031) and
Preparing a Printhead or Jetting Assembly for Return (AN000032).

8.0 Ink Supply Materials

Use the ink manufacturer’s guide for choosing materials to be used with the solvent ink.
Grades of material sometimes differ, so it is advisable to test the specific grade of material
you plan to use, even if the basic material is on the Compatible list.

9.0 Filtration
The most likely place for gels to form is in the pump, container, or connectors. Dimatix
recommends using a high capacity filter with multiple layers, upstream of the reservoir, to
catch any gels that may form. To prevent “extruding” gels through this filter, the filter
should be changed at regular intervals before a “significant” pressure loss is seen. See
Application Note, AN000011, Ink Delivery System Design for Ink Jet Printers for more
information about filtration.

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