20 Reasons Behind Short Inkjet Printhead Lifespan and Abnormal Failures (A Must-Read and Worth Saving)

20 Reasons Behind Short Inkjet Printhead Lifespan and Abnormal Failures (A Must-Read and Worth Saving)

Table of content.

As the most precise, most expensive, and most sensitive core component in an inkjet printer, the inkjet printhead directly determines final print quality, operating cost, and manufacturing cost.

high speed tumbler bottle printer the main picture

This is especially critical for industrial single-pass wide-format inkjet printers and scanning wide-format inkjet printers. In these systems, the number of printheads is highly concentrated—ranging from dozens to even hundreds.
 If abnormalities are not detected and addressed in time, failures often occur in batches, leading to serious and costly consequences.

Based on real-world experience in routine maintenance, consumables management, on-site technical support, process tuning, machine R&D, and validation testing, this article systematically analyzes common causes and provides corresponding improvement measures.

Therefore, this guide is widely applicable and highly relevant—from daily operators and after-sales engineers to process engineers, R&D designers, and ultimately company owners (the final decision-makers).

Printheads are expensive—use them with care.

 

 

I. Daily and Holiday Maintenance

1. Inadequate Daily Maintenance

Strictly follow daily maintenance procedures: ink purging, carriage bottom plate cleaning, and wiping the printhead surface to remove ink residue.

  • Residual water-based or solvent inks may dry and crystallize, causing nozzle clogging

  • Residual UV ink may cure due to reflected UV LED light, significantly reducing printhead lifespan

2. Insufficient Daily Moisturization

① Proper Use of Cleaning Fluid
 Use printhead cleaning fluids compatible with the ink (dedicated or universal). These fluids dissolve dried ink on the nozzle surface and provide moisturizing protection, ensuring proper nozzle wettability.
 (Dedicated moisturizing fluids provide longer-lasting protection than improvised methods.)

② Moisturization During Idle Periods
 If the printer remains idle for a period, move the printhead to the capping/moisturizing position.
 A moisturizing sponge soaked with preservation fluid should tightly contact the printhead nozzle surface.

3. Holiday Shutdown Maintenance

For long holiday shutdowns, follow proper shutdown procedures including ink draining, flushing, moisturization, and sealing.
 Procedures vary depending on shutdown duration.
 Refer to:
 “Inkjet Printhead Daily and Holiday Maintenance Manual (Recommended)”

 

 

4. Wiper Blade Issues

For printers with automatic wiping systems, ensure wiper blades are chemically resistant and wear-resistant.

5. Ink Issues

  • Use inks that have passed printhead compatibility validation

  • Do not use expired ink

  • Minimize ink switching; when changing inks, flush or replace ink lines and replace filters

  • Avoid mixing different inks or residual inks, which can cause chemical reactions or precipitation

6. Cleaning Fluid Issues

Use cleaning fluids compatible with both the printhead and ink, preferably those recommended by the ink or printhead manufacturer.

7. Ink Tubes and Ink Bags

Purchase ink tubes and ink bags from authorized suppliers to prevent chemical reactions, particle dissolution, or sedimentation caused by poor material quality.

 

 

III. Equipment Installation and Commissioning

8. Printhead Striking the Substrate

① Printing Height Set Too Low
 Reset the correct printing height.

② Incorrect Z-Axis Zero Calibration
 Recalibrate the carriage Z-axis zero position.

③ Collision Protection Failure
 If the anti-collision sensor is set higher than the carriage bottom plate or the switch fails, it becomes ineffective.
 Set the collision sensor 0.2–1 mm lower than the carriage bottom plate (device-dependent).

④ Laser Height Detection Calibration
 For systems using laser height sensors, ensure detection values and fluctuations are within standard limits.

  • Typical value: 3000–3500, fluctuation ≤ 30

  • After calibration, use 0.5–8 mm gauge blocks to map laser readings to actual heights one by one.

⑤ Printing Platform Leveling
 After confirming carriage flatness and parallelism, measure the height between the carriage bottom plate and multiple platform points.
 Required tolerance: ±0.1 mm.

 

 

9. Automatic Cleaning or Wiping Residue

After automatic cleaning or wiping, residual ink on the carriage bottom plate may solidify over time, clogging nozzles.

  • Verify wiper height settings

  • For suction systems, ensure proper sealing and suction strength

  • The printhead surface must be completely clean and dry after cleaning

10. Ink Supply System Sealing

Poor sealing causes air ingress, ink imbalance, nozzle air bubbles, ink leakage, dropouts, or dripping.
 Check the entire ink path, including tubing, connectors, sub-tanks, pumps, filters, and ink bags.
 Ensure no cracks, loose connections, stretching, knotting, or bending.

 

 

11. UV Curing Travel (UV Inkjet Printers)

① UV Lamp Turns On Too Early
 If UV lamps turn on before reaching the print area, excess UV light reflects toward the printhead.
 Typical setting: turn on 2–3 mm before, turn off 2–3 mm after the print area.

② UV Lamp Turns Off Too Late
 Delayed shutoff also causes UV reflection toward the printhead.
 Shorter distances are always better, as long as curing is complete.

 

 

12. UV Curing Power

Set curing energy according to substrate type and ink thickness.
 Excessive power reduces UV lamp lifespan and increases UV reflection damage to printheads.
 Use a UV energy meter to set appropriate power percentages.

 

 

13. Hot Plugging Printhead Cables

Never connect or disconnect printhead data cables while powered on.
 Always power off the printhead and head board first, and ensure correct cable orientation.

 

 

14. Grounding Issues

Poor grounding may damage printheads and control boards.
 Ensure proper grounding of the printhead, head board, and entire machine.
 Install static eliminators if necessary.

 

 

15. Abnormal Head Board Power Supply

Different printers use different voltages (e.g., 36V), but voltage must remain stable.
 Long-term under-voltage, over-voltage, or large fluctuations significantly shorten printhead lifespan.
 Use regulated power supplies or voltage stabilizers as needed.

 

 

IV. R&D and Design Factors

16. UV Lamp Alignment with Carriage

If UV lamps are parallel to the carriage bottom plate, reflected UV exposure increases.
 Design lamps with adjustable tilt, typically 5–15° away from the printhead, or more if required by process conditions.

17. Driver and Circuit Design

In piezo inkjet systems, electrical crosstalk reduces efficiency and printhead lifespan.
 Driver and circuit design must minimize crosstalk frequency and intensity.

Reference:
 “Crosstalk in Piezoelectric Inkjet Printing”

18. Filter Selection

Incorrect filter specifications fail to block contaminants, allowing particles to clog nozzles.
 Typical recommendations:

  • Primary filter: 5–10 μm

  • Secondary filter: 5–10 μm

 

 

V. Environmental Factors

19. Environmental Conditions

Printheads are extremely sensitive to temperature, humidity, and cleanliness.
 A constant temperature, constant humidity, and clean workshop environment greatly reduces clogging and print abnormalities.

Different industries have different requirements, but good environmental control always improves printhead lifespan.

Reference:
 “Cleanroom Classification Standards and Inkjet Industry Requirements”

 

 

VI. Quarterly Maintenance

20. Quarterly Maintenance

Maintenance Rule: 70% care, 30% repair

Inkjet printers are no exception.
 The cleanliness of the entire ink system directly determines printhead performance and lifespan.
 Long-term ink residue inside tubing or clogged filters will inevitably cause nozzle blockage.

Recommended actions:

  • Replace filters, ink bags, and ink tubes quarterly

  • Clean main ink tanks, secondary ink tanks, and negative pressure tanks every 1–2 quarters

  • Pay special attention to negative pressure tanks, which are prone to ink backflow

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