Mimaki introduces 3.2M Grand Format LED-UV Inkjet Printer “UJV55-320”

Mimaki Engineering Co. Ltd. a global industry leader and manufacturer of wide format inkjet printers and cutting plotters, introduces UJV55-320, a 3.2-m-wide light-emitting diode (LED) ultraviolet (UV)-curing inkjet printer, which will be available for sale from April 2016.

UJV55-320 is a Roll-to-Roll-type inkjet printer with a special UV-curable ink that can be cured by UV radiation. The UV-curable ink does not require drying as in general water-based and solvent inks, enabling the initialization of processes and operations immediately after printing. The following seven ink colors are loadable: cyan, magenta, yellow, black, white, light cyan, and light magenta. The white ink can be used for printing on transparent media as well as for multi-layer color printing to represent elaborate designs. The light cyan and light magenta inks reduce grainy appearance in light colors and tone jumps in gradation, enabling high-quality printing.

Recently, large indoor backlit signs have become commonly used at airports, train stations, and commercial facilities. The reasons for this trend include the use of long-lifetime and energy-efficient LEDs and the shift toward environmentally conscious advertisements. Moreover, UV-curable inks do not contain volatile organic compounds (VOC) and therefore minimize odor emission during and after printing. This quality enables the creation of signs with low environmental load, even after operation. The new model can also print on uncoated media and does not require drying, which enables processing and operation immediately after printing, thereby significantly shortening the operation time.

The new UJV55-320 can produce vibrant colors with high degree of opacity. Print colors are not faded when the printing is used for the backlit signage. Instant-curing UV ink enables multi-layer printing that reproduces high-quality design with two-layer printing (color and white) and three-layer printing (color, white and color). This model is also equipped with LED lights for checking the finishing on the backlit signage during printing. Real-time checks reduce missed printing and thereby decrease wasted media, improving the production efficiency. Although the price for this printer has been kept as low as possible, it can achieve a printing speed of 60m2/h. This model also incorporates unique technologies such as the patterned dither processing technology MFD1 that allows high-quality printing. Furthermore, this model can handle missing nozzles by automatic detection and cleaning. In the case of unsuccessful cleaning, the operation can be continued by allocating substitute nozzles. Sudden troubles do not stop the operation or decrease the productivity.