Color 550, DCP700, J75, DC250, WC-7675, W-7775 Families, WC-7556, WC-7855 and WC-7970 Families
We’ve looked at the rebuilding and repair procedures of quite a variety of drum cartridges in the pages of ENX over the years. Of late we’re seeing a number of important updates to the internal design of some of these cartridges, without any change being made to the OEM part numbers. Some changes are simple improvements which are designed to increase longevity, and others make the earlier versions of parts obsolete. Let’s have a peek at some of the changes and explore what, if any, impact each update may have on us all, as cartridge remanufacturers and technicians.
We’ll look at two changes to the DC250 style (550 / DCP700 / J75 families) Color Drum Cartridges, and one mentionable improvement to the fuser modules in this series. Also, we’ll investigate a change to the 7425 style (WC-7556 / WC-7855 / WC-7970 families) Drum Cartridges.
DC250 style Color Drum Cartridges:
- 550 Family (550/560/570) (013R00664)
- DCP700 Family (DCP700/700i/770) (013R00656)
- J75 Family (Color Press C75/J75) (013R00672)
- DC5000 Family (DocuColor 5000/7000/8000) (013R00649)
- DC250, 7675 & 7775 Families (DC240/250/242/252/260, 7655/7665/7675, 7755/7765/7775) (013R00603)
CHANGE #1: Drum Cleaning Blade:
The Drum Cleaning Blades had a subtle change to their design which amounts to a general improvement in the toner waste handling. The early Drum Cleaning Blades had a simple, straight edged mylar sheet adhered to their undersides. Sometime probably in 2016, the newer Color Drum Cartridges (for the higher speed models in particular) started being produced with notches cut into the mylar sheet.
These new blades allow toner to migrate to the toner waste auger faster. This change was most valuable on the highest speed models, such as the DCP700 and J75, where the stress on the cartridge’s waste handling is the greatest. The newer ones we’ll call the 550 version (550DBC). These have now completely replaced the earlier version (DC250DBC). Refer to photo #1.
Photo #1: 550CRCR (Original Larger Diameter version- top / red cap) versus 550CRCR-B (New Smaller Diameter version – bottom / black cap)
Photo #2: 550DBC (New version – top… with notches in mylar) versus DC250DBC (Original version – bottom… no notches in mylar)
CHANGE #2: Charge Roll Cleaning Roller (foam roll):
The white foam Cleaning Roll which rides on the charge roller is found on the 550 / DCP700 / J75 / DC5000 family versions of the cartridges. At the beginning of 2017, the drum cartridges started coming with a new smaller Outer Diameter foam Cleaning Roller. The shaft itself remains the same… only the foam was smaller. The new cartridge bodies do not have enough room for the original foam cleaning roll version to sit in place and spin properly. So when buying a drum rebuild kit, it’s important to only use the original version (550CRCR) on the older style cartridge bodies. The new smaller version (550CRCR-B) will fit in the new or the old cartridges equally well, so that one is universal in fit. Refer to Photo #2 below to see the difference.
DC250 style Fuser Modules:
Improvements introduced to the fuser modules to make them work in the high-speed models are subtle but important. The one change which is of true significance is that the Pressure Sleeve found in the earlier fusers (for DC250 / WC-7675 / WC-7775 families) (DC250FPS) would not hold up well in the high speed DCP700 and J75 machines… so a sturdier sleeve was born. The new sleeve (DC700FPS) which is found in the high-speed models looks identical to the eye and it will still fit the lower speed fusers just fine, but it is indeed made of tougher stuff. The new kind is therefore the preferred universal version and is recommended for use in all of the fusers for best results. Here’s a list of the related fuser modules which the DC700FPS press sleeve fits:
- 550 Family (550/560/570) (008R13102)
- DCP700 Family (DCP700/700i/770) (008R13065)
- J75 Family (Color Press C75/J75) (008R13146)
- DC250, 7675 & 7775 Families (DC240/250/242/252/260, 7655/7665/7675, 7755/7765/7775) (008R12988)
7425 style Drum Cartridges (+ Phaser 7500 & 7800):
Next let’s have a peek at an important change to the 7525 etc drum cartridges (013R00662):
- 7435 Family (7425/7428/7430/7435) (013R00647)
- 7556, 7855, & 7970 Families (WC-7525/7530/7535/7545/7556, 7830/7835/7845/7855, & 7970) (013R00662)
- Phaser 7500 (108R00861)
- Phaser 7800 (106R01582)
CHANGE: Charge Roll Cleaning Roller (foam roll):
At the start of 2017, the new 013R00662 drum cartridges in particular, began coming with newly designed foam Charge Roll Cleaning Rollers. These new rolls have a spiral foam design. They also have shafts with a larger Outer Diameter. The spiral design was said to have been introduced to reduce the wear of the foam on the charge roll. Tests prove that the spiral foam does, in fact, increase the longevity of the charge roll slightly. We will also all see this spiral design in the new Versant 80 drum cartridges as they become more important in the years to come.
Because the new cartridge has foam roll cradles which are larger (to accommodate the larger shaft), the original version of the foam roll, with its smaller diameter shaft, will still fit and function in the newer cartridge bodies. Fortunately, these use only gravity for pressure against the charge roll. There being no springs or other devices loading the Cleaning Roll against the Charge Roll, in cases where the drum cartridge body is the new version and the available foam roll is the original smaller shaft version (7425CRCR), the foam roll will feel loose in its cradles. However, once the cartridge is completely assembled and right side up, gravity will still allow the original foam Cleaning Roll to sit down on the charge roll. It will still rotate freely as it does in the older version of the cartridge.
So, the original version of the Cleaning Roll appears to be in essence universal. Tests are in progress to make sure longevity is not compromised by using the original version foam roll in the new style cartridge. In the meantime, the new version of foam roll is in the works (7525CRCR-B) so folks will have a choice. The new version will not fit into the cradles of the older style drum cartridges but will be a better physical match for the body style of the newer cartridges. Refer to photo #3 below to see the two versions.
Photo #3:
Left: 7525CRCR-B (New version – Larger diameter shaft; spiral foam)
Right: 7425CRCR (Original version – Smaller diameter shaft, solid foam)
Changes like these only complicate the job of rebuilding cartridges. These changes make it necessary for rebuild facilities and techs to keep up with the times and to be prepared for any of the versions of the cartridges. Hopefully that covers the cartridge changes for a good long spell.
Here’s to wishing you all very happy recycling in 2018!
