The system was shown as a prototype at Drupa, where the DCL team was so taken with its potential that the firm ordered a system there and then.
After some fine tuning by the Xerox team, it was installed earlier this month.
The device, which has been dubbed the Contoura by DCL, uses drop-on-demand inkjet heads to print directly onto objects up to one cubic foot in size and up to 5lbs in weight, and onto a wide range of materials including glass, plastics, metal and ceramics.
It prints a 71x330mm swathe and is able to print onto stepped, curved and contoured surfaces. Resolution is from 300dpi to 1,200dpi. It can print around 30 objects per hour.
“We know what the technology is capable of, and our job over the next few months is to get out there and test the market, and show people what it can do,” said DCL Print sales director Simon Gardner.
“We’ve already had someone get in touch with us about a limited edition application that involves printing onto metal objects.”
Gardner said the overall investment in the project was around £350,000. The Contoura alone costs from $140,000 (£112,000), depending on specification.
DCL has set up a new company, Personaliz, to drive services through the Xerox device. The firm has been printing onto a variety of items to test the system, including personalised children’s water bottles for schools, and promotional bottles of Champagne. It is also looking at other possible applications, including short-run branded gifts and label-less object printing.
“Xerox have been fantastic to work with. Since Drupa they have made some modifications to the Contoura to make it easier to use and more productive,” Gardner added.
The firm’s setup currently involves CMYK plus white, but there is scope for additional options. “It can have ten heads so there’s the opportunity to add another five colours, so we could add varnish and undercoat. We’re also exploring the potential for metallics.”
It is also planning to set up a business-to-consumer website for the Personaliz offering.
DCL Print employs 73 staff and has turnover of circa £12m. It has production sites in Crawley and Wotton-under-Edge, and runs a wide range of equipment including high-volume Xerox digital presses, Fujifilm wide-format kit, and two Heidelberg B2 litho presses.
