Announcing the new Rho 350 roll to roll UV inkjet printer with Durst Quadro Array Technology.

Just six months after the launch of the Rho 600, which features the innovative Quadro Array Technology, Durst is again bringing a new device onto the market, the Rho 350R. It is a 3.5 metre wide UV inkjet printer for roll to roll printing designed to meet the ever increasing environmental regulations and the large and diverse range of materials used in UV printing. The Rho 350R, comprising 16 Quadro Arrays, prints at a user selectable resolution of 400 to 600 dpi (visually 720 dpi) in colour mode at a speed of up to 120m2 per hour. There is also the option of additional spot colours and white.

The special roll loading system makes it possible for a single person to set-up and run the machine. New operating software has an external RIP station and printing is controlled through an ergonomically designed touch screen with interface to externally connected production management software. This software includes details of material usage and time and enables a detailed production schedule and cost calculation. The reliability of the machine coupled with the ability to handle extra large rolls material means that unattended printing is feasible.

The inks used have also been optimized for the Rho 350R. Two types are available; Rho Roll Ink, based on the well established Rho 3 ink and is ideal for flexible material and a new cationic ink, Rho Cat Ink which, due to its odourless characteristic, satisfies stringent health and safety regulations required in the food industry, for example. Its optimal performance is with extremely heavy materials. This means that the Rho 350 is the perfect machine for printing a whole range of different materials and applications including; banners, vinyl, textiles, truck curtain sides and protective sheeting used with scaffolding.

“Due to the strict environmental regulations across Europe,” said Richard Piock, Durst’s CEO, “and the low cost of uncoated media that can be printed with UV inks, the UV inkjet printing process will, sooner or later, replace solvent printers in the large format professional market.”

The Rho 350R, which will be first shown at Viscom Italia in Milan, is currently undergoing field tests at Beta sites and will be available in the second quarter of 2006.

With the introduction of the new machine, Durst now offers the widest portfolio of UV printers; these include three models of Rho flatbeds, The Rho 160, which is a hybrid roll and flatbed machine, and now the dedicated roll printer, the Rho 350R.

Durst Phototechnik manufactures large-format imaging machines utilising both photo and inkjet technology in two factories, one in Brixen, Italy and the other in Lienz, Austria. The internationally renowned company, which exports to over 120 countries around the globe, has been active in the field of picture reproduction since 1936. It revolutionized the photo-world with the “Lambda” large format laser imaging device and, since 2001, Durst has produced UV inkjet
printers. Once again, it became the innovative market leader with several “firsts” including the first company to offer a white ink printing option as a fifth colour and a special effect varnish, to name but two.