Canon launches new tapeless Arizona 2300
Canon Production Print is promising a 20 per cent uptick in productivity with the launch of its new mid-volume Arizona 2300 flatbed UV printer, thanks to its patented air Flow technology, which does away with the need for tape.
The Flow table means that media is simply placed on the bed, with no need for masking or taping, with media stability achieved through the technology, and registration achieved through the software and sensor viewable marks.
Multiple different jobs can be printed at once, double sided printing involves simply turning the stock over, while printing pre-cut media needs no special adjustments. It will print from edge to edge on the substrate, to benefit from less or no waste.
Printing speed varies from 95sqm an hour for outdoor or short-term print, through 40sqm an hour for standard imaging, to 28sqm an hour for the highest quality print.
With Victoria in Stage 4 lockdown preventing the use of the Canon Customer Experience Centre, the company opted for a rolling global online launch for the Covid era, which kicked off in Australia and New Zealand.
Steven Badger, senior business development manager for Canon Production Print Asia Pacific said, “The benefits of Air Flow will be higher productivity, versatility and quality. Jobs will be produced more quickly with no need to tape, they will go through at high speeds, and there is more versatility in its ability to accept any pre-cut media.” In addition to standard papers, boards and vinyls it will also print onto more esoteric stocks such as wood, glass, metal, acrylics, and canvas.
Arizona 2300 uses the new Canon inkset also found on the Arizona 1300, which Badger says delivers, “the whitest whites and the clearest varnishes”. The ink is Greenguard-certified for use in sensitive areas such as schools and hospitals. It uses third generation Varidot print technology. The new series has varying ink channel options available (40, 60 and 80) to support a diverse range of applications.
There are six models in the range; three compact GTF models (Arizona 2340 GTF, 2360 GTF, 2380 GTF) with a flatbed area of 1.25m x 2.5m, and three large XTF models (Arizona 2340 XTF, 2360 XTF, 2380 XTF) with a flatbed area of 2.5m x 3.08m.
The Arizona was first launched a decade ago, and has for a long time been the world’s best-selling flatbed printer range. It is manufactured in Poing, just outside Munich in southern Germany. The new model will supersede the Arizona 2200. It will be available in Australia and New Zealand early next year.
Badger said, “The launch of the Arizona 2300 is designed to provide print businesses with the technology to develop and grow their markets and profitability, even in these challenging times. We want our customers to not only survive but to thrive, and we believe the new Arizona 2300 with ots patented Air Flow technology which does away with the need to tape or mask will help them to do just that. It speeds up and simplifies the process.”
Speaking at the launch, Dirk Brouns, Canon Production Print vice-president of large format said, “Our customers are expert printers. This market is driven by innovation. This new Arizona platform delivers quality and performance.”
The pneumatic registration pins allow alignment of media to either the left or the right edge of the table – or even to both – and it can print 2-up, 4-up and 6-up. Turning the substrate over from front to back and from left to right on the flatbed enables what Canon says is perfect registration when printing double-sided, regardless of whether the substrate has dimensional imperfections.
The automated maintenance system offers hands-free printhead maintenance and reduces downtime by restoring nozzle functionality in seconds – including for white ink, which is usually difficult to maintain. You no longer have to wait for the printer to warm up – the new Arizona 2300 series offers an instant-on capability through its LED-UV curing system, enabling quicker turnaround for last minute jobs. Its high-resolution camera alignment system enables easy, quick and precise printhead alignment and flatbed table mapping.
In software development Arizona Xpert, the Arizona 2300 series has a self-learning capability so you can design – and then repeat – complex, multi-layered projects. The printer remembers the recipe for the next time you want to print similar applications, saving set-up time and automating the production process.
Printers are invited to see the Arizona 2380 XTF with Roll Media Option via online and live demos from the Canon Customer Experience Centres in the Netherlands.