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Electronics For Imaging, Inc., today announced the launch of a brand-new Cretaprint ceramic tile printer technology that represents a quantum leap in tile decoration. The 5th generation of EFI™ Cretaprint printers is a platform for the future of ceramic tile printing with Industry 4.0 capabilities and a new, EFI e-D5 printhead that optimises printer performance by assuring better alignment and higher throughput speeds.
“This new generation is the state-of-art Cretaprint platform towards the future,” said José Luis Ramón Moreno, vice president and general manager, EFI Industrial Printing. “It is easy to use and promotes high quality manufacturing of digital tiles. It is a smart printer with multiple connectivity options, including the SCADA application for communication with plant management workflows and the EFI Go mobile app that gives operators the ability to monitor the status of the printer as well as view production statistics in an easy-to-understand dashboard. It is an extension of the unique EFI Ecosystem for ceramic tile printing that ensures a connected, smart and streamlined non-stop manufacturing workflow.”
EFI offers the ceramics world a complete solution, designed and adjusted for the specific needs of the industry and with an unmatched focus on efficiency and productivity.
Optimal performance, uniform printing and higher speeds
The EFI Cretaprint 5th generation of digital printers for ceramic tiles builds on years of development experience in the field of digital ceramic tile printing. Its new e-D5 printheads are specifically designed for optimal performance with EFI Cretaprint inks.
These plug-and-play printheads also shorten installation and assure fine quality adjustment. Plus, they feature a new nozzle geometry that ensures printing uniformity, with lower ink drop deviation and reduced nozzle clogging. They are also capable of working at higher speeds without compromising quality. The new printers’ included Fiery® proServer Color Management for Ceramics creates better colour separations and lower ink consumption thanks to a new algorithm specially developed for e-D5 printheads.
Other advanced features of the 5th generation printer series include:
• Improved printing bar mechanics and alloy plate that reduces the need for adjustments.
• A new ink delivery system that is even more efficient than past generations. It includes total ink recirculation, zero deposits and complete temperature control for optimal performance.
• Redesigned electronics feature continual bi-directional communication with printheads that enables nozzle out compensation, fine tuning for uniform printing and automatic alignment.
• A brand-new user interface, with a multi-lingual touch screen, provides operators with direct access to key functions, with bar, transport and alarm status always on screen. A new menu configuration makes navigation and access to advanced options easy.
• A new supervisory control and data acquisition application that uses a standard and widely-used communication protocol providing access to machine status, print job details, tile characteristics, ink levels, printed production, alarms and more by building management systems in manufacturing plants, as well as other business and production systems.
• ID printing that enables the creation of templates that include information such as date and time, file name, print profile, ink temperature, printing speed and more. This enables track-and-trace throughout the manufacturing process and makes monitoring and adjustments easier.
The new EFI Cretaprint M5 digital ceramic tile printer available for sale features a maximum print width of 1138 mm, can be configured with up to 8 print bars and supports a maximum tile length of 3000 mm. It has a print speed of up to 70 metres per minute for true production-class manufacturing.
EFI is bringing this new technology to one of the world’s most important ceramic tile markets, with an introduction this week at the Ceramics China tradeshow in Guangzhou and the CICEE Show in Foshan.