Gear Up for Gift Season with These Equipment-Cleaning Tips

Investing a little time now to clean your equipment will help you avoid slowdowns and breakdowns during the upcoming gift season — a time when your shop needs to be operating at peak efficiency.

Laser engravers

• The lens: Cleaning the lens can make all the difference! If it’s been a while, it’s time.
• The mirrors: Check all of them. Most lasers have some hidden mirrors you may not even know to exist! They should be wiped down with a Q-Tip and lens cleaner.
• Metal areas: Wipe them down, and then go over your laser with a vacuum for general cleaning. This will help you avoid residue build-up that could lead to fires.
• Encoder strip: Often overlooked, you may not realize it’s dirty (or old) until it’s too late. To avoid these problems, gently wipe it with some water every six months.
• Rotary accessories: Wipe rubber wheels, stoppers, and cones with a neutral cleaner like Simple Green or even soap and water.

UV direct printers

• Wiper, cap, and print heads: Daily cleaning is a must to avoid clogs, streaks, and splattering.
• The outside of the printer: Routinely wipe down your machine to ensure there isn’t any ink build-up. Overall, the outside should receive a thorough dusting at least once a month. Depending on the environment, more frequent dustings may be necessary.
• Waste bottles: Check them regularly for excess ink. Dispose of it properly.

Sublimation printers

If your printer includes an auto-maintenance feature similar to what you’ll find on Sawgrass printers, much of the routine cleaning is done for you. One thing you still need to do yourself is:

• Perform a nozzle check at the beginning of each week to prevent any clogs.
• If a nozzle does clog, a print head cleaning should clear it.

Plotter cutters

These machines are workhorses that can be easily taken for granted. To avoid a drop in performance, or worse yet, an untimely breakdown, perform these steps this fall.

• Grease the carriage rod
• Clean out, oil and/or replace the plunger (blade holder)
• Replace the blade
• Clean the grit rollers — if they are showing signs of wear, replace them

Large-format printers

The maintenance recommended for your printer will vary by manufacturer. Here are suggestions for two brands:

• Epson: replace the filters, auto fabric wiper, and flushing pad
• HP Latex: grease the carriage rod

Tools and work areas

• Now is the time to pick up your shop. Clear out the clutter. Remove the scraps of leftover material. Wipe down work surfaces.
• Find a home for all your tools and materials. Label drawers and shelves. File the papers on your desk.
• Restock. Plan ahead and place orders now for the cleaning solutions, knife blades, tapes, etc., that may run out during the busy gift season that will soon be here.