[CQ] Accuriolabel 230 problem with metallized

[Luis Ramon]

Good morning, I have an Accuriolabel 230. When I print on metallized BOPP, the following happens:

I have printed on this material before and haven't had any issues

I have made adjustments to the 2nd transfer output adjustment, as well as adjustments to the separation AC and separation DC, and fine adjustments to the BIdevelop AC Bias Fine adj.

I have reviewed the service manual and I can't find anything that resembles my problem.


Thank you in advance

[wjurls]

What are we looking at here? Are those oblong rings a reflection of the overhead lights?

[Luis Ramon]

What are we looking at here? Are those oblong rings a reflection of the overhead lights?

Hello, no, it is the print defect. I have tested configurations on the machine’s interface screen, tried material from another supplier, checked all the main components (corona, developer, drum), and printed by color thinking the issue might be limited to one color, but it occurs in all colors. There is nothing in the service manual about a failure like this.

[Synthohol]

what does it look like on the transfer belt?
same pattern?

the spacing though, have you stopped it before it hits the fuser?

[wjurls]

I'd definitely be looking at the fuser closely. My AL190's and AL230's have been destroying fuser belts lately. Just yesterday I found a small shim installed under the bearing of the lower fuser roller on a Mark Andy Digital Pro (AL230). This lifted the bearing up just high enough in the bearing pocket to cause the lower roller to have some lateral play on one end. Also make sure you have the proper orange belt (A57V720211), and not the peach colored belt (A50U765000).
Also look closely at the transfer belt as suggested by Synthohol.
In addition, the leveling and alignment are critical on these units. The label film will easily ripple going through the machine if anything is off.

[Luis Ramon]

what does it look like on the transfer belt?
same pattern?

the spacing though, have you stopped it before it hits the fuser?

The transfer belt looks fine, with no visible issues.

How do I stop it before it reaches the fuser? An emergency stop? From what I’ve observed, at the start of the print, the output is correct, but after just a few feet, the defect begins to appear.

I also thought it might be a static issue with the material, so I added something to reduce static, but that didn’t help either.

[wjurls]

Unfortunately, you can't really stop a label machine to check for defects mid process like you can a sheet printer because you have to pull the film out in order to pull out the drawer. What you can try though is to hit the emergency stop while its printing, then cut the film on the exit side of the machine. Try to carefully wedge a screwdriver on either side of the film on the exit roller to release the tension. Then pull the film out from the entrance of the machine. What you are looking for is is the defect is there before it gets to the fuser. If you pull it out the normal direction it would be inconclusive because it will pass through the hot fuser anyway.

[Luis Ramon]

Unfortunately, you can't really stop a label machine to check for defects mid process like you can a sheet printer because you have to pull the film out in order to pull out the drawer. What you can try though is to hit the emergency stop while its printing, then cut the film on the exit side of the machine. Try to carefully wedge a screwdriver on either side of the film on the exit roller to release the tension. Then pull the film out from the entrance of the machine. What you are looking for is is the defect is there before it gets to the fuser. If you pull it out the normal direction it would be inconclusive because it will pass through the hot fuser anyway.

I checked the fuser, and everything seems fine. I performed an emergency stop and found that the defect occurs before reaching the fuser. Upon opening the head and inspecting the toner on the transfer belt, I noticed that the pattern appears to be caused by the natural static of the material, which results in the print defect.

8c299eca-5b11-4db7-9795-f8564270f4ae.jpg


Since my client urgently needs their labels, I increased the printing speed, selected TACK PP (Synth.) as the paper type, and the defect significantly diminished. I also added an extra static diffuser to the machine. I will continue investigating the root cause of the issue, and if I find anything new, I’ll update this post.

[wjurls]

Thanks for the update. Good to know information. Make sure the second transfer roller is in good shape and getting a good ground as well.