By Industrial Print Staff
The Specialty Graphic Imaging Association’s (SGIA’s) annual expo took place in October at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA. Despite the small threat of Hurricane Nate, the show was a success with 19,166 attendees registered. 597 exhibitors showcased some of their newest products and solutions.
Industrial print, specifically digital processes used in manufacturing settings, was a common discussion across the show floor. Many vendors displayed products with the intention of them being used in the creation of anything from packaging, garments, and labels to high-end décor—wood grain finishes for flooring or ceramic tiles.
The Technology
Printers, coating devices, routers and cutters, ink sets, and software solutions were all on the expo floor. Here we provide highlights on some of the technologies with a focus towards industrial print.
Afinia Label shared its L801 Industrial Color Label Printer with attendees. Powered by Memjet, this device is designed for prime and secondary labeling applications. It prints on continuous or die cut stock from two to 8.5 inches in width.
Alliance Technology Corporation (ATC) demonstrated two new UV coating machines—the ATC-80RTR and ATC-UV36HA-L. The first is designed for precision mayer rod UV liquid coating, while the second is a sheet-fed UV liquid coating solution.
AnaJet exhibited its RICOH Ri 3000/Ri 6000 direct to garment (DTG) printers. The Ricoh Ri 6000 prints full-color 12×10-inch graphics on light garments in less than 27 seconds. Both printers utilize water-based inks that provide soft and vibrant output.
AXYZ International promoted its Trident 4010ATZ finishing device. The Trident 4000 Series handles materials up to 60 inches in width and lengths from 48 inches to 50 feet, based on the specific configuration. A CNC router, it is ideal for cut to print using multiple tools for all materials.
Brother International highlighted its GTX line of DTG printers, the company’s newest generation of devices. The print area is 16×21 inches and new ink, Innobella Textile, water-based pigment inks provide a larger color gamut then past iterations of ink.
Canon Solutions America showed a video at its booth depicting its High Flow Vacuum in action on an Océ Arizona 6100. It is designed to handle hold down of porous, warped substrates without using tape. The table features 250,000 air holes for maximum hold down.
Colex displayed the Sharpcut Flatbed Cutter System, which can cut through a variety of materials—from soft to rigid boards, vinyl, and fabric. Specifically, the device can kiss cut certain materials up to .5 inches thick and even one-inch thick acrylic can be finished.
DGI premiered its Fabrijet FT-1908SE with fluorescent ink. The printer is upgraded to include six or eight colors and is ideal for dye-sublimation (dye-sub) printing of textiles. At 74 inches it reaches maximum print speeds of 615 square feet per hour.
Digital Graphic Systems had the DGS V-Pro X5 industrial table cutter in its booth. It can be configured in 4×8- to 5×10-foot beds. The multi-tool digital table cutter processes folding boards, foamboard, corrugated board, PVC, styrene, honeycomb boards, vinyl, magnets, textiles, and paper.
For the first time in the U.S., Durst Image Technology US LLC showed its Delta WT 250 using Durst Water Technology. The printer is designed for corrugated packaging and display applications. Durst WT inks comply with the strictest health and safety regulations.
EFI premiered the EFI Pro 24f 4×8-foot dedicated flatbed. It prints in four colors plus white on materials up to two inches thick. A multi-zone vacuum system eliminates masking. The company also showcased the Reggiani Renoir Flexy with Dynaplast fabric adhesion designed for industrial apparel and décor textile applications.
Engineered Printing Solutions demonstrated the Roto-Jet UV LED printer designed specifically for printing onto cylindrical objects. The device prints and cures, so the object comes off the printer fully ready to use. White, primer, and varnish are all options for placement in the printhead channels, in addition to traditional CMYK.
Epson showcased its newest dye-sub printer, the SureColor F9370, which is designed for millions of garments and not short runs. It joins the existing SureColor family. The 64-inch device handles industrial-level production with speeds of up to 1,169 square feet per hour.
Fujifilm North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division brought the new Inca SpyderX flatbed to the show, as well as the Onset M. The SpyderX is a combination flatbed and roll-to-roll UV inkjet press. A mid-range inkjet printer, it is available in a width of 126 inches. The Onset M is a B1 format printer designed to offer high-quality, short runs to the industrial print market.
Inkcups exhibited the Helix, a rotary inkjet printer for straight walled and tapered cylinders. The machine is servo-driven and offers resolutions of 1,200×1,200 dpi. Cylinder length ranges from three to 12 inches.
INX International discussed Triangle brand inks, Prodigy industrial and packaging inks, and the CP100 UV digital cylindrical printer with show attendees, who learned more about the JetINX Printhead Drive and Ink Recirculation system.
Kao Collins promoted its variety of solutions. It recently announced the formation of its Advanced Printing Solutions business, with the goal to create eco-friendly, technically superior solutions for industrial inkjet and traditional printing markets.
KBA highlighted inkjet direct to container decoration in its booth. Products of note include the company’s K15 CNC Direct to Shape Digital Printing Machine and the K1 CNC Screen and Digital Printing Machine, which is a hybrid featuring both printing methods.
Kornit provided live demonstrations of its Allegro printer, running for the first time using pink and yellow neon ink. The Allegro is a 70.8-inch wide direct to fabric textile printer that prints onto materials such as natural, man made, and synthetic fabrics.
The M&R Companies’ Novus Imaging showcased the Novus Textura 1800 dye-sub printer. It is designed for unattended roll-to-roll, high-speed transfer printing. At 70 inches wide, the printer is rated to print at speeds of up to 1,500 square feet per hour.
MCT promoted its newest enhancements on the VersaTech2 cutter. One of which is a horizontally mounted laser that achieves a 30 percent increase in speed for fabric cutting and sealing.
Marabu North America demonstrated the fJET UV LED flatbed printer, which prints on a range of substrates and premanufactured materials with Marabu’s UltraJet digital inks.
Massivit 3D discussed the benefits of adding a three-dimensional printer, such as its Massivit 1800 large format device, into an operation. The printer uses the company’s patented Gel Dispensing Printing technology.
Mimaki USA, Inc. announced its new CF22-1225 flatbed cutting plotter. The 4×8-foot device accommodates materials that come right off of a standard flatbed printer. Multiple cutting heads are available that a hold a variety of cutting, creasing, and drawing tools.
MultiCam unveiled the Celero digital finisher. It offers cutting speeds of up to 3,500 inches per minute as well as 12,000 inches per minute maximum traverse speed. Its cutting area measures 3×4 meters.
Mutoh America, Inc. performed a technology preview of the Performance Jet 2508UF 4×8-foot flatbed printer with four vacuum zones. The ValueJet 626UF tabletop UV LED flatbed printer was also on the floor. It allows for printing onto three-dimensional objects up to 5.9 inches thick.
Ricoh highlighted its new flatbed printer, which the company specifically designed for industrial décor. The RICOH Pro T7210 supports substrates up to 4.3 inches thick with a print size of 6.9×10.5 feet. The printer reaches maximum speeds of up to 538.2 square feet per hour.
Roland DGA Corporation’s VersaUV LEJ-640FT was on the floor. It allows users to print directly to rigid materials up to six inches thick and weighing up to 220 pounds. Some materials include foamcore, plastic, wood, glass, metal, USB drives, and smartphone cases.
Rollem showed the Insignia6 sheet-fed flexo-magnetic die cutter. The machine offers production-level die cutting on pressure sensitive, plastics, PVC, Tyvek, and card stocks.
SA International provided attendees with information on its DisplayGenie software, in addition to other products. DisplayGenie assists those looking to design custom corrugated boxes and packages. The solution is equipped with three-dimensional design templates to simplify construction.
Sensient Imaging Technologies shared information on its water-based SensiJet SX inks developed for printing on non- and semi-porous substrates.
swissQprint exhibited the new Nyala LED printer complemented by Rob, the loading/unloading robot. The Nyala LED delivers a maximum output of 2,217 square feet per hour.
Xanté demonstrated the new UV4000 UV flatbed. It allows for printing onto coroplast, clear acrylic, foamboard, wood, steel, and more at 720×1,200 dpi. It also can output onto irregular shaped three-dimensional objects with the ability to accept media up to 11 inches tall.
Zünd displayed its D3 L-3200 cutter with double routing capabilities, as well as another cutter with Laser Module – LM 100W cut and seal for finishing textiles.
Changes Up Ahead
Next year, the SGIA Expo takes place in Las Vegas, NV. It is the last event under the SGIA name, as the 2019 trade show premieres in Dallas, TX as Print United.
Nov2017, Industrial Print Magazine