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can anyone help with cadet ink dumping problem?
Firstly; I’d like to thank the regular posters of the forums for their excellent advice and an invaluable resource. Although this is my first posting, i have gained alot from be being a silent reader!
I’m soon to be opening a sign shop and have purchased the following S/H equipment for this mission; A Uniform Cadet SP-750C (running a bulk ink system with ActivaSOL), an Ezy-Taper (1300mm) and various cutting systems etc. I already have an Epson 10600UC (44") which has mainly been used for interior exhibition jobs and Giclée prints and an old Roland PC-60.
Unfortunately; I’m having a problem with the cadet. I haven’t really used it much yet; however, I have printed something everyday and cleaned etc. as instructed. It has started dumping loads of ink into the waste bottle, particularly cyan for some reason!? It’s now dumped x3 full waste bottles! Which has cost me dearly! When the ink is filled it does print well and everything else appears fine?! The firmware was upgraded to v.6.60 but the ink disposal problem started at least a month after that. It seems to dump ink even when off at the mains supply! The cadet has recently been serviced and has had both print heads and many other parts replaced with new. It identifies itself as a Roland SP-300V on the front LCD panel and within Versaworks. Any suggestions would truly be appreciated as I will be reliant upon this machine in the near future.
Thank you in advance for your posts and I look forward to becoming an active member as my skills and experience grow. 😀
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5 Replies
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Hi Tim and welcome 😀
I have a Cadet that runs off ink Cartidges not a bulk ink system. The normal cartidges sit at approx. the same level as the heads and the pump what is the arrangement with the bulk ink conversion?
If the bulk ink system sits higher than the heads and the pump it would suggest to me that there is a possibility that ink would flow under gravity into the waste bottle even when the machine is switched off. As I understand it, the pump used in these machines is a positive displacement which means when switched off there should be no flow through the pump either due to gravity. However, if the pump was faulty and was allowing ink to seep through (and the bulk ink sat at a higher position than the pump) then it seems to me that the ink could be leaking through due to gravity.
All this is guesswork, but I suspect the answer may be to install a new pump. (It’s probably not a bad idea to replace the pump anyway as they have a tendency to rot when used with solvent ink).
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Thanks Phill
Apologies; the cadet is using refillable ink cartridges, for my poor use of terminology! Do you still think the pump is worth replacing?
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Have a look at your waste pipes where they enter the waste collection bottle. They should not be so long that they are below the level of the ink that has been collected. Make sure there is always an air gap between the end of the tubes and the ink level to avoid any possibility of a siphoning action taking place when the machine is switched off
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Thank you Phill,
..It is definitely a bad case of syphoning! Which has also just been confirmed by the engineer. I’m including his comments as it may be of help to others in the future 🙂"Sorry to hear about your machine, but it sounds like you have a bad case of syphoning, this happens when the ink is literally just dripping from the head and it only seems to happen with refillable cartridges for some reason. Most people don’t notice it because the machines are in constant use, but when left off for some time this can happen.
All you can do is to clamp the tube that is coming from the pump into the waste bottle, this will just stop it completely while it’s not in use, but you must remember to remove the clamp before starting up again because the pump is powerful and could explode the pipes.
The reason why it seems to be the cyan more than any other colour is because there isn’t much pigment needed to create this colour.
I wish I could help more, but this is quite common with bulk ink users simply because there is no vacuum in the cartridge like the originals have."Thanks again, TC.
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cheers for that, another reason I think I will stick it out with my cartridges, being pestered like hell to take refillable system but was already concerned!
graeme
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