On the Wide Side
Many have called drupa 2012 the "inkjet drupa" or the "integration drupa" and wide-format technology is even more obvious this year than the 2008 trade fair.
Durst also demonstrated its new continuous inkjet production system for corrugated applications. At the heart of the system is a purpose built version of the Rho 1000 continuous inkjet production system, specifically designed for printing on corrugated boards. The system features the automatic feed of sheets, integrated varnishing and automated storage. Even at maximum production speeds, this machine will achieve a standard of quality equal to that of laminated offset printing. It is capable of the high speed printing of multiple boards and there is an integral coating system for the enhancement and protection of the printed material. Finally there is an automated stacker, which can handle multiple stacks and present them ready for dispatch on pallets.
Another one of the latest purpose built solutions for the Rho 1000’s automated production processes is the roll to sheet system. It features the productivity and labor saving convenience of being able to load large rolls of paper and, without pauses in the printing cycle, receive finished sheets cut to size and ready for dispatch. The Rho prints from a 250 cm wide jumbo roll and cuts to the required poster size using an integrated cutter. The system maximizes productivity and is capable of unattended printing thus reducing labor costs. The system offers a heavy roll device as a solution for high speed long run printing. It consists of an unwinding tool and is equipped with two dancer rollers. It will handle rolls up to a diameter of 60 cm and a maximum roll weight of 600 kg. The XY cutter can handle numerous types of media with a maximum thickness of 0.8mm. Even if prints are not parallel to the web edge, or the roll is not wound straight, the cutter will follow the image or media edge. The Durst stacker will handle multiple parallel stacks at the same time and load them onto pallets ready for dispatch.
Durst has unveiled an even more productive version of its Rho 320R roll to roll UV inkjet printer. The new Rho 320R HS is a “High Speed” version of its roll to roll printer and offers the same flexibility and photorealistic quality but at a maximum speed of up to 140 m2/hr in 4 or 6 colors. It will print large rolls with a diameter of up to 600 mm and a width of 3.2 m (or 2 rolls of 160 cm each) and is capable of unattended printing for maximising productivity and cost saving. The new machine is capable of printing on the widest range of materials, including paper, films, polyester textiles and vinyl and changing media is fast and simple. With 24/7 reliability, maximised production workflow and even faster turnaround the Rho 320R HS could provide real profit opportunities.
Screen (USA) launched a new, high-speed, flatbed wide-format printer that brings new levels of productivity to the sign and display industry. The Truepress Jet W1632UV inkjet printer offers high productivity and the capability to image on a wide range of substrates. This new printer provides a high throughput of 94 sqm (1,011.8 sqft) per hour and supports media sizes up to 1,600mm x 3,200mm (63in x 126in) and a maximum 48mm (1.9in) thickness. The use of 12 picolitre micro-droplet printheads makes the Truepress Jet W1632UV one of the most advanced inkjet systems available for POP applications, giving razor-sharp 1200 dpi text, fine definition and smooth vignettes. In addition, since the Truepress Jet W1632UV supports the use of light cyan and light magenta, the system is ideal for photographic-quality and back/front lit display applications.
Agfa Graphics' :M-Press Leopard was running live at drupa 2012. This wide-format industrial production engine now handles rigid and flexible materials up to a maximum size of 1.6 x 3.3m and now offers a choice of manual or auto-loading options. The :M-Press Leopard's bed size has now been increased to 1.6 x 3.3m so that it can accommodate the growing range of materials for which larger sizes are standard, such as Forex rigid sheets as well as a significant speed increase by the extra sheet that can be loaded when comparing to smaller table sizes. Handling longer media is catered for efficiently by an increase to 75 vacuum zones for easy positioning of the sheet, while the 29 register pins maintain the correct alignment of the substrate.
Driven by Agfa Graphics' :Apogee software which brings full automation to digital print workflows, it is easy to streamline production and job management, control color and simplify the use of variable data printing and versioning via :Apogee Vibe. CIP4 Digital Print ICS compliance simplifies integration into a full JDF environment, and the recently launched :Apogee StoreFront is ideal for PSPs and their customers who want to generate jobs in the cloud via an innovative web-to-print interface.
