The Acuity LED 1600R is optimised for four-colour CYMK roll-to-roll printing but is otherwise said to share all of the quality and performance benefits of the Acuity LED 1600 II hybrid model, which was launched in 2015.
Incorporating Dimatix Q-class industrial printheads, the Acuity LED 1600R offers four channels as standard. The 1.6m-wide machine can print at up to 33sqm/hr, matching the speed of the Acuity LED 1600 II.
It can handle rolls of up to 40kg, around 15kg more than the maximum weight the 1600 II can accommodate, enabling users to manage longer uninterrupted runs.
The printer features a high-density mode capable of handling heat-sensitive roll media and is suitable for producing backlit and window applications.
It produces low levels of heat and requires lower ink volumes and less power than similar machines on the market, Fujifilm said.
It also has instant start-up, long-life LED UV lamps, no ozone or VOC emissions and uses only one consumable – the ink.
The manufacturer’s new Uvijet RL ink is used with the device. The range is available in CMYK and CMYK plus light cyan and light magenta.
A modular upgrade option to include white is available, with an option for up to eight channels, to include clear ink, also being added in the next few months.
Designed specifically for printing onto roll media, Fujifilm said the Uvijet RL range is manufactured by Fujifilm Specialty Ink Systems in the UK and, combined with the 1600R’s LED curing system and Dimatix printheads, delivers “near-photographic” print quality.
Fujifilm Graphic Systems Europe Sign & Display segment manager Tudor Morgan said: “Fujifilm has established a strong business with the Acuity LED 1600 and then the Acuity LED 1600 II, with close to 1,000 installations globally.
“But when we took it to market, we took it as a hybrid – roll and rigid with whites and a clear – to give it an extra level of creativity.
“Over the period of time since 2012, when the original Acuity LED 1600 was launched, a lot of our customers said they wanted to buy a second one, and might even want to buy a third one, but that they really want to do a lot more work on the roll than the rigid.”
He added: “So we’ve completely modified it to remove the capability to print on rigid. A lot of people also liked the idea of having the white and the clear, but said 80% of their work is actually CMYK – printing onto vinyls or heat-sensitive materials with four- or six-colours.
“So we’ve made it modular – the 1600R is a machine that comes in CMYK but is modular upgradable at the customer’s premises. If they want to add a white or a varnish clear, or have light colours added to it, then they can.
“The fact that we’re starting from four colours with the 1600R makes the machine more economical, and removing the tables and systems needed to drive rigid materials also takes some cost out of it.
“It gives customers the option – the majority of people only want to print onto roll so we wanted to give them a printer to do just that to start with.”
The Acuity LED 1600 II will remain available, for customers wanting the additional capability to print onto rigid materials.
The first public demonstration of the Acuity LED 1600R will take place at C!Print Lyon, running from today (6 February) to Thursday 8 February.
The machine will be commercially available from 1 March and Morgan said that, while pricing is not yet confirmed, it will cost “a lot less” than the Acuity LED 1600 II.
