EFIhas launched a fifth generation Cretaprint ceramic tile printer with Industry 4.0 capabilities and a new EFI e-D5 printhead.
José Luis Ramón Moreno, vice president and general manager, EFI Industrial Printing, says, “This new generation is the state-of-art Cretaprint platform towards the future. It is easy to use and promotes high quality manufacturing of digital tiles.
“It is a smart printer with multiple connectivity options, including the SCADA application for communication with plant management workflows and the EFI Go mobile app that gives operators the ability to monitor the status of the printer as well as view production statistics in an easy-to-understand dashboard. It is an extension of the unique EFI Ecosystem for ceramic tile printing that ensures a connected, smart and streamlined non-stop manufacturing workflow.”
The printer features a maximum print width of 1138 mm and operators can configure it with up to eight print bars, supporting a maximum tile length of 3000 mm. It has a print speed of up to 70 metres per minute.
EFI says the printer’s plug and play printheads shorten installation and assure fine quality adjustment adding that the printheads feature a new nozzle geometry that ensures printing uniformity, with lower ink drop deviation and reduced nozzle clogging. They can work at higher speeds without compromising quality. The new printers include Fiery proServer Colour Management for Ceramics for creating better colour separations and lower ink consumption thanks to a new algorithm specially developed for e-D5 printheads.
The company lists the new printers’ features:
- Improved printing bar mechanics and alloy plate that reduces the need for adjustments.
- A new ink delivery system that is even more efficient than past generations. It includes total ink recirculation, zero deposits and complete temperature control for optimal performance
- Redesigned electronics feature continual bi-directional communication with printheads that enables nozzle out compensation, fine tuning for uniform printing and automatic alignment
- A brand-new user interface, with a multi-lingual touch screen, provides operators with direct access to key functions, with bar, transport and alarm status always on screen. A new menu configuration makes navigation and access to advanced options easy
- A new supervisory control and data acquisition application that uses a standard and widely-used communication protocol providing access to machine status, print job details, tile characteristics, ink levels, printed production, alarms and more by building management systems in manufacturing plants, as well as other business and production systems
- ID printing that enables the creation of templates that include information such as date and time, file name, print profile, ink temperature, printing speed and more. This enables track-and-trace throughout the manufacturing process and makes monitoring and adjustments easier
