The first model, the SpeedSet 1060, will be sold mainly through Screen and will use Screen’s Equios workflow as its front end. However, Wilson adds: “We are in negotiations with distribution partners for the next SpeedSet model, the 1060L.”
It takes boards up to 1060mm wide and 2mm thick, with a print width of 1040mm. It can print up to 11,000 B1 sph with full coverage, which is equivalent to 150mpm. It uses a steel-backed vacuum conveyor to transport the boards through the press. The vacuum is strong enough to hold the boards down and eliminate any warping.
The SpeedSet uses Fujifilm Samba printheads giving it a resolution of 1200 x 1200 dpi. It will use an aqueous inkset, with Wilson noting that Screen will supply its own inks but that future distributors might specify different inks for their markets. He adds: “All inks will be validated by Inca.” There’s a bulk ink tank system with Wilson noting: “The machine will run quickly and use a lot of ink so the ability to refill quickly on the fly is essential.”
Wilson continued: “We have used a primer because it’s easier to switch quickly between substrates.” Customers will be able to print a calibration strip to determine the optimal amount of primer for any given substrate and this can be added to a library of substrate profiles for faster set-up. There’s also an Inkjet varnish option. It uses a combination of infrared and hot air for drying.
The feeder has been designed to take a very wide range of media. At the other end, the stacker has a high pile height to cope with long high speed runs. There’s also an option to inspect sheets and eject any with defects before they reach the stacker.
Wilson claims that the SpeedSet has the shortest makeready of any comparable product. He concluded: “We expect that it will grow into a wide range of printers for different applications.”
For now the SpeedSet is still at the prototype stage though the idea is to begin customer demonstrations in 2022 and to deliver the first machines in 2023. In the meantime, you can find further information on the company itself from incadigital.com or through marketing@incadigital.com, and I will write a full report on the Future Print and Pack conference in the next few days.
