Digital BW, The Print

Steven Karafyllakis wrote:

>Unfortunately the 7600/9600 machinses have a different damper setup: 
>the're all attached to a frame that makes it necessary to pull all the 
>dampers. That creates huge problems that require many cleaning cycles 
>to clear up. If they have used that or a similar setup in the K3 prin 
>ters, you don't want to go that route.
>
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I guess the K3's are more in 10000 style (similar head construction + 
assembly of the heads) and that's worse for the damper cleaning etc than 
the 9600 version. On the last it is still possible to clean and replace 
the dampers manually. The 10000 heads/damper assembly is more or less a 
solid block that can't be separated. The dampers are big so it takes 
time to get them clogged but that's the only advantage. I'm using other 
methods to change inks on the 10000 as I dare not take the head assembly 
apart and I'm not really a coward in this metier. The answer on cleaning 
the dampers, inklines and ink changing on the new machines will most 
likely be with reverse flow and carts that can suck the ink out like I 
already do Electric valves in the inklines will be a new thing too. They 
are needed to prevent ink flowing back from the heads-inklines into the 
carts that are substantially lower than the head assembly. Membrane 
valves in the carts as an extra prevention (like the 10000 carts have) 
will make refilling without changes to the cart impossible.

However the 4800 though a K3 printer is similar to the 4000,9600,7600 
concept of head and damper design.

Ernst