Rebuilding the printer. How does a fabric printer work? Finished Goods Care
IN Lately I was looking for ways to make PCB fabrication easier. About a year ago, I came across an interesting page that described the process of modifying an Epson inkjet printer for printing on thick materials, incl. on copper textolite. The article described the completion of the Epson C84 printer, however, I had an Epson C86 printer, but because Since the mechanics of Epson printers, I think everyone is similar, I decided to try to upgrade my printer.
In this article, I will try to describe in as much detail as possible, step by step, the process of upgrading the printer for printing on copper-plated textolite.
Necessary materials:
- Well, of course, you will need the Epson C80 family printer itself.
- a sheet of aluminum or steel material
- clamps, bolts, nuts, washers
- a small piece of plywood
- epoxy or superglue
- ink (more on that later)
Instruments:
- grinder (Dremel, etc.) with a cutting wheel (you can try a small monkey)
- various screwdrivers, wrenches, hexagons
- drill
- hot air gun
Step 1. Disassemble the printer
The first thing I did was to remove the rear paper output tray. After that, you need to remove the front tray, side panels and then the main body.
The photos below show the detailed process of disassembling the printer:
Step 2. Remove the internal elements of the printer
After the printer case is removed, it is necessary to remove some of the internal elements of the printer. First, you need to remove the paper feed sensor. In the future, we will need it, so do not damage it when removing it.
Then, it is necessary to remove the central pressure rollers, because. they can interfere with PCB feeding. In principle, the side rollers can also be removed.
And finally, you need to remove the printhead cleaning mechanism. The mechanism is held on by latches and is removed very simply, but when removing, be very careful, because. It has different tubes.
Disassembly of the printer is complete. Now let's start his "lifting".
Step 3: Remove the printhead platform
We begin the process of upgrading the printer. Work requires accuracy and the use of protective equipment (eyes must be protected!).
First you need to unscrew the rail, which is screwed with two bolts (see photo above). Unscrewed? We put it aside, we will still need it.
Now notice the 2 bolts near the head cleaning mechanism. We also unscrew them. However, on the left side it is done a little differently, where you can cut off the fasteners.
To remove the entire platform with the head, first, carefully inspect everything and mark with a marker those places where it will be necessary to cut the metal. And then carefully cut the metal with a hand grinder (Dremel, etc.)
Step 4: Cleaning the print head
This step is optional, but since the printer has been completely disassembled, it's best to clean the print head right away. Moreover, there is nothing complicated in this. For this purpose, I used ordinary ear sticks and glass cleaner.
Step 5: Installing the Printhead Platform Part 1
After everything is disassembled and cleaned, it is time to assemble the printer, taking into account the necessary clearance for printing on textolite. Or as the jeepers say "lifting" (i.e. lifting). The amount of lifting depends entirely on the material you are going to print on. In my modification of the printer, I planned to use a steel material feeder with textolite attached to it. The thickness of the material supply platform (steel) was 1.5 mm, the thickness of the foil textolite, from which I usually made boards, was also 1.5 mm. However, I decided that the head shouldn't press too hard on the material, so I chose around 9mm for the gap. Moreover, sometimes I print on double-sided textolite, which is slightly thicker than single-sided.
In order to make it easier for me to control the level of lift, I decided to use washers and nuts, the thickness of which I measured with a caliper. Also, I bought some long bolts and nuts for them. I started with the front feed system.
Step 6 Installing the Printhead Platform Part 2
Before installing the print head platform, small jumpers must be made. I made them from the corners, which I sawed into 2 parts (see photo above). Of course, you can make them yourself.
After, I marked the holes for drilling in the printer. The bottom holes are easy to mark and drill. Then, immediately screwed the brackets into place.
The next step is to mark and drill the upper holes in the platform, this is somewhat more difficult to do, because. everything should be on the same level. To do this, I put a couple of nuts at the docking points of the platform with the base of the printer. Using a level, make sure the platform is level. We mark the holes, drill and tighten with bolts.
Step 7 "Lifting" the print head cleaning mechanism
When the printer finishes printing, the head is "parked" in the head cleaning mechanism where the head nozzles are cleaned to prevent them from drying out and clogging. This mechanism also needs to be raised a little.
I fixed this mechanism with the help of two corners (see photo above).
Step 8: Feed System
At this stage, we will consider the manufacturing process of the supply system and the installation of the material supply sensor.
When designing the feed system, the first problem was the installation of a material feed sensor. Without this sensor, the printer would not function, but where and how to install it? As the paper passes through the printer, this sensor tells the printer controller when the top of the paper passes, and based on this data, the printer calculates the exact position of the paper. The feed sensor is a conventional photo sensor with an emitting diode. When passing paper (in our case material), the beam in the sensor is interrupted.
For the sensor and feed system, I decided to make a platform out of plywood.
As you can see in the photo above, I glued several layers of plywood together in order to make the feed flush with the printer. In the far corner of the platform, I fixed the feed sensor through which the material will pass. In the plywood, I made a small cut to insert the sensor.
The next task was the need to make guides. For this, I used aluminum corners, which I glued to plywood. It is important that all angles are clearly 90 degrees and the guides are strictly parallel to each other. As a feed material, I used an aluminum sheet, on which copper-plated textolite will be laid and fixed for printing.
I made the material feed sheet from an aluminum sheet. I tried to make the sheet size approximately equal to A4 format. After reading a little on the Internet about the operation of the paper feed sensor and the printer as a whole, I found out that for the printer to work correctly, it is necessary to make a small cutout in the corner of the material feed sheet so that the sensor works a little later than the feed rollers start spinning. The length of the cut was about 90mm.
After everything was done, I fixed a regular sheet of paper on the feed sheet, installed all the drivers on the computer and made a test print on a regular sheet.
Step 9: Refill the ink cartridge
The last part of the printer modification is devoted to ink. Conventional Epson ink is not resistant to chemical processes that occur during etching of the printed circuit board. Therefore, special ink is needed, they are called Mis Pro yellow ink. However, this ink may not be suitable for other printers (non-Epson), because. other types of printheads may be used there (Epson uses a piezoelectric printhead). The online store inksupply.com has delivery to Russia.
In addition to ink, I bought new cartridges, although of course you can use the old ones if you wash them well. Naturally, to refill the cartridges, you will also need an ordinary syringe. Also, I bought a special device for resetting printer cartridges (blue in the photo).
Step 10. Tests
Now let's move on to the print tests. In the design program, I made several blanks for printing, with tracks of various thicknesses.
You can judge the quality of the print from the photos above. Below is a video of the print:
Step 11 Etching
For etching boards made by this method, only a solution of ferric chloride is suitable. Other etching methods (copper sulfate, hydrochloric acid, etc.) may corrode Mis Pro yellow ink. When etching with ferric chloride, it is better to heat the printed circuit board with a heat gun, this speeds up the etching process, and so on. less ink layer "sits down".
The heating temperature, proportions and duration of etching are selected empirically.
Small business, which is based on the idea of printing on fabric: T-shirts, canvases, tablecloths, is gaining more and more popularity in the post-Soviet space. People love bright, exclusive things at a low price and willingly use the services of printing on textile materials. In order for the image to be high-quality, high-resolution, the question of choosing a special printer should be the main task of the entrepreneur: this is what will make you a name and generate income. If a fabric printer is purchased for home use, do not rush to spend your hard-earned money. There are several reasons for this.
Another thing is if the purpose of the acquisition textile printer –starting or expanding a business . In this case, downtime and drying out of the device are not threatened, just the volume and resource of the printer are important. With a print volume of about 200-300 products per day or small batches, but within 3-5 years without loss of quality, you need to think about purchasing professional equipment. A printer based on Epson 4880 with A2 print format belongs to the category of pros. The ability to draw small patterns in combination with the ability to fill large areas (40 by 80 cm) allows you to work with many materials: cotton, linen, leather, silk, knitwear. This model will cost the buyer 500-600 thousand rubles, while being the most reliable option in the line of Epson textile printers. The parts in the model are mostly metal, and the print resource is an impressive 20,000 prints. On the Russian market there are several more worthy models of the pro class:
Epson F2000, several DTX-400 models from DecoPrint, a couple of models from Brother, Kornit, American I-Dot, and Texjet from Polyprint. When choosing a printing device, it is necessary to pay attention to the possibility and cost of service: the printer is a complex device, repairs and maintenance should be carried out in a service center by professionals. Be sure to ask the sellers how they work in case of a need for warranty repairs.
Refueling and repair
Brother and Epson F2000 printers do not allow the use of non-original consumables. The manufacturer guarantees the quality and reliability of the device only if original cartridges are used, which the user must buy as soon as the old ones are over. But the price of the original Supplies for all printing devices, without exception, is prohibitively high, so be sure to check with the nearest before buying service centers the presence of ink and the possibility of refilling cartridges. When choosing a printer for textiles, pay attention to the number of colors - this will significantly save on refills or replacing cartridges in the future. For high-quality full-color printing, 4 colors (black, cyan, magenta, yellow) are enough, one cartridge per color, and four cartridges per white. White has the highest consumption. When choosing a textile printer for 8-9 colors, remember that print quality and brightness will not change much, and ink costs will double. The most common problem with ink printers has been and still is drying ink while idle when the printer is not being used.
To prevent clogging and drying of the nozzles, the printers are equipped with an ink recycling system and micro-cleaning during inactivity. Recirculation does not allow the ink to pass the full path from the cartridge to the spray nozzles and can only save you from thickening the ink, but not from drying out the print head. The function is useful, but the danger does not eliminate. Much more important is the presence of a micro-cleaning function in the device: in automatic mode and without your participation, the printer itself will skip the ink from the cartridges to the nozzles. Yes, a small amount of ink will go down the drain, but the user will protect his printer from a serious problem.
Sometimes the drying of pigment ink in the nozzles cannot be completely eliminated, and the only way out is to replace the print head, the cost of which is comparable to the price of a new printer. It is worth paying attention to the package of delivery of the printer: what is included in its package. An unpleasant surprise from many printer manufacturers may be the lack of basic kit when buying printer ink. Printing without ink will not work, so you will have to look for high-quality ink in specialized stores. It is not worth saving on ink - the quality of your products and the life of your device directly depend on the quality of consumables. As in cars: a sports car will not give out full power on bad fuel, and the power unit will quickly become unusable.
Textile printer - choose wisely
Important nuances that you need to pay attention to when buying a textile printer:
- format and resolution;
- estimated circulation;
- brand (manufacturer);
- the number of flowers and the possibility of refueling in the future;
— the declared resource of printing of the device;
- compatibility with operating systems and programs that you use at work, the availability of drivers;
- power usage;
- the weight of the device.
Do not make spontaneous purchases - carefully study the offers, read the forums, seek advice from service engineers: they will give comprehensive information about the weaknesses of a particular model. The comfort of your work with a textile printer, maintenance costs and its service life depend on this.
Converting an Epson printer
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Manual printer, description, settings and use
Created on 07/02/2018 19:37
Besheng manual printer user manual
Besheng Portable Inkjet Printer User Manual
Catalog
Summarize
Packing list
Product Specifications
Button introduction
Operation Introduction
Solving a common problem
Warranty card
Maintenance record
ⅰsummarize
Besheng printer designed with thermopneumatic spray nozzle, which can be printed on block board, box, stone, medium density fiber board, stainless steel, pipe, metal, plastic, aluminum foil, cable, etc.
Spray print contains English, Chinese, number, symbol, QR code, barcode, image, time, date. In addition, the portable inkjet printer can also be directly inserted into the U disk to import information. Compared with other expensive handheld portable printers, "Besheng pocket printer is much more suitable for small batch production.
Package List
No. Model name Quantity Photo
1 Besheng 1 (附图) portable inkjet printer
2 Ink cartridge 1 (附图)
3 Power supply 1 (附图)
4 U disk 1 (附图)
Ⅲ Product specification
Model name Besheng handheld printer Data storage information More than 1000mb
size 110mm*90mm*230mm Spray speed At 300 DPI, up to 76m/min 中文版是 70m
Spray font High definition font, bitmap font Cartridge volume 45ml 中文版是 42ml
Spray image Input with U disk External interface U disk
Print Accuracy 300dpi standard resolution, 600dpi quality, bold way to control 3.5 inch touch screen
Spray line 1~7 lines adjustable Weight 550g (including ink and battery)
Font height 2mm ~ 13mm (adjustable) System power consumption Average below 5W
Spray distance 2~5mm
(Distance from atomizer and atomizer) Ambient temperature 0 ~ 40, humidity 10% ~ 80%
360 degree spray direction
360 Degree All Season Spray Base Material Blockboard, Cardboard, Stone, MDF, Steel, Pipe, Metal, Plastic, Aluminum, Cable, Paper
Serial number 1 ~ 8 variable Power 2600mAh 应该写具体电源参数 DC8.4V-2A, lithium battery stand: 15 hours, printing 7 hours
Ink Type Solvent ink and water-based ink Color black ink
Ⅳ Button Introduction (附图)
ⅤOperation Introduction
1. How to install the ink cartridge (附图)
Turn off the portable printer when installing an ink cartridge. Press the side switch and then insert it into the slot.
2. Power switch (附图)
3. Editing interface (附图)
"LOCK": In the locked state, content cannot be dragged.
"DRAG": Press "LOCK" to enter the "DRAG" state, drag the content to any position. To adjust the font size to the best possible, add up to seven lines.
"+ADD": Add text, image, time, etc.
"EDIT": first click the edit text, then click "EDIT", enter into the editing interface. You can customize the size
Pitch, font format and dot matrix.
"DEL": delete the current text.
"SET": system setting. Generally, no need to change settings, standard printing - quality - black, look at the customization needs.
"Management": create a new template to save information content.
"Clear NOZZ": Nozzle cleaning function.
4. Adjustment, Nozzle adjustment cleaning
1) Clean Nozzles (上面写了这里便可去掉): Click Cleaning Nozzle to achieve cleaner nozzle function.
2) Press the "SET" button, enter the screensaver settings.
Prejet: "Close" means "Turn off the quick cleanup feature".
"No movement" means just press the "Print" button before printing to quickly clear the nozzle function.
5. Print Accuracy Adjustment
CTL printing: "Standard" means 300dpi, "Quality" means 600dpi, "Bold" means bold.
6. Setting the print direction
"L->R" means printing from left to right.
"R->L" means printing from right to left.
7. Delay setting
By adjusting the print delay interval, the smaller the value, the shorter the delay.
8. Time setting
Click the "Set Time" button, you can reset the system time.
9. Language setting
Language includes EN / S CN / T CN / Czech. (Language update)
Language includes EN / S CN / T CN / Czech. (Language update in SETTING)
10. Information management
Click the "Manage" button, you can store different content information templates. You can switch to your content at any time.
"New" means you can set up a new template by typing in the information you want to print. It will automatically save.
"Copy" means copying the same template
"Rename" means renaming the template.
"DEL" means deleting a file.
"Select" means to select a file.
11. ADD button
Select your file including text, QR code, BAR code, image, time and quantity.
12. TEXT button
Press "TEXT" button, you can add Chinese, English, number and date
Text font:
Enter text font, there are three vector fonts and three kinds of Bitmap fonts. Bitmap fonts are customizable.
Vector Font Effects:
Character Size Adjustment: (字符大小调节)
The first sliding bar to adjust the size of the current text. Or directly enter the value, range: 20 to 180
Setting bitmap fonts:
Click the "Vector font" switch to "Bitmap font". Second sliding bar to adjust the size of the current text. Or directly enter the value, range: 5p, 7p, 11p, 16p, 24p, 32p. Small dot, middle dot, big dot. For Chinese, it can only print from 11p and 16p.
Character spacing adjustment:
The third slider can adjust the spacing between each character.
13. Install QR code
Press "QR", you can enter website, number, text, etc. If you need to enter the code of the wechat site and the website, you need to enter "picture".
14. BAR code setting
Press "BAR", then enter the number. You can choose from five types of barcode. Including Code128, code39, EAN8/13, UPCA, ITF (2of5)
15. Image adjustment
The steps are as follows:
1) The largest size is 800px * 150px (px means pixel). First you need to set the image size.
2) Use system window accessories - paint, Save as type will be "Monochrome Bitmap (*.bmp, *.dib)".
3) Then enter the image into U-disk. U connected to a portable printer, then click "Pic" to select a file from the u disk.
16. Time setting
Click the "Time" button, it will print the current time.
17. Calculate setting
Click CNT. Calculator: counter, serial number, the number of records to print, click on the parameter settings, 1-8 bit variable sequence number, end value up to 99999999.
18. Print operation
Turn on the power switch, after the system starts, press the print button on the handle. Blue light means printing. During printing, you must press the button. The prompt "Di" will be displayed during printing and after printing.
Note. Recently, the printer's main menu has been updated, there will be some difference between specification and operation. But the actual function does not have any changes, we will have a subsequent update in the future.
Attention:
2) Add "Prejet" function.
Select "No Motion" in the preview. Then you can click the print button before printing. It will quickly clear the nozzle.
ⅥImplementation of a common problem
1. What should I do if the printer cannot print?
1) Check if the data is displayed on the printer. Check if the printer displays the displayed data or not.
2) Please check if the printer rubber is loose or dropped.
3) Please check whether the ink cartridges have ink
2. How to deal with illegible or missing pins (with broken cross bars)?
1) Click "Clear NOZZ" first.
2) Then adjust the ink cartridge to let the ink flow out and empty the bubble.
3) Use detergent t to clean the ink cartridge head and clean up debris together.
4) Please contact the manufacturer if they still cannot solve the problem.
3. How to do when the nozzle leaks into the liquid?
There will be some leakage when using an ink cartridge. Because it will ensure that the ink cartridge can be used.
For a long time, please seal the cartridge with a special cap. Be careful not to damage the nozzle.
If nozzle leakage is severe, contact your supplier for service.
4. What is the difference between water-based inks and solvent inks?
The water-based ink is made from Chinese ink. Support materials include non-coated (frosted) boxes, fabrics, and other absorbent materials.
Soluble ink is made from imported quick-drying ink. Support materials include food, beverage, cosmetics, household products, plastics, glass, metal, pipe, stone, wood board, MDF, aluminum foil, cable, leather, paper box and other materials.
*NOTE. Water-based ink cartridge and solvent cartridge are not common. Only the manual printer is supported.
5. What is the capacity of the ink cartridge? How long can I use it?
Ink cartridge - 42 ml. Currently only black ink. (replace the entire cartridge if ink runs out)
The cartridge can print over 300,000 characters. The service life depends on the actual use. Some people may use several months, but some people may use more than one year. Our cartridge is extremely durable with high resolution. Using the appropriate ink cartridge protection cap, it will effectively prevent clogging and prolong the service life.
6. How much does an ink cartridge cost?
One set of pocket printer is equipped with one ink cartridge. For solvents, the ink costs rmb300. For water-based ink, it costs rmb200.
7. What fonts does it include? If the size can be adjusted?
Handheld printers, also known as portable printers, can transfer prints with them, lightweight and easy to operate. An inkjet printer is different from an online printer. It is suitable for companies that do not require high speed production. A specific size is required to print a product. The font includes three vector fonts and three bitmap fonts. Bitmap fonts are customizable. You can print text, QR code, BAR code, image, time and quantity. The picture and logo need to be pasted into the U disk.
8. What is the font height range?
The range is 2mm ~ 13mm (0.0789" ~ 0.0512" adjustable). It can print 7 lines, but the font will be small. For every line maximum height single-line fonts is 13 mm; the total length is 250 mm.
9. Can we erase it?
You can wipe it with a special cleaning liquid. Most inks can be wiped off, some products can be wiped off with a damp towel or alcohol. Different materials depend on the specific situation. It is easy to wash on a smooth surface.
10. Can it print QR code and BAR code?
If you print numbers and letters, you can enter them directly on the machine.
If you want to scan to a website or wechat, you must convert it to an image (*.bmp, *.dib).
Follow picture setting NO.15 in part five "Introduction".
11. Can it print on small objects or uneven surface?
Yes, you can print with our special metal part. Small items such as bottle caps or recessed bottoms and curved surfaces.
12. How to save the cartridge if we don't print for a long period?
1) Turn off the manual printer.
2) Apply soft and clean paper or cloth to the front of the nozzle and save it with the special cover. Pay attention not to damage the ink cartridge head.
3) To prevent dust intrusion, store the machine in a dry place and keep it in a temperature range of 5°C to 40°C.
13. How to deal with illegible or missing pins (horizontal broken stripes)?
1) Use a dry cloth to wipe from top to bottom. Set Print Precision to Quality.
2) At the start of printing, you need to click "prejet". The best spray printing effect will be achieved after several successive prints.
3) If it cannot spray paint, the nozzle may be dried. Take out the ink cartridge and wrap it in paper towel.
4) The ink cartridge has its own protective cover. Every time you use it, you must store it with an exclusive lid. It can also prevent clogging of the nozzle and prolong the service life.
14.Introduction of quick-drying ink cartridge
1) At the beginning of interval printing (not continuous), the first word may be blurry.
Because of the quick-drying ink, the entire pocket printer responds to the same issues.
2) Add "Prejet" function.
Select "No Motion" in the preview. Then you can press the print button 3 seconds before printing. It will quickly clear the nozzle. Same as clicking "Clear NOZZ". (Pay attention to spray direction)
If you want a deeper color, choose "quality" or "bold".
15. Placement angle
To prevent the nozzles from drying out, the nozzles are positioned downwards when the inkjet printer is not in use.
(As shown below) (附图)
16. Will the system be stopped when using?
Now the system is updated to the latest version of the situation if the system is stopped with the previous version. If there is still a problem, you can delete all templates and create a new one.
Ⅶ Warranty card
1. Warranty: 12 months. Free Maintenance during warranty period, except for wearing.
2. Any of the following circumstances is not covered by the warranty.
1) Not used, stored or protected as described in the manual.
2) Divide the machine without the permission of the manufacturer.
3) No warranty card or unauthorized modification of the warranty card.
4) The model in the warranty card does not match the product type.
5) caused by force majeure.
6) Agreed to another agreement.
7) Without the use of company consumables.
Information for buyers
Model No.:
Client Name:
Manufacturer information
The name of the company:
The contact person:
Warranty period: DATE / MONTH / YEAR TO DATE / MONTH / YEAR
Manufacturer's signature:
(To ensure timely and efficient service, please keep this warranty card and show it when it is repaired.)
The simplest, most affordable and most effective method of making printed circuit boards at home is the so-called "laser-iron" (or LUT). The description of this method can be easily found by the corresponding keywords, so we will not dwell on it in detail, we will only note that in the simplest version, all that is needed is access to a laser printer and the most ordinary iron (not counting the usual materials for etching circuit boards). So, there are no alternatives for this method?
When developing a variety of electronic devices used, for example, when testing monitors, we used several methods for mounting electronic components. At the same time, printed circuit boards as such were not always used, since when creating prototypes and devices in a single copy (and often it turned out to be both), subject to inevitable errors and modifications, it is often more profitable and more convenient to use factory-made prototyping boards, performing wiring with a thin stranded wire in Teflon insulation. Even the most famous companies do this in a similar way, which is demonstrated by the prototype of the AIBO toy robot from Sony.
The stores sell relatively cheap double-sided tinned and even with plated holes and a protective mask on the jumpers, breadboards of very high quality.
Note that such prototyping boards make it possible to achieve a high mounting density without much effort, since there is no need to take care of the wiring of the conductive tracks. However, for example, when developing power blocks and when using elements with non-standard pin spacing or their geometry, as well as when using surface-mounted elements (which we do not do yet), it becomes difficult to use ready-made prototyping boards.
As an alternative to prototyping boards, we used the methods of cutting the foil in the gaps between the conductive pads and the mentioned LUT method. The first method is applicable only in the case of the most simple options wiring, but does not require anything at all, except for a sharp knife and a ruler. The LUT method gave generally good results, but some variety was desired. We considered the using method too laborious and requiring the use of caustic chemicals, which is not always acceptable at home. The case allowed us to learn about another way - about the method of direct inkjet printing of a template on foil-coated fiberglass ( keywords to search for English language- Direct to PCB Inkjet Printing).
The method is divided into the following steps:
- Proper seal pigmented
- Thermal fixing of the printed template. In this case, the ink becomes resistant to the etching solution.
- Removing ink from the printed circuit board.
There is also an alternative:
- Printing in general any printed circuit board template ink directly on foil fiberglass using, as a rule, a modified inkjet printer.
- Powdered toner from a laser printer/copier is sprayed onto the still wet ink, and the excess toner is removed.
- Thermal fixing of the printed template. This fuses the toner and securely adheres to the foil.
- Etching of unpatterned sections of the foil in the usual way, for example, using ferric chloride III.
- Removing caked toner from the printed circuit board.
We did not consider the second option because of the reluctance to work with powder toner, which can stain everything around with an accidental wrong movement or sneeze. All of the implemented direct inkjet template printing methods that we found used Epson inkjet printers. Also, the type of ink, or rather the type of dye used in them - pigment, we are steadily associated with printers of this manufacturer, so we started the search for a suitable printer from the Epson catalog. Apparently, Epson has, or at least had, models that can print on media up to 2.4 mm thick (and not only CD / DVDs), for example, the Epson Stylus Photo R800, but this the model is no longer produced, but we did not know in advance whether it would be possible to use something from modern analogues (obviously not cheap). As a result, it was decided to look for the cheapest model that uses pigment ink. The model was found - Epson Stylus S22. This printer turned out to be the cheapest among all Epson printers - the price for it was less than 1500 rubles, then, however, it grew noticeably: in Moscow retail (the ruble equivalent is in the tooltip) - N / A (0) .
A cursory inspection revealed the need for significant changes to the design of the printer, as it provided for printing on flexible media with its bending as it moved from the top loading tray to the output tray. The sequential modification described below was synthesized from several iterations, since after the next assembly it turned out that certain changes needed to be made to the design. Therefore, the possibility of small inaccuracies in the description of this process cannot be ruled out. The modification has two main goals. Firstly, to ensure a straight line without bends and height differences, the media supply, for which you need to change, but actually re-create the input and output trays. Secondly, to provide the ability to print on thick materials - up to 2 mm, for which it is necessary to raise the assembly with the print head and its guide slide. So:
1. Unscrew the two screws on the rear wall and remove the casing, releasing the latches with which it still clings to the bottom.
2. Disconnect the control panel cable from the main board, unscrew the two self-tapping screws securing the control panel,
release the cable from the control panel and set it aside. It is still useful, unlike the casing of the case.
3. Unscrew the 4 screws of the paper feed unit, release the wires going to the carriage motor, press the feed roller gear lock, remove the feed roller stand and the entire feed unit, remove the paper side clamp - these parts will no longer be useful.
4. Unscrew the self-tapping screw on the absorbent pad tray and on the power supply, disconnect the drain hose from the tray and the cable from the PSU on the main board, remove the absorbent pad tray and the PSU. Put them aside - still useful.
5. Unscrew the two self-tapping screws of the strip with the rollers pressing the outgoing sheet, remove this assembly and move it to a pile with “extra” parts.
6. On the right, unscrew the self-tapping screw and the screw securing the sled along which the print head moves.
Remove the spring that presses the sled.
Remove the carriage ruler spring (tapes with strokes) and the ruler itself.
Unscrew the two screws securing the main board,
and press it away from the slide (be careful with the paper sensor!). Unscrew the screw securing the sled, located under the main board.
On the left, unscrew the self-tapping screw securing the sled.
Disconnect the feed motor connector (J7) from the main board.
Disconnect the spring on the left side of the sled.
Remove the slide assembly with the print carriage and main board.
7. On the left, unscrew the self-tapping screw of the broach shaft lock,
remove the shaft and its retainer.
8. Remove all additional guides at the beginning of the broach, which are attached to the latches.
9. Using a blade from a hacksaw for metal and needle files, cut a window in the bottom from the side racks, to the bottom of the feed tray and to the feed shaft. It is convenient to use the existing grooves and holes in the bottom. Cut off the burrs with a knife, remove the sawdust.
10. Now you need to create a direct feed tray. To do this, you can use two pieces of aluminum corner 10 by 10 mm 250 mm long and part of the original paper support in the input tray (you can use any rigid plate of a suitable size). The corners are attached with M3 countersunk screws as shown in the photos below. On the vertical planes of the printer case, to which the corners are attached, grooves should be cut out so that the input tray can be moved slightly up and down to fine-tune its position.
On the right corner, you need to cut off the vertical corner, otherwise the right pressure roller will rest against it. Also on the pallet you need to cut a groove opposite the paper sensor (although, apparently, you can not do this).
And put a piece of the tube on the antenna of the paper sensor, thereby lengthening it a little.
11. Disconnect the feed shaft position sensor (one screw), cut off the stopper on the sensor housing, and fix it by sliding it as far down as possible.
During subsequent assembly, check that the disk with strokes is placed in the middle of the sensor slot and does not touch its edges.
12. Under the three attachment points of the sled, place a two washers with a hole of 4 mm each 1 mm thick. When using wide washers in two places, they need to be filed so that they do not rest against the body elements.
13. Remove the pressure rollers, put on them 2-3 layers (at least 3 layers on the central pair of rollers) of a heat-shrinkable tube with shrinkage of the intermediate layers with a hot air gun or other heating method. With a file, deepen the grooves for the rollers so that they rotate freely. Insert rollers into holders.
14. In the parked position, as well as in the process of cleaning the nozzles and initializing new cartridges, a pad with a rubber gasket is pressed against the bottom surface of the print head, where the nozzles are located. From below, a tube is connected to the pad, going to the vacuum pump. When cleaning, the pump sucks ink from the cartridges, and during storage, the nozzles are protected from drying ink in them. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the rubber seal fits snugly against the head, but due to the upward movement of the sled and print head, this condition may not be met. It is necessary to increase the travel of the pillow in the crib. To do this, you will have to remove or at least move the pump away - unscrew the two screws and squeeze out the two latches.
Then remove the spring that tightens the pillow bed, remove the bed-pillow assembly, and disconnect the tube extending from the pillow. Next, cut with a knife about 1.5 mm in the right places sections of the body of the pillow and the crib, increasing the vertical stroke of the pillow. Then assemble the knot back. Since when using non-original cartridges, automatic nozzle cleaning and cartridge initialization led to strange results, we decided to disconnect the pump from the pad, for which we used a piece of tubing and a tee. To remove excess ink or when manually washing the pad, you can connect a syringe to the tee, or simply clamp its outlet with your finger and, by scrolling the feed shaft back (by the gear in front on the left), use the printer pump.
15. Reassemble the printer in reverse order. When installing the feed shaft, carefully clean the seats of chips and dust and apply a layer of grease to them and to the corresponding areas of the shaft. After installing the roller, you need to adjust the feed tray. By loosening the screws securing the tray to the side walls of the case, using a rigid plate of a suitable size (for example, a piece of fiberglass), you need to ensure that the movement of the plate from the feed tray along the feed shaft and along the shaft in the output tray is even, without differences in height. You should also ensure that the guides of the feed tray are strictly parallel and perpendicular to the feed shaft. Having found such a position of the feed tray, the screws should be tightened and it is advisable to fix it on the side of the nuts with a drop of varnish. Then continue building. On the right side, due to the shift of the sled upwards, or rather, the mounting hole will not coincide with the hole in the case rack - you can file the hole and fix the sled with a screw, or you can leave it as it is.
The tray of the absorbent pad, having previously shortened its right post, we installed in its original place, fixing it at two points with hot glue. The power supply did not fit in its original position, so we did not find anything better than simply fixing it with a plastic tie on the left stand of the printer frame. We screwed the control panel to the eyelet on the PSU.
The original output tray causes the output to kink, so it needs to be upgraded to ensure a smooth horizontal output. To do this, just put something a little less than 3 cm high under the tray, and put a couple of thick magazines or a stack of paper on the tray. However, after a while, we replaced this design with a tray made from the casing of a non-working DVD player. What needs to be done with the casing in order to turn it into a tray is clear from the photographs, however, here everyone can use their imagination and improvised material.
Result:
Shift the sled up to b about a larger value than described above is associated with some difficulties. Problem areas are at least the feed shaft position sensor, the right bracket of the carriage ruler, and the parking assembly. Perhaps something else. As a result, the thickness of the material on which the modified printer can print is about 2 mm or a little more, therefore, with a textolite 1.5 mm thick, the substrate should not be thicker than 0.5 mm, while it should be rigid enough to move blanks for printed circuit boards. A suitable and affordable material turned out to be thick cardboard, for example, from a folder for papers. The liner must be cut exactly to the width of the input tray, as any horizontal misalignment will affect print accuracy. In our case, the substrate turned out to be 216.5 by 295 mm in size. The original feed unit cannot be used, so the liner must be manually guided under the pressure rollers, but the paper sensor must not be activated. Because of this, it will be necessary to make a cutout in the substrate for the antenna of the paper sensor, in our case at a distance of 65 mm from the right edge, 40 mm deep and 10 mm wide. In this case, printing starts at a distance of 6 mm from the bottom of the cutout, that is, 6 mm before the edge of the media that the printer detects. Why this is so, we do not know. To fix the blanks on the substrate, it is convenient to use double-sided adhesive tape. The pinch rollers press the liner against the feed roller with great force, so the rollers must not run in or out of the workpiece to ensure a smooth print feed. To ensure this condition, before, after and possibly from the sides of the workpiece, you need to glue the material with the same thickness. This will also make it easier to position the workpiece for serial and/or duplex printing.
The original cartridges ran out fairly quickly, but overall the results with the original inks were very good. good. However, it was decided to purchase refillable cartridges and compatible inks.
The soul did not rest on this, attempts were made to modify the ink in order to increase the content of the polymer component in them. As a result of these experiments, the nozzles with black ink were clogged by 90%, with magenta - by 50%, one nozzle did not work in the "yellow" row, and only the cyan ink nozzles remained fully operational. However, one color is enough for printing templates. Since magenta ink showed the best result, it was they who were refilled in the cyan ink cartridge.
1. Prepare the workpiece surface. If it is relatively clean, then it is enough to degrease it with acetone. Otherwise, degrease, clean with an abrasive sponge, and, to form an oxide layer, place in an oven for 15-20 minutes at a temperature of 180°C. Then cool and degrease with acetone.
2. Using double-sided adhesive tape and auxiliary textolite scraps, fix the workpiece on the substrate.
3. Convert the template to the pure color that will be used when printing. In our case, in blue (RGB = 0, 255, 255). Carry out a test print (you can not print the entire template, but only the overall points, such as corners), if necessary, in the program used for printing, correct the position of the template, wash off the previous result with acetone, repeat, if necessary, the correction procedure.
4. Print the template on the blank. The best results are obtained with the following settings:
5. Dry the workpiece in air for 5 minutes, you can use a hair dryer to speed it up. Then detach the workpiece from the substrate and carry out preliminary fixing in the oven for 15 min (time from turning on the oven) at 200°C at peak. Cool the workpiece.
6. For precise positioning of the second layer, you can drill several small diameter holes, for example, 1 mm in diameter, at the mounting points of the future board. Fix the workpiece with the surface for the second layer up, while the double-sided adhesive tape must be glued to the completely painted areas of the first layer. If the workpiece is tightly clamped between the two plates front and back, then double-sided adhesive tape is not necessary. Degrease the workpiece with acetone.
7. Position and print - repeat steps 3 and 4.
8. Dry the workpiece in air for 5 minutes, you can use a hair dryer to speed it up. Then detach the workpiece from the substrate, fix it on stands, for example, made of paper clips, place it in an oven, and fix it for 15 minutes (time from turning on the oven) at 210°C at peak. Cool the workpiece.
9. Examine the workpiece, paint over places with a suspiciously thin layer of ink (for example, near holes or adhering dust particles) with a waterproof marker. Etch the workpiece. In order for the surface of the workpiece to keep a distance from the bottom of the container, you can insert toothpicks into the holes (1 mm in diameter used to position the second layer), so that the sharp tip comes out 1.5-2 mm, and the thick one is bitten off to the same height. When etching, periodically turn the board over and check readiness.
Wash off the ink with acetone.
Important notes.
1. In order for the ink used to become resistant to the etching solution, it must be kept for about 15 minutes (time from turning on the oven) at a temperature of about 210 ° C at the peak (obtained using a thermocouple located next to the workpiece). The interval is narrow, since when it is exceeded by 5-10 ° C, the textolite begins to collapse, when it is lowered, the ink is washed off with an etching solution. The exact conditions in a particular case must be selected empirically. For control, you can use the test with a cotton swab. If a cotton swab moistened with water easily washes off the ink, then you need to increase the temperature, if it does not wash off, or only slightly stains, then resistance to the etching solution has been acquired. Even if a cotton swab moistened with acetone is difficult to wash off the ink, then the resistance to the etching solution is very good. This way you can select the ink and fusing conditions that give you the best results. It should be noted that we used an electric grill oven, turned on only the upper heating element, and when the ink was finally fixed, the oven thermostat was set to 220°C.
2. Printing reproducibility reaches about 0.1 mm, so if necessary, you can print it a second time over the first side of the template, with intermediate drying directly on the substrate with a hot air gun (with adjustable temperature) or a household hair dryer set to the maximum temperature. Drying is needed so that the pressure rollers do not lubricate the previous layer.
3. The production of two sides can be done sequentially. First, print and fix the first side, and protect the foil on the second, for example, acrylic paint from a balloon. Etch the first side, remove the protection from the second side with acetone, print and fix the second side, protect the first with ink, etch the second side, and remove the protection from the first.
4. Need to print in the following way: Send the print job first, wait until the printer indicates that there is no paper, then carefully slide the backing sheet with the fixed workpiece under the pressure rollers by turning the feed roller by the gear at the front left, then press the continue printing button. If there are short breaks between print sessions, the printer will not perform a short cleaning procedure, so you can load the substrate with the blank first, and then send the print job.
5. Special cleanliness must be observed, as any dust that has fallen on wet ink on the workpiece can lead to a defect.
Several double-sided printed circuit boards were made in this way, and although the tracks at than 0.5 mm were not used, the possibility of obtaining tracks with a width of 0.25 mm was demonstrated in the test areas, and this is clearly not the limit of this method.
P.S. An example of a double-sided board with 0.25 mm tracks (during the design, the norms of 0.25 mm for the width of the tracks and for gaps were laid down, but with manual fine-tuning, the distances between the tracks were increased as much as possible). Note that in the manufacture of double-sided boards, apparently, it is still more reliable to print and etch the sides sequentially. Side 1:
Side 2:
Three types of defects can be seen:
1. Linear distortion, which is apparently caused by the fact that one side was printed in a fast two-pass mode, and the other in a slow single-pass mode. That is, it is better to print both sides in the same mode.
2. In places, the tracks are slightly widened due to ink spreading. This defect can be avoided by carefully preparing the surface - degrease with a piece of cloth soaked in acetone, then wipe thoroughly with a dry cotton swab.
3. From one edge of the track and the pads were etched noticeably more. This happened due to overheating, as a result of which the ink became very dark and began to peel off. This means that it is necessary to carefully monitor the uniformity of heating (choose a place in the oven where the heating is more uniform) and in no case allow overheating - the ink should noticeably darken, but not acquire a dark gray tint.
However, these defects did not turn out to be critical, and as a result, without any wiring correction, we got a fully functioning device.
Fabric printing at home
Using a conventional inkjet printer, which most readers have at home, you can put inscriptions and drawings on clothes, as well as make flags, pennants and other small-sized unique items.
Image transfer media
Virtually any inkjet printer or MFP, both modern and long-discontinued, can print images on special media for transfer to cotton and blended fabrics that can withstand prolonged heat. The structure of such media includes a dense paper base and a thin elastic layer that is attached to the fabric when heated - it is on its surface that ink is applied during the printing process.
Each of the world's leading manufacturers of inkjet printers has branded print media for transferring images to fabric. For example, Canon has T-Shirt Transfer media (TR-301) in its product line, Epson has Iron-On Cool Peel Transfer Paper (C13S041154), and HP has Iron-On T-Shirt Transfers (C6050A). The retail packages of the listed media (Figure 1) contain 10 sheets of A4 paper.
In addition, third-party manufacturers also produce media for transferring images to fabric. For example, Lomond, a well-known company in our country, offers several options at once: Ink Jet Transfer Paper for Bright Cloth (for light fabrics), Ink Jet Transfer Paper for Dark Cloth (for dark fabrics) and Ink Jet Luminous Transfer Paper (suitable for dark and light fabrics, and thanks to fluorescent additives, the image glows in the dark). The Lomond media listed (Figure 2) is available in packs of 10 and 50 sheets in A4 and A3 sizes.
Image preparation
Image preparation and output can be performed in any raster or vector graphics editor. However, it should be borne in mind that due to the peculiarities of both inkjet technology and the thermal transfer process itself, an image transferred to fabric using a special medium will differ markedly from the same image printed by the same printer on ordinary, and even more so on photographic paper. In particular, the image transferred to the fabric is characterized by a lower contrast, smaller color gamut and poor reproduction of light shades compared to a control print made even on ordinary office paper. In order to minimize losses when preparing raster images (photographs, reproductions, etc.), it is necessary to increase their contrast and saturation. When creating and editing vector images, it makes sense to use pure, saturated colors to fill objects and outlines, and avoid using light shades and very thin lines whenever possible.
Photos, as well as vector and raster drawings with a lot of halftones and gradient transitions, will look best on products made of white fabric with a fine texture. The fact is that the color of the fabric, other than white, can noticeably distort the colors of the original image. For this reason, to transfer an image to a melange or colored fabric, it is advisable to create monochrome designs or images with a limited number of colors.
For the most efficient use of special media, several separate small-sized images can be arranged on one sheet like pattern details, leaving 10-15 mm wide gaps between their borders.
Seal
So, the image is ready. In the printer settings, select the thermal transfer media, the size and orientation of the sheets to be used (Figure 3). In order for the inscriptions transferred to the fabric to be read normally, and the images to “look” in the same direction as the original, they must be printed in a mirror image. To do this, activate the option to mirror the printed image in the printer driver settings (in Russian versions it can be called "mirror" or "flip horizontally", in English - flip or mirror). If the driver of the printer you are using does not provide such an option, look for it in the print settings of the program from which you plan to print the picture (Fig. 4 and 5). To check the correctness of the selected settings, use the preview mode.
Transfer image to fabric
To transfer the printed image to the fabric, an ironing press is best suited - it will provide the most durable fixation of the pattern. However, if there is no such device among your household utensils, you can use an ordinary iron.
Prepare a desktop with a flat and hard surface that is resistant to prolonged heat (an ironing board will not work for this purpose, unfortunately). In addition, you will need a piece of clean matter.
Cut out the image printed on a sheet of special media, stepping back 5-6 mm from its borders.
Set the iron regulator to the position corresponding to the maximum power. If your model is equipped with a steamer, turn it off. Leave the iron turned on for a while so that it warms up to the maximum temperature.
Because the power and temperature conditions different models of irons differ, it will be necessary to select the optimal transfer time experimentally. To do this, it makes sense to print a few test images of a small size and try to transfer them to an unnecessary piece of fabric.
After making sure that the iron is warm, put a piece of clean cloth prepared in advance on the work table and smooth it thoroughly so that there are no wrinkles or folds. Then lay on top of this fabric the product on which you plan to transfer the pattern. Prepare the surface for transferring the image by ironing it.
Position the cutout print face down where you want it to be. For the best fixing of the image, it is desirable to use the widest part of the working surface of the iron. When translating a large image, it is best to smooth the sheet in several passes, slowly moving the iron tightly pressed against the table along the long side of the drawing (Fig. 6). The duration of one pass should be about 30 s.
Turn the iron 180° and repeat the above procedure, starting at the opposite end. Then carefully iron the edges of the image to be translated by moving a tightly pressed iron around the perimeter of the image.
using an iron
After completing the above steps, allow the product to cool for one to two minutes, and then carefully separate the paper base by taking it at any of the corners. Please note that it will be much more difficult to remove the base from a completely cooled product.
If you plan to apply several images or inscriptions on the same product, you must place them in such a way that they do not overlap each other.
Finished Goods Care
Products with images applied by the described method are best washed in cold water using a powder for colored things. Before uploading t-shirts and shirts with translated images to washing machine turn them inside out. Be prepared for the fact that after the first wash, the colors in the image will become less bright and saturated - this is quite normal.
Well-fixed images can withstand several dozen washes with minimal loss of brightness and saturation. However, optimal preservation is ensured by hand washing.