Basic maintenance on the inkjet refill system may extend the life of some components and will keep it looking clean.  Unless otherwise suggested these items should be performed weekly, monthly or as needed.  Before performing these tasks, hands should be protected with rubber gloves.A little bit of time and effort on your part will keep your InkCenter in great condition and reduce downtime. These are a few consumables and maintenance functions that you will need to perform.
  • Adding ink
  • Adding cleaning fluid
  • Handling the External Waste System
  • Using the Vacuum Wand
  • Replacing wipes
  • Replacing a drill bit
  • Using the spare Universal Injector
  • Replacing tester paper
  • How to manage your ink supplies

To reorder supplies use your stores procedure.

PREP STATION

Always keep drill bit debris away from the prep station(s) to avoid clogging.
Use a paperclip to clean out the prep station holes.  Carefully push paperclip through the small holes on the prep station plate while working the paperclip up and down to loosen debris.

Points to remember:

  • Be sure to clean all 10 holes in the prep station.
  • The 4 corner holes are angled in towards the middle.
  • The paperclip should go in about ¾ of an inch.
  • Using fingers to remove the oval rubber seal on adapter plate; rinse the seal with warm water.  Clean inside the track which held the seal. Dry the seal and rotate it 180 degrees before pressing it back onto the track.

FILL STATION

Adapter plate – Remove the 2 screws holding adapter plate.  Soak the rubber seal in water for several minutes and use an ‘old’ rag or paper towel to clean excess ink sludge from mount. Using a spray or pump bottle, saturate area under the mount with water or inkjet cleaning fluid, NO OTHER LIQUIDS SHOULD BE USED. Use the vacuum wand to remove excess fluid. Repeat saturation steps until clean.   Replace rubber seal and affix plate with screws

INJECTORS

Remove and rinse with hot water to ensure a flow.  Reinstall and finger- tighten all injectors; twist brown fittings clockwise on both ends of tubing to tighten.  NOTE: You must hold the bayonet when tightening the brown connector at the injector end.

INK DRAWERS

Open the ink drawers and check the state of each of the individual ink bottles and ink nests.  Ensure the ink nests are not leaking.  If you see the ink bottle collapsing locate a paper clip.  Remove the collapsing ink bottle.  Located on the ink nest is a vent that will need to be unclogged.  Using a specialty wipe remove and ink buildup off the vent.  Using the paper clip, insert the paper clip approximately 1- 1 ½ inches down until the clog is released.

Note:  A collapsed bottle will not return to full size.  

ADDING INK

Adding ink is easily done by pulling out the old ink bottle and replacing it with exactly the same replacement numbered ink. Do not substitute inks.  They are not all the same.

ADDING CLEANING FLUID

In the lower left drawer tank, remove the cap.  Carefully our one to two gallons of RIS cleaning fluid into the reservoir.  Do not fill above the indicated line. Do not use any other fluid as damage could result.

HANDLING THE EXTERNAL WASTE SYSTEM

When the internal waste tank if full it is time to drain it.  Make sure the external removable container is always prepared.  It should always be lined with two plastic bags. Include two unopened bags of solidifying powder. Turn the drain value counter-clockwise.  The liquid will drain.  When empty be sure to close the valve completely. This is necessary for the system to work properly. When the solidified waste reaches the maximum level of the container, follow your store’s procedure for proper disposal of the waste bag.

The waste results from the required periodic cleaning of the InkCenter and comprise waste inks (<10%), cleaning fluid (de-ionised water) and sodium polyacrylate (to assist waste handling). Wastes should be disposed of in accordance with local regulations.  List of Waste Code: 08 03 07  Aqueous sludges containing ink  AN (Absolute non-hazardous).

USING THE VACUUM WAND

The vacuum wand is used in case of an overflow or liquid spill.  On the touch screen select the maintenance tab and then Vacuum Wand.  Take out the wand hose and activate the wand by turning the lever in line with the nozzle.  When finished turn the lever perpendicular to the nozzle.  The system will not work correctly if you forget to close the valve.

REPLACING WIPES

Pull out the entire wipes container and unscrew the lid.  Then tear open the specialty wipes pack and put in the new roll of wipes.  Feed a wipe from the center of the roll through the opening in the cover.  Return the canister.  Do not use other types of wipes as they will damage cartridges and the machine.

REPLACING A DRILL BIT

On the touch screen select the maintenance tab and then Drill Bit option.  This will disable the drill motor.  Pull the drill handle down and push up on the round quick release collar to release the drill bit assembly.  Inset the new drill bit assembly into the collar.  It should lock into place.  Re-enable the drill bit from the maintenance screen.

USING THE SPARE UNIVERSAL INJECTOR

Use the spare injector line while a replacement one is on order.  Unscrew the damaged injector from the back of the system. Install the spare green injector by screwing it in, in place of the damaged one.  One the replacement injector arrives, return the spare green injector back into the supplies drawer.

CHANGING THE TESTER PAPER

Pull off the tester cover and remove the old roll of paper by lifting up on the small paper release lever (look for small black release).  Feed the new paper roll through and under the sensors.  Lower and lock the paper release lever.  Run one test cartridge to verify that paper is feeding properly.

DOOR AND SURFACES

Clean fill chamber surfaces, gasket and the plastic door with specialty wipes to remove ink stains. Note:  the chamber door should be cleaned more frequently as the ink can damage the plastic cover over time. Notify Technical support (888-231-9379 option 3) if any cracks are discovered.

TEST STATION

Use inkjet specialty wipes to lightly clean Interconnect board on the test station.  Be sure not to push in any pins and call Technical Support if any broken or stuck pins are discovered.

VACUUM WAND AND WASTE SEPARATOR

Periodically ink sludge may thicken affecting the strength of the vacuum waste separator.  Rinsing the ink sludge can lessen its impact on associated functions.

  • First complete all cartridge processing before performing the following tasks.
  • Open Drain Valve so that existing waste will be drained from system.
  • When complete, close the drain valve.
  • Fill a 1-2 quart container with HOT water through vacuum wand until the system triggers “waste drain”.  Depending on the size of the container, this should not take no more than a minute.
  • Open Drain Valve  so that the hot water/ink sludge/waste will be drained from system
  • When complete, close the drain valve.
  • Repeat once more if time permits.
  • Disable wand and return items (wand, maintenance drawer, lid, and container) to their proper locations.

REFILL ADAPTER DRAWERS

Remove adapters and rinse them with warm water; let dry overnight. Clean as frequently as needed for cartridge overflows.
Remove drawer foam insert and clean with soap and water; let dry overnight

SUPPLIES DRAWER

Remove supplies and clean with specialty wipes if stained. Pull out foam insert and rinse with soap and water. Replace all items.

STAINLESS STEEL COUNTER/ MAINTENANCE DRAWER/ INK DRAWER

Use canned air to help blow away dust. Use specialty wipes to remove stubborn ink stains; otherwise, wipe these surfaces with an ‘old’ damp soft cloth.

TOUCH SCREEN DISPLAY

Log out of the InkCenter then use a specialty wipe to remove ink and finger smudges.

OUTSIDE CABINETS

Use specialty wipes to remove stubborn ink stains; otherwise, wipe surfaces with an ‘old’ damp soft cloth.

REAR FAN VENTS

Use a damp soft cloth or an air can to blow dust ‘away’ from the fan vents.
OTHER

 Please report any fluid leaks found while performing above tasks to Technical Support at 888-231-9379 option 3.

 

Managing Your InkCenter Inks

Follow this information to manage your InkCenter ink inventory.  Managing this inventory will have a large effect on the profitably of the InkCenter business.  You will need to:

  1. Identify and understand the differences between the older labeled ink bottle style and the newer one
  2. How to easily manage your ink inventory by understanding when bottles will expire

Although there are some visual differences with versions of the inks that RIS supplies such as symbols and such, there are three variations that are important to managing your ink bottle inventory.  Those three different labels are illustrated below.

The older label as seen to the left expresses the useful life of the ink in terms of an “install by” date.  The date from the image shows INSTALL BY: 09/2016. In this case if you install the bottle by that date you have 6 months to use it before it should be replaced.

If you think you will not use it in that time, then do not place it in the InkCenter and replace with a newer bottle.

The actual useful life of the ink is 24 months from the date of manufacture.  The “INSTALL BY” date on the label is 18 months past the date of manufacture.

 

A newer label as seen to the left here, expresses the useful life of the ink in terms of an actual expiration date.  In this case, when the date on the bottle expires, that ink should be replaced even if the bottle is not empty.

This bottle also includes a manufacturing date.

The actual useful life of the ink is 24 months from the date of manufacture.

 

The newest label as seen to the left here, expresses the useful life of the ink in terms of an actual expiration date.  In this case, when the date on the bottle expires, that ink should be replaced even if the bottle is not empty.

The actual useful life of the ink is 24 months from the date of manufacture.

 

How to label your bottles for good inventory practices

When you install newer bottles of ink you will see a convenient label that helps considerably with inventory management.

Exp:  Take a pen and write the expiration date listed on the side of the bottle.  This is so you won’t have to lift out the bottle to check the date.

Inst:  Now write the date you installed the ink in the InkCenter here.  This will make it easy to see the difference between the two.

This should make it easier to estimate how fast bottles are used and when to replace.

 

If you still have some of the older bottles in inventory you can write the expiration and install dates on the bottles yourself with a permanent marker.

You will figure the expiration date by adding six months to the “INSTALL BY” date.  This bottle for instance would have had an INSTALL BY date of 10/2016.  You add six months to that and write 04/17 on the bottle as shown.

This will help you know when the inks are truly expired.