setting ink keys

some of the ducts have sticking keys and are uneven
Can any one tell me best way to set the keys On a 526
Thanks

 

Set the unit ink sweep to 50 &turn off your color control console
make sure none of the units are activated for use..
Go to the problematic unit,and open the door in front of the ink fountain,it should have one knob,once opened follow these steps
let press idle
adjust ink servo motor ...to close go clockwise...
To open servo keys go counter clock
set the individual key,or set all keys on that particular unit to a fine tint.
Try to get a fine tint all across the ink fountain ball/roller
do this especially for jobs that have very little ink coverage.
Never try to reset ink keys with unit selected....
Return ink sweep to where you usually run it....

 

Just a heads up... the direction of rotation depends on the year of manufacture. Later models work the opposite (in my view the 'right' way).

If you accidently leave the unit selected you''ll get the flashing led of doom on the PQC. Hit lock then unlock for the key affected and the led should clear.

 

Also, if zero setting the unit, start in the middle of the fountain and work you way out to the ends.

 

What's the theory behind this?

I can see why you'd do that when working with a traditional flexible blade, but what's the benefit when applied to individual segmented keys?

 

The segmented keys react the same way as a traditional blade. The keys may be segmented, but still have the same kind of tension on the sides of the keys that hold them in place. Using the center keys as the baseline, you can tell when you have zero set the outer keys too far. It gives a truer zero set than working from the outside, in.

 

Sounds logical. Just never heard of it - ya loins somtin new every day.

 

Just thinking about this again.

Surely the keys are designed to slide against one another? Are you saying that if a key, say number 15 moves, then the 'tension' exerted by it on keys either side of it may cause them to shift position?

How can that happen when the micromotor holds the key in place via a lead screw?

Anyone else aware of this MO?

 

On the earlier models, with the lever mechanism that shifts the bearing/eccentric that presses against the key, the key is pushed toward the ball by the motor but relies on the spring in the center of the key to pull the key back from the ball. Thus if a key is sticking and the spring does not pull the key back, moving a key next to the sticking one can cause it to become unstuck and move back away from the ball.

This can cause great consternation when you move one key and the adjacent key moves as well. The solution is to remove the keys, clean them of dried ink and bed them back in place using a mixture of machine oil and grease.

You can determine if a key is sticking by backing the hinged fountain away from the ball, opening the key to about 20% and using a screwdriver as a lever, move the key slightly toward the ball. If it does not return, it is sticking and needs to be cleaned and lubricated.

When replacing the keys, start at the outer ends and tap each key toward the outside of the fountain with a small plastic or hardwood mallet. Getting the last key in is the trick. I do it by lifting the back of the three center keys and use screwdrivers to carefully pry the outside keys away from center while gently tapping the center key in until it seats. If you are unsure, leave this job for someone with experience. I have seen many cases where the keys were damaged by attempting to force them in.

An alternate method is to remove one of the cheeks and loosen the socket head screws holding the dead key to the fountain. (Loosen the dead key with the two adjusting nuts.) Turn the two adjustment screws to allow the dead key to move away from center. Carefully count the number of flats (six per turn) so the dead key can be returned to its original position. If keys are still sticking, first tighten firmly to squeeze excess lubricant from between the keys, then back off the two adjustment screws to the point where none of the keys stick.

As each key is cleaned, it may be helpful to de-burr the edges of the key with a very fine stone or emery cloth. After re-assembly, lock the odd numbered keys on the console. Perform several full and zero sets then do the same with the even numbered keys. This will help seat the keys.

 

Extremely familiar with this procedure. One thing to keep in mind is that a key that it too tight towards the center of the fountain will not allow the whole fountain to be set properly. The absolute, correct way to go about it is taking every key out, one by one. resetting the potentiometer range to 2.5mm, hone every slide with a stone and fine oil and re-install. Although, I doubt that you need to go through all of this. My favorite color to use is a purple with about a 95% transparent base. Remove the foil/tray from fountain. Close fountain on both sides with the knurled fountain screws. Apply a film somewhere between 2-4mm against ball roller all the way across fountain. Lock the drum roller clutch into place and start to turn the drum roller without ducting of course. Watch the drum roller at all key locations. If you have one or two that are showing shiny chrome then they must be backed off FIRST before going any further. A lot of times someone screwed with the settings with a dirty fountain or lack of knowledge and closed one key too tight, which is not allowing the other keys to seat correctly. On the outer edges of your fountain next to the knurled locking screws there should be a 19mm nut with either a 4 or 5mm adjustment screw in the center. Most of the time this is all that has to be adjusted after relaxing your tight ink slide or slides. You can bring the whole fountain in and out with these adjustment screws but first you have to get your slides even. In my opinion, the dilluted purple is the best color for this but others may have their favorites.Hope this helps. P.S. MAKE SURE THAT EVERY KEY FRONT IS SPOTLESS AND THE FOUNTAIN GUARDS ALSO. YOU WILL NEVER ACURATELY 0-SET WITH A DIRTY FOUNTAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I agree 100%. Especially about the fact that if you see chrome on the ball, you must open that key before making any further attempts to zero set. You will notice that when you open that key, others spots on the ball may begin to show chrome. Just the light pressure of one key touching the ball will flex the whole fountain away from the ball so that when you open that key, the ink film thickness across the entire fountain will change.

When adjusting the fountain setting distance with the 19mm locked screws, open all the moving keys and set the locked adjusting screws so that you see a thin film of ink under the dead keys, then the fountain will be parallel to the ball.

If any of the moving keys will not close completely, one trick is to cut a "U" shaped shim from some plate material and place it between the bronze-color lever assembly over the allen screw that holds the assembly.

Best to have an experienced technician do the job.

 

Never heard of that fix kleckman but makes sense to me. The most difficult problem that I've personally encountered with TOTALLY resetting a Komori digital fountain is getting all the slides back in perfectly straight. Never been able to do that thus far, even with a Komori tech, but my day will come and I will conquer!!

 

Same here. Getting all the keys perfectly straight is something I have not mastered. It doesn't seem to cause much of a problem though and have had no complaints about it affecting the distribution of ink as the oscillators seem to smooth out the slightly uneven ink.
I can get them real close but never quite perfect.
I have come up with a technique for adjusting the ink key travel without shims but it takes a long time and is almost impossible to describe without having the fountain in front of me.
Sounds like you are one of the few who really understands the fine points of the ink fountains.
I was called to one job where the house mechanic had removed everything including the dead keys. That was probably the hardest job I had ever done. On another, someone had removed to motor mounting bar (God knows why) and put it back in upside down so the upper screws would not line up with the holes.

The only reason to ever touch the dead keys is when the keys are sticking. Honing each key, like you describe, usually prevents them from sticking.

 

Yeah, you consider me somewhat of a perfectionist rich. My girl hates it. It's just the way I am. They are a mother to align perfectly after a total removal. You can get the ones on the edges but about 75 % of them in the center will be crooked. Tried skewing with the bolts provided but ended up locking up more than I straightened. I cannot say how nice it is to have this website where I can communicate with a couple of you guys about my day at work. Talking to my girl about, well that's like trying to teach a pig how to sing. Love the site and CHEERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

i try to make it a point to on occasion cycle every ink key through its entire range of travel. this keeps thinks from getting all gunked up and frozen

 

I hope you are oiling them as well. At least once a week.

 

A good technique, as Richard recommended, is to lock off every other key and do several full and zero sets. Then by slowly sliding your finger across the lock buttons, you can switch to the alternate keys. Doing this along with oiling will prevent many future problems.

 

Read all the above, but still i don't understand something.

I had uneven key, did the zero-set, but when i open all key like at 10% some of them start to be uneven compare to the others. While i get to 20% and 30% it was worst and worst. The tech came and he wasn't unable to do better then me. Everything was clean at the moment. After 3 different tech, none of them seems to be able to have better result.

One day i decide to investigate, tried to understand what the *** was going on. I realise that every motors where turning at the same speed, start at the same moment and stop at the same too. After realising that the motor was not obviously the cause and the key by itself is only a piece of metal the only mouvement was the block between the key and the motor. I make a marks with a knife on two 2 key that was mouving uneven, and ask my partner to get thoses key to 99% and realise that they start equal then one of them move a tiny bit slower then the other. The marks was off all along to the end with sometime catching up a bit but never get equal on the final.

So i think that the block with the leading screw is the problem but i don't know what to do next. So now i do the best zero-set at 10% so i get the best result because almost 75% of all jobs the keys are moving between 0 to 30%. That's the best way for us by now.

 

I'd like to add a few caveats.
First, the main problem with reinstalling the keys after cleaning them is oiling them. The keys should always be
installed dry. Just imagine a fine coating of oil times 23/34/43 keys times both sides. . . It adds up and then there is not enough room for the last key.
Second, don't mess with the cheeks or end blocks.
Third, always zero set driving the key in. If you go to far, back it way out and then drive in again. Remember there is backlash when driving the key out caused by the key's spring.
Also make sure you apply grease to the back channel on the back/lower side of the keys.

 

Try to take a picture the next time you have the fountain blade off for an ink change. Make sure you have cleaned the fountain before taking it so I (and others) can give you a better idea of what is going on with it.