Printhead recycling

Thread Starter

MrThinker

Joined Dec 19, 2016
0
I need to print with a particular resin that has almost the same viscosity of epson's ink. So I need to control every piezo in order to print with the precision I need. Nothing commercial, it is only a garage project.
 

Thread Starter

MrThinker

Joined Dec 19, 2016
0
Oh no, I meant "have you tried and found useful the information in the links or the forum?". Anyway, I googled and found something very useful, thank you so much.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
Oh no, I meant "have you tried and found useful the information in the links or the forum?". Anyway, I googled and found something very useful, thank you so much.
The epson print head is the most popular for research and reuse (hacking). There are many technical papers published through the FlexTech Alliance (flexible printed circuits, flexible displays and RFID tags). I think all of the pins are defined.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
How do I access some of these papers?
Sorry, you have to attend conferences within the last year to get access. Also, the two papers I just checked used standard printers and graphics software - they just refilled ink cartridges with different media. Must be similar viscosity to commercial ink used by Epson. Finally, it appears the lower quality Brother printers have bigger ink drops for doing thicker layers. The epson is more precise. Epson can be hacked to give double drops but the software that calculates trajectory to impact has to be rewritten based on your distance-to-media if you redesign the print bed and double-shot print head.
 

Thread Starter

MrThinker

Joined Dec 19, 2016
0
My real issue is to rewire it. The software is not a problem I just need to know what each pin does and how much current and frequency need.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
My real issue is to rewire it. The software is not a problem I just need to know what each pin does and how much current and frequency need.

You'll have to root around the interwebs for more detail but it seems the information is out there.

Here is one site. I don't expect it will all be on a silver platter for your end application idea so It will take some work to get proficient. Here is one description...

http://www.nerdkits.com/forum/thread/1768/
 

Thread Starter

MrThinker

Joined Dec 19, 2016
0
There's plenty of info about hacking industrial piezo printheads but their cost is huge to me. Nothing precise about epson's one. Thank you so much, I'll keep googling around.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
There's plenty of info about hacking industrial piezo printheads but their cost is huge to me. Nothing precise about epson's one. Thank you so much, I'll keep googling around.
If you use the sea have term "pinout" you can get better results. Example
Pinout epson inkjet

Pinout epson piezo

Pinout epson printhead
 

Thread Starter

MrThinker

Joined Dec 19, 2016
0
Oh yeah! I found something interesting. Being italian is a problem because of the exact syntax of the google search ahaha. Thank you guys.
 

Thread Starter

MrThinker

Joined Dec 19, 2016
0
Ok, no way too proprietary. But I think I asked myself the wrong question. Why do more work than necessary? I think I'm going to buy a cheap entire printer, mount the x axis on a y axis and build an arduino thing to "decode" the gcode that sends 2D images of every layer to the printer and pauses it while increase the layer with z axis (that moves the bed). It's a dirty project but it should work without too much reverse engineering. My only problem is the waste of materiale in case of printer firmware automatic cleaning up of the nozzles and a way to translate the y circular axis in a linear y axis without delay due to communications issue.
 
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