HP’s flagship industrial press continues to wow users as it celebrates its first birthday
Launched in November 2011, the HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press – the successor to the ground-breaking HP Scitex FB7500 Industrial Press – has set a new standard for sign and display and packaging production by providing value-adding features and new tools that differentiate the digital proposition from conventional production. Building on a combination of print quality and substrate versatility along with HP’s revolutionary printhead technology, today’s HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Presses are in production around the world delivering a wide range of applications to diverse markets.
The HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press combines the ability to produce cost-effective very short runs with high-volume production printing on a wide range of rigid and flexible substrates. With a top speed of up to 95 full-size sheets(1) per hour and a POP production mode printing up to 55 sheets per hour, the press is displacing screen printing at a growing number of sign and display print service providers (PSPs) and packaging converters.
Three innovations lie at the heart of the FB7600 press: the printheads, the curing system and the vacuum table. These three key features give the press its ability to carry out fast, reliable, high-quality printing on substrates ranging from 130g/m2 papers and films to materials up to 25mm thick, including glass, wood and metal.
Using silicon-based MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) technology and made from silicon, glass and epoxy, the press’ X2 piezoelectric printheads are highly corrosion resistant and are able to deliver ink flow in the volumes necessary for high-speed printing with outstanding quality. This innovative design also means that operators can quickly replace heads, with calibration carried out in minutes.
The curing system of the press uses dichroic coated mirrors to control the light and precisely enough heat to cure the UV ink without distorting or damaging thin substrates. The FB7600 Industrial Press’ ability to print on a wide variety of substrates is one of the main reasons that it has built an enthusiastic worldwide user-base which is using it to migrate jobs from screen and other conventional processes.
The press’ six-zone vacuum table is another key factor in the ability of the HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press to handle diverse media. Apart from providing accurate placement of substrates and holding them securely, the press has a media roller that smoothes thin substrates, preventing wrinkles, misprinting and waste.
Reducing the carbon footprint
Waste reduction is a major benefit to sign and display printers and carton converters deploying the HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press. Its ¾ automation saves time loading the press and reduces both operator intervention and the risk of damage through handling. The optional Hostert Automatic Loader, developed for the press by Hostert-Pro with HP, provides full automation from pallet-to-pallet, further optimising workflow.
Using the optional multi-sheet loader, the HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press can print up to four sheets (maximum size 775 x 1650mm/30.5 x 64.9in) simultaneously, accelerating production and increasing throughput. Operating in POP70 mode (up to 70 beds per hour) the multi-sheet loader outputs up to 280 boards per hour.
An edge-to-edge printing facility eliminates the need for trimming and reduces possible damage from handling during finishing, reducing substrate waste.
HP 225 Scitex Inks, developed for use with the HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press and the HP Scitex FB7500 Industrial Press Upgrade, have improved adhesion, abrasion resistance and flexibility(2), which can eliminate cracking and flaking during folding and other finishing processes. The ink is GREENGUARD Children & Schools CertifiedSM and meets AgBB criteria for health-related evaluation of VOC emissions of indoor building products.(3) A reduced odour(4) means that prints using HP 225 Scitex Inks may be used for indoor graphics. Additionally, with these inks, no pre-treatment is necessary – another time-saving benefit.
The advantages of the ink were noted by Somercotes-based, Bridgeshire Packaging & Display, which had estimated that 50 – 60 per cent of its screen printing could be moved to its HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press but within months had surpassed that estimation.
“We print 90 per cent of our POS on corrugated materials, and the new HP press handles these materials really well,” said Andy Whittle, production design director, Bridgeshire. “In addition, the superior ink adherence has opened up a wide range of additional options for us in regard to shop signage and POS banners that we could not do before.”
Production enhancements
Accurate colour reproduction is the hallmark of all HP graphic arts presses and printers, and the ability of the HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press to accurately reproduce PANTONE® Colours ensures that brand and corporate colours printed on the press will match those printed conventionally. A Saturation Control gives colours more depth for applications like backlits without increasing production time, and the press has the ability to apply spot and full-gloss varnishes, eliminating the need for an additional production step.
The FB7600 press has an option for printing white ink which is of particular benefit for printing films and transparent substrates and facilitates the move from screen to digital. Especially valuable in servicing retail customers, the ability to print white closes the gap between screen and digital technologies.
White ink is important for Christinger Partner AG, Schlieren, Switzerland, which uses its FB7600 press for vehicle and window graphics.
“About 40 – 50 per cent of our screen printing used to be on transparent SAV(5), which always requires a white under-print,” explained Karlheinz Kaiser, CEO, Christinger. “Now we do a lot of that on the HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press using five-layer printing.”
Unparalleled production control
The HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press is part of the series of presses(6) that can be linked with the HP Scitex Production Planner to deliver performance information to owners and managers via their PCs, tablets or mobile devices in real time.(7) The analyser delivers data showing productivity, downtime and maintenance issues so that managers have an accurate view of production floor efficiency.
HP SmartStream Production Analyser for Scitex helps managers to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their operations, track performance and take prompt actions, decrease waste and build a database of production data to benchmark performance.
Customer satisfaction and the digital advantage
The benefits of short-run high-quality production with the HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press have been experienced around the world. End-users are able to reduce warehousing, shorten supply chains, meet tight deadlines and enjoy beautiful graphics on flexible and rigid media.
At the family-run Bokay Group in Perth, Western Australia, the company has seen significant reductions in printing times as a result of the move from screen to digital, as well as an increase in its competitive edge.
“Previously, our crossover point was about 250 sheets, but now we are finding we are competitive up to 1,000 sheets and more against screen printers,” said Troy Meade, sales manager, Bokay Group. “I believe that with the full commissioning of the HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press, we’ll be able to convert all our work to our HP digital printing equipment.”
The first year has been a good one for the HP Scitex FB7600 Industrial Press, and an even better one for its users who have realised the benefits of industrial large-format digital printing and expanded their businesses with the economies of cost and production from this press.