1200 Achilles Heel 1 and 2

Two old problems seem to have surfaced again in the HP1200 cartridge. We first noticed it when a number of these cartridges came in that were all pretty dirty on the inside and outside. It all looked just so familiar. The two problem areas are leakage on the back edge of the doctor blade and also on the wiper blade. The doctor blade is the main one and this problem has been seen previously in the A30 and the SX, but mainly in the EX.

This is where a bit of history comes in. We have always tried, as hard as it is, to have our cartridges come back looking as clean as an OEM, inside and outside, so when OEM’s come in looking dirty then you know you’ve got an extra problem to solve before you start. More on why we are so pedantic about this later.

As far as the doctor blade is concerned there are 3 ways that this problem can be tackled.

In the HP1200 a thin strip of double-sided tape (see photo 1) helps seal the doctor blade in the OEM cartridge. Extra care should be taken at time of re-assembly to clean this tape in a way that also reconstitutes the tackiness. This can be done with shellite or zippo lighter fluid (or if you’re very quick, acetone), but only on the double-sided tape itself. This is a quick-fix and may not be entirely reliable.

As the OEM’s tend to leak after the original cycle we prefer to use the EX method of doctor blade foam on the back edge. (see photo 2)

Another method is a fresh layer of double-sided tape (see photo 3) but that can leave a tacky mess to clean up in later cycles.

Now for the wiper blade leak, prevalent in EX’s. Call it SX training or human nature, but when something’s wrong the user usually ‘just give the old cartridge a shake’. The result is that toner escapes from the back of the wiper blade and finds its way to the PCR. If it was printing poorly before then now it’s a shocker. A simple fix is just a piece of foam on the back edge of the wiper (most EX rail foams are suitable (see photo 4) This gives it a bit extra seal, helps to make the cartridge a bit more bullet proof and guarantees your customers get their full cycle.

Now for the pedantic bit. There are 4 good reasons to build clean running cartridges.
1) Creates less component wear and this includes the OPC, which means more profitable cycles.
2) Your customer will get a better page count.
3) Here’s the biggy. Remember that even a small printer cooling fan cycles round 8 cubic foot of air per minute, so your customer can be breathing some toner too.
4)Helps generate less dust which can damage other components such as drive trains, fusers and in particular the laser scanner lens.