Ink cartridges are boxes for placing ink. In the entire ink circuit, they are divided into main ink cartridges and secondary ink cartridges. Main ink cartridges are used to store and add ink, and secondary ink cartridges are used to supply ink to the printheads.
The ink cartridge system solves the problem of ink supply, making printing smoother and more stable.
Main Ink Cartridges and Secondary Ink Cartridges
Main Ink Cartridges
The standard UV flatbed printer has five main ink cartridges, corresponding to five colors, W (white), K (black), C (cyan), M (red), and Y (yellow). High-end machines can also be equipped with 6, 7, or even 8 main ink cartridges. They are usually black, which can effectively reduce sunlight exposure and prevent ink from reacting. UV ink can be added to the main ink cartridge to achieve machine recycling. Its stirring device is directly external, and a separate ink pump will be added outside to allow the ink to be recycled. The ink is extracted and transported to the printhead through the ink tube.
Secondary Ink Cartridges
There are 5 secondary ink cartridges on the UV flatbed printer cart, corresponding to 5 colors, K (black), C (cyan), M (red), Y (yellow), and W (white). The advantage of the secondary ink cartridge is that the ink supply to the printhead is uniform and stable, and there will be no ink shortage or other problems that cause abnormal printing. At the same time, it has a heating function. There is a heating plate under the secondary ink cartridge and a temperature sensor on it. The equipment can still be used normally in bad weather.
In actual use, whether the secondary ink cartridge operates normally directly affects the inkjet printing of the uv flatbed printer. Generally, do not open or touch it easily. If there is a problem, just contact the after-sales technician as soon as possible.
Misunderstandings About Ink Cartridge
As the UV printer is used for a long time, the actual amount of waste ink in the waste ink capping may be greater than the monitored data, causing damage to the UV printer. This problem is directly related to the ink cartridge. If you want to improve and solve these problems, you must know some misunderstandings about ink cartridges when using UV printers.
Misunderstanding: Ink cartridges can be filled with ink without limit.
Many people think that ink cartridges are just containers for ink. As long as the ink cartridge does not leak ink or break, you can keep adding ink. This is actually a misunderstanding.
First of all: no matter how good the quality of the ink used by the UV printer is, there are impurities. After adding ink many times, some impurities or dust will be brought into the ink cartridge. As the ink flows, it will be adsorbed and accumulated on the filter of the ink cartridge. As the amount increases, the filter will be blocked, causing problems such as poor ink flow and disconnection during printing. If the filter is completely blocked, there will be problems such as failure to print. Therefore, it is best to replace the ink cartridge with a new one after one year of use. If the ink used is of poor quality, it is best to replace the ink cartridge after adding it a few times to avoid various faults.
Secondly: The sponge in the ink cartridge has a certain service life. When the sponge repeatedly absorbs and releases ink or is used for a period of time, the ink absorption capacity of the sponge will decrease, and the added ink cannot be completely absorbed by the sponge. The pressure of the excess ink in the ink cartridge on the nozzle of the print head will increase, causing the ink to overflow from the nozzle. This is also one of the reasons why many people think that the ink leaks just after adding ink or that the printing effect is good before adding ink. What is more serious is that the UV printer cannot monitor this part of the ink flowing to the waste ink capping, which may cause the actual amount of waste ink in the waste ink capping to be much greater than the monitored amount of waste ink. Before the UV printer issues an alarm for excessive waste ink, the waste ink has overflowed, causing damage to the UV printer.
Furthermore: there is a rubber sealing ring between the ink cartridge and the ink inlet of the printhead to ensure the seal between them prevents ink from leaking. The sealing ring will age after being removed many times or used for a long time, and the sealing effect will deteriorate, causing ink to flow out of the joint. The ink will accumulate and mix at the printhead, causing the bottom ink to mix and the printed pattern to change color. Multiple printing operations are required before the color returns to normal, which leads to ink waste and an increase in the amount of waste ink.
