Agfa Graphics to Debut the Anapurna H3200i LED Wide-format Printer at SGIA

MORTSEL, Belgium — August 23, 2016 — On its family of Anapurna i printers, Agfa Graphics recently introduced air-cooled LED UV curing as an alternative to the current mercury lamp curing technology — enabling printers to print on a broader range of media, save energy, increase system up-time and reduce operational expenses.

On display at the 2016 SGIA Expo (Las Vegas, Sept. 14-16) will be the Anapurna H3200i LED system, a brand new 3.2m hybrid solution for printing both rigid and flexible media.

“The Anapurna H3200i LED exactly meets the needs of most of our customers,” says Willy Van Dromme, marketing manager, Wide-Format, Agfa Graphics. “This is a belt-driven hybrid machine which handles all types of roll media in a size up to 3.2m, both in a single-roll and a dual-roll configuration, and it also allows for printing on 4x8ft. (2x3m) rigids, fed with the long size first. Thanks to the LED UV curing it supports the widest media mix in the market at all print quality levels.”

The Anapurna H3200i LED offers both high throughput and high print quality. The white ink function is built in. It includes pre-, post-, spot and even sandwich white. The Anapurna H3200i LED is driven by Asanti 3.0, the workflow dedicated to wide-format printing solutions.

LED UV Curing on the Anapurna i-series
The new Anapurna i-series inkjet systems are equipped with air-cooled 16 Watt/cm² LED UV lamps. The dedicated ink sets from Agfa Graphics perfectly match the specific UV frequencies of the curing LEDs. Thanks to their reduced heat emission, they can print on heat-sensitive substrates such as thin-layer styrene, self-adhesive sheets or stretched ceiling materials made of PVC fabric. LED UV curing technology also offers interesting operational and environmental benefits.

Thanks to their reduced heat emission, LED machines can print on heat-sensitive substrates such as thin-layer styrene, self-adhesive sheets or stretched ceiling materials made of PVC fabric.

Unlike for mercury lamps, the lifetime of the LED alternative is in line with the economical lifetime of a printer of typically five years. LED lamps can be switched on/off instantaneously, without degradation of intensity.

As a consequence, both the cost and the downtime for changing lamps are obviated, while there is no issue in disposing them either. In addition, the power output remains consistent over the LEDs’ operating life, which is an important element in maintaining good physical characteristics of the print with regards to adhesion for example. Finally, LED lamps have no warm-up, nor cool-down time, so power consumption is drastically lower during printing and reduced to an absolute minimum when paused, which results in a lower energy bill.

“With the Asanti workflow for wide-format printers, LED UV curing and the broadened assortment with Anapurna H3200i LED, we underline our commitment to the sign and display market at SGIA,” explains Van Dromme. “Our customers will benefit from the operational savings, the broader media range and the environmental advantages that LED UV curing adds to the systems, without compromising on either print quality or productivity.”

The Anapurna H3200i LED, the Anapurna RTR 3200i LED, and the Anapurna FB2540i LED will be on display at 2016 SGIA Expo.

Source: Agfa Graphics.