Xaar, world leader in industrial inkjet technology, has established a collaboration with FFEI, the global developer of award-winning digital imaging solutions, in order to drive the Go To Market plan for the Xaar Print Bar System and provide a seamless one-stop-shop for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
The Xaar Print Bar System is a highly flexible and complete inkjet system that can be integrated with a wide variety of analogue and digital presses and converting equipment to add single-pass digital printing capability. By using the Xaar 1002 family of industrial printheads with TF Technology®, the Xaar Print Bar System can handle a wide range of inks and fluids, including spot colours (K or CMY), protective lacquers, high-build spot and tactile varnish, heavily pigmented high-opacity over- and under- whites and cold foil adhesives.
“We’ve been working with Xaar from the very start of the Print Bar System’s development and are delighted to now develop our collaboration to include sales and distribution,” commented Andy Cook, Managing Director at FFEI. “We want to help OEMs deliver digital hybrid print solutions to the labels and packaging market with innovative inkjet solutions like the Graphium and now the Print Bar System.”
Alan Mutch, Product Manager at Xaar, added, “Since the launch of the Xaar Print Bar System we have had an excellent response from the market. This is a product which really adds value to label producers as they can extend the life of an existing analogue press, whilst at the same time saving the considerable cost and time associated with analogue production methods. We have seen a great deal of interest within the industry from manufacturers of roll-to-roll presses who wish to offer their customers the ability to add digital functionality to their equipment so that they can deliver more flexibility, printing possibilities and creativity to their customers, and this new collaboration with FFEI ensures this will be delivered.”
With the Xaar Print Bar System, users have a choice of Xaar 1002 printheads (GS6, GS12 or GS40 depending on the application). An ink supply system and full print management and workflow capabilities ensure precise and total control of the print process. The Xaar Print Bar System is available in print widths of 140 mm to 560 mm and prints at speeds of up to 75 m/min (depending on the application). It can handle a range of UV inks and fluids from selected approved ink partners.
For more information, OEMs and customers looking to expand their digital label printing capabilities should please contact FFEI or visit www.ffei.co.uk
Xaar 2001+ printheads enable more cost effective tile printers at Cerlat
Cerlat Production Manager, Jorge Albalet, is responsible for the running of Cerlat’s three ceramic tile production lines, and constantly looks at ways to maintain and improve production output and quality. The recent installation of a KERAjet 700 printer with Xaar 2001+ printheads has been a winning combination.
Cerlat, part of Group Mijares since 1994, is a high-end ceramic tile manufacturer located in Onda, near Castellón, Spain. The company’s expertise is premium wall and floor tiles with stone, wood, marble and cement designs encompassing some beautiful special effects for added appeal to its worldwide customer base. Therefore achieving a high print quality whilst ensuring cost effective and reliable production is critical to Cerlat’s success.
For some years, Cerlat, a loyal KERAjet customer, has been running their printers either with the original Xaar 1001 or the more recent Xaar 1002 printheads. With a structured and proactive maintenance procedure in place, the company has been able to run Xaar’s printheads for many years. For example, the original Xaar 1001 printheads which came with the first digital machine are still in use 9 years later and not one printhead has been replaced.
Towards the end of 2016 Cerlat decided to install new tile decoration equipment. Given the reliability of the KERAjet printers and Xaar printheads experienced over the years, without hesitation Jorge Albalet selected a KERAjet 700 machine with the new Xaar 2001+ printheads. Installation was quick – the new printer was up and running within a week and since January 2017 has printed well over 120,000 tiles at a line speed of 30m/minute. “I am delighted with the new KERAjet machine and the Xaar 2001+ printheads” says Jorge. “Thanks to the productivity and versatility of the Xaar 2001+, we’ve been able to configure a machine that meets our exact requirements. We have multiple bars for the most critical colours for our tile designs ‒ brown and blue ‒ and single bars for the other colours.”
The machine is currently running with the Xaar 2001+ GS12C, with a plan to add the Xaar 2001+ GS40C in an additional bar for printing gloss and other effects. “We’ve been very happy with the Xaar 1001 and Xaar 1002 printheads for many years, but the new Xaar 2001+ printheads have increased productivity dramatically. The printheads are performing very reliably both in single and dual colour mode, and print quality is excellent,” concludes Jorge.
The Xaar 2001+ family of printheads ensures ultimate design versatility and production flexibility for tile manufacturers. Thanks to its 2000 nozzles, the Xaar 2001+ delivers high productivity and fast line speed – at 35 m/min line speed, the Xaar 2001+ GS12C can deliver up to 30 g/m2 at a resolution of 360×480 dpi, making it ideal for both decoration and light effects. Other variants ‒ the GS6C for fine details for wall tiles, and the GS40C, delivering up to 80 g/m2 for intense effects ‒ are also available. Additionally, just as chosen by Cerlat, the Xaar 2001+ can be configured in dual colour mode in some print bars and single colour mode for other print bars – this provides a compact, economic option for producing a range of tile designs. For further information please visit: ceramics.xaar.com
