Hardware - Industrial Print

 

To stamp its mark further on the wide format digital scene, Speedscreen has placed an order for a Durst 320 R UV roll to roll machine .

Tim Hill, Speedscreen's owner and Managing Director comments, "It was a natural progression for us.  I always had it in mind to augment our UV digital production capability with another machine, I just wasn't sure for a while what that machine would be. Our last major purchase was the Durst 800 hybrid machine which prints flat rigid material and would also do rolls up to 2.5 m wide. Whilst it was the perfect fit for us, I could see the advantages of keeping the 800 as a dedicated flat bed and then have a separate roll to roll UV machine. It wasn't a difficult decision to stay with the Durst family, especially having seen the machine demonstrated at the factory and having witnessed its massive capability at a German customer site. I can honestly say I was blown away once again by the consistent quality of print and level of engineering excellence that comes with a Durst.  A new software development called pass overlap has been added.  Whilst it slows the print speed by 7%, the total absence of banding was truly impressive at all speed levels - and I threw some pretty mean files at them!  The ability to run truly unattended overnight really swung the deal for me, with the machine sending a text to say job is finished.  My biggest frustration is the 12 week lead time for delivery."

He adds, "The difference with Durst is that the organisation builds to order.  We have gone for all the bells and whistles on this model - a dual roll facility, a double sided print option, White overprint and light magenta/ light cyan plus an in line cutting option.  The extras list does bump up the price, but it's a bit like buying an Audi or BMW - it's the extras that make an already good car into a great car.  This investment is some 6 months ahead of our intended next development phase, but with the continued growth and demand for our digital business I have brought things forward." 

Installation of the 3.2 m wide machine should take place in early April 2011.

LightVisions, one of Western Canada's largest digital imaging providers, has increased throughput and captured new business: the result of the installation of Canada's first automated Inca Onset S20, sold and supported by Fujifilm Canada Graphic Systems.

Located next to Winnipeg International Airport, LightVisions specialises in large-format digital printing for the retail, display and outdoor markets, producing printed products for out of home, store décor, retail POP, museums and tradeshow. Now in its 28th year, the company currently employs more than 40 people and encompasses over 38,000 sqft of production space. It offers a single source environment to its clients including prepress, design, printing, finishing, installations, kitting and logistics. The Inca Onset S20 joins two older UV flatbed printers and 8 roll-to-roll inkjet printers up to 126 inches wide, giving LightVisions the ability to create images on virtually any roll fed or rigid material.

LightVisions began its quest for a large-format flatbed in the spring of 2010, a necessity as the company was turning away a significant amount of large-format work. Narrowing the search down to the Inca Onset S20 and a competitor, LightVisions ran extensive tests prior to making the investment.

"We have some very specific tests, such as ink usage, where we weigh material, make comparisons and receive accurate feedback on consumables," said Allan Brooks, president of LightVisions. "While the two printers we tested were very close in terms of run cost/sq. ft., the big difference was that the Inca Onset S20 delivered higher quality at stated speed. We tested the speed with what we considered a quality mode for close viewing POP, and the Inca Onset S20 provided higher resolution and better detail with virtually no banding in the solids."

The Inca Onset S20 at LightVisions, installed with the latest speed upgrade in August 2010, features a materials handling automation system capable of operation in manual, semi- or three-quarter mode.

Available to all Inca Onset S20 customers, the upgrade boosted the rated speed more than 35 percent from its original speed of 45 beds/hour. "Inca told us that with the upgrade and in automation mode the Onset S20 would print at 62 beds per hour. We anticipated that the speed increase would mean a loss in quality," said Brooks. "Instead, we were blown away by the quality. When we print jobs like fashion posters on 100-pound coated stock at 62 beds/hour, the quality difference between that and running at 45 beds/hour is hardly noticeable."

The Inca Onset S20's ability to deliver both speed and quality was a 'game changer' for LightVisions, requiring it to revamp its business plan. "We had not anticipated being able to run 62 beds/hour with fashion work for close viewing," said Brooks. "Our thought was that the higher speed was only going to be good for outdoor signs and displays. Now we can pursue both--higher volume outdoor and larger retail accounts. This capability opened doors for us."

According to Brooks, the Onset S20 printer is more than twice as fast as its other two flatbeds combined. "We have been able to move into markets that we knew existed, such as larger volume Retail POP, and had bid on, but didn't get. We knew where we had to be on those bids—we knew what we needed in a printer to be able to bid against screen printers."

A key factor in the Onset's speed is its substrate handling automation, which can increase productivity up to 36 percent compared to manual handling. "We don't have to wait for the machine to stop and the operator to take the sheet off and put on another one and line it up to register," said Brooks. "The sheets can be pre--positioned, stacked and squared during the printing process, so when the printed sheet is removed, the next one is in position to be loaded. When running manually, you have to take it off the printer and then square it up on the pallet."

Added Brooks, "To be competitive with screen printers, you need the same capabilities to reduce costs. The automation is letting us compete with screen printers at much higher volumes than before. It has dramatically increased our productivity as there is now much less operator intervention. We have seen a large increase in number of beds per hour per operator over our existing UV flatbed printers. The output per hour is now also very consistent as there is less operator fatigue. We have noticed with our existing manual load machines that output per hour can vary greatly depending on operator ability and time of day. The impact of having this type of automation is huge."

One recent project for a large national company illustrates the types of jobs LightVisions can now go after. "We just finished thousands of images for this large outdoor project," said Brooks. "The entire job was 3,000 beds. We ran small and large pieces, hitting 62 beds an hour with automation. We ran multiple designs and multiple substrates, from translucent styrene, to card stock to MXM (synthetic paper), and there was complete consistency of print quality between products. We were awarded this project over bids from screen and litho shops and our margin was higher than our business plan predicted."

The ability to quickly switch back and forth between manual and automated mode is also helping throughput. "Our operators really like the ability to switch over quickly," said Brooks. "It is very fast, so if you have one 20-30 piece job and then another that's running 500 pieces, you can switch from manual to automated easily. You don't need the automation for the 20-30 piece jobs—manual works just fine."

The biggest problem with the automation feature is keeping the operator from getting bored, said Brooks. "We have a lead operator responsible for the machine operation and maintenance," he explained. "When she arrives in the morning she calibrates the Onset and then the machine is running all day. The only thing we do is swap the operators, allowing them to do something else."

Added Brooks, "The Onset S20 delivered as promised and even more so. The installation was superb, the tech support very responsive and we are most impressed with the speed increase with no quality change."

 

Bluejet Print, based in Gdansk, recently became the first Polish printer to install an Inca Onset S20 wide format flatbed UV device in December 2010, with production started early January. This installation enables the digital print service provider to jump to the top of the list of key wide format print providers in Poland, with four times the capacity they had before and the ability to offer digital print that will match in quality with both screen and offset printing.

Having seen rapid growth since starting the family business eight years ago, Piotr Kaczorowski, executive chairman, explains how the company came to place an order for the Onset device: "POS is a fast growing market in Poland, and we wanted to invest in a device that will allow us to provide high quality print at a competitive price and turnaround time. Our previous hybrid printer just couldn't keep up with the work anymore and we wanted something that would allow us much greater capacity."

Piotr and his team spent a great deal of time investigating suitable devices on the market, which included visiting Fujifilm's Broadstairs facility to carry out tests on the Onset S20.

"We thoroughly evaluated device throughput, quality, costs and track record of every printer we tested, and in doing so the Onset S20 won hands-down," continues Piotr. "That, together with the comprehensive service contract they offered, clinched the deal with Fujifilm."

Before the Onset S20 was installed in December 2010, Bluejet relocated to new premises in order to house the flatbed device - another step by the owners to prove their ambition to grow the business and take it to the next level.

The Onset S20, a UV curing inkjet flatbed printer, is the most recent high performance addition to the Onset family which has changed the face of the wide format industry. Developed to meet the demands of customers for rigid print between 1500 to 4000m2 per day onto substrates of 3.14m x 1.6m and up to 50mm thick, the six-colour device has enabled UV digital flatbed to become an economical method of producing high-impact visual images, and produces far more print than any other digital flatbed printer currently available. The Onset S20 has an ever growing customer base, using the device for its superb quality, flexibility and finish.

It uses Fujifilm's own Uvijet inks to produce prints to match the sheet fed offset colour standard ISO 12647-2, enabling the production of consistent results, regardless of the print process used. In addition, the Onset S20, in combination with Uvijet inks, also features gloss level control to produce finishes from matt, through satin to high gloss depending on application, bringing massive versatility in the range of products that can be printed, e.g. display POP, exhibition graphics, backlit/frontlit displays and outdoor signage printing.

"We are extremely excited about the new possibilities we can offer to both new and existing customers," concludes Piotr. "The Onset S20 allows us to compete with other key wide format print providers on the market, which isn't something we could do until now. Fujifilm has already proved a very reliable business partner and we look forward to building this relationship with them in the years to come."

EFI and Heidelberg USA, Inc. today announced a new agreement under which Heidelberg will distribute the VUTEk GS series of superwide format digital printers to the commercial print market across the U.S.
 
Under the agreement, Heidelberg USA will distribute EFI’s VUTEk GS2000, GS3200, and GS5000r as well as the inks, parts, consumables, accessories and upgrades related to these printers. Heidelberg will also provide customer and technical support for the VUTEk GS series of printers including installation and training.
 
EFI is a world leader in digital imaging and print management solutions for commercial, packaging, in-plant and specialty printers worldwide. Heidelberg is the world's leading solutions provider for the print media industry. The company manufactures sheetfed press systems as well as prepress and postpress components, software and consumables for all printing applications.
 
"We're excited to enter into this distribution agreement with Heidelberg USA. It allows us to bring Heidelberg customers our award-winning superwide format digital printers," said Frank Mallozzi, senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing, EFI. "Commercial printers are looking for ways to distinguish themselves and offer their clients more diversified products and services. Now we can reach those companies through a broader network."
 
Heidelberg USA will have a GS3200 in its North American Print & Packaging Technology Center (NAPPTC) for demonstrations. The machine will be integrated into a complete Prinect workflow and will be colour managed by Heidelberg’s Prinect Color Toolbox which has recently been awarded the IDEAlliance G7 System Certification. Customers will benefit from a single workflow that drives a digital device and an offset press with the result being a colour matched output from both.
 
“Wide and superwide format printing are high-growth opportunities and Heidelberg has the right workflow, colour management, service and Saphira consumables expertise needed to integrate these technologies into a print production environment,” said James Martin, senior vice president, marketing, Heidelberg USA. “EFI is a leader in the superwide space and together with Heidelberg we can bring a best-in-class portfolio to our customers.”

Minneapolis based Meyers, a leading producer of innovative retail marketing solutions, has purchased a new Durst Rho 900 High Speed Automated Printing System. Installation is scheduled for March.

"As part of our $10 million dollar investment in technology, which also includes a new KBA, 81" litho press scheduled for early Spring of 2011, the new 8-colour Super-Large Digital Printer is designed and engineered specifically for the in-store signage and display segments of retail marketing," says Fred Silloway, president of Meyers Retail Marketing Solutions Group. "This investment closely aligns the needs of our customers with our growing core competencies and demonstrates a clear path to market leadership."

The new printer produces extra-large format, high-quality products in a highly cost efficient manner. With its 8-colour UV printing capability, the new printing system will accurately reproduce corporate colours and skin tones. Setting it apart from previous generations of Super Large Format printers is its high speed and exceptional ability to reproduce very small text and fine lines. It will print sheets of almost any substrate up to 98" wide and up to 2" thick. The new printer is significant because its high degree of automation brings massive efficiencies to the production of printed sheets, and with its UV drying capabilities, it will print on any substrate. The new printer will be supported by a new digital die-cutter/router, as well. Perfect for any work requiring digital printing, the new 8-colour Super-Large Digital Printer is especially effective for prototype work, store sets, variable imaging, market specific graphics or any kind of short run, quick-response work.

A number of important factors were considered before selecting the new 8-colour Super-Large Digital Printer. A key requirement was that any new technology must support the Meyers' Lean/ Quick Response system, and by reducing cycle time and thus delivering promotional signage and display solutions to the market even faster.

"Our high level of success is due to our innovation and to the partnerships that we forge with our Fortune 500 Retail and Brand Marketer customers," says Silloway. "We're very responsive to their needs; it's been said that we continually generate long term value by creating highly effective solutions in a fast, low cost, easy fashion. Our new 8-colour Printing System will enhance these qualities and strengthen our commitment to our customers."

 

Josero is now sourcing used superwide machines from all over Europe. These machines are either next to new, or refurbished to a very high standard.  They include printers from Nur, Vutek, Durst and HP. All the printers are in superb condition and many have been used for only a short period of time. The machines are competitively priced and Josero offers installation, training and warranty packages with these printers.