Based off a totally reworked platform that includes a new printer base, new beam, and new printhead carriage, the Generation 5 series consists of the high-end Kudu, now enhanced, along with the new Nyala 5 and Impala 5 printers.
The electronics and software are also new while the UV LED printers come equipped with linear motors that have helped to make them faster and more precise.
The printers come with 10 freely configurable colour channels and can handle substrates up to 50mm thick. Addressable resolution on all three machines is up to 1,350dpi.
Speaking during an online press launch for the new generation, Carmen Eicher, chief sales and marketing officer at SwissQprint, said: “On the Nyala 5 and the Impala 5, everything is new. It’s a completely new platform compared to all the previous generations of Nyala and Impala.
“It’s actually based on our very successful Kudu platform; we introduced Kudu back in 2022 for the first time and, since then, it has been a huge success for us.
“It has been very well received for our customers, and we have actually installed more than 100 machines worldwide already.
“[The Kudu] platform brought advancements that are really nice for other machines as well and hence we decided to lift up the Nyala and Impala to this new platform as well, and to bring these amazing products to all different kinds of customers with all different kinds of volume requirements.”
The existing 3.2x2m Kudu has been enhanced and will now be able to reach speeds up to 341sqm/hr. The machine can use two to three printhead rows, and this is expandable in the field.
Existing Kudu customers will be able to upgrade for free to receive the productivity enhancements.
The new 3.2x2m Nyala 5 can reach speeds up to 253sqm/hr and can use one or two printhead rows – expandable at any time, while the 2.5x2m Impala 5 can reach speeds up to 227sqm/hr and can use one or two printhead rows.
Applications for the machines include sign and display print, interior décor, packaging and displays, fine art and photo printing, glass printing, industrial printing, and wood printing.
In addition to CMYK, light magenta, light cyan, light black, and white, there are spot colours such as neon yellow and neon pink, plus orange as well as effect varnish and primer to extend the range of applications.
All of the machines also feature a roll-to-roll option, for rolls up to 3.2m-wide on the Kudu and Nyala 5, or 2.5m-wide on the Impala 5.
A dual-roll option, which can handle rolls up to 1.55m-wide on the Kudu and Nyala 5, or 1.2m-wide on the Impala 5, enables the printing of two rolls of material in parallel, doubling the productivity.
The patented Tip Switch Vacuum controls the vacuum in small segments and can be shut off in the space between rolls, with no masking required.
Meanwhile, an oversize board option lets users print bigger boards up to 4m long, with its controller regulating precise feeding over the conveyor belt that results in “a seamless print covering the entire length”.
Other features include a light curtain, with the printhead carriage slowing down to warn and protect the operator if something or someone breaches it, plus Crash Sensor Technology that helps prevent damage and rejects.
Another feature is the ability for the operator to resume printing via the output software if there has been a material crash, at the exact point where it stopped.
The new printers are available immediately and all come with SwissQprint’s 36-month factory warranty. Pricing has not been disclosed but Eicher said the machines would have “a very small increase on the base price” compared to the previous generation.
The printers will be demonstrated at several upcoming trade shows, with the first public showing being C!Print Madrid, taking place from tomorrow (14 January) to Thursday (16 January) at IFEMA Madrid. They will then be shown at events in Poland, France, Germany, Shanghai, The Netherlands, Canada and the US, and then Fespa Global Print Expo in Berlin in May.
