Why do inkjet cartridges have those sponges?
Adam
inside, one for each ink? The only advantage I can see is that they
keep ink from spilling all over the place if the cartridge gets
tilted or inverted in transit. Or are they meant to keep the user
from shaking the cartridge and hearing that the ink compartments
start out less than half full? Thanks in advance for any and all
illumination on this mystery!
Adam
Metspitzer
>Has anyone found out why inkjet cartridges have those sponges
>inside, one for each ink? The only advantage I can see is that they
>keep ink from spilling all over the place if the cartridge gets
>tilted or inverted in transit.
You may be on to something.
Adam
>> Has anyone found out why inkjet cartridges have those sponges
>> inside, one for each ink?
>
> The printer manufactures don't see any better reason to go without it as
> well as the sponge can limit the number of refill etc. so they continue
> using the old design.
Okay, that makes sense. From the printer manufacturer's point of
view, anyway.
> The original ink cartridge we have to pump the ink slowly, when the
> refillable ink cartridge we use vacuum method and you can fill the cartridge
> as fast as the vacuum can vacuum the ink. This is how it works.
Thanks for the very helpful YouTube links!
> 1. Plug the AIR VENT hole
>
> 2. Insert the syringe without needle to the REFILL hole (whre the gentleman
> in video inserts the needle), then PULL the syringe to create vacumm, and
> the ink will be sucked into cartridge the exact amount of air taking out.
>
> That's it! no need to suck the ink our from bottom. I can also fill the
> ink without taking the cartridge off the printer (like CISS), but I always
> take them off to check the ink level.
So far I've been using the one-syringe method (inject ink slowly),
but the vacuum method looks good too, as long as one can get a tight
seal around the second syringe. With HP's black plastic cartridges,
there's no easy way to check the ink level, so I'm just going by
what the printer reports, and filling them before they get too low.
I also learned that even for cartridges with removable tops (like
I've done to some of my old HP 22s), the needle is still necessary
for refilling to prevent cross-contamination.
Adam
TJ
talk of spilling. But not just in transit. Since these are tricolor
cartridges, the sponges may be there to reduce sloshing and potential
cross-contamination during high-speed printing. It's true that that
problem could be eliminated with a cartridge designed to be spongeless,
but this is how they chose to do it.
TJ
--
Life isn't fair. It's not meant to be.
Overcoming the disadvantages we face is what makes us strong.
Arthur Entlich
multiple, but is also an older and not as effective method. It is
mainly there to control ink release to the head. The capillary action
of the sponge or batting, helps to keep the ink from leaking out of the
cartridge and through the heads, flooding them. Some heads, like those
on Epson printers are passive, meaning they are always open and can,
through siphon action, spill all the ink out the bottom. The sponge
allows the ink to hold. Also, with the heads moving back and forth
relatively rapidly, it keep the ink from splashing up the cartridge and
out the air vent.
The other advantage for the manufacturer, is it makes the cartridge more
difficult to refill will air pockets developing during refilling, In
fact, some manufacturers add a foaming agent which creates a dense
soap-like foam into the sponge, making it much more difficult to get the
refill ink into place. Depending upon the ink, one way to get around
this, besides the vacuum refill method, is using a small amount of
isopropyl alcohol injected into the cartridge, swishing it around before
adding ink. The alcohol breaks down the soap foam bubbles.
The problems with this system are that it wastes a lot of ink in the
sponge, (and some of the components of the ink are considered
environmentally hazardous), the ink has more chance of oxidizing due to
direct air exposure, and the ink distribution to the head is not well
regulated which can lead to skipping ink output, the surface of the
sponge can dry out, the sponge can break down chemically, etc.
Many newer cartridges use no sponge. Instead they use a complex
labyrinth of channels and air exchange filters, and valves to control
the ink flow, control air contact, etc. They also are even more
difficult to refill ;-)
Art
If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:
http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/
Yianni
> multiple, but is also an older and not as effective method. It is mainly
> there to control ink release to the head. The capillary action of the
> sponge or batting, helps to keep the ink from leaking out of the cartridge
> and through the heads, flooding them.
Yes, the sponges are used to retain the ink. It's the simpliest method. I
don't see any drawback of using sponges.
> The problems with this system are that it wastes a lot of ink in the
> sponge, (and some of the components of the ink are considered
> environmentally hazardous), the ink has more chance of oxidizing due to
> direct air exposure, and the ink distribution to the head is not well
> regulated which can lead to skipping ink output, the surface of the sponge
> can dry out, the sponge can break down chemically, etc.
I don't think the sponges waste ink. For example a normal black cartridge
could contain 15ml of ink and after it runs out contains only 1ml residue
ink.
The surface of the sponge doesn't dry, because of the usually long breathing
channel. I have cartrides wihch work even 10 years later.
Bob Headrick
news:i25886$6el$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
> Has anyone found out why inkjet cartridges have those sponges inside, one
> for each ink? The only advantage I can see is that they keep ink from
> spilling all over the place if the cartridge gets tilted or inverted in
> transit.
Without foam or some other method to hold the ink in the ink would freely
dribble out the bottom of the cartridge.
Regards,
Bob Headrick, MS MVP Printing/Imaging
Yianni
>
> 1. Fill a bottle with water with a big hole at bottom.
>
> 2. Put a sponge in the bottle then put the bottle on top of your monitor
> or
> laptop (if you have one).
>
> Then tell me that the sponge will hold the water.
>
Take a full ink cartridge, remove the top label and turn it upside down. Do
you notice any spill of ink?
There are some methods to hold the ink inside. Of course "no sponge" are
some other methods. Sponge method another. May companies take advantage of
the sponge to make the refilling more difficult (there are many different
methods for this too). But STILL the sponge retains the ink!!!
Arthur Entlich
top, Joel, or a vacuum would develops which would not allow the ink out.
They usually had a pull tab you have to pull off before installing the
cartridge to open that hole.
It is that vacuum that keeps the water in the bottle without the drilled
hole. In order for the water to leave, air needs to replace it, or the
sides of the container need to collapse. f the hole is large enough at
the bottom, air comes it part of the hole while the water escapes from
the other part.
Art
If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:
http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/
Joel wrote:
> "Yianni" <9jir...@yahoo.gr> wrote:
>
>>> The use of sponges or other batting (some use a plastic fiber) is
>>> multiple, but is also an older and not as effective method. It is mainly
>>> there to control ink release to the head. The capillary action of the
>>> sponge or batting, helps to keep the ink from leaking out of the cartridge
>>> and through the heads, flooding them.
>> Yes, the sponges are used to retain the ink. It's the simpliest method. I
>> don't see any drawback of using sponges.
>
> Well, that's what some people may think. Now you can try for yourself.
>
> 1. Fill a bottle with water with a big hole at bottom.
>
> 2. Put a sponge in the bottle then put the bottle on top of your monitor or
> laptop (if you have one).
>
> Then tell me that the sponge will hold the water.
>
> Now,
>
> 1. Fill the plastic soda bottle with water. Don't drill any hole on this
> one
>
> 2. Now turn the bottle upsidedown see if any water will spill out.
>
> These I learned from junior high school over 60 years ago. And I don't
> know if they still teaching this old laws of physics or not, but they still
> seem to work quite well on my new catridge with no sponge and 2 big holes on
> top of cartridge. And a big hole at the bottom with the rubber to make the
> hole smaller and longer as a small tube,. as well as some special design
> around the bottom hole. Remember that Epson cartridge has no printhead.
Adam
> It is mainly there to control ink release to the head.
> The other advantage for the manufacturer, is it makes the cartridge more
> difficult to refill will air pockets developing during refilling,
Thanks, Arthur and EVERYONE, for all your very informative replies!
I'd never expected my question to generate this much discussion.
As I mentioned, I'm playing around with one HP22 cartridge where I
pried off the top and removed the sponges. If anyone else ever
wants to try that, at least make sure you reseal the top back on
thoroughly. Otherwise ink does tend to splash around and escape
from the cartridge, even in normal use.
Thanks again, everyone!
Adam
Adam
>> As I mentioned, I'm playing around with one HP22 cartridge where I
>> pried off the top and removed the sponges. If anyone else ever
>> wants to try that, at least make sure you reseal the top back on
>> thoroughly. Otherwise ink does tend to splash around and escape
>> from the cartridge, even in normal use.
>
> cartridge. Or it would work better *if* there is/are rooms/chambers to
> reduce the gravity, pressure, as well as creating vacumm etc..
>
> Just like so many thing around us the gravity only be able to pull thing
> down if it become heavier than the air around it. And we have seen plane,
> sky, balloon flying in sky, the morning fog hanging on the leave etc..
>
> And with the Epson catridge (with no sponge) and with *both* holes opened,
> the ink won't spill out.
Thanks, Joel! In this case I'm dealing only with HP 22 tricolor
cartridges as made by (or for) HP. I can't redesign them, although
I can try modifying them -- as long as I'm willing to clean up any
mess afterward. :-)
Adam
Adam
> Adam<ad...@address.invalid> wrote:
>> Thanks, Joel! In this case I'm dealing only with HP 22 tricolor
>> cartridges as made by (or for) HP. I can't redesign them, although
>> I can try modifying them -- as long as I'm willing to clean up any
>> mess afterward. :-)
>
> or because someone tries to confuse you stopping you from knowing.
>
> Example, on the very first message I only gave you the very general
> information and you went ahead to do more researching (not many people do
<blush> I suppose that comes from several years of being a Linux
user, where whoever's asking the questions is expected to work on
solving them as much as he/she is able to.
> And you were the one who reported about the HP 21/22 refillable
> ink cartridge you found on internet, then I posted many different links to
> photos of transparent refillable ink cartridges for Epson, HP, Canon, and
> even posted some link to Youtube.
In general I tend to over-research things, which sometimes is
helpful, like here.
Meanwhile I'm still "playing around" with refilling OEM HP 22 carts,
both with and without the sponges in them.
Thanks again for all your help!
Adam
Adam
>> Meanwhile I'm still "playing around" with refilling OEM HP 22 carts,
>> both with and without the sponges in them.
>
> what I may find. But as I have mentioned that there are 3-4 different
> designs of the Refillable Ink Cartridge. The OUTSIDE all look pretty much
> the same, or nothing special about it, but the INSIDE may be slightly
> different than other. And that's how they control the INK from leaking.
Yes, my conclusion is that removing the sponges from a cartridge
designed to have sponges creates a mess sooner or later, at least
with the OEM HP 22. I'm sure the ones designed and sold as
spongeless have their own methods of preventing ink leaks.