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rjssigns

rjssigns

Active Member
Here is the future boys and girls:

[video=youtube;6TzsL63BHuU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TzsL63BHuU[/video]

If this unit sees production with eco-solvent and is half way reliable it will crush the "industry standard" roll feds.

This is the type of thing I've been waiting for. Similar in function to the units that HP has manufactured 30 minutes from my shop. The HP's used fixed arrays of heads. It allows them to run 1000 feet per minute on a 48" web. HP also uses piezo heads so solvent ink could be run. Of course the HP's are so bloody fast they run the web through a small electric dryer.
 
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S

SqueeGee

New Member
Pretty cool. Thanks for sharing.

I'm sure this is legit but how easy it would be to fake. Load a pre-printed roll and feed it through, right?
 
jkdbjj

jkdbjj

New Member
This is about 7 years old. I remember in 2005 seeing the first leeks of this. It is for sure legit, but not for solvents that I know of.
 
ChicagoGraphics

ChicagoGraphics

New Member
The MemJet is out already in a 42" but it only prints with dye inks now, give it time and I'm sure it will come in a solvent platform.
 
rjssigns

rjssigns

Active Member
Really begs the question of why do we have a carriage whipping back and forth with its inherent limitations? (along with it's complicated drive mechanism)

I know what your thinking at 800 bux per head it would be spendy to span 60+ inches. But what "they" charge for heads and what they are truly worth are worlds apart. There was a thread on here where guys were cannibalizing Epson printers for the DX5 head in them. The whole printer wasn't even a hundred bux. And Epson ain't the only game in town.

I wonder if artbot will jump in on this?
 
artbot

artbot

New Member
nah... i don't think he's on signs101 right now. surely he's got better things to do with this life.

it's real. current OEMs are slow to adopt any of this tech because it would make their entire product line obsolete. i'm sure there are enough billions of dollars out there to do this. in fact i'm sure HP has a lower res' working prototype that they could push latex ink through right now. head cost is a concern. you would want to line up 40 dx5's/piezo heads across your platen. the cost would be insane. but 40 thermal heads would not be very expensive. i believe before this happens the industry will see more super wide print heads in lower cost printers. a two or three inch print swipe would be a better compromise that could be used in mid end printers.
 
rfulford

rfulford

New Member
The oce velocity concept is designed around memjet technology. My Oce rep mentioned the machine Friday. There is not an official release date yet but my rep acted like it is was a sure thing.

[video=youtube;kytCuWwNWvY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kytCuWwNWvY[/video]
 
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artbot

artbot

New Member
looks like they are officially "here"....

[video=youtube;r5tDUceDkko]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5tDUceDkko&feature=related[/video]

these will end up in big print shops first and the price per square foot will plummet for
color prints.
 
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Christian @ 2CT Media

Christian @ 2CT Media

Active Member
I know that Xante has been in talks with a few ink suppliers about developing an outdoor ink... I've asked them the very question and they say it is being worked on now.
 
artbot

artbot

New Member
i spoke with a xante engineer way back. they wanted to spear head the tech to desktop first which required very high resolution. the picoliters are so small they evaporate on contact. i'd imagine there's a limit to high viscosity as well. how this would work with a solvent or uv or even a pigmented paper is a task. remember the jv5? printing too fast for the ink to dry? my figure is just slow the damn thing down. and don't even worry about res'. 720x720 is fine enough. as far a drying, i'd rather have that problem with the speed(?).

i can think of solutions... maybe drop off curing web that runs to the floor with a bank of led lamps, then winds up. that would keep the footprint down.
 
rjssigns

rjssigns

Active Member
Will see if I can get a pic or two of the big HP's that run 4800 square feet per hour at 600x600. Piezo heads that are 4 to 5 inches wide. Static overlapping ranks of heads for each process color. Ink lines look more like hose.

I think artbot would like to play with one.:rolleyes:
 
C

CanuckSigns

Active Member
very cool tech indeed, but completly useless for the average sign shop, you would print your weeks workload in 20 minutes. now for a company like merritt I can see this being useful.

Not to mention, if this becomes the norm, the market price would drop beyond the point it it even being worthwhile to offer the service.
 
artbot

artbot

New Member
every time my quasi father in law who does the equipment purchasing and is the foreman for mountain commercial graphics says they can't keep up with this or that account, i mention that a memjet would be perfect. he replies, too new to depend on. maybe by now there are a few large shops running the balls off one of these for it to prove its worth?
 
rjssigns

rjssigns

Active Member
The printer that artbot linked to reminded me of the Kip Color80 I saw 2 years ago at GraphExpo. Thing ran 600 linear feet per hour at 36" wide, and it had automatic media change. You loaded I think 4 different roll stocks into drawers, pushed the tail into the feed mechanism and shut the door. It used powdered toners.
 
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