Inca launches latest Onset UV flatbed

Inca Digital has used drupa 2012 to launch the latest iteration of its Onset flatbed UV printer range, the Onset S40i, which it claimed would "pay for itself" in six months.

Supplied by Fujifilm (Hall 8b, stand A25), the machine is being shown at drupa for the first time and includes a series of improvements on the S40 which was launched early last year.

The new model features a 15-zone vacuum table, which is said to help cut the masking requirements when printing on substrates thinner than 3mm.

It also introduces an automated sensor system to monitor the machine’s condition and alert the press operator when it requires cleaning.

In addition, the manufacturer has built in a new substrate height detector to the flatbed printer, which it said would both increase accuracy and offer improved protection to the printheads.

According to Inca, the latest addition to the Onset battery "raises the bar" and couples "best-in-class" quality with high levels of performance, making it ideal for POS, exhibition displays, outdoor signage and backlit displays.

The Onset S40i can print at speeds up to 470m2 per hour and fits in the existing Onset portfolio between the 310m2 an hour S20 and the 750m2 S70.

It features 168 user-replaceable printheads that can deliver 28 picolitre drop sizes, producing output at 600dpi in either a four- or six-colour configuration.

Fujifilm group marketing manager for wide-format Tudor Morgan said the Onset S40i will receive its debut during the show and it will be commercially available from August.

He said: "The new features added to the Onset S40i are another huge step in increasing the efficiency of what are already the most productive UV inkjet flatbeds in the market today, and we look forward to demonstrating the capabilities of this model on our stand.

"It is a brand new machine which will replace the S40; it is not upgradeable, but Inca’s proprietary software that has been built into the platform which means that Inca can maintain the price at around the same level," he added.