Flatbed UV Printers

[Rodney Gold]

Zund , OCE and many other "BIG" names make these. Prices start at $300k or so or more and UV inks are expensive and tend to flake off if the media is flexed.
This technology is bleeding edge at the moment, there are even better technologies on the horizon, Roland has developed a laser-guided printer than can follow the contors of a loaf of bread , so flatbed is almost superseded in respect of full 3d printing!!!! there are printers that can print on golf balls and other curved surfaces
There is an article on this particular prototype
or if this url doesn’t appear, do a google search for
the day of two tubas

[Robert Lambie]

rodney has most there, but another that i looked at was the mimaki. i am sure that prints on both vinyl and sheet material. comes in very wide widths also.. from memory the first problem that moved me on was it didnt contour cut. 🙄
printing direct to sheets is a great option but do you have more work for that than flexible materals?

what we have done is opted for a wide print & cutter. & also a wide laminator. this way, if needed. we print onto vinyl and laminate the board with the printed vinyl. solves the problem and saves a fortune forking out for one of the big names…

just an idea 😉

[Rodney Gold]

In essence , digital printing is set to compete head on with the screenprint market , at the moment it’s just making inroads , however in 3-5 years time when machines , inks etc drop in price and become affordable , those with printers will have a foot in the door of hugely lucrative markets. Even now , it’s only on big runs that screen printing is more economical. Digital printing is not just an adjuct to signmaking , it empowers small shops and even smaller facilities to compete against those with huge capital investments and big facilities , the best of it all is that you are way more flexible.
Manufacturing on demand and Just in time inventories etc is the way the world is going , so if thye machinery we buy can serve that market , all good and well.
I would LOVE a flatbed printer – along with my lasers etc , it would enable me to do VERY serious type work , however entry cost are VERY high now and to amortise a machine like that would be difficult!!!
Im sure the next developement will be a printer with a laser cutter – that would be a HUGELY powerful machine , from kiss cutting vinyl for decals to cutting 16mm supawood or acrylic and other sign substrates.

[Ian Hatfield]

I bought a Zund for my last company, it was great for both flat and rolled material. The next generation are comming to market and look fantastic, they are much faster and higher quality and for the price represent a good investment. The only thing with the old one is the speed it needs to be run at a high pass rate to get the quality on fomex which makes things quite slow. But alround good printers with the option to upgrade to the latest spec which is rare.

Ian

[Rodney Gold]

If you really want to get into UV technology and theory , here are a few facts
1) UV inks are never really opaque cos the polymerization occurs after extensive UV irradiation and the fact is that the top layer of inks cure and stop the lower layers from polymerizing and thus adhesion and heavy deposits are a major problem – perhaps not so much on rigid substrates , but ANY flex is a problem with UV units.
2) Heat is a factor when curing UV , heat sensitive materials cannot be effectively UV printed unless one has serious cooling systems, the curing lamps produce a LOT of heat
3) At the moment , most ppl here will struggle to finance a solvent inkjet at 20k quid , let alone a flatbed uv at sometimes more than 3x that!!
4) Uv curing lamps have limited lifespans and need to be checked in that lifespan as to output power , any significant variance in output power will significantly affect durability and curing of uv inks. A highpo UV lamp will last 1k hours + and can be extremely expensive to replace (tho it’s pretty mickey mouse in relation to a flatbed’s price)
5)UV exposure is dangerous and the inks are often irritants themselves.
Advantages are almost instant curing and the ability to print multiple coulours instantly atop one another , no drying or curing space , cheaper inks in reality (you dont pay for solvents so a liter of UV , albeit a lot more expensive than solvent , actually delivers you a lot more “colour for the money”) no real environemental issues , no real transport and legislative issues , almost indefinate lifespan of inks and the ability to print white , almost anything can be printed.
There is no doubt that UV curable printing will replace Screenprinting and for that matter inkjet printing in time , however today , UV printing is bleeding edge stuff and unless one has huge volumes of specific work , it’s most likely that the average joe will suffer a financial haemmorage.
I was keen on a zund or the like , but after investigation realized that as a jobbing shop , it was no where near a financial proposition (well at least a yr ago it wasnt – dunno bout now ?) IMHO the technolgy will mature in the next 5 years , at the moment I think one should wait and see.

[Ian Hatfield]

Hi Rodney

The information on the UV inks is quite true. There was a steep learning curve with it (Zund) and a lot of trial and error. The heat is a real factor when printing onto some flat materials as they bend and bow, and can crash the heads which can be very expensive. As for the banner type materials the Zund printed them very well. It is a huge capital investment but for the type of work we did and the extra services we could offer it was a very good investment. The fact that there is an upgrade path, all be it at a cost is fantastic as the cost of a full new printer which would be needed to keep up with the quality and speed of the new machiens would be prohibitive. Which other UV printers did you look at?

Ian

[christine_wildcat1]

Have you checked out the DGI UV Flatbed? It takes both roll and rigid materials and has an adjustable height, it starts out at $150K USD, I believe the width of the machine is 54″. You should check that one out if you’re still looking for a UV machine.