Roll up: the Jeti Tauro H3300 LED in twin-roll mode at the launch event
Agfa held an open house customer event at its Mortsel, Belgium headquarters last week to formally launch the Jeti Tauro H3300 LED flagship hybrid wide-format UV-curing printer that was previewed virtually at Fespa in May.
Expounding the company’s current “extreme” philosophy, marketing director Willy Van Dromme explained how Agfa’s expertise in ink development, software and hardware engineering had been harnessed to produce the new machine, which offers a 3.3m imaging width and output speeds up to 453sqm/hr. He also reported that 2017 had been the company’s best year for inkjet sales, showing “strong double-digit growth”, with total sales of the Anapurna LED mid-range hybrid line nearly reaching 300 units and the Tauro 2.5m models selling over 150 in a year, while the more recently introduced 3.2m versions are starting to gain traction; this was complemented by “almost exponential” growth in OEM ink business.
Designed for continuous 24/87 operation, the new belt-driven Jeti Tauro H3300 LED can be configured for either high capacity multiple roll (up to 800kg total) or robot-assisted pick-and-place flat board imaging with up to four stacks. The six-colour machine supports various ink configurations, including light cyan and light black, white and primer, and from 48 to 60 Ricoh Generation 5 printheads. Product manager Reinhilde Alaert claimed that sellable print could be produced in three or even two-pass mode – depending on application and viewing distance – and stated that the LED-UV curing printer can handle a wide range of media including styrene, polypropylene, wood, glass, banners, self-adhesive and other PoP and signage materials.
Ms Alaert also said that Agfa’s high pigment inks offer both wide colour gamut and low ink consumption, which should lead to a lower cost of ownership, thanks to the company’s Thin Film ink technology. Speaking to Digital Printer, senior application product manager Koen Steert explained, ‘Using less ink is generally better for everything – except rub resistance.’ He reported that tests involving an electron microscope had shown Agfa was achieving a cured ink layer up to 30 to 40% thinner than competing products at the time and that this results in a visual finish similar to that of litho print.
Agfa also demonstrated its Asanti wide-format workflow, StoreFront web-to-print and PrintSphere job management and automation software, including tools for template-based job creation, nesting, tiling colour calibration and management.
