The Canon MC-30 Maintenance tank is utilized in large format Canon printers such as the Pro 2000/4000, 2100/4100 and is designated as "single use". A replacement tank retails between $75-90. Recently, my MC-30 tank registered as "full" and the error code indicated that it was in need of replacement. Though I had a spare available, I decided to take the tank apart to determine its reusability. The following images and process are provided for interest only though I provide no guarantees and the user assumes all risk.
Canon MC-30 cartridge removed
1) When full, the cartridge feels somewhat heavy though the ink appears well contained and doesn't slosh around. Canon doesn't publish the cartridge's capacity, though I estimate it at a liter +.
2) The cartridge's lid is held in place with six plastic protrusions in the black housing, 3 on either side. The blue lid contains a gasket and is easily removable by detenting the side adjacent to the protrusion with one's hand assisted by a flat object such as a screw driver and pulling up gently on the blue lid.
Canon MC 30 lid removed
3) There are a total of 9 layers of absorbent pads, 5 are composed of a white fiber and the bottom 4 are a pink material. The top 7 are die cut with a rectangle as depicted and the bottom two are solid.
4) When the cartridge indicator was "full" 7 of the 9 pads were saturated with ink, with the top two layers being spared. It appears that Canon provided a bit of an "insurance policy" to help prevent overflow.
Canon MC-30 illustrating the saturated absorbent layers and cartridge housing.
5) Using lukewarm tap water, I purged the the absorbent pads of ink by running the water from the top of the stack and gently milking the ink out the bottom. Surprisingly, this took approximately 5-10 minutes and a fair amount of water.
Canon MC-30 pads after rinsing
6) After rinsing out the housing and lid, the pads were allowed to air dry, were restacked in the proper order, and the housing reassembled.
7) The MC-30 cartridge was reinstalled in the printer and the cartridge was reset by turning on the printer in the maintenance mode (Press and hold the power on button while simultaneously pressing the left lower corner of the LCD screen above the icons. After the Canon logo appears on the screen keep the power button pressed while releasing the finger on the left corner and then touch in succession the right bottom corner followed by top left and top right. Remove the finger from the screen and release the power button. The printer should boot up and then enter service mode. In the latest firmware this is indicated by scrolling down the main menu to the bottom, and pressing on the tab "service mode". Search around the submenus until you find a tab about the service cartridge. It will offer an ability to press "reset". Reboot the printer in normal mode and cartridge will indicate full capacity)
8) It is uncertain how long the pads will hold up to being rinsed though one could replace the media with other absorbent material (no I don't recommend clumping kitty litter though theoretically one could use the absorbent crystals or more appropriately something like this: NPS Spill Control XMBGPF1310 Extra Heavy Absorbent, 12 Gal Capacity, Polypropylene, Gray Pad (13" x 10") 100/Box: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific). Moreover, it is uncertain how many times the service mode will allow the chip to be reset, as there is a counter indicating the number of times this has been performed in the menu.
Hopefully, this summary has proved useful and while these large format printers are expensive to operate (ink/paper) at least this method may obviate one minor expense. If one were enterprising, rather than using media, one could drill a hole in the cartridge, add a waste line, and ditch the media entirely. I'm not certain whether the door covering the cartridge has a sensor or whether it can easily be removed, though many sensors can be easily bypassed. Cheers!
Canon MC-30 cartridge removed
1) When full, the cartridge feels somewhat heavy though the ink appears well contained and doesn't slosh around. Canon doesn't publish the cartridge's capacity, though I estimate it at a liter +.
2) The cartridge's lid is held in place with six plastic protrusions in the black housing, 3 on either side. The blue lid contains a gasket and is easily removable by detenting the side adjacent to the protrusion with one's hand assisted by a flat object such as a screw driver and pulling up gently on the blue lid.
Canon MC 30 lid removed
3) There are a total of 9 layers of absorbent pads, 5 are composed of a white fiber and the bottom 4 are a pink material. The top 7 are die cut with a rectangle as depicted and the bottom two are solid.
4) When the cartridge indicator was "full" 7 of the 9 pads were saturated with ink, with the top two layers being spared. It appears that Canon provided a bit of an "insurance policy" to help prevent overflow.
Canon MC-30 illustrating the saturated absorbent layers and cartridge housing.
5) Using lukewarm tap water, I purged the the absorbent pads of ink by running the water from the top of the stack and gently milking the ink out the bottom. Surprisingly, this took approximately 5-10 minutes and a fair amount of water.
Canon MC-30 pads after rinsing
6) After rinsing out the housing and lid, the pads were allowed to air dry, were restacked in the proper order, and the housing reassembled.
7) The MC-30 cartridge was reinstalled in the printer and the cartridge was reset by turning on the printer in the maintenance mode (Press and hold the power on button while simultaneously pressing the left lower corner of the LCD screen above the icons. After the Canon logo appears on the screen keep the power button pressed while releasing the finger on the left corner and then touch in succession the right bottom corner followed by top left and top right. Remove the finger from the screen and release the power button. The printer should boot up and then enter service mode. In the latest firmware this is indicated by scrolling down the main menu to the bottom, and pressing on the tab "service mode". Search around the submenus until you find a tab about the service cartridge. It will offer an ability to press "reset". Reboot the printer in normal mode and cartridge will indicate full capacity)
8) It is uncertain how long the pads will hold up to being rinsed though one could replace the media with other absorbent material (no I don't recommend clumping kitty litter though theoretically one could use the absorbent crystals or more appropriately something like this: NPS Spill Control XMBGPF1310 Extra Heavy Absorbent, 12 Gal Capacity, Polypropylene, Gray Pad (13" x 10") 100/Box: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific). Moreover, it is uncertain how many times the service mode will allow the chip to be reset, as there is a counter indicating the number of times this has been performed in the menu.
Hopefully, this summary has proved useful and while these large format printers are expensive to operate (ink/paper) at least this method may obviate one minor expense. If one were enterprising, rather than using media, one could drill a hole in the cartridge, add a waste line, and ditch the media entirely. I'm not certain whether the door covering the cartridge has a sensor or whether it can easily be removed, though many sensors can be easily bypassed. Cheers!