Hi all,
My name is Matt and I am new to the forum as well as a new iGen3 operator. I am having problems with the toner not fusing on the paper correctly (scrapes off), but it's only about .25in in width and runs in a straight line. It happens in the same location if it's simplex or duplex.
I have changed the fuser roller and verified I have the correct fuser arc. 14.5mm +/- .5 But I am still having the problem. Does anyone have any suggestions on what may be causing my problem? Currently we are running 80# or 100# coated cover sheet.

Thanks,
Matt

How far from the edge of the sheet is it?

It's roughly 4.25in from the edge of the paper and runs the length of the image. 4.25 is a rough estimate because its not a perfect line defect. Some of the toner comes off a slight bit further.
I thought it might be the temp sensors on the fuser roller, but I checked and they were clean as well as measured the distance to eliminate them as the problem.

Thanks,
Matt

i had a similar problem a week ago we had to increase the thickness of the sheet within the media settings to get around this problem.

I have already tried that just to see if it would work. Ran 100# as 80# and still got the same result. Xerox as always complains about the paper etc., but it's not a paper issue since the same paper has been run on the machine since it was installed.

We had this exact same problem a week ago. We thought it was the contact arc between the fuser roll and pressure roll but was not the case. Our technician was quick to blame the brand of stock we were running but it was happening on all brands and all thicknesses.

The problem was that the contact arc between the metal heat rolls was way off on one edge. The outboard arc was around about 15mm but the inboard was about 5mm. Get your technician to adjust this and your problem will be solved.

Anyone else have technicians who are notorious for blaming stocks before anything else?

I'm running out of ideas here. So far the things we have tried are:

New fuser roll. (and heating element)

New pressure roll.

Verify correct fuser arc.

Ran 100# cover as 80# cover.

I am somewhat new to the iGen3 so am I missing anything here that might clear up my problem?

Thanks, I had not thought of that. I will be checking that shortly.

Matt

Solve the problem?

We typically have the fusing problem inboard when changing from a smaller size up to the larger size sheets. But the fusing issue does resolve after 5 to 10 clean-up sheets and I have been told this can be normal. If it is occurring on all sheets, then your CSE may need to come in a verify that the Load Arms in the fuser are working properly applying the correct pressure throughout the run. We had one slowing failing with a hairline crack in the housing for the Spring that holds the contact arc constant, that cause a similar problem and our CSE's wanted to blame the paper also because we were running non-Xerox paper. I had to show the problem also occurred on Xerox Brand paper, before they would believe me that it was a machine issue. Thus, they then dug deeper and found the problem.

We also had the plastic housing holding that spring crack and was causing the non-fusing of stock now that Tracey mentioned it. I couldn't believe that a piece of molded plastic was all that was holding a spring under heavy tension together. You would think a casted steel molding would be much more reliable, because when ours failed, they had to completely tear apart the fuser to replace it.

Also check the metal / ceramic donor rollers for surface and heat consistency. If they aren't heating up properly as well or distributing fuser fluid properly then fusing issues will occur.

Do you see a long streak on the fuser web cleaner? It should be slightly zig zagging since it moves back and forth.

Just out of curiosity does anyone know how to or has set their own contact arc on the metal heat rolls? If it's something that can be done in house I have the go ahead to do it. I do not know when I will be able to get Xerox out here and we have jobs that need to be run.
I am sure I am having a heat/pressure issue. Last night we inspected all rollers for wear/tear and they were fine. I ran a CMYK test pattern to eliminate any one color not fusing properly and it's all of them not fusing. I also tried a quick test. I ran a sheet and knew it would not be fused properly. I then opened the fuser and placed the sheet in it and closed it for about 10 seconds. Well after letting it sit there the toner did fuse to the paper leading me to believe I am not getting enough heat and or pressure.

It's funny you should mention the fuser web cleaner. I had to make a call out about a week ago because I thought the fuser web cleaner was not advancing. I was getting streaks on my paper and when I opened up the maching and inspected it I was getting a few straight lines on the fuser web cleaner that were so dark it looked as if it was not advancing. The tech came out and verified it was working and changed donor rolls and left.

Thanks for all the help and idea guys. I am glad I found this forum for sure.
Matt

I have assisted service in doing the other contact arcs, but based on my experience I would let them do it, because without their XDat Specs, you would not be able to do the procedure.

As for your Fuser Web. Always check the Reset of the NVM if you did not let the Igen Run until the IGEN Stops and tells you to change it. If you run until it makes you change the web, then it will automatically reset the NVM. If you change it when the Message first appears, You MUST manually reset the NVM per the instructions in your Customer Maintenance Manual.

I finally have Xerox on their way. My usual guy is out of town. I will keep everyone posted on what we find out and if we can get the problem fixed in one service call.
I appreciate all the knowledgeable help and ideas from everyone.

Thanks,
Matt

UPDATE
--------
The problem has been resolved. Below is what was done.

Changed out the fuser web cleaner. (Before the tech got here I noticed some damage to the foam roller.)

Changed out the meter roller.

Changed out the rubber blade.

Changed out the wick under the roller.

Changed out the fuser fluid.

Does anyone know the life of fuser fluid in the machine? When I went to clean it out it had the appearance of liquid silicone. I would like to know so I can have a regular schedule of changing it out. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I think it's something like 500K clicks?
From the look of the fluid I can only assume that if I had changed it out the problem would have been resolved.

Matt

Glad your problem has been resolved. We also had a problem that was causing fusing issue intermittently that was caused by the Metal Trim bar under the Metering Blade in the fuser Ram Assembly that would pop out of position between fuser maintenance that would cause fusing problems because of excess amounts of fuser fluid being laid down. They had to replace the Metal trim bar as it reoccurred after it was placed back into the correct position. So if your problem reoccurs, they may need to replace that thin Metal bar under the metering blade.

"Does anyone know the life of fuser fluid in the machine? When I went to clean it out it had the appearance of liquid silicone. I would like to know so I can have a regular schedule of changing it out. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I think it's something like 500K clicks?
From the look of the fluid I can only assume that if I had changed it out the problem would have been resolved."



We have service scheduled for HSFI's every 500K for Fuser Maintenance and any other due HSFI, but if you are running alot of uncoated paper that generates lots of paper dust, it may need to be changed every 250K. Your service tech should be able to determine which schedule would be best for you machine.