Case study from EFI

Richnerstutz, based in Villmergen, Switzerland, installed its fourth Vutek grand-format printing system since 2005. Their new EFI Vutek GS3250lx Pro is a hybrid machine with a 320-cm print width for flatbed and roll-to-roll printing. It gives richnerstutz the ability to print faster with better quality and colour and at a higher resolution, while significantly reducing power consumption. At the same time, the company is also able to free up capacity on its five-metre Vutek press by moving roll-to-roll jobs up to 320-cm wide to the new Vutek hybrid LED printer.

Richnerstutz was formed in 2005 through the merger of Richner Blachen AG and AS Print AG. Managing director André Richner brought his market-leading experience producing tarpaulins, tents and façade advertising while André Stutz brought his experience in wide-format printing. Their speciality - vibrant, three-dimensional hoardings in giant formats - became so popular that in the last five years, the company has grown from 40 to 120 employees.

"We chose the new Vutek hybrid LED printer because it gives us the latest technology, allowing us to deliver the best quality in our market and, therefore, increase our competitive edge," said joint managing director André Stutz. "Another reason for our decision was the ability to move narrower-width jobs off the five-metre machine so as not to interrupt the production of large-format jobs with smaller ones, which are now printed on the new machine."

With the resolution of 1000 dpi and eight-colour printing plus white over 110 m2 an hour, the Vutek printer produces up to 32 sheets in 120 x 240 cm format every hour in outstanding quality.

"Another important factor is that the new printer can be changed from roll-to-roll to flatbed printing in under two minutes," said Stutz, "as well as the fact that you can print three layers really fast, laying colour, white then colour on top of each other in one pass."

What he values most, however, is the ink curing using LED lamps at full print speed. Since the material does not get as warm and does not bend, transport is more reliable, the whole machine heats up less and the lamps save energy.

"All in all, the Vutek hybrid LED printer has given us high print quality and fast production as well as the ability to run both roll-to-roll and flatbed jobs, and, therefore, be extremely flexible in our production. Plus we get the reliability of EFI Vutek printers that we have come to know and appreciate over the last 10 years," said Stutz

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