Let's Keep It Clean In Here!
Keeping inkjet printheads clean and clear has been the focus of a great deal of research and development into heads, fluids, circulation systems, automatic wiping systems and more. Printhead maintenance is important for print quality, head life and overall operating efficiency. The replacement of print head systems is one of the highest variable costs in an inkjet solution, not including the volume of ink used. Reducing the consumption of print heads can have a major impact on operating costs, but there are few avenues for inkjet press owners to perform more than the standard preventive maintenance recommended by their OEM.
Recently I spoke with Martin Brabenec of Graphic Solid Inks, Inc. (GSI) based in Alpharetta Georgia about their interest in bringing a better head cleaning option to market. I asked Martin about the types of companies that might have a need to for their own head cleaning system. Within companies using inkjet he noted that a system would be appealing to companies who are using a high volume of printheads, have very high print quality requirements and are concerned with sustainability. Martin notes, “The difference in cost for a new head versus a recovered head is around 70%. Also being able to clean printheads on demand and schedule periodic preventive printhead maintenance instead of a palliative care assures a 100% print quality. Doing the work onsite avoids shipping and waitlist turnaround times for recovered heads experienced when using an?external cleaning service.”