Canon Launches 64" Océ Colorado 1640 Built on New UVgel Technology

The new 64" Océ Colorado 1640 roll-to-roll printer.

MELVILLE, N.Y. — March 8, 2017 — Canon U.S.A., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced a new print technology that will offer large format graphics print providers unique levels of print speed, quality, automation, and cost of operation.

Canon, a world leader in imaging solutions, proudly introduces a new 64" roll-to-roll printer designed to deliver exceptional productivity for high quality indoor and outdoor graphics. Customers will be able to easily handle peak periods with fully automated media loading of multiple online rolls, confidently print unattended with on-the-fly quality assurance, produce instantly cured prints on a wide variety of media including heat-sensitive media and help cut expenses with segment-leading low operating costs. The Océ Colorado 1640 will transform 64" roll-to-roll sign and display printing.

“We are very excited about this revolutionary new game changing technology” said Toyo Kuwamura, executive vice president and general manager, Business Imaging Solutions Group, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “This new technology will help large format print providers to increase their print production while lowering their operating costs, enabling them to profitably grow their business. This technology will have a great business impact on the market including small, midsize and even the large production shops, everyone will benefit.”

UVgel Technology
At the heart of the new Océ Colorado 1640 is Canon’s recently announced UVgel technology. This technology combines a radically new UV curable ink from Canon that instantly gels on contact with the media, an advanced “self-aware” piezoelectric printhead technology, an LED-based UV system that cures without adding any damaging heat to the media, and continuous, on-the-fly, printhead nozzle monitoring and performance compensation. These unique technologies come together to create a 64” roll-to-roll printer that sets new standards for quality, productivity, automation, application range, and operating costs.

Breakthrough Productivity
The new Océ Colorado 1640 is the fastest 64" printer on the market. It boasts a top speed of 1710 square feet per hour and delivers high quality, POP prints at 430 square feet per hour faster than any competing system in this segment. The new, technologically advanced UVgel ink instantly gels on contact with media resulting in precise dot gain and positional control, perfectly repeatable images, and instantly cured, durable prints. The state-of-the-art low temperature LED-UV curing system moves independently from the printing carriage thus enabling uniform, post-print UV curing that further contributes to print speed and print quality. Confident unattended printing, automated quality assurance, unattended roll change, and reduced print waste all significantly contribute to overall productivity.

Innovations in Automation
The Océ Colorado 1640 sets a new standard in industrialization and automation. It features a heavy-duty drawer mechanism that holds up to two rolls of media at one time, each weighing up to 110 lbs. The two rolls can be of the same media type and size or different media, and once initialized, the print engine can switch jobs between rolls without operator assistance. If an unknown media is loaded, the printer will automatically measure its thickness and adjust the print gap accordingly. This ensures the best possible print quality and reduces the risk of printhead crashes. This information is then stored in the media library along with other media parameters so that the next time this type of media is loaded, the printer knows exactly how to handle it.

A left angle view of the Océ Colorado 1640.

Reliability is key for a true production-oriented printer, and the machine must be able to print while unattended. This is why Canon has developed several innovative technologies for on-the-fly quality assurance and control. The UVgel printheads incorporate patented continuous nozzle monitoring to detect and correct any underperforming nozzles. During each and every printing pass, Canon’s patented nozzle monitoring technology automatically checks all nozzles using acoustic sampling and even detects whether nozzles are going to misfire before they actually do. In the event of nozzle failure, corrective maintenance is automatically performed.

Broad Application Range
The Océ Colorado 1640 is excellent for both indoor and outdoor applications. It delivers a large color gamut, similar to solvent inks but combines this with the environmental benefits and safety profile of latex and UV-cured systems.  The result is nearly odorless, VCL-free, durable, colorfast, high quality prints even on the thinnest, most heat-sensitive media. Canon’s unique UVgel technology features ultra-thin ink dispersion with almost no discernible physical profile on the media surface. Prints feel uniquely smooth, unlike other UV ink technologies, and satisfy the highest environmental standards for indoor usage with a virtually odorless profile.

As with all roll-to-roll printers, an important factor in print quality, and subsequently application range, is the accuracy with which the printer advances the media. Built on a heavy, robust frame for class-leading rigidity and equipped with industrial components, the media handling system uses an optical feedback loop that continuously monitors media advance. Using virtually invisible printed index marks at the edges of the media, the system measures media advances in real time to automatically correct the subsequent step size as needed.

Lowest Operating Cost
The Océ Colorado 1640 leads the way in terms of low operating costs. Canon’s unique UVgel technology features ink consumption much lower than competitive technologies, as much as 40 percent lower. This technical advantage is matched with a competitive ink price, making the ink cost of production significantly lower than competing technologies. Looking beyond the easily measured cost savings found in every print, additional savings may be realized through unsurpassed automation features that help reduce operator machine handling time by up to a third compared to competitive products.

"Canon is looking forward to the U.S. debut of this product at the ISA Show in April,” said Toyo Kuwamura, executive vice president and general manager, Business Imaging Solutions Group, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “We know that there has been a lot of anticipation around this technology and we are very excited about what the future will bring.”

A right angle view of the Océ Colorado 1640.

In summary, this proprietary UVgel technology, consisting of both inks and print heads from Canon, will offer large format graphics print providers significant benefits to existing eco-solvent or Latex ink technology, including:

• The world’s fastest 64" roll-to-roll printer with a maximum usable print speed of 1710 square feet per hour and a high quality POP mode at 430 square feet per hour.
• Up to 40 percent reduction in ink/printing costs compared to other technologies such as latex
• Industrial designed production printer capable of printing higher print volumes and built to withstand high duty cycles
• Very high print quality across a wide range of applications without having to significantly compromise productivity by reducing speed
• Extremely easy and fast media loading and automatic switching with the support of 2 in-line rolls
• On-the-fly quality assurance technology facilitates unattended printing and reduced print waste
• Automated maintenance provides consistent print quality and higher uptime

This product will have its first public debut in the U.S.A. at the ISA International Sign Expo in April of 2017. In conjunction with the first commercially available units, pricing and specification details will be released at that time.

†Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Source: Canon U.S.A.