Technology
News on Digital Print Technology
| Wednesday, 01 October 2008 10:04 |
The End Of Screen?EFI VUTEK believes that its DS series is the Holy Grail to replace the screen process for many applications. Sophie Matthews-Paul flew to the States to find out more.You wouldn't normally expect to find a major manufacturer of any sort nestling in the trees by a lake, close to a township which reminded me a little of the Truman Show (you know the one — the film where insurance salesman Jim Carrey discovers his entire life has been spent in a soap opera). But there‘s nothing theatrical about the EFI VUTEk operation; Meredith houses comprehensive facilities including production and demonstration suites and is the hub of its own particular empire. The prime reason for my visit was to learn more about the EFI VUTEk DS series that appeared in prototype form at Drupa earlier in the year. With speed being the number one priority with this machine, what the company wants to do is to be able to offer a solution which can match the throughput, currently available from the few very high-end options currently doing the rounds, with a lower cost production system that's able to up throughput rates to a maximum of 557 square m/ hour (in old money, that's 6,000 square ft/hour). The initials DS might be a bit misleading -- even at Drupa I had plenty of people asking me if it was a dye-sublimation machine which, of course, it isn't. In this instance, DS stands for ‘digital screen’. Pedants like me, who can see the oxymoronic qualities of this description, are quick to point out that there is no such process as digital screen but what EFI VUTEk wants to emphasise is that it believes its new printer to be the Holy Grail finally to replace the screen process for many applications. But let's be realistic for a moment. In today‘s display market there‘s a need for digital machines that can offer high productivity with no make-ready and fiddling about with smelly chemicals and other time consuming elements, both pre- and post-print. However, it doesn't matter how fast or in how many colours a job can be produced, there are applications well suited to inkjet and there are plenty that can still only be produced using screen-printing. Take special inks as the obvious example. Although in digital we now have whites and varnishes and the opportunity for spot colours, anything more adventurous is outside the remit of inkjet including glitters, metallics, and the wealth of effects where the only print option is the screen process. In terms of speed, versatility, and relative ease of production, inkjet will win hands-down, particularly for short runs and those needing variable data and customisation. To my somewhat pragmatic way of thinking, therefore, the EFI VUTEk DS is going to be an option for digital print houses that want flexibility but it's not going to replace the majority of screen-printed applications that are still being produced this way. That particular process is still able to go the extra mile in terms of special inks and finishes and, often, sheer vibrancy and depth of colour. EFI VUTEk has used its statistics to mould its new printer families, noting the growth in the use of UV-curable inks, a demand for white ink and the increase in popularity for roll-fed machines as well as flatbeds. The company also recognises, like many others in this sector, that there is a definite transition from solvent-based systems to UV-curable and is aware of the newer technologies which are beginning to make inroads, such as LED curing and varying ink types, such as cationic. Armed with the data it‘s accumulated during the years, EFI VUTEk has added market drivers to its thinking and development in terms of customer demand, cost benefits and improved performance. Thus it decided to create its DS which is targeted squarely at the analogue sector although it should also appeal to existing wide-format inkjet users who want to move their production capabilities up several notches. The dynamics and criteria used in the evolution of this new machine are based on the need for low-volume, fast turn-round applications that retain the quality aspect. What makes this machine different? As well as expected benefits including faster throughput, reduced pre-press time and its suitability across all run lengths, EFI VUTEk says it‘s concentrated on making sure there‘s a material handling system which won't slow down production but do the opposite by reducing loading and unloading times. There are plans to introduce an automated option. Obviously personalisation and variable data are essentials, as well as the ability to run batched jobs concurrently; this makes finishing and despatch easier as operatives can be working on two or three orders at the same time, instead of waiting for one to be complete before commencing the next. This printer has a maximum resolution of 1200 dpi and can output in up to eight colours. What it can‘t do, of course, is to bundle these two options in with its top speed of 557 square m/hour. To achieve these rates, we‘re looking at a more modest six colours at 450 x 600 dpi, produced in six passes -- still perfectly acceptable for prints that are fit-for-purpose. Although EFI VUTEk won‘t disclose who makes the print-heads (or perhaps it has yet to finalise its choice), the DS uses full-width arrays which means the carriage doesn‘t move as the heads themselves cover the full 2.4 m width. Many of the benefits of the new DS are those which need no introduction; most people investing at the higher end of six sterling figures will or should know what they want to achieve in terms of output and end markets. Options such as a fully contained ink delivery system and automatic print-head maintenance should be part-and-parcel of industrial-strength ink-jet printers. What people really want is a machine which will bring them desired productivity, consistency of results and — particularly vital nowadays — a good ROI. At a price of less than £1 million, EFI VUTEk‘s offering should certainly provide a lower-priced alternative to the other top-end solutions, but we’ll have to wait until the middle of next year to see it come to market. Sophie’s Alternatives • Its hefty price tag might be daunting but the Inca Onset has already positioned itself as a worthwhile workhorse in environments where very high throughput speeds are the order of the day. • This machine has a generous foot-print, and needs a considerable amount of space in all directions but these requirements are all part-and-parcel of its design and how it functions. • The Onset has been engineered from the ground up to achieve new performance levels. With the recent addition of a bi-directional print mode, speeds have now been ramped up. This means that it can now achieve 1,000 square m/hour which equates to more than 125 full-bed sheets — that’s some 375 standard 60 x 40 posters — in an hour. • In terms of resolution, the company’s Bill Baxter retains his sceptic’s views and prefers to promote his machines on the actual appearance of the finished output rather than “apparent” and “real” dpi. • Edge-to-edge printing is catered for and materials up to 10 mm in thickness can be used. . • The Inca Onset uses 576 Spectra print-heads which address 73,728 inkjet nozzles that come in specifically configured plug-in Inca print bars. • Incorporates a fully automatic load and unload facility although it is perfectly possible to operate it manually for short runs or for proofing purposes. • The positioning of the Onset challenges existing wide-format digital printers as well as screen, but Inca Digital and world-wide distributor, Fujifilm Sericol, both see it also taking a slice of the offset litho display market. • Specially formulated Uvijet inks have been developed specifically for this printer and there‘s an output choice of satin or gloss finish. These UV-curable inks are also designed for good adhesion to a range of materials, including paper, wood and metal as well as more conventional display media including flexible and rigid plastics. • An Inca Onset will set you back around the double the investment cost of the proposed VUTEk DS. It’s not for the faint-hearted or those who are light of pocket but its growing user base is testimony to its strong position in the high-speed wide-format mark Agfa M-Press • If you’re considering investing at the high end of wide-format digital and want the ability to incorporate screen-printing elements into your jobs, then the Agfa M-Press is worthy of attention. • It is a joint development between Thieme, the number one in screen press manufacture, and Agfa. • This is a system which has been developed to give the best of both worlds in terms of screen process and inkjet technology, offering optimum output speeds of 553 square m/hour which equates to 133 sheets/hour. • Its bed size is 1.66 x 2.66 m and it can handle weights of up to 3 kg/square m with thicknesses ranging from 0.2 mm up to 10 mm. • It can also function just as a screen printing unit or as a digital printer, with the option to take each mode off-line. It also benefits from decent workflow integration. • Agfa’s own Anuvia inks which have been developed specifically for the machine. • An interesting aspect of this machine is that its RIP sits tidily in Agfa’s Apogee workflow, thus including media and job settings. • The M-Press is a specialist print option for those who mostly are well-versed in the screen-printing side of the industry but who want the benefits provided by inkjet. • In terms of cost, there’s little difference between the M-Press and the Inca Onset — you’ll be looking at around £1.5 million which could buy you a pair of VUTEk DS machines if you don’t mind waiting until next summer. 
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