Remanufactured Inkjet Cartridges
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 or they won't get refilled. (By most scrupulous
remanufacturers)
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 remanufacturers 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
remanufacturers 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.
Article by Barry Shultz.
Permission is granted to reprint this article provided this
information is included.
Barry Shultz is President of Atlascopy.com, a leading discount
inkjet supplier. Atlascopy.com is a subsidiary of Atlascopy, Inc.
located in Dover, Delaware, USA.
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