Wide-format digital inkjet on show

MTL Print and Xanita recently staged an open house to showcase the high-production capabilities of the top-of-the-range NURstar 304 to local packaging, display and signage printers. According to MTL Print CEO, Ran Emanuel, response was gratifying. ‘We’re excited by our warm reception from Cape Town’s printers,’ he says.   

The NUR Star is a robust, industrial-grade wide-format digital flatbed that delivers high quality and high throughput at low cost for point-of-purchase (POP) displays, signage and packaging.   

According to Ran, with its built-in variable dot size technology, the NUR Star 304 achieves exceptional quality print (which was clearly demonstrated at the open house). In addition, it uses only four colours which translate to considerable savings on ink costs. ‘We talking of really low ink consumption at a minimal cost of around 50 US cents per square metre,’ he claims.    

Also reducing energy costs is the use of only one UV lamp.  

Most impressive was the demonstration of its interchangeable print tables and superb quality at speeds of up to 250m2/hour, providing a vital improvement on turnaround times for display producers and an attractive proposition for screen printers as they make the inexorable move to digital print.

Thanks to this dual-bed system, with a vacuum system that eliminates the use of tape, the 304D offers non-stop cost-effective production. Operators are able to load/unload board while printing, reducing waiting time between prints, typically from 50 seconds down to 12 seconds.

‘The beauty of the 304D, other than its quality and speed is that the bed comes to you. Operators don’t have to run around to the other side of the table to change beds,’ notes a happy James Beattie. He also praises the low operating costs thanks to this seamless changeover between prints.

As Xanita is geared for speed and efficiency, serving a niche market for semi-permanent display systems, this new kit is proving ideal for short-run on-demand work, produced to the highest quality standards.

To meet rising demand, and sitting alongside the new press and two existing Aristo cutters, is Xanita’s latest Aristomat LFC 2332 CNC cutter from Germany (locally supplied by Kemtek), which cuts three boards simultaneously.

Strong digital inkjet heritage

The delegation from Israel stressed their heritage in this market.

The company was founded in 2007 by Kobi Markovitch and Moshe Nur and its management team includes names that are well known in the development of the wide-format digital inkjet market. Within their portfolio of historical excellence can be counted NUR systems, now at the forefront of HP’s Scitex division.

‘The core of our wide-format production engines is the expertise inherent in our R&D efforts – both in terms of production and in terms of business,’ emphasises Ran Emanuel. ‘For many years our team has managed and manufactured some of the most successful equipment available in digital ink-jet for display and industrial production printing.’

Variable drop-on-demand inkjet technology using Xaar printheads allows the drop size to be varied between six and 42 picolitres, giving  a high degree of resolution without compromising throughput. Smaller drop sizes allow for the fine production of lighter hues and gradations, rendering light-colour inks unnecessary and bringing extensive savings on ink costs.

The special arrangement of the Xaar heads provides a wide print swathe, reducing print times and making it one of world’s fastest board printing machines for display, outdoor advertising and packaging purposes.