The EFI Vutek 3.2 m GS3250LXr Pro, bought by Stewart Signs, is the first in the UK to incorporate the company’s LED ‘cool curing’ and greyscale technology.
The vehicle graphics specialist and general sign-maker bought the dedicated roll-to-roll wide format six colour printer to upgrade its production capabilities to newer flexible ink technology and faster throughput while maintaining its 3M MCS (matched component system) Warranty.
‘Key to our decision with our latest wide format printer was the ability to produce applications that meet the requirements the 3M MCS Warranty. The Vutek GSLXr 3M SuperFlex UV Ink guarantees the flexibility and durability we must offer our customers,’ stated Tom Bates, production manager. ‘This performance is essential when producing vehicle and fleet graphics, where adhesion and elasticity of the inks are vital to the success of the end application.’
The company has been using solvent-based wide format printers for its wide format production, realising that the move to UV-curable technology relied on the high levels of flexibility and adhesion essential when working with vehicles and specialist displays.
Although quality and speed were also essential criteria, Mr Bates was impressed with the power savings and overall green benefits from the printer’s LED lamps. According to the company recent energy assessments carried out by FOGRA have revealed reductions of up to 82% when compared with equivalent mercury arc lamp curing.
‘At Stewart Signs we review new equipment, looking at overall effectiveness in terms of productivity, quality and consistency,’ concluded Mr Bates. ‘The Vutek GS3250LXr Pro won, but we feel EFI always offers one of the best in class. It’s our job to make our customers look good and to make the process painless – we value suppliers that do the same for us.’
