New printers from EFI will be presented at CMYUK’s forthcoming Printer Production Open House that takes place on May 18-19 in Shrewsbury, UK, alongside technology from Mimaki, Canon, Epson, Klieverik, Kongsberg, Trotec and others.

EFI is the established leader in digital industrial textile printing and its new VUTEk FabriVU 340i+ offers customers the the highest income yield, and the lowest acquisition cost.

The 340i+ provides businesses with the opportunity to expand into profitable new soft signage/textile applications and has the same versatility as the current EFI VUTEk 340i model, allowing for both direct-to-substrate and paper sublimation printing. An integrated heat fixation unit that can be turned on and off when required negates the need for an additional heat press.

With incremental improvements and redesigned elements, the new printer has eight Kyocera printheads rather than four, doubling resolution from 300 to 600dpi, and increasing point-of-purchase speeds by 48%.  A redesigned heating plate ensures improved temperature uniformity, particularly between jobs, and less outgassing but with the same colour intensity and an overall faster system reaction. A new flag ink removal kit allows the system to manage high ink volumes without touching the loaded material. An optional vacuum plate for transfer paper that is field upgradable will be available soon.

“There’s a great deal of interest around the FabriVU 340i+,” said Brett Platt, CMYUK textiles business manager. “It offers a real opportunity for customers to expand their businesses. The integrated fixation capability is perfect for companies that don’t have the floor space or CAPEX spend for an additional stand-alone heat press. CMYUK has long been a hub for digital textile printing, and these days it’s almost unthinkable for sign and display businesses not to offer soft signage solutions, including tension fabric and silicon edge backlight graphics, murals, event backdrops, hanging banners, retail fixture wraps, promo tents and divisional graphics.”

UV LED

The EFI Pro 30h 3.2m hybrid UV LED printer meanwhile offers wide format 3.2 metre-width production at a highly competitive price point of £164,995 including delivery, warranty and installation.

This printer is designed to be ultra-productive and leverages proven technological innovations found in EFI Reggiani textile printers. With ultra-quick set-up times and an infeed take-up system, the EFI Pro 30h handles dual media rolls as well as continuous board printing, delivering 100% productivity by enabling boards to be printed back-to-back without stopping the printer carriage.

Like the EFI Reggiani, it utilises a magnetic linear drive rather than a pulley system ensuring a far quieter carriage, with less vibration to ensure consistent and precise ink dot placement. It also features dual monitors giving screen access for production control working at both the front and back of the press, increasing efficiency for the operative.

This printer also comes with XA inks, a new inkset that is available in large five litre bottle sizes. These new inks can be used for both roll-to-roll and rigid applications as they are flexible and also adhere very well to rigid sheets. They are durable and resistant to finger marks and any contusions brought about by the stacking of rigid materials.

EFI has transitioned away from UV mercury ink curing to cold LEDs. This has several benefits including low energy consumption, while curing with lower temperatures enables the option of printing thinner, lighter, sustainable materials that don’t buckle or malfunction due to heat issues. Unlike UV mercury lamps that need to be replaced every year, LEDs have a five-year lifespan.

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