Have you seen Mimaki's new printer coming out in April?

[tulsagraphics]

Hi all!

I absolutely love my S80600. Won't be replacing that anytime soon.

But I do need to get a 2nd printer to expand my print capabilities (e.g. 5-layer printing, lowering ink costs on commodity items, and the potential for UV DTF workflow).

I've never owned a Mimaki before. The UCJV330-160 looks pretty solid. However, they've got a new printer on the Horizon -- the UJ330H-16 which is a roll-to-roll / flatbed hybrid, and at $40k, I can squeeze that into my budget. They'll have it out for demo at the next ISA show. https://mimaki.com/product/inkjet/hybrid/uj330h-160/

I like the hybrid idea because I'm short on space. It's no big deal to roll the RollsRoller out of the way for some low cost flatbed printing (compared to the S80, that is), but at the same time -- are hybrids actually a good idea in practice? Is it really the best of both worlds (at this price point)? Reminder -> 1 man shop. Six figure (or even high five figure) machines are not possible anytime soon.

I know the color vibrancy won't match the S80, but most jobs don't require super vibrant prints anyway. I guess the other big question is --- Is it wise to be an early adopter of a new product like this?

 

[White Haus]

I'm also really curious about this new model. I've often said I wish our UCJV-300 could print on rigid materials.

That's a really attractive price point as well. If it does as well with rigid as it does with roll media, I can see this being a nice entry level hybrid.

 

[Solventinkjet]

are hybrids actually a good idea in practice?

Historically, no. That's not to say they can't be great for a shop but whenever you try to do two things in one machine, it adds more headaches usually. I'd just say, be prepared for unexpected troubleshooting.

Is it wise to be an early adopter of a new product like this?

I've installed countless printers over about 2 decades. New models ALWAYS have problems out of the gate. I can't think of one exception. If I were buying equipment for a shop, I'd stick with models that have been out for at least 2 to 3 years.

I know those answers are a bit pessimistic but they are from experience. Don't let that stop you from checking it out at the show and letting them make their pitch.

 

[ToTo]

Someone remember MacDermit? They had a similar design of a hybrid uv printer about 20 years ago. I prefer a table or belt system depending on customer needs. But pinched substrate path on a rigid machine is a no-go, to my experience.
Have seen that it has a vacuum belt. Let’s have a closer look at it.

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

I guess that explains the goofy latches on the 330 series frames I keep seeing. I like Mimaki for lots of reasons, but this looks more half-assed than their UVDTF printer. Maybe if they put in proper heated heads like a T3200, it could be a good machine. If they're still using bodged together i3200 heads with taped on heaters, it'd be a hard pass in my book. Regardless, I'd give it at least a year or two before jumping the gun on one.

 

[Tyler Durden]

The only problem with a hybrid printer is it still wont be able print on most things you would want to print with a flatbed, also the set up takes longer, then there are the wheels tracking over the material. Its basically a really bad flat bed printer. But if you just want to print full sheets of white coroplast then maybe its for you.

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

When you try to accomplish everything, it tends to be mediocre. That said, it still has some advantages. Small footprint being one. That said, the more failures I see with Mimaki's abortion level heater implementation with their i3200 heads, the more I worry about their modern UV offerings. They seriously need to spec UV specific heated heads instead of taping things together.

 

[tulsagraphics]

The only problem with a hybrid printer is it still wont be able print on most things you would want to print with a flatbed, also the set up takes longer, then there are the wheels tracking over the material. Its basically a really bad flat bed printer. But if you just want to print full sheets of white coroplast then maybe its for you.

Yeah that makes sense. Those darned pinch rollers!

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

I gutted an EFI belt hybrid a while back, nice design but the thing was a behemoth. Instead of rollers, it used a weighted aluminum hold-down bar.

 

[Steve Weist]

I am with PDS equipment #1 Mimaki Dealer in North America and we had the first UJ330H in North America, we have demo units in Nashville, Dallas and Las Vegas. We have been running this unit for 3-4 weeks and it has proven to be an amazing printer, we loved it so much we bought all the incoming inventory Mimaki had over 25 Units. We would not have bought 25 unless we were really happy with it! The Vacuum Belt feed is amazing and allows for amazing media control for super light tissue paper, .020 styrene , magnets up to 2" thick 5'x10' rigid boards! If you guys have any questions about the Mimaki UJ330H-160 my tech team is already trained and we will be installing starting next week! This Spot gloss is freaking like Glass! This machine will fit thru a 34" doorway and is only 110V. With dual CMYK we produced great quality 4x8 boards in 6min 30 sec. I have a dedicated FB page for the Mimaki UJ330H-160 where we are posting the videos and information as we learn more! If your coming to ISA this week stop by the PDS Equipment booth #2100 and say hi! This machine will prove to be the best value in the sign industry as it will be installed sub $50K.

Steve Weist
615-812-3001
sweistsr@gmail.com

 

[FrankW]

I prefer a table or belt system depending on customer needs. But pinched substrate path on a rigid machine is a no-go, to my experience.

Agree. But the UJ330H have a belt with vacuum, but pinch rollers too, some to control the media edges and some at the rear to correct lifting and warping. I remember very solid rolls at the HP Scitex FB-Series too while feeding take place with the belt only. We are dealers, we will have a UJ330H shortly for our showroom.

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

Vacuum belt is good, but heads are still my concern. Guess I will have to act all cas and hit up a showroom and poke around. But service docs I can point towards that abomination that is the i3200 with heating elements taped to it and the weird manifold.

I mean, as long as it isn't as bad of a nightmare as the JFX600....

 

[Evan Gillette]

Looks like the old Mutoh hybrids, but I dont think those were belt fed.

 

[Sticker-Pilot]

I will say having had the UCJV300 for 3 years and then the UCJV330 now for year. The 330 is so much more refined than the 300. The machine is barely needs cleaning. We ran about 150 rolls of clear window cling last year color-white-color and it’s been solid. The heads and the cleaning system on the 330 are so much better than the 300. I checked out the hybrid today at ISA and I will be getting one before the end of the year.

 

[Evan Gillette]

What kind of speed are they saying for a 4x8 sheet?

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

Going from a UCJV300 to a 330 is going to be a huge jump in speed and quality, talking about an older head with under a thousand nozzles and 150 DPI native to 3200 nozzles and 300 DPI native resolution. Here's hoping Mimaki learns and specs a T3200 head, way more durable, huge print width, heated, and best of all, no FFC cables.

 

[sergeiradostin1]

Hey everyone! I’m a complete newbie to the printing industry, and I'm planning to start a print shop here in California. I really like the Mimaki UCJV330-160, but whenever I try to find info on how reliable it is and what kind of issues it has, I see a lot of mixed reviews.

Could anyone share their firsthand experience with this printer and give me some advice? I plan to start out of my garage, and I have absolutely zero prior printing experience. That said, I am a mechanical design engineer with over 10 years of manufacturing experience, mostly working with CNC machinery, so I'm very comfortable with complex equipment.

Would love to hear your thoughts on whether this machine is a good fit for a beginner in a garage setup!

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

Printer tech here, and I work mostly on Mimaki. Their use of more fragile heads (Epson i3200 series) with heating elements on strapped to them is going to be quite problematic for longevity. If they designed new inks for those heads, it would be less problematic. However, they're speccing the inks that they used in the much more durable industrial Ricoh Gen5 printheads and I am seeing more and more issues with head failure and issues with the thicker ink.

Honestly, if not afraid of used equipment, the UCJV300 would be a killer starter machine. Slower, but also way more reliable. Also parts are way cheaper. UCJV330 uses dampers for example, which are ~$40 ($320 for set of 8) versus subtanks ~$150 (x2), but also heads are only around $2400 instead of over $5000 each. Combine that with the heads being way more durable and a much less complex system means way less downtime.

 

[sergeiradostin1]

Большое спасибо за ответ! Думаю, это и будет главной причиной поиска другого устройства.

 

[sergeiradostin1]

Всем привет,


Мне нужны рекомендации по надежному рулонному принтеру, который бы соответствовал моим текущим производственным потребностям.


Моя конфигурация и требования:


Объём: около 50 000 кв. футов в месяц (в среднем около 1500–2000 кв. футов за 8-часовую смену, или примерно 2 полных рулона в день).


Области применения: В основном наружные баннеры и виниловая пленка для оклейки автомобилей (для ламинирования и нанесения на деревянные панели и коммерческий автопарк).


Качество: Необходимо обеспечить очень высокое качество печати для просмотра вблизи, но мне не требуются специальные текстуры, тиснение или эффекты лакирования.


Надежность: мне нужна "рабочая лошадка", которая не потребует постоянной настройки и не доставит ежедневных хлопот.


Дилемма:


Я знаю, что высококачественные китайские принтеры, использующие печатающие головки Epson i3200, могут быть экономичными, но их первоначальная настройка сопряжена с трудностями, а поиск запчастей или надежной технической поддержки здесь, в США, — это настоящий кошмар. Я хочу полностью избежать этих проблем.


Какие марки и конкретные модели мне следует рассмотреть, чтобы они легко выдерживали такой ежедневный объем работы, отличались исключительной надежностью и имели отличное обслуживание в США, доступность запчастей и техническую поддержку?


Заранее благодарю за ваши советы!