Inkjet Refill System for Retail

Testing, Cleaning, and Refilling - All In a Single Unit

The user-friendly Inkjet Factory™ system integrates some of the best of SME’s proven inkjet cartridge processing technology. Circuit testing, old ink evacuation, atomized water-jet cleaning, deep vacuum refilling, and print testing are all integrated under computer control.

• Pre-fill testing checks the circuit boards and nozzles, weeding out non-functional cartridges. This ensures that only good cartridges are earmarked for refilling - saving the time and money.
• The high-speed centrifuge empties the ink cartridge completely in under a minute -- without touching delicate print heads and circuits. Its universal loading feature eliminates time-consuming changeovers.
• The cartridge nozzles are flushed using a powerful atomized water-jet - a method that removes crusted ink residue and flushes clogged cartridge nozzles better than steam cleaning and without damaging printheads as ultrasonic baths do.
• Under computer control, the cleaned cartridge is refilled to exactly the right level using SME’s unique deep vacuum fill method. Fill parameters such as fill amount, fill speed, vacuum time, and vacuum level can easily be adjusted and set for optimum results.
• The post-fill print testing verifies the good condition of the refilled cartridge by demonstrating that all jets on the cartridge are in working order.
• Normal time to process a single cartridge is about 4 minutes - not including time to package (i.e., seal cartridge, affix recycled sticker, place in resealable bag, insert print test strip). A peak hour throughput of 30 cartridges is possible when using the system’s batch mode.

Retail Compatible

The Inkjet Factory boasts the ease of use and manageability needed in the in-store environment. The built-in video touch screen leads minimally trained operators step-by-step through the refilling process. Once a step is started, the operator can temporarily move on to other in-store tasks. When the system needs additional operator input in order to proceed, it waits.

And when the Inkjet Factory is connected to the Internet, software upgrades can be downloaded and some tasks, such as checking on machine activity and its related inventory or diagnostic testing, can be done remotely.

In Sync with Print Technology

SME stays current with the latest cartridge technology from all the major printer manufacturers, such as HP and Lexmark. The Inkjet Factory’s interchangeable fixtures allow for easy upgrades as new OEM cartridges are released. The Inkjet Factory can currently refill 70+ cartridge models