MX5001N - "Wavy" prints, pic attached

[NotByChoice]

My Sharp MX5001N is printing like this today (see attached PDF). It's wavy but the waves are diagonal. Does anyone know what causes this? The toner is still more than half full. Thanks!

Edit: I made a copy of a bright red folder and that came out fine. Looks like it's just the black.

sharpMX5001N.pdf

[Dustin(WOP)]

First thing I would look at would be the DV unit. If you can see these "swirl" marks on the DV mag roller, then your problem will probably be the drum getting worn and needs to be replaced.

Another thing to check is if there is DV in the waste toner collector. Take a magnetic tip screw driver and put it in the waste toner box without accually touching any of the waste. If there is dev in the waste toner your screw driver will come out with some stuff on it. That is the best way to tell if you have a worn drum. DV pulling is very common when the drum is worn. Hope this helps!!!!

[NotByChoice]

Thanks for the tips. I bought the machine new, it has about 90,000 copies now. Is it time for the developer and drum to be replaced? I've never serviced this model copier so I'll probably call a tech if it needs service.

Thanks again!

[OMD-227]

You definitely have a near-empty black developer. This is due to dev loss, either by what Dustin said about a worn drum (which should and 99% of the time last 150K) or your machine is one of the production run that doesnt have the black developer unit seal on it. Your technician will/should know about the dev seal issue on a small production run of MX4100/5000 series machines. The part number for the dev seal if it is missing is PSEL-0966FCZ1. Once fitted, replace the developer, run dev adjust and test. The dev seal is not a big deal, it just tends to cause the developer to run out abit early thats all.... as well as make abit of a mess inside with excess toner/dev inside the machine. If your machine has not been serviced recently, there have been a number of firmware upgrades done. Make sure this is done too and run a full colour calibration to help with any over-toning issues that the black dev loss can cause.

[NotByChoice]

Thanks wazza, I called a tech to come in. I will ask him about the seal problem. This is the first time it's being serviced, I bought it about 3-4 months ago.

[NotByChoice]

Just an update for future reference.

The tech said the dev looks fine and no part is missing/needed. But there is a known unresolved issue that may cause a machine to use up developer too quickly and that's probably what happened here (he doesn't know what the issue is, just that there is one lol). He said Sharp is still working on a permanent solution but the problem rarely occurs. I saw the drum and it is worn so we'll replace that. Although I do find it odd that the drum is worn after only 90,000 copies... Does the drum get worn out quicker if the machine is low on dev? Also another question, does the MX5001N have separate drums/dev for each colour as well or only black needs those?

[blackcat4866]

... Does the drum get worn out quicker if the machine is low on dev?...

Most definitely yes. Developer is ferrite (iron) and very abrasive. The developer is shed with the toner and cleaned from the surface of the drum, abrazing the surface.

Another factor that can result in lower yield from the drum is running at very low volume. The actual "wear" on the drum is the result of physical contact between the rubber cleaning blade and the drum surface. As you probably noticed, during initial rotations the machine prepares to make a print or copy, then cycles down. The wear happens during all three times. So let's throw some rough numbers out there:
initial rotations: 3 seconds
printing: 1 second per page
cycling down: 3 seconds

So if you always print one page at a time, every time, the drum cycles for 3+1+3= 7 seconds for every page.
If you were to print 100 pages at a time, every time, the drum cycles for 3+100+3= 106 seconds, or 1.06 seconds per page.
Clearly you'll get more life, or "yield" if you consistently do larger runs.

Do you get the idea? A more accurate accounting for drum wear is rotations, and many MFPs do count rotations if you know where to look. =^..^=

[OMD-227]

No way mate... thats low dev for sure!!!!!! Its not empty or very low, its just lower that what is required to ensure full coverage.
I'll bet my right nut, that you have low developer. I work on these everyday. Your scan sample is a perfect example of what it looks like.

On every machine that I see that has an issue like this too early, it was always caused by the dev seal missing, as excess toner spray gets onto the MC grid, causing extra charging, then dev being pulled over to the drum. That normally happens on the rear side frame, right next to the drum seal. The dev then gets into the drum seal and chews up the drum surface (as it is abrasive).

One thing leads to another. I'm sorry, but I completely dont believe the tech looking at this, and therefore, I still think the dev unit is missing the dev seal. That is the issue that is known about and has been rectified. Your tech is a little behind with his bulletins & service updates I'm afraid. On all machines that I see that have the dev seal installed, the machine always makes it 150K service interval every time. Those that dont have the seal, always run the dev out early, as well as have a drum with more wear & tear than it should. By then... both drum & dev need replacing.

And yes, separeate drums/devs for each color.

[OMD-227]

Had the dev replaced yet?

[NotByChoice]

Had the dev replaced yet?

Yup. Replaced the dev. Put in a new drum. We'll see if it lasts 150k this time.

The colour count on the machine is over 70k and apparently those should be replaced at 60k. At least the colours are holding up

[OMD-227]

Hhhmm..... If the dev seal wasnt done, the problem will return. I guarantee it. If it doesnt last 150K on the black, remember what I told you.

The color drums/devs on the MX4100/5000 series last 100K. They are 60K on the MX2600/3100 series.

[NotByChoice]

Hhhmm..... If the dev seal wasnt done, the problem will return. I guarantee it. If it doesnt last 150K on the black, remember what I told you.

If it doesn't last 150K I'll get them to fix it (and replace parts) for free. They're good about guaranteeing their work/materials.

The color drums/devs on the MX4100/5000 series last 100K. They are 60K on the MX2600/3100 series.

Even better! I was beginning to think the colour Sharps cost an arm and a leg to run lol.