Exhibition and event project management specialist Rocket Graphics has invested in new equipment, with the addition of a new superwide format EFI Vutek GS5000r.
The installation of the 5 m wide roll-to-roll UV printer will allow the business to meet the growing demand for high quality giant format work. The GS5000r will also enable the company to extend the work that it produces for sites where 5 m size installations are beneficial for logistics, installation and end appearances.
Through the new purchase, Rocket intends to enter a new era of superwide-format productivity, where it can combine speed and quality to produce single rolls up to 5 m wide plus multiple rolls of 1.62 m for added versatility. With reliable throughput being key, this new machine is able to produce colour accurate results on a huge range of flexible materials.
‘We focus on our main strengths of production print and we need the right technology to achieve this. Although we include project management and installation where and when required, we prefer to leave creativity and strategy to our clients, and concentrate on what we do best,’ stated Antony Rider, commercial director.
He continued, ‘Through our ‘can do’ work philosophy we produce a wide range of applications, often onto new materials, for leading sites such as Wimbledon, Silverstone, Twickenham and Farnborough Air Show, and we liaise closely with design teams to make sure that the visual brand reflects the right vision.’
The printer is capable of producing billboard outdoor material output at up to 288 msq/hr, and can run multiple jobs at once through its new multi-queue functionality. It can also produce high definition Point of Purchase quality material at speeds up to 96 msq/hr, and has an advanced three-layering white ink capability for high impact images.
Its flexible 3M premium UV ink enables printing on a wider range of substrates, and its multi-roll capability allows printing on up to three 152 cm rolls simultaneously.
The mix of technologies now employed by the company broadens the types of work that can be produced in the longer term, with the new machine now enabling the company to produce larger applications profitably with many now generated as a single piece.
‘By adding an extra two metres in height when working with large graphics for events, exhibitions and retail can make an enormous difference in the way we produce a job,’ explained Mr Rider.
‘Reducing the number of joins in a piece of material not only results in a neater and more effective result but also simplifies the logistics for installers. Present day UV-curable inks are so good that we can print direct to meshes and thinner materials, too, knowing that we’ll get the adhesion and durability that’s required, he added.’
