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Printing Ink, Chemicals and Pressroom Consumables
News Release from: Sun Chemical Europe | Subject: Project 37
Edited by the Printingtalk Editorial
Team on 07 June 2006
Sun's New UV Inkjet Printer For Optical
Disc Print
Sun Chemical has launched a new UV inkjet printer designed specifically for the optical disc industry.
Sun Chemical has launched a new UV inkjet printer designed specifically for the optical disc industry The printer will enable optical disc decorators to handle short runs more effectively and economically as well as delivering the benefits of variable image capability disc to disc
This article was originally published on Printingtalk on 28 Mar 2007 at 8.00am (UK)
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Martinjohn Associates Limited (MJA), a leader in optical duplication, has become the first customer worldwide for the Project 37 (P37) inkjet printer, which is now fully commercially available.
Sun's Inkjet Press Is 20% More Efficient
The quality of print and the functions of Sun Chemical Screen's Project 37 (P37) commercial UV inkjet press have improved the machine's performance.
that will free existing printers to do what they were designed for - fast long runs, said the company.
Known as Project 37, the printer is the result of close collaboration between Sun Chemical and Copytrax Technologies, a manufacturer of printing and coating equipment for the professional CD and DVD duplicator market.
Operating out of its headquarters in Cambridge (UK) Copytrax Technologies has been able to benefit from the worldwide centre of inkjet technology excellence in and around Cambridge, to develop an optical disc printer.
Further reading
Sun's New Inkjet Printers For CD and DVD Market
The development of a single pass UV inkjet printer for CD and DVD duplicating companies is seeing Sun Chemical extend its reach in to the inkjet printing systems market.
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Sun Chemical has launched a process ink range called World Series that is designed to improve productivity in sheetfed offset printing.
Project 37 is controlled by proprietary software and incorporates a fixed inkjet array using 24 of Xaar's Omnidot 318 piezoelectric, drop-on-demand, multi-pulse greyscale heads, which are said to ensure photo-quality resolution.
The discs are presented using a linear motor driven carriage with robotic handling from input to output spindles.
Sun said that Project 37 runs with a claimed average output of one disc every three seconds using specially formulated UV curing inks.
As with most digital print processes, the printed image is not a replication of an imaged plate or screen, but a streamed digital file that can be changed from disc to disc.
The possibility to print every disc uniquely creates opportunities for the industry in security and brand protection, promotional editions, mass customisations and novelty applications.
It also makes on-press proofing economically feasible, added Sun.
Once printed and cured, Sun Chemical said that its UV inkjet inks are as durable as screen or offset inks and unaffected by humidity or ambient conditions, and usually do not require any post processing, such as varnishing or laminating that other digital techniques require.
Richard Martin, corporate vice president of Sun Chemical Screen, said: "Project 37 delivers to the optical disc industry the quality of digital printing on a commercial scale that has long been in demand.
We believe it will transform the economics of short and medium run processing.
Just watching discs pass under the print heads and coming out fully cured in seconds, each with a different image, is amazing." Steve Woods, managing director of Copytrax Technologies added: "Project 37 represents a significant investment for Copytrax.
Through the partnership with Sun Chemical, we are confident we have a winning combination of their leading digital ink technology, together with our own market-leading engineering, which has resulted in a printer capable of taking the optical disc world by storm.".
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