DTF Printers in Hot Weather
Essential Guidlines
Here are some tips and things to look out for.
Humidity - What does it control?
The good news is, DTF Inks are very forgiving but they still need a stable environment in order to work correctly.
Try to keep your environment stable, when the temperature is above 22°C and the humidity below 45rh things can quickly go wrong.
In this environment the Ink waiting to be jetted can suffer a change in surface tension, causing it not to jet correctly, leaving pigment in the Nozzle exit hole.
This will cause deflection and eventually clog that Nozzle, needing a long soak to clear or worse a permanent clog.
Be kind to your Capping Station It looks after your Print Heads
Your Capping Stations can suffer from Ink collecting on the rubber seals and the Wiper Blade can also become covered in congealed Ink much quicker in high temperatures.
Clean these regularly, the dirtier they are the more Ink will stick to them.
Carefully place a few drops of Cleaning/Capping Solution in the CMYK and White Capping Stations, or just the 1 Capping Station on the Mutoh.
This will help keep the pipes open and stop Ink from adhering to the inside surface of the pipes when printing.
If you don’ t do this it can restrict the Ink flow through the pumps and reduce the strength of the clean when performed.
Keep your Capping Station and adjacent areas especially clean during hotter periods to avoid issues with Drag Banding.
Drag Banding
Is a symptom that looks like normal Banding but is caused by Ink dangling down and dragging across the wet printed surface.
When cleaned away it resembles a piece of rubber cotton and causes way more print issues than you would imagine if left unattended.
Air Conditioning - Yes or No?
Built in Air Conditioning with an external compressor/condenser controls humidity better than a stand alone condensing unit.
Keeping the air temperature down is good practice but you may need a humidifier to keep your humidity up.
The best humidifiers are the ones that create a visible vapour, keep them under or close to the Capping Station area
but make sure they are not blowing directly into the Printer, as this could cause water to condense and cause an electrical short.
Film Pre-Heat Plates
Not applicable to Mutoh users.
Turning your Film pre and post Heat Plates down will help to keep the temperature down inside your Printer.
In hot weather the Pre-Heat is not so important, so reducing it by 5°C will help avoid overheating inside your carriage chamber.
Take Temporary Measures
Whilst it’s great to have good weather, these temperatures are unusually high and will for sure catch some people out.
If your conditions are too far out from the norm, try to print early in the morning instead.
This will avoid wasting time and consumables, when trying to produce quality prints.