The UCJV330, a direct successor to the UCJV300, was introduced to the global audience this morning (25 October) in the first presentation of Mimaki’s three-day event.
Marc Verbeem, Mimaki Europe’s product management supervisor, introduced the machine alongside Mimaki’s UJV100-160Plus, which launched in October.
Fitted with a new generation of printheads, with minimum droplet volume of four picolitres, and a maximum resolution of 1,800dpi, the UCJV330 can reach speeds of up to 55 sqm/hr thanks to a higher nozzle density cutting the number of passes required.
Subsequently gaining around a 40% increase in speed at high quality print settings, the 1.6m can, like its predecessor, print up to five layers of CMYK, white and clear inks.
Unlike its predecessor, the UCJV330 can now take advantage of this multilayer technology to produce invisible watermarks that show only when the print is backlit, and can print with a ‘2.5D’ textured effect.
“You can actually print with special effects, like adding brushstrokes to paintings – it’s pretty unique for a roll-to-roll printer,” Verbeem said.
It has also had an LED light added above the print platen for ease of maintenance and quality control.
Mimaki’s newly-released UJV100Plus was also highlighted. An upgrade of the UJV100, the Plus is capable of multi-layer printing, with a dedicated ‘pull-back printing’ function that allows the printer to pull back the sheet for multiple layers without requiring extra printheads.
Capable of adding white and clear layers in a variety of layouts, the engine is designed to help printers target the window and non-backlit signage markets.
Both machines benefit from further developments to Mimaki’s Rasterlink software, announced at the event.
These include a specific alignment option for the UJV100Plus’ pull-back function, which instructs the printer to print exactly on top of the previous print, in accordance with its registration markings.
Also added to Rasterlink was an ink-saving function, which replaces CMY inks with black on a sliding scale set by the printer.
While eventually sacrificing quality iif used to extreme, Verbeem said the function would go undetected when used correctly – and for lower-gamut work, could save printers 40% of their ink consumption without the difference being visible to the human eye.
“What we’re doing is already known to the RIP market,” he said.
“It’s called greyscale, and it’s just a matter of printing, and checking that the output is acceptable.”
Mimaki also announced new cloud-based management software, called PICT, which will allow printers to monitor all of their Mimaki machines from a central database, showing ink usage, operating statuses and running costs for their machines.
Mimaki's Global Innovation Days runs 25 - 27 October.
