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Gerber MAXX 2 Owner's Manual

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GERBER MAXX 2™
Owner's Guide

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  • Page 1 GERBER MAXX 2™ Owner’s Guide...

  • Page 3: Copyright Notice

    Printed in USA GSP and EDGE are registered trademarks of Gerber Scientific Products, Inc. GERBER MAXX, MAXX 2, MAXX READY, OMEGA, ThermApprove, GerberTone, GerberColor Spectratone, ODYSSEY, FasTrack, Gerber FastFacts, and Support First are trademarks of Gerber Scientific Products, Inc. Adobe PhotoShop is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.

  • Page 4: Fcc Notice

    FCC Notice Warning: Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules.

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    Chapter 1: Introduction ......................1 In this manual ............................1 Conventions ............................. 1 Customer support ........................... 2 Chapter 2: Getting to Know the GERBER MAXX 2............... 3 Basic requirements ..........................3 Environment and temperature importance..................3 Using MAXX READY material......................3 Vinyl care ..............................
  • Page 6 Automatic head cleaning ........................27 Manually cleaning the printhead..................... 27 Cleaning foil cassettes........................31 Chapter 5: Printing Jobs ......................33 Setting up and sending the job ......................33 Determining the status of each bay..................... 33 Reducing the recorded amount of foil in a cassette............... 34 Printing the job ............................

  • Page 7: Chapter 1: Introduction

    Getting to Know the GERBER MAXX 2 contains photographs and descriptions of the major parts of the printer and provides instructions for loading vinyl and foil cassettes.

  • Page 8: Customer Support

    Introduction Customer support If you have questions regarding using, maintaining, or troubleshooting the MAXX 2, please contact your Gerber distributor, GSP Field Service for hardware questions, or Technical Systems Support for software questions. phone: 800-828-5406 for hardware, 860-644-6971 for software fax: 860-648-8376 e-mail: gspservice@gspinc.com (hardware) or gsptech@gspinc.com (software)

  • Page 9: Chapter 2: Getting To Know The Gerber Maxx 2

    Chapter 2: Getting to Know the GERBER MAXX 2 The GERBER MAXX 2 is a sophisticated machine but is very easy to use. The following pages introduce the printer and describe basic operation. Basic requirements The MAXX 2 is a network device. Your computer must have an Ethernet network card installed to communicate with the printer.

  • Page 10: Vinyl Storage

    CHAPTER 2 Getting to Know the GERBER MAXX 2 printing as water or moisture can damage the printhead. Before loading vinyl into the MAXX 2, wipe the ends of the roll with a tack cloth to remove any dirt or dust.

  • Page 11: Overview Of The Maxx 2

    Overview of the MAXX 2 Rack cover Cassettes in rack Control panel Supply roll Base The MAXX 2 base houses the control circuitry for the printer. In addition to these electronic components, a vacuum pump is mounted in the base. The pump comes on automatically at the start of the printing sequence to hold the material firmly against the platen.

  • Page 12: The Printer Table

    CHAPTER 2 Getting to Know the GERBER MAXX 2 The printer table Foil in cassette Magnet bars Platen Material is pulled through the printer by the magnet bars. The vacuum draws through the holes in the platen and holds the material flat during printing. The cassette rack stores up to six foil cassettes.

  • Page 13: Loading The Material

    Loading the material Front vinyl Material tray squeegee Alignment line Roll rests Left roll hub Right roll hub and motor The rolls of MAXX READY material are mounted on the roll hubs at the front of the printer. There is a material loading path illustration on the left material roll hub for guidance in loading material.
  • Page 14 CHAPTER 2 Getting to Know the GERBER MAXX 2 To load the material 1 Raise the material tray. 2 Move the material catching basket away from the front of the base. 3 Slide the right roll hub so that it is the same approximate distance from the left roll hub as the material width.

  • Page 15: The Foil Cassettes

    The foil cassettes Bay stop Cassette Cassette bay Each foil cassette contains a continuous ribbon of foil. When the supply roll is low or empty, the control panel display prompts you to load more foil in the cassette. The cassettes are “smart” cassettes.
  • Page 16 CHAPTER 2 Getting to Know the GERBER MAXX 2 When loading the cassette, load the supply roll first. The memory reader button goes on the front end of the roll (nearest the outside of the cassette). The cover has a label showing you the foil path.

  • Page 17: Straightening Wrinkles In Foil

    Straightening wrinkles in foil After loading the foil cassettes, inspect them to ensure that the foil is not folded over on itself (as shown below). If the foil folds over on itself, it will cause wrinkles on the print. To unfold the foil, push the foil with your fingernail while rotating the take-up roll (the top roll) counterclockwise.

  • Page 18: Chapter 3: Understanding The Maxx 2 Control Panel

    CHAPTER 3 Understanding the MAXX 2 Control Panel Chapter 3: Understanding the MAXX 2 Control Panel Before you start printing jobs become familiar with the commands, features, and messages of the MAXX 2. This chapter details the following topics: ♦ Control panel keys ♦...
  • Page 19 indicate that pressing the key will result in action or display submenus. The lines from the function keys to the message lines indicate which key to press on the display. The following chart briefly describes the purpose of the keys. Name Purpose Function keys...

  • Page 20: Maxx 2 Power Up Sequence

    CHAPTER 3 Understanding the MAXX 2 Control Panel MAXX 2 power up sequence When the MAXX 2 is turned on it initializes the axes and then displays the firmware version number followed by the Ready message. Do not press any of the control panel keys when you first turn on the MAXX 2.

  • Page 21: Run Continuous Mode

    Run continuous mode In the run continuous mode, the MAXX prints continuously as jobs are sent to it. When you press RUN CONT, the light over the key is on and the light over the RUN SINGLE key is off. When all jobs are complete, the light remains on, indicating that when another job is sent, it will start to print without operator intervention.

  • Page 22: Pausing Jobs And Restarting A Job

    CHAPTER 3 Understanding the MAXX 2 Control Panel Press the function key adjacent to the action you want to take. When you choose Cancel This Job the job is aborted and the remaining data is cleared from the printer buffer. If you press Continue the job is restarted.

  • Page 23: Displaying Detailed Information About Each Queued Job

    As a new job is printed, it replaces the previous replay job in memory. You can not delete a replay ( ) job from the Job Queue. When in run continuous mode, the replay job is automatically replaced when a new job is started.

  • Page 24: Re-Positioning A Job In The Queue

    CHAPTER 3 Understanding the MAXX 2 Control Panel Re-positioning a job in the queue When you change the position of a job in the queue, other jobs are shifted up or down in the queue as needed. Re-positioning is not available for the replay job or when there are less than two jobs are in the queue.

  • Page 25: Adjusting The Pull Distance When Slewing Material

    –40.64 cm). Updating the MAXX 2 firmware Occasionally GSP will update the firmware in your GERBER MAXX 2 to a new revision level. Before updating the firmware using GQ Manager, you must set the MAXX 2 to accept a system update.
  • Page 26 7 Click Firmware > MAXX > Backup XX.mxb. The current system files backup to the temp directory. 8 Click Build XX.mxb. The firmware installs. As the firmware is installing, messages will automatically scroll through the Properties for Gerber MAXX dialog box. When finished the following message is displayed: MAXX FILES TRANSFERRED...

  • Page 27: Chapter 4: Maxx 2 Care And Cleaning

    Recommended MAXX 2 cleaning materials The recommended cleaning materials are: ♦ rubber gloves (strongly recommended) ♦ pink ThermApprove printhead cleaning film, Gerber part number P72966C ♦ ThermApprove printhead cleaning kit, Gerber part number P66530B ♦ a clean, lint-free cloth ♦ 99 percent isopropyl alcohol ♦...

  • Page 28: Cleaning The Vinyl Squeegees And Magnet Bars

    CHAPTER 4 MAXX 2 Care and Cleaning Cleaning the vinyl squeegees and magnet bars Turn on the printer and press LOAD VINYL on the control panel to raise the front and rear vinyl squeegees. Remove any material loaded in the printer. Use a wet alcohol printhead cleaning pad to clean the squeegees.

  • Page 29: Cleaning The Edge Sensor Strip

    Cleaning the edge sensor strip The edge sensor strip is located behind the back cover panel above the table. To clean the edge sensor strip 1 Unload any material from the printer. 2 Move the rear material catching basket away from the back of the printer. 3 Remove the three screws across the top of the back cover panel so that the cover can be lowered on its hinges.

  • Page 30: Inspecting And Refilling The Wiper Box

    CHAPTER 4 MAXX 2 Care and Cleaning Inspecting and refilling the wiper box CAUTION: When inspecting the wiper box as described in the next paragraph, verify that there is cleaning film in the wiper box and that all four corners of the film strips are under the corners of the wiper box.

  • Page 31: The Importance Of Cleaning The Printhead

    The importance of cleaning the printhead Proper cleaning of the MAXX 2 printhead is extremely important for maintaining consistent print quality. The following photographs show a print made before the printhead was cleaned. Note the raggedness at the start of the print and the visible seaming in the print. The dirty printhead contributes to a ragged application of the foil to the vinyl.
  • Page 32 CHAPTER 4 MAXX 2 Care and Cleaning The following photographs show the same areas after cleaning the printhead and reprinting the job. The only change made to the MAXX 2 was the cleaning procedure performed according to the instructions in this document. This should be ample evidence of the importance of cleaning the printhead, especially the extreme ends.

  • Page 33: Automatic Head Cleaning

    Automatic head cleaning The MAXX 2 performs an automatic head cleaning by wiping the printhead across the cleaning film in the wiper box before printing each job. While the cleaning occurs, the light above the CLEAN HEAD key flashes. You have the ability to manually initiate the sequence by pressing the CLEAN HEAD key (even in the middle of printing a job).
  • Page 34 CHAPTER 4 MAXX 2 Care and Cleaning End of the printhead The photographs below are close-up views of the printhead. The photograph on the left shows the printhead mounted on the printhead carriage. The photograph on the right (printhead removed from the MAXX 2 for identification purposes) shows the parts of the printhead. Peel bar Bead or print element...
  • Page 35 In this photograph, note that the cleaning film is between the printhead elements and the fingers so that the skin is not touching the elements. Gerber strongly recommends that you wear rubber gloves when cleaning the printhead.
  • Page 36 CHAPTER 4 MAXX 2 Care and Cleaning 2 Rub the printhead element strip or bead with the dull, abrasive side of the pink cleaning film. Be certain to rub the entire width of the bead all the way out to each edge.

  • Page 37: Cleaning Foil Cassettes

    Cleaning foil cassettes Clean the foil cassette each time before loading it with foil. The following photographs show the major areas to clean. Contact Contact strip strip Left Squeegee Lower Squeegee Lower Right roller right right roller roller bar roller bar CAUTION: When cleaning the cassette with 99 percent isopropyl alcohol, be certain that the cassette parts are completely dry before loading the cassette with foil.
  • Page 38 CHAPTER 4 MAXX 2 Care and Cleaning 2 Moisten a clean, lint-free cloth with 99 percent isopropyl alcohol and wipe the roller bars, squeegee bar, and the contact strips. Use the moistened cloth to wipe the metal parts of the removable cover. 3 If there is no foil in the cassette, quickly spray the interior of the cassette with a compressed air, ultra-filtered, non-residue dust remover (such as Chemtronics Ultrajet 2000 or equivalent).

  • Page 39: Chapter 5: Printing Jobs

    Chapter 5: Printing Jobs This chapter describes the process of printing jobs on the GERBER MAXX 2. It covers the following topics. ♦ Setting up and sending the job ♦ Determining the status of each bay ♦ Printing the job ♦...

  • Page 40: Reducing The Recorded Amount Of Foil In A Cassette

    CHAPTER 5 Printing Jobs 3 Press DOWN key to view the status of the next three bays. Press UP to view previous lines of information. To return to the Main menu, press CANCEL on the control panel. Reducing the recorded amount of foil in a cassette If you have manually advanced some foil, to move past dirt or a tear in the foil, you should reduce the amount remaining on the roll so that the recorded and displayed amount is accurate.

  • Page 41: Viewing Foil And Material Information For The Job

    When adjustment is complete, the display is: Printing job name < Foil: name of foil < Vinyl: name of vinyl Printing continues until: ♦ the job is complete in the RUN SINGLE mode. If more jobs are waiting to be printed, the RUN CONT and RUN SINGLE lights alternately blink.
  • Page 42 CHAPTER 5 Printing Jobs 5 Press the DOWN arrow to scroll through the foils required for the job. An example of a typical display is: Foils needed this job: (2 of 4) Process magenta GCP-773 40 in. loaded, Bay 2 48 in.

  • Page 43: Printing Test Jobs

    Printing test jobs The GERBER MAXX 2 includes a number of test jobs in the Service > Run Test Job menu. See the descriptions below for detailed explanations of each job. Test Job Foils Used Job Description BLACK50.RAW Process Black Used by an installation technician to calibrate the MAXX 2.
  • Page 44 Top section of the image is a multicolor linear fill to illustrate color banding. Bottom section of the image is a four color photo to illustrate image details and range of color. See OMEGA Tips for the GERBER MAXX 2 for more detailed explanations on halftones.

  • Page 45: Chapter 6: Modifying Maxx 2 Print Settings

    Printing the Pull Out or Pull Back Check prints The Pull Out or Pull Back check prints are designed to assist a Gerber technician in determining if your MAXX 2 requires adjustment. The Pull Out and Pull Back Check prints must be printed on 225 white vinyl only.

  • Page 46: Modifying The Darkness Adjust Setting

    The settings are vinyl-specific, so be sure you have the correct vinyl loaded in the GERBER MAXX 2. To assist you in determining the correct setting for Darkness for a specific substrate (such as 225) you can print a Darkness Adjust Sample.

  • Page 47: Modifying The Seam Adjust Setting

    If the results are acceptable, you are done. If the job requires additional adjustment you can alter the Darkness setting again. If the prints are still not acceptable after the second adjustment call Gerber Field Service. Modifying the Seam Adjust setting If you notice that a print has gaps or obvious overlaps between swipes, you can modify the Seam Adjust setting.
  • Page 48 5 Reprint your job and compare it to the original print. If the results are acceptable, you are done. If the job requires additional adjustment you can alter the Seam Adjust setting again. If the prints are still not acceptable call Gerber Field Service.

  • Page 49: Chapter 7: Understanding Messages

    Status Messages and Error Messages. Each list is arranged alphabetically. Note: If the suggested corrective action does not solve a problem, or if you see a message you do not understand, please contact your distributor or Gerber Field Service. Status messages Status messages can be divided into two categories: ♦...
  • Page 50 16". Error Setting Voltage May occur during power up. Reboot system. If message continues, call Gerber Field Service. Error: - Queue Full The Job Queue is full. The MAXX 2 can store up to 32 jobs. See “Deleting jobs from the queue”...
  • Page 51 Appears after you press the function key for < Error(s) Detected. error and exit Pressing ENTER clears the error message and exits the display screen. If the message continues, call Gerber Field Service. Press Run To Retry Press if there is any axis failure.

  • Page 52: Error Messages

    The measured vacuum is more than 25 Clean the vacuum muffler. If error still Muffler counts above the calibrated vacuum occurs, contact Gerber Field Service. threshold. Data Expansion Compressed stored image data is not Re-render the job and re-send it to the Error expanded correctly.
  • Page 53 Edge Tracking Error Check material for ragged or bent Replace vinyl. If error still occurs, there edges. may be a bad sensor. Contact Gerber Field Service. Error Getting Data Indicates a firmware fault, or a host – Cycle power. If error still occurs contact Socket MAXX 2 interface fault.
  • Page 54 Error guide mark during a print job. Replace vinyl. If the error still occurs, the vinyl sensors may be dirty. Contact Gerber Field Service. Material Twisted The material may not be perfectly You can continue printing at your own straight. The job pauses.
  • Page 55 PC Gerber Field Service. operating system has overflowed. X-axis Left Encoder The X-axis has synched out and lost Contact Gerber Field Service. Error position. X-axis Left Home The X-axis has synched out and lost Contact Gerber Field Service.

  • Page 56: Index

    Index Index Adhesion problems.....40 Down key......13 storage ........ 4 Ball screws, cleaning ...24 Edge sensor strip ....23 unpunched......3 Batch........19 E-mail address .......2 MAXX.....See Printer Bay status ......33 Enter key.......13 MAXX operation ....14 Calibration procedure Entering menu selections ...14 MAXX READY materials..
  • Page 57 Quick Start...... 13, 15 Software ........3 Up key ........13 Reducing foil amount ..34 Squeegees......22 View Job Details....17 Reminder to change head Starting jobs....14, 15 Vinyl cleaning pad message..27 Status messages ....43 care ........3 Replay ....See Reprinting Stop key ........13 cleaning ......

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