Canon has announced its new UVgel printing technology that will soon feature in a line of roll-to-roll printers and offer large format print providers an unprecedented combination of productivity, image quality, application range, automation and low cost of operation.
The radically new UV curable ink addresses the limitations of eco-solvent and latex printing by enabling more ink to be jetted onto media more quickly. It instantly gels on contact with the media, resulting in precise dot placement and area control for perfectly repeatable images at high speed.
The large colour gamut of solvent inks combines with the environmental benefits and safety profile of latex and UV inks, while offering ultra-thin ink dispersion with almost no discernible physical profile. The new technology also ensures the lowest ink consumption rate for up to 40% reduction in printing costs compared to eco-solvent and latex. The result is cost effective, non-toxic, durable, colour fast, high quality prints for almost any flexible media application.
The new UVgel technology incorporates several new hardware technology developments from Canon:
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Advanced, ‘next generation’ piezoelectric print head technology employing patented acoustic sampling technology that monitors nozzle performance on-the-fly during printing.
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A unique LED UV curing sub-system that operates completely independently from the printing system ensuring identical jetting to curing timing for every droplet for unprecedented uniformity across the printed image.
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An LED-based UV system that cures without adding any heat to the media whatsoever, making it easy to print on the thinnest, most heat-sensitive flexible media.
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Continuous, on-the-fly, nozzle performance compensation facilitates confident unattended printing and reduced print waste.
“Our strategy is to focus on growing markets and offer game-changing products that help both our customers and partners,” says Jeppe Frandsen, executive vice-president industrial and production solutions, Canon Europe. “The graphic arts marketplace, including wide format signage, is rapidly expanding, and volumes printed on roll-to-roll printers are growing year on year. In addition to this, over 40% of orders usually need to be turned in 24 hours, demonstrating the pace and the expectations that are now commonplace in this industry.”
Canon’s new UVgel printing technology will be at the core of a family of new roll-to-roll printing products, the first of which will be a high productivity 64" roll-to-roll printer to be released in 2017. The significant investment in this new technology demonstrates Canon’s continued commitment to be a leader in digital graphics markets. Canon has already proven itself to be a leader in the UV flatbed market with its highly awarded, market-leading Océ Arizona series of flatbed printers.