The mixed discipline printer, based near Newcastle, installed the press in June.
The company’s new Jeti Tauro H2500 LED, in six colours plus white configuration, can handle substrates up to 2.54m wide, at speeds of up to 390sqm/hr, and has helped speed production in Potts’ wide-format department.
Dan Tarbit, deputy director of the firm’s wide-format team, said the speed was “mind-blowing”.
On paper, the hybrid press was three times as fast as Potts’ incumbent flatbed machines – but thanks to the Tauro’s ability to run with multiple sheets, Potts has been able to reach speeds of up to nine times that of those it replaced, he said.
The Potts wide-format team began reviewing the market in the middle of 2022, a year before installation.
Tarbit said: “We needed more production speed, ideally an upgrade path to support us as we grow, and wanted to ensure there were environmental benefits too. Agfa stood out by a mile.”
With these requirements in mind, the team visited Agfa’s Antwerp showroom.
Tarbit added: “We even took media with us that we were having problems with, like with adherence on certain clear vinyls, and the Agfa engineers showed us how to resolve the issues.
“So, we came away fairly convinced it was the choice for us. Their Jeti Tauro engine was the best fit for our business today and at the right price point.”
Replacing two seven-year old Acuity UV models fitted with halogen lamps, the new machine has already saved Potts a great deal on energy alone, while helping the firm reach its environmental commitments.
The company’s current estimates show a 17% reduction in energy on 2020 across the whole business, aided in part by the Agfa install.
Beck Owen, deputy director of Potts’ corporate division, said: “The environmental impact was certainly one of the considerations in the purchase of the new Agfa machine.
“It replaces two printers that were coming to the end of life, and the energy they used with their halogen lights alone was a lot greater than we are predicting with the new Agfa machine.
“We are excited to see the cost savings from both energy and ink usage on the Agfa.”
The machine itself will save about 60% on ink costs compared to its predecessors, Potts estimates, thanks to both cheaper ink costs and the press’ ‘Thin Ink Layer Technology’.
Tarbit added: “[Agfa’s] machines are reliable and with their quick backup service it gave us the confidence to go for one engine to replace the two that we had.
“We are using the Asanti workflow software which is a tailored wide-format version of the Apogee workflow we know so well too, which is a great benefit for us.”
Potts employs over 100 across two 6,000sqm sites, with one for production and another for warehousing.
