54 email: news@printmonthly.co.uk September / October 2024 - Issue 350 ation of Thin Ink Layer and software mean the Anapurna Ciervo has the lowest ink consumption of most printers on the market. The inks themselves carry the GREENGUARD GOLD standard making them some of the safest inks on the market, making little to no impact on operators and end-users alike but still giving a wide range of colours and dark solid tones. The inks are supplied via a smart ink management system and can be supplied in CMYK, light magenta, and cyan, along with white. The Anapurna Ciervo monitors the use of the inks in the smart ink management system as and when refills or top ups are needed; this means access to each colour is simple and easy to accomplish. As for the white ink, due to the nature of the pigmentation, the supply system is kept totally separate from the other inks. The white is ‘managed’ within this system, not just held ready to be deployed. Thanks to the system’s stirring functionality the white ink is kept in motion meaning the white inks are in their most optimum condition through the printer’s integral agitating mechanisms. Feeding the Beast When it comes to the feeding of the substrates, again, Agfa is on top of this aspect of the machine and the agility characteristics are apparent once more. You can run a wide range of both flexible and rigid board that will make the production of indoor and outdoor signage a simple task. As for flexible materials, the limiting factor on length is the weight and diameter of the roll which can be up to 100kg in weight, on a 75mm reel bar. A media roll diameter of 300mm is standard as a maximum size (a 500mm roll is also possible) but the weight distribution needs to be managed. Coupled with this is the ability to use dual rolls if the production suits this type of set up. The maximum width of the dual roll function is 1.52 metres however should you need to change between modes, the process is simplicity itself. Should the job call for rigid production, the agility is apparent yet again. Switching from reel-fed production to sheet-fed is as simple as clipping in place a series of media tables which can be adjusted to suit different sizes. Embedded into the GUI is the registration system which ensures each sheet is placed in the same place each time. Media registration and printhead adjustment are accomplished via the user-friendly control panel. Securing the sheet is completed by the Anapurna Ciervo with intelligently controlled vacuum zones which change and adapt to whatever size sheet is being used. One of the downsides of sheet feed production is the need to place each sheet on the table to allow the printhead to pass over and print the image required. So that the machine can maximise the production volumes needed for a busy print shop, the Anapurna Ciervo has an automated feeder system. Each sheet or set of sheets are secured on the feeder table when required, they are then advanced under a feeder bar up to the register system ahead of the machine. As the sheets are taken into the printer, the second set of sheets can be prepared so they are seamlessly fed once the first are printed. A repeat of the process takes care of the outgoing sheet, which due to the UV curing system is dry and mark free. It's clear from the details of this latest release that Agfa will feel confident the Anapurna Ciervo can continue the long and proud traditions of other printers in this range. Rigid or flexible substrates can be seamlessly fed into the printer ensuring production almost without pauses Brian Sims, principal consultant, Metis Print Consultancy, www.metis-uk.eu UNDER THE HOOD / ANAPURNA CIERVO H3200 ◄ The Ciervo offers several viewing windows in order to check the state of the prints
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