That dreaded Head failure again… WHY !

[turbguy]

Why are Canon print heads suffering from what looks like a clog but is in fact now known clearly to be electrical failure? (Over heating)

I think this problem has not been highlighted enough and is not going to go away any time soon so users should be aware that it might happen to them.

This only seems to affect the larger print heads 8+ or more colours and could possibly affect both dye and pigment machines; so far there was not much we can do about it because we were too quick to blame the inks.

One suggestion was made in another thread way back, which (I can’t find) I think it was @turbguy, to try and reduce the strain on a print head by running your printer in (Quiet Mode), now some may phoo phoo that as nonsense but could that be the answer we’re looking for ! !

Edit:- Thanks @PeterBJ ..

I don't think that we can exclusively blame overheating as root cause of print head electrical failure. Something is failing in the print head, though...

That said, I believe that the issue really is rooted in the designer yielding to pressure from the marketing department to produce a faster printer, which stresses (NOT STRAINS) everything in the machine. As long as a certain percentage of machines sold lasts through the warrantee period, the OEM "wins"...

Oh, and use more ink colors too! That way, we can sell more carts! (and the designer grumbles, "heat load", "smaller circuit elements", "higher current densities"....).

There's something to be said for piezo print heads...

 

[turbguy]

Somebody want to buy this??

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0026271404005165

 

[Roy Sletcher]

I don't think that we can exclusively blame overheating as root cause of print head electrical failure. Something is failing in the print head, though...

That said, I believe that the issue really is rooted in the designer yielding to pressure from the marketing department to produce a faster printer, which stresses (NOT STRAINS) everything in the machine. As long as a certain percentage of machines sold lasts through the warrantee period, the OEM "wins"...

Oh, and use more ink colors too! That way, we can sell more carts! (and the designer grumbles, "heat load", "smaller circuit elements", "higher current densities"....).

There's something to be said for piezo print heads...

Well said Turbguy.

It is what I consider to be the Marketing Snake oil approach. Being the domination of marketing hype over solId engineering principles.

I don't know enough to comment on Printer construction, but software products like Photoshop have progressed from the ridiculously named Magic Wand (Now better known by users as the "tragic wand") to the latest hyperbole from Adobe, being the SMART objects and SMART filters. A term used to describe purely incremental improvements in the product. Wake up Adobe - time to hire SMARTER marketing executives.

Enough to drive a rational person to drink... pass the MAGIC SMART bottle!

RS

ps: WOW just noted on my avatar I have graduated from ink stained wretch to Platinum Member. Did I mention all my CD`s are platinum.

 

[stratman]

Somebody want to buy this??

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0026271404005165

Umm, no.

But here is a freebie about heat causing early failure: "Microboiling Measurements ofThermal-Inkjet Heatershttp." Is that a sexy article or what?!

Then there is this parental guidance suggested article entitled "Structure- and fluid-dynamics in piezo inkjet printheads" that is interesting if nothing more than by its detailed history of inkjet printers. It was 1st Baron Kelvin (yes, the Lord Kelvin of absolute zero fame and a man worth reading about in his own right) credited with the first inkjet-like device, contrary to the popular belief it was @The Hat. Maybe the confusion stems from Lord Kelvin and The Hat both born in Ireland.

 

[turbguy]

500 Watts per square mm to produce microboiling?? WOW!! That is dense!!! A square meter that dense would require 500 Megawatts!! That's half the output of a large nuclear generator!

 

[stratman]

500 Watts per square mm to produce microboiling?? WOW!! That is dense!!! A square meter that dense would require 500 Megawatts!! That's half the output of a large nuclear generator!

Dense? That's how I felt reading the little bit I did! Might as well have been written in Greek.

Still, I thought you might find that article sexy.

 

[Emulator]

Interesting articles and comments, if only in giving a better idea of the problems involved.

Magenta is failing because it is the most used?

Silent running mode may well have a significant benefit? Is peak power as opposed to average power levels significant?

Cavitation damage would be related to use, not temperature?

Is heater cracking the primary cause of failure?

 

[3dogs]

Ok so what that says to me is that not enough research has gone into the materials of construction, for obvious reasons. Its natural I suppose, as unlike the Chemical industry for example, where thermal cracking is a catastrophic disaster in the making. With an inkjet printer its just a new print head in the market........

 

[ghwellsjr]

Failure of heads was one reason I have switched from Canon to Epson.

 

[Emulator]

Failure of heads was one reason I have switched from Canon to Epson.

That is interesting, I was wondering what the ratio of head failure between Canon and Epson is, there seems little in the way comment about the comparison of actual failure rates.