Fujifilm has launched a brand new UV-cured inkjet ink, Uvijet KV, aimed at light industrial applications such as printing on thermo formed plastic sheets. Continual investment by Fujifilm in R&D at its award-winning ink manufacturing plant in Broadstairs, UK, has enabled the company to act on the recognized need for a high quality digital ink targeted at these applications.
With a heritage in screen printing ink, and as a pioneer of wide format UV inkjet ink, Fujifilm designed the new Uvijet KV specifically for the company’s Acuity Advance Select and Acuity Advance Select HS mid-range flatbed printers. The new formulation maintains high quality, vivid colors and excellent performance without compromising print speed. Once the printing of a flat plastic sheet is completed, it is removed to a mould where it is heated up to take on the shape of the mould, and then cooled. The ink has outstanding elongation properties of 300 to 400% when heated, returning to a normal state when cool.
“The Acuity is a platform that has become established as the industry benchmark for print quality in its category, and now with the addition of Uvijet KV to the ink range, we are able to help our customers take advantage of profitable new applications,” says Mike Battersby, marketing manager, large format at Fujifilm Speciality Ink Systems.
Tismo Products BV in the Netherlands is one of the early adopters of this technology. Co-owner, Jeroen Maessen, says, “I have been particularly impressed by the print quality that we have been able to achieve with the Acuity Select 4006 and the thermo forming properties of Uvijet KV. We have plans to bring these benefits to market in a new concept based around the personalization characteristics of a digital solution.”
Uvijet KV ink is commercially available now, and will be featured at Fujifilm stands at InPrint in Hannover, Sign & Digital UK in Birmingham, and FESPA Digital in Munich. This inkjet set can be used in conjunction with Fujifilm’s UV-cured screen white, Omniplus UL.