The Vutek h3 running dual roll jobs at EFI’s customer centre
in Belgium

 

The Vutek h3 hybrid UV LED wide-format printer previewed
at Fespa is now shipping, and updates to the r3 and r5 roll-fed
models are forthcoming, EFI revealed at a customer event at its
Zavantem, Belgium showrooms. 

Described by product manager Thomas Krumm as “completely
re-engineered”, the Vutek h3 is a belt-driven 3.2m wide-format
printer with LED UV curing that can also handle rigid media up to
5cm thick. It uses Ricoh Gen 5 greyscale print heads to deliver a
7pl drop size offering resolutions up to 900 x 1200dpi and
throughput of up to 288sqm/hr. A field upgrade to the h5
specification, which Mr Krumm says can be completed in one day, ups
the productivity to 362sqm/hr by adding two further rows of
printheads to the three in the h3.

The printer is offered in four- or eight-colour configurations,
the latter including white, which may be printed double-hit with
only a 25% speed penalty, plus light versions of all four process
colours for improved gradation and tonal detail in photographic
images. It is also able to print up to nine layers in a single
pass, which as well as enabling “embossing” textured effects allows
day-and-night backlit or two-sided display graphics to be printed
in a single pass, ensuring front-to-back registration as well as
enhanced productivity for this kind of work. Software support for
these capabilities is built into a forthcoming software update for
the accompanying Fiery DFE, simplifying the set-up in prepress.

Automation options go up to “¾” automation which automates
everything except loading of an (optional) input stacker. Various
serviceability and reliability improvements have been designed in
and include the ability to top-up ink supplies while the printer is
running. Mr Krumm reported that the four beta test sites (three in
the US and one in Europe) were achieving 99% sellable quality from
their machines. EFI anticipates selling 16 h3 units by the end of
2018, six of them in Europe, and says the h5 upgrade will be
available by the end of the year.

At the event Ken Hanulec, general manager of EFI’s display
graphic division, stated that this division is responsible for
around US $370 million of the company’s $1 billion turnover and
previewed other forthcoming models. These include the Vutek Pro
32r, a 3.2m entry-level/mid-market roll-fed printer that will also
be available via Ricoh and Nazdar (subject to territory), and
“plus” versions of the 3r and 5r roll-fed models based on customer
feedback that will offer better speed/quality balance, new white
printing modes and double-bladed slitters to improve
productivity.