39 Issue 254 - August / September 2024 email: news@signlink.co.uk Just when you thought you could not get bigger and quicker, Fujifilm comes along with the next version in its Acuity Hybrid range of printers – the Ultra Hybrid Pro, this time with the addition of full robotic automation. The size of the machine alone is one of the most striking features of the printer, but the addition of the material handling system further enhances the opinion that this printer can handle significant amounts of substrate with ease. The size of the machine is not the only striking feature, the Ultra Hybrid Pro continues with the technology which underpins the others in the range with Piezoelectric drop-on-demand inkjet heads with droplet volume between 3.5 to 14 picolitres of Uvijet inks. The new machine comes with 5,312 nozzles per head and can deploy the standard process set of inks (CMYK) along with light cyan and magenta, should white channels be needed, this is possible as an option taking the total number of nozzles to 10,624. The Ultra Hybrid Pro can print up to five layers giving depth and vibrancy on all substrates with the ability to have the image on the first and fifth layer being different adding a whole new aspect to the printed outcome. The Uvijet inks use Fujifilm’s patented Micro-V dispersion technology which means the ink pigmentation is held in a stable condition through the ink, meaning it delivers high concentrations of colour and vibrancy. Each pigment particle, which can be as small as a human cell, is coated with a substance which actually causes each to repel the other in suspension. The outcome is each of the pigment elements does not start to collect and stick together. Fujifilm has the greatest number of patents than any other manufacturer and this results in some of the best colour quality outcomes of any printer you can buy. The variety of products the Ultra Hybrid Pro can produce is vast and Fujifilm claims it is one of the most versatile machines available today. The combination of colour application and substrate means there is very little you cannot print. Whether you need double-sided printed signage, rigid Correx, or self-adhesive clear polypropylene, the application of the inks from the seven-litre containers means almost lithographic quality can be achieved. As with most of the printers available today, the Uvijet inks are cured post-application with LED UV drying systems. This provides not only the ability to rely on the product to be dry on delivery, but if you are printing on more delicate plastics, for instance, there is no heat build up causing the product to be distorted or damaged. Further, energy use on the Ultra Hybrid Pro is low as LED curing systems do not require the same levels of energy as older Mercury lamp systems. Moving Materials The hybrid nature of the Ultra Hybrid Pro Fujifilm released at drupa the latest update to its Ultra Hybrid wide-format range with the latest automation making wide-width, high-quality production now very productive indeed. Brian Sims finds out more Automated Precision The Ultra Hybrid Pro uses Fujifilm’s Micro-V dispersion technology in the inks for the printer with pigmentation particles as small as 0.2 microns Media width 3.3 metres Print size (max) 3.3 metres Inks CMYK, Lc, Lm (white optional) Resolution 1,200 x 1,200dpi Production speed (max) 600m2/hr or 218m2/hr roll to roll Printheads Kyocera KJ4A (up to 16) Statistics UNDER THE HOOD / FUJIFILM ULTRA HYBRID PRO
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