NebraskaTrevor

Sure you can use other rip spftware as long as it supports the base model that the printer was built around, and as long as it allows you to remap which color comes out of which set of nozzles on the printhead. It is also important to find a rip that supports white ink if you are going to go that route. Just know that to buy a legitimate copy of most rip softwares you are going to spend from 400 to 4000 or more. There are less than legitimate versions out there but that is a personal decision you have to make. I can say you should stay away from the ebay versions of software running for pennies on the dollar. If is seems too good to be true it probably is As for the laser printer I use a Uninet Icolor I550. I do not recommend this printer at all. It requires considerable work arounds and tricks just to get it to maybe print without jamming up. I can make it work but it is super frustrating and way more involved than they would lead you to believe. The claim is 1200x1200 but I question that quite honestly. I think it is more like 600dpi even with very good source artwork. The ability to print white is of course quite unique and there are times when it is the only thing in my arsenal that will do. It is not cheap to run either the transfer sheets and other various media that you print on run from 50 cents to 2 bucks a sheet. The white toner cartridge is about 500 bucks to replace and the colors are around 150 each. If you are sensing a theme here it is true printing white via any method that I have not found is not cheap, easy, or straightforward. Sometimes when a friend will see something that I have created, for example pink or yellow printed on top of a black substrate and they will say oh that is nice I guess. Most people have no concept of the cost or complexities involved in reliability printing on anything other than white media.

I have a small side business and used it initially to make some custom car parts that had graphics on them. They looked amazing and all of my customers were happy but in the end it just did not prove to produce enough volume to keep the printer busy. In my opinion, and it is only that, a person really needs a pretty good demand stream to keep a machine like this busy so that it continues to work well. I wish I was in that position but I am not. for printing on acrylic or polycarbonate there is nothing else like it, it looks amazing printed on the backside to create a "second surface" print that uses the gloss of the acrylic sheet like a lens. The images look amazing. I have a $4500 white toner laser printer that can print transfers and it comes close but it is not quite as vibrant. It too is a whole other pain in the ass to deal with but the toner machine has one HUGE advantage. I can leave it sit unplugged in a dark corner and then when I want to use it I plug it in it is happy to go and there are no issues with ink since it uses a dry toner. I am not at all trying to dissuade you from seeking out a UV printer just know that the learning curve is steep. the ink is way too stinky to ever have in a house (again my opinion) and the imported machines all seem to use cracked or bootleg software that wants to take some liberties with my computer that I am just not willing to allow (like having to boot up in "safe mode") just to work with the stolen rip software. I really wish I could justify a mimaki or roland printer that is a living machine that constantly circulates ink and cleans itself, even given the fact that doing so consumes ink that is $100 plus per liter. A machine like that is really meant to work everytime you need it too. Anything else seems to have a bunch of compromise although I am sure there are people out there who are using one of the imported 2-5k machines to make a profit with so I am not saying it cant be done. I ended up spending about 1800 to build this machine including the 650 that I paid for a working epson donor machine along with about 100hours of work and I can tell you right now that if I could have back even half of the time and money I would rewind time and undo the whole wild Idea to build a UV printer in the first place

All of that is true. I really wanted one, and only need one about 10 days a year which is a bad combination. Unless a person can justify one of the 30k or more machines and has enough work to keep it busy then it is a tough proposition. If it didn't need to be used constantly it would be awesome. It is akin to a living machine. It needs constant tlc to keep it alive and kicking.

I have one of the 2k a4 sized machines. O would say save your money. The white has never worked correctly. It like all iv printers is a real maint intensive Machine. They really need to be used every day or two to keep things moving. Thanks for the interest and good luck.

It is possible, but it will need considerable work, and the printer itself may need completely replaced. It also requires considerable software work arounds to get it working and it must be used frequently to remain in good condition. Not for the faint of heart at all, she is a high maintenance girl for sure. 450 picked up in Lincoln, Nebraska, no option to ship. And I won't be aviliable for any tech support after, completely as is where is kind of deal. Thanks for the interest.

I do, honestly it is probably going to get disassembled here at some point, but I guess I havent tripped over it enough times yet to make me mad enough. I am sure the ink system is well clogged by now, and who knows of the print head can be revived or not. It would be a good start for somebody, bit also A ton of work at the same time and a bit of risk as it may never work correctly again.

Sure thing, I am looking to sell my converted printer as well to free up space because it has been sitting unused for some time. It would still be a pile of work but it may save somebody a bunch of effort as well. If not I will just part it out to free up space soon

Sorry, this design is from several years ago, I have lost interest on the project and have no idea where the file may be, if I even have them. As I recall it was not that difficult to draw though. Good luck with your project.

I have moved in a different direction and this has been sitting for over a year now likely completely clogging and or otherwise ruining itself posting here just on the off chance that somebody else would want to buy it and make it a project of its own. If not I will probably disassemble it for parts and to save bench space, a shame really but in the end I didn't have enough use for something that needs to be operated almost daily to keep it in tip top shape! Send me a message here if you are interested, located in Lincoln Nebraska.

If you are going to work on converting one of these printers the very first thing you should do is download the full factory service manual which can be found by using the Google machine. I strongly suggest printing all 400 or so pages of it. It will be worth it's weight in ink as you work thru your conversion....which is not simple by any means. Sadly my printer has been sitting over 6 months unused I just haven't found the uses for it that I thought I would. If I could recapture even half of the time and money I dank into it I surely would...but it was a fun project.

Some of your information is good, some of it is completely wrong. I will try to hit a few highpoints. The UV ink is not acidic, and even if it was most plastics dont care about acid. Rather it is quite "aggressive" it contains plasticizers and other agents that make it very rapidly etch into the surface of many materials. That is what allows it to attach itself firmly to many surfaces without a pretreatment, but it is of course something to deal with in the design phase since the materials that need to be in direct contact must be compatible with it so that the parts are not destroyed. You speak of teflon and although I have no personal experience with it I have no doubt it will likely work. Personally I would not use teflon due to its very weak mechanical properties. I can tell you for certain after my own experience and after seeking some technical help from my ink supplier that the following materials are suitable for direct contact with the inks. Delrin(acetal) Aluminum, stainless steel, brass and for the tubing LDPE. The stock Dx5 print head has been completely unaffected by the ink after well over a year. Myn ink tanks are milled out of solid blocks of Delrin and they have had ink sitting in them for a long time with zero problems. I have been using the stock capping station with no problems as well. I did have to replace the waste ink tank once as it was becoming quite 'Soft" from the ink and I did not want it to spill its guts all over the workbench again. For the UV light I used an adjustable constant current power supply so that I can carefully limit the voltage and current going to the LED. I am also underdriving it by about 1/3 below stated output to hopefully conserve its lifespan since it wasn't cheap by any means. For water cooling I am using a closed loop PC cooling fan/Pump/radiator connected with some clear vinyl tubing. CMYK Uv inks for all their troubles do have one wonderful property. They do not quickly dry out, clog, or otherwise cause many circulation problems as long as you keep them out of the light. I was told by my supplier that the ink will actually last longer when exposed to oxygen. The white ink is a whole other story. It is so full of suspended solids that it is extremely prone to settling, seperating, and clogging. White ink is a major pain in the butt, but if you need it you need it. If you can live without it your life will surely be easier. Good luck in your endeavours!!!

Agreed/ My led is only about 3/4" wide although even then it just barely misses the frame. I do wish my printer was as finished in appearance of the one shown in the video. It is far from it, mostly all open. I saved all of the epson plastic but I haven't attempted to attach any of it yet.

I am sorry but I have no idea how the ink system on the 1390 is designed. I doubt that the viscosity of the ink is your problem, and likely that aspect is completely beyond your control. It is what it is and there is no reasonable way to change it. I can imagine that you will need to figure the correct balance for your system so that ink will flow to the heads, but not run out of them when they are just sitting. Fo me that required me to find the perfect height at which to place my ink tanks, but you will need to do some experimenting. Good luck!

Adam, it is not that I wont but given the diffirences in machines, fixtures and tooling it is really silly tobsharebg code. Unless you happen to have the exact same machine as me it would basically be useless! Thanks for thw interest.

I had to replace everything except for the print head itself and the distribution manifold right above it. Everything else was ruined by the ink.