Air in the ink inlet on the Epson printer
My Epson WF-C5710DWF has air in the ink inlet. I wanted to bleed the printer with a syringe. Is that advisable?
My Epson WF-C5710DWF seems to have problems with air in the black ink inlet. During the warranty period, a service technician came and bled the inflow using a special maintenance mode. Unfortunately, normal print head cleaning is not enough. Now I’ve read tips on the internet to bleed the printer with a syringe by carefully pushing the ink through the inlet. Is this advisable or can it damage the printer?
Epson’s C57 series apparently has the problem that when changing the ink bags, air gets into the hose system and at some point also into the print head. We advise against the tip of forcing ink through the system with a syringe. Theoretically, this could work, but only if you work completely air-free and the cannula fits perfectly. Otherwise – apart from the mess with ink splashing around – only more air would get into the hose system. Rather sacrifice the ink for extra cleaning attempts with rest breaks in between. As a rule, you can also see the cleaning progress on the nozzle test patterns. We’ve gotten some Epson printers to print again this way.
Piezo printing technology: Depending on the polarity of the voltage, the piezo element in the print head curves outwards (ink sucking in) or inwards (ejection). The voltage level determines the droplet size, the frequency the number. With the PrecisionCore print head from Epson (right), the piezo elements are only one micrometer thick and have a large area towards the ink chamber.
To explain: Ink printers with piezo print heads, like those built by Epson (and also Brother), cannot tolerate air bubbles in the pressure chambers. Although piezos can be used to control ink ejection very well, since gases are highly compressible, the piezo elements do not move enough volume to push them out of the nozzle.
Epson therefore degasses its ink so the liquid is able to break up smaller air bubbles (the reverse effect of the sparkling water bottle). You need patience when cleaning your WF-C5710, usually three cleanings are not enough. After three or four cleanings, leave the unit overnight. This gives the ink time to dissolve gas bubbles in the pressure chambers. Repeat the cleanse the following day and see if there is any improvement.
