Revised Maintenance Procedure (5/2004)

 PRINTHEAD CLEANING

 To increase the reliability of the printhead, the following cleaning procedure is recommended. The use of this revised procedure is required to ensure continued warranty coverage of the printhead and the imagesetter.

How to Clean the Printhead:

 1.     Wear latex (non-powder) disposable gloves (part # 540V1106001).

2.     Open 98% isopropyl alcohol cleaning wipes (part # 160V1106001).

3.     With the cleaning wipe, rub the entire length of the printhead.

4.     After cleaning, dispose of all cleaning material.  Do not reuse.

5.     Make sure surface of printhead is completely dry before closing unit.

 

Other Maintenance:

1.     The rubber platen roller should be cleaned regularly to remove any contaminants and/or residue. The simplest method for removing debris from the platen roller is to apply and quickly remove a high tack tape to the rubber surface. The roller should be turned by hand until the entire surface has been cleaned. This method should remove most contaminants. Occasionally, to remove any residue from the platen, a solution of 80% water and 20% isopropyl alcohol can be used with a lint free cloth.

2.     The inside of the unit should be vacuumed and the media conditioner, if installed, should be cleaned thoroughly before loading the next roll of media.

3.     The back and side filters should be checked and cleaned if necessary to ensure good airflow across the thermal printhead.

 

Frequency of cleaning:

The thermal printhead, rollers, media conditioner, and interior of the unit should be cleaned at the end of every roll of media or sooner if required.

The back and side filters should be vacuumed or replaced monthly or sooner if necessary.

Other precautions:

·       The printhead should never come into direct contact with the platen roller (black drive roller). Either film or mylar should be placed between the head and the roller if no media is loaded in the imager.

·       The filters on the back and side of the imager should be checked and cleaned monthly (more often if necessary) to ensure good airflow over the printhead.

·       Do not place media or media hubs directly on floor or other unclean surface. Doing so may cause contaminants to be picked up and introduced into the machine, which can ultimately cause printhead damage.

·       Avoid using the first and last wraps of media on the roll. This portion of the media may contain contaminants due to handling.

·       The front panel of the imager should be opened every 3 months and shavings from the cutter removed with a vacuum.

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