The London-based Delta group has bought Europe’s first super-fast EFI Nozomi 18000+ LED single-pass printer. The machine will be installed in Q3, making it the second installation in the world.
The 1.8m-wide Nozomi 18000+ - the first single-pass inkjet printer built for the sign and display graphics market - runs at production speeds up to 1,000 1.2x1.4m sheets per hour, setting a new productivity benchmark in inkjet signage print production.
“We have had remarkable success as an early adopter of EFI’s single-pass technology on our first Nozomi solution, an EFI Nozomi C18000 corrugated board printer that we use to produce high-quality displays,” said Delta Group COO Martin Shipp. “The new 18000+ model for signage and display graphics will be a welcome development for our customers. The range of applications this printer enables, printing on paper, styrene, corrugated plastic and more at very high speeds, keeps Delta Group ahead in its ability to meet every customer need in the display graphics space.”
The new printer purchase, which was announced during Fespa Global, comes four years after Delta Group announced its EFI Nozomi C18000 corrugated board printer at that year’s Fespa show.
The printer is driven via an EFI Fiery NZ-1000 digital front end (DFE), said to deliver highly accurate colour management. Fiery FreeForm Create software used with the DFE allows for the streamlined creation and management of variable-data jobs for the printer, which can handle sheets from 0.3mm to 12mm thick with either manual or full automation feeding and stacking. A hybrid aqueous/UV primer unit on the print system enables printing on corrugated plastics and other sign and display materials without ink adhesion issues, and an optional post UV coater provides weatherability and UV protection for outdoor graphics. The printer has automatic registration, automatic nozzle plate cleaning and a fully recirculating ink delivery system.