It has recently come to my attention that many users do not know how to properly clean their printers. I have decided to do a short write up to show you guys how to clean your machine and keep it printing top notch.

Although this is written for a Roland Versacamm the same principles hold up for just about any of the solvent/eco-solvent printers on the market today. They all have heads (Normally Epson), some form of a capping station & wipers. These parts get dirty & ink soaked and need to be cleaned on a regular basis.

"How often do I need to clean my machine?" you ask. Well it really depends on how much printing you do. If you run your machine 8 hours a day you will need to clean it once, maybe twice a day. If you run your machine for an hour a day you may only need to clean it once every couple of days. This is very important and can prevent some parts from pre-mature failure.

What you need to clean your machine
1. Solvent Cleaning Swabs
2. Cleaning Solution
You can purchase both the cleaning solution and swabs from your dealer.

Your first step is to turn on your machine by holding the [CLEANING] button and then pressing the [POWER] button. Your machine should turn on and display the following.



Press [ENTER] and the following message will be displayed.



Now open the maintenance cover by removing the 3 thumb screws and lifting it out.



Press [ENTER] and your print head will move all the way to the left hand side of the machine and you will be able to see the heads where the maintenance cover was.



Take one of your solvent cleaning swabs and place a few drops of cleaning solution on the tip. Wipe around the edge of the heads being careful not to touch the bottom of the heads. Touching the bottom of the heads can push debris into the nozzles and clog them. Using a small flashlight inspect the head for any fuzz or other debris hanging off the edge and remove it.



Once you have finished cleaning your heads open the front cover of your machine by removing the 2 thumb screws at the top. Completely remove the cover and set it aside, the photo only shows it partially open.



Looking into the main carriage of the unit you should see your exposed capping station.



With a fresh cleaning swab (again with a few drops of cleaning solution) clean around the outer edge of the capping station. This is where the head rests when it is parked and needs to remain clean. Failure to clean the around capping station can lead to problems down the road.



Next take your bottle of cleaning solution and fill the capping station to the top with cleaning fluid. Do not over flow the capping station; just fill it to the top. This will help clean the bottom of your heads once the carriage is parked again. Also as the cleaning solution is pumped out of the capping station it will help clean the internals of your pump.



Press the [DOWN ARROW] and your wipers will pop out.



Using a cleaning swab with a few drops of cleaning solution clean only the front side of the wiper, do not clean the felt back side of the wiper. (Note: if you are using full rubber wipers you should clean both front and back of the wipers). The wipers are what clean the bottom of your heads and need to remain clean. You may notice some fuzz build up on the wipers which can be removed with tweezers. If your wipers are sagging, cupping or do not have a straight edge they should be replaced.



Close the front cover of your machine and press [ENTER]. The following message will display on your front panel while the machine goes through a cleaning cycle.



Once the cleaning cycle has completed the following message will appear on your front panel.



Place the maintenance cover back on and press [ENTER]. The machine will now power off and you have completed your cleaning.

Once you get this process down it takes only a few minutes. I cannot stress how important it is to clean your machine on a regular basis. Cleaning your machine will extend the life of many of the components and keep you up and running for longer periods of time. Clean components will also keep you from wasting materials and reduce the amount of random ink drops you get on your prints.

Feel free to respond here with any questions.  

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ALL RIGHT!!

This is great! And now I know what a capping station is too!

Thanks very much Barry

hahaha... I wrote that for you Paula... Well not only you, but I knew you were having problems cleaning your machine.. Things will run much smoother for you once you get it clean.

That is the best cleaning article with pictures i have seen to date.. great writeup. thanks alot. i didnt know about filling the capping station with cleaner. might try that if nothing else works.

"CLOSE COVER DRY UP OF HEAD MAY GIVE DAMAGE"

Message received right after removing maintenance cover and pressing enter

Close the clear plastic cover. The heads wont move to the other side of the machine until you do.

Figgered it out.....I started to remove the FRONT cover too soon (loosened the thumb screws), there is a micro-switch that must remain depressed to keep the machine happy.

I usually plug the micro switch with a cleaning swab... Im not saying do this, but it can be done.

Where do you get the cleaning fluid - they told me to use one of my 4 cleaning catridges? i can't get it open. Is this ok to do.
Please reply
Thanks

You can buy the cleaningn fluid from your dealer, if your dealer does not carry the cleaning fluid you can get it from Nu-Sign, I know that they carry it.

You can open up one of the cleaning carts, but it is a real pain in the butt and can make a big mess. Personally I would just recommend buying it in a bottle.