The six-colour printer - CMYK plus white and gloss - is larger than the VersaUV LEF-300, released in January and can print on flexible or rigid substrates or objects up to 150mm in height, - 50mm more than the LEF-300 - and 100kg in weight, the company said.
The LEJ-640FT has a 1,606x2,490mm print area and is therefore suitable for a range of companies offering printed products as diverse as signage, packaging prototypes or guitar cases. It can print at up to a 1,400dpi resolution, according to Roland DG.
Business development manager Mark Elvidge, said the new printer had “improved production workflow, a large, robust print area and advanced Eco-UV inks.
Like its smaller sibling the LEJ-640FT comes with Roland DG's Versaworks RIP software and Roland OnSupport which enables operators to remotely track production and get automatic alerts to a computer or smart phone, but has an upgraded feature.
Elvidge said: "One big difference between the LEJ-640FT and the smaller devices is the handy panel operating system. The portable panel allows you to control the printer functions easily and really get up close to the substrate or object that you wish to print on for perfect accuracy."
The flatbed also has quadruple zone vacuum technology, which allows an operator to print on a large space or lots of smaller substrates, allowing them to run multiple jobs at the same time.
Elvidge added: "The weight limit of media is 100kg, making it ideal for metal, glass or wood prints where conventional flatbeds would struggle to take the weight."
According to the manufacturer, since the LEJ-640FT does not need an external compressor, the floor space it takes up is greatly reduced and the machine is more accessible from all sides.
The machine is available now and costs £64,999. Roland DG expects it to be very popular, Elvidge said.
"Being so versatile the target market for this device is very mixed. Signmakers looking to save time by printing direct to boards rather than manually applying, users of smaller-format UV object printers who wish to print more items on a larger bed or even companies with larger products not printable in any other conventional way."
