With a 280 per cent speed increase over the previous model, Mimaki's new flatbed printer launched at Fespa, the JFX-2513 EX, looks set to make an impact in the local market.
Jason Hay, Mimaki (left) talks about Mimaki at Fespa
The new EX version prints at the same speed with white. National sales manager Jason Hay told Print21 that it is a fifth generation LED flatbed. "Virtually all Mimaki printers are now UV LED, including the flatbeds, the rollfeds and the 3D printers. The benefits of lower power, a wide range of substrates, and vitality of the graphics are the reasons," he said.
The new flatbed EX will print at 35sqm an hour. It also has what the company says is 2.5D capability, to produce textured surfaces. It will retail for $119,995 in Australia.
Mimaki in fact has just had a record year in Australia: according to Hay, it sold 29 of the existing flatbed, and no fewer than 165 roll to roll printers in the last 12 months. He said, "Mimaki is expanding in every way - more installs, more staff, more prints, and significantly more print being produced."
Also on the Mimaki booth at Fespa was the TS55 textile printer. Hay said textiles are another fast growing area for Mimaki, with an upturn in sales of between 300 and 400 per cent in the last 12 months. The TS55 will produce 110sqm an hour and has a bulk reel capacity of 2500 linear metres.