By Ed Avis
Editor’s Note: In January we published a brief news item about an IJP 2000 printer that was specially modified by Evergreen Technologies for use by the Department of Defense. A reader called after that news item ran and asked for more details. Here, then, is a fuller story about this special printer that is serving the DoD.
When Xerox learned that the Department of Defense wanted to use its IJP 2000 printer but needed some special modifications, Xerox called IRgA member Carl Byrne, a former Xerox tech who now runs Evergreen Technologies in Baltimore.
“The Department of Defense had seen the printer at GraphExpo in the Fall of 2013, and they liked its compact size and light weight,” Byrne says. (Click here to read more about the IJP 2000 and other single-pass inkjet printers.) “Because of the technical nature of the project, Xerox contacted us because they knew we had the expertise a typical dealer wouldn’t have.”
Tough and Ready
The DoD wanted the IJP 2000 to be usable even after long periods of storage and hardy enough to withstand the rigors of being transported. Both characteristics necessitated modifications.
“Because the printer might sit for months at a time between uses, we had to modify it so it would not run into problems when it was restarted,” Byrne says. “They had experience with conventional inkjet printers where they dried out when they were stored in a hot environment, or the cartridges burst when they were stored in a cold environment.”
Byrne discussed the problem with Xerox and Memjet, which makes the inkjet heads, and together they figured out how to flush and drain the system so there would be virtually no fluid in the system while it was being stored. That way the printer could be ready at a moment’s notice, even after a long time out of use.
To make the machine able to withstand the stresses of being transported, Byrne sat down with DoD engineers with long experience in that issue and evaluated each part.
“Thankfully they have engineers with a lot of experience adapting equipment,” Byrne says. “We pulled it apart and talked about which areas needed to be reinforced. It wasn’t an enormous number of modifications, but we went through a number of iterations and finally came up with a version that’s strong enough to meet their needs.”
The modified printer was then put through a number of rigorous tests that simulate what the printer would experience in the field and in transport. The machine passed.
Evergreen’s service manager, Aaron Conn, trained the people who were going to be using and maintaining the equipment, and he will train others as needed. He also continues to provide telephone and technical support.
In the Field
The first modified IJP 2000s were delivered about two years after the project was initiated, and today several are in use out in the field.
“They’ve had several occasions where the machines were packed up and prepared for shipping, moved, and set up and run, and they haven’t had any problems,” Byrne says. “They have been using them for full printing and they’ve held up well.”
Leading to Other Things
The DoD project has led to some other related work for Evergreen Technologies, but overall that specific project has not added significantly to Evergreen’s bottom line.
“We put in hundreds and hundreds of hours of extra time into this project, well beyond what was budgeted for,” Byrne says. “But the truth is we entered into this project with anticipation of potential future orders, and hopefully more will come. It’s hard to know if that will come in a month or a year.”
Nevertheless, Byrne is satisfied that his company’s efforts helped create a printer that is suitable for DoD service.