The five-colour (CMYK plus white) printer made its debut at the SGIA Expo, US. It has a 2.4x1.2m bed and incorporates EFI’s signature 'cool cure' LED technology, which aims for low power consumption, minimal waste and compatibility with thinner and heat-sensitive substrates.
It is available now and the first installations are slated for November and December, although EFI has not yet revealed if there are any UK customers.
The Pro 24f is likely to be shown at Fespa 2018, in Berlin, Germany, according to PR manager David Lindsay, although the manufacturer's line-up has yet to be finalised.
Ken Hanulec, EFI vice-president of marketing for Inkjet Solutions, said: "It gives customers the capability to print really precise work with absolute drop placement accuracy and stunning image quality."
Intended for signage, backlit displays, fine art, graphic overlays, lenticular prints and other speciality applications up to 50mm thick. The machine also uses EFI's LED and variable drop greyscale head technology and provides “precision imaging, fine detail and outstanding image quality”, according to Lindsay.
He added: “The Pro 24f was definitely one of the highlights of our exhibit at SGIA Expo, which was a very busy show for us.
“EFI’s cool cure LED inkjet technology provides a number of advantages. It extends the range of supported substrates, including lower-cost and added-value speciality media. The instant on/off nature of the lamps increases printer uptime and requires less maintenance.
“LED also lowers energy consumption, which drives down operating costs. It is a greener option overall compared with UV and other processes due to its combination of low VOCs, lower power consumption and less waste and consumables.”
An EFI Fiery ProServer Core digital front-end (DFE) is integrated with the machine and features Fast Rip acceleration technology, having first been introduced with the Pro 16h LED printer earlier this year.
Earlier this month, EFI made further inroads into the corrugated packaging market with the acquisition of Escada Systems.
