New High Volume UV Digital Flatbed Printer

Inca Digital Printers has launched the Inca Onset, claimed to be a revolutionary breakthrough in large format UV digital flatbed printing.

Handling print sizes up to 3.2m x 1.5m (10.5 feet x 5 feet) and printing at claimed speeds of 500 square metres per hour (5382 square feet peer hour) the automated Onset is said to produce over 100 full bed sheets an hour.

The first Onset printer will be installed at a UK company within the next few weeks and commercial shipments will begin later this year.

The Inca Onset has an array of 576 Spectra printheads addressing a total of 73,728 inkjet nozzles in plug-in Inca print bars, supported by camera alignment systems and a vacuum bed with pin registration.

Inca said that inkjet printer quality is determined by inkjet nozzle performance and, whilst output from other printers can be affected by occasional nozzle failure, the Onset has been designed with a high level of fault tolerance to ensure maximum print quality, claimed the company.

Bill Baxter, managing director at Inca Digital, commented: "In demanding and high-volume production environments it is important to achieve sustainable quality and the Onset features the highest level of nozzle redundancy to ensure the best performance." He said that the Inca Onset is easy to operate by one operator with a minimal 20 minute set-up time at the start of each day.

It includes a fully automatic load and unload system as standard, however it is designed to allow users to move to manual mode if required for fast proofing, or production of single prints.

Inca added that edge-to-edge printing allows images to be printed to bleed on substrates up to 10mm thick and up to 10kg at full speed, providing versatility in terms of what can be printed, as well as the ability to proof a job on the material on which it will finally be produced.

Fujifilm Sericol, Inca's long-term worldwide distribution partner, sees the Inca Onset as the next generation of digital printing for a range of print applications, not only within the high growth, large format display market, but also within the wider commercial printing market currently served by extra large format offset presses, believes the company.

Because of its speed and minimal set up time, the Inca Onset will redefine cost-effective print run lengths previously associated with digital printing, claimed Inca.

Jerry Avis, international strategy and business development director of Fujifilm Sericol, said that he considers the Inca Onset to be an important step change for the print industry.

He explained: "The market is seeking improved quality alongside faster production speeds and turn-around times and it is this need that has driven development of the Onset in partnership with Inca.

The Inca Onset will transform UV digital flatbed inkjet printing speed, quality and finish." He continued: "The result is a machine that is so fast that it not only delivers a highly competitive system for screen printers but, for the first time, provides a highly competitive alternative to offset presses, offering a flexible and cost-effective alternative for up to 400 finished sheets." Fujifilm Sericol's experience in UV digital ink formulations and understanding of the needs of the market has been central to the development of the Onset.

Simultaneously, Fujifilm Sericol has been developing a new range of its Uvijet UV digital ink for use in the Inca Onset.

Using patented Micro-V dispersion technology, the Uvijet UV digital inks for Inca Onset are formulated with automotive grade pigments that are said to provide density to create durable, light-fast colours and, for the first time, the system can offer either a satin or gloss finish.

Uvijet inks also provide effective adhesion to different materials, including paper and board, wood, flexible and rigid plastics, as well as metal.

With the addition of the Inca Onset, Inca said it now offers a range of eight digital UV inkjet printers in a choice of formats, speeds and colours.

The product range enables companies to select the Inca machine that is most suited to their specific requirements.

Bill Baxter commented: "The Onset represents a major advance in inkjet print production and has been engineered to achieve new levels of performance.

Its design draws on our vast experience of jetting inks and includes some of the core technologies we have developed to produce the Columbia Turbo and Spyder presses that already lead the wide format display market in speed and output." He explained: "Onset's design also draws on our experience in developing the high-speed, single-pass Fastjet press specifically developed for the corrugated market.".

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