Ink Station Repair:

The capping/ink station is a critical part of how an AM.CO.ZA Large Format Printer, which is available from buythis.co.za works. It includes the cap which is responsible for protecting and cleaning the printhead. Those operations are controlled by a motor that drives the station up and down. If that motor doesn’t work the printhead can neither be capped (protection against drying) nor cleaned. To unmount the motor from the ink station for replacement, four screws holding the station have to be loosened. A new motor can then be mounted cutting and joining the cables with proper insulation.

Conversion to Sublimation Ink Printing:

The arm that houses the ink tubes can be disconnected from the carriage, after removing the carriage board, so that the process of removing old ink pipes is easier and faster. To minimize ink leakage, use a syringe to drain all the leftover ink from the tubes then use a cigarette lighter to seal both ends before pulling the pipes out. A fresh set of pipes can then be fed into the trunking after which one can the secure the arm back onto the carriage.

On the ink tank side, connect 4 new filters onto 4 pipes that run into the 4 CMYK ink tanks. It is advisable to use new tanks but when that cannot be achieved make sure the old ones are thoroughly cleaned before using them with the new ink. The same set of pipes should be used on the carriage side connecting 6 dampers in KYCCMM format. 2 Y-Connectors are needed to split the Cyan and Magenta into 2 each. The cap and ink pump, which are both consumables, can be changed if need be.

Pour ink into the tanks to about 50% of their total capacity so as to manage the pressure exerted on the dampers. Use a syringe to pull ink into the respective dampers fitting them onto the printhead in the format KYCMCM. For the channels with Y connectors fold the right-hand pipe such that it’s airtight then pull ink into the left-hand damper. Once done repeat the process to pull ink into the right-hand damper whilst folding the left-hand pipe.

The printer can then be turned on. Since the motor had been replaced the capping height and position should first be adjusted via the Cap Height option under Station Setup. Proceed to do Maintenance by executing Manual Pump + Wipe Nozzle and/or Clean Nozzle.

Use the Nozzle Test to confirm if all 6 printhead channels fire properly and that indicates a successful conversion.