The Eufymake E1 is a recently-released prosumer UV printer that can print high-resolution color images onto pretty much anything. It also uses proprietary ink cartridges (which integrate a magnetic stirrer, nice) which are far more expensive than UV ink in bulk. So [charliex] set out to figure out how to refill the ink cartridges, including the cleaning cartridge.
UV printing in general is a bit of a maintenance hog, which has helped keep it from hobbyist use. UV ink doesn’t really like sitting idle in a machine, but the E1 automates cleaning and flushing of the print head as well as having swappable cartridges for each ink. This makes it a lot more user-friendly than UV printing has historically been.
The cartridge hardware can have a longer serviceable life than the ink inside, so it makes sense to try to refill them. There are more reasons to do this than just limiting costs. What if one wishes to print and the parent company is sold out of cartridges? What if they shut down? Refilling cartridges, and emptying waste from the cleaning cartridge, would become imperatives — lest an expensive prosumer UV printer turn into a paperweight. Thankfully software DRM control of the cartridges seems limited, at least so far.
Refilling cartridges can be carefully done with syringes combined with manual bypass of spring-loaded valve mechanisms. Emptying the cleaning cartridge can similarly be done by syringe, and it even has a hidden refill port under some plastic at its top.
[charliex] approaches all of this from a reverse-engineering perspective, indeed, he has a whole separate blog post about the software for the printer. So his solution is much more informed and elegant than, for example, just melting a new refill hole in the side of the things. It’s an interesting read, so check it out.
Our own Tom Nardi took a close, hands-on look at the E1 printer last year and came away pretty impressed with its capabilities. The cartridges are a big part of the user-friendliness of the system, but we hope there remains a viable option for manual refill for those of us who want to control costs or don’t wish to be locked in, and don’t mind violating a warranty or two in the process.
I dont have a eufy but my UV printer only has/needs stirring on the CISS white tank. The other channels work perfectly fine without it. I keep it pretty busy and have had minimal issues in the 2 years Ive ran it. I did have a 3 week vacation last year, so I disconnected the CISS, attached a bottle of printhead cleaner, and ran it till the heads ran clear to be safe. Not sure if it was necessary, but the printheads pretty pricey so I figured better safe than sorry.
which uv printer do you have?
Achi A3 UV-DTF
i guess i had a hard time understanding what a ‘uv printer’ is. it seems like it’s an inkjet that uses a uv-curable ink, which it cures very quickly as it prints. so it can use a physically substantial ink (makes a texture on the surface) without smearing, absorbing, or evaporating. honestly i still don’t know what it’s good for compared to other systems. i guess it’s good for non-paper surfaces where regular ink wouldn’t tend to stay where you left it?
I just saw one at a meet-up last weekend. It can print to basically anything and any shape. I saw Jesus on a pringle potato chip, a logo printed on the side of a 3D print, a photo printed onto a 3D relief of that photo, etc. It’s really cool and I can see how it would be useful for marking various products, but due to the ink and its characteristics, you sorta need to keep the printer going all the time or it will ruin itself.