Revealed last month, the new automation hardware includes a robotic arm solution for the Tauro H3300 UHS printer, available with one or two arms, and a brand-new autoloader for the Onset Grizzly X3 HS printer.
The Tauro’s robot arms, available either as single arms or a pair, are capable of loading and unloading stock at up to 150 cycles per hour. Originally slated for a Fespa release, the technology was pushed back to Printing United for commercial release.
Agfa’s Onset Grizzly – a product of its acquisition of Inca in 2022 – can now comfortably handle thinner stocks down to 15 micron thickness without manual input with the new autoloader.
Both the Tauro robotic arms, based on the Onset's own optional loading/stacking arms, and Onset autoloader are commercially available now. Agfa has now also concluded beta testing on a new white ink for the Onset, which is also available to purchase.
“The testing phase is now finished. We’ve developed it, and have added a lot of improvements. The Onset is a massive production flatbed machine, but it used to be that with the Fuji Sericol inks that as soon as you combined white post-colour, that the speed heavily decreased.
“We’ve managed to find some improvements there, together with hardware and software changes, so that we could crank up that volume output of colour-plus-white applications,” said Philip van der Auwera, Agfa's product manager for sign and display.
Giving the Bronco its North American debut at the show, Agfa revealed that the machine had reached the conclusion of its beta test phase following its introduction to the market at Fespa.
"We triggered the market a bit at Fespa, to see what the response was," said Koen Steert, Agfa's head of product management and applications.
"There was a lot of interest, and all those early adopters are now coming; we're taking orders, and getting [the machine] out. Officially, we’re still in a beta phase, but we’re preparing ourselves for a quick ramp-up [to full launch]."
Also on show is Agfa’s uprated Anapurna, the Anapurna Ciervo – the manufacturer’s most lightweight and agile press.
Introduced at Fespa, the machine has been flying off the shelves, according to Van der Auwera.
“It’s being pulled out of our hands. We’re even having some challenges in our supply chain keeping up,” he said.
“The Annapurna has been an important product for Agfa over the past 10 years – but compared to its predecessor, the Ciervo is reaching more than double its sales."
Steert added: “Some of that success has come from our install base, but much of it is from new customers attracted by that level of speed and very aggressive price position, and we are getting good feedback from customers following installation, too.
