Ok, I have been working with my printer for a year now. I have become very familiar with the mirrors galvos, trays, and all other parts and have been able to quickly diagnose and solve just about any failed print problem – until today. Parts were beginning to fail so I did a laser check and it was a mess. I opened the printer up and cleaned all my mirrors. Ran the test again and everything was still bad.
When running the laser test, I have found that if I leave the printer plugged in with the back panel off I can stick a lens cleaner swab (the kind with the flat spatula end) in the path of the laser I can tell which mirror is causing the trouble. I had a nice “hot” dot out of the laser and also after the galvos. When I put the swab in front of the small mirror cutting the laser off before it hits the big mirror, there was an issue.
I must of cleaned that small mirror off 10 times today before I tried putting my flashlight behind the mirror. This revealed a huge scratch that was completely invisible when shining the light on the mirror’s surface.
So I have put n a ticket showing these images and how that scratch is botching everything up. Hopefully I’ll get it before the weekend.
I hope this post helps others out before they tear their hair out! When checking the mirrors flash the light from behind! It may reveal your problem!
Ralph, sorry to hear about the trouble with your printer and thank you for posting the tip. The mirrors can be very tricky to inspect properly and correct lighting is key to confirming the surface is spotless.
We also have a basic tutorial here:
Our techs will get back to you shortly to help resolve the scratched mirror.
Sorry for the silly question but can you point out where the scratch is in your photos? Is it the lighter part that kind of looks like a breast cancer ribbon? It’s always tricky to tell whats going on with these multi angle shots haha.
