Strange Mark on MX-4101N Prints

[CES_Imaging]

Hello,

A customer of ours has an MX-4101N. On every print there appears to be a small mark that repeats every drum rotation. I can see the mark on the transfer belt. The peculiar part about it is the mark is made up of every color toner. I've swapped out drums and charge assemblies on each color. No luck. My next step is to swap out developer units. Before I do that though, I was wondering if anybody has an idea as to why it is marked identically with every color? Surely each developer unit isn't producing the same mark in the same spot. Any insight is appreciated, thank you.

-Jon

[ZOOTECH]

Re: Strange Mark on MX-4101N Prints

Hello,

A customer of ours has an MX-4101N. On every print there appears to be a small mark that repeats every drum rotation. I can see the mark on the transfer belt. The peculiar part about it is the mark is made up of every color toner. I've swapped out drums and charge assemblies on each color. No luck. My next step is to swap out developer units. Before I do that though, I was wondering if anybody has an idea as to why it is marked identically with every color? Surely each developer unit isn't producing the same mark in the same spot. Any insight is appreciated, thank you.

-Jon

My guess is contamination on the primary belt caused damage to each drum as it passed by.

Sorry, should have read your post better (about changing drums and charge assemblies).

[rgcs1]

Re: Strange Mark on MX-4101N Prints

Could be Transfer belt or blade or maybe something on the Transfer unit rollers at either end.

[blackcat4866]

Re: Strange Mark on MX-4101N Prints

Could be Transfer belt or blade or maybe something on the Transfer unit rollers at either end.

Do they look like little mustaches? Most likely you've got a pierce or texture pattern in the primary transfer belt. It's easy to identify. Just remove the primary transfer belt and rotate it through 1 full rotation. Often they appear at 74.5mm intervals, but can start to double up until it becomes a continuous row of bumps or texture. =^..^=

[spanky]

Re: Strange Mark on MX-4101N Prints

I have found that a foreign material will sometimes attach itself to one of the rollers under the transfer belt. This will cause such marks on the prints. Remove the transfer belt from the assembly and check the metal roller at the cleaning blade side of the assembly. This is where the foreign material will usally show up.

[CES_Imaging]

Re: Strange Mark on MX-4101N Prints

Ok, It looks like the transfer belt is where I should focus my attention. Blackcat, you hit it dead on. They do look like little moustaches, and if I had to guess, they probably are around 74 mm apart. I'm headed over there later today, I'll post the results.

Thanks everyone.

[CES_Imaging]

Re: Strange Mark on MX-4101N Prints

That solved it. You guys saved me a lot of poking around in the machine. Thanks!

[piculito]

tc1

Check the transfer belt out there could be something underneath the belt

[blackcat4866]

Re: Strange Mark on MX-4101N Prints

Congratulations! I can't take credit for that description. To me they look like infinity symbols, but my enduser insisted that they look like mustaches ... and they do. =^.^=

[yurisan]

Re: Strange Mark on MX-4101N Prints

Got the exact same marks at the edge of the prints on a MX-4111N - measured it out to be exactly every one drum rotation. So I went crazy when changing the drums didn't help. And by the way, if I made a single color copy (CMYK) the mark was always still there and under a magnifying glass, looked like additive black, vs true black. Turns out a drum is 30.0mm and one of the rubber coated transfer belt drive rollers is 30.0mm (the other is 31.75mm). Who have thunk it?

[mojorolla]

Re: Strange Mark on MX-4101N Prints

Do they look like little mustaches? Most likely you've got a pierce or texture pattern in the primary transfer belt. It's easy to identify. Just remove the primary transfer belt and rotate it through 1 full rotation. Often they appear at 74.5mm intervals, but can start to double up until it becomes a continuous row of bumps or texture. =^..^=

Little mustaches, i like it. I always called them little folded staples.
Remove the IT belt from the frame and clean the internal rolls, especially the 2 on each end. If something gets caught under those rolls, the mustache / staples will appear. The belt cannot clean as it rides over the blade, it jitters, and waste toner spills out. I always describe waste toner as Stadium Mustrard; yellowish brown.