EFI announces D-series wide format

EFI is planning to introduce a new D-series of wide format Vutek roll to roll printers, with two models including the 3.5m wide D3r and the 5.2m wide D5r.

EFI’s Vutek D5r is a 5m wide mid-range roll to roll UV LED printer.

These are mid-range printers that have borrowed some of the technology from the existing Vutek 3r+ and 5r+ printers though they’re not as fast. They are aimed at customers with higher annual volumes than the 50,000 sqm of the EFI Pro 32r+ but lower than the 100,000 sqm of the EFI Vutek 3r+ & 5r+. The D3r can produce up to 204 sqm/hr while the larger D5r can produce up to 244 sqm/hr.

These printers are fitted with eight Ricoh Gen5 printheads for CMYK plus two optional heads for white plus two further optional heads for clear inks. These heads have a native droplet size of 7pL and 1200 dpi resolution. They use EFI’s UltraDrop technology, which is a form of greyscale for multiple drop sizes, which EFI claims can produce smooth shadows, gradients and transitions as well as 3pt text. The D-series also offer an Ultra-high-definition Museum mode.

It uses UV inks combined with LED curing. There’s a choice of inksets between EFI’s 3M SuperRange XF UV inks for general purpose work and EFI SuperFlex inks for vehicle graphics. 

The clear ink allows users to apply a protective coat inline without the need for any further processes. It is said to be good for up to three years protection for outdoor use against weather, fading, abrasion and detergents. It also allows users to choose a matte or glossy finish. 

It’s worth noting that these are the only roll to roll printers that EFI offers with options for both optional white and clear, which together are suitable for applications such as truck side curtains that often require white printing on coloured media with a clear protective coat. 

There are a number of options, including inline cutting and slitting, automatic double-sided printing and accessories for media handling such as a 3.2m wide Super duty winder for large media rolls up to 793 Kg for continuous unattended printing. There’s also an optional vacuum plate for handling thin sheets and rigid media up to 11mm thick. These machines can also print to multiple 1.6m wide rolls side by side.

Naturally they come with an EFI Fiery ProServer SE front end, which includes the FAST RIP, Fiery Edge profiling as well as various tools for colour management, cut marks and file export. There’s also an optional software productivity pack and the ability to remotely monitor the printer via a mobile app.

Ken Hanulec, EFI’s vice president of worldwide marketing, commented: “We listened very closely to our customers for feedback to create a mid-volume solution that will be the technology of choice for print providers seeking to profitably grow their businesses with high-end applications.”

As with all of EFI’s roll to roll printers, these are built in Israel following EFI’s acquisition of Matan back in 2015. EFI has not yet determined pricing other than to say that they will have a lower price than the existing Vutek 5r+ and 3R+. You can find more details on EFI’s superwide roll to roll printers from efi.com.


Posted

in

,

by

Syndicate content

You can license the articles from Printing and Manufacturing Journal to reproduce in other publications. I generally charge around £150 per article but I’m open to discussing this for each title, particularly for publishers that want to use multiple stories. I can provide high res versions of images for print publications.

I’m used to working with overseas publishers and am registered for VAT with the UK’s HMRC tax authority but obviously won’t charge VAT to companies outside the UK. You can find further details and a licensing form from this page, or just contact me directly here.

Support this site

If you find the stories here useful then please consider making a donation to help fund Printing and Manufacturing Journal, either as a one-off or a repeat payment. Journalism is only really useful if it’s truly independent and this is the only such news source serving the print/ manufacturing sectors.

However, there are costs involved in travelling to cover events, as well as maintaining this site, not to mention the time that it takes to carry out research, check facts and interview people. So if you value this work, then please help to maintain it and keep it free to read.

Subscribe

Never miss a story – subscribe to Printing and Manufacturing Journal to receive an email notification every time an article is published here. It’s completely free of charge and you can cancel the subscription at any point without any hassle. There’s no need to provide any information other than an email address and subscribers details are not for sale so there’s no risk of any further marketing spam.

Related stories

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *