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Durst Rho 351R roll-to-roll UV-cured inkjet printer

Roll-fed UV-curing grand format printers were first introduced by NUR at DRUPA 2004. About two years later Gandinnovations introduced their first roll-to-roll 3.3 meter UV RTR and also a 5 meter RTR UV-curable printer. Now these Gandy roll-to-roll UV printers offer 48 Spectra printheads for extra speed.

By early 2007 NUR already had four models of UV-curable roll-fed printers:

• NUR Expedio 3200
• NUR Expedio Inspiration
• NUR Expedio 5000
• NUR Expedio Revolution

It is widely expected that VUTEk will introduce a roll-to-roll UV-curable inkjet printer by SGIA ’07 or at least by ISA ’08. Mimaki showed a prototype of a roll-to-roll UV printer at FESPA Germany ’07 (but it was not grand format). Even the Chinese have already introduced roll-fed UV printers:

• Infiniti 3360
• Flora F1 3200

Unfortunately the Infiniti 1.6 m hybrid UV printer is not well designed and has cheap low bid parts. Inspection of two printshops that each had one Infiniti UV printer revealed that it fell apart in less than six months and could not print 8 hours a day all week without breaking down at some point.

Flora is also trying to produce a roll-fed UV printer, the Flora F1 3200, but the Flora hybrid UV printers also have issues with parts that break or wear out or simply don’t hold up well (even the DuPont Cromaprint 22uv printers that are contract manufactured in China have a litany of issues).

This is the Durst 351R printing some photographies taken by Nicholas Hellmuth.

Focus on good quality UV roll-to-roll UV printers

The NUR and Gandinnovations UV printers are obviously not made in China, nor of course is the Durst Rho. I have inspected the Gandinnovations roll-to-roll Jeti UV printer in Lisbon, so can state that it works well.

I have studied the NUR Expedio roll-fed UV printers in the NUR factory once already, and by the time you read this page will be en route for a second visit to inspect the NUR Expedio printers in their R&D room and factory in Israel.

The NUR roll-fed Expedio Inspiration printers are made for speed, and for producing banners and billboards to be viewed a far distance.

Durst Rho 351R roll-to-roll UV-cured inkjet printer. FESPA trade show 2007.

Durst Rho 351R roll-to-roll UV-cured inkjet printer. FESPA trade show 2007.

The Gandinnovations Jeti 3348 UV RTO, 5024 UV RTO

The Durst Rho 351R is not yet well enough known to issue a recommendation. I know the NUR Expedio printers since I see at least two models at every trade show. Also, NUR has facilitated my visits to their world headquarters in Israel twice, to make sure I have access to inspect these printers and so that I can test them and see them working (away from the hectic of a trade show). NUR does not hide things from me; they allowed me into their factory, into their ink labs; into their R&D rooms. Same with Gandy; full access throughout their world headquarters in Toronto.

Durst Rho 351R UV at FESPA 2007.

So I can write about the Gandy Jeti roll-to-roll printers because I see them at all the trade shows, and know their insides and outsides from hours of study in their demo room (including the Gandy demo room in San Antonio, Texas ). They even encouraged me to go inside the factory and look at the structure, the chassis that holds up the printer. Indeed I am invited for a second visit to the Toronto factory shortly.

But the Durst Rho 351R is seldom at trade shows, and when it is, the booth is closed-in. It’s hard to inspect the printer at leisure at a trade show, especially in this kind of booth design. When I went to Rochester , it was not available for inspection, and there has not been a chance to get to the factory yet either. So since we know the NUR and Gandy better, and since I have even been to the factory where the Infiniti roll-fed printers were made, I can more easily write about those other brands.

Durst Rho 351R roll-to-roll UV-cured inkjet printer.

Conveyor belt, Durst Rho 351R roll-to-roll UV-cured inkjet printer.

Recent update May 2011

First posted October 1, 2007.