KeepItPrinting.com

[james]

We installed a proto type drum today. The first 8000 drum this manufacturer has produced. After adjusting the charge grid voltage the prints looked good. We will be monitoring the progress and quality over the next few weeks. I have no idea what the drum will sell for after R&D testing is done.

The manufacturer wants to know if the kip 3000 and 2000 are the same type drums as the 8000. Does anyone know?

I'll keep this forum updated as we Keep it Printing.

[gone fishin]

As far as I can tell their using the same type coating. Since all the machines are using the same recycle process.

[james]

We ran the drum for a week about 45k sqft. Had to adjust charge grid settings again to eleminate streaks. Other than running a little lighter than OEM, it ran fine. The drum is on it's way back to the manufacturer for building the next proto type.

Here's what they would like:
A new or almost new 8000 drum that may have been damaged (scatches/dings/etc.) to analize the different layers. Does anyone have a like new drum that is damaged that you would let them have?

Also:
The also want another test site. It would be nice to have someone well aquainted with the drum charge/discharge characteristices and have the time and machine to test.

Note: I think they will be able to bring the drum to market. If so, most likely they will be able to produce most other Kip drums (both for 400dpi and 600dpi machines).

Let me know if anyone can help w/drum or test site.
Thanks
james

[KIPDOCTOR]

I have always been a little leary of aftermarket drums. While I am all for keeping the K Mart management driving thier Acuras and Fords. ( we all know really successful business people drive Mercs and BMWs, hey there is one of each in my garage. What do you drive Tony D?) I also have been contacted by this company to test thier drums. My biggest thing is how much can I really save. I routinely get over 4 million sq out of the K mart drums. How can you argue with that? Unless this drum is substantially less money it would not be worth the trouble. The one item that will make a huge effect is if someone can fiqure out a way to recoat this damn fuser roller. Whoever figures this out will make a killing. I am working with some people on the R&D on these things. This is really the item where the most potential exists.
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What we have gained in technology, we have lost in humanity.

[james]

You are correct that K-mart’s drum goes a long way. I think a lot of it is attributed to not having a cleaner blade scraping the drum. As long as K-mart doesn’t increase the price of the drum everyone will be ok.

Unfortunately, over the last 25 years I’ve seen other OEM’s part’s prices increase 10X or more in one year. One roller (BTR Roll) from X cost $32 one year, the next $530. As long as we can trust K-mart to keep pricing fair, we’ll be ok.

On the other hand, I use non-OEM drums that work fine in other types of machines.

Years ago X made a photo belt that everyone said couldn’t be made by anyone else. The belt had to flex and was about 5 feet long. Sure enough a company made it, it worked better than X’s, and X eventually quit making their belt and bought them from the non-OEM company.

As far as the heat roll goes...I’ve also tried sourced ones…more like R&D trying. I’ve yet to see any work as well as K-marts, if they work at all.

I would like to see someone retrofit the fuser stripping system. On high-volume X printers (cut sheet) they have for years and years used air to strip the paper from the heat roll. An air manifold contoured to the roller, with little pin holes in it, runs the length of the heat roll. The fuser entrance switch activates the fuser air sol which puffs air on the lead edge of the paper. The knife kind of shape of the manifold would guide the paper after air stripping it. An air compressor with small accumulator tank is also used (does increase machine noise level even though it is muffled). This system has no stripper fingers wearing into the roller surface, rollers last a long time. The bearings would wear out a lot of times before the roller surface.

Be real nice to get rid of all those stripper fingers. Expensive, wear on the roll’s surface and jam damage to the roller.

If we can’t recoat it, maybe we can make the OEM rollers last longer???

Just on my wish list.