Looking for a Mimaki engineer in the Peterborough area

[Stafford Cox]

Hi Jon.

You are right, there is a capping alignment in the service mode. However, you shouldn’t need to running having just replaced the cap, only if you’ve done the capping base or cap slider. What makes you think you need to replace all the dampers? Genuine ones (which are the only ones I’d recommend using), are about £30 a pop and you have 8 of them. They last for years!!

Stafford

[Jon Miller]

Thanks for the prompt response Stafford. 🙂

Just going by what the engineers at a firm have said would normally be carried out in the service. Are there any obvious signs to look for to show that any of the dampers need replacing?
The printer is 5 years old now.

But yes, everything seems to be working ok but the capping sponge and the sponge next to it need replacing. Can you replace just the capping sponge or is it best to replace the whole cap top/sponge combo?

[Stafford Cox]

All the capping components can be bought separately but as with all these parts, make sure you get genuine ones. They’re more expensive but last a lot longer in my experience.

The sponges are consumable and come in packs of 10 and are part number SPA-0161. You also get a sponge when you buy a complete assembly so that might be an option. Whenever I fit them I give the whole thing a strip down and clean out as they do tend to leak from time to time, especially when running the pump clean or nozzle wash frequently.

The compression dampers develop either a weak valve or stretched o ring. Other than that, the occasional split membrane but you’d know about it if that happened.

I’ve attached an exploded diagram of the capping station, let me know if you have any other questions.

Stafford.

---

Attachments:

[Jon Miller]

That’s great, thank you. i was trying to find a parts fiche but couldn’t see one. Out of interest, do you have a link to the whole printer so I can see where all the bits and pieces are
I think I will replace parts 1,2,9 & 10 then(guessing 9&10 are a spring of some sort so figure it can’t hurt to refresh those)

If you say that part 1 can be installed without needing any alignment or specialist work then I shall get them ordered in.
Are there any manual or instructions available on how to replace these? Unless straight forward – I haven’t examined on how they may come apart yet, only to see that they need changing 🙂

Many thanks

[Stafford Cox]

No problem. I wouldn’t bother with 9 & 10 to be honest. Whenever I do them on customers machines I use the bung from the original cap and have never had to replace one of the springs on any of the machines I see. And in 20 years of maintaining them, there’s a few 🙂

I can’t send you the whole diagram as I’ll be strung up but I can certainly look up any parts you might need. We’ve got all those parts in stock but not sending out any more parts this year as our courier turn up after 4 and I’m hoping to have closed the office WAY before then 😉 If you’re stuck though we can help in the new year.

Stafford

[Jon Miller]

I figured that may be the case re. the diagram.

Thank you, not sure what your company is so please feel free to message it to me. (not sure if you can post it here on the open forum)

Hope you enjoy the festive season and thanks for your help!

Jon

[Stafford Cox]

Thanks Jon. I’m certainly not allowed to mention on here and can’t message people either. If you have any questions at all, post them on here and I’ll have a look when I can.

Happy Xmas to you too.

Stafford

[Jon Miller]

Hi Stafford,

Happy New Year to you.
I have received the new cap top. Do you have any installation advice before I fit it? (I haven’t examined it yet so do not know how simple or not it is or if there are certain ways to undo bits/tabs, but thought I would ask beforehand anyway seeing as you will have done many I imagine)

Kind regards,

Jon

[Stafford Cox]

Hi Jon.

It’s not a particularly difficult job to do, just a bit fiddly. Just swap them like for like really and don’t forget to swap the little blue bung on the bottom over.

Stafford

[Jon Miller]

Ok, thanks buddy