Remanufactured Inkjet Cartridges
by Barry Shultz
Ever wanted to know how the big boys make
remanufactured inkjet cartridges? Read on and I'll
give you a quick outline of what you actually get
when you buy a remanufactured inkjet cartridge.
The first thing to realize is that refillers, or
Remanufacturers only remanufacture inkjet cartridges
that contain a print head. Those include Hewlett
Packard and Lexmark. All the others are variations
of the aforementioned cartridges. This is because
the generic or compatible cartridges for the others,
Canon, Epson etc., are very cheap and they could not
make a profit by remanufacturing them.
Step 1. The Empties Search.
In order to remanufacture an inkjet cartridge you
must first have the empty one to refill. When a new
printer using a new cartridge is introduced it may
take several months if not years for the empty
cartridges to become available in the quantity that
warrants the refiller to make the investment to tool
up for remanufacture. As of this date a very popular
HP cartridge that was on the market for over a year
is still very scarce as remanufactured. A very
popular Lexmark cartridge, the 12A1970 cartridge is
almost impossible to locate because Lexmark is
buying them back, but these are articles unto
themselves.
The inkjet cartridge remanufacturer carefully
inspects the cartridges for blemishes and for
evidence that is has been previously refilled. They
must be "virgin" cartridges (never refilled) or they
won't get refilled. (By most scrupulous
remanufactures)
Next the cartridges are electrically tested using
sophisticated electronic equipment that tests the
print heads and related electronics. This will be a
100% pass/fail test. No in betweens here. Anything
under 100% gets tossed.
Step 2. Cleaning.
Each cartridge is cleaned ultrasonically inside and
out. All remaining ink is thoroughly flushed from
the cartridge and they are bathed in a cleaning
solvent.
Step 3. Refilling.
Here is where to pros are separated from the
hobbyist. To properly refill a cartridge there must
be a measurable balance between ink flow, vacuum and
pressure. Very expensive refilling machines are
needed to accomplish this task properly. The machine
will have the capacity to refill many cartridges at
the same time. The cartridges get snapped in place
and when all the gizmos are set properly they all
get filled at the same time.
Step 4. Resealing.
After the cartridges are filled with ink, certain
ones must be resealed. Clever techniques are used
here so you can't tell that is was refilled. I can
show you but then I'd have to..... well you get the
picture.
Step 5. Testing.
This stage requires several tests and refillers will
not always take them in the same order so I'll just
tell you the ones I know about. Print tests are done
by either using a regular inkjet printer designed to
use that cartridge. A test pattern of some sort will
gauge the quality of the printout. Other refillers
use a fancy machine that prints out a test strip
that checks to make sure all the nozzles are firing
properly.
Some remanufactures use equipment that test for
altitude pressure. If the pressure in a cartridge
gets too high during shipment the cartridge will
leak.
Step 6. Packaging.
The cartridges are physically inspected once more.
The print heads are professionally taped using a
machine that applies tape to the heads with the
exact pressure necessary. This is not guess work.
Print head sealing tape applied the wrong way may
damage the cartridge.
The cartridges are then sealed in bags, some
remanufactures vacuum seal the bags, others do not.
Actually I have not seen any difference in
performance using either method.
Lastly they are put in pretty boxes and stored in an
upright position with the print heads pointing down.
This is important because if the cartridges are laid
on their sides it's possible that they can loose
their prime. This is why so many inkjet cartridges
with print heads don't work when they are shipped
through the mail.
About the Author
Barry Shultz is the author of Atlascopy News, and
President of Atlascopy, Inc. Atlascopy specialized
in affordable alternatives to the high cost of
printer supplies. Sign up for the Atlascopy
Newsletter and get 10% coupons every week in your
email.
http://atlascopy.com/signup_new.htm
Go to Atlascopy to save a bundle on your printer and
refilling supplies.
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