Avery ALX 924 Setup Manual

06/06 Rev. 3.05-01	OPERATING MANUAL
	ALX 92x

Setup
Winding pattern .............................................	2
Selecting the printing material .......................	4
Thermal transfer / direct thermal printing	.. 4
Label material ............................................	4
Thermal transfer ribbon .............................	5
Inserting label material ..................................	6
Removing spent backing paper .................	6
Removing glue residue .............................	6
Inserting a new label roll ...........................	7

Inserting ribbon ............................................	11
Removing spent ribbon ............................	11
Inserting a new ribbon roll ........................	12
Settings .......................................................	13
Ribbon tension .........................................	13
Label sensor ............................................	14
Adjustment button for printhead pressure 15
Dispensing edge ......................................	16
Dispenser parameters .............................	16
Material Parameters ................................	17
Index ............................................................	18

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06/06 Rev. 3.05-01

OPERATING MANUAL

Setup

ALX 92x

Winding pattern

The winding diagram shows the winding direction of material and ribbon through the ALX 92x.

Follow this basic scheme when inserting/changing material and ribbon. Only specially trained staff to insert and change the ribbons and material.

							8
							7
	Z0189.cdr
	1	2	3	4	5
							6
24
23							9
22			15
21
20	19	18 17 16 14 13 12			11	5	10

[1] Material and ribbon path in the ALX 92x (left version).

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06/06 Rev. 3.05-01		OPERATING MANUAL		Setup
		ALX 92x
Names of parts
	No.	Name	No.	Name
	1	Adjustment knob for printhead	13	Feed roller
		pressure
	2	Ribbon rewinding mandrel	14	Deflection roll
	3	Ribbon unwinding mandrel	15	Material guide
	4	Operation panel	16	Opener
	5	Deflection roll	17	Brake roller
	6	Material dancer arm	18	Adjustment wheel for label
				sensor
	7	Material unwinder	19	Print roller
	8	Guiding rod	20	Dispensing edge
	9	Backing paper rewinder	21	Printhead
	10	Backing paper dancer arm	22	Ribbon deflection axle
	11	Pressure roller	23	Ribbon deflection roller with
				stress relief
	12	Lever for pressure roller	24	Ribbon roller

[Tab. 1] ALX 92x operating parts

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06/06 Rev. 3.05-01	OPERATING MANUAL	Setup
	ALX 92x
Selecting the printing material
	Thermal transfer / direct thermal printing
	The ALX 92x can print onto label material using the direct thermal mode or
	thermal transfer mode.
Direct thermal	Direct thermal printing is done without ribbon. The direct thermal process
	requires label material with a temperature-sensitive coating. The printout is
	produced by applying precise bursts of heat to the material under the
	printhead. This changes the colour of the coating.
Thermal	Thermal transfer printing is done with (thermal transfer) ribbon on “normal”
transfer	label material. The printout is produced by applying precise bursts of heat to
	the thermal transfer ribbon under the printhead. This transfers the colour
	particles to the label.
	Label material
	The ALX 92x was developed for printing on self-adhesive stock.
	Pay attention to the following factors when selecting label material:
•	The roughness of the material surface
•	The printhead temperature required for the colour transfer
•	Size of the material roll. The following dimensions need to be checked:
	Outside-/inside diameter of the material roll and the material width
Material	If the material is very rough, the printhead will be worn down more quickly
roughness	than when using a smooth material. This is an important aspect of thermal
	printing. With thermal transfer printing, this doesn’t pose such a problem,
	because you can – and indeed should – select a ribbon that is wider than the
	material. This means that the printhead is protected over the entire width of
	the material.
Printhead	High printhead temperatures can similarly cause problems. The material and
temperature	the ribbon take longer to cool. As a result, the print quality may degrade –
	particularly at high print speeds. The printhead also wears down more
	quickly.
	The printing result is highly dependent on the right combination of label
	material and thermal transfer ribbon. The surface of the label material
	determines which thermal transfer ribbons produces the best adhesion.
	Unsuitable ribbons can lead to poor printing results.

Π Further information can be found in the topic section Technical data, section “Label material”.

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06/06 Rev. 3.05-01	OPERATING MANUAL	Setup
	ALX 92x

Thermal transfer ribbon

The following is recommended for thermal transfer ribbons:

• The back of the ribbon should be coated so that it produces no static or friction (Backcoating). If this isn’t the case, the printhead may be damaged by static discharge coming off the ribbon surface.

• The ribbons need to be designed for “corner edge” printheads.

• Ribbons should be able to handle print speeds of up to 400 mm/s (16 ips).

• Size of the ribbon roll: The following dimensions need to be checked: outside/ inside diameter of the ribbon roll, ribbon width.

CAUTION! - Thermal transfer ribbons without these properties can degrade the performance of the printer and the print quality as well as damage the printhead!

Armor APR 600 (Avery part no. 2240-600-xxx) is a recommended ribbon type.

The thermal transfer ribbon should only be slightly wider than the label material.

•If an overly narrow ribbon is used, the border of the label material interferes with the printhead – which wears it down more quickly.

•If an overly wide ribbon is used, creasing may occur in the ribbon. This can led to poor printing results.

ΠFor more details on the permissible dimensions of ribbon rolls, refer to Technical data, “Thermal Transfer Ribbon”.

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06/06 Rev. 3.05-01	OPERATING MANUAL	Setup
	ALX 92x

Inserting label material

WARNING!

•Rotating parts can trap items and draw them in!

When working on the device, do not wear loose jewellery, long sleeves, long hair, and similar. Close the devices cover before printing.

•During operation, the printhead can become hot.

Be careful when touching the printhead!

A

[1] Rewound backing paper on the ALX 92x (A).

Removing spent backing paper

The backing paper rewinder can exactly rewind the amount of backing paper remaining from a material roll with 300 mm diameter [2A].

CAUTION! - A backing paper roll exceeding the diameter limit can stall and damage the machine!

Always remove the backing paper from the rewinder if you insert a new material roll!

Assuming backing paper has gathered on the rewinder:

1.Pull out the release button [2B].

The tensioning mechanism of the rewinder is slackened.

2.Remove the rewound backing paper.

Removing glue residue

If necessary, clean the following components:

•Printhead

•Dispensing plate

•Deflection rollers

•Drive roller

•Pressure rollers

ΠFollow the directions provided in topic section Maintenance and Cleaning.

B

A

[2]Removing rewound backing paper. A Backing paper roll

B Release button