Since the very first announcement of HP's latex printing technologies there has always been speculation about whether these wide-format machines would truly find their place in the display market sector. But onward development and evolution have done their stuff and resulted in an industrial strength unit that'll make its first public appearance at FESPA 2013. I've recently been fortunate enough to spend some time looking at this latest addition to HP's portfolio and it should prove to one and all that latex technology has now come of age and does what it says on the tin.
The 3.2m HP Latex 3000 has been designed as a solid platform and, as such, isn't just a rebuilt rebadge of the former LX 3.2m machine. It looks tough and strongly constructed, and should be well up to the job of being able to handle heavy-duty applications, incorporating modifications to material feed, head carriage and drying all noticeable with their ergonomic, tough design. Yet its sophistication is such that it is happy with more sensitive and low-end media with the inks offering better anti-scratch properties than its predecessors on products such as self-adhesive vinyls and PVC banner.
This machine is no slouch and is targeted at users who want to output 1,500sq m/day. Typical speed guides are 77sq m/hr for interior jobs and 120sq m/hr for exterior applications. I saw examples being printed onto Starflex SFF-15 front-lit banner in three-pass mode for outdoor work that was easily of high enough quality to be used indoors.
There are other new elements to this machine. Also subject to revision have been the wide-scan print-heads; the HP 881 version incorporated into the HP Latex 3000 includes seven x 10,000 nozzles with a twelve-picolitre droplet size, guaranteeing a fibre optic data transfer to carriage of more than 10GB/s.
Its inks, too, are called HP 881 and come in six colours, with an interesting new addition in the form of a latex optimiser. This improves quality by instantly pinning the pigments to generate sharper text and fine details. Colour is controlled with an embedded spectrophotometer and a stable temperature control across the printer, and the machine incorporates the now familiar OMAS (optical media advance sensor) for dynamic swath alignment which is intended to suppress banding even at the highest speeds.
The positioning of this new machine is interesting as it challenges aqueous-based, solvent-based and UV-curable technologies in a roll-fed format. If we consider market directions for flexible materials, and the anticipated rise in interior applications where Greenguard and other certification and accreditation are desirable, if not mandatory, then this newest latex option should cover many bases. Plus output still retains its ability to be laminated with no risk of outgassing, bringing exterior jobs into play as well.
Changes to the head carriage also demonstrate considerable attention to detail over the entire construction, with the print-head array now contained in a sturdy carriage for stability. The post-print heaters have a new configuration which channels the drying directly onto the media and runs at a lower temperature using less energy. This increases the range of heat-sensitive materials that can now be used with latex technology and, of course, endorses the fact that no special ducting or ventilation is required when running this machine.
Obviously, the HP Latex 3000 isn't an 'industrial' printer in present-day ink-jet vernacular. What it represents is a heavy-duty option that uses a revised version of the company's latex ink technology in a very nicely constructed platform that includes logical design and architecture and, one would hope, no margin for error in build and production terms.
Sensibly, HP has now repositioned all the members of its latex family to bring them under one roof, removing some of the lengthy and idiosyncratic nomenclature and superseding it with easier to remember monikers. Hence, the former Designjet 26500 becomes the Latex 260 and the 28500 is renamed the Latex 280. The existing Scitex models change their prefixes to come under the general HP Latex umbrella, and the new 3000 tops the bill. This logical categorisation rightly simplifies the identity of all the company’s latex products.
With the arrival of this latest iteration in the form of a high performance engine, HP's latex technology is going to be a hard act to follow. The company's unassailable lead has now been extended considerably by this move into greater productivity and the HP Latex 3000 now adds an important option to heavy-duty requirements in the roll-fed market.