24 June / July 2023 - Issue 247 www.signlink.co.uk UNDER THE HOOD / SWISSQPRINT KUDU ▲ A patented Tip Switch vacuum control table makes holding sheets of any size an easy function SwissQprint has added a new generation of flatbed printer to its stable in the form of the Kudu. This machine adds a new higher level of colour quality and capability to others in the range such as the Nyala, Impala, and Oryx. It was somewhat of a surprise but when you look at the added value this printer can deliver, you can easily see why the decision was made to bring it to market when the company did. At the heart of this machine is a completely re-engineered internal architecture which is needed when you are promising your client 1,350dpi on a sheet width of up to 3.2m. Whenever we look at equipment of this size, we seem to be impressed by the colour and software gadgets that look almost space age-like, but what we do not consider is all those toys are useless unless you can accurately place the print head. At the resolution stated by swissQprint, you need to be able to regularly position the head in a place within hundredths of a millimetre each and every time. The upgraded print head is not light and there needs to be well-designed control systems to accelerate and maintain a constant speed across the sheet. This is attained on the Kudu by the most up-to-date linear drive systems. The other issue is the width of the printer which factors into colour quality. If the head is slightly lower, and by ‘slightly’ you are again talking hundredths of a millimetre, the colour density will change. In engineering terms, we actually look for things to bend and move as this is what causes an extended life; think of a tree and the ethos of 'if it doesn’t bend it will break'. But there actually needs to be much more thought into how to make something rigid and not be so oversized that it becomes impractical. Looking at the Kudu, swissQprint has accomplished this incredibly well and it clearly works with the print quality which is easy to see, but the machine itself does not look over-engineered. That takes skill. An Abundance of Colour The printer has ten channels from which it can deploy your choice of colours. Obviously, you can take the CMYK process colours as standard but there is the option of adding light colours (black, magenta, and cyan), orange, neon (yellow, red) and any combination of white varnish or primer. All of the inks and varnishes are cured by integral LED UV systems and as you would expect from a company such as swissQprint, offer eco-credentials and are Greenguard Gold compliant meaning they are VOC- and NVC-free. This means that they meet strict criteria allowing them to be used for clothing and on products needed in schools and healthcare facilities. This combination of colours and varnishes allows for a wide range of applications which can be applied to an equally impressive series of substrates such as acrylic, aluminium composite panels, wood, banners, polyester, polycarbonate, polystyrene, (high-density) PVC, flexible foam panels, glass, and metal. If your client provides you with a challenge wider than the scope of what the Kudu can print and print on, I would strongly suggest you pass on the order, regardless of how lucrative it seems. The final part of the multi-substrate printing puzzle is how to secure the materials At FESPA 2022 in Berlin, swissQprint dropped a surprise in the unveiling of a new printer to its line-up in the Kudu, a 3.2 x 2m high-quality flatbed printer. Brian Sims takes a closer look High Quality at High Speed There are a series of flip switches cleverly designed into the front of the table. You can place the substrate on the table and then flip over the switches to a closed position in the areas not covered, and all the vacuum is then focused on the area needed
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