UJF Cleaning Procedure for the Winter Shutdown

I’m going to run through the full cleaning procedure ready for the winter shutdown for the UJF series of Mimaki printers.

This one is the UJF3042 Mark 2 but its the same for all the UJF range.

On the control panel, click on ‘Menu’, then down to ‘Maintenance’.

Then ‘Station’ and ‘Carriage Out’.

The head will move over to the left-hand side of the printer to give access to clean around the printheads.

Take a black handled swab from the Mimaki UV cleaning kit and apply cleaning solution to its end.

Clean around the framework gap of the printheads making sure you don’t touch the surface of the printhead.

Use a clean alcohol wipe and clean the glass on the LED lamp - any frosting or cloudiness of this glass will affect the curing of the ink. 

Remove any excess ink from the swab, dip into the cleaning solution and clean around the surface of the head carriage.  

Once you’ve removed all the ink buildup from this area, close the cover and move across to the right-hand station side of the printer.

Clean the wiper blade on a daily basis. Its the only part that comes into contact with the printhead so make sure there are no defects or nicks. If there is any damage, replace it.

With these printers, there is a second wiper blade behind the first. Its designed to wipe the main wiper to keep it clean.

Make sure to clean this one and also check for any damage.

Once the wipers are done, clean the surface around the caps.

Keeping this area clean ensures an airtight seal around the printhead. It's an important part of the printer and needs to be kept in shape to prevent possible dry out and dropout on the head.

If you’re getting ready for the winter shutdown, its good practice to fill the pipette with cleaning solution and pour it down the cap.

This will drain through the tubes and the pump down to the waste bottle preventing any build up of ink over the break.

Once you’ve done that, put the covers back and go back to the control panel.

Press ‘Enter’ and left arrow back to the ‘local’ screen.

If your printer has white ink it's important to shake the white bottle before you shut down and again before you start back up after the shutdown.

I’d also recommend running through this cleaning procedure when back in before starting production again.

Finally, power the printer down and leave it until the new year. 

Make sure before you close that the printer has at least 20% of the ink in each cartridge and that the waste bottle is less than 50% full.

That’s the complete cleaning schedule including the winter shutdown for the Mimaki UJF range of printers.

Missing any cleaning essentials for your Mimaki solvent printer?

Give us a call on 01772 920630 and we’ll make sure your printer is all ready for the winter shutdown.