Electronics For Imaging, Inc. will deliver the first EFI Cubik S700 industrial single-pass digital inkjet printer in North America to Mono, Ontario-based flooring manufacturer Kember Kreative Interiors in early 2020.
The company purchased the printer for its Kember Flooring subsidiary in Michigan, where it will launch a research and development initiative that is expected to improve efficiencies and relieve existing production burdens.
“The idea is to use the Cubik printer to replace our existing analog staining method,” said Peter Kember, owner and managing director of Kember Kreative Interiors. “One of the challenges we face today is to achieve a consistent color at the end of our production lines when using varying batches of substrates. Currently, we need to adjust stain formulas to compensate for the differences, which can take hours to perfect. The Cubik will enable us to classify each flooring plank – inline – and select the formula to achieve the desired end color.”
Kember Flooring’s Cubik S700 – the company’s first EFI product – will save the company valuable time, as it will no longer have to sort the substrates it prints based on underlying wood color before the printing process. The printer will instead automatically adapt the stain based on each piece. The Cubik S700 will also provide the company a warehousing advantage, as it will not have to store as much product in order to ensure color consistency for large-scale orders.
The advanced color management and processing workflow to be incorporated at Kember Flooring is an exclusive feature of the EFI Fiery digital front end (DFE) used in conjunction with the Cubik S700. “We explored similar software from another company, but when we looked at the integration of the Cubik with the Fiery software, it was exactly what we needed,” said Peter Kember. “The combination of color management and ability to create and save profiles for different substrates was unique to EFI’s solutions.”
The EFI Cubik S700 transforms wood industry production
Based on EFI’s single-pass printing technology, the Cubik S700 offers a unique ecosystem approach where the printer, inks and EFI Fiery proServer DFE with its color management system all work together as a fully integrated solution, providing the wood industry with top-quality decoration, high-end performance and ink savings. The Cubik S700 uses mineral inks, providing higher image quality without affecting the natural properties of the substrate, resulting in better integration with the wood. In addition to their effectiveness on interior floorings, the mineral inks are also a good choice for outdoor applications as they have an excellent lightfastness in comparison to other UV ink options.
Kember Flooring’s long-term digital plans involve using multiple Cubik printers at its U.S. production facilities, and Peter Kember said the company hopes to expand the technology to its facilities in Europe as well.
“We are thrilled to work with Kember Flooring to install the first Cubik S700 in North America,” said José Luis Ramón Moreno, vice president and general manager, EFI Industrial Printing. “This is Kember’s first EFI purchase, and we are excited to see how it will revolutionize their production. As a leader in its industry, Kember Flooring demands the best in technology, and we are excited to prove the innovative advantage the Cubik S700 delivers.”
The S700 is part of a series of printers available in different widths – including EFI Cubik S1400 and S1800 models – that deliver high-quality, efficient and sustainable results using mineral and UV LED inks for different wood applications. While expanding the range of imaging possibilities, the EFI Cubik printer lineup also provides a way to reduce waste and drive environmental sustainability in wood decoration.
Through direct digital printing to wood materials, flooring and wood product manufacturers can give new life to an affordable raw material. EFI customers such as Kember Flooring can meet growing demand for customization, creating a world of decorative possibilities for home and office, construction and other markets.
