Mimaki have followed the worldwide trend towards cold curing UV LED technology and launched the new 60-inch UJV-160 hybrid machine using a flexible UV ink which has been developed together with 3M.
The reduction of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) is becoming more and more important as the world continues to place more and more emphasis on environmental awareness. UV-curable ink printers have done much to alleviate the the VOCs but hot UV lamps can still generate harmful ozone and also limits the substrates that can be used in the sign and graphics markets, mainly PVC.
The new hybrid UJV-160, a 60-inch roll-to-roll wide-format UV-curable inkjet printer, utilises UV-LED (Light Emitting Diodes) curing technology, consequently the printer can accommodate heat sensitive media, such as PVC and other heat sensitive media. In addition the newly developed flexible UV ink can stretch up to 200 percent, enabling printing on cured ink membranes such as vehicle wrapping using thin PVC and any other curved surfaces such as shutters.
The LED lamps are considerably cheaper to run and also cheaper to replace (normally) therefore the new UV LED technology. Also since the ink is cured or fixed immediately, the turnaround time from printing to further processing, such as lamination, is shortened greatly, so dramatically improving working efficiency and productivity.
3M will provide their 3M MCS (Matched Component System) that covers 3M media and the finished graphics for a stated durability period when the ink and 3M’s selected media are used and the recommended ways of installation are observed.
DGS Mimaki, local distributor say they expect their first demonstration machine in September.
DGS MImaki
www.dgsmimaki.com.au
