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MUTOH RELEASES 3D UV INKS
Wide format inkjet printer manufacturer Mutoh Belgium nv announces immediate availability of a new set of CMYK stretchable UV inks, called 3D UV. Specifically developed for Mutoh’s Zephyr 65 UV inkjet printer, the Mutoh 3D UV ink offers 200 % elongation capabilities, making outputs fit for wrapping on 3D curved, riveted or corrugated surfaces.
This new non HAP, zero VOC and odourless ink will cover the widest possible range of roll-to-roll applications and is also suited for rigid printing. Available in one litre bottles, the new 3D UV inks are already covered by Avery Dennison’s® ICS Performance Guarantee. Certification by other media manufacturers will follow. Mutoh will market the inks all over Europe, the Middle East and Africa through its authorized distributor channel.
“The new 3D UV inks are an addition to our existing 2D UV and dedicated Traffic Sign inks for the Mutoh Zephyr printer platform. The new 3D UV inks are the result of Mutoh’s ongoing commitment to develop innovative and sustainable printing solutions for large format print providers”, says Arthur Vanhoutte, President of Mutoh’s European operations.
“The new inks are ideally suited for existing solvent users or industrial users with focus on 3D wrapping, looking for a productive machine offering best print quality, roll and rigid compatibility and last but not least offering the flexibility to immediately laminate and apply prints. Thanks to their extreme stretchability, they will allow the same application flexibility for fleet applications as conventional solvent printers, a feature not available on competitive high-end industrial UV systems. As our 3D UV inks do not contain any VOCs and finished prints are odour-free, they will offer the same possibilities as water-based printers for indoor applications such as in-store decoration, branding, promotion and wayfinding”, Vanhoutte concludes.
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“The fleet market is worldwide growing business”, says Nico Jansen, Avery Dennison’s GRPD – OEM Alliance Manager. “During the past years, we have been witnessing a new trend whereby print providers are looking for alternatives for their existing solvent printers for fleet and architectural applications, offering more environmentally friendly features. Mutoh’s 3D UV ink is a great alternative to solvent for fleet applications. Apart from their 200 % elongation capabilities, the inks also offer the unique advantage that prints are immediately ready for lamination and application. This makes them a perfect solution too for architectural prints”
“We have extensively tested the performance, durability and applicability of Mutoh’s 3D UV inks. Tests included lamination tests, UV fading tests, application tests on different surfaces including simple curves, compound curves and riveted surfaces, 3D wrap testing, leaving prints for 4 months on a car and removal tests.
Today, we are pleased to confirm that Mutoh 3D UV inks qualify for Avery’s ICS Performance Guarantee program for high quality 3D fleet wrapping applications. Depending on the Avery digital media and graphics protection used, warranties up to 4 years are possible.”, Nico Jansen concludes.
For more info on Avery’s performance guarantee for Mutoh Zephyr 3D UV inks : http://www.europe.averygraphics.com/Sites/ICS_Performance_Guarantee_Bulletins/ICS%20PG%20Durability%20Bulletin%20Mutoh%201.10.3%20Rev3.pdf
Key Characteristics of Mutoh 3D UV Inks :
Ink Behaviour
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Regular UV inks consist of multi-functional monomers. This means they are cross linking in multiple directions, resulting in a harder ink layer. This rigid structure, however, is also automatically less flexible.
Mutoh's new 3D UV ink is composed of mono and di-functional monomers. During the curing process, less cross linking will be generated. Cross linking will happen in one direction (versus multiple directions for regular UV inks).
As a result, the 3D UV’s ink layer is more flexible and softer. This allows wrapping on curved, corrugated and riveted structures, and moreover allows slow process 3D heat deformation for mould prototyping for various industrial designs, packaging etc.
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2D Regular UV Ink Cross Linking
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Mutoh 3D UV Ink Cross Linking
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One could compare the effects described above with a “skin” of ink, which is attached to the top layer of the substrate. This ink skin can be hard with limited elasticity (traditional UV ink) or it can be elastic and soft (Mutoh’s new 3D UV ink).
Key Features Zephyr 3D UV inks
- Usable for roll and rigid substrates
- Can be used for almost any type of conventional uncoated media + exotic substrates
- 200 % elongation capabilities à softer & more flexible ink layer
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Key Features Zephyr 3D UV inks – Cont’d
- Suited for slow process thermo / vacuum deformation
- Does not contain any VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds)
- Non HAP ink (no Hazardous Air Pollutants)
- Odour free after printing à suited for indoor applications
- Immediately dry for lamination & application
- Outdoor durability of 2 years, without lamination. For heavy duty applications where mechanical stress is involved, lamination is recommended.
- Superb image quality thanks to wide colour gamut and grayscale head technology
- High quality production speeds up to 20 m²/h
- Maintenance friendly à same ease of use as water-based printer
- Excellent average running cost : 0.79 € / m²
About Mutoh’s Zephyr UV Printer
Developed and manufactured in Belgium, the Zephyr is a CMYK 64” (165 cm) professional UV inkjet printer for roll-to-roll and rigid board printing up to a thickness of 20 mm.
For roll printing, the machine incorporates a motorized unwinder/winder system with dancer bars for media rolls up to 100 kg. For rigid printing, media transport tables can be placed at the back and in front of the machine. Switching between rigid and roll printing is done in a trice.
For more info about Mutoh’s Zephyr printer : http://www.mutoh.be/uv-printers/zephyr/page.aspx/3338
