By Cassandra Balentine
Part 4 of 4
A variety of small format UV flatbed printing solutions are currently on the market. Below we highlight several offerings.
Direct Color Systems (DCS) offers many tabletop flatbed printers, all sharing similar application abilities according to Michael Perrelli, marketing manager, DCS. These include the company’s patented ADA/Braille technology, cylindrical printing, TEXTUR3D, and direct to garment. “The models that we offer center on print size—both in printable area and maximum z-height,” he notes.
Engineered Printing Solutions (EPS) and Marabu North America have a partnership where EPS’ printers can be sold using Marabu’s UltraJet DLE-A ink technology, says Chuck McGettrick, sales manager, digital inks, Marabu.
Innovative Digital Systems provides the Turbo 1001 Digital Inkjet Printer. According to the company, the machine prints an entire 20×24-inch print area in 90 seconds. It features a dual table and shuttle mode feature, and high-speed uni- or bi-directional printing. It offers a maximum resolution of up to 1,200 dpi and an adjustable height of 10.8 inches.
Inkcups Now sells the XJET UV LED inkjet printer, which prints a 500×600 millimeter area in 90 seconds and handles items up to 5.75 inches tall. It features a conveyor and patented loading system. The XJET offers one-pass printing on dark substrates with highly opaque white ink.
The company also provides the X2 flatbed UV printer, which contains the components of its larger counterpart, the XJET, but in a flatbed design. Print a 20×24-inch print area in only 90 seconds. The X2 comes with CMYK plus two highly opaque white inks that are UV LED curable in one liter bulk ink containers.
Mimaki USA, Inc.’s range of tabletop flatbed devices include the UJF-3042 MkII, UJF-3042 MkII EX, UJF-6042 MkII, and UJF-7151 Plus, which feature a range of print areas from 11.8×16.5 to 20×24 inches. All feature a maximum object height of six inches.
Mutoh America, Inc. offers two tabletop flatbed printers, the ValueJet 426UF, a UV LED printer that features a 19×13-inch bed and prints on substrates and items up to 2.75 inches thick. It lists for $19,995. The ValueJet 626UF has a 23.9×19-inch bed and prints on substrates and items up to 5.9 inches thick and lists for $27,995. Both models include a vacuum table and print either CMYK or CMYK, white, and varnish.
OmniPrint International’s Freejet 330UV features dual UV LED lamps, allowing users to print in a faster, bi-directional mode. Additionally, it offers a bulk ink system. “Because the inks are ink bottles and not cartridges, the ink cost is much lower,” says Paul Green, research and development, OmniPrint. Another feature is a wet capping function, when the printer is not printing the printhead soaks in a cleaning solution to keep the nozzles wet and always ready to print. “Because the printer uses white ink, a circulation system is integrated to help keep the white ink from separating when not in use,” adds Green.
Roland DGA Corporation offers four different VersaUV flatbed printers. Three are small format benchtop LEF series models, including the 12-inch LEF-12i, the 20-inch LEF-200, and the 30-inch LEF-300. The systems offer printing up to 1,400 dpi, a mechanical UV LED lamp, and a laser alignment system for quick and easy setup. Each model is capable of printing directly onto virtually any substrate or dimensional object up to 3.94 inches thick. The LEF series printers are also equipped with a non-magnetic height sensor, which allows the table height to be manually or automatically adjusted to optimize printing on an array of objects, as well as gloss and white inks for incorporating embossing and textural effects.
The company also provides Rotaprint attachments for all of its LEF series UV flatbed printers. These devices fit inside the flatbed and use the printer’s existing feed system to operate to easily print white and CMYK onto bottles and other cylindrical objects.
Xanté Corporation recently introduced the UV4000 UV-curable flatbed printer, which features a media width of 36×24 inches and printheads that rise up to 11 inches, enabling it to print to specialty media and rigid substrates. It prints up to 118 square feet per hour at 720×1,200 dpi.
Valloy Incorporation’s TOPAZET UV 6045F and TOPAZET UV 6090F use an LED system for quick drying and can increase productivity by jetting eight droplets for varnish and white. Juan Kim, CEO, Valloy says the machines can reduce the number of layers to reach a certain level of thicknesses. UV pinning and variable curing are supported for different surface textures, including glossy, matte, or satin.
New Revenue Opportunity
For a minimal investment in training and floor space, manufacturers consider adding small format UV flatbed printing devices for the ability to effectively print onto a wider range of substrates, including objects like phone cases, golf balls, and awards; to creating prototypes and mechanical components printing.
Click here to read part one of this exclusive online series, Yes, You Can Print on That.
Jan2018, Industrial Print Magazine