Wide-format printer specialist swissQprint has added a simple-to-operate vacuum table system to all its flatbed models that should reduce the need for masking and taping when printing boards or dual rolls.
Called Tip Switch Vacuum, the system was introduced with the company’s Karibu roll-fed printer in 2019. It allows rows of vacuum nozzles to be turned on or off simply and intuitively by hand, thus concentrating the vacuum force only in areas where it’s required without leakage elsewhere, helping tame ‘unruly’ media such as corrugated board. It supports twin zone operation as well, where one board can be loaded or removed while the previous one is being printed, working alternately from the front or rear of the printer.
There’s also a ‘reverse thrust’ option that allows the nozzles to blow, providing an air cushion for loading and positioning of heavy or delicate media. The vacuum table also incorporates a cutting channel for a precise trimming edge for roll materials or thin media. All the swissQprint flatbeds – Oryx, Impala and Nyala – now feature the new vacuum system.
