Hardware - Wide Format Print

Durst Image Technology US LLC will showcase the Rhotex 320, the company's new "industrial" inkjet printer for the soft signage markets that garnered a lot of positive attention at FESPA in June. It's making its North American debut at the SGIA Expo in Las Vegas.

Developed to address the growing popularity of lighter-weight, easier-to-install, higher-margin, reusable and “green” media options, the 10.5-foot-wide Rhotex 320 utilises environmentally benign water-based dye inks and on-board hot-air dryers on an advanced printing platform with Quadro Array 30D AQ print heads (designed specifically for Rhotex 320 water-based inks) to deliver POP-quality output at up to 775 sqft/hr.

Also in the Durst booth will be the five-meter Rho 500R Superwide Roll-to-Roll UV Inkjet Printer, chosen as the 2009 Digital Printing & Imaging Association's "Product of the Year" in the grand-format roll-to-roll UV-cured ink printer category, and the Rho 900 Large-Format UV Inkjet Printer—a 98-inch-wide printing platform that combines highly efficient automated media handling, "process color additions" and high-speed printing to deliver greater productivity and a wider colour gamut.

"The Rhotex 320 generated a high level of interest at FESPA earlier this year, and we're expecting a similar reception at SGIA," Howard said. "Our newest digital printing platform gives the industry a high-quality, high-production printer that specifically addresses the large and still growing demand for soft signage—flags, banners and wall coverings. We think the Rhotex 320 is the right 'tool' for where the market is today, and where it's heading tomorrow. We're also happy to exhibit our award-winning Rho 500R roll printer and the Rho 900 flatbed printer at this show as well."

As the imaging business progresses and both printing processes and media improve, the benefits of "soft signage" are becoming more apparent: light weight, easier transporting, ability to be reused, distinctive new “apps,” environmental advantages, and so on. The Rhotex 320 allows users not only to print in vibrant colours on the widest variety of soft media, but to print in high volumes at production speeds.

The six-colour printer—CMYK + Lc, Lm, Lk (gray), spot colours—features an inline ink dryer positioned ahead of the take-up roll to prevent smudging and sticking. An automated Capping Station covers all print heads automatically when the sled is in "park" position to eliminate evaporation of the printer's water-based inks. And an Integrated Ink Absorbing System keeps inks from penetrating through the media.

Along with Durst's workflow software, advanced feed/take-up systems and other high-tech capabilities, the Rhotex 320 can run unattended 24 hours a day. It features all the capabilities—efficient workflow software, Quadro Array 30D AQ print head technology, linear magnetic drive system, sophisticated media feed/take-up systems—found on the all latest Durst Rho printers.

The Rho 500R prints six-colour, 600-dpi images on five-metre vinyl, mesh and other superwide roll media at speeds up to 4,300 sqft/hr. It also is able to print three independent images from three separate job queues on three different 1.6-meter rolls all at the same time to achieve high efficiency and handle a broader range of applications. The printer operates unattended, uses less ink than comparable superwide platforms, and minimises operational costs due to its high productivity, advanced workflow and remarkable versatility.

High-performance carriage and linear motor drive systems, precision Push Media transport mechanisms, a proven front-to-back registration system, on-board laser media tracking sensors, Durst's intelligent dither technology, a range of user-settable parameters, and a variety of other innovative technologies combine to make the Rho 500R one of the most effective, economical large-format imagers ever developed.

The Rho 900 is equipped with Durst's Quadro 30D Array print head technology to deliver high speed, improved efficiency and exceptional image quality. Its media handling incorporates an auto-feed table with belts, sheet feed gate with guides for parallel board printing and an automated two-point pin registration system to ensure accurate front-to-back registration.

The Rho 900's process colour additions—orange & green or orange & violet—are printed in the same mode as its CMYK process colours. No special file preparation is necessary. These extra colours can be printed, even with white ink or light colours, with no loss in output speed to enable much smoother colour gradients and more even solids at production-level output speeds.

Top speed of the six-colour Rho 900 is up to 72 4x8-foot boards (more than 2,300 sqft) per hour, while the speed for POP-quality printing is a productive 34 4x8-foot boards (nearly 1,100 sqft) per hour. The user can incorporate the process colour additions with no loss of print speed. The Rho 900 also can print white, varnish and light colours along with the process colours to expand the possibilities of print jobs and applications.

Following the success of its VersaUV LEC-330 innovative roll- and sheet-fed UV-curable print-and-cut solution, Roland DG (UK) has introduced a 1370 mm (54 inch) version which will appeal to users looking for high quality and niche application areas. Incorporating the company's LED curing technology and flexible inks, which include a highly opaque white and clear varnish, the new VersaUV LEC-540 is designed to output very fine quality displays, customised and prototyped packaging, control panels, labels and decals as well as industrial applications.

With a maximum resolution of 1,440 x 1,440 dpi and the ability to support thicker/rigid materials up to 1 mm, the Roland VersaUV LEC-540 benefits from a refined LED curing system for long life high production, and a new ink circulation system for lower running costs. The machine can be used to output matte and gloss clear varnish which can be applied in multiple layers to produce special effects and tactile finishes, including Braille.

The integrated cutting capabilities of the LEC-540 now incorporate new cutting, perforating and creasing tools, with the machine's table unit enabling thicker materials to be handled efficiently. Its versatility enables users to produce a vast range of high quality printed, cut, creased and folded applications from a single system, enhanced by the ability to output sophisticated gloss and matte textures.

Included with the VersaUV LEC-540, as with all Roland ink-jet systems, is the company's VersaWorks RIP. This comprehensive software solution includes 72 ready to use textures and special finishes so that users can easily produce unusual and distinctive effects which, hitherto, have not been available from a wide-format ink-jet printer.

Fine detail and sharp, clear text are enhanced with the use of Roland Intelligent Pass Control technology, with ease of set-up and production level print speeds allowing time-saving and efficient throughput of single and multiple jobs. Users can choose from three ink combinations of CMYK plus white and clear, CMYK plus two white ink channels for high opacity or CMYK plus two clear varnish channels, ideal for multi-layer effects.

Designed to output to most materials, the LEC-540 prints and cuts to a range of packaging substrates, vinyls, films and papers, artists' canvases and industrial products. Its long-life LED curing lamps ensure finished prints need no additional drying time, and its fine quality output is suitable for very close viewing.

"We're pleased to add this wider version of Roland's UV-curable print-and-cut technology to our portfolio of versatile ink-jet products," states Brett Newman, Technical Director of Roland DG (UK). "The potential of the VersaUV is continually being discovered by users wanting to move into niche markets where special effects across a wide range of materials and different types of application can be produced to very exacting standards. The generous size of this new machine will enable increasingly innovative displays to be created and generated whilst the improved cutting and creasing tools benefit the labelling, prototyping and packaging sectors."

EskoArtwork announces the Kongsberg XP Auto, an extended new version of the XP cutting table. This incorporates automatic loading and unloading to give the highest digital converting capacity available on the market. It is the perfect complement to a wide format digital printer, enabling a full digital production workflow for POP displays and short-run packaging work.

The XP Auto is the successor to the DCM 24 (Digital Converting Machine), which established EskoArtwork and its Kongsberg operation as a leader in fully automatic board handling for digital cutters. The new model is based on the Kongsberg XP, the company’s highest capacity cutting table, designed for high productivity up to 24/7 continuous operation. The configuration can handle a wide range of materials from high-density, rigid sheets requiring a milling tool to flexible materials that can be processed by knife cutting tools. The maximum sheet size for the large format XP44 Auto model is 2310 x 3600 mm.

Full automatic finishing solution

"With the introduction of faster large format digital printers, there is a strong demand for a higher capacity automatic finishing solution for printed packaging and display materials," says Tom Erik Naess, CAM Product Manager at EskoArtwork. "The XP Auto helps to turn short-run packaging and POP work into profitable and value added jobs. Users can now offer their customers on-demand production with just-in time-delivery."

The addition of automatic media handling transforms the XP into a fully automatic finishing system that can run unattended for long periods. Unattended operations are aided by the XP’s automatic tool calibration and a camera system for accurate print-to-cut registration. Exclusive for the XP Auto is the ability to register sheets with the print side facing down, most useful for processing corrugated board. This is achieved by means of a camera, located below the table top level and driven by a separate servo axis, that registers the marks as the board is moved from the in-stack to the cutting area.

"The Kongsberg XP Auto is optimized for packaging and display manufacturers that want to run production series up to about 1000 sheets or stacks of material up to one meter high," explains Naess. "It can run without the continuous supervision of an operator, thus saving considerable costs. Operators can also leave the machine working unattended overnight as a remote alert system automatically sends a message to the operator if operation has stopped."

The system is particularly valuable for producing POP display work and short-run customized packaging, with short turnaround times. Compared with conventional cutting and creasing systems for packaging, this also avoids the lead times and high cost of making cutting dies. A milling capability is optional for materials such as MDF, Forex, Dibond and acrylic panels.

Positive customer feedback

The new Kongsberg XP Auto, including a large format XP44 model, is already operating at SCA Packaging Norway in Sarpsborg, a plant that is part of the Europe-wide packaging production specialist SCA Group. SCA Packaging Norway specializes in short run, on-demand corrugated boxes and in-store POP display boxes for the Norwegian and Swedish markets. In addition to the new XP Auto configuration in operation since April 2010, the company works with two Kongsberg DCM24 cutters for automatic packaging finishing, one Kongsberg CM1320 sample table and a Göpfert Boxmaker.

"We are very pleased with the Kongsberg XP44 Auto,” says Atle Andreassen, Managing Director at SCA Packaging Norway. “The big working area compared to the DCM machines is a big advantage for us. We can produce larger boxes than before. Multiple part jobs, often needed for in-store displays, can now fit into a single sheet which saves time and costs both at the printing and cutting stage. The XP Auto can also cut the protective foam for the inside of the boxes, which we have not been able to do before. Also the increased speed of the XP Auto is a benefit when cutting multiple parts from a sheet."

With a small staff of 13 people, the ability to run unattended is very valuable. "We can leave the XP Auto unattended at night and by raising our stack of material to 100cm, we can produce till 06.00 in the morning instead of 02.00. We even already suggested EskoArtwork to further expand the automatic loading and unloading capability," adds Andreassen. "With the Kongsberg XP Auto, we can make samples for a customer while they wait and deliver the order in two or three days."

The EskoArtwork XP Auto is available to order. First deliveries are scheduled for Q4 2010. Existing XP installations can be upgraded on-site to the new XP Auto configuration.

Inca Digital has increased the output of its wide format Inca Onset S20 flatbed printer to 310 sqm/hr. The Onset S20 has undergone two speed upgrades since its launch last year to give an overall 24 per cent performance boost: new automation introduced in June gave the first improvement, while the new print mode announced today adds a further 15 percent.

While this new faster print mode may not be suitable for the most demanding images, tests have shown that it will be suitable for a variety of everyday files. The printer’s new high-speed mode enables users to print high-volume graphics at 310 sqm/hr, equivalent to 62 full beds per hour. This mode has been introduced in response to users’ requirements for even higher levels of ultra-fast display graphics production.

The high-volume Onset S20, sold exclusively by Fujifilm, prints a variety of finishes on a wide range of materials up to 3.14m x 1.6m and 50mm thick. The Onset S20 has been designed to provide the highest level of flexibility and can be operated in a variety of quality and productivity modes from 600-1000dpi and from 150–310 sqm/hr. The faster print mode will be issued to all existing Onset S20 customers as a free upgrade and is included as standard in all new Onset S20 printers.

“Versatility is embedded deep into the Onset S20’s DNA and its design allows us to react quickly to market needs and enhance some features,” explains Dr Linda Bell, CEO, Inca Digital. “This printer delivers exceptional results at speed in its standard production modes, but not all jobs require these levels of quality. Our customers are handling a lot of poster type work that the Onset S20 can now produce, still at good levels of quality, but at even higher speed levels. Our customers are eager to exploit all the capabilities of the Onset S20. They have asked us for this new mode and the design of the printer allows us to quickly respond to them”.

The Inca Onset S20, also available with automation, prints with the six-colour (CMYKLcLm) Fujifilm Uvijet Enhance ink set producing quality and variable finish effects (matt, satin, high gloss) for a range of applications including display POS, exhibition graphics, backlit/frontlit displays and outdoor signage.

Roland DGA Corp. has earned the 2010 Label Industry Global Award for New Innovation.  The award was given this week at Label Expo Americas in Chicago and reflects the innovative technology behind Roland's VersaUV wide-format UV-LED inkjet printer/cutter line.  The recognition builds on a growing list of accolades for VersaUV, including past DPI and EDP awards.

"We are honoured by this recognition and proud to provide label and packaging professionals with the most innovative inkjet printer in the industry," said Rick Scrimger, vice president/general manager for Roland DGA Corp.  "VersaUV's ability to print on virtually any substrate, including clear media using White ink, simulate spot varnish, embossing and other textured effects, as well as cut complex shapes without setting up a die, makes it the ideal printer for short-run labels and packaging prototypes."

Offered in 54" and 30" models, VersaUV transforms the production process for labeling and packaging businesses, going beyond traditional CMYK and White inks to produce layers of Clear Coat as well for striking textures and effects.  Low-heat LED lamps are compatible with substrates ranging from synthetic paper, polyester film and paper to vinyl, banner media, PET, leather, plastic, polycarbonates and paper boards.  The LEC is designed for ease of use and efficiency, is Energy Star certified and features an advanced ink circulation system to minimise time and costs.  In addition to contour cutting, VersaUV perforates and creases graphics for a complete production solution all in one device.  VersaWorks RIP software is included and features the Roland Texture Library with more than 70 textures that can be applied easily to graphics.