UNDER THE HOOD / MIMAKI UCJV330-160 29 Issue 252 - April / May 2024 email: news@signlink.co.uk Development of capital equipment can be driven by a number of different factors and depending on where in the world the manufacturer is centred, the approach to design reviews can vary quite considerably. European manufacturers can tend to move in larger step changes to new models revealing equipment looking quite different and bristling with new features. Should the manufacturer be Asian, specifically Japanese, the approach is far more focused on incremental change; known mainly by the lean manufacturing process of Kaizen. Kaizen means ‘improvement’ in Japanese and although as a process it is credited to American engineers helping to reconstruct Japan after World War II, Japanese manufacturers really turned it into a science; a leader being Toyota such that it became known as 'the Toyota Way'. It's important not to underestimate the scale of the ‘improvement’ Kaizen can bring, and a great example of this is the new UV-LED printer from Mimaki; the UCJV330160. Having just been released, the UCJV330160 is the successor of the very popular model, the UCJV300-160, but is built on the new 330 platform with additional new technology bringing about far greater productivity. This means much higher print resolution and a host of new features, one of which was previously only available on flatbed models. What immediately jumps out in the specification of the new printer is the production speed. This has risen by almost 75% compared to the old model. In numbers, this relates to 55m2/hr when printing in super draft four colour mode with a resolution of 600 x 600dpi. Even when considering the high-quality mode (1,200 x 1,200dpi), it is still able to produce 8m2/hr. The production speeds in other configurations are also impressive and the UCJV330-160 can print in four/six colour plus special colours; four/six and white two-layer printing; and four/six and white five-layer printing. The white printing modes can produce at 9 and 2m2/hr respectively which Mimaki suggests is industry leading. Laying Down the Colour To be able to make both the claim and practically produce the promises it makes, Mimaki has reengineered the inkjet head. The new versions have onboard Core Technology which means the inkjet heads can deliver higher levels of ink from each nozzle and adjustable ink droplet size. The droplet size is automatically adjusted depending on the print mode selected meaning photographic image quality can be achieved and graininess can be eliminated by the use of a resolution of 1,200 x 1,800dpi. To ensure banding is reduced and removed there is clever technology Mimaki calls Weaving Dot Technology (MWDT). This feature compensates for the minor differences across the printhead nozzles and any small adjustment errors ensure each pass is seamlessly passing to the next. Mimaki claims the new printhead has doubled the nozzle density from that of the earlier model which means the image can be both of very high definition and depth of colour meaning any of the images are impressive. This high definition of printed material means Mimaki has a feature on the UCJV330-160 called ‘Watermark Print’. When backlit, a skeleton image is visible but this is only possible if the dot deployment is controlled to such a level that the small lines of the image are not blurred or obscured. As with all UV-LED printers, the ink is dried immediately via the drying units meaning the turnaround of production can be very quick and the power consumption of the printer is greatly reduced ticking a list of green credentials customers are starting to expect as standard. 2.5D printing is new on a roll-to-roll printer giving an embossed look and feel to a printed image Colour and Creativity Combined Based on a popular previous model, Mimaki has released the UCJV330-160 which gives brand new technology in ink deployment whilst reducing volumes without losing vibrancy and definition. Brian Sims finds out more
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