It won't be hard to find Jim Lambert at Graph Expo in Chicago. The VP and General Manager of INX International's Digital Division will be the guy with the big smile on his face as he shows off the new NW140 UV digital narrow web press with UV LED-cure single pass output and Spartanics laser die-cutting capabilities. INX booth (#427) visitors will see it in demonstration mode printing labels and film stocks all four days of the show, which runs from September 11-14 at McCormick Place.
"Our new UV digital narrow web press is very unique to the marketplace and that's why we are excited about putting the spotlight on it at Graph Expo," said Lambert. "Two things make this press very unique. One, the NW140 jets a pre-treatment that opens the door to many possibilities. Second, it combines printing and conversion in one machine when you use the new Spartanics laser die-cutter so you don't have to take a printed roll off the machine. Besides brilliant full color, one can expect quicker job changeovers as well as automated, accurate cutting paths."
"The combination of Spartanics' material handling and laser cutting expertise with INX's UV printing technology is a perfect match for the narrow web printing market," said Tom O'Hara, President of Spartanics. "The ability to go from artwork to finished product on a single machine within minutes should prove very exciting to the short-to-medium run market."
The NW140 press is the latest addition to INX's highly successful EVOLVE® Advanced Digital Solutions brand line. At this show a year ago, INX previewed what was to come with a series of in booth education seminars. Topics covered by company experts and engineers included presentations on LED lamp technology, ink systems and Xaar™ print heads for integration. The NW140 is one of the first results of these developments, utilizing 14 Xaar 1001 printheads, a Phoseon FireLine 225 high efficiency, water-cooled UV LED curing system and an air-cooled UV LED pinning system from Integration Technology.
"Having the pre-treatment is very compelling," Lambert explained. "This means traditional substrates used conventionally are possible to employ because of the jetting of receptive coatings for inks. Most vendors require specific substrates, and this pre-treatment makes it extremely digital print friendly. The INX team has done a tremendous job of working with our partners to offer a digital press that has plenty of firepower for today's needs."
The NW140 UV digital narrow web press provides single pass printing at speeds up to 80' feet per minute on any label stock. While providing for easy separation of printed labels, the NW140 offers a base coat application for non-treated media. It will support media up to 2mm in thickness, and on 3-inch cores up to 2 feet in diameter. The LED curing lamps are used for the pre-coat, white base layer and varnish to hold the inkjet drops in position before a full cure is added by another LED lamp, and laser die-cutting.
The high level of expertise exhibited by its partners allows INX International to take this digital press to the next level. The laser die-cutting capability provided by Spartanics new X140 laser cutting station combines continuous printing and converting speeds up to 80 feet per minute. Spartanics sets the standard for best-in-class finishing equipment with the fastest single source laser cutting machines in the world and unprecedented depth-of-cut control. By combining UV digital printing and laser converting, this system eliminates rotary die cutting tools and printing plates for quick turnaround of high quality labels.
Xaar's 1001 printheads combine the most advanced design and manufacturing process to deliver high quality drop formation and placement accuracy. Regarded as the world's leading independent supplier of industrial inkjet printheads, Xaar's 1001 series provides the highest print quality with 1018 dpi apparent greyscale print resolution with seven selectable drop sizes ranging from 6 pl to 42 pl. The 14 print heads on the NW140 press have seven ink channels, including a base coat, white, yellow, cyan, magenta, black and clear for varnish.
Phoseon Technology is the world leader in UV LED curing and the development of market ready UV LED curing solutions. The FireLine 225 includes patented Semiconductor Light Matrix™ (SLM) technology, which offers high intensity and pure UV output while promoting a longer life cycle. Environmentally friendly, it's also safer by being both mercury and ozone free.
Integration Technology is the world's leading designer of UV curing systems for a variety of applications in the inkjet printing market. The LEDZero Pincure Plus 080-6 system is a cost effective solution for low dose curing applications. It's slim, modular design and ultra-light weight allow for easy integration onto both lab equipment and host machines and provides an 80mm x 5 mm UV curing area.