Brian Sims Principal Consultant, Metis Print Consultancy, www.metis-uk.eu vacuum inlets not to be covered and the efficiency of the whole system can drop like a stone. The bed on the Nyala 4 has 256 vacuum areas featuring a series of patented Tip Switch Vacuums cleverly designed into the front of the bed so you can place the substrate on the table and then flip over the switches to a closed position in the areas not covered and the vacuum will only focus on the area needed, wasting nothing. The final part of the puzzle if you are very serious about the product is the use of robotics, aptly named ‘Rob’. In ten minutes or so you can add Rob to the Nyala and with a few simple steps and mouse clicks Rob is off and running. The Tandem printing capability enables the user to control the front and rear sections individually. Production is secure as Rob talks to the machine and the interface understands what tasks are to be performed and where each sheet not only is, but where it needs to be once finished. So confident are swissQprint in Rob, that they can even suggest you can walk out, close the door, and let Rob do an extra shift all by itself. Should sheets not be paramount for your clients, the roll option for the machine means the Nyala 4 can take a single roll of up to 3.2 metres and should you want to make use of the dual option provided, the Nyala 4 can hold two reels of 1.524 metres in width. The dual roll system does mean that should you have a job which fits half the width of the printer, you can technically double production by doing two jobs at once. Ensuring the substrate is presented to the printhead in optimum condition there is an integrated smoother roller system which ensures any creases and wrinkles in printed material are a thing of the past. Removing static as it passes, it also ensures the trickiest of substrates can be printed with the minimal amount of fuss. As with any large quality flatbed printer, the Nyala 4 comes with light curtains which slows the printhead carriage if the area is encroached maintaining printing conditions and should there actually be a crash on the machine, the Nyala 4 has software that works out where the stop happened, meaning it picks up where it left off; very clever. The History of the Nyala Described as swissQprint’s flagship model, the Nyala had its world premiere as the manufacturer’s first 3.2m-wide flat25 Issue 253 - June / July 2024 email: news@signlink.co.uk bed printer with nine colour channels at drupa 2012 in Düsseldorf. A year later, swissQprint introduced reinforced roll-toroll option and 9pl droplets. In 2014, the manufacturer introduced the generation 2 Nyala which offered 50% faster printing speeds. Two years later in 2016, Rob was launched. In 2017, power-saving, long-life LED lamps were introduced and a year later the generation 3 model was launched featuring a new printhead carriage and a new controller. In 2020, swissQprint introduced its revolutionary Tip Switch Vacuum technology and just one year later, the generation 4 model was revealed in 2021 featuring the latest printhead technology available from Konica Minolta. One year later and swissQprint introduced a glass printing option. Last year, swissQprint reached a significant milestone when it shipped its 1000th Nyala flatbed. The milestone machine was installed at De Resoluie/Van Zijderveld based in Rijswijk, near The Hague in the UNDER THE HOOD / SWISSQPRINT NYALA 4 Netherlands. It’s this steady stream of continuous development that swissQprint says helps its customers to stand out from competitors. Most recently, swissQprint has introduced a 36-month warranty on all new large-format printer investments. This speaks to the manufacturer’s confidence and commitment to quality with swissQprint having 100% control over the development and production process. In March, swissQprint also announced that the PrintFactory RIP software is now available for its customers using both flatbed and roll-to-roll options. This software supports white, varnish, primer, and special colours including spot colour management and also provides a cutting driver, calibration, layout, and editor modules as well as workflow and pre-flight tools. With all this being said, it’s clear the choice of any of the swissQprint machines will not disappoint, but should high volume production and versatility be the key, the Nyala 4 stands out. Add a new member to the payroll with the Rob, the robotic substrate handling device
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