# Damper, Asian supplier



## Flying Loom (Jun 29, 2007)

I am in contact with an Asian company whom manufacturs dampers for inkjet printers. He informs me that they make the dampers for Roland/Mimaki and for Mutoh. He says that he is not 100% positive if the same damper will fit the nipple on the Epson head. He didn't state what size the damper outlet ID is on their product. I am not exactly sure what the outlet ID is on the damper used on the Epson. It would have to be either 2mm or 3mm. I have asked a tech with DTG, he thinks it may be 2mm but wasn't 100% sure. I have tried to get a measurement using the micrometer that I use for building engines but it just does not do the job. Does anyone have an idea if the ID for the Roland/Mimaki dampers is the same for the Epson Damper? In overall appearance, they are the same. The cost is far under what we are paying now.


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## zoom_monster (Sep 20, 2006)

I would find out what head you have in yours, then the nipple size should be consistant with that head. Be aware that many "solvent" type printers have foam filter inside the damper. I know the the ones I have in my Anajet have a metal screen. The foam ones definately are a bad idea for the white ink side. I would make sure before you buy.


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## Flying Loom (Jun 29, 2007)

The print head is the Epson Stylus Photo 2200. The damper I am looking at from China has the micro-mesh screen. I am told by DTG that they get their dampers from a company in Japan but I've been unable to locate them searching the internet. 
As for the inlet nipple on the print head, I've tried to mic it but I am unable to get my mic properly on it to get an accurate reading.
I've searched through Epsons data base for measurment specifications and found none. As well as searching through a number of other sights.


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## PinkFreud (Mar 8, 2007)

hey folks...pardon my ignorance but what is a damper and what is it supposed to do?


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## zhenjie (Aug 27, 2006)

Flying Loom said:


> The print head is the Epson Stylus Photo 2200. The damper I am looking at from China has the micro-mesh screen. I am told by DTG that they get their dampers from a company in Japan but I've been unable to locate them searching the internet.
> As for the inlet nipple on the print head, I've tried to mic it but I am unable to get my mic properly on it to get an accurate reading.
> I've searched through Epsons data base for measurement specifications and found none. As well as searching through a number of other sights.


If your Chinese supplier can supply these dampers it would be really great! Means we can rotate or change these dampers on a consistent basis.

I think Don mentioned in previous threads that Epson themselves supply these dampers due to the special size and o-rings. If thats the case then that explains why they are so expensive and why the techs are saying they come from Japan.

Put me down for 20 dampers! 

Pink: The dampers are the plastic things which attach to the nipple of the the print head, one for each ink line. Its simply there to filter the ink before it reaches the print head. If you have white ink you'll know all about clogged dampers


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## Wilkins1952 (Mar 5, 2007)

Oh yeah, I know all about clogged dampers and what it costs to replace them. We try and make sure the ink doesn't dry in them. I'm in to buying dampers from China if they fit. I did call my local Epson service center and I can get a print head at a significant savings. I'm afraid to buy in case there is some difference.


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## zoom_monster (Sep 20, 2006)

zhenjie said:


> Pink: The dampers are the plastic things which attach to the nipple of the the print head, one for each ink line. Its simply there to filter the ink before it reaches the print head. If you have white ink you'll know all about clogged dampers


In a normal Epson cartrige the dampers are built in. As noted they do filter, but also they create turbulance as the ink enters the head to keep everything mixed and suspended. Now Pink, I know you run white and you've been doing it for as long as anyone here... so what I'd like to know is:
a) What environment do you run your machine in..ie humidity, temp etc
b) how much and what type of maintenance do you perform on your heads, capping station,wipers et al.
c) you must be doing something right... what is the secret guru man


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## PinkFreud (Mar 8, 2007)

No grasshopper a secret there is not....Just use the machine as the main part of your business....and grasshopper business you must have....I print white fonts on black shirts almost everday as well as full color photographics on darks....I've had my first machine for almost 2 years and I have replaced the head ONCE.....I have a second machine which is dedicated to white/light which is also used regularly....
I do very little daily maintanace.....I occasionally reach in with my bear hands and remove the gunk around the capping station, wiper blades and printhead....
I rarely need to do voluntary cleanings.....I can leave the machine off for the weekend and have no problems monday morning....If I need to let it sit for longer
I attach the cleaning cartidges....I am not a great technician nor a great artist I just use logic and commen sense to understand how this machine works for garmnet printing...it is not rocket science but grasshopper it does require a little patience and a willingness to learn....I suppose the real secret to making the white work is to use it everyday, all day...It was not meant to sit there while you do other things...I have printed over 10,000 shirts almost half of them black...oh and on a side note I consistantly seem to print 100 shirts of various print sizes for each liter of white ink, so if you do the math, based on the current price for a liter ($300 but going down)...the average cost for white ink on a shirt is 3 bucks


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## Wilkins1952 (Mar 5, 2007)

PinkFreud said:


> No grasshopper a secret there is not....Just use the machine as the main part of your business....and grasshopper business you must have....I print white fonts on black shirts almost everday as well as full color photographics on darks....I've had my first machine for almost 2 years and I have replaced the head ONCE.....I have a second machine which is dedicated to white/light which is also used regularly....
> I do very little daily maintanace.....I occasionally reach in with my bear hands and remove the gunk around the capping station, wiper blades and printhead....
> I rarely need to do voluntary cleanings.....I can leave the machine off for the weekend and have no problems monday morning....If I need to let it sit for longer
> I attach the cleaning cartidges....I am not a great technician nor a great artist I just use logic and commen sense to understand how this machine works for garmnet printing...it is not rocket science but grasshopper it does require a little patience and a willingness to learn....I suppose the real secret to making the white work is to use it everyday, all day...It was not meant to sit there while you do other things...I have printed over 10,000 shirts almost half of them black...oh and on a side note I consistantly seem to print 100 shirts of various print sizes for each liter of white ink, so if you do the math, based on the current price for a liter ($300 but going down)...the average cost for white ink on a shirt is 3 bucks


Yes, I had a pleasant surprize yesterday... I bought some ink and (hooray) there was a drop in price through Mesa. Now, if the prices on other consumables would go down I'd be one happy gal.

Pat


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## Flying Loom (Jun 29, 2007)

I am waiting to hear back from another supplier in China. Their write-up at alibaba.com says that this damper is for the Epson print head though it does not say which one. I do not know if the nipple od is standard across the board on all print heads. As you can see from the pic, it is similar in all regards as for appearance. If it will fit the nipple, I am in business!
I'll keep everyone updated as I move along.


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## Printzilla (Mar 22, 2007)

Pink would not know about dampers, as ours are built in to the cartridge on the tjets.

I second everything Pink said.


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## zhenjie (Aug 27, 2006)

Flying Loom said:


> I am waiting to hear back from another supplier in China. Their write-up at alibaba.com says that this damper is for the Epson print head though it does not say which one. I do not know if the nipple od is standard across the board on all print heads. As you can see from the pic, it is similar in all regards as for appearance. If it will fit the nipple, I am in business!
> I'll keep everyone updated as I move along.


Looks exactly like the DTG dampers I have on mine, this is very interesting indeed! What do they use those dampers for?

I'm sure they can make the o-rings and dampers fit onto the Epson heads. Plenty of companies make 3rd party cartridges with filters inbuilt for the Epson heads so I'm sure they would make it for DTG machines.


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## Flying Loom (Jun 29, 2007)

Zhenjie, according to the write up at alibaba.com (an importer/exporter lead site) this damper is used on Epson print heads. The other damper that I found through EC21.com (another import/export lead site) is for the Roland and Mimaki printers. It, also, is similar in appearance. If this damper will fit the nipple, I see no reason why it would not work as the screen used is micro-mesh and they state that it is compatible with water based ink as well as solvent inks.
My question to everyone whom I have spoken to is "What is the nipple OD?". So far no one has been able to give me a clear answer. It is either 2mm or 3mm. I think I'll go to the source and call Epson directly. What I should had done several days ago.


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## jki540 (May 29, 2007)

Hi everyone...don't know if this is the right forum to ask this question, but i have an Anajet that needs to be parked for a few days. I'm emptying the ink lines and replacing them with the cleaning fluid as indicated by the user manual. I do this by cleaning the head until all the old ink is flushed out and replaced by the clear cleaning fluid.

How do you know when you've flushed all the ink out? right now, the cleaning fluid is clear, and i can still see very faint traces of the colored ink inside the tubes. is this normal? the white lines also have VERY faint traces of white in them. should the lines be 100% clear?

i purged and purged and purged!!! i filled half the waste tank!! is this normal?

it's the first time i'm running the cleaning fluid and i want to avoid a nightmare when it's time to print again. Did i overkill it?? Am i wasting valuable fluid?? Or will those small traces of ink come back to haunt me?

Any input/guidance would be helpful...thanks everyone!


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## zoom_monster (Sep 20, 2006)

As long as the fluid is all the way to the print head you are fine. You will notice after letting it sit for 24 hours, that some of the white pigment(titanium dioxide) will colect in the low spots in your lines and everything will look clearer. This is not a problem, and nothing that should concern you. I would just make sure that you clean the head, maintenance station et al good. How long are you leaving it? There are a few more tips I posted in the anajet forum about my last time away. If you will be away for a week or more, you could set it up to do the "auto mainenance" but if you've already purged you may not need to worry about this either.


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## printerguy (Dec 26, 2006)

Flying Loom said:


> I am waiting to hear back from another supplier in China. Their write-up at alibaba.com says that this damper is for the Epson print head though it does not say which one. I do not know if the nipple od is standard across the board on all print heads. As you can see from the pic, it is similar in all regards as for appearance. If it will fit the nipple, I am in business!
> I'll keep everyone updated as I move along.


Do you DTG guys really need to replace these dampers frequently. Are you paying $40 each as I believe someone posted? If there's enough of a demand as there seems to be then we'll start offering them for substantially less.


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

It seems some times people need to replace them, I think it is from letting the machine sit without doing maintenance. I switch mine out (I have two sets for my hm1) every 3 weeks and I have had no problems. They are not 40 dollars they are more like 59 dollars ea., when I purchased my machine I bought four of them to switch out. I agree they are expensive, also for the hm1 they dont look like the picture on page 1, they are different.

Bobbie


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## jki540 (May 29, 2007)

thanks ian...i'll take a look at the anajet forum for your hints and tips.


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## printerguy (Dec 26, 2006)

sunnydayz said:


> It seems some times people need to replace them, I think it is from letting the machine sit without doing maintenance. I switch mine out (I have two sets for my hm1) every 3 weeks and I have had no problems. They are not 40 dollars they are more like 59 dollars ea., when I purchased my machine I bought four of them to switch out. I agree they are expensive, also for the hm1 they dont look like the picture on page 1, they are different.
> 
> Bobbie


Would it be possible for you to post a picture of what the HM-1 dampers look like?


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

printerguy said:


> Would it be possible for you to post a picture of what the HM-1 dampers look like?


Yes, I will take a pic later and post it for you 
Bobbie


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## TahoeTomahawk (Apr 12, 2006)

We used to have a very difficult time unclogging Dampers after months of White Ink use and flushing the lines out (using the same dampers).
We not only have one 'extra' set of white ink dampers that we rotate when we flush the white ink lines. The dampers that come out of rotation are then put into an Ultrasonic cleaner we purchased for about $30. After several cycles of cleaning in the Ultrasonic cleaner, your dampers will look like new.
So far we've only paid $40 for 3 dampers to rotate.


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

printerguy said:


> Would it be possible for you to post a picture of what the HM-1 dampers look like?


Ok here are pics of what the HM1 dampers look like, sorry it took so long




















Those are pics of front and back.

Have a great day 

Bobbie


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## zoom_monster (Sep 20, 2006)

Thanks Bobbie. That is very interesting. Perhaps there is some real engineering going on there.


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## zoom_monster (Sep 20, 2006)

TahoeTomahawk said:


> We used to have a very difficult time unclogging Dampers after months of White Ink use and flushing the lines out (using the same dampers).
> We not only have one 'extra' set of white ink dampers that we rotate when we flush the white ink lines. The dampers that come out of rotation are then put into an Ultrasonic cleaner we purchased for about $30. After several cycles of cleaning in the Ultrasonic cleaner, your dampers will look like new.
> So far we've only paid $40 for 3 dampers to rotate.


Adam, do you rotate as needed, or on a schedule?


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## kevrokr (Feb 26, 2007)

That's the same damper from the Epson 4800....Is the HM-1 Based on an Epson 4800?


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## printerguy (Dec 26, 2006)

sunnydayz said:


> Ok here are pics of what the HM1 dampers look like, sorry it took so long
> 
> Those are pics of front and back.
> 
> ...




Are these the same as your current HM1 dampers?


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## Belquette (Sep 12, 2005)

kevrokr said:


> That's the same damper from the Epson 4800....Is the HM-1 Based on an Epson 4800?


Yes it is the same damper.
No, the HM-1 is based on the 2400 and partial Flexi, at least the HM part.


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

printerguy said:


> Are these the same as your current HM1 dampers?


 
Yep exactly the same, I am going to pm you.
Bobbie


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

Hi Printerguy,
I got it today and from looking at it, it looks exactly the same, the o ring and everything look identical. 
Bobbie


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## jki540 (May 29, 2007)

hi zoom monster...i just looked at your post on the anajet forum. thx for all of the detailed info.

i purged the ink completely so i think i should be fine. i've parked the printer for a few weeks while i go out and try to drum up business with the samples i printed. the printer is shut off and there's no auto maintenance going on. i tried to reset it to just how i received it out of the box.

please let me know if, even with the lines totally purged, there are things i still need to be mindful of (humidity level, cleaning the head, etc.).

i really appreciate your feedback...thx!


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## TahoeTomahawk (Apr 12, 2006)

zoom_monster said:


> Adam, do you rotate as needed, or on a schedule?


We are on a weekly schedule right now, this keeps everything flowing nicely.
Although we rotate the dampers, if you only have 1 set it should only take about 15 minutes or so to run them through a few cleaning cycles in the ultrasonic cleaner (while back flushing them after every cycle). Anything longer than about a week and we start to notice the nozzle checks degrading, go for 2-3 weeks and you'll be running several head cleanings after every few shirts to get a good check, any longer and that and when you used to print 1 layer of white, will now require 2 (or more).

The weekly cycle seems like a lot of work but it has really saved us alot of headaches.


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