Capping
Ink evaporates if you expose non6firing nozzle plates to the open environment. Vapor loss changes the physical properties of the ink remaining in the area of the nozzle plate. The ink may form viscous plugs that fully or partially clog nozzles.
To reduce the loss of ink vapor and thus prevent the nozzles from drying out when the cartridges sit idle, the service station automatically places a cap over the nozzle plates.
Operation
1Aligning the Caps
Alignment between the cartridge caps and the nozzles is necessary, because the cap seals on a very small area of the cartridge's plate. Misalignment can cause the ink to wick from the cartridge.
The spring6loaded sled aligns directly to the carriage by means of a beveled plate that mates to a notch on the carriage. This notch establishes X and Y alignment. A flat feature on the sled butts against the carriage to establish the Z alignment.
(Checking correct alignment ' chapter 8, w Frequent Cartridge Failure.)
2Sealing the Nozzles
aThe cartridge cap creates a closed volume of air around the nozzles, which is humidified by firing one drop per nozzle.
bThe air volume in the cap is compressed, resulting in a positive pressure at the nozzles. This pressure must be held within a set tolerance. Not enough pressure and the cartridges can leak, too much and the cartridges can deprime.
Spitting
The cartridge fires (spits) ink droplets periodically to keep a clean nozzle condition. Spitting also takes place to humidify the cartridges before capping and to detect missing nozzles. The cartridges spit into spittoons located in the service station area.
Cooling the Electronics
Fan
A single DC fan provides cooling for all electronics inside the electronics enclosure. The fan is processor controlled and runs only when the plotter is plotting. The fan connects to the Main PCA.
5618 FunctionalOverview | C3187690000 |