Professional Documents
Culture Documents
AN000009 - Rev03 - Printhead Maintenance with Solvent ink - - 噴頭維護 (Solvent)
AN000009 - Rev03 - Printhead Maintenance with Solvent ink - - 噴頭維護 (Solvent)
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
printhead. Having well deaerated ink in the printhead is helpful in absorbing and
dispersing trapped air bubbles which might otherwise cause clogged jets.
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.