The firm showcased the new DuSense DDC-8000 spot UV coating and foiling device and DC-20K B2 cutter at the ‘Let’s Celebrate Print’ event at its Addlestone HQ, which had a vibrant colour theme.
The Duplo DuSense DDC-8000 is a B2, modular version of its existing DuSense sensory coater.
It comes in four versions with the top-of-the-range Ultimate model, which was on show, offering feed, treat, print and foil functionality.
Product specialist Andy Cuff said the DDC-8000’s “green button technology” and twin-camera Image Register Mark system resulted in “perfect registration every time”.
The fully featured Ultimate model is 6.6m long, which Cuff said was still relatively compact.
Maximum sheet size is 585x1,068mm with a max image area of 538x1,048mm, and it handles media weights from 160gsm-600gsm.
“It’s future-proofed because 585mm matches the Fujifilm Jet Press and the coming Ricoh B2 device,” Cuff added.
DuSense DDC-8000 with foiling unit open
Speed for B2 sheets is up to 1,500sph. For thicker embellishment of 50-80mic, the speed halves.
“For most customers, 30-40mic is enough,” Cuff explained.
He also highlighted its Surface Treatment Unit which reduces waste and costs by allowing the use of one type of UV sensory coating oil, with jobs able to have coating from 10mic to 80mic in one pass.
Other features include automatic sheet thickness detection for handling stacks of mixed media types, which also automatically adjusts the printheads and foil pressure.
A new LED UV pinning unit allows pinning before and after the foiling unit, which can handle up to five 100mm wide cores at the same time.
Duplo demonstrated a foil change which was simple and took a couple of minutes.
An on-screen height interpreter allows the operator to assess the height of the UV embellishment, and has a cost indicator as standard.
The device has five 600x600dpi Kyocera print heads.
Duplo is pitching the DDC-8000 as a lower cost option compared with products from rivals Scodix and MGI, although actual pricing details were not disclosed.
Beta testing has already been completed in Japan, and the device is available immediately.
Also shown at the event was a technology demonstration of the DC-20K, which allows printers to use an existing SRA3 multi-finishing device, such as the DC-746, to finish B2 sheets.
Duplo International product development manager Peter Dyson said: “It reduces bottlenecks as there’s no need to guillotine sheets before finishing. You just need one operator and once the line is running they can be doing other tasks.”
The DC-20K sits inline at a right angle to a DC-746, and the cut down sheets automatically feed through to the finishing device, with job details also picked up automatically.
By simply removing a plate the DC-746 can still function as a standalone unit again for SRA3 work.
Peter Dyson explaining how the DC-20K (right of picture) works
Dyson showed a variety of job types including business cards, greeting cards and a promo leaflet where a B2 format sheet offered more products per page and less wastage.
“You can choose long- or short-edge feeding to suit the most efficient layout for the job and grain direction of the paper,” he explained.
“We talked to B2 printers about what makes sense for them. The software will look at a job and decide what’s the most efficient way to cut it.”
The DC-20K has been beta tested at a UK customer and will be available later this year, once further fine tuning and software development has been completed.
The final version will read job data from EFI Impose and Ultimate Impostrip.
Customers and Duplo dealers from the UK and overseas attended the event.
Bruno Picquet, chairman and CEO of Duplo International, said: “We had planned to hold an open house in February 2020, but the pandemic put paid to that. After a challenging couple of years it’s really good to meet up with so many customers and partners in person again.”
