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Drum repair (Z+)
Difficulty
Expert
Duration
½–3 hours
For series
Z+Any machine released with or after the RZ line, i.e. RZ/RV/EZ/EV/SF/SE and MZ/ME/MF/MH machines.
Tools
JIS phillips #2 screwdriver
4 in (100 mm) zip ties
Clear packing tape
Doublestick tape
Solvent
Isopropyl alcohol
Gloves
Rags
There are many reasons a drum may need to be opened—to repair an issue, clean out old ink, transition to a new color, etc. This article outlines the common processes in disassembly, testing/cleaning, and reassembly, but does not go into specific maintenance (i.e. correcting the squeegee gap, replacing the squeegee gear, etc.)—those are separated out into their own tutorials.
The golden rule of drum repair is: only go as far as necessary, and no further.
Drum repair is inherently dangerous to the riso.
Misassembling a drum and trying to print with it can result in totalling the drum and damaging the riso itself.
Many of the individual components in the drum are quite delicate.
The process is arduous and messy, and it's easy to make mistakes when fatigued or working alone (ask for help).
Doing as little as possible on drums is a good way of limiting the potential for error.
Evaluation
Before opening a drum it's important to create a plan of attack—to determine how much disassembly is required. A lot of assessment can be done before opening up a drum—both how it is functioning (1) mechanically, and (2) electrically.
Drum safety test
The drum safety test is a quick test of all mechanical components of the drum. It is used to evaluate if it is safe to insert the drum in the riso and should be performed:
Before and after doing any maintenance on a drum.
On drums of unknown status (used drums, drums which have been shipped, or not used in a while, or might have suffered damage).
On any drums which are behaving strangely (regularly printing weird, making strange noises, etc.).
If a drum fails any of the parts of this test it should not be run in the riso.
Clamp
The clamp should easily flip open when pressing the orange clamp lever, and snap closed when released.
The master ejection bar should lift up easily by hand and snap back down when released. Check that the ejection bar sits flat against the drum, and is not bowed out in the middle
Check for the presence of two rounded metal clips near the center of the clamp.
Check the two white wheels and white peg at the end of the clamp—the wheels should be unbroken and spin freely; the shafts they are mounted on should be in axis with drum (not bent).
