Hardware - Industrial Print

Fujifilm is pleased to announce the introduction of the new Acuity Advance HS X2 wide format UV inkjet printer, the latest development in the highly successful Acuity HS series, at FESPA 2010 (Hall B1, Stand 220). Meeting the demands for a cost effective, high quality printer with great productivity, it is the ideal device for printers who produce POP and exhibition graphics.

The Acuity Advance HS X2 maintains many of the leading features of the other Acuity platforms, but offers double the printing area of the Advance HS, which was launched in March 2010.

It is capable of printing onto substrates up to 3.05m x 2.5m and up to 48mm thick with minimal heat output through its highly efficient UV curing system.

Proprietary greyscale inkjet printheads ensure that Acuity Advance HS X2 achieves near-photographic quality images at typical production speeds of 43m2/hr. In addition, its ‘express’ mode for images viewed from a greater distance operates at 66m2/hr.

An optional roll-to-roll module allows for greater flexibility, whilst achieving print speeds of 30m2/hr in production mode and 50m2/hr in express mode.

The print bed has a dual zoning system with independent vacuum control which holds all types of media, including irregularly shaped substrates with uneven surfaces, ensuring accurate registration on multiple passes. As the substrate can be prepared in one zone while an image is printed in the second, or while the roll media unit is printing, downtime is minimised, increasing throughput.

The Acuity Advance HS X2 also offers the possibility of an additional white ink option to complement the standard CMYK set. Using Fujifilm’s uniquely formulated Uvijet KI ink series, it offers fantastic post print finishing properties. Fujifilm’s proprietary Micro-V dispersion technology is incorporated in the ink providing strong vibrant colours, with wide adhesion range and print durability.

The Acuity Advance HS X2 will debut at FESPA 2010 in Munich, Germany, and commercial shipments will commence in July.

Fujifilm today announces the launch of the latest material handling system for the Inca Onset family of flatbed inkjet printers. Designed for the Onset S20 device and with the ability to increase output to 275m2/hour, the handling system offers users even more flexibility for wide format UV flatbed printing.

One of the biggest factors in the success of UV flatbed technology has been its versatility; users enjoy the freedom to print onto a wide variety of media, thicknesses and sizes. Naturally, as the speed and quality for UV flatbed has improved so has the desire to add a material handling system, but often, once a handling system is attached to a printer there is a tendency to limit the flexibility the printer offers by impeding direct access to the print bed. Consequently, rather than increasing efficiency the performance productivity ratio declines.

Fujifilm and Inca, with their heritage in screen printing, know from experience that the vast majority of screen print machines are still manually loaded, and have invested in making sure that this Onset system is designed around the customer, and does not detract from the ability of the Onset to switch between jobs quickly. Printers can continue to use lots of different substrates individually for one off printing jobs, or enable the handling system to run a high volume job with minimal intervention.

“We have worked closely with Inca over the past year to ensure that the customer’s needs take priority,” comments Tudor Morgan, group marketing manager, wide format at Fujifilm. “The handling system is designed to optimise the timing of high volume print jobs, and will potentially increase material handling efficiency levels by another 36%, which is a huge benefit to the printer and his customer. The system is extremely simple to operate, with assisted loading and automated unloading, and we have had very positive feedback from our beta user, Imprint Creative Print Solutions.”

“The automation has given us increased productivity immediately and is very operator friendly,” says Dave Bullivant, Group Business Development Director at Imprint. “The multi-sheet feed aspect of the automation is a real benefit and allows a quick changeover between different size materials.”

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, 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.

The device prints edge to edge onto substrates of 3.14m x 1.6m and up to 50mm thick. The vacuum table with accurate, 11 pin positioning allows users to print single and double-sided work on a variety of media sizes. The Onset S20 uses FUJIFILM’s own Uvijet inks, and at FESPA it will be printing Light Cyan and Light Magenta Uvijet Enhance ink alongside CMYK to produce high-quality results, expanding its capabilities still further. With this new ink set, Onset S20 can now 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.

With up to an amazing 758 million drops of ink jetting per second on the Onset S20 and two UV curing lamps providing for near-instantaneous curing, the printing quality and results are so impressive that it is hard to tell the difference between Onset, screen and offset print. The machine is armed with a full bed width printhead array that features built-in automatic head cleaning and fault tolerance software.

The handling system featured at FESPA has been developed to further exploit the productivity of the Onset S20, increasing effective volumes produced to 275m2/hour. The handling system can place sheets up to 10mm thick, weighing up to 2kg/m2 with precision, giving print registration within 0.5mm. The unit will be demonstrated throughout the show, switching to and from manual handling to demonstrate how quick and easy this is.

 

In recent years, there has been a great increase in the digital printing of textile promotional media. Whether it’s for flags, banners or wallcoverings, market research predicts that this is going to continue to increase over the next few years.

The Rhotex uses water-based dispersed dye inks which are entirely environmentally friendly, recyclable and disposable. The Rhotex dyes are harmless to the skin, completely odour-free and produce no VOCs. They are also flame-retardant and provide bright, vibrant and impactful images. In addition, they comply with the Blue Wool scale 7 and can therefore be used in an outdoor application for up to two years and printing does not affect the textile’s inherent feel.

Unlike other textile printers which either use harmful solvent based inks or small cartridges of water-based inks for short print runs, the Rhotex is a true industrial standard printer. Its robust design and reliability provides 24/7 operation and unattended printing.  It is equipped with the most professional software for maximising workflow in the digital printing sector. This enables quality printing in the POS/POP range using MEMS technology piezo inkjets with high longevity and the ability to print up to 70 m² per hour in 600 dpi resolution in 6 colours.

Other features of the Rhotex which are designed to ensure the most consistent results and maximum productivity include: automatic, self-cleaning jet system for continuous industrial printing and a controllable hot air drying system for consistent drying over the whole width of the printed material. Material-specific machine settings can be stored and recalled in the media channel and the dispensing system also includes a fold-compensation device and an antistatic system.

Productivity is further enhanced by the ability to print two 1.6 metre rolls with different print queues, simultaneously.

In addition to the environmental advantages, textile media offer many benefits and these include: lightness of weight, ability to be folded, which saves on storage space and transportation costs, modernity and reusability.

The Rhotex allows the user to profit from the new and profitable business opportunities created by large format printing on textile media for use in the home or business, as well as fashion applications.

 

 

Israeli wide-format developer MTL Print will present its top-of-the-range, high-productivity wide-format printer, the Meital 304D, to the market at next week's FESPA. With three early adopter units already in place world-wide, the manufacturer will demonstrate the new machine's interchangeable print tables and superb output quality at speeds of up to 250sq m/hour, providing a vital improvement on turnaround times for display producers and an attractive proposition for screen-printers.

MTL Print stresses its heritage in this market, with its management team featuring familiar names who have driven technology development within wide-format digital ink-jet since its evolution. The current company was founded by veteran developers Kobi Markovitch and Moshe Nur, who have been responsible for the inception and maturity of this market in the early 1990s, including the introduction of the first UV-curable flat-bed and roll-fed machines. Within their portfolio of historical excellence can be counted the entire range of NUR systems -- now at the forefront of HP’s Scitex division.

"The core of the Meital range of wide-format production engines from MTL Print is the expertise inherent to their research and development," emphasises Ran Emanuel, vice-president of sales and marketing for MTL Print. "For many years our team has managed and manufactured some of the most successful equipment available in digital ink-jet for display and industrial production printing. We are now attending FESPA to demonstrate that commitment to the market and its potential for growth and development."

Bidding to set new standards in the market for productivity, quality, reliability and ease-of-use, the Meital 300-series uses a UV-curable four-colour ink set with two interchangeable flat-bed tables, enabling a level of automation that will prove attractive to those using existing digital and screen-printing technologies. Accommodating media up to 1.25 x 2.5m, this industry standard 4 x 8ft display sheet size is easily incorporated with advanced printing features, such as step-and-repeat and image nesting. Boards up to 254mm thick can be printed at speeds up to 250sq m/hour in high productivity mode onto all popular substrates, including corrugated and foam boards, PVC, paper and vinyl.

Variable drop-on-demand ink-jet technology through Xaar 1001 HSS (hybrid side-shooter) print-heads allows the user to vary the drop size on the Meital 300-series machines between six and 42 picolitres. This allows the best degrees of resolution appropriate to the printed application without compromising on throughput. Smaller drop sizes allow for the fine production of lighter hues and gradations, thereby rendering light-colours inks unnecessary and provoking vital, extensive savings on ink costs.

The arrangement of the Xaar 1001 heads has been formulated to provide a proprietary wide print swathe and, because of the design of this array, the Meital 300-series engines reduce print times dramatically. The heads, which contain 1000 nozzles each at native 360dpi, also circulate ink, removing the need to purge and wipe and thereby diminishing downtime and maintenance costs. This side-shooting technology was incorporated to minimise problems with banding, making it one of the fastest board printing machines for display, outdoor advertising and packaging purposes on the market.

"Users want the combination of time- and waste-saving measures with no concessions on production speed or standards," Emanuel continues. "Our early adopters have benefited from these features with the Meital 300-series, as well as from innovations such as the dual-table changeover for maximum possible efficiency. Not only do we have the experience to cater for the innovation demanded by this market's end users -- as FESPA's campaign highlights this year -- but we have the skill and market maturity to recognise how to drive that further into the future."

Technological innovation meets financial pragmatism in the Meital 300-series, which is upgradable throughout the range because of its modular format. A company can start with the 301, 302, 303, 304 or 302D models and improve the number of heads or print tables as necessary and in line with natural company growth, or opt immediately for the fully optimised 304D. Each upgrade can be undertaken at the user’s site and allows businesses to split their investment into manageable, natural stages.

"Our message to the market at FESPA is that MTL Print shows where perfection, productivity and price -- the three Ps -- meet, and that we have the answer to the focal questions that the industry is demanding," Emanuel concludes. "A visit to our stand at FESPA will prove that our solution is the one which matches and exceeds these demands most exactly, while also being tailored to the exact requirements of the producer at both the technical and financial levels."

 

 

HP today announced that SCIA, of Argenteuil, France, has installed the new HP Scitex LX800 Printer to extend its application portfolio and provide environmentally conscious customers with graphics printed using HP Latex Technology.

SCIA provides a large and varied customer-base with interior and exterior graphics, including POS, pop-ups, banners and window coverings. The company installed the 3.2m (126in) HP Scitex LX800 Printer for its production and environmental benefits - both from a product and internal production perspective.

"We found that printers using solvent-based inks create an uncomfortable working environment," explained Laetitia Lelandais, partner, SCIA. "Rather than investing in extractor equipment, we decided to purchase the LX800, since not only do the HP Latex Inks it uses require no ventilation (1), but the ability to print odourless (2) large format applications opened an entire new range of business opportunities for SCIA."

The HP Scitex LX800 Printer uses water-based HP Latex Inks, producing prints that are odourless (2) and eco-friendly, as well as high quality. Capable of printing graphics up to 3.2m (126in) wide, the HP Scitex LX800 Printer also provides a versatile, large format solution with production speeds of up to 45m²/hr.

A business winner

Laetitia Lelandais explained, "The first project we completed on the LX800 was won as a direct result of our new, extended print capabilities. In addition, we find that being an environmentally conscious supplier is a pre-requisite in an increasing number of bid processes. Certainly this is true of one of our most long-standing customers, Agence Black [part of the Duffort Group]."

"We recently printed a 3.2 x 5.9m tarpaulin for a Land Rover and Volvo garage in Les Ulis, owned by the Duffort Group. The garage is in the process of being refurbished and, due to the extensive scaffolding at the front, many of its customers and potential customers have been assuming it is closed. The Duffort Group and Agence Black asked us to produce a large format tarpaulin graphic that would advertise the fact that the garage is open for business as usual. Utilising our new HP LX800 Printer, this job was easy to fulfil and the customer was extremely pleased with the result," continued Mrs Lelandais.

Tristan de Céleyran, Associate Director, Agence Black said in response to SCIA's recent HP investment, "SCIA's forward-looking entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to invest in equipment that helps them grow is what Agence Black needs in a supplier. I am confident that the HP Scitex LX800 will help them develop their service offering and evolve their business."

One of SCIA's main objectives for the future is to expand its interior decorating business and as the HP Scitex LX800 Printer enables it to print applications that are odourless (1) and safe to use indoors and in confined spaces, the company is now able to supply interior products on many substrates, like wallpaper, decorative canvasses, carpets and floorings.

SCIA is committed to investing in its environmental policies and is in the process of being certified a 'green print service provider', an independant environmental certification created in 1998 and delivered by Imprim'Vert.

Laetitia Lelandais concludes, "Before purchasing the HP Scitex LX800 Printer, our customer service was the only thing that distinguished us from the competition. Now, we are the print service provider that can meet short deadlines and provide high-quality, durable large format prints, that don't compromise our, or our customers', environmental objectives."

 

 

FUJIFILM Dimatix is using its dazzling new 72 square-meter booth at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre to exhibit the full line of Piezoelectric drop-on-demand (Piezo DOD) inkjet printheads from its four major printhead product lines, and as a gallery to display a wide array of commercial samples of the many materials FUJIFILM Dimatix printhead products help produce.

In addition, APPPEXPO 2010 serves to spotlight the FUJIFILM Dimatix DMP-3000 Materials Printer and the launch in Asia of the new D-Class printhead family - the latest additions to the company's materials deposition product family - and to showcase live demonstrations of the DMP-3000 producing printed electronics.

"China has proved a steadily growing market for FUJIFILM Dimatix since our Spectra Nova and Galaxy printheads were introduced here. Our growth here escalated with the introduction of our Skywalker printhead, and more recently has surged from design mandates for our new, high-performance Q-Class based Polaris 512-jet models," said Marc Torrey, Vice President, Marketing for FUJIFILM Dimatix.

"Our new booth in Shanghai at APPPExpo 2010 reflects our growing presence in the Chinese inkjet printing market, and allows us to demonstrate that FUJIFILM Dimatix offers developers in China the most comprehensive range of printheads spanning the broadest spectrum of industrial applications of inkjet technology."

Printhead Products

FUJIFILM Dimatix printhead products on display include:

• The company's familiar Dimatix Spectra Nova, Galaxy, Skywalker and new Polaris Q-Class printheads used for wide-format printing, marking, coating and industrial decoration.

 

Other FUJIFILM Dimatix products being exhibited - many for the first time in Asia - are the:

• Dimatix PerformaTM brand printheads for high-performance graphics printing applications, including the Q-Class based Sapphire and Emerald printheads with VersaDropTM grayscale operating modes;
• Dimatix InspiraTM brand printheads for specialty printing applications; and the
• Dimatix EnduraTM brand printhead products used for materials deposition.

 

The hallmark of all FUJIFILM Dimatix Piezo DOD printhead design is that every jet can operate concurrently and at a high throughput rate without trading off drop placement accuracy - thereby enabling precision jetting at full production speed.

In addition, the durable materials FUJIFILM Dimatix uses in their manufacture allow the company's patented printhead products to jet the broadest range of inks and other fluids at sustained high frequencies.

 

Novel Booth Decor

The FUJIFILM Dimatix booth will also showcase commercial samples printed by Dimatix' OEM customers from around the world - demonstrating how Dimatix Piezo DOD inkjet technology can be used for applications limited only by the imagination.

In all, nearly 25 different applications of inkjet technology will be on display.

For example, the FUJIFILM Dimatix booth lounge area features glass tabletops printed to look like wood and marble. Other items in the booth include fired ceramic tiles, glass panels, wood and 3-dimensional models all printed or decorated using Dimatix inkjet technology. To demonstrate textiles, the rug and conference room drapes will feature inkjet-printed designs, mannequins will be outfitted in inkjet-printed apparel, and attendees will see upholstered chairs with fabric printed using Dimatix inkjet technology.

 

Materials Deposition

Also on display will be the new FUJIFILM Dimatix DMP-3000 and DMP-2800 Materials Printers demonstrating prototyping of printed electronics. The new DMP-3000 is a non-contact, fluid deposition system capable of jetting a wide range of functional fluids using any of several Dimatix fluid deposition printheads interchangeably. Used for an expanding range of materials deposition applications and developments, the DMP-3000 has a printable area of 300 x 300 mm and maintains a positional accuracy and repeatability of ± 5 µm and ± 1 µm, respectively. More than 500 Dimatix Materials Printers have been installed worldwide.

FUJIFILM Dimatix is also unveiling its new D-Class D-128/1 DPN and D-128/10 DPN printheads for the DMP-3000. Based on Dimatix' proprietary Silicon MEMS (Si MEMS) technology, the new D-Class printheads have 128 individually addressable channels and are designed for non-contact printing of functional fluids for applications such as displays, electronics and biotechnology. The new D-Class printheads utilize driver per nozzle (DPN) capability to compensate for any channel-to-channel variability.

The 1-pL D-128/1 DPN can produce conductive lines and features that are virtually invisible, or allows biomaterials to be printed at twice the previously achievable density in a true production mode. The 10-pL D-128/10 DPN with its larger drop size is used for coarser feature generation. Both of the D-128 DPN printheads are designed to aid in the orderly progression from experimentation to scale up using the DMP-3000 printer.

 

Presence Throughout the Show

In addition to the products on display in the FUJIFILM Dimatix booth, many of the company's OEM developers will be exhibiting and demonstrating Dimatix inkjet printhead technology in more than 20 booths around the show floor.

"Owing to its superior speed, quality and versatility, our implementation of Piezo DOD inkjet technology is superbly positioned to dominate not only wide format print production and specialty printing, but also a broad spectrum of high-growth industrial applications such as product decoration and materials deposition," said Marc Torrey.

"We are seeing continued strong demand in China for our high-performance and high-throughput printhead products. We look forward to exhibiting at APPPEXPO 2010, and invite attendees to see our broad product range and diverse applications they address."