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During plate loading, drum stops and plate is stuck on loading table on ThermoFlex Mid II

Product

  

ThermoFlex® Mid II

Symptoms

  

During plate loading, the drum stops and the plate is stuck on the loading table.

Cause

  
  • Humidity causes static electricity, which causes plates to stick.
  • The sliding clutch is defective.
    •
  • The loading guide is loose or not aligned. When a plate's leading edge is properly aligned with the scribe line, as the plate loads, at some point the right side of the plate collides with the loading guide, which stops the loading process.

Solution

  

Workarounds:

  • Position the plate adjacent to the loading guide, and then move the plate 2 mm (0.8 in.) to the left. Continue loading as usual.
  • Under the loading table, disconnect the vacuum/loading fan (part number 220-00927A).
    •

Solution:

  1. Check humidity:
    1. Verify that the humidity is 55 degrees, +/-5.
    2. If humidity cannot be adjusted, connect a GND cable (220-01731A): Thread the GND cable from the service door, as shown, down toward the floor of the mainframe near the clutch.
      Note: To add the GND cable to the other cable harnesses, cut the cable ties, and then secure the GND cable to the harness with new cable ties.

      Connect GND cable to the service door

      Route the GND cable down toward the drum and the side door.

      Route the GND cable toward the clutch

      Route the GND cable along the mainframe alongside the clutch

      Connect the GND cable to the connector on the mainframe near the clutch.
  2. Determine which part of the clutch is sliding:
    • If the clutch and clutch plate are sliding, increase the friction between the two parts.
      1. In the gear locker, loosen the two set screws.
      2. Adjust the clutch and clutch plate so that they are tightly pressed against each other, and then tighten the two set screws.
    • If the clutch and shaft are sliding, the set screw in the inner shaft of the clutch has come loose, causing the clutch to slide and stop the drum from rotating. Replace the slow motor (clutch) assembly by implementing FCO 512-00336A.
  3. Align the loading guide:
    1. Cut a plate to the height of the loading guide. Make sure that the plate's corner angles are 90°.
    2. Align the plate on the loading table with the right edge as close as possible to the loading guide.
    3. Begin to load the plate with the leading edge of the plate along the scribe line.
      The plate's right edge touches the loading guide at only one point.
    4. Loosen the loading guide screws and align the guide with the right side of the plate.
    5. With the loading guide aligned against the plate, tighten the loading guide screws.
    6. Complete the loading guide sequence.
    7. When the plate is on the drum, measure the distance from each right corner of the plate to the edge of the drum. The measurements should be equal, with a tolerance of 1 mm (0.4 in.).

Note: The image location may have changed with the loading guide location. Expose a test file, examine the location of the image, and adjust the height-start image-area parameters as required.
Technical contact(s)
  

Viki Arviv
Submitted by
  

Pavel Litvak

Date submitted
  

23 Nov 2005

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